Peril on the Royal Train (22 page)

‘That’s right. He was declared insane.’

‘I think
they
were insane
not
to put a rope around his neck,’ he argued. ‘He tried to kill our Queen. If a mad dog mauls a child to death, you don’t spare his life because he was mad at the time he did it.’

‘That’s not a fair comparison.’

‘It is to me. Then there were some other people who tried to shoot Her Majesty,’ he went on. ‘One of them got very close to her but his gun wasn’t loaded. Even so, he was rightly condemned to death. Then they did it again, the fools. They let him off. Instead of hanging him, they only transported him.’

‘I do recall the last time it happened,’ said Madeleine. ‘The Queen was attacked by someone who hit her over the head with a walking stick. It was frightening. He could have dashed out her brains.’

‘Yes, Maddy, and the worst of it was that he was a retired soldier. He’d pledged to fight for Queen and Country, not to try to take Her Majesty’s life. There are enemies all round her,’ said Andrews, worriedly. ‘We’ve unmasked the latest one, thank God.’

‘We haven’t unmasked anyone. All that we know – or
think
we know – is that the royal family may be put in jeopardy.’

‘I’m certain of it.’

‘I keep wishing that you turn out to be wrong.’

‘When am I ever wrong?’ he challenged, tapping his chest.

‘Lots of times,’ she riposted with a laugh, ‘as you well know.’

‘I’d never make a mistake about something this serious. I just wish that I’d heard what Mrs Renwick told you. Her husband should have reached the same conclusion that I did and told someone.’

‘I fancy that he was too upset to think clearly. Mrs Renwick said that they were both in a daze. The police came but all they did was to take a statement and look at the safe. They obviously made no connection with the royal family.’

‘That’s because they didn’t know about the visit to Balmoral.’

‘I wonder what Robert will make of it all.’

‘He ought to shake me by the hand and offer me a job as a detective.’

‘You’re retired, Father,’ she reminded him, ‘and you’ve earned a rest. You’re too old to join the police force. Besides, people don’t just become detectives. They have to start in uniform as a constable. That means walking through the most dangerous parts of London after dark. How would you like to do that?’

‘I wouldn’t, Maddy,’ he confessed.

‘In that case, you can’t become a real policeman.’

‘Then I’ll be a chief advisor.’

‘Make sure you only give advice,’ she warned. ‘Robert is in charge of the investigation. If you try to tell him what to do, he might forget that you’re his father-in-law.’

‘But I’m an important witness here.’

‘All that you have is a theory.’

‘It’s much more than that. I once drove the royal train, remember.’

‘Yes,’ she said, ‘and I was very proud of you for doing so. But all you did was to take it to Carlisle. You didn’t leave London in the knowledge that the passengers were in mortal danger.’

The move to the Strathallan Hotel was a success in a number of ways. It was much closer to the headquarters of the Caledonian, it was less expensive and therefore appealing to Nairn Craig and it relieved Victor Leeming of his feelings of inferiority. The Strathallan was perfectly comfortable but it had none of the sumptuousness of The Angel Hotel. It had been Colbeck’s idea to move. When Leeming came down from his room, the inspector was waiting in the lounge.

‘What do you think, Victor?’ he asked.

‘I think I’ll be able to sleep properly at last.’

‘The beds at the Angel were wonderfully soft.’

‘That was the trouble with them, sir,’ said Leeming. ‘I was almost too afraid to get into mine at night in case I creased those crisp white bed sheets. This place is much more suitable.’

‘Mr Craig was happy for us to move. It saves the company money and he’ll embrace anything that does that. Putting us into the Angel was his way of showing what faith he had in us,’ said Colbeck. ‘It was our reward for solving the case. He expected us to do that within days.’

‘We’ll be lucky to do it in months,’ wailed Leeming.

‘We’ve made more headway than you imagine.’

‘I wouldn’t say that, sir.’

‘You’ve learnt a great deal about the geography of Glasgow and I’ve had a fascinating lesson about the character of Scottish railways – red in tooth and claw. Mr Craig is agreeable enough as a person but I don’t doubt that he’d be as ready as any other general manager – Mr Weir of the NBR, for example – to adopt underhand methods to gain an advantage over his rivals.’

‘They’re all as bad as each other, sir.’

