‘Even after all this time, some people must harbour vengeful feelings towards you.’
‘It’s true, Inspector. I still get vicious poison pen letters, blaming me for allowing armies of holidaymakers to flood into the Lake District.’
‘It’s an area of unsurpassed beauty. People from all over the country should be entitled to enjoy it. Besides,’ said Colbeck, ‘many of the inhabitants here will have made a tidy profit as a result of railway access. Holidaymakers all need somewhere to eat, drink and spend the night.’
‘That’s a valid point, but my tormentors never consider it. They claim that I’ve let in ill-mannered hordes from the lower orders. I wouldn’t dare to show my wife the vile correspondence I get. It’s truly shocking.’ The old man blinked. ‘I begin to see what you mean,’ he said. ‘Alex was not picked out because of anything he did. Making him the target was a way of getting at his uncle. That’s why it took place on the railway.’
‘A railway closely identified with you.’
‘Poor Alex is suffering because of me?’
‘It’s pure supposition at this point, Lord Culverhouse,’ stressed Colbeck, ‘but it mustn’t be dismissed out of hand. The person who stopped that train must have known your nephew would be the only person on that excursion with the requisite courage to investigate the delay. He lay in wait to ambush him.’
‘That’s how Alex had that blow to the head,’ said the other, banging his fist on the arm of the chair. ‘Well done, Inspector! You’ve explained everything.’
‘All I’ve done is to voice the possibility that the railway itself might have provoked what seems to be a deliberate attack on your nephew. Before we get too excited, it needs thinking through.’
‘Excellent! I insist that you stay here as my guest so that we can discuss this at length over a glass of whisky.’ He wagged a finger. ‘That invitation is restricted to you, by the way. The sergeant can seek accommodation elsewhere. That face of his would only frighten the female members of staff.’
‘Both of us will be staying at the Riverside Hotel,’ declared Colbeck. ‘It’s not far from the railway station and ideal for our purposes.’ He raised a palm to stifle any protest. ‘It’s all decided, my lord. We will, naturally, keep you informed of every stage of the investigation, but you must allow us to move about unhindered.’
‘Can you guarantee that you’ll find Alex alive?’
‘No, I can’t, I’m afraid. That’s asking too much. What I can assure you is that we’ll discover exactly what happened when your nephew disappeared into that fire.’
CHAPTER FIVE
Rodney Piper had spent so long kneeling in prayer that his legs seemed to have become paralysed, forcing his wife to lift him to his feet. Tall, stooping and emaciated, he had the unmistakeable look of an ascetic about him. His bald pate was a mass of wrinkles and his deep-set, anxious eyes looked as if they’d retreated into his head in a desperate search for safety. His wife, Emma, offered a stark contrast to his skeletal frame, being a full-bodied woman with a chubby face and an overall sense of solidity. As she helped him to sit on the edge of the bed, she kept a supportive arm around him.
‘Take heart,’ she said. ‘Alex may soon be found.’
‘But in what state will he be?’ he asked. ‘The only way to explain his disappearance is to accept that he’s no longer alive. Our son has been killed by someone else or – we have to face this dreaded possibility, Emma – he died by his own hand. That would be an unbearable shame for us. We’d be the parents of a child who could not be buried in consecrated ground.’
His wife was roused. ‘Don’t even think of such a thing. Alex would never dream of committing suicide. He had a wonderful future ahead of him. There was his marriage, to start with, and he was on an excursion with all of his friends. He was there to enjoy himself.’
Her husband frowned. ‘He was rather too fond of doing that.’
‘Let’s not think bad thoughts at a time like this. It doesn’t help to bring him back. We should be regretting the incidents that forced him to move out of this house. If we’re honest,’ she said, softly, ‘there were faults on both sides.’
‘I could not let him treat us the way that he did, Emma.’
‘Try to remember our delight when he was first born, and think of the many wonderful family outings we shared over the years. It’s just that Alex saw life in a different way to us.’
