Night Train to Murder

by Simon R. Green

  Yesterday, upon the stair, I met a man who wasn’t there …

  The hairs stood up on the back of my neck, as though a ghostly hand had brushed across it. I looked around sharply, checking for anything out of place, but the compartment remained stubbornly quiet and ordinary. I calmed myself with slow deep breaths. I had faith in my training. I would know if anyone else was there.

  I was sure I’d know.

  For the first twenty minutes of the journey, nothing of interest happened. The train roared on through the night, isolated in the darkness, and the people around me concentrated on their work or looked out of the windows, occasionally shifting in their seats as they tried to find a more comfortable position. I kept a watchful but carefully surreptitious eye on all of them.

  The younger businessman got up from his seat, and I got ready to get up from mine if he started heading for Sir Dennis. Instead, he just hurried down the aisle and through the door, into the vestibule. I settled back in my seat and listened to the sound of the toilet cubicle door opening and closing, and then locking itself. I couldn’t hear what went on inside the cubicle, for which I was grateful. After a while, the toilet door unlocked and slid back, accompanied by the sound of flushing, and the younger businessman came back into the compartment and returned to his seat.

  Perhaps a little troubled by the continuing peace and quiet, Penny leaned in close again.

  ‘You know,’ she said quietly, ‘unless our assassin actually comes running along the carriage roof and crashes in through one of the windows, I don’t see how anyone could hope to get to Sir Dennis.’

  ‘Someone must have come up with a workable plan,’ I said. ‘Or the Organization wouldn’t be taking this threat so seriously.’

  ‘At least the bad guys don’t know we’re here,’ said Penny.

  ‘As far as we know,’ I said.

  And then I looked up sharply, as Sir Dennis’s bodyguard heaved himself up out of his seat and stepped into the aisle. The politician struggled awkwardly out of his window seat, flapping one hand irritably at the bodyguard to give him more room. I looked quickly around the compartment. None of the businesspeople seemed to be paying any particular attention. I focused my hearing on Sir Dennis and his bodyguard as they muttered angrily to each other. The bodyguard was shaking his head sullenly.

  ‘I really should go with you, sir.’

  ‘I’m only going to the toilet!’ Sir Dennis said sharply.

  ‘I don’t like the idea of your being on your own, sir,’ the bodyguard said stubbornly. ‘I really think I should be there, to stand guard outside the toilet until you’re finished.’

  ‘Absolutely not!’ snapped Sir Dennis. He glared at his bodyguard and lowered his voice even further. ‘Look, just do as you’re told and stay here. I can’t … do anything if I think someone else is listening. I won’t be long!’

  The bodyguard nodded reluctantly, and Sir Dennis hurried down the aisle. It was obvious the bodyguard didn’t like being overruled but didn’t feel he had the authority to insist. The young businesswoman suddenly scrambled up out of her seat and launched herself into the aisle, blocking Sir Dennis’s way. He stopped abruptly and scowled at her. The businesswoman smiled determinedly back at him.

  ‘Sir Dennis! If I could just have a quick word …’

  The bodyguard was already hurrying down the aisle to intervene, and I was getting ready to get to my feet too, but Sir Dennis just fixed the businesswoman with a cold glare.

  ‘Not now! I’m busy!’

  He went to dodge past her, but she moved quickly to block his way again.

  ‘I just need to ask you something, Sir Dennis …’

  ‘I have nothing to say – to you or anyone else! Now, get out of my way!’

  The businesswoman looked past him at the approaching bodyguard and reluctantly stepped aside. Sir Dennis pushed past her and was quickly out of the door. And perhaps only I heard him murmur under his breath, Nosy little bitch …

  The businesswoman sat down and addressed herself to her laptop again. The bodyguard studied her suspiciously as her fingers flew angrily across the keyboard, and then he went back to his seat, so he could keep a watchful eye on everyone while he waited for Sir Dennis to return. I looked at Penny, who was looking at me. I shrugged, and she went back to her magazine.

