Sarah Walker- Story

It was a December morning, 10 am. I was walking along the streets in Istanbul. Christmas holidays were over and it was three day until New Years Eve. Usually I would feel sad about going home from a journey but this time I was happy. I had received a letter from my sister saying that it was a lot of snow in Edinburgh, the place I lived. Winter was my favourite season and Christmas the best holiday. For the last five years I had spent all of my Christmas holidays on the train or in a different city instead of with my family. It was very nice to see different cities by Christmas. All had their own way of celebrating it. Europe was my favourite, all the snow and decorations. 

   I realized I had totally lost track of time when I got to the platform where the train, the Taurus Express, stood waiting to return to France. While I slowly ran down the platform I looked at the windows of the train. I saw my own reflection, the short, black hair as curly as usual and the brown eyes looking straight into mine. I was wearing a red lipstick, as usual. When I got to the doors the big clock on the wall said that it was half past ten. Just in time. 

   When I had settled in to the berth number 4 in the staff section in the Paris coach I went to the dining car to prepare coffee and tea for the passengers. I looked forward to meet the passengers again. That was one of the reasons that I travelled with the train. I really loved to meet new people, which I did when I was a waitress. 

”Can you help me to prepare the compartments?” Luis Henry, one of the conductors, walked slowly into the dining car. I blushed a bit, Luis had always been the one I liked the most on the train. 

”Yeah, of course.” I put down the teapot and followed Luis to the compartments. After about an hour of work the passengers started to drop in. I helped Greta Ohlsson, the Swedish missionary, to get settled in. 

    It was a busy evening, more people then usual on this time of the year. The director of the railway company was also a passenger so we, the personal, wanted to make a good impression. I heard that the english lady Mary Debenham was talking quietly to the Colonel about something. 

”I can’t even enjoy the beautiful view like I’m used to.”, Mary said. 

”Schy, don’t talk so loud.”, the Colonel whispered. ”It will be over soon.” With those last words the Colonel left the table where Mary was sitting. He walked out of the dining car, fast. Mary looked around, took a deep breath and smiled at me. At that moment I realized that I had been standing still, just looking at them with slightly squinted eyes. I blushed a bit and hurried back to work. 

   After eight o’clock, people started to round off to go back to their compartments, alone or with company. When everyone had left and I had prepared breakfast I went to my berth to sleep. I brushed my hair, put on my nightgown and brushed my teeth. It had been a lot to do at the dinner so I was very tired. The last thing I saw before I fell asleep was the clock. 10. 

   ”Miss Walker? Miss Walker!” Someone was yelling my name over and over again. I opened my eyes and saw Lily Blake. At first I though that I had overslept, but then I noticed Lilys face. She was pale and looked very scared. 

”Whats wrong Lily?” I asked with a hoarse morning voice. 

”He’s dead. Mr Ratchett. He was murdered last night.”

    It was a very strange atmosphere at the breakfast. With the knowledge that I was serving a murderer, I wasn’t as happy as usual. I poured the tea and coffee, served sandwiches and bacon, everything mechanical. On our way to the dining car Lily had told me everything about the night. 

”We left Vincovi a bit late and then, at half past twelve, the train had to stop because of a snowdrift. No one was able to leave or get on the train. About seven minutes later, Mr Ratchett calls one of the conductors speaking France. Can you believe that? After a while Mrs Hubbard thinks that there is a man in her compartment, and her daughter stays in her mothers compartment till half past three. At 5 am Mary, you know the English lady, hears a moaning when she is on her way to the toilet. Of course she tells the conductor, who finds Mr Ratchett and fetches the doctor. Miss Swanson talks to Ratchett shortly and then he dies of too much blood loss. Can you believe that? He was stabbed between midnight and two o’clock. Miss Swanson found some things in Ratchetts compartment. I think it was a handkerchief with the letter ”H” embroidered, a pipe cleaner and a button from a conductors uniform. She also found a conductors uniform hidden in the toilet in the Calais coach. And do you know where the murder weapon was found? In Mrs Hubbard’s compartment.”

    Mrs. Hubbard was very pale where she sat, neither eating nor drinking. When I asked her if she was finished with the sandwich that she hadn’t even tasted she nodded slightly, smiled a fleeting smile and then continued to look straight down at the table. It was like she was somewhere else, and it didn’t surprise me. I would also be terrified if the murder weapon was found in my compartment, because that means that the murderer must’ve been in her compartment. Miss Swanson must’ve talked to her about that. I didn’t know what to believe. Was she innocent? Or was she the murderer? I sighed lightly, everything was a big mess. I turned around and looked and Mrs. Hubbard again. 

”I have to ask you, Mrs. Hubbard, do you know anything about the murder?” Mrs. Hubbard looked at first surprised and then offended. 

”I have to tell you this. Of all the times I've traveled, this is the worst. Not that it was a murder, but because you, the staff, is so incredible rude.” She pursed up her lips, lifted her nose in the air and dried her eyes with a white handkerchief with the letter ”H” embroidered on it before she walked out of the dining car with angry steps. I shook my head and went on with my job. While I was serving Miss Swanson I thought of what Lily had told me and the chat with Mrs. Hubbard. It must’ve been her. I came to think of the handkerchief as Mrs. Hubbard had used to dry her eyes with. It must be the same as the one that was found in Ratchett's compartment. I gasped, but I still didn’t know for sure who the murderer was. I actually had no idea when it all came down to it. 

    I had a break between breakfast and lunch and I used it for a walk on the train. When I got to the Calais Coach I heard someone talking quietly. 

”No, I'm sure. The waitress knows that it is we who murdered him, or at least that it is me. We need to get off this train before she tells anyone.” Mrs. Hubbard. I knew it. I just needed to see who she was talking to. 

”Okey, I’ll stop the train tonight, be ready.” Luis Henry. That one really surprised me. I didn’t even know that they knew each other. But then, what did I know? I didn’t stay another minute. As fast I could without attracting attention, I hurried through the train to Miss Swanson compartment.

”Miss Swanson.” I knocked on her door, breathless. ”I know who the murderer is. The two of them.”