‘That’s inescapably true,’ said Colbeck, ‘but the fact remains that we’ve been retained by the Caledonian and we must do our utmost on its behalf.’

‘What’s the next step?’

‘I’ve already taken it, Victor.’

‘Oh?’

‘While you were moving into this hotel, I went to see Inspector Rae. I wanted more details about the theft of the gunpowder from a barracks. He told me something very interesting.’

‘What was that, sir?’

‘A substantial amount was stolen – far more than was needed to cause the explosion on the Caledonian.’

‘So someone somewhere still has the means to do it all over again.’

‘I’m afraid so.’

‘Have you told Mr Craig to be prepared?’

‘No,’ said Colbeck, ‘I didn’t wish to push him even closer to a heart attack. In any case, there’s no indication that the Caledonian is under threat. With that amount of gunpowder in their possession, the villains could have caused a much bigger explosion and blocked the line for a week. Yet they picked a time and place when a goods train was due. The consequences were deliberately limited.’

‘I wouldn’t call the death of three railwaymen a limited result, sir,’ said Leeming. ‘And think how much freight was ruined. Well, you saw the site of the crash. It was like a battlefield after the fighting was over.’

‘But supposing it had been a passenger train.’

‘Then there’d have been hundreds of dead or badly wounded victims.’

‘Yet there weren’t,’ said Colbeck. ‘That’s very singular.’

Leeming was bewildered. ‘Are you trying to tell me that the people behind this outrage had consciences, after all?’ he asked. ‘They settled for killing three people when they could actually have murdered a large number?’

‘No, Victor, they don’t have a shred of sympathy for the loss of human life. They did exactly what they set out to do and that was to strike a telling blow at the Caledonian. But that’s all they did. Horrific as the scene of the disaster was, however,’ said Colbeck, ‘it was much smaller in scale than it could have been. They caused havoc when they could have inflicted utter devastation.’

‘What conclusion do you draw from that, sir?’

‘I’m not entirely certain, Victor.’

‘Well, I’ve been completely baffled from the start. My guess is that we’ll never catch these villains. They’ve disappeared without trace.’

Colbeck was confident. ‘Oh, they’ll be back one day.’

‘How do you know that?’

‘Think it through,’ he advised. ‘They limited the disaster on purpose. That suggests to me that it’s not an isolated phenomenon.’

‘Then what is it, sir?’

‘I fancy that it might simply be a precursor.’

Leeming started. ‘There’s going to be
another
crash?’

‘They’re saving that gunpowder for some reason. What we witnessed at the site was an experiment. They wanted to see if they could contrive a railway accident without going too far. In short, it was a rehearsal.’

‘A rehearsal for what, sir?’

Lips pursed and teeth gritted, Colbeck inhaled deeply through his nose.

‘I dread to think,’ he said.

Bella Drew had never beheld so much money. It was only a fraction of the advertised reward but that didn’t trouble her. It was cash in hand and Farr had earned it. She brushed aside his apology that he didn’t have the full amount he’d promised. In her eyes, he was a hero who’d helped to catch two criminals. They met on the hillside and shared a meagre repast. While he munched his bread, she held the banknotes and stared at them in awe. Farr was beset by guilt.

‘I shouldnae have done it,’ he said.

‘Why not?’

‘I hate railways. If people steal from ’em, I ought to wish ’em guid luck and no’ help the p’lice catch them.’

‘But ye thought they’d caused tha’ crash, Jamie.’

‘Aye, I did.’

‘It was right to tell what ye’d seen.’

‘That wasnae why I did it.’

‘Why else?’

‘It was for ye, Bella.’

It was the closest he’d ever get to a declaration of love but it had an instantaneous effect. The unspoken and unresolved affection that had been lying dormant for years now came bubbling to the surface. She flung herself into his arms and kissed him on the lips. He responded at once, mutual passion atoning for their clumsiness and lack of experience. They held each other tight for a long time. Feeling excluded, Angus began to whine. Farr released her and patted the dog. Bella looked down at the money again.

‘We could buy a wee cottage wi’ this,’ she said, covetously.

‘We could buy a lot more with four hundred pounds.’

‘There’s no’ a hope of getting tha’, Jamie.’

