seventy. Callum
Now that my evidence was out of the way, I was allowed to watch from the public gallery. I didn’t sit with Mum, even though she wanted me to. But how could I? Between the two of us, Sephy and I had pretty much put the noose around Dad’s neck. But then Kelani Adams showed why she was a red-hot lawyer. A man called Leo Stoll was called to the stand. I didn’t recognize his name or his face when he entered the witness box. He was a middle-aged Cross who was obviously not short of a penny or two. I glanced across at Mum. She had a puzzled, quizzical look on her face. I shrugged. It was no good asking me who he was. I didn’t have a clue.
I watched as Leo Stoll was sworn in, then waited with bated breath to see what he had to do with my father. Kelani Adams stood up, and faced the witness.
‘Mr Stoll, could you tell the court what you do for a living.’
‘I’m a police officer – now retired.’ His voice was deep and melodious, like a baritone singer or something.
‘You don’t look old enough to retire.’ I could hear the smile in Kelani’s voice, although I couldn’t see her face as she had her back to the public gallery.
‘I was retired through ill health,’ Mr Stoll replied.
‘I was knocked over by a nought joyrider. My hip was completely pulverised. I was offered a desk job but after years spent out in the field,’ Mr Stoll shrugged, ‘well, I just couldn’t face it. So I took early retirement instead.’
‘Do you recognize the defendant, Ryan McGregor?’
‘Nope. Never seen him before in my life,’ Mr Stoll said firmly.
Mr Pingule glanced at Kelani. I reckoned she had one more question before he jumped to his feet, bleating to the judge about the relevance of her questions.
‘Mr Stoll, have you ever seen Callum McGregor before?’
‘Who?’
My heart plunged down to my feet. Why was she asking him about me? Was that her strategy? To get Dad off by hanging me out to dry?
‘Callum McGregor, could you stand up please?’
I hung on to the safety rail and pulled myself upwards. I was burning under the gaze of every eye in the court. This was just as bad as standing in the witness box.
‘Oh yes, I’ve seen him before,’ Mr Stoll said, with no hint of hesitation in his voice.
‘Where?’ Kelani asked.
‘On the afternoon that the Dundale bomb went off,’ Mr Stoll replied. ‘I was having a cup of coffee in the Cuckoo’s Egg café. That boy came in and started to drag out a girl who’d been sitting down minding her own business. As she was being dragged out, I asked if she was OK. I may have a dodgy hip but I still know a move or two!’
‘Quite! So what happened then?’ Kelani prompted.
‘The girl said that the boy was a friend of hers and that he was just taking her out to show her something,’ said Mr Stoll.
‘You’re sure that’s what she said,’ Kelani asked eagerly.
‘Positive. Like I said, I used to be a police officer so I’ve been trained to observe and remember.’
Did Sephy say that? I couldn’t even remember. I just remember my desperation to get her out of the Dundale before the whole place was blown to smithereens.
‘Did the girl seem particularly scared or worried in any way?’ Kelani asked.
‘Not at all. She was treating the whole thing like it was a big joke.’
‘And how come you survived the bomb blast?’
‘I finished my coffee and left less than a minute after the boy up there and his friend.’
‘Thank you, Mr Stoll. No more questions.’ Kelani Adams sat down.
Spontaneous cheers erupted throughout the courtroom. Judge Anderson tried to restore order but it wasn’t going to happen. In the end he had to clear the court. But just like that, my story had been corroborated. And by a Cross police officer of all people. If it’d been funny, I would’ve busted a gut laughing.