Alerted by telegraph, Detective Inspector Robert Colbeck left his office in Scotland Yard at once and caught the first available train on the Brighton line. His companion, Detective Sergeant Victor Leeming, was not at all sure that they would be needed at the site of the accident.

'We'll only be in the way, Inspector,' he said.

'Not at all, Victor,' argued Colbeck. 'It's important for us to see the full extent of the damage and to glean some idea of what might have caused the crash.'

'That's a job for the Railway Inspectorate. They're trained in that sort of work. All that we're trained to do is to catch criminals.'

'Did it never occur to you that this accident may be a crime?'

'There's no proof of that, Inspector.'

'And no evidence to the contrary, Victor. That's why we must keep an open mind. Unfortunately, the telegraph gave us only the barest details but it was sent by the LB amp;SCR and made a specific request for our help.'

'Your help,' said Leeming with a sigh of resignation. 'I'm not the Railway Detective. I hate trains. I distrust them and, from what we've heard about this latest disaster, I've every reason to do so.'

Leeming was a reluctant passenger, glancing nervously through the window as the train clattered into Reigate station and shuddered to a halt.