The Crossword Murders Part One
It was unfortunate for Sergeant McTavish who was first on the scene. The Chief Inspector was the second person to arrive at the train and saw through the carriage door window someone bending over the woman. He wrenched the door open. ‘What the devil do you think you are doing?’
McTavish turned round with a roughly torn piece of paper in his hand.
Sergeant McTavish introduced himself as the man that Scotland Yard were expecting and he stated he had just left the railway station when a porter ran up and asked him to come back to the train.
‘Honest, I found the girl in this state,’ said Sergeant McTavish who had been working on a series of murders that had started in Scotland and now had found its way to Paddington Railway Station. ‘This piece of paper was in her hand and I needed to remove it. At first I thought it was a suicide note but it turned out to be a made up cryptic crossword.’
The girl was still alive and the marks of someone’s fingers and thumbs had made their mark around her neck. She was in a bad way and an ambulance was called.
* * *
The Chief Inspector straightened out the piece of paper and placed it on his desk. ‘Now let me see, hmm! We need to solve the clues to see what it is. But first we need to place the clues in the right order to get the symmetrical pattern and we need to put our thinking caps on. This is going to be very tricky to solve. This is not an ordinary villain we are dealing with!’
1 Across Is God going in the right direction? (9)
1 Down The man going East goes to Church with 50 (6)
18 across Horse running backwards won three grand races? (6) ‘I think I
know that one said McTavish – it’s Red Rum, the horse won three
Grand National races and spelt backwards it reads MURDER!’
‘All we’ve got to do now is fill the other squares in and we will know the
message.’ said the Chief Inspector. ‘I think I’ll leave it to you to do
McTavish – you seem to know what you’re doing. But before you start trying to decipher this puzzle I’ll photocopy a few copies and hand them around in the main office and see if anybody there can come up with some answers which you can compare.’
‘I don’t think I’ll know all the answers Sir.’
‘Just do what you can and we’ll all chip in later.’
‘One thing for sure Chief Inspector this puzzle is not symmetrical.’
The chief Inspector left the office as Sergeant McTavish bent over
and looked keenly at the other questions. ‘Now heres another clue: “A vehicle you might go on holiday in or in the desert?” McTavish sat down and wrote down the answer – that must be CARAVAN. He loosened his tie as he settled down to a day of questions and answers. He also recognized that apart from 1 across and 1 down all the other answers were randomly placed somewhere in the puzzle.
McTavish had a theory that needed to be tested. His thoughts wandered away from the puzzle, perhaps he was going in the wrong direction. At this point the office door opened and the Chief Inspector poked his head round the door.
‘Well, any progress?’
It was evident to McTavish, that the Chief Inspector had never done a crossword in his life – it was only ten minutes ago he had left him to do the crossword.
‘No Chief Inspector, this puzzle will need some deep thinking. All the clues are cryptic. Perhaps I can leave you with this one to solve – One Across Is God going in the right direction? Nine letters. I’m not sure whether this is going to be part of the message.’
The Chief Inspector denied having done any crosswords and shut the door.
One down: The man going East goes to Church with 50. McTavish paused then a gleam came into his eyes as he worked out the answer = A man = (chap) goes East = (E) and fifty – (L), the answer is CHAPEL. That means one across begins with a C; surely it can’t be CHRISTMAS or is it CHRISTIAN. McTavish was racking his brains for a sensible answer. Perhaps CHRISTIAN was the killer’s first name, but how strange a coincidence it was McTavish’s first name was Christian. He needed to solve the puzzle quickly. There was a sort of panic in his eyes. Apart from one across and one down, nothing else seemed to point to anything that made sense
15 across was equally baffling “The MCC Panel shortened the list of players!”
13 down was equally baffling: His vat was expensive (see fifteen across) anag.
6 down started with letter A – Also known as Red Rum (4,2)
25 Across Tried to bet on! 18 across & 21 down
21 down The end of RED RUM, deem it so (2) see 18 across
McTavish only just noticed that those clue numbers were underlined, so the clues must be pointing the way to the killer but he didn’t know how.
* * *
Some bright spark in the main office worked out all the answers to the puzzle – it wasn’t all the answers that gave the message, some were the clues, when rearranged they read out.
(T H E M A N) 1. Down
(K N O W N A S) 6 Down
( M C T A V I S H) 15 across and 13 down
(T R I E D T O) 25 across
( M U R D E R M E) 18 across and 21 down
The Crossword Murders Part Two
Sally, Alice & Martha, sisters – they were known as the Sam Sisters owing to their first name initials. They were identical triplets and it was hard for those who met them to tell which was which. Mostly wherever they went, they were together. All three had attended university and had succeeded in their subjects and becoming debutantes was still in fashion. The invitation to travel from Glasgow to London for the celebrated dinner and dance was offered to the three sisters. The excitement as all three went shopping to buy their gowns which were identical in every detail as were their travelling clothes. Their close relationship throughout their lives had given them an inferiority complex that to dress differently from each other would make them strangers to one another.
