The Railway Viaduct

by Edward Marston

  ‘How is she?’

  ‘Still worried about her husband. He has a bad back.’

  ‘At his age?’ he said, disdainfully. ‘Jim Busby must be ten or fifteen years younger than me. Bad backs are for old men.’ He sniffed the air. ‘I can smell food.’

  ‘I’ll get it in a moment, Father. I just wondered what happened to your newspaper today.’

  ‘What? Oh, I must have forgotten to buy one.’

  ‘You never forget,’ she said. ‘Reading a paper is an article of faith and you know how much I look forward to seeing it afterwards.’

  ‘Then I suppose I mislaid it today. Sorry, Maddy.’

  ‘Tell me the truth.’

  ‘That is the truth. I left it somewhere by mistake.’

  ‘I think that you did it on purpose.’

  ‘Don’t you believe your old father?’ he asked with a look of injured innocence. ‘I’ve been very busy today, girl. You can’t expect me to remember everything.’

  She folded her arms. ‘What did it say?’

  ‘Nothing of importance.’

  ‘I know you too well. You’re hiding something from me.’

  ‘Why should I do that?’

  ‘Because you’re trying to spare my feelings,’ she said. ‘It’s very kind of you but I don’t need to be protected. They’ve said something nasty about Robert, haven’t they?’

  ‘I can’t remember,’ he replied, trying to move past her.

  She held his arm. ‘You’re lying to me.’

  ‘There was hardly a mention of him, Maddy.’

  ‘But what did that mention say?’

  She was determined to learn the worst. Caleb Andrews knew how much she loved Colbeck and he wanted to shield her from any adverse criticism of the detective. Having been the victim of a crime himself, he was aware how long it could take to bring the perpetrators to justice. Newspaper reporters had no patience. They needed dramatic headlines to attract their readers. Robert Colbeck had so far failed to provide them. He had paid the penalty.

  ‘There was an article about him,’ he admitted.

  ‘Go on.’

  ‘It was cruel. That’s all you need to know.’

  ‘What did it say about Robert? Tell me. I’ll not be baulked.’

  ‘I think that Inspector Colbeck has an enemy in Scotland Yard,’ said Andrews. ‘Someone who envies him so much that he’s gone behind his back to feed a story to the newspapers.’

  ‘What story?’ she demanded.

  ‘A spiteful one, Maddy. According to the article, the inspector has made such a mess of this case that Superintendent Tallis has gone to France to drag him back home in disgrace.’

  Tallis spat out the name as if it were a type of venomous poison.

  ‘Brendan Mulryne!’ he exclaimed.

  ‘Yes, sir,’ confessed Colbeck.

  ‘You dared to engage the services of Brendan Mulryne?’

  ‘He was the ideal person for the task. When I lost Victor, I had to find someone who could blend more easily into the scene.’

  ‘Oh, yes,’ said Tallis, maliciously. ‘Mulryne would blend in. He’s the same as the rest of them – a wild, drunken, unruly Irishman who doesn’t give two hoots for authority.’

  ‘That’s unduly harsh, Superintendent,’ said Thomas Brassey. ‘Most of my Irish navvies are a godsend to me. They do the sort of soul-destroying job that would kill the average man, yet they still manage to keep up their spirits. When I build a railway, they’re always my first choice.’

  Tallis was spiky. ‘Well, I can assure you that Brendan Mulryne would never be my first choice. When we kicked him out of the police force, we should have put him in a menagerie where he belonged.’

  The three men were still in Brassey’s office. The confrontation with Edward Tallis was proving to be even more abrasive than usual. At the very moment Robert Colbeck’s carefully laid plan was coming to fruition, his superior had turned up to throw it into jeopardy. What increased the inspector’s discomfort was that his reprimand was delivered in front of Brassey. It made the contractor realise that he had been misled.

  ‘I thought that Mulryne was a policeman,’ he said.

  ‘He was – at one time,’ replied Colbeck.

  ‘And he was a menace to us while he was there,’ said Tallis. ‘I’ll spare you the full inventory of his peccadilloes, Mr Brassey, or we’d be here all night. Suffice it to say that the Metropolitan Police Force is run, like the army, on strict discipline. Brendan Mulryne does not know the meaning of the word.’

