Matty and Bill for Keeps by Elizabeth Fensham Page A

Smith saying these two children can be a part of our meeting,’ whined Mrs Farquay-Jones to the Principal.
    â€˜Perhaps you are right,’ Mrs Townsend agreed uneasily.
    â€˜Excuse me, Mrs Townsend,’ said Sergeant Smith politely. ‘I have my reasons for allowing the kids to stay.’
    â€˜Well then,’ said Mrs Townsend smiling brightly, ‘we can’t go against the law, can we? Let’s go into my office and we’ll sort this out.’
    Mrs Townsend ushered everyone in and asked her secretary to bring more chairs. Crispin was already sitting by himself on one side of the room. Aunt Victoria wasn’t there.
    â€˜Crispin’s aunt will be coming shortly,’ explained Mrs Townsend. ‘She had to return home. Something to do with a sheep stuck in a fence. She said we should start without her.’
    Mrs Townsend introduced everyone. The long-nosed man was Mr Selwyn Slark, a solicitor from Slark, Slark and Gobbings. The policeman was Sergeant Michael Smith, head of the local police station. Bill recognised him from the time he slipped into the station to leave an anonymous tip-off about the crime his father’s so-called buddy, Maggot, was planning to commit.
    Mat and Bill sat each side of Crispin.
    It was like a courtroom. Each opposing group sat as far as possible from the other – like two giant magnets repelling one another.
    â€˜Now I’d like to begin by hearing what Isabelle has to say,’ said Mrs Townsend, leaning forward on her desk with clasped hands. ‘Tell us what happened, dear.’
    Isabelle’s story was breathtakingly different from Crispin’s. It involved her being forcibly tied to the tree and begging for mercy. The part that was probably true was how she was left in the dark for over forty minutes before her parents found her. The fact that Mr and Mrs Farquay-Jones would have found Isabelle sooner if they had not been squabbling was something that would obviously never be revealed. There was no mention from Isabelle of agreeing she be tied up, asking for a kiss or being kissed by an oyster.
    Then it was Mr and Mrs Farquay-Jones’ account of events. The facts of the case sounded very incriminating coming from them. When Mr and Mrs Farquay-Jones had found their daughter tied to the tree, she was hysterical and they needed to call the local doctor. They had the doctor’s medical report with them and they handed it to Mrs Townsend. As they spoke, the long-nosed solicitor, Mr Selwyn Slark, took copious notes. The sergeant did, too.
    Bill felt really sorry for Crispin. He wondered what help he’d be able to give his friend. After all, he had only recently become a Union rep.
    â€˜Now it’s your turn,’ said Mrs Townsend to Crispin.

‘If you don’t mind, Mrs Townsend,’ said Mat, ‘before Crispin speaks, I have a few questions I’d like to ask Isabelle and her parents.’
    â€˜Well, I’m not sure if this is normal procedure,’ said Mrs Townsend, looking perplexed. ‘And perhaps Crispin would prefer to speak for himself, anyway.’
    â€˜There’s no particular procedure necessary,’ said Sergeant Smith, ‘except trying to get to the bottom of this. Let the kid ask her questions if it’s going to help. Is it, Matty?’
    â€˜It certainly will help, Sergeant,’ said Mat. ‘I’m here because our friend and my client, Crispin de Floriette, is in no fit state to think clearly enough to ask questions.’
    â€˜I object,’ said Mr Slark. ‘It’s . . . it’s . . .’
    â€˜It’s what?’ asked the sergeant.
    â€˜It’s contrary to normal practice and it contravenes the privacy of my client.’
    â€˜Excuse me, Mr Slark,’ said Matty, ‘it’s plain common sense. Isabelle has three grown-ups on her side, not counting Sergeant Smith – and my client, Crispin, has no grown-ups. You can’t be scared