'Not far,' said the head porter.

'In that case, perhaps you'll be good enough to show Sergeant Leeming the way and introduce him when you get there.' He ushered both men to the door. 'You know what to ask, Victor.'

'Yes, Inspector.'

'Leave your bag here.'

Putting his valise down beside Colbeck's, the sergeant led the reluctant Fagge out and the door was closed behind them. Colbeck could sense the air of relief in the office. Hibbert was clearly afraid of his hectoring boss and Reade unwilling to challenge him. Now that Fagge had gone, both of them had relaxed.

'Right,' said Colbeck, removing his top hat and placing it on the desk, 'let's get down to business, shall we, gentlemen? Before you tell me how the severed head was found, perhaps you'd be good enough to show it to me.'

'Of course,' said Reade. Crossing to a cupboard, he took out a bunch of keys and inserted one of them into the lock. 'I had to hide it away in here. When it was standing on the floor, people kept peering in at it through the window. It was so ghoulish.' Unlocking the door, he opened it and lifted the hatbox out. 'Here we are, Inspector.'

Hibbert flinched at the sight but Colbeck was fascinated. The leather hatbox was large, beautifully made and very expensive. Tied to the handle was a ticket that told him Euston was the point of departure. The name on the ticket, written in a spidery hand, was Mr D Key. Capital letters had been used for the destination – Crewe.

Since the strap had been broken, Colbeck simply had to pull back the lid to expose the occupant of the hatbox. It was the head of a young man and dark bruising on the forehead suggested that he had been beaten before being killed. Extracting a large handkerchief from his pocket, Colbeck used it to encircle the back of the head so that he could lift it gently out.

Reginald Hibbert emitted a gasp of alarm as it came into view once again. The open eyes seemed to be staring accusingly at him.