Death Track

by Sally Rigby

  ‘That’s good to know. We’re still going to catch him, whatever he decides to do. I need to let everyone know this latest update.’

  Whitney called Terry and Matt and explained the situation to them.

  ‘You know, the fact he’s bought tickets has given us even more information,’ George said, thoughtfully.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘We can narrow down the timeframe and places of the murder attempt. We know that on the Newcastle train it’s going to happen between Coventry and Lenchester. And we can apply the same logic to the other trains. On our train it will be between Rugby and Lenchester, and on Matt’s train between Reading and Lenchester. It’s going to make everyone a lot more vigilant at those particular times.’

  ‘Yes, you’re right,’ Whitney said, nodding. ‘This is good. Thanks for pointing it out.’

  ‘What time are we leaving for Birmingham?’

  ‘As soon as Ellie arrives. Shall we go in your car?’ Whitney asked.

  ‘For a change.’ George arched an eyebrow.

  They got to Birmingham after a fifty-minute minute drive. Ellie had sat in the back of the car and hadn’t said a word all the way.

  ‘Are you okay?’ Whitney asked the young officer once they’d parked and got out of the car.

  ‘Just a bit nervous, guv.’

  ‘That’s to be expected. And some nerves are good. It stops us from being complacent. Remember, we’ll have officers in every carriage and you’re wearing protective clothing, so we’ve got it all covered. We’ll hear you via your earpiece as well. You won’t be alone.’

  ‘Yes, guv.’ Ellie patted her chest. She looked a lot larger than she normally did, but it didn’t look fake.

  ‘Why don’t we go to the café, so we don’t look so conspicuous hanging around here?’ George suggested.

  ‘Good idea,’ Whitney said.

  The three of them walked into the station building and sat in the cafeteria, which wasn’t very busy. Whitney went to the counter and ordered three coffees and three Danish pastries, which she took back to the table.

  ‘I don’t think I could eat or drink anything, or I might throw up,’ Ellie said.

  ‘Don’t worry, it’s here in case you change your mind,’ Whitney said.

  Whenever she was involved in major operations, Whitney was the exact opposite to Ellie. She was always hungry. It gave her something to do, so she didn’t keep thinking about the outcome. Especially when she didn’t have full control over it.

  Ellie took a single bite of her Danish and put it down.

  ‘Sorry, guv, I can’t manage it.’

  ‘It’s fine.’

  ‘There’s a train on our platform. It might be ours,’ George said. ‘Shall we take a look?’

  ‘In a minute. There’s no rush,’ Whitney said.

  Their train wasn’t due to leave for another forty minutes, so they had time to finish their coffee and pastry, after which they left the café and walked onto the platform. They headed over the bridge, which took them to the opposite side of the station, where the train was waiting. When they reached it, she could see a man sitting in the front.

  ‘Is this the Birmingham to London train?’ Whitney asked.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Are you the driver?’

  ‘I am. Who are you?’

  ‘DCI Walker, from Lenchester CID. We’re going to be on the train. Did the station manager inform you of this?’

  ‘No. No one tells me anything. I only work here,’ he replied, shaking his head.

  ‘This is one of three trains we’re predicting might be targeted by the Carriage Killer.’ She used the media nickname, as it was easier. ‘I’m going to have officers in every carriage.’

  ‘I should have been told if I’m putting myself at risk,’ the driver said.

  ‘All the victims so far have been passengers. We don’t envisage this changing. We need you to carry out your normal duties. Where’s the conductor?’ She glanced around, but there was no other rail employee close.

  ‘He’ll be here soon.’

  ‘I’d like to speak to him, too. Do you always drive this train?’

  ‘If I’m on duty.’

  ‘Okay. We’re going to walk through and check the whole train. Shall we go through your cabin?’

  ‘It’s easier if I open the doors and you can go in that way.’

  ‘Thanks. I’ll let you know when we’ve finished. What’s your name?’

