Read Online Death in the Tunnel by Miles Burton - Free Book Online Page A

“They’re to meet me at Blackdown at two o’clock. If you like, we’ll have a spot of lunch somewhere, and catch a train at Charing Cross about one o’clock.”
    Merrion agreed to this readily enough. In spite of the overwhelming evidence in favour of it, he was bound to admit the possibility of a doubt that Sir Wilfred Saxonby had shot himself. As he had told Arnold, his own belief was that it had been a case of suicide. But belief was not proof, and until all doubt had been removed, suicide could not be accepted as a fact.
    He met Arnold as arranged, and they travelled down to Blackdown together. The station-master, who had been instructed by the railway company to hold himself at Arnold’s disposition, met them. “The driver and fireman have just arrived,” he said. “They are waiting in my office. Will you see them now?”
    â€œYes, I’ll see them,” Arnold replied. “But one at a time, I think. I’ll begin with the driver. What’s his name?”
    â€œRobert Prentice. He has been a driver for fifteen years, and is considered a very steady and reliable man. The fireman’s name is Charles Haynes, another very steady chap.”
    Arnold and Merrion installed themselves in the station-master’s room, into which the driver was introduced. “Sit down, Prentice,” said Arnold. “I want to ask you a few questions. You were the driver of the five o’clock from Cannon Street on Thursday?”
    â€œThat’s right, sir. I’ve been driving that train all the week.”
    â€œAnd you slowed up the train in Blackdown Tunnel?”
    The driver’s face hardened. “I’ve already reported why, sir,” he replied.
    â€œYes, I know, and you’ve been disbelieved. Now, I’m going to be perfectly frank with you, and I’m sure you’ll be the same with me. As no doubt you’ve seen in the papers, a passenger was found shot in the train when it arrived at Stourford. Well, there’s reason to believe that the shot was fired in Blackdown Tunnel.”
    â€œI saw about the accident, sir,” said Prentice. “But I didn’t know it happened in the tunnel.”
    â€œWe believe it did. Now you’ll understand why I wanted to talk to you. You reported having seen red and green lights in the tunnel. If you did, the person who showed those lights may have had something to do with the death of the passenger. But are you quite sure you saw them? If you aren’t quite sure, say so, and nobody will blame you in the least.”
    â€œI wasn’t mistaken,” replied Prentice quietly. “I’ve been through the tunnel too often to imagine lights that aren’t there. I saw a red light that changed to green, and I’ll take my oath upon that.”
    â€œTell us exactly what you did see,” said Arnold.
    â€œI entered the tunnel steaming hard, doing perhaps fifty miles an hour or a bit more. The signals were clear, and there are no more until you get beyond the tunnel on the other side. Often enough, if there’s been an up train through just before, the tunnel is so full of smoke and steam that you can’t see a flare till you’re right on top of it. But on Thursday evening it wasn’t so bad, quite clear in the tunnel, you might say, and there was nothing in the notices about men working in it. So I let her rip, giving a long whistle on entering the tunnel, according to regulations.
    â€œI hadn’t gone far, in fact I’d just taken my hand off the whistle, when I thought I saw a red light ahead of me. I shut off steam at once, although I didn’t see how it could be a light. I thought it must be another train coming towards me, steaming hard, and that the blast had driven a red coal through the funnel. But there the light was, and it seemed to be moving. So I clapped on the brake, and called to my mate to look. He saw the light as plain as I did, and we