An Honest Man by Simon Michael

Author:Simon Michael [Michael, Simon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781913028749
Publisher: Sapere Books
Published: 2019-07-14T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

‘You’re doing well, Charles,’ says Robeson. He now sits behind Charles in the solicitors’ bench.

‘Not really. This is just early skirmishing. We’re picking up the odd point here and there, but they’re insignificant compared with what’s to come. I’m irritated about that banker. I should have asked for all the statements before I waded in.’

‘No, it’s not your fault. I left it to the accountant to sort out, and I didn’t check them myself. I didn’t realise he’d only picked out the statements that helped.’

‘What do you say about this point, the balancing entries in the account?’

‘Of course there’s going to be money going in; we’re running a business! What do you think we do with the rents? You got the point about the builders spot on, but there was another factor which caused even more cash transactions. We took a policy decision to be much more aggressive in property purchasing. The big boys can always beat our offers when it comes to a tasty property, so we decided to offer cash deposits as an inducement. That decision was taken in June or July 1962. It didn’t really work, so we abandoned the policy in March 1963. There’s nothing sinister about it.’

‘Fine. You can deal with that in chief. Let’s concentrate on Goldstein. Are they here?’

‘Yes.’

Robeson signals to one of his clerks sitting next to the door. The man stands swiftly and disappears outside for a second. He then re-enters with another man and directs him to the well of the court. The man is about fifty, with greying hair. He comes down the aisle and sits next to Robeson.

‘Charles,’ says Robeson, ‘let me introduce Bill Summers. Bill’s an outdoor clerk in our Beckenham office.’ Charles shakes his hand. ‘Do you think he’ll be all right?’ asks Robeson. ‘He doesn’t look anything like me.’

‘No, but he’s the about the same age and build. That’s all I want. I’m not into pulling stunts. I just want to see how good Goldstein’s description is, without him having any help from seeing you alone. If he’s been primed to pick you out, they’ll have made sure he’s seen a recent photograph anyway. Where’s the other chap, the private detective?’

‘Here he comes now.’

A second man approaches them from the back of the court. He shakes hands with Robeson, who he appears to know well, and sits at the same bench, but on the other side of Robeson. He is in fact thirty years younger than Robeson and quite different in appearance but Charles simply wants Robeson lost in a crowd. There are now three men sitting behind Charles on the solicitors’ bench, all in dark suits.

‘The judge is coming back in, gentlemen,’ announces the clerk.

The door to the jury room opens and the jurors file back to their seats. There’s a knock on the judge’s door, the usher calls ‘All rise!’ and the judge enters.

‘Yes, Mr Stafford,’ he says, once the court settles.

‘Thank you, my Lord. The Crown calls Avram Goldstein.’

The dock officer moves to one side in the dock and opens the door that leads down to the cells.

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