The Circus Train Conspiracy

by Edward Marston

  ‘He may have given a false one,’ Madeleine pointed out. ‘In fact, I’m quite sure that he would. On the other hand, we can find out if a man who looked like the one Lydia saw through her window did take a room there. We shouldn’t believe that’s what happened until we have clear proof.’

  ‘We don’t need proof,’ said Lydia, soulfully. ‘He was there. I know it.’

  Andrews suddenly leapt to his feet and waved his arms.

  ‘Be quiet!’ he hissed.

  ‘What are you doing?’ asked Madeleine.

  ‘Somebody’s out there. I can hear him.’

  Creeping to the front window, he pulled back the curtain enough to allow him a glimpse of the pavement. The sound of approaching footsteps was quite clear now. It was all he needed to stir him into action. Rushing into the hall, he grabbed a walking stick from the stand and flung open the front door, raising the stick to strike. The figure in front of him stepped smartly backwards and held up both hands.

  ‘Don’t do it, Mr Andrews. It’s me – Victor Leeming.’

  ‘What the blazes are you doing here at this time of night?’

  ‘I came to deliver a letter from Inspector Colbeck.’

  ‘Is that you, Victor?’ asked Madeleine, running to the door. ‘Thank God you’ve come! We need your help so much.’

  At the end of the day, Colbeck found himself sharing a drink at the Station Inn with Cyrus Lill. Now that the latter had started to treat him as a fellow human being rather than as some God-like creature, Lill was much more amenable company. They discussed the two crimes at length. When Colbeck had described his visit to Geoffrey Enticott, he produced the other names of former employees who’d left the NCR. One of them was new to Lill but he recognised the other at once.

  ‘Jake Goodhart, eh?’

  ‘Do you know him?’

  ‘I did so when I was in uniform in Newcastle. I locked him up a few times.’

  ‘What was his offence?’

  ‘Drunkenness – he wasn’t so much a bad man as a weak one. Goodhart could never stop after the first drink. He had to go on until he could hardly stand up. That’s when he’d end up in a fight.’

  ‘If he had a problem with alcohol, however did he get employment?’

  ‘He always managed it somehow. When he’s sober, he’s intelligent and hard-working. And things got much better when he married. His wife ruled the roost and it did him the world of good. Why did he leave the NCR?’

  ‘He was dismissed for being asleep on duty. The head clerk at Newcastle Central caught him snoring away, apparently. He won’t get a job with that company again.’ Colbeck sipped his drink. ‘Would you say that he was a vengeful type?’

  ‘He was in his younger days. I daresay he’s calmed down a bit now.’

  ‘Find out for me,’ said Colbeck. ‘He’s probably still living at the address provided by Mr Darlow. I must say that he’s been very diligent.’

  ‘It’s his watchword.’

  ‘Was he a good Member of Parliament?’

  ‘He was an active one, that’s for sure. He was always protesting that London got priority over the rest of the country. MPs in the south didn’t believe that anything of importance happened north of the River Thames and that’s true. Tapper Darlow tried to bang the drum for us but I don’t think he achieved much.’ He emptied the remains of his beer in a gulp. ‘Let’s look at the other name.’

  ‘Owen Probert.’

  ‘I’ve never heard of him.’

  ‘He wasn’t a mere clerk like Goodhart. He reached management status. Given that he had such a good position with the NCR, I’m surprised that he resigned.’

  ‘Do we know why he left?’

  ‘That was one thing Mr Darlow wasn’t able to find out.’

  ‘Shall I question Probert as well?’

  ‘No,’ said Colbeck. ‘I’ll call on him. He lives in Hexham.’

  ‘Then he’s not very far from here,’ said Lill, raising an eyebrow. ‘That could turn out to be a coincidence, of course. Then again …’

  The unexpected arrival of Victor Leeming was a blessing. He was both a friend of the family and an efficient guardian of the law. The fact that he was in the house with them acted as a reassurance to Lydia. She had fought shy of involving the police earlier on because she didn’t think that her case merited their attention. Leeming soon changed her mind. Once he’d heard about her problems with a stalker, he promised instant action.

