Terror by Night Page #2

It's the spices that

make the difference

don't you agree

with me Holmes?

What?

I say we were

discussing curry.

Oh yes, curry,

horrible stuff.

Oh really?

One man's meat is

another man's poison.

There will be two

of us steward.

My son will be

here directly.

My dear fellow

I still insist the

unpolished wild rice

does make a

considerable difference

to a good curry.

Well I still can't

agree with you.

Take care of this for

me, will you Watson?

I shall old fellow.

That was one of them.

Was young Carstairs in

the dining club with you?

No Lady Margaret

came in alone.

Well I was in my

compartment just now

having a bite to eat

and heard a crash in here.

Crash?

It's locked.

I knocked and there

was no answer.

So you just stood here

twiddling your thumbs?

Brilliant.

Attendant, will you

please unlock this door?

I'm sorry sir, it's...

This is Inspector

Lestrade

of Scotland Yard.

That's all right

you can open it.

Very good sir.

Well.

Dead.

Murdered.

That's a bit quick

isn't it, even for you?

Is this the a...

Yes.

The Star of Rhodesia

was in this box

not forty-five

minutes ago.

How do you know?

I saw it.

Well it might be

here somewhere.

No good looking

for it Lestrade.

The killer's got it.

Awe, there you are Holmes.

How about joining

us in the...

Take a look at this

body, will you Watson?

Body?

Great Scott.

How do you know its

murder, Mr. Holmes?

Murder?

Oh I say.

Who are you?

Major Duncan Bleek,

a friend of

Doctor Watson's.

What makes you so sure

it's murder, Mr. Holmes,

the door was locked?

Every attendant has a key.

Did you open this

door for anyone

during the last hour?

No sir.

Was the key ever out

of your possession?

It never is, sir.

It's on a chain.

Looks to me like

heart failure.

Any marks of

violence on the body?

None that I can see.

Seemed to of

missed this time

didn't you Mr. Holmes?

Possibly.

Still if it was

a natural death

it came at a very

convenient time didn't it?

What does this mean?

Star of Rhodesia,

it's gone.

You were supposed

to guard it.

My son employed you.

That's why I

left it with him.

Where is he?

I'm sorry Lady Margaret.

It's thoughtless of us

to

let you come in like this.

Do you have an

empty compartment?

Yes sir.

Then I think we'd better

if you don't mind

Lady Margaret,

please.

Poor chaps

mother I presume.

Yeah.

Well let's get to

the bottom of this.

Well excuse me Doctor.

Poor chap, he

was so young.

It's such a pity.

I have sent for the

conductor, Lestrade.

You'll want to talk him

and I've asked that

no one be allowed

to leave this coach.

Oh thank you Mr. Holmes.

Shall we use

my compartment?

Attendant?

Lock that door

and let no one go in

without my permission,

you understand?

Very good, sir.

Sorry old man,

official

police business.

Well that's all right

I'll catch up

with you later.

Are you looking for the

Scotland Yard,

Inspector, sir?

Oh why yes.

Right in there.

Thank you.

Come in.

Sorry sir,

no one's allowed to

leave the carriage.

Can't leave the carriage,

whose ridiculous

idea was that?

Scotland Yard.

Scotland...

You say we don't stop

until we reach Rugby?

That's right sir.

Good.

We'll have a thorough

search of the train

made before that time.

Find the murderer,

Inspector,

and you'll find

the diamond.

But we don't know

it was murder.

Consider the

facts, Lestrade.

Young Carstairs was dead

when the jewel was taken,

otherwise he'd of

put up a struggle

and there were no marks

of violence on the body.

Lf, however, he died

a natural death

we must assume

that the thief

happened to be on hand

just at the right moment,

which is outside the

realm of probability.

No Lestrade,

in this case,

nothing was

left to chance.

That's why I say

find the murderer

and you'll find

the diamond.

How do we know the thief

didn't leave the carriage

before we

discovered the body?

The attendant was in the

corridor the entire time

and he's certain

that no one passed

into the dining car.

The door at the other end

leads into the

luggage van.

Which is always locked.

You found no marks of any

kind on the body Watson?

No, none of any

significance.

Not even a scratch?

Well there was a small

spot of blood on his neck,

just a mere speck.

That's what I

was referring to.

You mean that

scratch killed him?

It's possible the poison

that went into

the wound did.

Poison?

We can't tell that

without an autopsy.

Have you got a list

of passengers in

this carriage?

Yes sir.

There you are sir.

Thank you.

Major Duncan Bleek

that would be your

friend Doctor.

The next

compartments empty.

Where we took Lady

Margaret after the murder.

You remember Lestrade.

Go on.

Vivian Vedder, Inspector

Les... that's this one.

Lady Margaret Carstairs

and the honorable

Roland Carstairs,

Professor

William Kilbane,

Mr. & Mrs.

Alfred Shawcross,

Mr. Holmes and

Doctor Watson.

That would be you two.

I think I shall ask

a few questions.

Vivian Vedder, we'll

start with her,

whoever she is.

Vedder

Compartment 'C.'

Oh, here we are.

Empty.

Say Holmes

are you going

to let Lestrade

handle this thing

by himself?

Well after all

he does represent the

official police you know.

With him doing

the questioning,

looking under the seat

cushions for diamonds,

what very more

must we do now?

I could do it

better myself.

Why don't you old fellow?

Huh?

By Jove I think I will.

Probably find

out just as much

as Lestrade would anyway.

I'll do it at once.

That's where I

just came from.

Locked Hmm.

Well I'll start

with this one.

Yes?

My name's Watson,

Doctor Watson.

Oh to what am I indebted

to this intrusion?

I'm afraid I've

got to ask you

one or two questions

what are you doing

on the train?

Where you are going?

Things like that you know?

Why?

Customary.

There's been a

murder committed.

Scotland Yard,

Sherlock Holmes,

Sherlock Holmes and I...

What about

Sherlock Holmes?

We're cross-examining

suspects.

Suspects?

Of what am I suspected?

Fellows dead.

Murdered you know?

Now let me get

this straight.

You say a murder has been

committed on this train?

Next compartment.

And because a perfect

stranger to me

got himself murdered

you come

to question me?

Well we got to

question everybody.

Are you a policeman?

No.

Then by what right

do you force your way

into my compartment?

Well I...

What are you doing

on this train?

Where are you going?

I'm not going anywhere.

Holmes and I are on the

train to watch the...

I know.

It's a diamond or a pearl

or something of

fabulous value.

This fellows Holmes

is always chasing

after missing jewels

or mysterious females.

What is the

meaning of this?

I'm sorry Ms. Vedder

but it was necessary

for us to search

your compartment.

Indeed.

May I ask what you

expected to find?

A valuable jewel

has been stolen.

And a man has

been murdered.

We're making a

routine search

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