Night Train to Murder

by Simon R. Green

  ‘Where’s the file now?’

  ‘While you were off talking to the others, I stowed it in the luggage rack,’ said Brian. ‘Out of everyone’s way. That seemed safest.’

  I looked to where he pointed, and nodded. It was safe enough there, well out of reach.

  ‘So you didn’t even know what his new appointment was?’

  ‘I didn’t need to know,’ Brian said flatly. ‘My job was just to get the man safely to Bath. And I would have, if he hadn’t been such a wimp about using a public toilet. None of what’s happened is my fault!’

  ‘I’ll make a note in my official report that he refused your advice,’ I said.

  Brian sat up straight. ‘You’d do that for me?’

  ‘Of course,’ I said. ‘We’re in the same line of business, aren’t we? Now, how much did you know about Sir Dennis, before you got the job as his bodyguard?’

  Brian shrugged. ‘Saw him on the news a few times … I know he was involved in some sort of scandal, but I couldn’t tell you what it was about; there’s been so many recently. If it were up to me, I’d shoot the lot of them and start over. Though that’s probably not the best thing to be saying right now … I remember him talking to reporters outside his big house, with the dutiful wife hanging on his arm. He was denying everything, and she was saying how she’d stand by him. He was trying to sound innocent but missing by a mile; and she looked like she wanted to ram a grenade up his arse and then show him the pin.’ Brian frowned. ‘What was the scandal about? Could it be connected to what’s happened?’

  ‘If it was important enough to justify hiring a professional assassin, I think I would have been told,’ I said carefully. ‘Did you ever get the feeling that Sir Dennis might have been keeping something from you?’

  ‘He was a politician,’ said Brian.

  I nodded, acknowledging the point, and then sat back and looked at him thoughtfully. I let him sweat for a moment, to see if the pressure would bring anything else to the surface. But Brian just stared coldly back at me. He was quite capable of taking the strain. All I could see in his face was a clear determination not to take the blame for anything. Which was, of course, why he was so ready for me to take over the investigation. And yet … I couldn’t help wondering why he hadn’t found some way to stand guard outside the toilet. Sir Dennis might have ordered him not to, but Brian had a much better idea of the risks involved. He could have sneaked down the aisle and stood guard until Sir Dennis finished his business, and then rushed back to his seat again. If he timed it right, Sir Dennis would never have known his orders had been flouted.

  And even if Sir Dennis had found out, what could he have done about it? It wasn’t as if he could fire his own bodyguard. He was stuck with Brian all the way to Bath. At worst, he might have turned in a scathing report, but that would have been water off a duck’s back to an old soldier like Brian.

  ‘What are you thinking about, Jones?’ said Brian.

  ‘Just deciding what questions I’m going to ask the others,’ I said.

  He sniffed loudly. ‘You’re welcome to them. I’m not used to dealing with civilians. You always know where you are in the military. It’s always going to be about rank and orders and duty. Clear cut, every time. Finding out what people are getting up to, and then putting a stop to it. You really think you can get those three to open up to you? We’ll be at Bath in less than an hour.’

  ‘One of them must know something,’ I said.

  ‘But none of them left this compartment at any point,’ Brian said stubbornly. ‘I would have seen them.’

  ‘Are you sure you didn’t turn your gaze away, just for a moment?’ I said. ‘Maybe to glance out of the window?’

  ‘It’s dark,’ said Brian. ‘What’s there to look at?’

  ‘Rupert Hall went to the toilet,’ I said thoughtfully. ‘About ten minutes before Sir Dennis.’

  Brian looked at me sharply. ‘You think he might have been setting up something?’

  ‘It’s possible.’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ I said. It seemed to me I was saying that a lot. ‘But if I didn’t see anything suspicious, and neither did you or Penny, that can only mean we must all have missed something.’

  ‘Such as?’

  ‘If I knew that,’ I said, ‘I wouldn’t need to question everyone, would I?’

