Evening was just beginning to fall over Vicarstown Station. Diesel 10, Seymour Murphy and Sailor John were both just outside the station. Sailor John had been lowered down over the ledge of the viaduct by a rope by Diesel 10's buffer to help him plant munition explosives underneath the viaduct for the last step of his plan to get back at Thomas at last.

"How long will this take, John?" Seymour called. "I have some business with one of our captives to settle!"

"Nearly there, Seymour!" Sailor John called. "We'll get what you want soon enough!" And he resumed placing explosives under the viaduct. Every ten minutes, Diesel 10 hauled him back up to collect more explosives until they were all planted and ready to explode upon detonation.

"There," said Sailor John after Diesel 10 helped him up for the last time. "With the viaduct gone, no one will leave Sodor, or enter it. Come along now, Seymour. It's time to finalize my revenge…"

In the Dieselworks, Emily, Skiff, the Fat Controller and Lady Hatt were all trapped, being guarded by Den and Dart, who truly did not want anything to do with all of this at all. Sidney and Paxton both looked guilty and afraid for everything they had been forced to do as well.

"Den and Dart!" The Fat Controller shot angrily. "I demand an explanation this minute! Why in Sodor's name would you do this and side with Sailor John?! I knew diesels could be troublesome before…but NEVER did I think they would support crime and destruction!"

"We don't want anything to do with Sailor John, sir…or Diesel 10," said Den.

"He forced us to follow his orders…or he would have done something terrible to us. He wouldn't say what," said Dart.

"We wanted nothing to do with this at all either," added Paxton.

"Yes sir," said Sidney. "Paxton and I were worried when Diesel ordered us to take that fuel to Brendam. We didn't feel it was right…but heaven knows what Sailor John would have done to us!"

"Well, for that matter, HOW did Sailor John come into contact with all of you?!"

Before any diesel could answer, Diesel 10 returned with Sailor John and Murphy. Both men stepped down. Murphy approached Emily, and Sailor John approached Skiff.

"Skiff, my old friend…and traitor! It's been too long, I must say," Sailor John said sarcastically.

"You villain!" Skiff flared with anger. "I have no regrets and feel no guilt over betraying you to find my chance for a new and happier life!"

The Fat Controller turned his attention to Murphy. "Betrayal, Murphy! Why in all your years on Sodor would you work with John under our noses?!"

Murphy turned to the Fat Controller with a cold expression. "I would never have told you if there was any threat against us at the moment…but as no one knows where you are, I can reveal everything now…I joined this pirate because we both thought on similar lines. We both wanted revenge. Sailor John obviously wanted to get Thomas back for his imprisonment…but I…I saw a chance to avenge my father."

"What?" said the Fat Controller. "No one here killed him…not even when you first came here and worked for me!"

"I know that, you fool," Murphy hissed. "It was a steam engine who killed him…and that steam engine class is right there." He pointed right to Emily.

Everyone gasped, and Emily was suddenly shocked. "What the hell are you playing at, Murphy?! I never killed ANYONE and never will!"

"I am all-too aware that you didn't kill my father, Emily…but it was a Stirling Single who took his life nonetheless. One of your brothers, back on the Great Northern Railway killed him…" Seymour Murphy could feel his memories as a child creeping back to him as he told his story.

"I can remember it all too well…When I was just a young child, my father and I lived together on the Great Northern Railway. My loving father was a rail enthusiast and a guard too. I used to love steam engines. Particularly Stirling Singles. My father even let me travel in his brake coach. I was also eager to ride right inside a Stirling Single one day."

"Please, father? Could I ride in the cab of a Stirling? I love them so much!" A young Seymour said to his father on the platform.

"You seem to really love these beauties, don't you, Seymour?" His father said, placing an arm on his son's shoulder. "Well, perhaps I could talk to the driver when I get the chance. I think it would be exciting for you to ride with the driver and fireman."

"Really, father? Thank you!" Seymour cheered as he hugged his father.

"And so, he did make an arrangement with the driver," Murphy continued in the Dieselworks. "A few days later, I was looking forward to having an evening ride in the cab of that very Stirling Single…and on that day of hoping…anticipating…about to get my wish…that's when everything went wrong."

"What went wrong, you overreaching snake?!" the Fat Controller demanded. Murphy shot a glare back at him then continued.