  ‘No woman should have to put up with that kind of thing,’ he said. ‘I’ll make it my business to find out who walks the beat in this part of Westminster. They’ll be told to keep a close eye on this house and to look out for anyone lingering nearby. That message will go out to the night shift as well.’

  ‘Thank you so much, Victor,’ said Madeleine.

  ‘It’s the least I can do.’

  ‘What about the hotel?’ asked Andrews.

  ‘I’ll go there by cab at once,’ promised Leeming. ‘If the man Miss Quayle describes is there, I’ll ask him to explain himself. When I joined the police force, I swore to protect the citizens of London. In my book, that includes protecting young women from being pursued against their will.’

  ‘See if he has my dress,’ said Lydia.

  ‘It’s the first thing I’ll ask him. If he did steal it – and that sounds likely – then I have grounds for making an arrest. He’ll spend the night behind bars.’

  ‘I’ll come with you,’ offered Andrews.

  ‘That won’t be necessary.’

  ‘What if he puts up a fight?’

  ‘He’ll live to regret it, Mr Andrews.’

  ‘This is so kind of you, Sergeant,’ said Lydia. ‘I feel better already. I thought that if I moved to a different hotel, he’d be unable to find me and, in time, he’d lose interest. That was a vain hope.’

  ‘The only way to stop him is to confront him. That’s what I’ll do.’

  ‘Give him a punch on the nose from me,’ said Andrews.

  ‘Father!’ chided his daughter.

  ‘It’s no more than he deserves, Maddy.’

  ‘I just want him out of my life,’ said Lydia, wearily. ‘How will we know what happens at the hotel, Sergeant Leeming?’

  ‘I’ll make a point of calling first thing in the morning,’ he replied. ‘Apart from anything else,’ he went on, turning to Madeleine, ‘there may be a letter for me to collect.’

  ‘There most certainly will be,’ she confirmed.

  ‘Then I’ll be on my way. I’ve had a long train journey and an uncomfortable visit to Scotland Yard. When I’ve been to the hotel, I’d like to go home to my family.’

  ‘Give our love to Estelle and the boys.’

  ‘I will, don’t worry. In the morning, I’ll be back quite early. Inspector Colbeck said that I had to give the baby a kiss on his behalf. I’ll save that treat for tomorrow.’

  Thanking him once again, Madeleine saw him to the door and waved him off. When she returned to the drawing room, she saw a smile on Lydia’s face. The gloom had finally been lifted.

  ‘The nightmare is over,’ said Madeleine, confidently. ‘Victor will see to that.’

  During the hours of darkness, the camp was patrolled by the men Gianni Moscardi had selected as guards. Brendan Mulryne also took it upon himself to mount a vigil in case there was further trouble. In the event, all that disturbed the night were the plaintive cries of some of the animals. When daylight came, there was a collective sigh of relief in the camp that there’d been no further trouble. Mulryne had just been feeding nuts to Jacko when he was approached by Mauro Moscardi.

  ‘We’re leaving today,’ he announced.

  ‘Have you hired two more trains?’

  ‘One will be enough. It will carry the marquee, the seating and all of the equipment. Anything heavy will go by train but none of us will be aboard.’

  Mulryne was taken aback. ‘We’re going to walk there?’

  ‘It’s the safest way to go.’

  ‘But it
must be over twenty miles.’

  ‘We need the exercise,’ said Moscardi. ‘Also, it’s traditional.’

  ‘It will slow us right down, Mr Moscardi.’

  ‘Not if we keep up a good pace. We’ll be travelling light, unencumbered by any paraphernalia. That’s what made my father move at a snail’s pace. He had to carry everything. The circus stretched for hundreds of yards and took an age to move from place to place. We’ll be much quicker.’

  ‘I won’t be sorry to leave this place,’ said Mulryne. ‘It has too many bad memories for us.’ The monkey screeched. ‘There you are – Jacko agrees with me.’

  ‘Pass the word round, Mulryne. We leave in an hour.’

  ‘Have you hired another train?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Moscardi. ‘I did it without telling anybody but my wife and brother. It will arrive around mid morning. But I’m not risking anyone’s life on the railway. Our caravans and wagons will get us there. The cavalcade will act as a good advertisement wherever we go.’