  ‘Right,’ said Brian. He frowned again, thinking hard and making heavy going of it. ‘The next carriage along is empty, locked off and guarded … We got lucky there. Otherwise, you’d have to question everyone on the train. You really think this was a professional hit?’

  ‘I couldn’t find any trace of a struggle,’ I said. ‘And even allowing for the fact that Sir Dennis must have been caught quite literally with his pants down, he should still have had time to react. To put up some kind of a fight.’

  ‘Unless he froze,’ said Brian. ‘That happens more often than you’d think, the first time people come face to face with a real threat.’

  ‘Even when their life is in danger?’

  ‘Especially then,’ said Brian. ‘Someone actually trying to kill you is so far out of most people’s experience that they have no idea how to handle it. You have to be taught how to react properly. Of course, there’s always the chance Sir Dennis knew his killer, and for some reason didn’t see them as a threat until it was too late.’

  ‘I thought that,’ I said.

  It took a moment before what I was saying sank in, and then Brian sat forward in his seat and glared at me.

  ‘The only person he knew on this train was me! And your partner can confirm that I never left my seat till you came back and announced that Sir Dennis was dead!’

  ‘I could say the same thing about the three business types,’ I said reasonably. ‘And it wouldn’t be difficult for a trained soldier like you to break a man’s neck with one blow.’

  ‘What possible reason could I have to kill Sir Dennis?’

  ‘Because he was an arrogant little creep?’

  Brian stared at me for a long moment.

  ‘So I’m a suspect?’ he said finally.

  ‘Everyone in this carriage has to be a suspect,’ I said. ‘Apart from Penny and me, of course.’

  ‘Who vouches for you?’ said Brian.

  ‘I do,’ I said.

  Brian sat back in his seat. He thought hard, turning everything over in his mind, and then looked at me for a long moment, as though trying to decide whether or not he could trust me with something.

  ‘Unless he literally never saw his killer coming,’ he said finally. ‘I know about the Psychic Weapons Division. I couldn’t resist taking a quick look at Sir Dennis’s file while he was away! Just to see what was so important … and as a small act of defiance, for the way he’d been treating me. But once I saw the title page, that was enough for me. I don’t know anything about psychic weapons, and I don’t want to. I like being able to sleep at night. That’s why I put the file up there in the luggage rack – so I wouldn’t be tempted to look at it again. But now … I’m guessing you know all about that stuff. If there is a professional psychic killer on this train, could they make themselves invisible? Could that be why Sir Dennis didn’t react – because all he saw was the toilet door opening on its own?’

  ‘It’s possible,’ I said.

  ‘I was really hoping you weren’t going to say that.’ Brian looked at me unhappily. ‘What if while we’re looking for the killer, he’s hiding behind an invisibility cloak and reading our minds? He could know all our plans, all our secrets …’

  His voice was becoming uncomfortably loud as he struggled to cope with ideas way outside his experience.

  ‘Take it easy,’ I said. ‘He can’t be that good, because he didn’t know about Penny and me.’

  ‘But what if he did!’ Brian shot back. ‘What if he’s known about you all along, and he’s so good he just doesn’t care?’

  ‘No one’s that good,’ I said flatly. ‘Calm down, Brian. I d
on’t believe there’s an invisible psychic hiding on this train, and neither should you. It’s much more likely that what we’re dealing with is just a really clever professional. Now … I need you to go and guard the door between here and the vestibule. No one is to enter or leave this compartment without my permission.’

  Brian nodded quickly. He felt better now he’d been given orders and something to do.

  ‘Can I have my gun back?’

  ‘You’re a big man,’ I said. ‘Just fill the doorway and give anyone a good glare if they get too close.’

  ‘What if the killer has a gun?’

  ‘Improvise.’

  I rose to my feet, stepped out into the aisle and looked steadily at Brian until he heaved a long-suffering sigh and got to his feet.

  ‘You’d make a great officer,’ he said.

  ‘Somehow, I don’t think that’s a compliment,’ I said.

  ‘Got that right,’ said Brian. ‘Tell me: did Sir Dennis really die sitting on the toilet, with his trousers round his ankles?’