"That Stirling Single came back after a journey as evening was just beginning to fall," said Murphy. "My dear father went over to help uncouple the coaches, then he would take me on my ride. As the police said upon investigation, he signalled the driver to take off after he uncoupled the coaches…but then that engine suddenly moved backwards instead of forwards…and my father was still between the coaches."

Emily's heart jumped. One of her brothers had unintentionally killed a child's father, even though it was a complete accident.

"I heard engine sounds where I was waiting…then I heard panicking and screaming. I came running down…and there were my father's legs, hanging limp between the coaches."

"Father! Come out! Please! …FATHER!" the young Seymour had screamed with fright when he saw the accident. But then a workman touched his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, lad. He's gone," he said sadly. The next half hour was spent with police arriving on the scene and investigating how it all happened.

"Driver, exactly WHAT could have happened?" an officer asked the Stirling's driver.

"Well, officer…" the driver confessed. "There's a chance that maybe I didn't lock the reverse lever in place…hence why my engine slipped between forward and back."

"Well, whatever the mistake, I can see this poor boy's father was crushed and killed in an instant. He didn't stand a chance," said the officer.

"This is highly unusual, sirs," said one of the investigators. "I cannot see why Mr. Murphy would have no reason to believe the train would suddenly change direction. MY best lead can be that not locking the reverse lever is a simple, but common forgetfulness all of us befall."

Seymour could not listen anymore. He collapsed against the coaches and sobbed, devastated over his father's death. Back home, he continued to cry after dinner, and even when he went to bed, he still cried. When he finally stopped crying, he got out of bed and looked out his window to the moon. After what felt like hours of staring outside, something changed inside Murphy. His love of steam engines suddenly dissolved into very powerful hatred…particularly to the Stirling Single, and anyone having to do with that class of engines. And it was on that night that Murphy learned the expression of "Murphy's Law." Whatever can go wrong WILL go wrong.

"And so…" Murphy said as everyone stared at him in aghast awe. "All joy and love was taken from me…and replaced with hatred and rage. I eventually came here and worked as Sir Topham and his wife's solicitor…but my hatred to steamies lived on ever since…and when YOU, Bertram purchased Emily here…another Stirling Single, my anger only grew stronger…and duplicated onto you as well. Ever since losing my father, I longed to avenge him by extracting my anger on the Stirling Single Class. After all this time, it doesn't matter to me whether or not a certain Stirling killed my father…all of them are the same to me; unsightly machines that should never exist."

Emily could not believe what she had heard. This man was twisted, cold and cynical in every way imaginable. In some ways, she thought he was worse than Sailor John.

"Murphy…that was a mere accident, and tragic indeed…but WHY would you go so far?!" she demanded.

Murphy didn't answer Emily directly and kept talking.

"And then…when Sailor John escaped prison, I came upon him and he revealed his intentions to me. I agreed to help him…but only for me to seize any chance to fulfill my revenge just as he wanted his own revenge. Hence, we formed a partnership. From there on, I arranged the Kathryn Heist to help Sailor John in his revenge against the Sudrian society for stealing his freedom…as for YOUR question, Emily…I ordered the gunfire ambush upon you in Henry's forest which got you shot everywhere…and when Lawrence Rider, your dear first driver came along to visit, Phelps and Gallagher believed that a henchman named Kurt killed him with that morphine…but he was framed. I framed him to keep helping Sailor John to this point. It was I who killed Lawrence…as my first and biggest step in getting my own taste of revenge…"

The Fat Controller finally took a chance to speak up. "Seymour Murphy…your story is a very sad one, and I would be crushed too if I lost my father so young. No child should lose their father so suddenly…but that does NOT excuse your actions in any way! Using an event, even as tragic as this is NOT a reason to go as far as you have!"

After hearing everything, Emily's anger overwhelmed her. In that moment, she felt a bloodthirsty hatred to Murphy as she shot a glare of despising loath for him. If she still had a driver, she would have gladly charged forward and ran him over.

"You…you heartless monster!" she shouted. "You murdering wretch!"

Murphy was not fazed in any way. He had already inflicted upon Emily the same pain and emotions he was dealt with after seeing one of her brothers kill his father.

"I've managed to receive some revenge upon your kind, Emily," he said. "But my revenge will not be satisfying by simply retuning the emotional favor. Over to you, Johnny."

