Timetable of Death

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

As the wheel of the cab hit another deep pothole, Edward Tallis cursed the fact that Melbourne did not have its own railway station. The drive to the village was an ordeal of bumping, jerking, twisting and sudden lurches that threw him against the side of the vehicle. Every possible hazard in the road seemed to have been explored, leaving the passenger with unwelcome bruises. It was almost as if the driver had set out to injure Tallis. When he finally reached the Hall, he paid the man his fare and left a series of stinging complaints in lieu of a tip. Having introduced himself to the housekeeper, he asked to see Burns in his own domain. The gardener was poring over a catalogue when Tallis appeared. He scrambled to his feet.

The housekeeper introduced the visitor then left them alone.

‘Can I help you, sir?’ asked the gardener.

‘I believe that you’ve met my colleague, Inspector Colbeck.’

‘I spoke to him a few hours ago. There’s nothing else I wish to add.’

‘My wishes are paramount here, Burns. I require your attention.’

Burns sighed and put the catalogue aside. He indicated the bench and they both sat down. During his career in the army, Tallis had dealt with a large number of men and developed a knack of summing up a person’s character at a glance. Burns might seem polite and open-faced but the superintendent saw a hint of the unspoken insolence that broke out in the ranks from time to time and on which he’d always stamped firmly. In his opinion, the gardener looked as if he might have a mutinous streak.

‘How long have you worked here, Burns?’

‘Does it matter?’

‘I’ll ask the questions.’

‘Then talk to the inspector before you ask the same things he did. He’ll tell you my history. There’s no point in going through it again. I was honest with him about my setbacks. I’m much happier with my lot now.’

‘Is your happiness connected with the death of Vivian Quayle?’

Burns was jolted. ‘That did give me pleasure,’ he said, slowly.

‘It must have been a cause for celebration.’

‘I’m too busy here to think about such things, sir.’

‘The inspector told me about the weedkiller you use.’

‘I’m not the only gardener who’s experimented with it. I could name two or three. When I worked for Mr Quayle, I used a similar preparation on weeds. Perhaps you should be talking to the head gardener there.’

‘There’s no need for flippancy.’

‘Then I apologise.’

Tallis gazed around. The gardens were spectacular and the man in charge of them was clearly knowledgeable. It seemed unlikely that he’d desert his post to plot the murder of an old enemy. Yet he had a strong motive, access to one of the poisons found in the dead man and was known to have been close to Spondon on the night in question. Added to that was the calculated stubbornness he was now displaying.

‘I’m told that you’re a fine cricketer,’ said Tallis.

‘I used to be.’

‘Did you never wish to play for the All-England team?’

‘Gardening always came first.’

‘But you were encouraged to play the game when you were in Mr Quayle’s employ. It seems that your bowling was the crucial ingredient of the team’s success. You must miss the chance to play to such a high standard.’

‘There are compensations, sir.’

‘In your position, I’d resent the man that took that chance away from me.’

‘I still play cricket now and then,’ said Burns, arrogance showing through, ‘and Mr Quayle had more cause for resentment than me. Since I left, his team haven’t won a single game.’

‘How do you know that?’

‘Gossip travels.’

‘I thought you’d lost all interest in what happens on his estate.’

‘I can’t help it if I hear rumours, Superintendent.’

Tallis removed his top hat carefully and used a handkerchief to dab at the light perspiration on his brow. His next question came without warning.

‘You’re hiding something, aren’t you?’ he challenged.

‘No, sir, I’m not.’

‘You’re hiding the fact that you’ve kept in touch with your old place of work so that you could be aware of the movements of the man you hated. You’ve been biding your time, Burns, haven’t you?’

‘I’ve not seen Mr Quayle since the day I left.’

‘You didn’t need to if you had a confederate who still worked there.’

‘But I don’t.’

‘We only have your word for it.’

‘I’m telling the truth.’

‘It doesn’t sound like it to me — or to Inspector Colbeck, for that matter.’

Burns was angry. ‘What has he been saying about me?’

‘He thought that you couldn’t be trusted. I’m inclined to agree. It was his suggestion that you might have someone working on Mr Quayle’s estate who reported back to you.’

‘I haven’t been anywhere near the place,’ yelled the other.

‘There’s no need to shout.’

‘I don’t like being accused of something I didn’t do.’

‘Where were you on the day that the murder took place?’

‘You know quite well,’ said Burns with exasperation. ‘I played cricket in Ilkeston then went to Derby in the evening.’