  ‘He made several important arrests, sir.’

  ‘Yes, Inspector. But he could not resist hitting his prisoners.’

  ‘When he was in uniform,’ Colbeck said, ‘there was far less crime in the area he patrolled. Villains were too afraid of him.’

  ‘I’m not surprised. He’d assault them first and ask questions afterwards. That’s in blatant defiance of police procedure.’

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me all this, Inspector?’ asked Brassey.

  ‘Because I didn’t feel that it was necessary for you to know, sir,’ said Colbeck, awkwardly. ‘For the last couple of weeks, this railway had been under siege. If these men were allowed to continue, they would bring this whole project crashing down. I believed that the one person who could save you was Brendan Mulryne and, after my conversation with him just now, I’m even more certain of it.’

  ‘But he appears to be no more than a criminal himself.’

  ‘He is,’ agreed Tallis. ‘I don’t think he means to help us at all. Now that he’s here, he’s made common cause with the villains. He’s an active part of the conspiracy against you. All that Inspector Colbeck has done is to add to your troubles.’

  ‘That’s unjust, sir!’ Colbeck retaliated.

  ‘Didn’t you tell us that he’d wormed his way into their ranks?’

  ‘Only to be able to betray them.’

  ‘We are the ones who’ve been betrayed. You admitted that he’s helped them to cause serious damage to railway property.’

  ‘That was an essential part of his initiation.’

  ‘Ruining those wagons is not what I’d call initiation, Inspector,’ said Brassey, critically. ‘It’s straightforward vandalism.’

  ‘He had to convince them that he could be trusted, Mr Brassey.’

  ‘Well, I can’t trust him – not any more.’

  ‘Nor me,’ said Tallis. ‘I’ve learned from bitter experience that the only thing you can rely on Mulryne do to is to create mischief. You had no authority whatsoever to use the rogue, Inspector.’

  ‘Desperate diseases call for desperate remedies,’ said Colbeck.

  ‘Mulryne is nothing short of an epidemic!’

  ‘Give credit where it’s due, Superintendent Tallis. The man you traduce so readily helped us to catch those responsible for the mail train robbery last year.’

  ‘Yes,’ said Tallis, sourly. ‘That was another occasion when your methods were highly questionable. You had no right to involve that reprobate in police business.’

  ‘The end justified the means.’

  ‘Not in my estimation.’

  ‘The commissioner disagreed,’ said Colbeck, pointedly. ‘He wanted to congratulate Mulryne in person. Are you telling me that the head of the Metropolitan Police Force was at fault?’

  Tallis’s face twitched. ‘What I’m telling you is that this charade has got to stop,’ he snapped. ‘Mulryne must be arrested immediately with his accomplices.’

  ‘But we don’t know who they are, sir.’

  ‘They’ll be getting drunk with him right now.’

  ‘In your position,’ advised Brassey, ‘I’d think again. Only a bold man would try to apprehend an Irish navvy when he’s celebrating with his friends. I agree that he should be punished, Superintendent, but you have to choose the right moment.’

  ‘Arresting him would be madness,’ argued Colbeck. ‘Besides, you have no jurisdiction in this country. When we catch the villains, we’ll have to ha
nd them over to the French police.’

  ‘Mulryne will be one of them.’

  ‘But he’s our only hope of salvation.’

  ‘That unholy barbarian?’

  ‘I’m bound to share the superintendent’s unease,’ said Brassey.

  ‘It’s not unease,’ declared Tallis. ‘It’s sheer horror.’

  ‘All that he needs is a little time,’ said Colbeck. ‘What harm is there in giving him that? I’d stake every penny I have that Brendan Mulryne will do what’s he paid to do – and by the way, sir,’ he added, looking at Tallis, ‘all his expenses have come out of my own pocket. That should show you how much faith I have in the man.’

  ‘I admire your loyalty but deplore your judgement.’

  Brassey shook his head. ‘I have an open mind on all this.’

  ‘Do you want this railway to be built?’ Colbeck asked him.

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘Then trust a man who’s risking his life to make sure that it is not crushed out of existence. Victor Leeming was out of his depth here and he got a beating for his pains. They couldn’t punish Mulryne in the same way,’ Colbeck told them. ‘He’s too big and strong. If they knew that he was about to betray them, they’d kill him outright.’