  What had been the point of that little confrontation? The businesswoman had a perfect opportunity to try something, but she didn’t. Politicians had to put up with being recognized, and sometimes accosted; it was all part of the job. But Sir Dennis had seemed unusually defensive as well as angry, even for a man in a hurry to get to the toilet. The businesswoman knew him, but he didn’t seem to know her … Did she want to question Sir Dennis about his new appointment, or warn him about a threat to his life? But how could she possibly know about either of those things?

  I wondered whether I should go and stand guard outside the toilet door, just to be on the safe side. I could always claim to be queuing for the toilet. But that might attract the bodyguard’s attention, and I didn’t want to be noticed. Since there wasn’t anything to suggest an actual threat, I just concentrated on listening to Sir Dennis as he fumbled with the toilet door mechanism. The door finally slid open and he went inside, locking the door behind him. He should be safe enough, inside a metal tube with an electronic lock. In fact, this was probably the safest he’d been since he got on the train. And then the bodyguard caught my attention. He’d taken out his mobile phone and was making some kind of report, keeping his voice so low no one else on the train but me could have overheard him.

  ‘All quiet, so far. The client is safe and secure. No threats have presented themselves since we boarded the train. I’ll make contact again when we get to Bath.’

  He put his phone away, and I switched my hearing back to Sir Dennis. It bothered me a little that I couldn’t hear anything, even though I didn’t particularly want to know what he was doing. Time passed and nothing happened, and then I sat up straight in my seat. I nudged Penny with my elbow.

  ‘Keep an eye on everyone. I’ll be back in a minute.’

  ‘What? Ishmael!’

  I was up and out of my seat in a moment, through the door and into the vestibule. The toilet door was closed, but the railway guard was knocking on it loudly. He looked round sharply and actually jumped a little as I moved forward to join him.

  ‘What is it?’ I said. ‘What’s happening?’

  The guard stepped back from the toilet door. He seemed a little relieved now he had someone else to share his problem with.

  ‘I saw the gentleman go into this cubicle a while ago, sir, but he hasn’t emerged yet. It does seem to me that he’s been in there rather a long time, and I’m concerned the gentleman might have been taken ill …’

  I hammered on the toilet door with my fist. There was no response. I called Sir Dennis’s name and pressed my ear up against the door, but I couldn’t hear anything from inside. I stepped back and looked steadily at the guard.

  ‘I’m security. Here to look after Sir Dennis. Is there any way of opening this door from the outside?’

  ‘I’m Eric Holder, sir, guard on this train. I can override the electronic lock, but I’m not sure I should. If the gentleman is ill, he might not want to be seen being ill, if you follow me, sir …’

  ‘Open the door,’ I said. ‘I’ll take responsibility.’

  The guard removed a small device from his jacket pocket and fumbled with the controls in a way that suggested he didn’t get to use it very often.

  ‘I didn’t know these locks could be opened from the outside,’ I said.

  ‘We don’t advertise the fact, sir. People like to feel secure in the toilet. But I can use this little device to override any electronic system on the train, in an emergency.’

  He finally got the thing to work and the lock disengaged. The door slid smoothly to one side, and there was Sir Dennis, sitting on the toilet with his trousers round his ankles, leaning over to one side. And quite defi
nitely dead.

  THREE

  Who’s Been Messing with My Head?

  The railway guard stood and stared, and then turned abruptly away, rather than look at what was inside the toilet. He had to swallow hard before he could bring himself to say anything.

  ‘He looks dead. Is he dead?’

  ‘Yes,’ I said.

  ‘Was it a heart attack?’

  ‘I don’t think so.’

  I stepped inside the toilet cubicle, careful not to touch anything, and studied Sir Dennis closely. His neck was twisted round at a really awkward angle, he wasn’t breathing, and his eyes were fixed. There was a strong smell of shit and piss, mostly from his trousers, where he’d soiled himself in his last moments. I took hold of Sir Dennis’s head with both hands and turned it carefully back and forth. The neck was broken. I let go and stepped back to consider the body again, making sure I hadn’t changed its position. That might be important later. There were no defensive wounds, nothing to suggest a struggle, and no signs anywhere in the cubicle that the killer had left anything behind. I turned to look at the guard, who still had his back turned to the toilet.