‘But you refuse to say what you were doing there.’

‘I went to see a friend.’

Eyes glinting, Tallis put his face close to that of the other man.

‘Was it a friend or an accomplice?’

The directness of the question made Burns recoil slightly. For the first time, he looked uncomfortable. As Tallis glared at him from close range, the gardener lapsed into a bruised silence.

The visit to the Quayle house had been profitable. Colbeck had learnt far more than he’d managed on the first occasion when he called there. It was the conversation with John Cleary that had been revelatory. He’d made some illuminating comments about his former employer. Colbeck was interested in the news that Quayle often stayed away from home at some unknown location. If the man had been crying on his way to the station on his last day alive, it was highly uncharacteristic. After taking soundings from a number of quarters, Colbeck had built up a picture of a man who savoured power and exercised it mercilessly. It was an image reinforced by the portrait of Vivian Quayle that hung in his house. The man in that, Colbeck recalled, looked as if he’d never shed a tear in his life.

Against the excitement of finding new and important information, Colbeck had to set the discomfort of having Tallis as an unwanted assistant. Apart from the fact that the superintendent would insist on leading the investigation, there was the certainty that he would get under the feet of Colbeck and Leeming. The inspector had devised strategies of dealing with Tallis but the sergeant had not. As long as the older man was there, Leeming would be working with reduced effectiveness, always looking over his shoulder. With the arrival of the superintendent, a complicated case had instantly become even more difficult to solve. If there was some way to dispatch Tallis back to London, it had to be seized.

Colbeck was still enjoying fantasies about how to get rid of him when his cab rolled up outside Nottingham railway station. After paying the driver, he went onto the platform and looked up and down. At the far end, a smartly dressed woman was perched on a bench. She looked so much like Madeleine that he stared at her for a minute before deciding that it couldn’t possibly be his wife because he didn’t recognise the hat she was wearing. He was about to turn away when she glanced in his direction for the first time.

‘Robert!’ she exclaimed, jumping to her feet.

Fired by his good fortune, he ran the length of the platform to embrace her.

‘What on earth are you doing here?’ he asked in disbelief.

‘I came with Miss Quayle. She’s decided to return home.’

Bolstered by Madeleine’s presence, Lydia Quayle had felt confident that she would be given a welcome at the house. As soon as her cab turned in through the main gates of the estate, however, that confidence was replaced by apprehension and, in turn, by cold fear. Her break from the family had been so dramatic and final that she couldn’t imagine that any member of it would wish to see her, let alone be delighted by her reappearance. Lydia was tempted to abandon the visit altogether and ask the driver to take her back to the station. Somehow she fought off that temptation. Memories flooded back to please and unsettle her simultaneously. She passed a glade where she and Gerard Burns had often met in secret, and there were other places that brought their romance fleetingly alive again. It died instantly as the grotto where she and Burns had been discovered together appeared in her mind’s eye. Her memories darkened at once and she shook her head in an effort to get rid of them but they were too vivid to be dislodged. She had returned to an estate that had held joy and terror for her. When the house came into view, her heart sank. It looked so forbidding.

The cab drew up on the gravel in front of the portico and she needed time to compose herself before she stepped uncertainly out of the vehicle. As she stood alone in front of what had once been her whole world, she felt lonely and unwanted. Someone must have seen her through the windows but nobody came out. The door remained closed as if delivering a blunt message. Lydia waited for minutes. She was on the point of leaving when the door suddenly swung open. Her brothers and her sister stepped out together, staring at her as if she was a complete stranger. The sense of rejection was like a physical blow.

In a flash, the mood changed. Her younger brother suddenly ran out to greet her and threw his arms around her.

‘Welcome home!’ cried Lucas. ‘Thank God you’ve come at last.’

There was so much news for Colbeck to hear that it wasn’t until the train arrived, and she sat opposite him in an empty compartment, that he noticed how pale his wife was.

‘Are you unwell?’ he asked in concern.

‘No, no, I’m just tired after the journey. Trying to keep up Lydia’s spirits has put a lot of strain on me. I do hope that the effort was worthwhile.’

‘She obviously has great faith in you.’

‘I don’t think she’d have come back without me.’

‘I’m glad that you were able to offer her support, Madeleine. The murder of a father — even if one dislikes him — is bound to have a profound impact. She needs to be with the rest of the family at such a time.’

‘Only if they want her there,’ she pointed out.

He peered at her. ‘You’re wearing a new hat.’

‘I bought it the day you left. I needed something to cheer me up.’

