'Isn't it enough that the poor man has been killed doing his job?' yelled Andrews. 'Why do they have to blacken his name by claiming that the accident was his fault? It's wrong, Maddy. It's downright cruel, that's what it is.'

'I agree with you wholeheartedly, Mr Andrews,' said Colbeck, 'and I'm sure that Pike will be exonerated when the full truth is known. Meanwhile, however, I don't believe you should let this idle speculation upset you and I strongly advise you against making any mention of it to his widow.'

'That's right,' said Madeleine. 'We must consider Rose's feelings.'

'Shall we all go there together? I know that she lives nearby.'

'It's only minutes away, Robert.'

'This is a job for Maddy and me,' announced Andrews, making an effort to control himself. 'It was good of you to come, Inspector, and I'm very grateful. But I know Rose Pike well. She'll be upset by the sight of a stranger. She'd much rather hear the news from friends.'

'I accept that,' said Colbeck.

'Before we go, I'd like to hear more detail of what actually happened. Don't worry,' Andrews continued, holding up a palm, 'I won't pass any of it on to Rose. I just want to know whatever you can tell me about the accident. You don't have to listen to this, Maddy,' he said. 'If it's going to upset you, wait in the kitchen.'

'I'll stay here,' she decided. 'I want to hear everything.'

'In that case,' said Colbeck, weighing his words carefully, 'I'll tell you what we discovered when we got to the scene.'

Since he had been spared the ordeal of spending a night way from his family, Victor Leeming made no complaint about the early start. He and Colbeck were aboard a train that took them to Balcombe not long after dawn. It was a fine day and the sun was already painting the grass with gold. Watching the fields scud past, Leeming thought about the present he ought to buy for his wife's forthcoming birthday, hoping that he would be able to spend some of the occasion with her instead of being sent away on police business. Colbeck was reading a newspaper bought at London Bridge station. As he read an account of the train crash, his jaw tightened.