Free A Touch of Love by Jonathan Coe Page B

there.’
    ‘But that’s not what happened at all. Robin was there already.’
    ‘So he says. But what does a grown man sneak off into a clump of bushes for, at seven in the evening?’
    ‘To relieve himself, of course. Which would explain, wouldn’t it, why he was looking “shifty”, as I believe the father put it? He’d been drinking tea and coffee all day, with a friend.’
    ‘A friend?’
    ‘A male friend. Parrish. Edward Parrish: they knew each other at university. Have you not been in contact with him?’
    ‘Oh, the elusive Mr Parrish. Yes, I have. I found him very reluctant to testify. He might yet be open to persuasion, though.’ Alun crossed and uncrossed his spindly legs, so that they came into embarrassed contact with Emma’s beneath the table. ‘Well, there we have the facts. There we have the facts which, as you rightly say, are open to quite different interpretations, given their overall sketchiness. And so, since we cannot furnish additional facts, in all probability, we must take the ones which we have already, and arrive at a more solid basis of interpretation. Wouldn’t you agree?’
    ‘Yes, I suppose so,’ said Emma, who was only just beginning to remember how boring he could be. ‘What are you suggesting, then?’
    ‘Well, we have the boy’s testimony. It’s not very coherent, it’s not very conclusive, it just says that this man exposed himself and he was very frightened. Then we have Grant’s version, and we have the other’s version. Whom do we trust, that’s what I’m saying: which of these people is the most trustworthy?’
    ‘I haven’t met the father.’
    ‘I saw him a few days ago. He phoned me and said that he’d remembered some more details since making his police statement. As it turned out, they weren’t all that significant, but I found out a few more things about him. He’s going to make a very good witness.’
    ‘Meaning?’
    ‘The man is a pillar of the community. Without a doubt. A scoutmaster, for one thing: good with children. A member of the local RSPCA, for another: kind to animals. He’s a staunch churchman, a methodist. He hands out the bibles every Sunday. He started his local neighbourhood watch, he belongs to the Rotary Club, he may even be a Freemason. His wife regularly attends W. I. meetings and is the guiding light behind the Radford Ramblers’ and Birdlovers’ Coffee Club. They are blood donors, both. What more do I have to say?’
    ‘What does that prove? So he’s a family man, and this boy is the only child. All the more reason to be neurotic about his safety. It’s an obvious case of overreaction to a harmless and really rather comic incident.’
    ‘I wouldn’t try to use that line in your defence if I were you. A man strips naked in front of a terrified child and you call it comic!’
    ‘He did not strip naked. He undid his trousers, that’s all.’
    ‘You know, perhaps your trouble with this kind of case, Emma, is that you don’t have any children of your own.’
    Emma did not know what to say to this. To hide her confusion, she took a sip from the orange juice which she had silently resolved not to touch. She assumed that Alun would apologize, but when he spoke again, his tone remained aggressive.
    ‘So, tell me about Robin. I’ve just given you a description of a reliable and trustworthy witness. Now tell me what’s so special about this man. What gives you so much faith in him after knowing him such a short time?’
    Emma swallowed hard; but her voice, once found, was brave, with more of her Edinburgh accent in it than had been noticeable before.
    ‘Well, I found him very likeable, if you must know. Likeable and intelligent: very intelligent. He’s depressed, of course. He’s going through a bad patch, with his work and everything. It takes a while to get him to come out of himself. But once you’ve made the effort, it’s very rewarding. I thought he was funny, and sharp, and very… perceptive.’
    Alun left