‘It’s wonderful to see you again,’ he said, beaming.

‘I had no idea that you’d be in Nottingham today, Robert.’

‘It’s a case of happenstance, my love.’

‘What stage is the investigation at now?’

‘After my visit this morning,’ he explained, ‘it’s moved forward in the right direction. But there’s still a long way to go.’

‘In your first letter, you mentioned that Mr Haygarth was a possible suspect.’

‘He still is, Madeleine.’

‘If he’s the acting chairman of the Midland Railway, you ought to ask him why Nottingham isn’t on the main line. Lydia told me that her father had plans to make it easier to reach by train.’

‘Quayle was a man with vision. Haygarth is merely a man with a vision of power and monetary gain. The one loved railways for their own sake and the other loves them for what they can deliver to him.’

‘Lydia spoke very harshly of Mr Haygarth — but even more so of her father.’ She pursed her lips. ‘Oh, I do hope that she’s reconciled with her family.’

‘What will happen if she isn’t?’

‘Then she’ll try to join me in Derby. Having come this far, I wasn’t going to miss the chance of seeing my husband. I know it was presumptuous of me but I hoped I’d stay with you at the Royal Hotel.’

‘I can’t think of anything nicer, Madeleine.’

She saw his brow corrugate. ‘Is there a problem?’

‘Yes,’ he replied, ‘and I’ve just remembered it. But it’s an obstacle we can circumvent. Superintendent Tallis turned up out of the blue. You can imagine how Victor and I feel.’

‘Doesn’t he trust you to run the investigation?’

‘He always thinks he can do our job better than we can. Stay at the hotel with me, by all means,’ said Colbeck, ‘but be on your guard. With the superintendent on the prowl, you may have to play a game of hide-and-seek.’

Lydia Quayle was so touched by the warm reception she was given that she burst into tears. Her brother Lucas was the most demonstrative of her siblings, putting an arm around her to shepherd her into the house. Agnes rose to a kiss on the cheek and even Stanley, aloof though he was, abandoned his earlier hostility and raised no objection to her return. The domestic servants who glimpsed her were thrilled to see her and rushed off to spread the news of her return. But the major test was the reunion with her mother. Having heard from the others how poorly the old woman was, she went upstairs on her own and tapped on the door of her mother’s bedroom. Since there was no response, she let herself in and heard a gentle snore. Not wishing to disturb her mother’s sleep, she sat beside the bed and waited, noting the bottles of medicine and boxes of tablets on the bedside table. Her mother was even older and feebler than she remembered.

The others had insisted she went into the room on her own. Though Lydia had been grateful at first, she now wished that they’d been with her so that her mother would awake to see familiar faces instead of one she had learnt to forget. It might have been better if Lydia had been seen as part of the family again instead of as a lone visitor from the past. The longer the wait, the more uncomfortable she became and the greater the urge to tiptoe out of the room to summon help. When she tried to move, however, she seemed to be bolted to the chair. There was no escape.

It was half an hour before Harriet Quayle stirred. She opened watery eyes.

‘Is that you, Agnes?’ she whispered.

‘No, Mother, it’s not. It’s me — Lydia.’

‘Who?’

‘It’s Lydia, your daughter,’ she said, putting her face closer. ‘I came back.’

Harriet was confused. ‘Am I dreaming?’

‘No, it’s me and I’m here with you.’

‘Agnes usually sits beside the bed.’

‘She wanted me to come in here instead,’ explained Lydia, softly.

‘Oh, I see.’

The old woman drifted off again and Lydia thought that she’d gone to sleep but the eyes opened after a few moments and struggled to focus. It took time and patience. Eventually, Harriet was convinced that her elder daughter had returned to the fold. She began to sob quietly.

‘Don’t cry, Mother,’ said Lydia, leaning forward to kiss her. ‘I wanted you to be happy. That’s why I came.’

‘I am happy. I’m very happy.’

‘Is there anything I can get you?’

‘I have all that I want,’ said Harriet. ‘I can die in peace now.’

When the cab arrived outside the hotel, Colbeck first slipped inside the building to make sure that the coast was clear. Relieved to see no sign of Tallis, he came out to collect her. Even though Madeleine was his wife, he felt embarrassed having to smuggle her into the building and up to his room. Once they had real privacy at last, they were able to embrace properly.

‘What will you tell the management?’ she asked.

‘I’ll say that this room will have double occupancy tonight.’

‘Won’t they be suspicious?’

