A Christmas Railway Mystery Read online

  ‘What have they done to him?’

  ‘He’s still alive – that’s the main thing.’

  ‘Just about,’ said Tallis, gamely.

  Leeming shook Stagg hard. ‘You’ll pay dearly for this.’

  ‘Find that key at once,’ said Colbeck.

  After searching Stagg’s pockets, Leeming located the key and handed it over. Colbeck immediately freed Tallis and helped him to his feet. After flexing his muscles and rubbing his sore wrists, the superintendent walked unsteadily but purposefully across to Stagg and grabbed him.

  ‘Where are my cufflinks?’ he demanded.

  Alan Hinton, meanwhile, was clinging on to the side of the cart as it careered madly across the grass. Leo Stagg used his whip to get extra speed from the horse then he swung round and flailed away at Hinton, trying to dislodge him from the cart altogether. Taking care not to be hit in the face, the constable took most of the stinging blows on his arm. His top hat had blown off and, because of the grime, his clothing was filthy but he didn’t stop to worry about that. Staying on the cart was all that he could think about at that moment. The driver tried a different way to shake him off, making the horse zigzag his way across the field so that there were sudden changes of direction. When the cart dipped into a hollow at full speed, Hinton was thrown inches into the air.

  If he was going to be thrown off, he decided, he intended to take the driver with him. The next time that Leo swung round and lashed out at him, therefore, Hinton grabbed hold of the whip and tugged with all his might. Leo was pulled off balance, allowing the constable to scramble to his feet and dive at the man. There was a violent struggle with the cart bouncing its way over the ground. When one of the wheels hit a boulder, the whole cart lurched sideways and threw both men out on to the grass. Hinton was on his feet in a flash but Leo, who’d fallen awkwardly on one arm, took a little more time. He was a hulking figure with muscles hardened by farm work. Hinton, however, had fire inside him. Enraged that the man had dared to kidnap Tallis, he jumped at him courageously and landed some heavy punches to the face.

  The fight was soon over. Though Leo fought back, he could only use one arm, the other one having been badly damaged in the fall. In spite of his smaller physique, Hinton fought like a man possessed, punching and grappling until he wrestled his adversary to the ground. Dazed and handicapped, Leo Stagg was gradually beaten into submission. Hinton was bruised and dripping with blood but he still had enough strength to handcuff the other man then yank him roughly to his feet.

  On Christmas Eve, a few guests had been invited to the Colbeck residence for a drink. Victor and Estelle Leeming were there and so was Lydia Quayle. Being a member of the family, Caleb Andrews felt that he had to be the first to arrive and he was due to spend the night there as well. As they sipped their glasses of mulled wine in the drawing room, Andrews was still keen to talk about the two recent cases in which his son-in-law had been involved.

  ‘So the killer was a villainous railway policeman,’ he said, pointedly. ‘Trust the GWR to employ such a man.’

  ‘It was Madeleine who made me look at the case from another angle,’ recalled Colbeck, ‘When I showed her the plan of the Railway Village, she was struck by its relentless uniformity. That made me think that someone might find living there quite oppressive. I was right. Fellowes, the man in question, hated the repetitive lives they were all forced to live in Swindon. Murder was a blow against what he claimed was the depressing sameness of the Railway Village where his whole life was timetabled to the last second. He did have a stronger reason to kill his victim, of course, but I was nevertheless grateful for Madeleine’s initial comment.’

  ‘You solved the crime, Robert,’ she said. ‘I deserve no credit.’

  ‘It’s very strange,’ said Leeming. ‘We spent all that time on a case in Wiltshire yet it’s the night in Kent that really stays in my mind. We actually prevented a murder there. Stagg and his brother really meant to kill the superintendent.’

  Colbeck nodded. ‘They intended to flog him to death.’

  ‘How terrible!’ exclaimed Lydia.

  ‘It’s a tribute to the superintendent’s constitution that he stood up to being bound hand and foot and left for days in a freezing stable. The doctor has advised him to take time off to rest but I can guarantee that he’s probably still at his desk.’

  ‘Victor told me what happened to Inspector Grosvenor,’ said Estelle.

  ‘He’s been reduced to the rank of sergeant.’

  ‘That’s far too good for him,’ said Leeming. ‘When he was given power he didn’t deserve, he made such a mess that he should now be pounding the streets in uniform.’