Each sister, dressed in grey coloured suits with a narrow cream strip throughout the material, boarded the train at Glasgow Central for their journey to Paddington, London. They waved goodbye to their parents as each sister hogged a carriage door window. The train drew slowly out of the station. There had been a bit of a delay as a man had boarded the train with a large crate. British Rail had to search round for a ramp and metal rollers and three porters and the passenger pushed the box up until they were well inside the guards van.
Barton Freidland with leather bag stood around the box and produced from his bag a screwdriver and loosened all the screws that formed the lid. He told one of the porters that he was picking up an outboard motor for his craft which would be waiting for him at Paddington Railway Station. He showed his ticket and it was a three day return.
* * *
The sisters settled down to read their magazines. Sally and Alice fell asleep – it was going to be a long journey. Martha didn’t feel sleepy and decided to do one of the many crossword puzzles in the magazines they had bought at Glasgow Railway Station Newspaper shop before boarding the train. They had been travelling for almost two hours and many passengers passed their carriage door and Martha could hear in the distance, an announcement the first sitting for luncheon would be in ninety minutes time. Martha tried to wake the other two when the ninety minutes was up. One of them yawned and said sleepily ‘You go ahead, we’ll both go to the second sitting.’ Martha was famished and She took her magazine and a small notebook and pencil which she placed in her suit pocket. She decided to leave her handbag behind and just take her visa card to pay for her lunch.
The Catering man opened the carriage door where the two sisters had just woken up and Martha hadn’t returned. He announced the second sitting was now. The time was one thirty. Sally asked the man if those that had gone at 12noon had finished. He answered in a loud voice, so that everybody who was in earshot could hear that the first sitting finished at 1:15pm and the second sitting was at 1:30pm. Sally and Alice didn’t bother with lunch. They decided to search for their sister. There was no trace of Martha anywhere on the train.
* * *
Barton Freidland suddenly leapt to his feet which startled the two old ladies in the carriage. He apologized and stared at the figure of a woman going towards the guards van. A incredulous look formed in his eyes as he watched her. Having reached the final coach she made her way back, passing where his carriage. The train was slowing down and the two old ladies got off. No one got on and the train wouldn’t be stopping until it reached Paddington. Barton got to his feet wandered up and down the compartment with a worried look on his face. He murmured to himself, ‘Timing was everything.’ He sat down.
* * *
Sally and Alice were beside themselves with worry. They had approached another member of the train staff and reported that their sister was missing and they had been up and down the train looking for her and she was not to be seen anywhere. The train staff walked up and down to check and reported back that there was no sign of her. One of the men said’ ‘Perhaps she got off at the last stop, thinking she had arrived at Paddington.’ ‘No! said Alice, ‘I was looking out when the train stopped at the last station.’
The man rang the Railway Police informing them of a person who has gone missing on the train. Would they inform Scotland Yard. After a brief chat the man finished his conversation.
* * *
Barton Friedland heard the announcement on the intercom that the train would be shortly pulling into Paddington. In fact in five minutes time. He left the compartment and walked to the rear of the train to the guards van and quickly unscrewed the two screws and lifted out the body of a woman and making sure that part part of the train was clear of people, made his way back to his carriage. He had drugged her and she was still out cold, he had assumed. He began to search her pockets and found her notebook and pencil and also a piece of paper. He grabbed the items. Martha opened her eyes and snatched the piece of paper back. Barton Freidland hadn’t noticed that the train had arrived at the station and porters and police were opening all the carriage doors.
Barton was endeavouring to strangle his victim, get hold of the piece of paper and at the same time trying to shield his actions from passengers alighting the train, porters and policemen running up and down the platform. Chief Inspector Sillwell opened the carriage door and asked the man what was going on?
* * *
Sergeant McTavish of Glasgow Central Police station was pleased to be released from another crate. He was bound hand and foot and also gagged. He had spotted Barton getting on the train at the last moment. If it hadn’t been for the crate being loaded on he would have missed him. Barton had sneaked up and knocked the Sergeant out and taken his identity and it was easy to approach Martha and escort her back to her carriage compartment stating that the Crossword Murderer was on the train.
Apparently Barton Friedland had thought Martha had witnessed him committing another murder three weeks ago when she missed her connection to catch the local bus home. When Martha was questioned by the police regarding the incident, she stated that she thought they were a courting couple kissing goodnight.
