PRBs were crawling over the train tracks like shiny ants, looking for evidence to carry to their nest. I doubted they would find much. The train had been travelling so fast that Evan Archer had disintegrated.

Cassia was supposed to be examining the blood and body matter, but she was standing with me instead. Dixon was also with me, dishing out orders to Sebastian on his earpiece, who was in charge of the crime scene. He should have been giving orders to Alex too, but my sergeant was at my side, draping his coat around me.

Dixon watched Alex until the coat was balanced on my shoulders. Then his gaze slid back to me. "You didn't see who pushed Evan?"

I inhaled a lungful of bloody air. There had been so much of it: all over my clothes, all over my face. I'd had to take my jumper off and bag it, and I'd scrubbed and scrubbed my skin in the toilets, but I could still feel it everywhere.

Another breath was needed before I could speak. "No, sir."

"Are you sure whoever pushed him didn't mean to get you?"

"I'm sure. I was supposed to be dead already."

"But it was Evan who tried to poison you," Alex said. "Not whoever pushed him."

Dixon turned to our pathologist. "What did you make of the coffee, Cassia?"

"Both contained potassium cyanide -- enough to kill the consumers in minutes," she replied. "So, Evan's killer assumed he'd done his job and...poisoned Amber. I guess their next task was to remove some of the evidence by killing Evan."

Sebastian appeared on Dixon's other side. "You know, she's clever. She should be a detective."

Cassia blushed. Sebastian smiled at her.

Dixon cleared his throat. "Are all the witness statements from the passengers being taken?"

"Yes, sir. I just came to check on Amber."

"I'm okay," I said, but my hands found the edges of Alex's coat and pulled it tighter around my shoulders.

Alex frowned at me. "Going back to the cyanide -- why fill two cups?"

"I guess Evan didn't know which one I would drink," I murmured. "Neither would have ever reached you, that's for certain."

"We need to get a move on," Dixon said. "Alex, go with Sebastian and find someone who can show you the CCTV footage. Cassia, stay here with Amber and keep an eye on her. I'll tell Laney to inform Evan's family."

"No!" I protested. "This is my investigation. I'm going with Alex."

Dixon pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're in shock. Don't argue with me about this."

"I think she should come with me, sir," Alex said.

"Don't you argue with me, either."

"She's just going to keep thinking about it if she stands around here."

"And taking her to look at the footage is going to help?"

"I'd like to see," I said quietly. "I need to see."

I wanted to remember it through the eyes of an outsider. Not mine.

"Fine," Dixon sighed.

"Thank you, sir." My shoulders slumped, and the coat slid down my back.

Alex caught it. "Keep that. Let's go."

***

"Here we are." Niko Fowler, the conductor from the fatal train, led us into the office behind the platform's information desk. "I'll load the footage for you."

This was the same office we'd viewed CCTV footage in during the Ackerman inquiry. Niko was the same man who'd shown it to us. The small, dim room was filled with half a dozen desks drowning under tablets and headsets, and he sat down at the nearest one, waking a screen up with shaking hands. He hadn't seen Evan's death, but being on board would have still been terrible.

The rear wall of the office was filled with hologram projections from dozens of cameras, showing what was happening on all the platforms. Most were operating as usual. One was cluttered with a stationary train and a flurry of robots.

While Niko operated the tablet, Alex and I squeezed past the desk to stand by the wall. Alex rubbed my arms, trying to stop my shivers. I leaned into his touch, my body betraying me.

"Got it," Niko said behind us. "Do I have to watch?"

"No. Look away." I glanced at Alex. "I don't even want you to watch this."

"Tough luck. Play it, Niko."

The smaller videos on the wall were replaced with a much bigger one. We watched the empty platform from a high vantage point. Something whooshed in the distance.

A boy in a dark hoodie entered the frame. His face wasn't clear, but I knew it was Evan. He ran towards the edge of the platform, and I followed him. The sound of the approaching train grew louder and louder.

A chill raced down my spine. Death was coming.

Evan stopped on the edge of the platform. As I slowed behind him, someone entered from the left with their back to the camera. Dressed in black from head to toe, there was little I could make out.

The train entered the screen.

I stopped behind Evan and reached for him, my back turned towards the murderer. Before I could grab hold of him, the man's hand connected with his shoulder. Evan flew over the edge of the platform.

The train hit him at four hundred miles per hour. His body exploded on impact.

Alex caught his breath. I looked away, turning hot all over.

The sounds on the video froze, and I glanced up. Niko had stopped it. All of the train had left the screen. I was standing still, staring across the tracks in shock. The man who'd pushed Evan had turned around so that he was facing the camera.

He was wearing a ski mask. Great.

I moved away from the wall and stumbled. Alex caught my arm. "All right?"

The room swayed.

"Amber?"

"Thank you, Niko," I murmured. "We need to go back to the platform now."

Alex seemed to pick up on the underlying meaning. He put his hand on the small of my back and guided me towards the door.

"Wait," Niko said.

We stopped by his desk.

"I recognise the guy who was hit," he continued. "Someone tried to start a fight with him on that platform a few days ago -- the train had just come in from Rosek. I have the footage. Hang on."

We reluctantly turned back to the rear wall. Niko bent over his tablet, typing furiously.

The freeze-frame of Evan's murder was replaced with a much busier scene. There was a silver train stationary at the platform, and people were stepping on and off. Niko zoomed in on one of the doors, and seconds later, Evan appeared there. As he touched down on the platform, someone pushed past him.

He stumbled and cursed loud enough for the microphone to catch it. "Fuck! Hey, man, that was rude!"

Niko zoomed the footage out so that we could see who he was talking to. The pusher had his back angled towards the camera, but his hair was blond, and he was wearing an electric blue scarf.

No. My legs started to shake.

Alex swore. On screen, Clyde did the same, coming back across the platform. He shoved Evan to the floor, then stalked away, his face thunderous.

Two more people of interest came through the crowd from two different directions. One was Niko. The other was golden-eyed Brady Haywood, who'd just stepped off the train from a different doorway.

They reached Evan at the same time and helped him stand. Once he was up, the teenager pointed in Clyde's direction and said something too quiet for the microphone. Niko listened intently while Brady stood back. Then Niko said something.

"I was asking if he wanted to lodge a complaint," Niko explained.

Evan shook his head in the video. Brady said something short and walked away from them. A minute later, Niko and Evan also disbanded. Niko stopped the video.

"What did the other man say?" Alex asked.

"He was just checking the boy was okay and excusing himself." Niko spun his chair around. "That guy who knocked him down -- wasn't that the journalist? Somebody Edwards?"

Blue fuzz filled my vision. The world slanted sideways again.

Clyde was caught up in this.

I felt Alex put his arm around my shoulders and steer me away. "Yes, that's him. Thanks, Niko. We'll be in touch if we think of anything else."