Happiness by Aminatta Forna

Author:Aminatta Forna [Forna, Aminatta]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780802165572
Publisher: Grove Atlantic
Published: 2018-06-05T04:00:00+00:00

They re-crossed the water by way of Southwark Bridge. Attila had a briefing with the lawyers to discuss the case for which he had agreed to act as a professional witness. Their offices were in a road off Fleet Street. The boy, by his side, had reverted to silence, walked trailing his fingertips along the bridge’s balustrade. When they reached the offices Attila settled the boy in reception and told him to wait. The lawyer was about one third the age of Attila, a young man with blond hair stiffened into spikelets. He pushed a file of documents across the empty desk towards Attila. That moment the telephone rang and Attila waited while the lawyer took the call. ‘Right,’ said the young man after he had hung up. ‘Where were we? Okay, so we argued the defendant was unfit to stand trial, but the judge didn’t buy that, so now we’re going for diminished responsibility. That’s where you come in. If that doesn’t work we hit them with mens rea, argue she didn’t possess the mental capacity to form a motive. The report is in the file, along with pretty much everything else. Let my clerk know if anything is missing.’ The lawyer pushed a business card across the table in pursuit of the file.

‘On what grounds,’ said Attila, ‘are you going to argue diminished responsibility?’

The lawyer glanced up at him: ‘PTSD, of course.’

‘The basis?’

The lawyer frowned, reached across and picked up the file, opened it and removed a sheet of paper which he proffered to Attila. ‘Her husband was killed,’ he said. ‘Here’s the report from the first psychiatrist.’

Attila kept his hands in his lap. ‘How was he killed?’

‘Car hit him.’

‘Was the defendant a witness to this?’

‘Uh-uh. No. But she’s his wife.’ The lawyer replaced the sheet of paper in the file and slid it back across the desk.

Attila said: ‘I was told the charge was arson.’

‘That’s right. She set fire to the apartment.’

‘Her own apartment?’

‘No, it was rented, hence the charge. The property didn’t belong to her.’

‘What kind of sentence is she faced with, may I ask?’

‘Arson sentences can be lengthy. That’s not likely in this case as nobody was hurt and she didn’t intend to hurt anybody, at least so we’ll argue. But the flat adjoined other properties next door and downstairs, that’s the prosecution’s point. And there’s something else. She never naturalised. If she’s convicted the court can recommend her deportation.’

Now Attila understood how this case had found him. He said: ‘When may I examine her?’

‘She’s already been examined. The report’s in the file, like I said. But if you want to do it yourself my clerk can arrange it. She’s on bail.’

In the reception area he found the boy just as he had left him and together they stepped back into the street. It was only midday, they had the day to themselves. They walked on and sat on a bench in St Paul’s Square. If he had been alone Attila might have gone to a lunchtime recital in the cathedral.

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