The Railway Detective Collection: The Railway Detective, the Excursion Train, the Railway Viaduct (The Railway Detective Series) by Edward Marston Page A

fare?’ asked Colbeck, sipping his drink.
    ‘Not very well, Inspector.’
    ‘Did the railway company close ranks on you?’
    ‘That’s what it amounted to,’ said Leeming, taking a first, much-needed taste of whisky. ‘They denied that any of their employees could have leaked information to the robbers and boasted about their record of carrying money safely by rail. Ispoke to four different people and each one told me the same thing. We must search elsewhere.’
    ‘We’ll certainly do that, Victor, but I still think that we should take a closer look at the way the company operates its mail trains. We’ve already exposed the shortcomings of railway policemen.’
    ‘They were rather upset when I told them about that.’
    ‘Understandably.’
    ‘Though not as irate as Inspector McTurk,’ recalled Leeming with a broad grin. ‘He was in a frenzy. McTurk was such a bad advertisement for Scotland.’ He raised his glass. ‘Unlike this excellent malt whisky.’
    ‘Yes,’ said Colbeck with amusement. ‘The good Inspector was not the most prepossessing individual, was he? But I’m sorry that you found the railway company itself in an uncooperative mood. I had a much more profitable time at the home of William Ings.’
    ‘What sort of man is he?’
    ‘An absent one.’
    Colbeck told him in detail about the visit to Maud Ings and how his request for the house to be watched had been summarily turned down. Leeming rolled his eyes.
    ‘If only Superintendent Tallis was on our side for once.’
    ‘Now, now, Victor,’ said Colbeck with mock reproof. ‘Do I hear a murmur of insubordination?’
    ‘He’s supposed to put handcuffs on the villains, not on us.’
    ‘He does hamper us now and then, I agree, but we must contrive to work around him. One of the things I want you to do in the morning is to find out who patrols the beat that includes the house. Ask the officers in question to keep an eye out for Mr Ings.’

    ‘Yes, Inspector. What else am I to do tomorrow?’
    ‘Report to Superintendent Tallis first thing,’ said Colbeck. ‘He wishes to know exactly what you found out at the offices of the London and North Western Railway Company.’
    ‘Precious little.’
    ‘That’s rather perplexing, I must say. People with nothing to hide are usually more open and helpful.’
    ‘They were neither.’
    ‘Then we must find out why. When you’ve delivered your report, I want you to go to the Royal Mint to see if there was any breach of security there. I fancy there are more names to unearth than that of William Ings.’
    ‘What if he doesn’t make the mistake of returning to his house?’
    ‘We’ll have to go looking for him.’
    ‘In the Devil’s Acre?’ asked Leeming with disbelief. ‘You’d be searching for a needle in a haystack. Besides, we couldn’t venture in there without a dozen or more uniformed constables at our back.’
    ‘Oh,’ said Colbeck, casually, ‘that won’t be necessary.’
    He finished his drink and put his glass on the mahogany desk. He looked at ease in the elegant surroundings. Leeming was making a rare visit to the house and he felt privileged to be there. Colbeck was a private man who invited few colleagues to his home. It was so much larger and more comfortable than the one in which Leeming and his family lived. He gazed at the well-stocked shelves.
    ‘Have you read all these books, Inspector?’ he asked.
    ‘Most of them,’ replied the other. ‘And the ones I haven’t read, I’ve probably referred to. A good library is an asset for a detective. If you’re interested, I have a few books here onthe development of the steam locomotive.’
    ‘No, thank you. I barely have time to read a newspaper.’
    ‘That’s a pity.’
    ‘There’s no such thing as leisure when you have a family.’
    ‘I’ll take your word for it, Victor.’
    Leeming admired the mahogany cabinet beside him. ‘My wife would covet some of this lovely furniture,’ he said, stroking the