reply.
"Shall we put the chairs back against the wall for you?" "Have you finished?" he asked.
Anna looked to Gordon and then back to Jeremy's impassive face. "I think so."
He almost whipped the chairs from under them both, folding and replacing them against the wall. Gordon raised his eyebrows at Anna as Jeremy took a long time making sure they were exactly on top of each other.
"Thank you, Jay." Anna put out her hand, but he didn't touch it. He stepped back a fraction and turned to face his desk.
"Well, we will leave you to it." Anna crossed to the door and Gordon followed.
On a large sheet of paper, pinned behind the door and therefore not seen when they had entered, was a handwritten list of dates and times, printed in different inks and highlighted with a marker pen.
"What are these, Jay?"
"Visitors," he said.
"I don't understand. Visitors to you, or ..."
"They do not have residents' parking tickets. It is against the law to park in the forecourt without a residents' parking permit."
Anna glanced at Gordon and back to Jeremy, who had now turned to face them. His cheeks seemed even pinker, as if he was using rouge.
"You have been monitoring illegal cars parked, is that correct?"
"Yes."
"And how do you know about these cars?"
"Window, of course."
"Your window?"
"Yes."
"May I see out from your window, Jay?"
"Yes."
Anna passed him and went to the window. She lifted the slats of the pristine white blind. The window looked out onto the lockup garages at the rear of the estate. She let the slats slip back into place.
"I also monitor the vehicles illegally parked at the front on the days I work at Waitrose. I collect the trolleys and stack them and replace them in a long line outside the main entrance. People leave their trolleys by the side of their cars when they unload groceries, and they are not supposed to do that. They are supposed to replace them outside the entrance, but they don't. I have to collect each one and I make a line of them to wheel them back. Sometimes, I have found our trolleys outside on the road; that's when people have not parked in the Waitrose car park but on the street. I collect them and take them back to the entrance."
He spoke in short, sharp sentences with a low, controlled anger.
"Jay, just let me understand: are these dates of people parking illegally at Waitrose or here on your estate?"
"This is a residents' parking area. You have to have a permit."
"Yes, I understand that, but these times and dates are from your estate and not Waitrose, is that correct?"
"Yes."
Anna could hardly believe it. "l don't suppose you listed any license-plate numbers, did you, Jay?"
"I have them."
"You have the license-plate numbers of these cars?"
"Yes. You don't listen to what I am saying. I am a resident and these people have no right to park illegally and so I am monitoring them."
"For how long?"
"A long rime."
Anna took a deep breath and smiled. "Do you think Jay, that you could pass these license-plate numbers to me? As a police officer, I can do something about them being illegally parked in the residents' bays."
He chewed his lip.
"I could make sure they don't block any residents' bays for you."
"That would be good, because sometimes when my care worker comes here to see me, she can't find a space; one rime she got a ticket because she had to park across the street on a yellow line."
"Well, let's get this all written down then, shall we? Do you have the numbers?"
"Yes. Please do nor silt on my bed."
Anna straightened and waited as Jeremy replaced the two chairs.
Again, she and Gordon sat side by side, but this time Jeremy drew out his desk chair and sat down too. He swiveled to face them. Anna took out her notebook again and gave an encouraging look, expecting him to open one of the drawers, but he remained facing them.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
"Yes, Jay, we are ready. Do you need your lists from there?"
"No, they are not the license plates; they are the dates and times they blocked the residents' parking
"Shall we put the chairs back against the wall for you?" "Have you finished?" he asked.
Anna looked to Gordon and then back to Jeremy's impassive face. "I think so."
He almost whipped the chairs from under them both, folding and replacing them against the wall. Gordon raised his eyebrows at Anna as Jeremy took a long time making sure they were exactly on top of each other.
"Thank you, Jay." Anna put out her hand, but he didn't touch it. He stepped back a fraction and turned to face his desk.
"Well, we will leave you to it." Anna crossed to the door and Gordon followed.
On a large sheet of paper, pinned behind the door and therefore not seen when they had entered, was a handwritten list of dates and times, printed in different inks and highlighted with a marker pen.
"What are these, Jay?"
"Visitors," he said.
"I don't understand. Visitors to you, or ..."
"They do not have residents' parking tickets. It is against the law to park in the forecourt without a residents' parking permit."
Anna glanced at Gordon and back to Jeremy, who had now turned to face them. His cheeks seemed even pinker, as if he was using rouge.
"You have been monitoring illegal cars parked, is that correct?"
"Yes."
"And how do you know about these cars?"
"Window, of course."
"Your window?"
"Yes."
"May I see out from your window, Jay?"
"Yes."
Anna passed him and went to the window. She lifted the slats of the pristine white blind. The window looked out onto the lockup garages at the rear of the estate. She let the slats slip back into place.
"I also monitor the vehicles illegally parked at the front on the days I work at Waitrose. I collect the trolleys and stack them and replace them in a long line outside the main entrance. People leave their trolleys by the side of their cars when they unload groceries, and they are not supposed to do that. They are supposed to replace them outside the entrance, but they don't. I have to collect each one and I make a line of them to wheel them back. Sometimes, I have found our trolleys outside on the road; that's when people have not parked in the Waitrose car park but on the street. I collect them and take them back to the entrance."
He spoke in short, sharp sentences with a low, controlled anger.
"Jay, just let me understand: are these dates of people parking illegally at Waitrose or here on your estate?"
"This is a residents' parking area. You have to have a permit."
"Yes, I understand that, but these times and dates are from your estate and not Waitrose, is that correct?"
"Yes."
Anna could hardly believe it. "l don't suppose you listed any license-plate numbers, did you, Jay?"
"I have them."
"You have the license-plate numbers of these cars?"
"Yes. You don't listen to what I am saying. I am a resident and these people have no right to park illegally and so I am monitoring them."
"For how long?"
"A long rime."
Anna took a deep breath and smiled. "Do you think Jay, that you could pass these license-plate numbers to me? As a police officer, I can do something about them being illegally parked in the residents' bays."
He chewed his lip.
"I could make sure they don't block any residents' bays for you."
"That would be good, because sometimes when my care worker comes here to see me, she can't find a space; one rime she got a ticket because she had to park across the street on a yellow line."
"Well, let's get this all written down then, shall we? Do you have the numbers?"
"Yes. Please do nor silt on my bed."
Anna straightened and waited as Jeremy replaced the two chairs.
Again, she and Gordon sat side by side, but this time Jeremy drew out his desk chair and sat down too. He swiveled to face them. Anna took out her notebook again and gave an encouraging look, expecting him to open one of the drawers, but he remained facing them.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
"Yes, Jay, we are ready. Do you need your lists from there?"
"No, they are not the license plates; they are the dates and times they blocked the residents' parking
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