George enters a compartment and is happy that the window seat facing in the direction he will be travelling is available. He prefers it that way. He lifts his suitcase up to the overhead storage rack and sits down. Opposite sits a man who is already asleep, with his hat pulled forward, limiting the vision of his face to just his chin and his beard.
The train is soon on its way while the man opposite continues to sleep. Shortly after the conductor arrives and checks George's ticket, before turning to the sleeping man.
Conductor: Excuse me, sir? Ticket, please. The sleeping man doesn't stir but the conductor notices the ticket is in the man's hand, protruding slightly. The conductor slides it out, clips it and returns it. The man sleeps through the process.
Conductor: Excuse me, sir? Ticket, please. The sleeping man doesn't stir but the conductor notices the ticket is in the man's hand, protruding slightly. The conductor slides it out, clips it and returns it. The man sleeps through the process.
Unusually, two men open the compartment door and stare at its two occupants.
Man #1: He's not in here.
Man #2: He must be in one of the last compartments then.
They shut the door and move on.
George wonders who they are looking for, before returning to staring out the window while Rip Van Winkle sleeps through it all.
George is rather bored with no one to talk to, so he stands up and retrieves a newspaper from his case to read. As he turns around, the man opposite has already quickly got his bag down and is leaving the compartment without a word.
George sits back and wonders what makes some people tick. Then the two men from earlier enter the compartment and they seem confused. They look at George.
Man #1: Was there someone else in this compartment?
George: Yes, there was.
Man #2: Where did he go?
George: I don't know, he didn't say.
Man #1: When was this?
George: About five minutes ago.
Man #2: How was he dressed?
George: A hat, beard, grey suit and black shoes, I think. I didn't see his face.
Man #2: Did he say anything to you at all?
George: No, he slept all the way, then suddenly got up and walked out with his case.
Man #1: Are you saying you had no interaction with him at all?
George: Yes. The ticket man will confirm that he was sleeping. That was the situation from when I entered the compartment to his sudden departure.
George: Yes, there was.
Man #2: Where did he go?
George: I don't know, he didn't say.
Man #1: When was this?
George: About five minutes ago.
Man #2: How was he dressed?
George: A hat, beard, grey suit and black shoes, I think. I didn't see his face.
Man #2: Did he say anything to you at all?
George: No, he slept all the way, then suddenly got up and walked out with his case.
Man #1: Are you saying you had no interaction with him at all?
George: Yes. The ticket man will confirm that he was sleeping. That was the situation from when I entered the compartment to his sudden departure.
Man #1 leaves while Man #2 sits near the door and waits to see if the mystery bearded man returns. George is wondering why these two somewhat menacing characters are seeking the mystery traveler.
Shortly after, another man walks in. He has a fresh face, a tweed jacket, fair isle waistcoat, trousers and glasses.
Man just arriving: Hello there. I'm Philip. He extends his hand to man #2 and George, they both shake his hand in return. The man sits opposite George.
George: There was someone sitting there, but has left the compartment. I don't know if he will return.
Philip: If he returns and insists on sitting here, I'll move along and let him have his seat back.
George: Why have you come into this compartment at this stage of the journey?
Philip: I was sharing a compartment with a family and found it a bit noisy. So where are you heading, George?
George: I get off at the next stop. Going to visit my aunt.
Philip: Could you do me a favour and drop this small package into the first post box you encounter? I should have done so before boarding the train, but I keep forgetting to post it.
George: I can do that. George gets down his case, and shakes hands with Philip and man #2 as he leaves the compartment before exiting the train. He sees a post box almost immediately and pushes the small parcel through the slot, its shallowness allowing him to do so.
Shortly after, another man walks in. He has a fresh face, a tweed jacket, fair isle waistcoat, trousers and glasses.
Man just arriving: Hello there. I'm Philip. He extends his hand to man #2 and George, they both shake his hand in return. The man sits opposite George.
George: There was someone sitting there, but has left the compartment. I don't know if he will return.
Philip: If he returns and insists on sitting here, I'll move along and let him have his seat back.
George: Why have you come into this compartment at this stage of the journey?
Philip: I was sharing a compartment with a family and found it a bit noisy. So where are you heading, George?
George: I get off at the next stop. Going to visit my aunt.
Philip: Could you do me a favour and drop this small package into the first post box you encounter? I should have done so before boarding the train, but I keep forgetting to post it.
George: I can do that. George gets down his case, and shakes hands with Philip and man #2 as he leaves the compartment before exiting the train. He sees a post box almost immediately and pushes the small parcel through the slot, its shallowness allowing him to do so.
Meanwhile, man #1 reenters the compartment. He sees that George has left.
Man #1: I take it the man with the beard hasn't returned.
Man #2: No. The man here at the outset has also just left.
They both leave the compartment, Philip now alone in the carriage.
Man #1: I take it the man with the beard hasn't returned.
Man #2: No. The man here at the outset has also just left.
They both leave the compartment, Philip now alone in the carriage.
They were the haul of a trio of robbers who broke into the house of a wealthy woman. Philip was one of them. He got the loot as they did their getaway, but he double crossed the other two and ran off with the diamonds.
It was always his intention to do so. He got on a train but realised he was being followed by the two aggrieved co-conspirators when they opened the compartment door.
Concerned they might come back for a closer inspection on not finding him elsewhere, he disappeared into a toilet, shaving his beard off and changing into a spare set of clothes he had in his case. He then discarded his old clothes and artificial beard via a window of the moving train.
He returned to his compartment, looking fresh faced and now wearing glasses. Even his two accomplices failed to recognise him, only seeing him previously with a heavy beard and without glasses. He also changed his accent from cockney to received pronunciation, neither of which was his natural way of speaking. He offloaded his parcel in case the two men got suspicious and searched him. The perfect crime and the perfect double cross. Or was it?
You see, George was an off duty member of the Metropolitan Police, and he knew about the jewellery heist. He recognised the two men who came into his compartment as career criminals and then put it all together. He noted the address on the small package before posting it. The police raided Philip's new dwelling once they saw the package delivered. He was caught red handed.
So the perfect crime and swindle was undone by Philip's inadvertently sharing a compartment with an off duty police officer, who was clever enough to work out what was going on and played his part as an innocent courier.
So the perfect crime and swindle was undone by Philip's inadvertently sharing a compartment with an off duty police officer, who was clever enough to work out what was going on and played his part as an innocent courier.
Had Philip shared the profit from the spoils, the robbing trio may never have been caught, as there were no clues tying them to the crime. George's evidence led to the three robbers being arrested, charged and found guilty. All because of a bit of bad luck. Or good luck, depending on whose side you're on. Who said there is honour among thieves?
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