The night was humid, the sky dark and Crewe passenger station was no more than a shadowy outline. Having circled it time and again, he paused to remove his top hat so that he could wipe the back of his hand across his sweaty brow. It was a grave mistake. Before he could replace his hat, something struck him hard on the back of his head and sent him sprawling forward into oblivion. After checking that the policeman was unconscious, his attacker stepped over the body and trotted off in the direction of the stationmaster’s office.
When he reached the door, he used a powerful shoulder to smash it open then stepped inside. Having studied the office earlier through the window, he knew where to find the oil lamp and lit it at once, moving it so that it illuminated the large cupboard in the corner. Pulling a knife from inside his jacket, he inserted it in the gap beside the lock and jiggled it violently until the door suddenly flipped open. It took him a split-second to realise that the item he was after was no longer there. He thrust the knife angrily back into its sheath.
‘Damnation!’ he swore.
Then he ran off swiftly into the darkness.
CHAPTER THREE
Ever since the death of her mother, Madeleine Andrews had looked after her father and willingly taken on the roles of housekeeper, cook, nurse, maidservant and companion. She was an intelligent woman in her twenties, vigorous, decisive and self-possessed, with attractive features framed by auburn hair parted in the middle. In spite of her domestic commitments, Madeleine had taken the trouble to educate herself way beyond what might be expected of an engine driver’s daughter and to develop her artistic talent. In a busy life, she had somehow managed to strike a good balance between her household duties and her leisure pursuits.
Working the late shift, Caleb Andrews had not returned home to the modest house in Camden until after his daughter had gone to bed the previous night. Unable to pass on his news, therefore, he was keen to do so when a new day dawned. As he came downstairs, there was a jauntiness in his gait and a twinkle in his eye. He went into the back room to find Madeleine ladling porridge into two bowls.
‘Breakfast is ready,’ she said.
‘Thank you, Maddy – you spoil me, you know.’
‘That’s what I’m here for, Father.’
‘I don’t think I could manage without you,’ he said, taking a seat at the table. ‘Though I suppose that I’ll have to sooner or later.’
‘Now, don’t play that little game,’ she warned.
He feigned innocence. ‘What game?’
‘You know quite well. Robert and I are close friends but I won’t be teased on that account. Eat your breakfast.’
‘I’m not teasing anybody. It’s a father’s duty to safeguard his daughter and to make sure that nobody takes advantage of her. I have your best interests at heart, Maddy.’ He gave a sly grin. ‘I also have a surprise for you.’
She sat opposite him. ‘I don’t like surprises this early in the morning,’ she said briskly. ‘Save it until later.’
‘You’d never forgive me if I did.’
‘Why not?’
‘It concerns Inspector Colbeck.’
‘Robert?’ Her face ignited with pleasure. ‘What about him?’
He shrugged. ‘I’ll tell you after breakfast.’
‘Tell me now.’
‘You said that you’d rather wait.’
‘Father!’
‘And it’s not that important,’ he said dismissively.
‘You’re teasing me again,’ she told him, ‘and I don’t like it. Remember who got up early this morning in order to make your breakfast. You ought to show some gratitude.’
‘I always do, Maddy.’
‘Then stop annoying me.’
He gave another shrug. ‘Is that what I’m doing?’
‘What do you want to tell me about Robert?’
‘Only that I drove the train that took him to his latest case,’ said Andrews, thrusting out his chest. ‘I helped in the investigation.’
‘Investigation?’
‘It will be in all the newspapers.’
‘What will?’
‘A hatbox was unloaded at Crewe Station yesterday afternoon.’
‘Nothing unusual in that.’
‘Yes, there was – it had a man’s head inside it.’
‘Goodness!’ she exclaimed, bringing both hands up to her face. ‘You mean that someone had been…beheaded? That’s grotesque.’
Andrews told her all that he knew about the incident, omitting some of the more lurid details he had picked up but giving the impression that he was an essential part of the investigative team. What Madeleine really wanted to hear about was Robert Colbeck and she pressed for more information.
‘Did he find any clues to the crime?’ she asked.
‘I don’t know, Maddy. There was no time to speak to him after we reached Crewe. I had to drive a train back to London. But I daresay he’ll call here at some point to ask my advice,’ he added airily. ‘After so many years with the LNWR, I can tell him all he needs to know about the transport of luggage.’
‘There’s nothing you can teach Robert about railways. He has a real passion for them.’
He chuckled. ‘It’s not the only thing he has a passion for.’
‘Being able to travel around the country by train,’ she said, ignoring her father’s innuendo, ‘has made his job so much easier. That’s why he relishes any crime that’s connected to the railways.’
‘There’s far too much of it, Maddy.’
‘There’s too much crime everywhere.’
‘If railways aren’t safe, people won’t travel on them.’
‘People like Robert make them safe,’ she said proudly. ‘Did he come back to London on your train last night?’
‘No, they stayed the night in Crewe – all three of them.’
‘All three?’
‘Yes,’ he said cheerfully. ‘Inspector Colbeck, Sergeant Leeming and that absent-minded fellow who mislaid his body somewhere.’
‘Father!’ Madeleine was shocked. ‘It’s cruel to make a joke out of something like that. The man has a family somewhere. They’ll be distraught when they learn what’s happened to him. How can you be so callous about it? This is an appalling crime.’
‘I know, Maddy,’ he said penitently. ‘You’re right. Please forgive me.’ Andrews rallied immediately. ‘But there’s one consolation.’
‘Is there?’
‘The Railway Detective is in charge of the case.’
As soon as he got back to Scotland Yard that morning, Robert Colbeck went to the superintendent’s office to deliver a verbal report of the visit to Crewe. Wreathed in cigar smoke, Edward Tallis listened intently, irritated that he was unable to find fault with the inspector’s methods or his thoroughness. Colbeck’s account was crisp, comprehensive and lucid. Tallis invented a reason to offer some criticism.
‘The station should have been guarded by more men,’ he said.
‘Constable Hubbleday volunteered for night duty, sir.’
‘Two other officers should have been there with him. In your place, I’d have added Sergeant Leeming as well.’
‘Four people would have frightened away the intruder,’ argued Colbeck, ‘whereas he might have been tempted to make his move if he saw only one person on patrol. That, indeed, proved to be the case. I’m sorry that the constable was attacked in the process. Fortunately, he seems to have recovered well. And the main thing is that the thief left the station empty-handed.’
‘It was sensible of you to take the severed head with you.’
‘Victor didn’t think so.’
‘Where is it now?’
‘Being examined at the morgue by an expert.’
‘And where is the sergeant?’
‘I told him to wait there in case the doctor was able to glean any information that might be of use to us. It would, for instance, be interesting to hear his opinion on exactly how the head was separated from the body. When he has the report, Victor will return here.’