  ‘This man was murdered, Mr Holder. Someone broke into the toilet, caught Sir Dennis by surprise and broke his neck. You’d better come in here and confirm my findings. You represent the railway.’

  The guard shook his head firmly. ‘No, sir, I couldn’t look at the gentleman. I’m perfectly prepared to take your word for it.’

  I stepped out into the vestibule. Given the kind of man Sir Dennis was, I couldn’t find it in me to feel much in the way of sorrow. Mostly, I was just angry that the killer had found a way to get past me after all. The guard turned reluctantly back to face me, and I nodded to him brusquely.

  ‘You’d better lock the door again. And put up an Out of Order sign. That should be enough, until we get to Bath.’

  ‘Are we going to just leave the gentleman like that? Sitting there, with his trousers … I mean, it’s not dignified, sir. Not respectful.’

  ‘There’s nothing we can do now to help Sir Dennis, except preserve the crime scene,’ I said firmly.

  The guard nodded jerkily and was careful to keep his eyes on the remote control as he worked it, rather than on the toilet and its contents. The door slid smoothly into place and locked itself.

  ‘Don’t inform any of the staff about what’s happened,’ I said. ‘Above all, don’t tell the passengers. The last thing we need is a panic on our hands.’

  The guard looked at me uncertainly. ‘I understand about not upsetting the passengers, sir, but why shouldn’t I tell the staff?’

  ‘Because we don’t know who might be involved in what happened here,’ I said carefully. ‘The murderer could have accomplices.’

  The guard nodded slowly. ‘There are a lot of new people on the train tonight, sir. Taken off other services at the last minute to work this special express. But I’d hate to think any of them could be involved with something like this.’ He shuddered suddenly. ‘I’ve never had to deal with a suspicious death before, in all my years on the railway. I’m not even sure what the proper procedures are for dealing with a murder …’

  ‘All we have to do is keep a lid on things until we get to Bath,’ I said. ‘Then the proper authorities can take over.’

  ‘Of course, sir,’ said the guard. He nodded quickly, relieved at the thought of Sir Dennis’s death being someone else’s responsibility. ‘Let the professionals handle it. I’d better get back to my passengers.’

  I looked at the next carriage along and realized for the first time that all of the lights were out. The entire compartment was dark from end to end. I moved over to the door, and it hissed open obediently. The light from the vestibule didn’t travel far, but I could make out enough in the dark to be certain there wasn’t a single passenger left in any of the seats. I stepped back, let the door slide shut again and turned to the guard.

  ‘What happened in there? Where is everyone?’

  ‘The lights failed, sir, not long after we left Paddington. Right after I’d finished checking the tickets in First Class. There was no warning, just a sudden blackout. Luckily, it turned out to be only the one carriage. I helped evacuate the passengers and found them all new seats in the rest of the train. Good thing we weren’t fully booked tonight. Passengers really don’t take kindly to being told they have to stand. I locked off the door at the far end of the carriage, to keep anyone from getting back in.’

  ‘Why would you do that?’ I said.

  ‘You don’t want passengers stumbling around in the dark, sir, and perhaps injuring themselves. Just because they think they’ve left something behind. Besides, I needed some peace and quiet in the vestibule so I could concentrate on studying the lighting systems. I’ve been trying to get them working again, but I’m afraid it’s beyond my abilities. I’m a guard, not an electrician.’

  ‘How long have you been in there, working on the lights?’ I said.

  ‘Ever since I finished relocating the passengers, sir. I don’t like to leave a carriage that way, but I think I’m going to have to.’

  ‘So you were there constantly?’ I said. ‘No one could have got past you?’

  ‘Oh, no, sir. No one’s entered this carriage since I locked it off. Apart from me, of course.’

  ‘Did you lock the end door behind you, after you came through?’ I said.

