Gail returns from the kitchen with two bottles of beer, holding them up for me to see. "Beer OK?"

I ponder the question for a bit, I already had beer at the pub and I need to get home somehow but I can take a cab and pick up the car in the morning, so I nod. "Sounds great."

Gail puts one of the bottles down in front of me with a smile. "Go on then. Was Mr. Gills still at the hospital when you got there?"

I take a swig of the beer and continue my account of the day:

***

By the time I arrived at the hospital, Mr. Gills had been checked through and was ready to be released. No serious injuries, a mild concussion that would give him a bit of a headache, but apart from a few minor bruises sustained when he collapsed, that was all. They told me he had been struck over the back of the head with something long and round, something that was covered with varnish as some tiny bits of it stuck to his head wound.

I found Mr. Gills at the reception desk where he was signing the release-papers and introduced myself to him. We sat down in the waiting area for a moment to talk.

"What were you doing out so early, Mr. Gills?"

"I wanted to get a nice shot of the sunset. The weather would have been just perfect for it..." He winced slightly and touched the back of his head. "But I never got round to it."

"Did you hear or see anyone? Anything that could help us identify your attacker, Sir?"

He shook his head but regretted the motion immediately. "Ugh. No, sorry Sergeant. I had just stopped for a moment to watch a flock of birds that had risen from a tree and next thing I know there's someone standing over me, asking if I was all right."

"So your attacker never spoke a word to you."

"No, I said that, didn't I?"

"Sorry, Sir. I just need to learn about the events in as much detail as possible."

He nodded. "Of course."

"And the attacker took nothing but your camera, Sir? No money or credit cards?"

"I didn't bring anything but my camera and my keys in the first place. Dawn is still free of charge."

I jotted down a few words in my notepad, it always helps me to gather my thoughts. "I will need the exact type of your camera, Sir, so we can return it to you when we find it."

"I have the serial number at home if that would help you."

"That would be more than I had hoped for." I handed him my card. "You can reach me at this number. Please call me about the serial number when you get home or about anything else you can remember, Sir. Is someone picking you up or shall I organize a lift for you?"

"I'm fine, thank you." He studied my card before slipping it into a pocket of his jacket. "I called my girlfriend from here a while ago. She should be here any minute to collect me."

I got up. "Very well, Sir. I hope your head will be better soon."

He got up, too. "Shouldn't be too bad." He pulled a packet of pills out of another pocket. "They gave me these for the headache. Different name but they tell me they're just like aspirins. So I suppose I'll live." He tucked them away again. "I'll call you about the serial number as soon as I get home."

"Thank you, Sir."

I walked out of the hospital, pondering whether I had time to stop somewhere for a proper breakfast before heading to the station.

***

"Now that doesn't happen too often," Gail says.

I look at her quizzically. "What doesn't?"

"That people actually write down the serial numbers of their gadgets. Identifying stolen property would be so much easier if they did."

"Oh, that. Ya. I was surprised myself that he had it at hand. It is unusual. But I suppose when the item is important to you, you care enough to bother with things like that."

She grins at me. "Do you have the serial number of your camera, Ben?"

I grin right back. "I don't have a camera. I have a mobile with a camera built in."