  ‘Yes,’ agreed Mulryne. ‘I don’t suppose they get to see an elephant walking past their houses every day.’ Jacko screeched again. ‘And they certainly won’t have seen a capuchin monkey.’ He fed the animal another nut. ‘What about Inspector Colbeck?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Have you told him what your plans are?’

  ‘No, I haven’t. He’ll find out what they are soon enough.’

  ‘You should’ve taken him into your confidence.’

  ‘Don’t tell me what I should and shouldn’t do,’ said Moscardi, sharply. ‘It’s your friend, the inspector, who needs to be pushed into action. He should have given us his full concentration. He should have kept the sergeant here instead of sending him off to London for some reason. He should have been out looking for the man who derailed our train instead of leaving it to Gianni and his men. He should have done all sorts of things that he didn’t. That’s why I’ve lost faith in him. We’ll be on the move in an hour,’ he continued. ‘I’ll wave goodbye to the inspector as we pass him.’

  Colbeck was up early to catch a train to Hexham so that he could call on Owen Probert. Assuming that the man now had another job, he wanted to get to the house before Probert went off to work. When he arrived, the family was just finishing its breakfast. Colbeck explained why he was there and was shown into the front room of the cottage. Probert’s wife and two children remained in the kitchen.

  ‘What time do you have to leave, sir?’ asked Colbeck.

  ‘There’s no hurry. I’m not due in Newcastle until eleven o’clock.’

  ‘Is that where you’re employed now?’

  ‘It’s where I hope to take up a new post,’ said the other, choosing his words with care. ‘The interview is today.’

  ‘Is it with another railway company, by any chance?’

  ‘No, Inspector, it’s a position in management in the coal trade.’

  ‘Nothing could be more appropriate in Newcastle-on-Tyne.’

  Probert was a short, muscular Welshman in his thirties with a pleasing sing-song voice and thick, dark hair. His eyebrows were so prominent that they all but obscured the deep-set eyes. When Colbeck glanced at the man’s hands, he saw no wound. Probert spoke with a mingled surprise and wariness.

  ‘I’m not quite sure why you’ve come, Inspector,’ he said.

  ‘It’s because you left your post with the NCR.’

  ‘There’s no law against that, is there?’

  ‘None at all, sir,’ said Colbeck. ‘In a company as large as that, there’s bound to be a turnover of staff. My particular interest is in those people who left recently. You’re one of them.’

  ‘What do you wish to know?’

  ‘I’d like you to tell me why you parted company with the NCR.’

  ‘That’s my business.’

  ‘I could always go to your superiors and ask them,’ warned Colbeck. ‘If you told me yourself, you’d be saving me the trouble. You obviously want to hide the reason you left. Does that mean you were dismissed?’

  ‘No!’ retorted Probert. ‘I find that suggestion insulting.’

  ‘Then I take it back willingly, sir.’

  ‘As a matter of fact, I was offered inducements to stay with the NCR.’

  ‘Yet you went ahead and resigned.’

  ‘It was time for a change.’

  ‘Then I think you’re a brave man.’

  ‘Why do you say that?’

  ‘Well,’ said Colbeck, watching him carefully, ‘most people would never dare to leave one job unless they had another already lined up for them.’

  ‘I told you. I have my interview today.’

  ‘And are you confident that you’ll be offered the post?’

  Probert straightened his back. ‘I’m very confident, Inspector.’

  ‘Do you have no regrets about leaving the railway?’

  ‘I have none whatsoever.’

  ‘Can I hear a tinge of bitterness in your voice, Mr Probert?’

  ‘That’s for you to decide.’

  ‘You are nothing, if not blunt,’ observed Colbeck. ‘I hope that you adopt a more friendly approach to those who interview you. Signs of disrespect will not be appreciated there.’

  The Welshman remained silent. He was clearly unaware of Colbeck’s reputation and seemed only interested in sending him on his way. Probert was beginning to exude a kind of mute antagonism. Colbeck leant in closer to him.

  ‘What is your view of the derailment?’ he asked.