‘He turned his back on the church,’ said Piper, resentfully, ‘that’s what he did. It was unforgivable.’
‘Our son could be dead. Think well of him.’
‘I’m rightly rebuked,’ he said, penitently. ‘I, of all people, should never speak ill of the deceased.’
‘My heart goes out to Melissa. The news must have come as a devastating blow. All her dreams were invested in Alex.’
‘So were ours,’ he muttered.
‘Let’s hope that this man my brother has sent for will be able to uncover the truth. Until we know that, none of us can grieve properly. What was his name?’
‘Inspector Colbeck.’
‘The sooner we meet him, the sooner we’ll get to some sort of peace.’
‘I’m still undecided about the fellow.’
‘But he’s a famous detective and comes with the highest recommendation.’
‘Yes, I know,’ he said, ‘and I’m sure that he’ll be able to rescue us from this crushing uncertainty. But there’s another side to it, Emma.’
‘Is there?’
‘He’ll want to look closely into our relationship with Alex. That’s my fear. Things I’d rather keep private will have to be exposed to scrutiny. I don’t like that, Emma,’ he continued. ‘I value our privacy above all else. I don’t want a complete stranger prying into our affairs.’
‘It’s because he’s a stranger that he can be impartial,’ she argued. ‘Everyone else has taken sides. Our friends sympathise with us over the problems we endured and Alex was, in turn, supported by his friends.’
‘Friends!’ snorted her husband. ‘His social circle consists of a gang of licentious good-for-nothings.’
‘You can hardly describe Geoffrey Hedley in that way. He’s a charming and thoroughly decent man.’
‘In other words, he’s the exception to the rule.’
‘You’re forgetting Melissa Haslam. She’s a sweet young girl and comes from a good family. Everyone is saying that she’s transformed Alex.’
‘That’s more than we could do,’ admitted Piper.
‘There are positive elements we must cling to, Rodney. Our son was not the irredeemable wastrel you painted him as. I, too, said some harsh things to him and I regret them deeply now. The truth may be that we simply didn’t understand him.’
Piper rolled his eyes. ‘Oh, I understood him all too well.’
‘You’re doing it again,’ she protested. ‘Concentrate on the many good things Alex brought into our life. And please don’t be afraid to talk openly to Inspector Colbeck. We can’t hide our secrets away for ever, Rodney. The truth is bound to come out in the end.’
A smile had finally resurfaced on the face of Victor Leeming, making his unsightly features look less menacing. They were now back at the Riverside Hotel and everything there was to his satisfaction. Their rooms were comfortable, their meal had been delicious and – the deciding factor – the beer was exceptional. The sergeant was quaffing his second pint. Colbeck preferred a glass of wine with his meal and had promised himself a brandy before he retired to bed. Having eaten his fill, he sat back in his chair.
‘Well, what’s the verdict?’
‘That’s the best meal I’d had for ages, sir.’
‘I wasn’t talking about the food, Victor. I was referring to the case in hand. Judging by the amount you wrote in your notebook, you had a profitable time with Mr Hedley.’
‘I’m not so sure about that.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, he was very helpful and obliging but he was also cautious. Hedley
measured his words carefully, so I was never sure what he was thinking. When I asked him who Piper’s real enemies were,’ recalled Leeming, ‘I had to chisel the names out of him.’
‘Lawyers are circumspect by nature.’
‘You can be like that sometimes, sir.’ Colbeck laughed. ‘Anyway, I did manage to get four names out of him in the end. I ruled one of them out straight away.’
‘Why was that?’
‘It was a woman.’
‘There have been many female killers in the past, remember.’
‘Yes, I know. There was Martha Browne, that woman we heard about in Dorchester. She chopped her husband to death with a hatchet. The person I’m talking about, however, is far too ladylike to do anything like that.’
‘She could always pay someone else to commit the crime for her. Who is the person named by Hedley?’
