I've met him once before, only the once, at a funeral; and then only very
briefly. But he's - well, he's a bit like me, in a way, I suppose. He'd
never run away from anyone, I reckon; and I'd never forgive myself if I ran
away from him.'
Maxine looked over at Frank Harrison, and realized for the first time in
their relationship that she was probably in love with the man. In those
early heady days it had been all Daimlers and diamonds; but she would always
have chosen the wine and the roses of these last forty-eight hours . . .
Suddenly she sensed that she was never going to see him again, and she
yearned at that moment to be alone with him, and to give herself to him.
'Let's go back to the hotel, Frank.'
'What? On a beautiful sunny afternoon like this?'
'Yes!'
Frank Harrison leaned across and placed his right hand on her bare shoulder.
'Shall I tell you a secret, my darling? I was about to suggest exactly the
same thing myself.'
It was a happy moment.
But a moment only.
Harrison got to his feet.
'I've just got to make a phone call first.'
'You can ring from the room.'
'No, it's a private call.' 'And you don't want me to ?' 'No, I don't.'
'If he asks for anything,' that's what the consultant said. And when Morse
made his second request (the first already granted) the nurse rang Police HQ
immediately. Lewis and Strange Morse wanted to see them.
Perhaps she had given the two names in alphabetical order, but Lewis hoped it
had been in order of preference a hope though that had probably been
unjustified, he thought, as he stood waiting at the back of the unit, since
it had clearly been Strange who had been first on Morse's visiting list.
'Right old mess you've got yourself into. Morse!'
'Looks like it, I'm afraid.'
'You're in the best of hands, you know that.'
'I'm going to need a bit more than that.'
'Look, Morse. Don't you think it would be a good thing . . . don't you
think I ought ?'
But Morse was shaking his head in some agitation.
'No! Please! If you really want to help . . .'
'Course! Course, I do!'
'Can you ask Lewis . . . ?'
'Course! Just you keep hold of the hooks, old mate! And that's an order.
Don't forget I'm still your superior officer.'
'Lewis!' Morse spoke the name very quietly but quite clearly. His eyes were
open, and his lips moved as if he were about to say something.
But if such were the case, he never said it; and Lewis decided to do what so
many people have done beside a hospital bed; decided to speak a few
comforting thoughts aloud:
'You've got the top load of quacks in Oxfordshire looking after you, sir.
All you've got to do promise me! - is to do what they say and . .. And
what I really want to say is thank- you for ...'
But Lewis could get no further.
And in any case Morse had closed his eyes and turned his head away to face
the pure-white wall.
Just a little word from Morse would have been enough.
But it wasn't to be.
A nurse was standing beside him, testing his lip-reading skills once more:
'I'm afraid we must ask you to go ...'
At 4. 20 p. m. Morse seemed to rally a little, and held his hand up for
the nurse.
'I'm allowed a drop more Scotch?' he whispered.
She poured out the miserably small contents of the second miniature and held
a jug of water over the glass.
'Yes?'
'No,' said Morse.
She put her arm around his shoulders, pulled him towards her, and held the
glass to his lips. But he sipped so little that she wondered whether he'd
drunk a single drop; and as he coughed and spluttered she took the glass away
and for a few moments held him closely to her, and felt profoundly sad as
finally she eased the white head back against the pillows.
For just a little while, Morse opened his eyes and looked up at her.
'Please thank Lewis for me . . .'
But so softly spoken were the words that she wasn't quite able to catch them.
The call came through to Sergeant Lewis just after 5 P. M.
chapter
seventy-six Say, for what were hop-yards meant, Or why was Burton built on
Trent?
Oh many a peer of England brews Livelier liijuor than the Muse, And malt does
more than Milton can To justify Cod's ways to man (A. E. Housman, A
Shropshire Lad before leaving for Heathrow, Lewis had informed Chief
Superintendent Strange that it would not be at all sensible, in fact it would
be wholly inappropriate, for him to continue as a protagonist, virtually the