‘There is,’ he said. ‘They’ve no’ caught them as set off tha’ explosion. Inspector Colbeck told me to keep ma eyes peeled – and ye must do the same, Bella. There may be clues still lying aboot. We might even catch sight of the men the p’lice are after. Someone has to get tha’ reward. Why no’ us?’

By way of an answer, she kissed and hugged him again. Farr eased her down onto the grass. Angus’s protest went unheard.

Not for the first time, Madeleine felt a surge of admiration for her father. She was exhausted by what seemed like an interminable train journey yet she was in the relative comfort of a first-class carriage. When her father had spent lengthy periods on a train every working day, he’d been standing on the footplate. His strength and endurance had been remarkable. Once they’d crossed the border into Scotland, his gaze had been fixed on the window, taking in the glorious sights that floated past and showing a particular interest in the ascent to Beattock Summit. It set off a series of reminiscences about steep gradients he’d had to negotiate on the LNWR. While half-listening to his commentary, Madeleine had been capturing memories of her own in her sketch pad, attempting landscapes for once then drawing quick sketches of a station whenever they pulled into one. It helped to pass the time and to distract her from the increasing discomfort.

When they reached Glasgow, they asked for directions to the headquarters of the Caledonian and went there by cab. Though it was mid evening, John Mudie was still on duty there and told them where they might find Inspector Colbeck and Sergeant Leeming. Another cab ride took them to the Strathallan Hotel and they arrived in time to see the detectives emerging from the dining room. Dropping her valise, Madeleine ran across the lounge on her toes.

‘Robert!’ she exclaimed.

He took her in his arms. ‘Where did you come from?’ he asked in amazement.

‘Aren’t you pleased to see me?’ she teased.

‘I’m delighted.’

‘And so am I,’ said Leeming. He nodded to her father who’d walked over to join them. ‘Good evening, Mr Andrews.’

‘Do they serve a decent beer here?’ said Andrews.

‘I can recommend it.’

When he heard that they had some important news, Colbeck took his visitors to an unoccupied reading room. After drinks had been ordered, they sat in a corner. Madeleine and her father took it in turns to tell their story. The detectives had met Archibald Renwick in the course of a previous investigation and they were intrigued to hear about the burglary at his house. Andrews wanted his moment of fame.

‘I was the one who realised the danger,’ he insisted. ‘Maddy was about to go off to bed without a second thought. It was me who saw the connection with the royal family. That’s why I went straight round to the house and why we caught the earliest train to Glasgow.’

‘We’re very grateful to you,’ said Colbeck.

‘Does that mean we were right to come?’ asked Madeleine.

‘Yes, it does – though I’m surprised that you didn’t take the easier alternative of passing on your concerns to Superintendent Tallis.’

‘If we’d gone to Scotland Yard, I’d never have seen
you
.’

‘And I’d never have had the chance to go up Beattock Bank,’ said Andrews. ‘I’ve heard so much about it over the years.’

‘I went up with my eyes closed,’ admitted Leeming.

‘Then you missed a treat, Sergeant.’

‘Going back to what you’ve told us,’ said Colbeck, ‘I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done. Especial thanks must go to my father-in-law, of course. If he hadn’t been such an exceptional driver, he’d never have been invited to that dinner with the general manager and wouldn’t therefore have even heard of the burglary.’

‘There you are, Maddy,’ said her father. ‘It was all down to me.’

‘Not entirely – it was Madeleine who noticed how uneasy Mrs Renwick was and who elicited the reason. Neither the lady nor her husband divined what might turn out to be the true motive behind the burglary.’

‘It
is
the true motive. I’m certain of it.’

‘I think you’re right, Mr Andrews,’ said Leeming.

‘Yes,’ said Colbeck, ‘and you’ve put invaluable information into our hands. Preventing a crime is far better than solving one after it’s been committed and we’re now in a position to prevent one of the most unspeakable crimes of all.’

‘Are we, sir?’

‘Yes, Victor.’

‘But we’re tied up in Scotland,’ said Leeming, ‘investigating another crime. We’ll have to pass on what we’ve been told to Superintendent Tallis.’

Colbeck smiled. ‘Have you forgotten what we discussed earlier?’

‘No – we discussed what to have on the menu.’

‘I’m talking about gunpowder.’

‘Oh, that. Yes, of course. I see what you’re getting at now.’

‘I’m afraid that I don’t,’ said Madeleine.