'Siesta? That's what they have in Spain in the middle of die summer when the temperature's up in the nineties - but we're in England in die middle of winter and it's freezing outside.'
Morse looked down at his desk, a litde sheepishly, and Lewis knew that he was lying.
'Come on, sir! It's somediing to do with diat invite you had, isn't it? Deborah Crawford?'
'In a way.'
'Why are you being so secretive about it? You wouldn't tell me yesterday either.'
'Only because it needs a bit more thinking about, that's all.'
' 'You and me together' - isn't that what you said?'
Morse fingered the still-cellophaned cigarettes, almost desperately.
'Si' down then, Lewis.'
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
It is the nature of an hypothesis, when once a man has conceived it, that it assimilates every thing to itself as proper nourishment, and, from the first moment of your begetting it, it generally grows the stronger by every thing you see, hear, read, or understand
(Laurence Sterne, Tristram Shandy)
'IT WASN'T DEBORAH Crawford, Lewis - it was her initials, 'DC'. When we found that list in the manila file, I jumped the gun. I automatically assumed that 'JS' was Julian Storrs - I think I was right about that - and I assumed that 'DC' was Denis Comford - and I think I was wrong about that. As things have turned out I don't believe Owens ever knew Cornford at all, or his missus, for that matter. But he knew another 'DC': the woman at Number i Bloxham Close - Adele Beatrice Cecil - the ABC lass Owens knew well enough to call by her nickname, 'Delia'. 'DC'. And the more I think about her, the more attractive a proposition I find it'
'Well, most men would, sir. Lovely looker!' Ignoring the pleasantry, Morse continued: 'Just consider for a minute what an important figure she is in the
case. She's the prime witness, really. She's the ~otte who sees Owens leave for work about sevenish on the morning Rachel was murdered; she's the one who rings Owens an hour or so later to tell him the police are in Bloxham Close' (again Lewis let it go) 'and gives him a headstart on all the other newshounds. That's what she says, isn't it? But she might not be telling the truth!'
Lewis sat in silence.
'Now, as I recall it, your objection to Owens himself ever being a suspect was the time-factor. You argued that he couldn't have gone to work that morning, parked his car, been seen in the newspaper offices, got in his car again, driven back to Kidlington, murdered Rachel, driven back to Osney Mead again, taken the phone-call from Delia Cecil, driven back to Kidlington again, to be on hand with his mobile and his notebook while the rest of the press are pulling their socks on. He could never have done all that in such a short space of time, you said. Impossible! And of course you were right -'
'Thank you, sir.'
' - in one way; and quite wrong in another. Let's stick to our original idea that the list of initials we found was a blackmail list, and that she's on it - Delia Cecil. He's got something on her, too. So when he asks her to help him in his plan to get Rachel out of the way, she's little option but to co-operate.'
'Have you any idea what this 'plan' was, sir?'
'That's the trouble. I've got far too many ideas.'
'Want to try me?'
'All right They're all the same sort of plan, really -any plan to cut down that time business you're so worried
about. Let me just outline a possible plan, and see what you think of it. Ready? Owens drives out to work, at ten to seven, let's say - and she follows him, in her own car. When he's parked the car, when his entry's recorded, he goes into the building, makes sure he's seen by somebody - doesn't matter who it is - dien immediately leaves via a side door and gets into her car, parked along the street in front of the offices. Back in Kidlington, he murders Rachel James, about half past seven, and doesn't return to work at all He's got a key and he goes into Delia's house - and waits. At the appropriate time, when the police arrive, a call is made to his own office - he knows there'll be no one there! - and a message is left or isn't left on the answerphone. All that matters is that a telephonic communication is established, and gets recorded on those BT lists we all get, between her phone and Owens' phone in his office. Then all he's got to do is to emerge amid all the excitement once the murder's reported - the police, the local people, the Press, die TV... Well?'
'You make it up as you go along, sir.'
Morse's face betrayed some irritation. 'Of course I bloody do! That's what I'm here for, I just told you. If once we accept diere could be two people involved - two cars - diere are dozens of possibilities. It's like permutat- ing your selection on the National Lottery. I've just given you one possibility, dial's all.'
'But it just couldn't-'
'What's wrong with it? Come on! Tell me!'
'Well, let's start widi die car-'
'Cars, plural.'
'All right When he's parked his car-'
