[Wexford 01] From Doon & Death by Ruth Rendell Page B

in 1949 when he was twenty-eight. He's an educated person and quite capable of writing those messages, but he was in London on Tuesday. There's no doubt about it, unless he was involved in a conspiracy with two doctors, an eminent heart specialist, a sister, God knows how many nurses and his own wife.
    'Dr aycott’ s only been in the district two years and he was in Australia from 1947 to 1953. Bysouth can scarcely write his own name, let alone dig up suitable bits of poetry to send to a lady love, and much the same goesior Traynor. Edwards was in the Army throughout 1950 and 1951, and Dorothy Sweeting can't possibly know what was going on in Minna's love life twelve years ago. She was only seven.'
    Then it looks as if we'll have to ferret out what we can from the list,' Burden said. ‘ I think you'll be interested when you see some of the names, sir.'
    Wexford took the list and when he came to Helen Laird and Fabia Rogers he swore fiercely. Burden had pencilled in Missal and Quadrant, following each surname with a question mark.
    'Somebody's trying to be clever ’ Wexford said, 'and that I won't have. Rogers. Her people are old man Rogers and his missus at Pomfret Hall. They're loaded. All made out of paint. There's no reason why she should have told us she knew Mrs P. When we talked to Dougie this Doon angle didn't seem that important But Mrs Missal ... Not know Mrs P. indeed, and they were in the same class!'
    He had grown red with anger. Burden knew how he hated being taken for a ride.
    ‘I was going to forget all about that cinema ticket, Mike, but now I'm not so sure. I'm going to have it all out again with Mrs Missal now ’ He stabbed at the list. 'While I'm gone you can start contacting these women.'
    It would have to be a girls' school ’ Burden grumbled. 'Women change their names, men don't'
    'Can't be helped ’ Wexford said snappily. 'Mr Griswold's been on twice already since the inquest, breathing down my neck.'
    Griswold was the Chief Constable. Burden saw what Wexford meant.
    'You. know him, Mike. The least hint of difficulty and he's screaming for the Yard ’ Wexford said, and went out, leaving Burden with the list and the letter.
    Before embarking on his womanhunt Burden read the letter again. It surprised him because it gave an insight into Mrs Parsons' character, revealing a side he had not really previously suspected. She was turning out to be a lot less pure than anyone had thought.
    ... If meeting Doon means rides in the car and a few free meals I wouldn't he too scrupulous, Mrs Katz had written. But at the same time she didn't know who Doon was. Mrs Parsons had been strangely secretive, enigmatic, hiding the identity of a boy friend from a cousin who had also been an intimate friend.
    A strange woman, Burden thought, and a strange boy friend. It was a funny sort of relationship she had with this Doon, he said to himself. Mrs Katz says, I can't see why you should be scared, and later on, there was never anything in that. What did she mean, anything in that? But Mrs P. was scared. What of, sexual advances? Mrs Katz says she had a suspicious mind. Fair enough, he reflected. Any virtuous woman would be scared and suspicious of a man who paid her a lot of attention. But at the same time there was never anything in it. Mrs P. mustn't be too scrupulous.
    Burden groped vainly. The letter, like its recipient, was a puzzle. As he put it down and turned to the telephone he was certain of only two facts: Doon hadn't been making advances; he wanted something else, something that frightened Mrs Parsons but which was so innocuous in the estimation of her cousin that it would be showing excessive suspicion to be scrupulous about it. He shook his head like a man who has been flummoxed by an intricate riddle, and began to dial.
    He tried Bertram first because mere was no Annesley in the book - and, incidentally, no Penste man and no Sachs. But the Mr Bertram who answered said he was over eighty and a