Tour

"We are investigating the murder of a child in Dover" he continued, "in the late afternoon or early evening of the day in question. A blond young man on a white scooter was seen in the vicinity, and we have seen by the scooter downstairs, that apparently is yours, and by your appearance, that you match the description of the reported sighting."

"Well" I said, "I did see something about it in the paper the next morning, at a coffee shop on the M1, but that is all I know about it." The Detective on the side watched me intently as he was jotting down my story. I was thinking I am in something of a pickle on this, since I had no alibi whatsoever. I asked them how it was they had found me, thinking it was a remarkable achievement that a person --- me --- exactly matched the description that someone had given, in a city of at least a million. The Inspector told me that the woman at the first bed and breakfast I had stopped and who had claimed to be guest full, had reported me as a scruffy and unkempt lookin' blond lad on a white scooter.

Having jotted down everything I had to say, the Inspector asked me if I would like to sign the statement. I refused. He asked me why. I said, "I have no alibi. Without an alibi, if I am to be taken into custody I may need to leave myself some wiggle room. Rather than be trapped in a statement that there is no way I could verify". He seemed satisfied with that. Then he said, "Well I do not believe that you are the guilty party. I have been a detective many years and I see by the pipes on the floor that you are a pipe smoker. I am pipe smoker myself."

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