Settled Out of Court by Henry Cecil

Author:Henry Cecil
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: House of Stratus

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Interlude

‘’Ow d’yer think it’s going, guv?’ asked Spikey, after they had left the courtroom.

‘It isn’t going at all yet,’ said Lonsdale, ‘but then I never expected it would. But I like that young man who’s appearing for me. I fancy he’s shown two of the witnesses anyway a red light.’

‘But ’ow are you going to show that they’re telling a pack of lies, guv?’

‘It’ll come with a rush, Spikey. You’ll see. They’re telling lies and they know it, and they know we know it. One false step by one of them and we’ll break the whole thing wide open. You wait, Spikey, you just wait.’

Meanwhile the judge was having a quiet word with Charles and Broadwater.

‘There was a wind this morning,’ he said, ‘and with luck someone’ll pick it up.’

‘I sent one too,’ said Broadwater.

‘Good,’ said the judge. ‘This farce has gone on long enough.’

‘Judge,’ said Charles, ‘I’m not absolutely sure that it is a farce.’

‘You’re not at the Old Bailey now, old boy,’ said Broadwater. ‘No need to keep up appearances.’

‘I’m not,’ said Charles, ‘but I shouldn’t have gone half so far as I did today, if I hadn’t thought that there mightn’t be something in it. Admittedly, if this were a real trial I should have felt pretty uncomfortable at some of the questions I put, but I should have had to put them just the same. Something my client – I beg your pardon, Judge – something Walsh has told me has made me think very hard.’

‘Don’t overdo it, old boy,’ said Broadwater.

‘Oh, well,’ said the judge, ‘we shall see. And it’s certainly good practice for you. How long have you been called?’

‘Nearly seven years, Judge.’

‘Have you really? Wish I showed my years as little. But you can’t be thirty yet.’

‘Not quite.’

At about that moment a small boy about a mile away from the judge’s house had just picked up a piece of paper. It said in block capitals – SEND POLICE AT ONCE TO MR JUSTICE HALLIDAY’S HOUSE, HOWARD HOUSE.

It was signed by the judge himself. The small boy could not read but he entertained himself by tearing the small piece of paper into very much smaller pieces. Then, like Mr Justice Halliday, he threw them to the winds. Meanwhile, the piece of paper sent by Broadwater had stuck in a hedge in a lane.

Miles approached Jo while she was having a drink.

‘How am I doing?’ he asked.

‘Don’t ask silly questions,’ she said sharply. ‘There’s no reason to suppose every word everyone says here is not being listened to. Not that it matters in the least. But it wouldn’t take any time to secrete microphones here. Lucky we’ve clear consciences.’

‘I see,’ said Miles, rather abashed. ‘I only meant …’

‘Have you been to any good shows recently?’ said Jo.

‘Well, as a matter of fact, I don’t go out a great deal,’ said Miles. ‘I find that as I get older I get more and more critical. Things that would have amused me ten years ago either bore me or irritate me now.

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