Inspector Morse 13 The Remorseful Day

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?"

"More than you, I shouldn't wonder."

"Beautiful little fellow, isn't he?"

"She!"

"Pardon?"

"Immature female of the species."

"What species?"

"Passer domesticus.  Morse.  Can't you recognize a bloody house-sparrow when

you see one?"

For the fourteenth time Morse found himself re-appraising the quirkily

contradictory character that was Chief Superintendent Strange.

"And you'll at least think about things?  You can promise me that, surely?"

Morse nodded weakly.

And Strange smiled comfortably.

"I'm glad about that.  And you'll be pleased about one thing.  You'll have

Sergeant Lewis along with you.  I ... did have a word with him, just before I

came here, and he's ' " You mean you've already .  .  "

Strange flicked a stubby finger against his empty, expensive, cut-glass

tumbler: "A little celebration, perhaps?"

^

chapter four He and the sombre, silent Spirit met They knew each other

both for good and ill; Such was their power, that neither could forget His

former friend and future foe; but still There was a high, immortal, proud

regret In it her eye, as if 'twere less their will Than destiny to make the

eternal years Their date of war, and their

"Champ Clos' the spheres (Byron, The Vision of Judgment, XXXII) it is

possible for persons to be friendly towards each other without being friends.

It is also possible for persons to be friends without being friendly towards

each other.  The relationship between Morse and Strange had always been in

the latter category.

"Read through this as well!"  Strange's tone was semi- peremptory as he

thrust a folded sheet of ruled A4 across at Morse, in the process knocking