A Quiet Death by Alanna Knight

again impinged on that other world, still closed to him. The workings of the human mind and its motives were becoming increasingly the concern of Vince's profession.
    His own, the detection of crime, was somewhat more direct and based on tangible evidence and clues left at the scene of the crime or carried away by the criminal. A great deal easier to deal with, he decided, than sorting out the intricacies and vagaries of human behaviour.
    Perhaps some day...
    And he settled back to read the newspaper he had bought and had never had time to open.
    'Man Falls under Dundee Train.'
    With a sickened feeling of renewed horror, he saw the name Hamish McGowan staring up at him.

Chapter Nine
     
    An elderly man, Mr Hamish McGowan of Groat Street, was fatally injured when he slipped and fell under the wheels of an oncoming train in Dundee Railway Station late last night. There were no witnesses to the accident but according to his widow, McGowan was well-known to suffer from dizzy spells.
     
    When they reached Dundee, Faro called in at the station-master's office.
    'Tragic, tragic, Inspector. But you were here yourself when we warned him.'
    'Warned him?'
    'Yes, indeed. About threatening Mr Wilfred Deane.'
    'A moment please—what has this to do with Mr Deane? Was he expected off the train?'
    The station-master looked vague. 'Oh, I don't know about that, Inspector. Actually it wasn't a passenger train, it was the ten o'clock goods train McGowan fell under, but I expect he was lying in wait as usual.'
    'What makes you think that?' demanded Faro.
    'Well, he was pacing up and down the platform as he always did and I was trying to keep an eye on him.'
    That must have been difficult for you. Surely it was dark by then.'
    'Oh, pitch black. But the platform is always lit by gas lamps.' The station-master frowned, 'Of course, it was very windy too. Perhaps he lost his balance,' he added hopefully.
    'When was the next train due?'
    'At ten thirty, the last one from Perth.'
    It seemed unlikely that McGowan would be pacing the platform half an hour before the local passenger train arrived.
    What had brought him to the station at that hour? Did he still intend to murder Wilfred Deane despite all his promises?
    Faro frowned. He could have sworn that McGowan was a man of his word. So what happened that night to change his mind?
    There was only one way to find out. He remembered the scrap of paper he had in his wallet. He would visit the grieving widow but first he must tell Vince the results of his investigations at Errol.
    As he let himself into the dismal lodging, Jean McGonagall was waiting for him, her face glowing with suppressed excitement.
    'There's been a constable here. Looking for you, Mr Faro.' She paused dramatically. 'You're to go to the police station directly.'
    'Did you tell Dr Laurie?'
    She shook her head. 'Couldn't, sir. He's not been in. Never came for his supper either. Probably an accident of some kind.'
    Faro tried not to think of what that accident might have been or whether the victim in this case might be Vince himself. Cursing the brevity of the constable's message, which he felt had aged him several years, he hurried in the direction of the police station.
    'Yes, Inspector Faro. The Superintendent is waiting for you, sir. He's in his office.'
    Superintendent Johnston's smile was a trifle wan. He looked embarrassed as they shook hands.
    'Sorry about all this, Faro.'
    The Superintendent flourished a piece of paper. 'It seems that your stepson, Dr Laurie, has been in a bit of trouble. Taken into custody.'
    'What?' If there was any sense of relief mingled with Faro's astonishment, it was that the lad was at least alive and unhurt.
    'Here, read it for yourself,' said the Superintendent. With a sympathetic nod, he added: The young fellows these days. Impulsive they are.'
    Faro quickly read the note signed by the constable on duty. He had been called to Deane Hall where Dr Vincent Beaumarcher Laurie had been restrained and