  ‘Of course, sir. I can find my way in the dark – after all my years on the railway, I know these carriages like the back of my hand – but I didn’t want to risk a passenger coming in after me and possibly coming to grief. Particularly if it did turn out there was a medical emergency in the toilet.’

  He looked at the closed cubicle door and then looked quickly away again. I didn’t say anything, because I didn’t want the guard to notice the significance of what he’d just said. If the far door of the carriage had been locked all this time, and he was right there in the vestibule to keep an eye on it, then no one could have got to Sir Dennis from that end of the train. Unless …

  ‘Did anyone see you working in the vestibule, Eric?’

  ‘Of course, sir. Lots of people.’

  I just nodded. That was actually something of a relief. With the darkened carriage acting as a barrier between First Class and the rest of the train, it meant I wouldn’t have to look far for my suspect. The killer had to have come from First Class. Even though I would have sworn no one got past me.

  It bothered me that I hadn’t known about the lights going out in the next carriage. I’d been concentrating so hard on Sir Dennis, and all the other people in First Class, that I hadn’t given a thought to the rest of the train. What else might have happened that I didn’t know about? I fixed the guard with my best businesslike look.

  ‘Have you experienced any more problems, with the other carriages?’

  ‘No, sir,’ the guard said immediately. ‘The lights only failed in one carriage. We were lucky there.’

  I wasn’t so sure about that. It seemed very suspicious to me that the lights only went out in this particular carriage, right next to the toilet in which Sir Dennis had met his death. But how did that help the killer?

  ‘If you’ll excuse me, sir,’ the guard said hesitantly. ‘Now the toilet is secure, I’d better go find that Out of Order sign. Oh … should I unlock the end door of the empty carriage? If any of the passengers in First Class need to use a toilet, the next nearest cubicle will be on the far side of that door.’

  ‘They can all wait till we get to Bath,’ I said flatly. ‘It isn’t that far. You make sure that door stays locked, and no one gets through from your end of the train.’

  ‘Of course, sir. I’ll take another look at the lighting system, but I don’t think there’s much more I can do.’

  He disappeared into the darkness of the empty carriage, making his way quickly down the aisle despite the rocking of the train. I watched him all the way to the far door, and once he’d passed through it, I listened carefully until I he
ard the lock close. I scowled at the darkness filling the carriage. What did the killer hope to gain by emptying the carriage? No witnesses, presumably. No one to see him approach the First-Class toilet and carry out his commission.

  But … if the killer had come from First Class, how could he have got to Sir Dennis without being seen? I’d had my eyes on all three businesspeople ever since we left Paddington. Except for when I’d been concentrating on the bodyguard as he was making his report. Even so, no one had passed by me. I was certain of that. The whole thing was simply impossible. Unless there really was a rogue psychic at this end of the train, hiding behind his shield and messing with everyone’s heads. Unless that was what I was supposed to think. Could all of this be nothing more than a really clever trick, some cunning piece of misdirection?

  When in doubt, start with what’s in front of you. I approached the door to the darkened carriage, and it hissed open again. I stepped forward into the gloom and let the door close behind me. The light from the vestibule barely illuminated the first few feet, but I could still make out the rows of empty seats stretching away before me, and the long empty aisle. There was no one else in the carriage; I was sure of that. Even if someone had been hiding, I would have heard something. The only sound was the muted thunder of the wheels on the tracks. I looked carefully around the compartment, and then made my way down the aisle, steadying myself against the rocking of the carriage with a hand on each seat I passed.

  I checked each set of seats carefully. Nothing had been left behind, to show the passengers had ever been there. Not a discarded magazine, an empty cup, litter on the floor. The guard had been very thorough. I even took a good sniff of the air, but nothing stood out.

  I reached the far end of the carriage and tried the door. It was definitely locked. That simplified things. The last thing I needed was more staff entering the carriage to see what had happened, or to take selfies of themselves outside the toilet. I’d told the guard to keep the news to himself, but it was inevitable that he’d talk to someone, eventually. The best I could hope for was that he’d hold out until we got to Bath.