  Brendan Mulryne was in his element. Having arrived late, he made up for lost time by ordering two drinks at a time. He was soon involved in the vigorous banter. Alive to any opportunities to make money, he performed a few feats of strength to win bets from some of the others then bought them a brandy apiece by way of consolation. The rowdy atmosphere was like a second home to him but he was not only there to revel with his friends. Every so often, he darted a glance at one of the barmaids, a buxom young woman with dark hair and a dimple in each cheek. Whenever she caught his eye, she smiled at him.

  Towards the end of the evening, Liam Kilfoyle came over to him.

  ‘Stay behind for a while, Brendan,’ he said.

  Mulryne chuckled. ‘Oh, I intend to, Liam, I promise you.’

  ‘Pierce would like a word.’

  ‘As long as it’s a short one.’

  ‘He was pleased with the way you tipped over those wagons.’

  ‘Ah, I could have done that on my own without you two pulling on that rope as if you were in a tug-o’-war contest. I like a challenge.’

  ‘You’ve got one of those coming up, Brendan.’

  ‘When?’

  ‘Pierce will tell you – but not in here.’

  Shannon was talking to some friends in a corner, but he had kept an eye on Mulryne throughout the evening as if weighing him in the balance. He wished that he had known the newcomer much longer so that he could be absolutely certain about him but there was no time to spare. The surprise visit of his paymaster had acted as a stimulus. The final attack was at hand. He had other men to help him but none with Mulryne’s extraordinary strength. Shannon knew a way to put that strength to good use.

  When the bar started to clear, the giant Irishman made sure that he had a brief exchange with the barmaid. He spoke no French and she knew very little English but they understood each other well. Mulryne gave her a wink to seal their bargain. Her dimples were deeper and more expressive than ever. He was by no means the only man to take an interest in her but none of the others could compete. She had made her choice. At length, only the stragglers remained and the landlord began to close up the bar. Mulryne was among the last to leave and he walked away very slowly.

  When Shannon and Kilfoyle fell in beside him, he put a friendly arm around each of them and gave a playful squeeze.

  ‘Steady on, Brendan,’ said Kilfoyle. ‘You’ll break my shoulder.’

  ‘I was as gentle as a lamb,’ claimed Mulryne.

  ‘You don’t know how to be gentle.’

  ‘Oh, yes, I do.’

  ‘Keep yourself more sober tomorrow,’ ordered Shannon.

  ‘I am sober.’

  ‘I saw how much you drank tonight, Brendan.’

  ‘Then you should have noticed something else,’ said Mulryne. ‘The more I had, the less drunk I became. It’s weak men who fall into a stupor. I’ve learned to hold my drink.’

  ‘You’ll need a clear head.’

  ‘My head is clear, Pierce.’

  ‘I’m giving you an order,’ said the other. ‘If you don’t want to obey it, we’ll find someone else.’

  ‘No, no,’ said Mulryne, quickly. ‘I’m your man. If there’s money to be made – real money this time – I won’t touch more than a drop tomorrow. I swear it. Is that when it’s going to be?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘At what time?’

  ‘As soon as it gets dark,’ said Shannon.

  ‘I’ll be ready.’

  ‘So will I,’ said Kilfoyle. ‘I’ve been waiting to escape from this shit hole for weeks. Now, I’ll finally get my chance.’

  ‘We all will, Liam,’ said Shannon.

  ‘This time tomorrow, I’ll be rich.’

  ‘Only if you do as you’re told.’

  ‘Thank the Lord that it is tomorrow,’ said Mulryne, coming to a sharp halt. The others stopped beside. ‘Had it been tonight, I’m afraid, I’d not have been able to oblige you.’

  ‘Why not?’ asked Shannon.

  ‘You’re with us now,’ added Kilfoyle.

  ‘Not tonight.’

  ‘Why have we stopped?’

  ‘Because I have other plans. I thought I might take a stroll in the moonlight. It looks like a perfect night for it.’ He beamed at them. ‘Good night, lads.’

