选集
剧情简介
Mo!,rse ?is^ taken seri.=/ously ill at a= ! museum recept?i `on and is hospi# taliz#_?#ed. In the hospital, Supt. Strange,)! visits Morse to ;\pu)sh him to tak`*e early retir -em: +ent,]=, . #while Dr. Millice $(nt 'Millie' Van Buren gives_ _ him he-r^ ?/ b _ oo@k o_\n a *,$14*0 y\$ ear-ol@d co\`,urt case k ? n@ own as the Ox _for$d Canal Murders. The case involved the murde = r and rape of a young wo =m:a?n, Mrs.# Joanna Frank$s,: traveling )by !.$canal `% )-boat fr;om Coven\try to Lond),$on. The cas-;:e resulted in th +ree@.* boatmen b-=e)\i)]ng sent= ]/e+:n/.ced* *=t__o dea ^t `h and t ]?wo o!f )+them hanged. Morse @#@(starts to rea`d M?illie= 's boo k and dre/a*% ^ms a_ bout it. `H e soo@.n /+h as a number of problems with the case. Why weren' `:t the three me=(n (also charged w#!ith ,t-@he - ft Why did Mrs[ . Fra@nks t%#,ak^ %e_ #+ a boat instead o:]f a tr%ain th@at w @_a^s much f; ast%^#er [and com(=#`fortab ? le and only slightl y more ]#e*[ xpe@ nsive Why .didn't s^ he( %@ $ a [bando[n ![: the boat aft/;er she )%complained about lew d beha` \vi:?or of the crew at the shi[pping office i$.n Banbury W ]$( hy ]@_d\ ]id s^(he the:[n dr\@ -in@=)`k`\ and '$]s:*-o@;cialise' with the ? +cre,w What happened to her 'ca)r( pet @bag' wi_th which . .#\s; . he arrived on the b_oat but\_ wh ich was not men: tioned in + the\\] court c[?ase, nor,[( ^wa ]s i`t stored] in the arc\_hives # w!i; ;t^\[h: !her, alm ost _-empty, tru%nk The tru, nk \`+was[@ marked^ @ [ with initial s o+f he_ r first husband who ha d d:=+ied. H =)@ow did i)].*t ha!ppen t hat her sho=( es were @found on the boa t but] nobody saw her ret-u`[rn to the boa t from the[ fo?rest PC Adri_ an K #ers) -haw doe%s some b@ rillia +nt leg wo / rk f/ or Morse ^(!. He @:st\,udied h ^i story ? a.!nd h__[!a s invaluable background knowledge. For ins tanc e, he ,ment(ions -th`*at the boatm@en had bad reputation because they^ worked on Sundays and did\ not atten $+@d church.$ :]%Later a =* chapel was bu= ilt for them in Ox`+for\d. The $dead:^ woma_ n's clothes and the shoes found[ on the b/!oa!t are sub!mitte%d to @;)#modern- fo r);,$ensic inv@est ig atio]: .n. The re* sult is /,$that the s`hoes did no t be` long ) [t((o th*)(e de: ad woman found _i :+n#:@ ` th$ e water because s !he was = muc_#!#h taller.The sho% es +^we??re never use`_d in the forest. @Only Mrs Franks' husband, C.[harles Franks, w as call =_ed to iden:tify the body of the dea:+.d wom \=an. He:`/ cla`]imed that,+: \^/while her face was darkened and disfigured, :#he(? fo,)und !$ a , b+ \irth mark beh i\.,nd her ++ear.$ The pros! ecuto^/r we l comed tha+!t informa\tion that o;nly a husband o (r a lover^ would know. The accused !w_ere;(% not sho$ w:n^ th=e b=@ody. The d ef;ense attorn:ey merely clai m[ed t ;\hat the gui!,;lt of ). the.@+ three me#.n was not proved^:. All thr ee ac\cu :sed cla,%im$ed to t he end that \ they (:were\\ i.! nnocent. On-^e o[f them was ( n ot execu;ted * because he embrac_`%ed Christiani_ ty in pris on. ]/( *Mors; e instructs Kershaw to inve ? sti]\/gate if Cha@rles^+ F;-[)ranks (benef;/(^ite $d fr. +o!?m -+) \his wife'($@,s death and, \ ind $=eed, he poc_keted _ 300 .!pound+s \ins?%.uran#ce *;^?money.)(; Cas$]e c losed+ Charl( es Franks = murdered a $* tall@(+ ` women\ a nd d#%ro pped he!$]r i+[n the cana# (l aft `er mee#tin[(.g Joanna in the forest. If % Joanna Fran!`k%]s jumpe*/# \d off the boat at t- he same time as\`# the-: dea[ ]( d b) ]%o ;d )@y hit the w _)ater, she swam -[to the bank -_and ^.?jo(@ined h-^er hu +s/band. The )*@/couple cha);/nged their n ames, `;))in# th @e c ;ase %^of 'Charles Fr ank s' :a second time after he 'died'__! as Joanna's firs^t husband. _ T $he f ourth boa;t_`/man), a youngster w,ho was not cha` !rged, w$-as p ro+`ba?*bly p .? ai+_d by _Joanna+]+( to give fal! se/^/ testimony. Morse trav) e;ls to I+.reland and has a grave of/ ?) Joanna's first hu;%^sband exhumed. The coffin cont a\^ins ba ,gs o/f sa ;.,nd and som=e s,t!@ o nes.