  ‘Wayne Swift.’

  ‘And the name of the conductor?’

  ‘Des Yates.’ He pressed a button and there was clunking a noise. ‘Passengers aren’t allowed on yet.’

  ‘I’ll leave someone on the platform to make sure no one does.’ She glanced at the bridge and saw two of her officers walking over.

  Once they were close, she went over to them. ‘Stay here and make sure no one gets on the train. I’ll be back in a few minutes with further instructions.’

  ‘Yes, guv,’ they both replied.

  She returned to George and Ellie. ‘Come on, let’s take a look.’

  ‘You handled the driver well,’ George said. ‘It can’t be easy for him to do his job when there could be a murder on here.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  They got on board and walked through every carriage. They were all in the same state of disrepair as each other: tired faded seats, and in need of updating.

  ‘Do you think Ellie should go in the last carriage or the one before last?’ George asked.

  ‘The one before last, and you and I will sit in the end one. If we’re close to the front, we should be able to see Ellie and keep an eye from a distance. There will also be a plainclothes officer in her carriage, but far enough away not to be a deterrent.’

  ‘Should I be on the left or right side of the carriage?’ Ellie asked.

  ‘Judging by the other murders, he doesn’t seem to favour a particular side. All we know is the victims were on their own. Wherever you sit, we’ll make sure we can keep an eye on the area,’ Whitney said.

  They headed back along the train and got out at the front.

  ‘We’re out now, Wayne,’ Whitney called to the driver, who was still sitting at the controls. ‘You can lock the doors. Has Des arrived yet?’

  ‘No.’ He looked at his watch. ‘He should’ve been here by now. He’s never normally late.’

  ‘I’ll be waiting on the platform. Send him over when he shows up.’

  ‘Will do.’

  She made a call to the sergeant in change of the transport police, who were going to be stationed on their platform, and explained where she wanted them to be situated. She then phoned Matt.

  ‘Guv,’ he answered.

  ‘What’s happening? Have you got everything set up?’

  ‘I’ve been on the train and worked out where everyone is going to be positioned. The manager said this train is never usually busy and according to ticket sales, it’s even less so today. People have probably decided to keep away.’

  ‘Make sure there’s someone close enough to Vic they can see if anything goes down. But not close enough to stop it from happening. We’re not going to know until it actually occurs which of the trains it’s going to be because of the overlap in travel times.’

  ‘It’s all in hand. We’re going to catch this bastard one way or the other.’

  ‘Thanks. I know I can rely on you. Keep in contact. We’ll text, rather than call, once each train begins its journey; we don’t want the killer to get wind of the fact we’re more organised than he thinks. He’ll be expecting uniformed officers on the train, but he won’t know about the rest of us.’

  ‘Understood. It’s all in hand. Just take care of Ellie.’

  Matt and Ellie were really close, in a platonic way. He’d mentored her when she’d first arrived, and made sure the team were aware of her incredible research ability. Initially, she’d only been lent to them by another department, but Whitney fought long and hard to keep her. Without her extraordi
nary skills, solving cases would have been so much harder. Matt had always been Ellie’s go-to person if she was struggling with anything. Whitney encouraged her to come out of her shell and always let her know how valued she was in the department.

  ‘Nothing will happen to her; you have my word.’

  ‘Thanks, guv. We’re leaving shortly. I’ll text once we get close to the stop where the killer might be getting on.’

  ‘This whole thing should be over by the end of the day,’ she said, letting out a sigh.

  ‘And the drinks will be on you,’ Matt said, giving a half-hearted laugh.

  ‘Too right they will. We’ll be celebrating big time.’

  ‘Can’t wait,’ he said.

  ‘Right, off you go. We’ve got a murderer to catch.’

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Sunday, 23 June

  Once all the officers had arrived, Whitney took them on the train and positioned them in every carriage. She instructed uniform to walk up and down the train during the journey. The killer would be expecting them, and she didn’t want him to think there was anything out of the ordinary going on.

