This excerpt is from the book entitled The Frisby Waterless Murders, an English Murrder Mystery book set in the countryside, starring two policemen who have been working together for a few years and get along really well. There’s lots of dialogue and banter with some humour thrown in amongst the murders and suspects.
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“You’re telling me people pay to investigate the murder of someone who’s not actually dead? People pay to play at being us? For fun?”
Detective Sergeant Rod Barnes smiled at the incredulity in the voice of his boss, Colin Knowles. Barnes thought Knowles must have led a sheltered life if he’d never heard of murder/mystery parties. Barnes had often wanted to take part in such an event, but had reasoned that it would have to be somewhere far away, where nobody knew his occupation otherwise it would be embarrassing if he picked the wrong murder suspect and someone leaked this information to the newspapers. He’d have to resign in shame from the force and take up gardening. No more expensive suits for him, no more holidays in The Maldives, just because he’d picked the wrong actor in a fabricated situation. He’d never won at Cluedo either, but explained that away by telling his friends he didn’t want to show off. Today represented a first though; a real murder during a murder/mystery event on a moving Train and it was his job to find out who did it.
Detective Inspector Knowles was staring at him. “Barnesy, are you looking forward to going on the choo-choo train?”
“I do like steam trains, sir, in fact I would say it’s my favourite mode of transportation. The Flying Scotsman, The Duchess of Hamilton, Mallard – great names.”
“Why would you name a train after a duck?”
“Because of the grace they exhibit when paddling through the water?”
“Ducks aren’t graceful, they waddle from side to side and quack. I would have thought they’d have chosen a name that portrayed speed and elegance, such as Cheetah or Swift.”
“You should enter those suggestions in the next competition for naming the next batch of High-Speed Trains.”
“I will do Barnesy, but I am sure I wouldn’t win as they will choose the name of one of the wealthy landowners across whose land the new line has been built.”
“You’re probably right – so the winning name will be something like Lord Flixton or Lady Sarah Ravenscroft.”
“Almost certainly, anyway what was the name of the train where our murder took place?”
“Toby Jug, sir, running from the depot at Little Flixton to Frisby Waterless and back again. Pulling just the kitchen/dining car and the carriage containing the murder/mystery party.”