‘Oh, I think they’ve learnt to trust me,’ he said with a grin. ‘I don’t anticipate having to dangle your wedding ring in front of them. My only regret is that I can’t stay long. I have an appointment.’

‘Please don’t worry about leaving me, Robert. I feel quite exhausted. To be honest, I’d relish the chance of a nap. I’d much rather you stayed, of course,’ she added, ‘but I realise that work comes first. Where are you going?’

‘I’m about to indulge myself, Madeleine. Why come to a railway town without taking full advantage of the fact?’ He reached for his hat. ‘I’m going to have a tour of the Derby Works.’

Donald Haygarth went through the agenda for the next board meeting. They were quite happy to work on a Saturday. He and Maurice Cope discussed each item at length before moving on to the next. Anxious to be confirmed as the next chairman of the company, Haygarth wanted to leave nothing to chance. Covertly, the other man had been acting as his campaign manager.

‘You’ll have more than enough votes,’ he assured Haygarth.

‘That’s largely your doing.’

‘Thank you, sir.’

‘I always reward good service.’ He consulted his watch. ‘What time are you seeing the inspector?’

‘He should be here at any moment.’

‘I can’t see the point of traipsing around the works. You’d never get me doing that. The noise is deafening and there’s grime everywhere. I’m surprised that a dandy like Colbeck would risk soiling his fine clothes. However,’ he continued, ‘it’s what he asked for and we must be seen to be helpful.’

‘It does mean that I’ll be there to watch him,’ said Cope. There was a tap on the door. ‘That will be the inspector now, I daresay.’

In fact, it was a secretary who entered the room to say that Superintendent Tallis was requesting an interview with Haygarth. The acting chairman asked for him to be sent in and was soon shaking hands with his visitor. He introduced Cope, who remained standing when the others sat down.

‘We were expecting Inspector Colbeck,’ said Haygarth.

‘Yes, I know. It’s one of the reasons I came. I’m hoping that I might join him in his perambulation around the Works.’

‘Do you have any idea why he wishes to have a tour of inspection?’

‘No,’ admitted Tallis, ‘but a reason will emerge. The inspector is a man of unorthodox methods. The extraordinary thing is that they almost invariably produce good results.’

‘We’ve seen none so far,’ said Haygarth with a meaningful glance at Cope.

‘No,’ said Cope, taking his cue, ‘we’d hoped for more progress by now but both the inspector and Sergeant Leeming have failed to turn up any decisive evidence. The board meeting for the election of the new chairman will be held at the end of next week. For obvious reasons, we’d like the murder to be solved before that takes place.’

‘I appreciate that,’ said Tallis.

He’d already been given a good description of the two men by Colbeck and, looking at them now, he realised how accurate it had been. Haygarth was plainly a man who gloried in power and Cope was his lickspittle lieutenant. Within the Midland Railway, they were a formidable team and it said much for the character of Vivian Quayle that he would have been able to defeat them in the battle for control of the company.

‘Have you taken charge of the case, Superintendent?’ asked Haygarth.

‘No, I’m simply here to monitor it.’

‘You’ve been given the names of possible suspects, I take it.’

‘Oh, yes, Mr Haygarth. I spoke to one of them early today.’

‘Who might that be?’

‘A fellow by the name of Gerard Burns,’ said Tallis. ‘He’s a stubborn individual and is very defensive when the name of Vivian Quayle is mentioned.’

‘He has every right to be,’ said Cope. ‘I’m told he can be prickly.’

‘You must have formed your own judgement about that, Mr Cope. I hear that you once approached him to leave Mr Quayle’s employment to work for Mr Haygarth instead. Why did the two of you conspire to snare someone else’s gardener? For the life of me, I can’t see why that would help in the running of this railway.’ He shared a bland smile between them. ‘Perhaps one of you can enlighten me.’

Victor Leeming alighted from the train in Spondon. After his visit to Belper, he was delighted to be back in the village. It was where the murder victim had been found and where one of the prime suspects lived. On his way to Hockaday’s shop, he reflected that his conversation with Reuben Wigg had not been entirely a waste of time. He’d learnt something about the character of the pharmacist’s brother, Elijah, which served to keep the superintendent’s name on the list of suspects. The latter had a compulsion to achieve a position of power and would even discard a member of his family if he offered no professional advantage. Reuben Wigg had clearly matched his bewhiskered brother in his capacity to bear a grudge. He’d even talked of committing murder, albeit with a macabre jocularity.