"You see, Emily," said Sailor John. "The munitions incident was my idea. I had ordered my shipmates to carry it out…but I never intended for Thomas to be there…especially how I almost lost my chance to kill him after that explosion. That would never do…but back to business. Thomas loves you ever-so dearly…and you're our only link to finding him. We know Thomas would come for you, no matter what. So…where is your knight, Emily? WHERE is Thomas?!"

"No! You will NOT use me!" refused Emily. "It's not good trying to tool me into reaching Thomas!"

"You will tell me where he is, Emily," said Sailor John, stepping towards her. "Or we will get mean with you…"

Emily glared at Sailor John, refusing to move her closed lips in any way…and making Sailor John's face harden like rock. He looked sternly at Emily, then at Murphy. He did not look happy either. This gave Sailor John an awful idea. He winked at Murphy, snapped his finger and Diesel 10 rolled toward him.

"If she will not talk…we will make her submit," Sailor John whispered. "And we'll make you happy, Seymour. Diesel 10? You know what to do."

"With pleasure…captain," said Diesel 10. He rolled up alongside Emily, smiling fiendishly and reaching his claw over to her cab.

"Where's Thomas, Emily?" he sneered.

"I am a very considerate engine to my friends, Diesel 10," said Emily. "That will not change by anything you do."

"Considerate, you say?" said Diesel 10. "Well, perhaps I should show my consideration upon you…Esmeralda. Every time you refuse to help us…Pinchy will be prompted to penetrate you, so I suggest you speak quickly." Then he very slowly began to crush her cab down with Pinchy, making it creak loudly. Emily groaned as she felt the pressure pushing her down a little. Her cab roof crippled downwards and the sides bent outwards, but she would not talk. Diesel 10 suddenly clamped Pinchy onto her cab roof, and pulled it off, making Emily gasp in fear.

"Might want to talk a bit faster, Lady Long-Funnel," Diesel 10 said sternly. He drew his claw back a little, opened it, and very slowly closed it around the top of her boiler, scratching away her paintwork. Emily held back a wince of pain as she felt the teeth scrape her, but still would not talk as her boiler top became bare and colorless. Now Diesel 10 was getting annoyed.

"It seems these techniques won't gain us anything," said Diesel 10. "Let's make this hurt." He let go of her boiler, and lowered his claw right down to her left chocolate running board. Then he clamped down upon it, slowly crippling it up as if it was tin foil. Emily cried out in fear and pain as she felt her running plate get punctured somewhat…but her cry was cut short when she heard a delighted chuckle. She could see that Murphy was pressing his hands together and smiling ecstatically over what he was seeing.

"Ohh…the sight of vengeance…it is a delight to witness…" he smiled.

"You, Murphy, are a sadistic bastard!" Emily hissed through her pain. "I wish for nothing more than you and Sailor John's downfall NOW!"

Paxton, Sidney, Norman, Den and Dart all gazed in horror. They wanted to shout to Diesel 10 to stop, but with Sailor John's constant threatening nature, they didn't want to risk it. And ever since Diesel 10 began torturing Emily, the Fat Controller had been gaping in horror at such a site. Then he suddenly let out his desperation.

"NO! Not good! Stop! Not good! I can't bare to watch this anymore!"

"Keep quiet, Sir Topham Hatt!" Emily ordered. "These killers and traitors will get no such pleasure from you!"

"Oh, he will, Emily," growled Diesel 10. "I'll just have to keep-"

Suddenly, Murphy's radio made a static sound, making him answer. It was one of his spies ever since the Kathryn Heist.

"Seymour! Disaster has struck!" said the spy. "Phelps and Gallagher killed all the henchmen and Dr. Frederick has betrayed us all! He confessed everything to Phelps and Gallagher, then committed suicide! Those men are now on their way to your house to find what evidence the doctor told them!"

Sailor John's smile at torturing Emily vanished as he seized the radio away from Murphy.

"You lazy fool! GET THE REMAINING MEN OVER THERE AND STOP THOSE DETECTIVES!" And he suddenly threw the radio away. "And YOU, Seymour! Get back to that house immediately! I do NOT trust our men to handle this matter alone anymore! Not after they disobeyed me with the munitions!"

