Chapter 35

I sat, alone, in the coffee bar in the entrance to the hospital, waiting for whoever was coming to pick me up. I had a coffee and a piece of cake in front of me, both untouched, and my head in my hands, supported by my elbows on the table.

I’d been sat like that for about ten minutes when I felt, rather than saw, another person sit down opposite me.

“David,” Aunt Mary said, softly, “I’m sorry. It looks like she has absolutely no memory of what happened in Germany. She seems to think that you’re still her boyfriend, and that you’ve been cheating on her with Kathy. I’ve told her she’s wrong, but she’s only got whatever memory she has to go on. She doesn’t even remember seeing the video last night.”

“I didn’t see the video last night, I still know nothing about it,” I replied.

She looked at my abandoned coffee.

“It’s unlike you to leave the holy nectar,” she said.

“Holy nectar?” I queried.

“It’s what Cal calls it when she refers to your drinking habits.”

“How is she?” I asked.

“They sedated her, and they’re calling in a psychologist to talk to her and see if he can get some of the real memories back, and maybe get her thinking straight. In a way it’s a blessing that she doesn’t remember, the little we saw of that video before your Dad switched it off was pretty horrendous.”

“Tell me,” I said.

“I don’t think I should,” she replied, “it really was graphic.”

“Aunt Mary,” I said, “if Cal and I are ever going to get past this, whether it’s as a couple, as friends, or just two people who know each other, I need to understand what went on in Munich. The police have got the video, and I don’t see them ever giving it back, or even letting me watch it. And every time I’ve spoken to her about it, I’ve got a different story. And now, I’m the one who has cheated. I’m sorry, Aunt Mary, I don’t have room in my life for this any more.”

“Please David,” she pleaded, “don’t slam the door on her, she’ll need you more than ever if she’s going to recover from this.”

“I’ll tell you what, Aunt Mary,” I said, “she’s got my phone number. When she’s ready for the whole truth, and an apology tell her to ring me.”

I stood up then and headed towards the front door to wait for my lift outside.

I was surprised a few minutes later when Mum’s car pulled up, driven by Andy, and with both Charlie and Alison in it.

Alison got out of the front passenger seat and transferred into the back as I reached the car. One look at me must have given them the idea that something was not right, since none of them asked how Cal was, and we just set off in silence. The silence didn’t last long.

“What happened David?” Alison asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I said.

“David,” Charlie interjected, “this may come as a surprise to you, but everybody in this car is on your side. We all love you, and you’re obviously hurt. Let us help you.”

“She accused me of cheating on her, with Kathy,” I said, feeling tears start to build up, “then she started to get agitated, and the doctor suggested it would be better if I left her alone with her mother.”

“She accused you of cheating,” Andy said, “that’s rich, after what she did in Germany.”

“Apparently she has no memory of that,” I said, “or of the video at our house.”

“So now she thinks that she’s the complete innocent, and that it’s all your fault,” Alison said, “not much change there then.”

“Alison,” Charlie said, “she’s your friend, and she’s ill. I can understand David reacting as he has, she’s hurt him, yet again, but she’s done nothing to you.”

“She’s hurt my brother, that’s enough,” Alison spat.

“Well,” Charlie explained, “life’s like that, we go through life hurting the ones we love, or at least are supposed to love.”

“What about Aunt Mary?” Andy asked, “how have you left it with her?”

“Can we talk about this when we get home?” I asked, “Mum’s certain to want to know chapter and verse on it, and I really don’t want to go over it twice.”

We spent the rest of the journey in silence again.

Mum was waiting at the front door when we arrived, and immediately enveloped me in a mummy hug, then led me through into the living room, where Dad and Andy Skillington were waiting.

I was right, Mum wanted chapter and verse, but Dad managed to head her off by telling her that he, Andy S. and I needed to talk about the police interview. At that point the others left us alone in the living room.

“Right young man,” Andy said, as soon as the three of us were alone, “what have you been up to?”

“Nothing that I know of,” I replied.

“Okay then, why don’t you start at the beginning and tell me the story?”

He took a pad and a pen out of his open briefcase and sat back to take notes.

“All right David,” he said when he was ready, “just start at the beginning and work through to the end.”

I began by telling him about LA and the film, and Cal going to Munich. How I’d finished work on the film a few days early, and decided to surprise her in Germany. Then I got to the part where it was me who got the surprise.

“So what happened in Munich when you got there?” he prompted.