The arrival of Edward Tallis had jangled the sergeant. He hated the feeling that he was being spied on by his superior. Tallis had poured scorn on the notion of going to Belper but Leeming felt that it could now be justified. His assessment of Superintendent Wigg had been ratified. The pharmacist’s brother would have been far too careful to get blood on his hands. Murder would have been assigned to someone else. Leeming wondered if he was about to meet the man who actually did the deed. Before he did so, he had a more enjoyable encounter. He saw Philip Conway coming around a corner. Each was pleased to see the other.

‘It would be easier if you actually lived in Spondon,’ said Leeming. ‘You’ve been here every day so far.’

‘I like the place, Sergeant, and the local people seem to like me.’

‘Why do they have to talk in that weird language?’

‘Derbyshire folk are proud of their dialects,’ said Conway. ‘If they came to London, they wouldn’t be able to understand a word of Cockney slang.’

‘It takes getting used to.’

‘As for staying the night here, this may be my last visit to Spondon. The editor says I won’t be coming again.’

‘But you’ve turned up vital information.’

‘Somebody doesn’t want me here and spoke to my editor — Wigg, probably.’

Since it was Conway who’d told him about Wigg’s brother, Leeming felt obliged to say that he’d been to Belper and to give a short account of what he learnt there. The reporter was not surprised. Elijah Wigg only cultivated people who could be useful to him, such as the editor of the Derby Mercury. A pharmacist brother had no social or political leverage to offer.

‘As it happens, he was here last night,’ said Conway.

‘Superintendent Wigg?’

‘Yes, the stationmaster saw him arrive.’

‘Well, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be,’ remarked Leeming. ‘He and his men are still supposed to be helping us with our enquiries though they’ve not given us much assistance so far.’

‘They work slowly but surely.’

‘I know. It takes them three years to solve a murder.’

‘The Stone case is still awaiting a solution.’

‘I wonder why,’ said Leeming with irony. ‘If he came here, Wigg would certainly have been in touch with Hockaday. Indeed, that may have been the main reason for his visit.’

‘You could be right, Sergeant — as long as you don’t ask me to confirm it by challenging him. I’m keeping out of Hockaday’s way.’

‘He can’t harm you, Mr Conway. He’d lose his position as a constable, for a start. We’ve had to get rid of a number of our men who are too ready to use their fists to pay off old grudges.’

‘Well, he certainly holds a grudge against me.’

‘It’s because you’re a threat. You might find out the truth about him.’

‘I’ll leave that job to you, Sergeant.’

After exchanging information with him for a few more minutes, Leeming took his leave and made his way to the cobbler’s shop. Hockaday was in the process of serving a customer. When the woman departed, he turned an unfriendly stare towards his visitor. The sergeant fired off his first question immediately.

‘Where did you go by train yesterday, Mr Hockaday?’

‘Why do you want to know?’

‘You don’t deny it, then?’

‘If you’ve been talking to the stationmaster again, he’ll have told you I caught a train. Is that how you spied on me?’

‘No, it isn’t,’ replied Leeming. ‘I happened to be sitting in the window of the Malt Shovel when you strode past. You were so eager to get somewhere that I wanted to know where it was. I followed you.’

The cobbler sounded hurt. ‘I never saw you.’

‘I thought you were going to Duffield to warn the people whose names you’d given that they might get a visit from us. It looked as if you went to concoct an alibi.’

‘I didn’t need to,’ said the other, incensed.

‘I know that now, sir. Mr Verney confirmed your story and he struck me as an honest man. He told me that you did call there on the night of the murder but that it was late and you’d been drinking.’

‘I’m entitled to a pint of beer now and then.’

‘I agree. Where did you go before you visited Mr and Mrs Verney?’

‘That’s no concern of yours, Sergeant.’

‘Was it the same place you went to yesterday when you stayed on the train instead of getting off at Duffield?’

‘Why are you paying so much attention to me when there’s a killer on the loose?’ demanded the cobbler.

‘It’s because you’re concealing things from us, Mr Hockaday. For instance,’ said Leeming, ‘you didn’t tell us that you had family in Duffield. Mr Verney made sure that nobody overheard but he told me that you were his son. Is that true?’

Hockaday’s anger changed immediately to alarm. He suddenly looked very vulnerable. Reaching out, he grabbed Leeming by both arms.

‘Don’t tell anybody that,’ he pleaded. ‘People here don’t need to know it. I beg of you to keep it to yourself, Sergeant.’