Murphy could see Sailor John would not change his mind now. Reluctantly, he ran out of the Dieselworks and sped away, while Sailor John and Diesel 10 turned their attention back to Emily.

Thomas, meanwhile was still hunting for Sailor John to find and save Emily. He was looking sharply in all directions and listening for any signs of Emily or Sailor John…when he suddenly heard Phelps' voice.

"Thomas, stop there!" Thomas stopped and saw Phelps and Gallagher on their way to Arlesburgh. "What are you doing out here, with no buffers?"

"I'm looking for Emily. Ryan awoke some time ago from his accident," said Thomas. "He told me about Sailor John and Diesel 10…how they planned the inferno at Brendam Docks, and how they planned to kidnap Emily and use her to lure me towards her."

"I see," said Phelps. "Well, we approached Sir Topham Hatt's doctor, and we have found out just about everything we needed to know. Sailor John and Seymour Murphy are both responsible for everything that has transpired ever since the Kathryn Heist. The doctor told us that Lawrence was killed by Murphy himself and that he knocked Sir Topham out, followed by Lady Hatt being captured by Murphy right after. Now, we're heading to Murphy's home to close this case and end all of this. If Ryan is right, Emily really must be in captivity with the Hatts as well. If you do find Emily, you'd just be walking into John's trap, Thomas."

"Don't bother me with the chances of danger!" huffed Thomas. "I would happily risk my life to keep her safe! Nothing you say will make me back down on finding her!"

"Well, Thomas…your love for her is powerful and unbreakable. If you really wish to find her, do NOT let down your guard for one second. One mistake could end it all for you too. Now we have to finish what we started!" Then the car sped off down the street, and Thomas kept hunting onward.

At last, Phelps and Gallagher approached Murphy's residence. They stopped the car and began to approach the house…but just like they were at Dr. Frederick's clinic, the last of John's men shout out from behind the house's walls and opened fire. One of the bullets just hit Gallagher's hat, but didn't injure him. Phelps grabbed him and ducked…then jumped up again and fired right back.

After several ducks for cover, firing back and being barely missed, once again, Phelps and Gallagher emerged victorious. All of Sailor John and Seymour Murphy's men were dead. It was now only the two masterminds.

"Now…we search this house, top to bottom, Dan," said Gallagher. Both men went inside and looked everywhere.

After some time of looking, Gallagher searched in the garden shed for anything…and found a surplus of stolen weapons in a hidden compartment.

"This is a strong lead indeed," said Gallagher as he wrote the results in his logging book before he ran back inside to check on Phelps.

Back in the living room, Phelps had searched every shelf and was just reaching under the couch Sailor John slept upon, and felt something suspicious. He pulled it out and found John's hidden supply or morphine…but he had also managed to fish something else out with it…the most vital piece of evidence he, or any other detective could have laid eyes upon.

Sailor John had kept a diary of his own. As Gallagher re-entered the living room, he saw Phelps with the diary and leaned over his shoulder to read with him. Phelps skimmed the pages and could see the exact details of everything the pirate had planned. His escape from prison, resulting in Larry Montague's suffocation in the coffin, meeting and recruiting Seymour Murphy, planning the Kathryn Heist, and every single other act of chaos that had occurred on the Island of Sodor.

Then Phelps turned to the last written page, where Sailor John had written about his final plan to capture Emily and draw Thomas out, then blow up the Vicarstown Viaduct so as no one could save her, and Thomas would be destroyed once and for all. He then looked up at Gallagher and closed the diary, keeping it in his coat pocket.

"This is it, Shay," said Phelps. "The case can be closed. All we need is to tell the SPD, and we'll stop all of this!" With that, the two men walked out of the house and were about to return to their car to contact the SPD and the Sudrian Military

"What's all this?!" called an affronted voice. Both detectives looked and there was Seymour Murphy exiting his car and running towards them. He was too late to back Sailor John up.

"Seymour Murphy!" bellowed Phelps as he drew his gun. "You sneaking, traitorous, back-sliding MONSTER! Don't move! We have EVERYTHING now! Give yourself up and come with us!"

"Never!" refused Murphy. He bolted back to his car and sped off. Phelps and Gallagher bolted to their own car and gave chase.