‘Miss Caroline Treadgold.’
‘What did he say about her?’
‘Well, she and Alex Piper had what he called a “fleeting friendship”. The moment he met Melissa Haslam, it fizzled out. Miss Treadgold was furious.’
‘There’s your motive,’ said Colbeck. ‘She was a woman scorned. Perhaps she wanted to strike back at him.’
‘I have my doubts. To begin with, Hedley was very embarrassed at having to give me her name. I sensed that he was very fond of Miss Treadgold himself. What interested me was that he didn’t criticise Piper for raising her hopes before dashing them. He just accepted it. If you want my opinion, I don’t think she’s a credible suspect.’
‘Did she go on the Phantom Special?’
‘No, sir, and I find that significant.’
‘Why?’
‘You’d expect her to seize any chance of getting close to Piper so that she could work on him. Hedley admitted that his friend had drunk a lot of champagne before they set off. Since Miss Haslam didn’t go on the excursion,’ said Leeming, ‘Piper might have been vulnerable to an approach by Miss Treadgold. Hedley reckons that she vowed to get him back somehow.’
‘Whatever the truth of the matter, she’s someone of interest to us. I’ll talk to her myself.’ Colbeck drained his wine glass. ‘Who were the other suspects?’
Referring to his notebook, Leeming gave him the names of the three men mentioned by Hedley and bewailed the fact that the lawyer had told him so little about the trio that he had no idea what motive each of them might have had to wreak revenge on Piper. Colbeck then took over, describing his conversation with Lord Culverhouse and explaining that he’d humoured the old man by pretending to accept his flawed theory of what had happened to his nephew. Leeming agreed that anyone wandering around in a confused state for so long a time would surely have been seen by someone. Colbeck’s suggestion that the railway itself might be a key factor did not impress his companion. Anyone simmering with hatred at the building of the line, Leeming pointed out, would surely attack Lord Culverhouse, the man largely responsible for it, rather than his nephew.
The search for motives continued and, while Leeming moved on to another tankard of beer, Colbeck decided that a brandy was now in order. Leeming started to flag.
‘I’m exhausted,’ he said, stifling a yawn. ‘It’s time for bed, sir. We’ve been through all the possibilities.’
‘Not quite, Victor.’
‘I don’t follow, sir.’
‘We’ve missed out the most obvious explanation.’
‘What’s that?’
‘Alex Piper was the victim of a supernatural event.’
‘You told me you didn’t believe in ghosts.’
‘I don’t,’ said Colbeck, ‘but most of the people on the Phantom Special did. Why? What was it that drew them to that particular spot at the dead of midnight? There’s only one way to find out,’ he added, raising his glass. ‘We’ll have to visit the place ourselves after dark.’
At the heart of what many believed to be a haunted wood was a clearing large enough to have accommodated all the people who went on the excursion. It was deserted now but a souvenir of the doomed Hallowe’en party was left behind. On the night before the Phantom Special set off on its fateful journey, Hedley had taken a pile of logs to the wood. Knowing how frightened some of the revellers would be, he’d laid a fire in the middle of the clearing so that it could be easily lit to provide warmth and illumination. The logs now stood forlornly, propping each other up on a cold and chilly night. Nobody was there to view the miracle. As the wind began to blow and the trees began to sway, an owl hooted. Far below, a tiny column of smoke began to rise almost imperceptibly from the logs. It was followed in due course by a dull glow that grew brighter and brighter by the minute. The smoke was gradually replaced by flame and the fire was eventually blazing merrily as if in celebration of something.
It was dawn when the search teams assembled. Hedley was the first there with a map spread out on a boulder. As each group arrived, he explained which area needed to be searched and sent them off. Everybody was wearing warm clothing and a hat. Grasped in their hands was a long walking stick that could be used for support and as a means of poking into the gorse and other shrubs. They were all experienced walkers with a good knowledge of the terrain, and most of them had joined the fruitless searches before. Undeterred by their lack of success, they were back again with increased determination to track down Alexander Piper, the young man with an unquenchable vitality about him who’d shown such daring when the train had been brought to a sudden halt.
