Anxious People

31

Witness Interview

Date: December 30

Name of witness: Estelle

JIM: I really am very sorry about all this. We’ll try to get you home as soon as possible.

ESTELLE: Oh, don’t worry—to be honest, this has all been rather exciting. Not much exciting happens most days when you’re nearly ninety!

JIM: Of course, yes. Well, my colleague and I would very much like to ask you to look at this drawing. We found it in the stairwell and we think it shows a monkey, a frog, and an elk. Do you recognize it?

ESTELLE: No, no, I’m afraid not. Is that really supposed to be an elk?

JIM: I don’t know, I really don’t. To be honest, I’m not sure it really matters. Would you mind telling me what you were doing at the apartment viewing?

ESTELLE: I was there with my husband, Knut. Well, he wasn’t there at the time. He was still parking the car. We were going to look at the apartment for our daughter.

JIM: Did you notice anything particular about the other people there before the bank robber appeared?

ESTELLE: Oh, no. Before then I only really had time to talk to those nice women from… you know… from Stockholm.

JIM: Which ones were they?

ESTELLE: Oh, you know. “From Stockholm.”

JIM: You’re winking as though I ought to know what that means.

ESTELLE: Ro and Jules. They’re having a baby together. Even though they’re both from, you know, “Stockholm.”

JIM: You mean that they’re homosexual?

ESTELLE: There’s nothing wrong with that.

JIM: I didn’t say there was, did I?

ESTELLE: That’s absolutely fine these days.

JIM: Of course it is. I haven’t suggested otherwise.

ESTELLE: I think it’s wonderful, I really do, that people are free to love whoever they like nowadays.

JIM: I’d like to make it absolutely clear that I share that view.

ESTELLE: In my day it would have been regarded as quite remarkable, you know, getting married and having a baby when you’re both, well, you know.

JIM: From Stockholm?

ESTELLE: Yes. But I’ve actually always rather liked Stockholm, you know. You have to let people live their lives however they want. I mean, that’s not to say I’ve been to Stockholm myself, I haven’t, of course not. I’m not, that’s to say I’ve never… I’m happily married. To Knut. And I’m very happy with the usual, you know.

JIM: I have no idea what we’re talking about anymore.