  Brendan Mulryne turned around and began to walk back towards the inn. As he did so, the barmaid came out of the front door and ran on the tip of her toes until his huge arms enveloped her. After a first kiss, the two of them then faded quietly into the shadows. Mulryne was determined to make the most of his visit to France.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Robert Colbeck never enjoyed having to spend a night under the same roof as Edward Tallis; he did not find it an uplifting experience. He slept fitfully, tormented by the thought that the whole investigation could be endangered by the precipitate action of his superior. The arrival of the superintendent could not have come at a worse time. It had taken Colbeck by surprise and undermined his position completely. It had also exposed the ambiguous involvement of Brendan Mulryne in the exercise, thereby alarming Thomas Brassey and driving Tallis into a rage that three consecutive cigars had failed to soften. It was doubtful if a night’s sleep would improve the superintendent’s temper.

  When he came down for breakfast in the cottage where they were both staying, Colbeck did not even know if he was still employed in the Detective Department at Scotland Yard. Tallis had made all sorts of veiled threats without actually dismissing him. Colbeck’s career was definitely in the balance. As they sat opposite each other at the table, there was a distinct tension in the air. It was Tallis who eventually broke it.

  ‘I think that we should cut our losses and withdraw,’ he said.

  ‘That would be a ruinous course of action, sir,’ protested Colbeck. ‘Having come so far, why pull out now?’

  ‘Because the investigation has not been run properly.’

  ‘We are on the point of capturing the villains.’

  ‘One of whom is Brendan Mulryne.’

  ‘No, Superintendent. He is working for us.’

  ‘He’s not working for me,’ said Tallis, angrily, ‘and he never will. Setting a thief to catch a thief has never seemed to me to be wise advice. A criminal will always have more affinity with criminals than with those trying to catch them. We have a perfect example of that here. Instead of working as an informer, Mulryne has sided with his natural allies because the rewards are greater.’

  ‘You malign him, sir.’

  ‘I know him of old.’

  ‘And so do I,’ said Colbeck. ‘That’s why I picked him.’

  ‘A singularly unfortunate choice.’

  ‘You would not think that if you’d spoken to him yesterday.’
/>   Tallis scowled. ‘Nothing on God’s earth would persuade me to dress up as an engine driver in order to converse with a man who was drummed out of the police force for using excessive violence. And that was only one of his glaring defects. You’ve had successes in the past, Colbeck,’ he went on, chewing his food noisily, ‘but this time, you have bungled everything.’

  ‘I resent that, sir.’

  ‘And I resent your attempt to deceive me with regard to the use of that incorrigible Irishman, Mulryne.’

  ‘This railway line is being built by incorrigible Irishmen. Only someone like Mulryne could mix easily with them. He’s done everything I asked of him.’

  ‘You mean that you incited him to commit a crime?’

  ‘No, sir.’

  ‘Then how much licence did you grant him?’

  ‘I told him to do whatever was necessary.’

  ‘Even if that entailed wrecking a number of wagons?’

  ‘It worked, sir,’ insisted Colbeck. ‘Don’t you realise that? He’s now part of their gang. Brendan Mulryne is in a unique position.’

  ‘Yes, he can inflict even more damage on the railway.’

  ‘He can bring the vandalism to an end.’

  ‘He’s much more likely to increase it. The kindest thing we can do for Mr Brassey is to haul Mulryne out of France altogether and take him back to whatever squalid hovel he lives in.’

  ‘We must allow him to finish his work.’

  ‘It is finished – as from today.’

  ‘Even Mr Brassey thought that we should wait.’

  ‘He’s a contractor,’ said Tallis, finishing his cup of coffee, ‘not a policeman. He doesn’t understand the way that a criminal mind works. I do. Brassey still finds it difficult to believe that he could be employing callous villains on this project.’

  ‘That’s because he has a paternal attitude towards his men, sir. Because he treats them so well, he cannot accept that they would betray him. Thomas Brassey is famed for the care he shows to anyone he employs,’ said Colbeck, ‘and you must bear in mind that, at any one time, he could have as many as 80,000 men on his books. If any one of them finds a particular job too onerous, Mr Brassey will not simply dismiss him. He’s more likely to assign him to an easier task. That’s how considerate and benevolent he is. It’s the reason his men think so highly of him.’