first time on the anniversary of the murder? Come off
it! We've got a moral duty to re-open the case. Can't you understand that?'
Morse shook his head.
'Two anonymous phone calls? Just isn't worth the candle.'
And suddenly why was this? - Strange seemed at ease again as he sank back
even further in his chair: 'You're right, of course you are. The case
wouldn't be worth re-opening unless' (Strange paused for effect, his voice
now affable and bland) 'unless our caller identity cloaked in anonymity,
Morse- had presented us with some . . . some new evidence. And, after my
appeal, my nationally reported appeal, we're going to get some more! I'm not
just thinking of another telephone call from our friend either, though I'm
hopeful about that. I'm thinking of information from members of the public,
people who thought the case was forgotten, people whose memories have had a
jog, people who were a bit reluctant, a bit afraid, to come forward earlier
on.'
'It happens,' conceded Morse.
The armchair creaked as Strange leaned forward once more, smiling
semi-benignly, and holding out his empty tumbler: 'Lovely!'
After refilling the glasses, Morse asked the obvious question: 'Tell me this,
sir. You had two DIs on the case originally ' ' Three. '
' - several DSs, God knows how many DCs and PCs and WPCs--' 'No such thing
now. All the women are PCs no sex discrimination these days. By the way,
you were never guilty of sexual harassment, were you?'
'Seldom. The other way round, if anything.'
Strange grinned as he sipped his Scotch.
'Go on!'
'As I say, you had all those people on the case. They studied it.
They lived with it. They--' 'Got nowhere with it.'
'Perhaps it wasn't altogether their fault. We're never going to solve
everything. It's taken these mathematicians over three hundred years to
solve Fermat's Last Theorem.'
'Mm.' Strange waggled his tumbler in front of him, holding i7
it up
towards the light, like a judge at the Beer Festival at Olympia.
'Just like the colour of my urine specimens at the Radcliffe.'
'Tastes better, though.'
'Listen. I'm not a crossword wizard like you. Sometimes I can't even finish
the Mirror coffee-break thing. But I know one thing for sure.
If you get stuck over a clue ' 'As occasionally even the best of us do.'
' - there's only one way to solve it. You go away, you leave it, you forget
it, you think of the teenage Brigitte Bardot, and then you go back to it and
Eureka! It's like trying to remember a name: the more you think about it the
more the bloody thing sinks below the horizon. But once you forget about it,
once you come to it a second time, fresh--' 'I've never come to it a first
time, apart from those early couple of days you know that. I was on another
case! And not particularly in the pink either, was I? Not all that long out
of hospital myself.'
'Morse! I've got to re-open this case. You know why.'
'Try someone else!'
'I want you to think about it.'
'Look.' A note of exasperation had crept into Morse's voice. 'I'm on
furlough I'm tired I'm sleeping badly I drink too much I'm beholden to no one
I've no relatives left I can't see all that much purpose in life ' ' You'll
have me in tears in a minute. '
'I'm only trying to say one thing, sir. Count me out!'
'You won't even think about it?'
'No.'
'you do realize that I don't need to plead with you about this? I don't want
to pull rank on you. Morse, but just rem em- her that I can.
All right? '
'Try someone else, sir, as I say.'
'OK. Forget what I just said. Let's put it this way. It's a favour I'm
asking. Morse a personal favour.'
'What makes you think I'll still be here?'
'What's that supposed to mean?'
But Morse, it appeared, was barely listening as he stared out of the window
on to his little patch of greenery where a small bird with a grey crown and
darkish-brown bars across its back had settled beneath the diminishing column
of peanuts.
'Look!' (He handed the binoculars to Strange. ) 'Few nuts and some of these
rare species decide to take up special residence. I shall have to check up
on the plumage but. . .'
Strange had already focused the binoculars with, as it seemed to Morse, a
practised familiarity.
'Know anything about bird-watching, sir?'
