Lilian Jackson Braun - Cat 17 Who Blew The Whistle

"There's our guy!" Riker said. "Hey, Donald! Getting anything?" They ran to meet him.

"Not much," said the young reporter. "Only pictures. Nobody knows anything for sure."

"Keep on shooting," said the boss. "We'll hang around and try for quotes."

"They think the train was stolen from a siding in Mudville."

"My God!" Qwilleran shouted as he ran toward the gulch. "It's No.9!"

Three jack-knifed cars were piled on top of a locomotive lying on its side in the mud - a grotesque monster still breathing smoke and steam.

-15-

The Friday edition of the Moose County Something carne off the presses two hours early, following the episode at Wildcat. The banner headline read:

TRAIN WRECKED IN BLACK CREEK No.9 and Party Train Crash After Whittling Joyride

The fabled engine No.9 roared at top speed through the village of Wildcat Thursday night before plunging down a steep grade and around a treacherous curve. It derailed and crashed into the muddy water of Black Creek. One person was killed. Forty were injured, some seriously.

The ill-fated run, unscheduled and allegedly unauthorized, left the switch- yard at Sawdust City about 9:15, according to witnesses. It raced south with whistle blowing through Kennebeck, Pickax, and Little Hope, narrowly missing a consist of 20 freight cars being shunted at Black Creek Junction.

Residents of Wildcat heard the continuous screaming whistle that signified a runaway train and rushed to the cross-roads in time to see the last car hurtling down the grade. Signals to slow down are clearly posted on the approach to Wildcat. An investigation is under way to determine whether the accident was due to mechanical failure or human error.

In either case the SC&L disclaims responsibility, a spokesman for the railroad said, since the Party Train was privately owned and berthed on a private siding.

At presstime, the reason for the unexpected run had not been ascertained. A spokesman for the Lockmaster County sheriff's department called the ill-fated run "a joyride for railroad nuts who knew how to shovel coal."

The Party Train is known to be the property of Floyd Trevelyan, who is wanted on charges of fraud in connection with the Lumbertown Credit Union. The crew and passengers were all residents of the Railroad Retirement Center in Sawdust City. The only fatality was the engineer, Oswald Penn, 84, retired after 50 years with SC&L. He had an outstanding safety record. He was Trevelyan's father-in-law.

Passengers and other crew members jumped to save their lives before the crash. Eighteen sustained injuries requiring hospitalization; 22 were treated and released. They were being questioned by investigators. Conspiracy has not been ruled out.

A paramedic on the scene said, "All these old fellows are long past retirement age. Looks like they wanted to make one last jump. They didn't know their bones are getting brittle. We've got a lot of fracture cases here."

Emergency medical teams, volunteer rescue squads, and volunteer firefighters from Lockmaster, Black Creek Junction, Flapjack, and Little Hope responded. The sheriffs of two counties were assisted by state police. SC&L wrecking equipment was brought from Flapjack to clear the right- of-way for northbound and southbound freight consists.

The Black Creek trestle bridge itself was not damaged, but tracks and ties are being replaced. A repair foreman on the scene said, "The train was traveling so fast, it tore off the curved tracks and made them straight as a telephone pole. Man, that's real whinlin'."

Twelve hours before the headlines hit the street, Riker and Qwilleran drove away from the wreckage with divided reactions. One was exhilarated; the other was troubled.

Riker conjectured that the train was stolen by depositors defrauded by Trevelyan, who were indulging in a senseless act of revenge. It was ironic, he said, that the embezzler's father-in- law lost his life, trapped in the cab and scalded to death by the steam. Why didn't he jump, like the others? The alleged thieves knew what they were doing; the engine was fueled with plenty of coal and water for a short high-speed run.

Qwilleran, on the other hand, had privileged information that he could not divulge without exposing Operation Whistle. His professional instincts required him to tell Riker what he knew, but it would all be revealed in the end.