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Chapter six

A good explanation

‘That explains it then,’ said Brian Jones, as we drove back to the police station. There wasn’t a man in front of his car, and he knows it. I mean, if the man did have this heart problem, then he couldn’t have a job as a salesman, could he? He wouldn’t have a driving license, and he’d lose his job. And he’s very afraid of losing his job, isn’t he? He told us that.’

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘But that doesn’t explain his story, does it?’

‘Well, yes, maybe it does, Sergeant,’ he said. ‘Look at it this way. Perhaps this man had a problem with his heart several years ago, and then he got better, so he got his driving license back. His job and his driving license are very important to him, so he always drives very, very carefully. He never drinks and drives or does anything silly. And why is he so very, very careful? Because he’s always afraid that one day his heart problem will come back, and then he’ll lose his license, his job, and everything. Then yesterday it did come back, and so he had this accident. But he wants us to believe that it wasn’t his fault, so he has invented a story about a man who ran in front of the car. Only it isn’t a very good story, that’s all, because there wasn’t a man, and there isn’t a body.’

Brian Jones smiled at me. He is a young, clever policeman, and he was very pleased with himself. It was a good explanation, too. I couldn’t see anything wrong with it.

Back at the police station, I checked everything carefully. But no one had found a body, no one had seen a man who ran across the road. I looked at the front of Mr Jackson’s car carefully with one of the police scientists. There were no marks on it at all. Only the back of his car was damaged, where the car behind had hit it. Either Mr Jackson was mad, or he was lying.

But I felt sad, and a little angry, too. The doctor at the hospital had been very helpful, but why had she told us about Mr Jackson’s heart problem? That was wrong. I wouldn’t want my doctor to tell people about me when I was ill. Mr Jackson’s story was crazy, but I really think that he believed it. In my job, you know when people are lying - and I thought Mr Jackson was telling the truth.