  She’d left George and Ellie standing on the platform, and after she’d positioned the last officer, she headed off the train. She still hadn’t spoken to the conductor, so she went back to the driver who was sitting in his seat looking at his phone.

  ‘Still not here?’ she said.

  ‘He’s phoned in sick. We’re waiting for a replacement.’

  ‘Does that mean the train’s going to be delayed?’

  ‘It looks like it.’

  That was all they needed. She didn’t want to frighten Thackeray off.

  ‘How long for, do you think?’

  ‘Difficult to say. No one wants to be working on this train because of the potential danger.’

  ‘We’re doing everything we can to make sure no one is harmed.’ She let out a frustrated sigh.

  ‘Try telling that to the people who work here. In the meantime, we’ve just got to wait.’ He folded his arms tightly across his chest and stuck out his chin.

  ‘Are you letting passengers on yet?’

  ‘They can get on if they wish. It’s up to you.’

  ‘My officers are all in position. It would be best to open the doors, so everything looks normal. Although we’re not expecting the suspect to get on here, I don’t want to take any unnecessary risks, so let’s get them aboard. There are a few people waiting on the platform.’

  He opened the doors. ‘An announcement will be made shortly about the delay.’

  ‘Let me know as soon as the replacement conductor arrives. I want to talk to him before we leave.’

  ‘Will do.’

  She returned to George and Ellie. ‘The train’s been delayed.’

  ‘Do we know for how long?’ George asked.

  ‘No. The conductor’s phoned in sick, so they’re waiting for his replacement.’

  There was a ding-dong, indicating an announcement was about to happen.

  For passengers travelling on the 11.30 train to London, this train has been delayed for twenty-five minutes. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused. Thank you.

  ‘I thought they didn’t know how long the delay would be,’ Ellie said.

  ‘If they said that, people will get annoyed. At least giving them a time makes it more bearable. Hopefully, the conductor will be here by then, anyway,’ George said.

  ‘I’d better get in touch with Matt and let him know,’ Whitney said. She took out her phone and, glancing at the time, decided to text rather than call.

  Our train’s delayed. Have you left yet?

  A few seconds later she received a text back from him.

  Just about to. Will call you.

  Whitney’s phone rang and she answered it straight away. ‘I thought we weren’t going to speak,’ she said to Matt as she stepped away from George and Ellie.

  ‘Sorry, guv. I didn’t think it would matter, as we haven’t left yet. We’ll be leaving shortly. I’ve got officers positioned as planned. I’m going to stay with the uniform guys and patrol the train. I thought if we start in the first carriage, I can check all the passengers who are on here at the moment. Then I’ll scan the platforms as we arrive into different stations, to see who gets on and off.’

  ‘Have you seen anyone who fits the description yet?’

  ‘No, but we’re not expecting him for a while, are we?’

  She knew that, she just wasn’t thinking straight. ‘No, but you should still keep a lookout. I don’t know when we’re going to be leaving. The conductor called in sick.’

  ‘Okay, guv. I’ll keep in touch and let you know how the journey is progressing.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  She ended the call and returned to where Ellie and George were standing.

  ‘With all the platforms having police on them, will that put the murderer off?’ Ellie said.

  ‘He’ll be expecting it and will find somewhere to hide before he gets on his chosen train. The waiting room or the toilets. There are bound to be places he’ll be able to go to keep out of the way,’ George said.

  ‘Agreed,’ Whitney said.

  ‘Do you think that’s the conductor?’ Ellie said, pointing to a man in uniform hurrying over the bridge.

  ‘I hope so,’ Whitney said. She waited until the man had walked down the steps and reached the front of the train before heading over to him.

  ‘I’m DCI Walker. Are you the conductor?’ she said to the small, balding man in front of her.

  ‘Yes, I’m Charlie Jones.’

