Inspector Morse 12 Death is Now My Neighbour

'What else?

T suppose you're going to tell me it's Anglo-Saxon or something.'

'Not exactly. Not far off, though. Old English, in fact. And what's it short for?'

''Wednesday'?' suggested Lewis tentatively.

Morse beamed at his sergeant. 'Woden's day - the fourth day of the week. So we've got a day, Lewis. And what else do you need, if you're going to arrange a date with a woman?'

Lewis studied the lines yet again. 'Time? Time, yes! I see what you mean, sir. 'Ten Times' ... 'fifteen Brides- maides' ... Well, well, well! Ten-fifteen!'

Morse nodded. 'With a.m. likelier than p.m. Doesn't say where though, does it5'

Lewis studied the lines for the fifth time.

' 'Traine', perhaps?'

73

COLIN DEXTER

'Well done! 'Meet me at the station to catch the ten-fifteen a.m. train' - that's what it says. And we know where that train goes, don't we?'

Taddington.'

'Exactly.'

'If only we knew who he was ...'

Morse now produced his second photograph - a small passport-sized photograph of two people: the woman, Rachel James (no doubt of that), turning partially round and slighdy upward in order to kiss die cheek of a considerably older man widi a pair of smiling eyes beneadi a distinguished head of greying hair.

'Who's he, sir?'

'Dunno. We could find out pretty quickly, though, if we put his photo in die local papers.'

'If he's local.'

'Even if he's not local, I should diink.'

'Bit dodgy, sir.'

'Too dodgy at this stage, I agree. But we can try another angle, can't we? Tomorrow's Tuesday, and die day after that's Wednesday - Woden's day...'

'You mean he may turn up at die station?'

'If die card's fairly recent, yes.'

'Unless he's heard she's been murdered.'

'Or unless he murdered her himself.'

'Worth a try, sir. And if he does turn up, it'll probably mean he didn't murder her...'

Morse made no comment

'Or, come to think of it, it might be a fairly clever tiling to do if he did murder her.'

Morse drained his glass and stood up.

74

DEATH IS NOW MY NEIGHBOUR

'You know something? Ireckon orange juice occasionally germinates your brain cells.'

As he drove his chief down to Kidlington, Lewis returned the conversation to where it had begun.

'You haven't told me what you think about this fellow Owens - the dead woman's next-door neighbour.'

'Death is always the next-door neighbour,' said Morse sombrely. 'But don't let it affect your driving, Lewis!'

75

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Wednesday, 21 February

Orandum est ut sit nuns sana in corpore sano (Our aim? Just a brain that's not addled with pox, And a guaranteed dean bill-of-health from the docs)

(Juvenal, Satires X)

THE NEXT MEETING of the Lonsdale Fellows had been convened for 10 a.m.

In the Stamper Room.

William Leslie Stamper, b. 1880, had graduated from Oxford University in 1903 with the highest marks (it is said) ever recorded in Classical Moderations. The bracketed caveat in the previous sentence would be unnecessary