I explained about going to Cal’s hostel, and then to the Mensa, where I found her with Wolfgang, how she told me ‘it wasn’t what it looked like’ and me inviting her to leave with me and discuss it, but that she had opted to stay, and my decision then to leave and come home.

Then I told him about subsequent events, the rough cut of the film, her giving me different accounts of Munich, and the arrival of the second DVD, which we had all assumed was a finished copy of the film. I told him how I’d put it on one side, waiting for authorisation from the studio to show it to my family.

“I suppose we know now why the studio never responded,” I finished.

“And you have never looked at the DVD?” Andy asked.

“No,” I confirmed, shaking my head as well.

“Not even a little peek?”

“Andy, David does not tell lies,” Dad said, sounding a little peeved.

“Sorry James,” Andy replied, “but that’s the sort of thing the police will throw in.”

“No,” I replied, “not even a little peek.”

“Right one final question, and again, it’s not comfortable, but the police are liable to ask you the same thing,” he said, “but before I ask, you should know that as your lawyer, not only can I not tell anyone anything you tell me without your permission, I could actually be struck off for doing so.”

“Attorney client privilege?” I asked.

“That’s right,” he replied, “before she went to Germany, were you and Cal sexually active?”

“I really don’t feel comfortable answering that one way or the other,” I said.

“If you tell that to the police they’ll assume that the answer is yes,” he said, “what I propose we do is if they do ask it, I will instruct you not to answer, then tear them apart for it.”

“That sounds OK,” I said, “when do we have to go?”

“I told them four thirty. I also stressed that we expect to be seen at four thirty and not be kept waiting.”

“That’s good,” Dad said.

“I’ll meet you there at four fifteen,” he said, “and I’ll have a prepared statement for you to give them.”

He gathered up his papers, stuffed them back in his briefcase and stood up. After he shook hands with both of us, he left.

Dad looked at me, a serious expression on his face, brow wrinkled.

“What’s worrying you son?” he asked.

“What’s not,” I replied, a bit sharper than I meant to.

“Want to talk?” he asked.

“What good would that do?” I replied.

“Oh, it’s always good to talk about what’s troubling you,” he said, “it helps stop it becoming so all-consuming that it consumes you son. So how about you telling me what’s consuming you?”

“Everything and nothing, I suppose,” I said.

“Son,” he said, “if you’re expecting me to come out with scintillating words of wisdom and comfort, you might have to be a little more precise than that.”

“Well,” I said, thinking hard, “there’s school, work, Kathy, Cal and now the DVD and the police. I just don’t know where I am.”

“Let’s look at them in reverse order,” Dad said,” I don’t think you need to worry about the DVD and police.”

“What?” I asked, “I was in possession of a DVD which apparently shows a fifteen year old girl having sex, and you don’t think it was a problem.”

“I think the police position will be that I was the one in possession, and I was the one showing it to minors. So you don’t need to worry about that.”

“No, you’re right,” I agreed, “my Dad could be charged with child sex offences and I don’t need to worry.”

“It won’t affect you directly, and besides, it was entirely innocent, we genuinely thought it was a DVD of your film, and we switched it off as soon as we realised and rang the police. That was when we noticed that Cal had collapsed and rang for the ambulance as well.”

“Okay, leaving that, I’m still worried about how working will affect my schoolwork. I know I have a tutor, but she’s not a subject specialist, I might fall behind, and I do want to go to University.”

“Then we’ll get you subject specialists, you can afford it David. I’ll speak to Bernard James about it.”

“Then there’s my less than simple social life,” I added.

“I assume that by social life you mean love life,” he said.

“If you want to call it that,” I said, “know Cal loves me, or at least she did until this morning.”

“No ‘did’ about it, son, she is still crazy about you.”

“And I thought that Kathy felt something about me, but last night she was talking about us being able to see other people.”

“And what’s wrong with that?” he asked, “David, you’re fifteen, she’s fourteen. She’s been out with precisely one boy, you’ve been out with two girls. Can you stand there and tell me that you’re ready to make a lifetime commitment? Because if you are son, I’ll sign the consent form the day you turn sixteen.”

“Consent form?” I asked.

“To allow you to get married. She’s actually being very sensible, you both need to have more experience with the opposite sex before you even think of settling down. I think that’s the real problem between you and Cal, the pair of you went at it like bulls at red rags, and it fell apart.”

“Thanks Dad,” I said, “you always know the right thing to say. After we’ve been to the police station, can you run me and Charlie to the station?”

“Of course,” he agreed, “and talking of your less than simple social life, we didn’t mention Charlie.”