  ‘Have you been told there’ll be a police presence on the train, and the reason for it?’

  ‘Yes. The Carriage Killer might be on here.’

  Whitney frowned. Judging by the expression on his face, he was excited by the prospect.

  ‘It’s one of three trains we’ve identified as being possible targets, so we don’t know whether it’s going to happen on here or not. I want you to act normal and do your job as you usually do.’

  ‘I understand, and I’ll do my best.’ He nodded.

  ‘Can you run through your procedures?’ she asked.

  ‘Once the train starts, I go through every carriage and check tickets. Anyone who hasn’t got one will have to pay me.’

  ‘What happens when you get to the first stop?’

  ‘I step down from the train and look to see who gets off and who gets on.’

  ‘Then what do you do?’

  ‘I go through the carriages again and check the tickets of the new people.’

  ‘Do you ever miss people getting on and off?’

  ‘Rarely. In this job you get used to remembering faces and destinations.’

  ‘Okay. When you’re doing your rounds, I don’t want you scrutinising people or engaging in conversation. You’re not to acknowledge me or any of my officers.’

  ‘Wouldn’t the killer think I know the police?’

  ‘Only the ones in uniform, so you can talk to them if necessary.’

  ‘How do we know he’s not on here already and watching you talking to me?’

  ‘If this is his chosen train, we’re not expecting him to get on board until Rugby, two stops out of Lenchester, which is the city he’s targeting at the moment.’

  ‘How do you know?’

  ‘We’ve done our research and studied his routines. But that doesn’t mean we won’t be on our guard for the whole journey. Like I said, all we want from you is to act like there is nothing out of the ordinary happening.’

  ‘And this will be his last murder on our train line?’

  ‘The pattern is four murders in one area, and then he moves on. But that’s not going to happen now we’ve identified him and he’s going to be caught.’ She was about to say more, then stopped. Knowing more might stop him from doing his job as he usually would.

  ‘Which are the other two trains he might be on?’

  ‘You don’t need to know anything else, apart from all th
e trains are running at similar times and there’s some overlap, which makes it impossible to identify exactly which one he’s going to be on.’

  ‘Okay. We need to get this train underway.’

  ‘Thank you for your cooperation. I know it’s not easy, but we’re going to catch this man.’

  Whitney got off the train and walked over to George and Ellie. Just as she got there, an announcement came over the public address system saying the train was about to leave. They were now only fifteen minutes late.

  ‘Let’s get ourselves on the train. Ellie, you walk in front of us, and when we see where you sit, George and I will position ourselves.’

  ‘Yes, guv.’

  They walked through the carriages. In the first there were ten people, a mix of families, friends, and solo travellers. As they went through to the second and third, there were fewer people, until they got to the fifth and there was only one other person in there, not counting the plainclothes officer. Ellie sat in a two-seat row, by the window, on the right. There was only one double seat behind her.

  Whitney and George went through the connecting doors and into the next carriage, which was empty. They sat in a double seat at the front.

  ‘I can’t actually see her,’ Whitney said.

  ‘No, but we can see if anyone comes down the aisle and approaches her,’ George said.

  ‘Good point. I’ll text Matt to let him know we’re leaving shortly.’ She took out her phone.

  Leaving now. Where are you?

  After a couple of minutes, she had a reply.

  We’re on our way. Nothing to report.

  ‘Right, now we sit tight and wait. So, we might as well talk about Ross.’

  ‘Why would we want to do that?’ George said, looking puzzled.

  ‘Because this waiting is killing me, and I can’t draw attention to myself by pacing up and down the train.’

  ‘I’m not discussing him while everyone can hear,’ George said. ‘We’re all wearing mics and earpieces.’

  ‘We’ll turn our mics to incoming only,’ Whitney said as she pressed the button on hers and leaned over and did the same to George’s.

  ‘What do you want to know?’ George let out a sigh.

  ‘When am I going to meet him?’