Next Stop: Murder!

Next Stop: Murder! was a virtual representation of one of Jacob and Evie Frye's genetic memories, relived by a Helix initiate through the Helix Navigator.

Description

Jacob and Evie encountered a citizen near the Thames.

Dialogue

• Citizen: Hey! Someone help! Some tramp found something down there! Looks like foul play!

The Frye twins started their investigation.

Interrogations

Riverbank

• Vagrant (body): I heard a splash an' right quick pulled this bloke out a' the shallows. Dead as a mackerel.
• Vagrant (shelter): I live there, now. If you can call it livin'. I lost my job, didn't I? No need for the likes of me when a machine can do the work.
• Vagrant (coat): A nice, warm coat like that on a dead man, what do you expect? I snatched it afore somebody else come along to nick it. Like you!
• Vagrant (midnight): The midnight train? That must be the 616. Stops in the station down the road. If you hurry, it might still be there.

Victoria train station

• Trainmaster (train 616): You better hurry. It's leaving right now!

Restaurant carriage

• Peter (last evening): It was a typical evening. As far as I knew, nothing unusual happened until you came aboard with this story of a murder.
• Peter (midnight): I was tidying up the passenger car. Around midnight, Vivian ran through - she thought someone was looking for her.
• Peter (Killian): Just another wealthy passenger. They're all pretty much the same.
• Peter (Vivian): She rides the train often. She's very friendly with the other passengers.
• Ryan (last evening): Nothing unusual. Couple of passengers came in and had a sort of business meeting. One of 'em was buying a lot of drinks for the other, and then they started to argue. But Vivian went over and joshed them out of it.
• Ryan (Peter): Peter? Nice bloke. Came here after being sacked from a foundry a few months ago. I'll tell you, he looked white as a ghost after he served the businessmen.
• Ryan (Vivian): She's a frequent passenger, that one. Hangs about with the wealthier sort. Likes to 'entertain' 'em, if you take my meanin'.
• Ryan (pills): Oh, er - well, it's a noisy train. Plenty of passengers have trouble getting to sleep, so I keep a sedative here behind the bar. Yeah?
• Ryan (scheme): Yeah, I help Vivian fleece the dupes. I slipped a pill in the wine for the table. Both gents got sleepy, but Vivian picked the richest one.

Passenger carriage

• Luke (last evening): Odd thing was, some noises on the roof woke me up briefly. You say someone was thrown from up there? You'd have to be a very strong fellow to drag someone up onto the roof!
• Luke (midnight): Vivian had another of her dupes in her compartment by then. After that, I remember people going past me from time to time, but I was half-asleep.
• Luke (Killian): Killian was on this train? Gor, I used to work at his foundry. I never even seen him. None a' us workers ever knew what he looked like.
• Luke (Vivian): That one! Clever little minx. She and the barman got a little scam goin'. I think everyone on staff knows about it.
• Luke (Peter): Oh, Peter worked with me at the foundry. He's a very strong bloke. I got me arm mangled in one of the damned machines they put in. Then Killian sacked the whole crew. Peter, he helped me get hired as train staff.

Sleeper 1

• Sam (last evening): Mr. Wolf had a few with Mr. Killian. Then the young lady invited herself over to have a glass with 'em.
• Sam (midnight): Mr. Wolf became terribly tired even though he'd only had one drink. He toddled off to bed well before midnight. I stayed in the dining car for a few drinks with the barman.
• Sam (Killian): Mr. Wolf bought him drink after drink. Then they got angry. But the young lady come over and it's obvious that Mr. Killian was interested in a rendez-vous, like. Around about eleven-thirty, Killian and her left together.
• Sam (Wolf): I been Mr. Wolf's valet for goin' on several years. He's frail and needs a man like me to help him about.
• Wolf (last evening): I had drinks in the dining car with Killian. We had business dealings in the past. It was a pleasant surprise to discover him on this train.
• Wolf (Killian): I suppose there were some disagreements, but there always are when a great deal of money is involved.
• Wolf (midnight): I felt unusually tired and came back here to get some sleep.
• Wolf (valet): Sam? He's a trusted valet. He's terrifically strong, which makes him useful in many situations.
• Wolf (Vivian): You mean the young lady? She and Killian hit it off famously. Embarrassing, really.

