47

‘I miss Baba.

‘I know. Suzy said he would be home soon but I’m not sure. They think I don’t know what’s happening.

‘I went to Mrs Crane and I asked her just before break. I asked “what’s a murderer?” and she said it’s someone who kills other people and asked who had been talking to me about things like that. And her face got this red mark, well, on her neck, really.

‘No, she is nice but she has this red thing when people ask her things she doesn’t want to answer or, like the time when Mr Ingles sat at the back of the class to watch her. He said “just ignore me, children; pretend I’m not here” but then he kept coughing and writing notes on a piece of paper, and poor Mrs Crane had these red spots everywhere by the time he left.

‘So then I told her. I said “Mikey Ingram says my dad’s a murderer”.

‘She went all funny. She crouched down and put her arm around me and said “it’ll be all right” and then her eyes went all blurry. Then she said “you shouldn’t always listen to Mikey”.

‘No. I asked Suzy this afternoon on the way home. She said that Daddy had been taken away by the police to Hampstead. So I said “I know that. I saw the car. And the police messed up my room.” But that was months ago. I asked her if he had a new job with the police. Was that why he couldn’t come home? She said “no”. So I asked if he still had his old job and she said “I think so”. Then she said that if I didn’t tell Mum she would show me Daddy on the television.

‘Yes. It’s like he’s really famous. He’s in this great big room with lots of important people. He was on the news, just for a second. Baba always liked watching the news. I know because he liked to talk about it. He must be excited now that he’s on it. He didn’t do any talking though. There was a man sitting at the front with funny white curly hair. Suzy says he’s the judge. Says he will decide if Baba can come home or not.

‘Baba looked really sad though. I went up and touched the television screen. He couldn’t see me of course. No, silly.

‘She said if he’s on the news tomorrow, I can see him again but I mustn’t tell Mum.

‘No. I don’t know. I just wish he could come home.’