  I nodded, and Brian laughed briefly.

  ‘Good. Serves him right.’

  He marched down the aisle to the end door, about-turned with military precision and set his back against it. He then scowled fiercely down the compartment, to dissuade anyone from even thinking of trying something. I nodded to him, to show I appreciated the effort, and then made my way back to the three businesspeople, hoping they’d be in more of a mood to talk to me, now that Penny had had some time to soften them up a little. I needed something I could use.

  It was possible that Brian was the killer. No one had more opportunity than him. Could he have somehow fixed the draw, as a way to get close to Sir Dennis? But in the end Sir Dennis only died when he became temporarily separated from his bodyguard, through his own bad judgement. And, of course, Brian had never left his seat. Like everyone else in the compartment.

  I had a growing suspicion this was going to be one of those cases where I suddenly stopped and slapped myself on the forehead and said, Of course! How could I have missed that? It’s so obvious! But that didn’t help now. Hindsight can be very irritating, not to mention unbearably smug.

  I found Penny chatting cheerfully with the three businesspeople, who were all looking a lot more relaxed. I cleared my throat politely, and they broke off immediately, looking at me with faces that were trying really hard not to give anything away. Not necessarily because they were guilty, but simply because they had no reason to trust me. I gestured for Penny to come and join me, and we moved off down the aisle.

  ‘Have they told you anything useful yet?’ I said quietly. ‘Hell, I’m ready to settle for something interesting.’

  ‘I haven’t found out much,’ said Penny. ‘The murder has left them in such a state; it’s all they can talk about. Every time I try to get one of them to open up to me, one of the others will insist on dragging the conversation back to Sir Dennis and the horrible way he died.’

  ‘I’ll have to question them separately,’ I said. ‘And I think I’m going to have to do that without you.’

  Penny raised an eyebrow. ‘Are you saying you don’t think I can handle a simple interrogation?’

  ‘I just think these people might be more willing to open up to me about private matters if there wasn’t a witness,’ I said carefully. ‘And there is always the chance I might have to get a little harsh, to persuade them to tell me things they don’t want to talk about. If that doesn’t work, I can give you the nod, and you can come rushing in to rescue them from me. Bad cop, good cop; you know how it works.’

  ‘You can forget that right now,’ Penny said flatly. ‘You won’t get anything out of these people without my help. All three of them are halfway into shock; if you try to pressure them, they’ll just clam up.’

  I shrugged. ‘All right, you take the lead. I’ll just sit back and listen, and butt in if I spot something. Interrogation has never been what I do best.’

  ‘Or me,’ said Penny. ‘But it’s all we’ve got.’

  ‘Along with a deadline,’ I said.

  ‘How much time do we have?’

  ‘Best not to think about it.’

  ‘You’re the one who brought it up!’ said Penny.

  ‘And I really wish I hadn’t.’

  We went back to the three businesspeople, and they all gave me the same suspicious look. They could tell I wasn’t on their side. I studied each face carefully. I could see fear and worry, but nothing that looked like guilt. Unfortunately, with every minute that passed, the train was getting closer to Bath – and the point where I’d have no choice but to just give up and let everybody go. So all Penny and I could do was go charging in like a bull in a china shop, and keep hitting people with questions until someone told us something we could use.

  I realized I’d been standing there staring at the businesspeople for some time, saying nothing. And probably frowning. I quickly switched to my best apologetic smile, but they just stared coldly back at me, not giving an inch. So I gave up on the smile, started talking and hoped for the best.

  ‘Penny and I were put on this train because there’d been advance warning of a threat against Sir Dennis. Our superiors had no clear information as to what this threat might be, so we were just told to keep our eyes open. That didn’t work out too well. Now it’s vital we find the killer before we arrive in Bath.’

  ‘Why would anyone want to kill Sir Dennis?’ Sita said bullishly. ‘He wasn’t anyone important. Just a career arsehole.’

