Edward Marston - Inspector Colbeck's Casebook

‘Unfortunately, he was unable to take the man alive. It’s a great pity. Had the fellow been caught and convicted, we would have enjoyed some good publicity in the newspapers for a change.’ His eyes flicked to Colbeck. ‘Try to remember that next time.’

‘Arrest was not an option, sir,’ explained Colbeck. ‘I couldn’t put handcuffs on a man who was armed with a fire shovel on the roof of a moving train.’

‘You shouldn’t have got involved in such heroics.’

‘With respect, Superintendent,’ said Leeming, loyally, ‘I think that the inspector deserves profound gratitude. He risked his life in the course of doing his duty. I wouldn’t have dared to climb up there.’

‘The risk was unnecessary.’

‘It didn’t seem so at the time,’ argued Colbeck.

‘Perhaps not.’

‘I had to find out how it was done before I could accuse James Barrett of the murder. When he realised that I’d found him out, he chose to resist arrest.’

‘Resist arrest?’ echoed Leeming with a hollow laugh. ‘He tried to knock you off the top of that train with a fire shovel. He tried to murder you. That’s rather more than resisting arrest, Inspector.’

‘It was, Victor. I can vouch for that.’

‘The main thing,’ said Tallis, waving the report in the air, ‘is that the murder was solved swiftly by my officers. The Great Western Railway is delighted with the speedy resolution — though shocked to learn that one of its own drivers was responsible for the crime.’ He put the report back on his desk. ‘The search that you instituted has also borne fruit. The wallet and watch stolen from Matthew Proudfoot were found on an embankment about a mile away from Twyford station. They were wrapped in a silk handkerchief taken from the victim. The watch, I am told, is still in working order.’

‘What about the murder weapon?’ asked Colbeck.

‘That, too, was recovered nearby.’

‘As I anticipated.’

‘Well,’ said Tallis, complacently, ‘I think we’re entitled to feel rather pleased with ourselves. This case is well and truly closed. It gives me great satisfaction to know that I assigned the right detectives to the investigation.’ He gave one of his rare smiles. ‘Thank you, gentlemen. The Great Western Railway is in your debt.’

‘I can’t say that I enjoyed the work,’ confessed Leeming, loosening his collar with a stubby finger. ‘The simple truth is that I hate trains. I never feel entirely safe in them.’

‘You should try travelling on the roof of a carriage,’ said Colbeck with a grin. ‘You get the most wonderful view of the countryside up there and there’s always the possibility that — like James Barrett — you’ll reach the end of the line far sooner than you imagined was possible.’