  ‘It was very unfortunate.’

  ‘You’ve been to see the extent of the damage, I suppose.’

  ‘No,’ said the other. ‘Why should I do that?’

  ‘Having worked for the NCR for a number of years, I’d have thought you’d take some interest in what happened to it, Mr Probert. It’s not as if you have a job at the moment. In your position, I’d have got across there at once.’

  ‘You have your priorities – I have mine.’

  ‘What about your children? Didn’t they beg you to take them to have a look at the circus? That’s what every other child in the area wanted to do.’ The Welshman hunched his shoulders by way of reply. ‘What did your work on the railway involve?’

  ‘Does it matter, Inspector?’

  ‘It might do. I can easily find out, if you can’t remember what it was.’

  ‘I dealt with timetabling.’

  ‘Then that’s even more reason for you to take an interest in what happened. A train was derailed, part of the track was ripped up and there was extensive damage to the locomotive and rolling stock. In the short term, that would have involved some emergency timetabling.’

  ‘It did.’

  ‘Wasn’t that enough to arouse your interest?’

  ‘I had other things to do, Inspector.’

  Colbeck concealed his irritation behind a bland smile. He wondered why the Welshman was being so deliberately unhelpful. After chatting inconsequentially to him for a couple of minutes, he suddenly fired a crucial question at him.

  ‘Have you ever met a man named Geoffrey Enticott?’

  Caught off guard, Probert was momentarily lost for words.

  ‘No, I haven’t,’ he said at length.

  ‘That seems strange. You must have worked in the same building.’

  ‘I had lots of colleagues, Inspector. I only knew a selection of them by name. I may have nodded to the man you just mentioned but I certainly never knew him.’

  Colbeck rose to his feet. ‘Thank you for your time, sir,’ he said. ‘With regard to your interview, I’d like to give you some advice.’

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘Don’t tell such a palpable lie as the one you just told me. I’ve met Mr Enticott. He’s a striking individual. It’s impossible to work in the same building as him without being very aware of his presence.’ He put on his top hat. ‘Good day to you, Mr Probert. You’ll understand why I’m unable to wish you luck at your interview.’

  True to his prom
ise, Leeming was back at the house early that morning. Shown into the drawing room, the first thing he did was to cross to the crib and look down at the baby. Gurgling happily, she seemed to be giving him a toothless grin. He beamed back at her. Madeleine and Lydia had got to their feet the moment he walked in. They were desperate for news.

  ‘Did you go to the hotel?’ asked Lydia.

  ‘Yes, I did.’

  ‘Was he there?’

  ‘No, Miss Quayle, he wasn’t. But I think that he had been. A man who sounded very much like the one you told me about did take a room there. He left the hotel yesterday evening without any explanation.’

  ‘What name did he give?’ asked Madeleine.

  ‘Mr Daniel Vance.’

  ‘Is that name familiar to you, Lydia?’

  ‘No, it isn’t,’ replied the other, face clouding. ‘So I’m back where I started. I don’t know his real name or why he’s picking on me.’

  ‘We know that he definitely booked into the same hotel as you,’ said Leeming, ‘and that shows how serious his pursuit of you is. In all probability, he stole a dress from your room. Since he met him face-to-face, the manager was able to give me a more detailed description than you. I’ve circulated it to the people who’ll be on patrol in this district. If he turns up, their orders are to detain him.’

  ‘Take heart, Lydia,’ said Madeleine with a consoling arm around her. ‘You have the Metropolitan Police on your side now.’

  Lydia rallied slightly. ‘Yes, I suppose that I do. I’m so grateful to you, Sergeant,’ she said to Leeming. ‘You’ve gone out of your way to help.’

  ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t bring more cheering news. However,’ he said, ‘I must go. I have to catch a train to Bristol. Is there anything for me to take with me?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Madeleine. ‘It’s on the hall table.’

  When she saw Leeming out, she gave him a letter addressed to her husband.

  ‘Tell him how much we all miss him.’

  ‘I will, I promise.’

  After closing the front door after him, Madeleine went back into the room. Lydia was seated on the sofa, gazing in front of her. She was totally unaware of her friend’s reappearance.