The Secret of Annexe 3

'Because — I—didn't — know,' Sarah replied, spacing the four words deliberately and quietly and only just resisting the impulse to slam the receiver down on him.

'How much did they owe?'

Again, there was a marked hesitation at the end of the line. 'They had some champagne taken to their room — expensive stuff—'

'Nobody's ever had a cheap bottle of champagne — in a hotel — have they?'

'And they had four bottles—'

'Four?' Morse whistled softly to himself. 'What exactly was this irresistible vintage?'

'It was Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin 1972.'

'Is it good stuff?'

'As I say, it's expensive?'

'How expensive?'

'?29.75 a bottle.'

'It's what?' Again Morse whistled to himself, and his interest in the Smiths was obviously renascent. 'Four twenty-nines are. . Phew!'

'Do you think it's important?' she asked.

'Who'd pick up the empties?'

'Mandy would — the girl who did the rooms.'

'And where would she put them?'

'We've got some crates at the back of the kitchen.'

'Did anyone else raid the champagne cellar?'

'I don't think so.'

'So you ought to have four empty bottles of 72 whatever-it-is out there?'

'Yes, I suppose so.'

'No 'suppose' about it, is there?'

'No.'

'Well, check up-straight away, will you?'

'All right.'

Morse walked back into the bathroom, and without picking up the tumblers leaned over and sniffed them one by one. But he wasn't at all sure if either smelled of champagne, though one pretty certainly smelled of some peppermint-flavoured toothpaste. Back in the bedroom, he sat down once more on the bed, wondering if there was something in the room, or something about the room, that he had missed. Yet he could And nothing-not even the vaguest reason for his suspicions; and he was about to go when there was a soft knocking on the door and Sarah Jonstone came in.

'Inspector, I —' Her upper lip was shaking and it was immediately clear that she was on the verge of tears.

'I'm sorry I was a bit short with you—' began Morse.

'It's not that. It's just. .'

He stood up and put his arm lightly round her shoulders. 'No need to tell me. It's that penny-pinching Binyon, isn't it? He's not only lost the Smiths' New Year contributions, he's an extra one hundred and nineteen pounds short — yes?'

She nodded, and as the eyes behind the large round lenses brimmed with glistening tears Morse lightly lifted off her spectacles and she leaned against his shoulder, the tears coursing freely down her cheeks. And finally, when she lifted her head and smiled feebly, and rubbed the backs of her hands against her tear-stained face, he took out his only handkerchief, originally white and now a dirty grey, and pushed it into her grateful hands. She was about to say something, but Morse spoke first.

'Now don't you worry, my girl, about Binyon, all right? Or about these Smiths, either! I'll make sure we catch up with 'em sooner or later.'

Sarah nodded. 'I'm sorry I was so silly.'

'Forget it!'

'You know the champagne bottles? Well, there are only three of them in the crate. They must have taken one away with them — it's not here.'

'Perhaps they didn't quite finish it.'

'It's not very easy to carry a half-full bottle of bubbly around.'

'No. You can't get the cork back in, can you?'

She smiled, feeling very much happier now, and found herself looking at Morse and wondering if he had a wife or a series of women-friends or whether he just wasn't interested: it was difficult to tell. She was conscious, too, that his mind hadn't seemed to be on her at all for the last few minutes. And indeed this was true.

'You feeling better?' she heard him say; but he appeared no longer to have any interest in her well-being, and