  ‘Let’s forget about him and his woes,’ suggested Colbeck, ‘and dwell on the happier aspects of the events in Kent. Edward Tallis was rescued in the nick of time, Victor and I received fulsome praise and Constable Hinton was thanked personally by the commissioner. As a result, we’re all safely back home in the bosoms of our respective families in time to celebrate Christmas.’ He looked down at the crib in which his daughter was sleeping. ‘Helen – God bless her – will have her father beside her tomorrow.’

  ‘I’m longing to see her face when she’s given her presents,’ said Lydia. ‘I was with Madeleine when she bought some of them.’

  ‘Did she buy anything for me?’ asked Andrews.

  ‘No,’ said his daughter, ‘I bought nothing at all.’

  ‘Don’t tease me, Maddy.’

  ‘Then don’t ask a silly question. You know that I’d never dare to forget you.’ She indicated the parcels around the tree. ‘There’s a gift for everyone.’ The doorbell rang and they all looked towards the hall. Madeleine smiled. ‘This is a present that we thought you might appreciate, Lydia.’

  She was surprised. ‘Why me?’

  ‘You’ll soon see,’ explained Colbeck. ‘Since he played an important part in foiling the kidnappers, I felt that Alan Hinton ought to join in the toast to our success. Why don’t you go and greet him, Lydia?’

  Torn between embarrassment and delight, Lydia looked self-consciously around the other faces then ran on tiptoe to the door and out into the hall. The others exchanged a knowing smile. It was a few minutes before Hinton and Lydia came into the room together. They were beaming happily. There was a flurry of welcomes then Hinton indicated the window.

  ‘Have you looked outside?’ he asked. ‘It’s snowing hard.’

  ‘That’s wonderful news!’ said Colbeck.

  Leeming laughed. ‘Our boys will be thrilled.’

  ‘Do you hear that?’ said Madeleine, leaning over the crib to place a kiss on her daughter’s head. ‘Daddy is back home and we’re going to have a white Christmas.’

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  About the Author

  EDWARD MARSTON has written well over a hundred books, including some non-fiction. He is best known for his hugely successful Railway Detective series and he also writes the Bow Street Rivals series featuring twin detectives set during the Regency, as well as the Home Front Detective series.

  edwardmarston.com

  By Edward Marston

  THE RAILWAY DETECTIVE SERIES

  The Railway Detective

  The Excursion Train

  The Railway Viaduct

  The Iron Horse

  Murder on the Brighton Express

  The Silver Locomotive Mystery

  Railway to the Grave

  Blood on the L
ine

  The Stationmaster’s Farewell

  Peril on the Royal Train

  A Ticket to Oblivion

  Timetable of Death

  Signal for Vengeance

  The Circus Train Conspiracy

  Inspector Colbeck’s Casebook

  A Christmas Railway Mystery

  THE RESTORATION SERIES

  The King’s Evil

  The Amorous Nightingale

  The Repentant Rake

  The Frost Fair

  The Parliament House

  The Painted Lady

  THE BRACEWELL MYSTERIES

  The Queen’s Head

  The Merry Devils

  The Trip to Jerusalem

  The Nine Giants

  The Mad Courtesan

  The Silent Woman

  The Roaring Boy

  The Laughing Hangman

  The Fair Maid of Bohemia

  The Wanton Angel

  The Devil’s Apprentice

  The Bawdy Basket

  The Vagabond Clown

  The Counterfeit Crank

  The Malevolent Comedy

  The Princess of Denmark

  THE HOME FRONT DETECTIVE SERIES

  A Bespoke Murder

  Instrument of Slaughter

  Five Dead Canaries

  Deeds of Darkness

  Dance of Death

  The Enemy Within

  Under Attack

  THE BOW STREET RIVALS SERIES

  Shadow of the Hangman

  Steps to the Gallows

  Date with the Executioner

  THE CAPTAIN RAWSON SERIES

  Soldier of Fortune

  Drums of War

  Fire and Sword

  Under Siege

  A Very Murdering Battle

  Copyright

  Allison & Busby Limited

  12 Fitzroy Mews

  London W1T 6DW

  allisonandbusby.com

  First published in Great Britain by Allison & Busby in 2017.

  This ebook edition published in Great Britain by Allison & Busby in 2017.

  Copyright © 2017 by EDWARD MARSTON

  The moral right of the author is hereby asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  All characters and events in this publication other than those clearly in the public domain are fictitious and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent buyer.

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  ISBN 978-0-7490-2153-5