Maurice Cope astounded him. Colbeck’s assumption was that the man was there to watch them as much as to conduct them around the works. In fact, Cope turned out to be as fascinated by trains as the inspector. His knowledge of the Midland Railway was almost encyclopaedic and he spoke with a muted passion. Most of the technical information was lost on Edward Tallis, who trailed behind the two men with mounting boredom.

‘When the Midland Railway was authorised in 1844,’ said Cope, ‘we inherited an assortment of locomotives from the constituent companies. There were 95 in all, plus 282 carriages, 1256 goods wagons and a number of horseboxes, post office vans and carriage trucks.’

‘The Midland Counties had tiny Bury locomotives,’ recalled Colbeck, ‘but the North Midland had those sturdy, sandwich-framed ones.’

‘So did the Birmingham and Derby Junction.’

‘Is all this relevant?’ wailed Tallis.

But the other two men ignored him. They were inspired by everything they saw, from the turning of the huge wheels on massive lathes to the riveting of the boilers and the ingenuity of the bending tubes. The pounding of the giant steam hammers made Tallis put his hands over his ears but the others took the hullaballoo in their stride. It was in the roundhouse that Colbeck simply stood and stared in awe. It was the largest structure of its kind in the whole country, with a turntable at its centre and a series of parking bays running off it like the spokes of a wheel. There was a fearsome compound of smells and sounds. Cope indicated points of interest and Colbeck evinced an almost childish glee.

‘How much longer is this going on?’ complained Tallis.

‘You may leave if you wish,’ said Colbeck.

‘I thought we came here to learn something.’

‘We’ve learnt dozens of things, Superintendent.’

‘All that I’ve learnt is that it was an act of madness to accompany you. The stink is unbearable and I think my eardrums are perforated. How can anyone work in such appalling conditions?’

‘Employees adapt very quickly, sir,’ said Cope. ‘Apprentices start as young as thirteen years of age. They work an eight-hour day and are controlled by a steam whistle. Only when it rings for the sixth time can they end their shift.’

‘It makes our day seem soft by comparison,’ said Colbeck.

‘Nonsense!’ exclaimed Tallis. ‘We work longer hours and often have to be on duty all night. Also, I should remind you, we face danger on a daily basis.’

‘So do the employees here.’

‘It’s true,’ said Cope, sadly. ‘We have far too many accidents. Railway workers need to keep their wits about them. Some men have been incapacitated for life, and I’m ashamed to admit that we’ve had fatalities.’

‘You’ll have another if I have to stay here any longer,’ grumbled Tallis.

‘At least stay to see the turntable in action,’ urged Colbeck.

‘I’ve seen enough.’

‘There’s something I’ve always wanted to do.’

‘I think I can guess what it is, Inspector,’ said Cope. ‘Give me a moment and I’ll arrange for your wish to be fulfilled.’

‘What’s this about a wish?’ asked Tallis.

After removing his hat and his coat, Colbeck handed them to him.

‘Please look after those for me, Superintendent.’

‘Where are you going, man?’

‘You’ll soon see.’

A locomotive had been driven onto the turntable and stood there throbbing with latent power. Cope was speaking to the fireman who gave an affirmative nod. It was the signal for Colbeck to hurry over to them. After taking instructions, he and the fireman went to one side of the turntable while two other railwaymen went to the other. After rocking the vast wheel to and fro for a little while, they put all their strength into a heave. To the amazement of the watching Tallis, four men were making a locomotive of immense weight turn as if it were made of paper. They pushed on until it had completed a semicircle then locked it into position so that it could drive frontwards out of the shed again. Colbeck was overjoyed to have been part of the operation. Ignoring the fact that the fireman’s hand was covered in coal dust, he shook it gratefully.

Tallis was both bewildered and annoyed, mystified by what Colbeck had done and infuriated that he was holding the inspector’s hat and coat. There was worse to come. A steam whistle suddenly went off only yards away and Tallis was so startled that he took a few injudicious steps away, only to get his foot jammed under a rail and to fall backwards on the ground. His yell of anguish brought Colbeck running over to him. Picking up his discarded hat and coat, he bent over the superintendent.

‘Are you all right, sir?’ he enquired.

‘No, I’m not,’ howled Tallis. ‘Thanks to you, I may have broken my ankle. Why did you ever bring me to this hellhole?’

‘The visit has paid a handsome dividend, sir.’

‘Is that how to describe my injury?’

‘Didn’t you see what happened?’ asked Colbeck with controlled excitement. ‘I just discovered how to solve this murder.’