"Dexter, Colin - Inspector Morse 11 - Morse's Greatest Mystery and Other Stories (b)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dexter Colin)

"You don't think," suggested Morse weakly, 'that Agnes might have had some plastic surgery or something?"

"No, no. It's just that there are far too many coincidences for me to swallow. Everything fitted down to the last detail.

For example, Dodo told me that she and Ambrose once got a bit morbid about the possibility of his being killed in the war and how he'd told her that he'd settle for a couple of bits of music when they buried him: the "In Paradisum" ' "Lovely choice!" interjected Morse.

"I saw that in the Service."

' and the adagio from the Mozart Clarinet Concerto ' "Ah yes! Kc62."

"K622."

"Oh!"

Morse knew that he wasn't scoring many points; knew, too, that Wise was perfectly correct in believing that the coincidences were getting way out of hand. But he had no time at all to develop the quite extraordinary possibility that suddenly leaped into his brain; because Wise himself was clearly most anxious to propound his own equally astonishing conclusions.

"What would you say, Inspector, if I told you that Dodo wasn't Ambrose Whitaker's sister at all she was his wife."

Morse's face registered a degree of genuine surprise, but he allowed Wise to continue without interruption.

"It would account for quite a few things, don't you think?

For example, it always seemed a bit odd to me that when Ambrose got any leave he invariably came all the way from Cornwall here to Oxford via Bristol, at that! just to see his sister. You'd think he'd have called in on his parents once in a while, wouldn't you? They were much nearer than Dodo was; and well worth keeping the right side of, surely?

But it wouldn't be surprising if he took every opportunity of coming all the way to Oxford to see his wife, would it? And that would certainly tie up with him sleeping in her room. You know, with all that family money he could have taken a suite in The Randolph if he'd wanted. Yet instead of that, he slept or so he said on Dodo's floor.

Then again, it would probably account for the fact that she never once let me touch her physically not even hold hands. She was fond of me, though I know she was .. ."

Momentarily Wise stopped, nodding slowly to himself.

"For some reason the Whitakers must have disapproved of Ambrose's marriage and wanted as little as possible to do with his wartime bride hence their cool reception of me, Inspector! There may have been talk of disinheriting him I don't know. I don't know anything, of course. But I suspect she was probably pregnant underneath that boiler-suit of hers, and as her time drew nearer she just had to leave Oxford. Then? Your guess is as good as mine: she died she was killed in an air-raid she got divorced anything.

Ambrose remarried, and the woman I met at the Memorial Service was his second wife."

"Mm." Morse was looking decidedly dubious.

"But if this Dodo girl was his wife, and if his parents couldn't stand the sight or sound of her, why on earth did they write to her every week? And why did she think she had the right to invite you down to Bristol? To have a key, even let alone to give you one." Morse shook his head slowly.

"She must have been pretty sure she could take their good-will for granted, I reckon."

"You think they were her parents, then," said Wise flatly.

"I'm sure of it," said Morse.

Wise shook his head in exasperation.

"What the hell is the explanation, then?"

"Oh, I don't think there's much doubt about that," said Morse. But he spoke these words to himself, and not to Wise.