The Secret of Annexe 3

'So that's what happened, Lewis; and it's Plan Two that's now in operation. After murdering Bowman, Wilkins is all ready to go along to the party in exactly the same outlandish clothes as the murdered man would be found in. The two men were roughly the same height and everybody is going to assume that the man in the Rastafarian rig-out at the party is the same as the man in the Rastafarian rig-out later found dead on the bed in Annexe 3. Almost certainly - and this is in fact what happened - the corpse isn't going to be found until pretty late the next day; and if the heating is turned off - as it was - and if the window's left half-open - as it was - then any cautious clown like Max is going to be even cagier than usual about giving any categorical ruling on the time of death, because of the unusual room temperature. I'm not sure, myself, that it wouldn't have been far more sensible to turn the radiator on full and close all the windows. But, be that as it may, Wilkins clearly wanted to give the impression that the murder had taken place as late as possible. Agreed?'

‘I can't quite see why though, sir.'

‘You will do, in due course. Have faith!'

Lewis, however, looked rather less than full of faith. 'It's getting a bit too complicated for my brain, sir. I keep forgetting who's dressed up for what and who's planning to kill who —‘

"Whom", Lewis. Your grammar's as bad as Miss Jonstone's.'

'You're sure he is the murderer? - Wilkins?' 'My son, the case is over! There are bound to be one or two details—'

'Do you mind if we just go over one or two things again?'

‘I can't spell things out much more simply, you know.'

'You say Wilkins wanted the murder to look as if it took place as late as possible. But I don't see the point of that. It doesn't give him an alibi, does it? I mean, whether Bowman's murdered at seven o'clock or after midnight - what does it matter? Wilkins and Margaret Bowman were there all the time, weren't they?'

'Yes! But who said they'd got an alibi? ‘I didn't mention an alibi. All I'm saying is that Wilkins had a reason for wanting to mislead everyone into believing that the murder was committed after the party was over. That's obvious enough, isn't it?'

'But going back a minute, don't you think that in Bowman's original plan - Plan One, as you call it - it would have been far more sensible to have committed the murder - murder Wilkins, that is - and then to get out of the place double quick? With any luck, no one's going to suspect a married couple from Chipping Norton - even if the body's found very soon afterwards.'

Morse nodded, but with obvious frustration.

‘I agree with you. But somehow or other we've got to explain how it came about that Bowman was found dressed up in identically the same sort of outfit as Wilkins was wearing at the party. Don't you see that, Lewis? We've got to explain the facts! And I refuse to believe that anyone could have dressed up Bowman in all that stuff after he'd been murdered.'

There's one other thing, sir. You know from Max's report it says that Bowman could have been eating some of the things they had at the party?'

'What about it?’

'Well - was it just coincidence he'd been eating the same sort of meal?'

'No. Margaret Bowman must have known - she must have found out - what the menu was and then cooked her husband some of it. Then all Wilkins had to do was just eat a bit of the same stuff—’

'But how did Margaret Bowman know?'

'How the hell do I know, Lewis? But it happened, didn't it? I'm not making up this bloody corpse you know! I'm not making up all these people in their fancy dress! You do realize that, don't you?'

'No need to get cross, sir!’

'I'm not bloody cross! If somebody decides to make some elaborate plan to rub out one side of the semi-eternal triangle - we've got to have some equally elaborate explanation! Surely you can see that?'

Lewis nodded, ‘I agree. But just let me make my main point once again, sir - and then we'll forget it. It's this business of staying on after the murder that worries me: it must have been a dreadfully nerve-racking time for the two of them; it was very complicated; and it was a bit chancy. And all I say is that I can't really see the whole point of it. It just keeps the pair of them on the hotel premises the whole of the evening, and whatever time the murder was committed they haven't got any chance of an alibi—'

There you go again, Lewis! For Christ's sake, come off it! Nobody's got a bloody alibi.' The two men were silent for several minutes.

'Cup more coffee, sir?' asked Lewis. 'Augh! I'm sorry, Lewis. You just take the wind out of my sails, that's all.' 'We've got him, sir. That's the only thing that matters.' Morse nodded.

'And you're absolutely sure that we've got the right man?' 'It's a big word - "absolutely" - isn't it?' said Morse.

Chapter Forty

Tuesday, January 7th: p.m.