"FOR SODOR!" roared Phelps as he and Gallagher roared down the road after Seymour Murphy. Phelps changed into the fastest gear his car would allow him and pressed his foot down as hard as he possibly could on the gas pedal, slowly but surely gaining on Murphy. But Murphy was a quick-thinking driver as he suddenly turned left and right every now and then, trying to confuse the detectives. As the chase carried on, Phelps radioed a message back to the SPD.

"Chief! We're on the run after Seymour Murphy! We need reinforcements to stop him!" With that, he put his radio away and kept chasing. Eventually, the chase took them through Arlesburgh. There, Duck, Donald and Douglas all stopped in shock to see the chase.

"Hurry sirs! HURRY!" Donald and Douglas whistled together. Only a few seconds later, both cars had disappeared.

"That was Mr. Murphy!" said Donald. "What could be up to?"

"I should think he'll knock himself to bits!" snorted Duck.

Only a few miles outside Arlesburgh, the reinforcements Phelps called for has set up road blocks. Police cars were blocking the road. Murphy could see them exiting the car, ready to arrest him, but would not let this be the end. Just when he was a yard away from the road block, he sharply turned away and drove up along the railway line. Phelps and Gallagher immediately followed after him.

"Wooah! Looks like we're going onto the railway!" cried Gallagher.

"Goddammit, he'll kill himself!" exclaimed Phelps.

"It's alright, as long as he don't kill us I'm OK with it," replied Gallagher.

Murphy was trying to get back to Knapford. He kept speeding along as fast as he could, when a gunshot from behind suddenly split the air. Gallagher was trying to puncture the solicitor's tires, but due to the shaky, bumpy movements, he kept missing a few times. Suddenly, Edward came huffing down the line and was shocked to see two cars racing down the line. Both cars turned sharply to avoid him.

"Watch out, sirs!" whistled Edward.

Phelps looked ahead and could see Toby coming along with Henrietta. "Toby, look out!" shouted Gallagher. Toby shouted in shock as both cars swerved away from him too.

After that, Phelps looked ahead. There were no more engines ahead. Now was his chance. This time, he took aim, leaning out of the car.

"Seymour Murphy!" he shouted. "You may recall saying that…dead men tell no tales?!"

"Maybe!" Murphy yelled back. "What's it to you, overreaching scum?"

"This is where the tale…ENDS!" And on the last word in his sentence, Phelps shot once more…and blew a tire on Murphy's car. Immediately, he lost control of the car and got caught between the rails and sleepers. The car then turned over and rolled off down the hill. Phelps stopped his car and watched Murphy's car roll around until it suddenly smashed into a tree at the bottom. Phelps got out and ran down the hill. Then he walked carefully forward towards the tree… and inside, crushed under the dashboard and leaning just out of the shattered window were the battered and bloody remains of Seymour Murphy.

Phelps panted angrily and triumphantly at this discovery. He folded his hands together and looked at the sky.

"Lawrence Rider, you have been avenged," he said. He then looked down at the body, and in his anger of such a scandal by this man, he gave the body a vicious kick. "May the Devil himself seal your fate in a fiery grave!" Then Gallagher came alongside.

"Dan!" he said. "There's a signal box just down the line! We can alert the Sudrian Military! And bring the reinforcement team along with us!"

"Right away," nodded Phelps. They ran back up the hill, drove to the signal box and made the call to the military field…and after his major mistake at Brendam, General Malcolm, while still on probation thought it best to redeem himself through an act of victory and achievement.

"I will be there as soon as I rally up my platoon," he promised.

"We've got everything, General! Come to Vicarstown Station as soon as possible!" Then Phelps and Gallagher rushed on their way to gather their groups…but before both groups could prevail, Sailor John was about to take to his delight as the sky began to redden with the setting sun. The final showdown was yet to come.

As I said, this arguably the darkest chapter of the story. The death of Seymour Murphy's father is based on a real event that occurred on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway in 2013. Basically everything that happened to the father in this story is how the actual event played out, a guard trapped and crushed between two coaches after the engine unexpectedly reversed instead of moving forward, all due to a supposed case of human forgetfulness. This is why Seymour hates Emily and the Sterling Single class, and I wanted it to be based on an actual railway related death. And it only seemed more poetic to have Seymour himself be killed in the very chapter where we learn of his backstory and motivations. Either way, the next chapter is the penultimate chapter, the final battle will begin and end next chapter, so look forward to that, and leave your reviews and stay tuned!