Lovelace and Button (International Investigators) Inc. Read Free Page B

station’s platforms.
    Minnie pauses for a second, the muffled tones of Mackellar’s rich voice breaking into her thoughts, then, with her goal in sight, she puts her head down and presses onward against the rain. Behind her, Ronnie Stapleton briefly hesitates while deliberating on the wisdom of his chosen path, but he shakes off his unease and picks up Minnie’s trail.
    â€œ
Tonight there will be no morning sun,
“ continues Mackellar as a warning bell draws his attention to a flashing light on an indicator board.
    Seventeen-fifty-seven non-stopper,
he says to himself, and he doesn’t need to refer to the schedules to know that the London-bound express has entered his section and will whistle past at a hundred miles an hour in just over two minutes.
    The screech of the distant train’s siren is lost in the maelstrom as Minnie heads for the platform’s edge, while Stapleton keeps a careful eye on the surveillance camera and slips into the shadows of a giant billboard behind her.
    Above Minnie, Mackellar sings along with his regular routine: “
Tonight… Tonight… I’ll see my love tonight… Pour a cup of tea; check line is clear… And for us the stars will stop where they are… and ensure the road crossing barriers are going down… Today, the minutes seem like hours… and make sure the signals are working and showing correct colour; confirm all points are properly set… Oh moon…
“
    A minute to go — time to add the milk and sugar. But a closer look at the station monitor shows a mistyfigure at the edge of one of the platforms, so he hits a button to wake up an electronic announcer.
    A tinny overhead speaker blares out a warning. “Attention all passengers on Platform One: please stand clear of the tracks.” Minnie straightens herself, but doesn’t back away.
    â€œ
… moon glow bright, and make this endless…
”
    Stapleton inwardly smiles at his luck; all he needs is the tornado of a passing train to cover his attack, and he measures the distance with the care of a footballer in the run-up to a penalty kick.
    Minnie stands rigidly, her eyes focused on the past, and as she scans the faces of her childhood, she is deaf to the distant scream of the train’s whistle and the singing of the rails.
    Stapleton loosens his muscles, checks his timing and confirms the platform is free of potential witnesses.
    A stream of urchins’ faces play through Minnie’s mind and she begins labelling them: Mark, Annie, Maureen… but the picture quickly fades.
    Signalman Mackellar’s eyes are focused on Minnie’s shadowy figure and his voice has a worried edge as he sings, “
… and make this endless day… get away from the edge, lady. Please get away from the edge.
“
    Minnie’s handsome young father is with her now, giving her and her mother a final hug as his troop train readies to pull away from the same platform in 1939. “Bye-bye, Dad,” she cries aloud, her sobs lost to the wind, and the tears continue as she mourns her childhood innocence shattered by the ugliness of war. “Missing. Presumed dead,” was all the telegram had said, and she had cried alongside her mother for days until a sad-faced captain confirmed that her father’s body had been identified.
    Thirty seconds to go and Mackellar hits the warning again as his voice rises in crescendo. “
… endless night… Tonight… Tonight.
“
    â€œAttention all passengers on Platform One: please stand clear of the tracks,” repeats the ethereal messenger, but Minnie doesn’t hear; she’s dancing away her youth in the post-war euphoria, while her broken mother sits alone at home hoping the scars will heal.
    Ten paces, Stapleton estimates, as he limbers up with a couple of gentle bunny hops. Overhead, the track’s power wires begin to hum, drawing Minnie closer as she walks up the aisle to