Hedley was soon left with the team that he intended to lead. As they gathered around the map, he pointed out the area they were going to search, warning them that there would be some tricky climbing involved. They were about to set off when he saw someone alighting from a carriage and hurrying towards them. It was a female figure wrapped up so comprehensively against the cold that it was difficult to identify her. When he finally realised who it must be, Hedley sent the other members of the team ahead. He was left alone to welcome Caroline Treadgold. Out of breath when she reached him, she leant heavily on her walking stick.
‘What are you doing here?’ he asked in surprise.
‘I’ve the same right to take part in the search as anyone,’ she replied, tartly. ‘Nobody was as close to Alex as me.’
‘We don’t need you, Caroline.’
‘You try stopping me.’
‘We have enough people as it is.’
Caroline curled a lip. ‘Is she here?’
‘No, she isn’t. Melissa is still in a state of shock.’
‘Then let’s get going right away. We don’t need that stupid little weakling. Alex preferred a real woman and that’s why he chose me.’
Though the hearty breakfast had been welcome, Leeming didn’t consider it adequate compensation for the ridiculously early start. When they reached the siding, Colbeck had to use a lamp to pick his way safely between the tracks. Unlike the search teams, neither of them was ideally dressed for the weather conditions. In his shiny top hat and immaculate attire, Colbeck looked far too elegant to be anywhere near the two dusty carriages waiting in the siding. Leeming scuffed both of his shoes as soon as they arrived and he couldn’t understand how the inspector avoided a similar fate.
The carriages belonged to the railway company’s discarded rolling stock but, since they were still serviceable, they were kept for the purpose of excursions. Colbeck’s initial interest was in the compartment occupied nights before by Piper and his friends. After opening the door, Colbeck climbed up effortlessly into it but Leeming decided that he’d remain on the ground. Minutes later, Colbeck climbed out and closed the door behind him before moving on to the next compartment. When he’d thoroughly examined that, he went on to the last of the three compartments in the carriage then repeated the whole process with the carriage that had been nearer the locomotive. Only when Colbeck had finished his inspection did Leeming dare to ask a question.
‘What were you doing, sir?’
‘I wanted to satisfy my curiosity.’
‘Why go into
all six compartments? When you’ve seen inside one, you’ve seen them all.’
‘That, Victor, is a misapprehension. Do you remember what Hedley told us about the early stage of the journey?’
‘Yes, sir,’ said Leeming. ‘When the train first set off, everybody was scared by the sudden lurch forward – everyone except Piper, that is. He tried to rally them.’
‘What happened further along the line?’
‘There was a lot of jollity, I suppose. They’d all been drinking heavily. The light in the compartment was poor and I daresay some of the men took advantage of that.’
‘Keep going.’
‘That’s it, sir. They were all enjoying themselves until the train lost speed then screeched to a halt in open country.’
‘You’ve missed something out.’
‘Have I?’
‘Yes, and it may be turn out to be a clue.’
‘Why?’
‘Hedley told us that one of the lamps went out and they were more or less in the dark. The surprise is that both lamps didn’t splutter and die because they had hardly any oil in them.’
‘What about the other compartments?’
‘Every lamp had been filled in those,’ said Colbeck. ‘I believe that someone may have tampered with the two in the compartment occupied by Piper. It may be that Piper himself was the culprit.’
‘Why should he want the compartment in darkness?’
‘It’s for the same reason that he wanted to share it with a disproportionately large number of ladies. Hedley told us that Piper was in charge of allotting people to individual compartments. He chose,’ said Colbeck, meaningfully, ‘companions he most wanted close to him.’
‘Are you saying what I think you’re saying, sir?’
Fear on the Phantom Special Page 4