04.00. The train is
pulling away from the station as we get to his carriage. The seat is empty, the
carriage is empty. I let out an expletive and the guard who has just stepped
back into the carriage asks rather politely if something is wrong. I turn to
her and stop myself from shouting. “Where is he?” I gasp, “Where is the man who
was sitting here?” She is surprised by our reaction when she tells us he has
just got off at that stop we have pulled away from..
04.05. “Why?” the
guard asks. Before I can answer the woman with me speaks, “We think he has
taken one of our bags," and, after a pause “Accidentally.” The guard seems happy with this answer. “Is
there anything we can do?” I ask, “Is there someone at that station we can talk
to?” The guard shakes her head, “Not at this time in the morning, it’s
unstaffed until 6.” She sees me glance at the emergency stop sign. “And I
wouldn’t try that for a lost bag Sir,” she says. “The next stop is in 5 minutes
and you should be able to get a cab from there.”
04.10. The woman with
me takes out her phone. “What is the name of the next station?” she says in a
calm, firm and controlled voice. As the guard says it the woman repeats it over
he phone as she requests a cab to pick us up in 5 minutes. The voice at the
other end speaks and she says, “£50 extra if you are there as they train pulls
in.” The guard stares at me. “Thank you,” she says and hangs up. She then turns
and tells me to get my belongings.
04.15. We walk in strained
silence back to my seat and pick up what little things we have. I wonder
whether it is worth taking the case but remember it is important to leave no
trace behind. Perhaps it’s too late as so many of the passengers know we have
been on this train. “Who was he?” she says. I’m not sure if it’s to me or just
voicing her thoughts but I do respond. “I don’t know,” I mutter. “What did he
look like?” she asks pointedly. I pause to try to get the picture back in my
head.
04.20. As the picture
forms again I realise how clever he had been. Every time I went past his seat his
head was hidden from me. Either behind a paper or with his back to me gathering
his bags and belongings. There must be something, there must be something I can
remember. The train pulls into the station and once again I find myself jumping
through sliding doors to save time. In the darkness there is a glowing yellow
lamp. “There,” she says pointing, “that must be our cab.”
04.25. We are underway
but the driver will not shut up. First about the £50 bonus and then by the fact
we forgot to get off at the previous station, which seemed the simplest
explanation. His constant drivel makes it hard to concentrate on the picture in
my head. Finally I turn to the woman and as I do I realise I don’t even know
her name. I lean towards her and quietly say “I’m Mike,” as the driver’s
prattle carries on. “Faith,” she responds and then to the driver “How long?”
04.30. We should be at
the station in five more minutes. The driver seems oblivious to our talking and
is continuing his one-way conversation in the front. The absurdity of our
situation is beginning to hit home. We are going to arrive at a station fifteen
minutes after the man with our package got there. We have no clues as to where
he is going and what transport he had arranged. Faith has taken out her phone.
“I can’t get any 3G,” she says, “try yours.”§ I take mine out and have no
internet signal either. “Nor me,” I say before remembering I have turned the
Wifi off to save battery. 15%
04.35. We have got out
of the taxi and asked him to stay. The station is empty and barely lit as we
begin to look for any clues as to where the man has gone. The rain proves to be
our friend as there are a single set of damp footprints coming from the wet
platform and through the sheltered concourse to the footpath outside the station
ticket office. That’s where they end so he either set off back onto the wet
pavement or….
04.40. Faith has
noticed the same wet footprints further up the pavement where it is sheltered
by a bus top canopy. They stop there and she places her feet over the last two
and sits down on the bench. That’s it. He waited for a bus or something here.
As she gets up another car drives up and winds down its window. “Cab for Etlingham?”
I walk up to the driver, “Pardon?” He repeats, “Cab for Etlingham?” “Who
ordered you?” Faith asks. “Don’t know, just got a call about twenty minutes
ago.” I turn and look at Faith and then turn back to the driver. “I’m afraid
your fare has left already,” and before he can ask, “I point to the other taxi,
“and that’s ours,” I say.
04.45. The angry
cabbie pulls away cursing. As I watch him exit the car park I see Faith
studying the bus timetables. “That’s it,” she says triumphantly, “He waited
here for his cab but when it didn’t come quickly enough he caught the 4.30 bus.
There’s a night bus every hour and it goes through Etlingham.” She runs back to
the cab and I follow admiring her mental adroitness. We jump in as she says,
“Get us to Etlingham as quickly as you can. The bus is due to stop there at ten
past five,” she whispers to me. “Etlingham,” he says, “right away,” and so
starts the next outpouring of unwanted conversation.
04.50. “He can’t have
planned to take the package when he did. He must have just been waiting for an
opportunity,” She says. “He didn’t know you would get off the train for water.”
She pauses for a moment. “Why did you?’ she says turning towards me. “I was
thirsty,” I say staring back at her, “And I knew you were too.” She let’s her
eyes drift from me and quietly says, “It means he had no transport arranged
here. He is having to do everything off the cuff. We might just have a chance.”
04.55. It is still
dark but there is an increase in streetlamps as we move towards a town. I lean
forward towards the driver. “Is this Etlingham?” I ask and the driver shakes his
head. “Nope, this is Fenschem, then we’ve got Lower Etlingham, then Etlingham.
Not long now.” I stare at Faith and was about to say at least there’s hope but
realise she won’t appreciate the levity and I think she currently sees me as a
bit of a fool. As we leave Fenschem we can see another vehicle in the distance.
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