Sleeper 2

• Vivian (last evening): Nothing unusual at all! I had a drink with some gents and then retired to my sleeper.
• Vivian (note): Someone slipped a note under my sleeper door a few minutes before midnight. It said I should come to the dining car. I went, but only Ryan and Wolf's man were there and they were both drunk.
• Vivian (Killian): The rich fella? I did talk with him. Very charming, but a single woman has to be careful, you know. Did something happen to him?
• Vivian (letter from sister): Oh, all right. I flirt with rich blokes and the barman slips 'em a mickey. I take 'em back to my sleeper and they nod off before I have to do anything shameful. They wake up thinkin' they had a night o' fun and hand me a few quid. That's what happened with Mr. Killian, but he was gone when I come back from looking for the man who left the note.

Clues

Riverbank

• Coat - A rich man's coat with a name sewed in the lining: Matthew Killian.
• Body - Male body dressed in the manner of a wealthy businessman. He is wearing only one shoe. The man has sustained multiple fractures indicating a fall from a great height. There are no identifying documents.
• Pocket watch - A broken, silver watch. The hands have stopped just after midnight.

Restaurant car

• Newspaper - An article about Matthew Killian's efforts to close an enormous business deal in Wales. It notes that Killian is well known for replacing workers with machinery. There is a likeness of Killian in the paper which matches the victim.
• Pamphlets - "Down with the Industrialists! Down with the Monarchy! Revolution is the only way!"
• Sleeping pills - A small box of sleeping pills. It is half-empty.

Passenger car

• Shoe - Caught on a bolt at the top of the carriage is a shoe matching the one found on the fictim.

Sleeper 1

• Derringer - A small, ivory-plated derringer. Chamber for two bullets, but one is missing.
• Letter - "Killian will be on the 616 train to Cardiff to sign the papers. You must prevent him from signing them at all costs or we shall be ruined!"

Sleeper 2

• Handbag - Contains a letter: "How goes it, Viv? Hook any more fish? It's a lovely caper you've got going - I need to find me a bonny scheme like that. Let's have a glass next time you're in Soho, lub! - Your sis."
• Note - A handwritten note: "Come to the restaurant carriage quickly."

Dialogue

Peter was accused of the murder.

• Peter: I gave him with he deserved. The man was heartless.
• Arthur: I believe something larger is afoot. A lot of murderous anger concerning industrialists. Might be something to look into.

Outcome

Spoiler

The murderer was Peter Jespers, who wanted revenge for being put out of work by the victim. Case Summary Industrialist Matthew Killian was drugged and thrown from the top of a moving train by his former employee, Peter Jespers! Put out of work by the mechanization of Killian's factory, Peter found employment as a humble train steward. However, one evening Peter realized that Killian was in his very train (prior to this journey Peter had never seen Killian, but now recognized him from a recent newspaper article). Peter, knowing that frequent passenger Vivian often swindled wealthy fellow passengers, waited until she lured Killian to her compartment. He cunningly arranged for her to be called away by means of an anonymous note. Peter then used his considerable strength to lift the drugged magnate and drag him to the top of the train, whence he threw him to his death at midnight! Killian's rival, Angus Wolf, had hoped to get Killian so inebriated as to prevent him from participating in a business meeting on the following day, but Wolf himself fell afoul of the drugged brandy and slept through the entire episode! As for Peter the murderer ... perhaps he meter out justice, in turn he will not meet justice himself! - Henry Raymond

Reference

• Assassin's Creed: Syndicate - The Dreadful Crimes