Inspector Morse 12 Death is Now My Neighbour

'Are you?'

'No.'

'Do you wish you were?'

Perhaps Morse didn't hear the question.

'Did you know Rachel James fairly well?'

'We had a heart-to-heart once in a while.'

'You weren't aware of any one particular boyfriend?'

She shook her head.

'Would you say she was attractive to men?'

'Wouldn't you?'

'I only saw her the once.'

'I'm sorry.' She said it quietly. 'Please, forgive me.'

'Do you know a man called Storrs? Julian Storrs?'

'Good gracious, yes! Julian? He's one of our Vice-Presidents. We often meet at do's. In feet, I'm seeing him next week at a fund-raising dinner at The Randolph. Would you like a complimentary ticket?'

'No, perhaps not'

'Shouldn't have asked, should I? Anyway,' she got to her feet, Til have to be off. They'll be starting the count fairly soon.'

They walked to the front door.

'Er ... when you rang Mr Owens on Monday mom-ing, just after eight o'clock you say, you did speak to him, didn't you?'

'Of course.'

Morse nodded. 'And one final thing, please. My sergeant found some French letters-'

'French letters? How old are you, Chief Inspector? Condoms, for heaven's sake.'

'As I say, we found two packets of, er, condoms in one of her bedroom drawers.'

'Big deal!'

'You don't know if she ever invited anyone home to sleep with her?'

'No, I don't'

'I thought,' said Morse hesitantly, 'most women were on the pill these days?'

'A lot of them off it, too - after that thrombosis scare.'

'I suppose so, yes. I'm ... I'm not really an expert in that sort of thing.'

'And don't forget safe sex.'

'No. I'll... I'll try not to.'

'Did she keep them under her nighties?'

Morse nodded sadly, and bade goodnight to Adele Beatrice Cecil.

ABC.

As he walked slowly along to the Jaguar, he felt a slight tingling behind the eyes at the thought of Rachel James, and the nightdress she'd been wearing when she was murdered; and the condoms so carefully concealed in her lingerie drawer - along with the hopes and fears

1 she'd had, like everyone. And he thought of Auden's

immortal line on A E. Housman:

Kept tears like dirty postcards in a drawer.

As he started the Jaguar, Morse noticed the semi-stroboscopic light inside the lounge; and trusted that PC Brogan had managed to activate the heating system in Number 17 Bloxham Drive.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

O Beer! O Hodgson, Guinness, Allsopp, Bass! Names that should be on every infant's tongue! (Charles Stuart Calverly)

MORSE HEADED SOUTH along the Banbury Road, turning left just after the Cutteslowe Roundabout, and through the adjoining Carlton and Wolsey Roads (why hadn't the former been christened 'Cardinal'?); then, at the bottom of the Cutteslowe Estate, down the steeply sloping entry to the Cherwell, a quietly civilized public house where the quiedy civilized landlord kept an ever-watchful eye on the Brakspear and the Bass. The car-phone rang as he unfastened his safety belt.

Lewis.

Speaking from HQ.

'I thought I'd told you to go home! The eggs and chips are getting cold.'