‘How do you know all this, Inspector?’
‘I took the trouble to do some research on the subject.’
‘In that library of yours, you mean?’
‘Yes, Victor.’
‘I wouldn’t know where to look.’
‘Start with a history of the London and Birmingham Railway,’ said Colbeck. ‘That was the name of the company that operated this line when the tunnel was built. It was only amalgamated into the London and North Western Railway Company five years ago.’
‘Now that’s something I did know,’ said Leeming. ‘Every person I spoke to at the company made a point of telling me.’ He gave Colbeck a meaningful glance. ‘But not one of them mentioned how many bricks there were in the Kilsby Tunnel.’
‘Point taken,’ said Colbeck, smiling. ‘You are not in the mood for a lecture about the railway. Given the choice, I suspect, you would rather be making this journey on horseback.’
‘Or in the comfort of a stage coach, sir.’
‘Either way, you would have been much slower.’
‘Would I?’
‘By the time you got to Northamptonshire, I would have been back at my desk in London. Railways are helping to defeat time.’
When the train passed through Leighton Buzzard Station, they were pleased to see that the wrecked locomotive near the Linslade Tunnel had been removed, leaving deep indentations in the grass where it had come to rest. Though the robbery had been a serious crime with murderous consequences, Colbeck was very conscious of the fact that it had introduced him to Madeleine Andrews. He regarded that as an incidental bonus. His mind was filled with pleasant thoughts of her as they crossed the county border.
Stations flashed pass them at regular intervals then – to Leeming’s obvious relief – the train began to slow down. The detectives alighted at Crick to be greeted by a familiar sight. The hulking figure of Inspector Rory McTurk came along the station platform to give them a blunt reception.
‘What are you doing here, Inspector Colbeck?’ he asked.
‘We wanted the pleasure of renewing your acquaintance,’ replied Colbeck, touching the brim of his hat with courtesy. ‘I’m sure that you remember Sergeant Leeming.’
‘I do,’ grunted the Scotsman.
‘Good morning, Inspector,’ said Leeming.
‘Neither of you is needed here. This is railway business.’
‘Not when it’s related to the train robbery,’ asserted Colbeck.
‘What makes you think that?’
‘I’ll tell you when we have examined the scene.’ The locomotive was starting up again. ‘I see that the line has been reopened.’
‘In both directions,’ said McTurk. ‘A team of men worked through the night to clear the obstruction. Everything is as it should be now.’
‘Were there no policemen on duty at the tunnel?’
‘Two of them, Inspector. They were both overpowered.’
‘What game of cards were they playing this time?’ asked Leeming.
McTurk scowled. ‘Follow me,’ he said.
When the train had departed, they went down onto the track and strolled in the direction of the Kilsby Tunnel. McTurk walked with a proprietary strut. Since he was landed with him, Colbeck tried to make use of the combative Scotsman.
‘The news reached us by telegraph,’ he said. ‘Details were scarce.’
‘Then how can you link this outrage with the train robbery?’
‘I was expecting it.’
‘You expected it?’ said McTurk. ‘Why did you not forewarn us?’
‘Because I had no idea where they would strike, Inspector, only that an attack of some sort was imminent. From what I gather,’ Colbeck went on, ‘you had something of a lucky escape.’
McTurk frowned. ‘Two railway policemen injured and an explosion in the longest tunnel on the line – I fail to see how you can talk about luck. It could have been worse,’ he admitted, ‘much worse, but it is still bad enough.’
He grumbled all the way to the mouth of the tunnel itself. Colbeck and Leeming said nothing to interrupt him. The first thing they noticed was the large pile of rubble to the side of the track that carried up trains to London. Working from ladders and trestles, bricklayers were already trying to repair the damage. Leeming saw an opportunity to air his limited knowledge of tunnel construction.
‘Tell me, Inspector McTurk,’ he said. ‘Do you happen to know how many bricks were used in the Kilsby Tunnel?’
‘Too bloody many!’ came the tart reply.
Leeming chose not to pursue the conversation.
Colbeck went into the tunnel to examine the full extent of the damage. He tried to work out where the gunpowder must have been when it exploded. McTurk came to stand at his shoulder.
‘By the end of the day,’ he said, ‘it will be as good as new.’
‘What about the two men who were attacked?’ asked Colbeck. ‘Are they as good as new, Inspector?’
‘They’re still a bit shaken but they’ll be back at work soon.’
‘Were they able to give a description of their assailants?’
‘No,’ said McTurk. ‘They were grabbed from behind, knocked unconscious and tied up. They didn’t even hear the explosion go off. There’s no point in talking to them.’
‘Perhaps not.’ He felt inside a hole where the brickwork had been blasted away. ‘What was the intention behind it all?’
McTurk was contemptuous. ‘I’m surprised that a man of your experience has to ask that, Inspector Colbeck,’ he said. ‘The intention is plain. They tried to close the tunnel in order to disrupt the railway.’
‘I think that there is more to it than that.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘These people do nothing at random, believe me. The explosion would have gone off at a specific time and for a specific purpose. When was the next up train due to enter the tunnel at the other end?’
‘Not long before the explosion. Fortunately, it was late.’
‘There’s your answer, Inspector McTurk.’
‘Is it?’
‘The tunnel was supposed to collapse just before the train reached it. The driver would have been going too fast to stop. The locomotive would have ploughed into the rubble and the whole train would have been derailed. That was their intention,’ declared Colbeck. ‘To block the tunnel, destroy a train and kill passengers in the process.’
‘But there were no passengers on board the train.’
‘Then what was it carrying?’
‘Goods.’
‘Any particular kinds of goods?’
‘Why do you ask?’
‘Because it may be significant.’
‘I don’t see how,’ said McTurk, irritably. ‘My information is that the wagons were simply carrying huge pieces of glass from the Chance Brothers’ Factory.’
‘Of course!’ cried Colbeck. ‘That explains it.’
McTurk looked blank. ‘Does it?’
‘I’m as mystified as Inspector McTurk,’ confessed Leeming as he joined them. ‘How can some sheets of glass provide the explanation?’
‘Think of where they would be going, Victor,’ advised Colbeck.
‘To the customer who bought them, I suppose.’
‘What’s so remarkable about that?’ said McTurk.
‘The customer in question happens to be Joseph Paxton,’ replied Colbeck, ‘the man who designed the Crystal Palace. And who had the contract for supplying all that glass? Chance Brothers.’
McTurk lifted his hat to scratch his head. ‘I’m still lost.’
‘So am I,’ said Leeming.
‘Then you have obviously not been reading all the advertisements for the Great Exhibition. What is it,’ said Colbeck, ‘but a celebration of British industry? One of the main elements in that is the primacy of our railway system. A number of locomotives will be on display – but only if the structure is finished, and that depends on the supply of the glass panels that were commissioned from Chance Brothers.’