Джеффри Арчер - The Short, the Long and the Tall [С иллюстрациями]

‘How will we know which carriage to blow up?’

‘That’s easy. German officers always travel first-class, so we are only interested in the carriage in the centre of the train.’

‘Won’t some of our own people be injured, even killed by the blast?’ asked Albert.

‘Unlikely. Once it’s known there are German officers on a train, the two second-class carriages on either side of first-class will be deserted.’

Albert stared at the plunger, his hands trembling.

‘Patience, my boy,’ said Marcel as the train rounded the bend and came into sight, billowing clouds of smoke into a clear blue sky. ‘It won’t be long now.’

Albert placed both hands on the plunger.

‘Not yet,’ said Marcel. ‘I’ll tell you when.’

The young recruit could feel the sweat pouring down his face as the train came closer and closer.

‘Any moment now,’ said the older man as the engine clattered over the bomb. ‘Get ready.’ It was only a few seconds, but it felt like a lifetime to Albert, before Marcel gave the order, ‘Now!’

Albert Bouchard pressed firmly down on the plunger, and watched as the bomb exploded in front of his eyes. As the blast tore through the carriage, a ball of purple and blue flames shot into the air, mixed with shards of glass and debris. The carriage was blown unceremoniously off the track, landing with a thud on the far bank, a mass of twisted, molten metal embedded in the grass. Albert sat there, mesmerized by the scene. His only thought was that no one could possibly have survived. He stared at the other two carriages lying like abandoned children by its side, doors flapping and windows smashed.

‘Let’s go, Albert!’ shouted the older man, who was already on his feet. But the boy couldn’t take his eyes off the carnage.

Marcel grabbed his new recruit by his collar and yanked him up. He quickly disappeared into the forest with young Bouchard following in his footsteps. No longer a schoolboy.

The guard who had been stationed in the rear carriage was among the first on the scene. When he came across the bodies of three German officers, including Colonel Müller, he crossed himself. He moved on and was surprised to find the bodies of three of his countrymen lying nearby. They must have been travelling first-class. But why, he wondered. Everyone had been briefed about the latest directive from the commander of the resistance.

Next on the scene was the driver, who’d been furthest from the blast.

‘How many dead?’ he asked.

‘Six,’ replied the guard. ‘Three Germans and sadly three of our own.’

‘And I passed several passengers lying by the side of the track,’ said the driver. ‘But none of them were badly injured. They got lucky, because there was a local doctor on the train, and he’s looking after them.’

“Never Stop on the Motorway,” “Cheap at Half the Price,” and “One Man’s Meat” were first published 1994 in Twelve Red Herrings.

“Who Killed the Mayor?,” “A Wasted Hour,” “A Gentleman and a Scholar,” “The Road to Damascus,” and “A Good Toss to Lose” were first published 2017 in Tell Tale.

“Confession” was first published 2018 in the paperback edition of Tell Tale.

“It Can’t Be October Already” was first published 2007 in Cat O’ Nine Tales.

“Stuck on You,” “The Queen’s Birthday Telegram,” and “Caste Off” were first published 2010 in And Thereby Hangs a Tale.

“The Grass is Always Greener” and “Endgame” were first published 2000 in To Cut a Long Story Short.

“Clean Sweep Ignatius,” “Just Good Friends,” and “Christina Rosenthal” were first published 1988 in A Twist in the Tale.

“The First Miracle” and “Old Love” were first published 1980 in A Quiver Full of Arrows.