1
Bert drives a taxi in Glasgow. He works at night. Night people talk a lot, and Bert likes a good story.
2
On Friday night, at two o'clock, a man gets into Bert's taxi.
"Kelvin Street, please," says the man.
Bert drives. He turns and looks at the man. Then he looks again.
Bert knows this face. But from where?
Then he knows. The news. This week, this face is on the news, on every phone in Glasgow. The news says: the police are looking for this man. He goes into houses at night and takes everything.
3
Bert is afraid. The man sits behind him, says nothing, and looks out of the window.
Bert makes a plan.
He does not drive to Kelvin Street.
He drives to the police station.
4
The taxi stops. The man looks out of the window. He says nothing.
"This is not Kelvin Street," says the man.
"No," says Bert. His voice is very small.
"This is the police station," says the man.
"Yes," says Bert.
And then the man laughs. He laughs and laughs.
He takes out his money and pays. "Thank you," he says. "You are a good man. But look at the news again. Look at all of it."
The man gets out and walks to the police station door. The police at the door smile at him. "Good morning," they say.
And the man walks in.
He works there.
5
Bert sits in his taxi for a long time. Then he takes out his phone and finds the news.
There is one face: the police want this man. He goes into houses at night.
And near it, there is a second face: the police man. He is looking for the first man, and his face is on the news too.
Bert reads it all this time. The man from his taxi is the police man.
Every taxi man in Glasgow knows one face, thinks Bert. And it is not the right one.
Bert laughs too. He laughs all the way home.
It is a very good story. But Bert is never going to tell it.