“Why would we, Charlie’s just a friend who I work with, nothing more.”

“Are you sure that’s how she sees herself son?” he asked, “come to think of it, are you absolutely sure that’s how you see her?”

“What?” I exclaimed, “are you telling me that Charlie... ?” I began.

“It’s plain as the nose on your face, son,” he said, “that girl’s crazy about you too.”

“Oh fuck,” I said.

His eyebrow shot up.

“Sorry Dad,” I said, “it just slipped out.”

“I bet you say that to all the girls,” he laughed.

We went through and joined everybody in the kitchen, where Mum, assisted by Charlie and my sister, was busy preparing food.

“Dinner in an hour,” Mum said, “why don’t you three go and find something to do, while the lord and masters here finish off.”

“Lord and master?” Alison mouthed at me.

“Where’s Andy?” I asked.

“He’s eating at Jean’s, meeting her grandparents,” Mum said.

“Meeting her grandparents?” I asked.

“Yes,” Alison replied, “I think this one’s going to stick around for a while.”

I just shook my head, gazing at the floor. I was convinced that aliens had abducted my brother and replaced him with this clone.

“So what are we going to do?” I asked as we went back into the living room.

“We could watch a DVD,” Alison said, “but I’m guessing that isn’t going to be very popular round here for quite some time.”

“Just what exactly was going on in this video?” I asked, “I’m assuming it showed Cal having sex with guys in Germany.”

“Oh yes,” Alison said, “it certainly did that.”

She sniffed quietly, and I could see tears welling in her eyes.

“Oh, Pip,” I said, pulling her into a cuddle, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

Charlie looked at me over the top of Alison’s head and mouthed ‘Later’ at me.

Instead we just sat and talked about plans. Alison knows, at the ripe old age of thirteen, exactly what she wants to be, a doctor. Not just a doctor, but a gynaecologist.

“That sounds like the sort of career a man would be more interested in,” Charlie said.

“Nah,” Alison replied, “can you picture some poor exhausted man, getting home from a hectic day, pootling about in various lady bits, to find his wife waiting for him wearing just a welcoming smile and offering a drink?”

“Oh darling he’d say,” Charlie replied, “don’t you think I see enough of that at work?”

They both collapsed in giggles.

“Oh, very funny,” I grumped.

“What about you Charlie?” Alison asked,” what do you want to do with your life?”

“I think my path has already been decided,” she replied, “acting is all I know, I don’t have the education to go to Uni, and I’ve never even thought about what I’d do if I didn’t act. Probably work in a shoe shop.”

Her eyes glazed over for a moment.

“You’re intelligent, you could still do A levels and go to Uni,” I said,

“No, it’s not for me. But one day,” she said, a little sadly, “I’d like to have children.”

“I think we’d all like that,” I said.

“But I think it may be more of an imperative with us girls,” Charlie said, “but that’s immaterial just now.”

“And you, David,” Charlie said, “have you decided to devote your life to the thespian arts?”

“No,” I said flatly, “I still want to go to Uni and study computing.”

“But you could make so much money from acting,” Charlie said.

“I could,” I agreed, “and it could all end at the end of this project.”

“But it won’t,” Alison said, “will it?”

“Who knows,” I answered, “so if it does I want to have something to be able to support my wife and kids.”

“You know I’ve never given a thought to what I’d do if my career ended tomorrow,” Charlie said, “I think you’re right, I need to get myself some options.”

We were interrupted by Dad poking his head through the door and urging us to go and have dinner.

After dinner (chicken, Yorkshire pudding, roast and mashed potatoes, cauliflower and carrots for those who are interested in such things), it was time for me and Dad to go and keep our appointment with the police.

We arrived, as we had arranged, fifteen minutes early, and met Andy Skillington in the car park. We sat in his car while he handed us each an A4 sheet of paper, on it was each of our prepared statements.

“When we get in there, let me do the talking,” he began, “I’ll tell them that you have prepared a statement for them, and that at this time you will not be making any further statements, or answering any questions other than to confirm your identity. Then we’ll leave.”

“What if I want to know something?” I asked.

“That would depend on what it was,” Andy replied.

“I want to know if I can see the DVD,” I said.

“No, David,” he answered, “that would not be possible?”

“Why not?” I asked, “it’s technically my property.”

“Because it’s evidence. And because you’re only fifteen. It’s basically a pornographic video, and showing it to you is a crime, we can’t ask the police to commit a crime.”

“But if it came from where I think it came from, I may be able to identify some of the participants,” I said.