  ‘We’re assuming it’s something to do with his new promotion,’ I said. ‘Or, failing that, something to do with his private life. Either way, Penny and I are going to have to ask all of you a few questions, if only to eliminate you from our enquiries.’

  I looked around, but no one nodded agreement or even tried to argue the point. They just sat stiffly in their seats, staring resentfully back at me. I gave Penny the nod, and she stepped forward, giving them her best Let’s all be friends, you can trust me smile.

  ‘OK! Let’s start with why you all happened to choose this particular train, on this particular evening.’

  They all looked at each other, hoping someone else would start the ball rolling. In the end, Rupert Hall cracked first, because he didn’t have the nerve to stay silent with both Penny and me staring at him.

  ‘I took this train because it was an express,’ he said quietly. ‘The quickest way to get to Bath. I’m meeting someone important.’

  I waited, but that was all he was prepared to say. And he had to keep his eyes on the floor just to get those few words out. I found it interesting that he still didn’t want to say whom he was meeting, or why it was so important that he had to get there in a hurry.

  Howard Goldwasser cleared his throat uncomfortably as Penny fixed him with her most engaging smile. He had no trouble looking at Penny or me, but his whole bearing made it clear he was only prepared to say so much and no more.

  ‘It’s just a business trip,’ he said flatly. ‘And this was the first train getting ready to leave when I arrived at the station.’

  Once again, what he didn’t say was more interesting than what he did. He hadn’t explained what kind of business he was in, or the point of his trip, or whether he was planning to meet anyone.

  I turned to Sita Patel, but she just sat there and glowered at me and Penny, defying us to get one word out of her. Which was extremely interesting. What could she possibly have to hide that was so important she wasn’t even prepared to cooperate in a murder investigation? No matter how guilty it made her look.

  ‘All right,’ I said. ‘We’ll just have to do this the hard way. Penny and I will talk to each of you separately.’

  ‘Why can’t this wait till we get to Bath?’ Sita said immediately, unable to keep quiet now she’d spotted an opening. ‘I mean, aren’t we entitled to lawyers if you’re going to question us about our possible involvement in a murder?’

  ‘Do you think you’re going to need a lawyer?’ I sai
d.

  ‘How can I tell, until I know what kind of questions you’re going to ask?’ Sita shot straight back at me.

  ‘You might want to consider this,’ said Penny. ‘It’s always possible that the murderer, whoever that turns out to be, might decide they need to do away with all of us before we get to Bath, rather than leave any potential witnesses.’

  ‘But we didn’t see anything!’ said Rupert. He wriggled uncomfortably in his seat, not wanting to be the centre of attention but unable to stay quiet. ‘We didn’t even know this politician was dead until Mr Jones told us!’

  ‘We have reason to believe Sir Dennis’s killer has to be someone in this compartment,’ I said carefully.

  Sita jumped on that one straight away. ‘What reason?’

  ‘The next carriage along is locked off,’ I said. ‘So no one from the other end of the train could have got to Sir Dennis.’

  They all looked round sharply, seeing each other in a whole new light and really not liking what they saw. I think they would have edged away from each other if they hadn’t been trapped in their seats.

  ‘Since I have no idea how the killer could have got to Sir Dennis, any one of you might have noticed something significant,’ I said, after I’d given them a while to think about it. ‘There’s always the chance you saw or heard something that the killer can’t allow you to tell someone else.’

  They really didn’t like the sound of that.

  ‘What if … we don’t feel like answering some of your questions?’ said Rupert. He’d finally found the strength to meet my gaze and was trying hard to sound defiant, but mostly he just came across as troubled. ‘What if we decide they’re too … personal?’

  I looked at him thoughtfully. He wasn’t the one I would have expected to slam on the brakes this early in the proceedings.

  ‘Not answering isn’t going to be an option,’ I said.

  Something in the way I said that, or something in my gaze, made both Rupert and Howard look away. While Sita just glared at me even harder. And I realized that while I might have established my authority, I’d just thrown away any sympathy the three of them might have had for my position. I never was any good at this interrogation thing. I looked at Penny to rescue me.