The Boudicca Parchments

Chapter 23

The trip from the police station to the Crown Court had been brief but uncomfortable. The road had been somewhat bumpy. Either that or it was just a bad driver. Either way, Daniel couldn’t escape the paranoid feeling that this was a way of “breaking” a suspect, even though they had been perfectly polite to him, almost to the point of deference.

At the court he was able to meet with a new solicitor whom he had retained on the advice of a colleague who had told him that duty solicitors are a “waste of space.” Peter Hackett, the man he had hired in place of the duty solicitor was known to be very unpopular with the police.

“There’s a reason for that,” the solicitor had explained to Daniel over the phone.

“And what’s that?” Daniel had asked, already anticipating the answer.

“I’m good. I get results. That’s something the police don’t like.”

Like Daniel, Hackett was a man in his early forties of average height and athletic build, but athletic in the sense of lean and trim, not big or muscular. But there was something about him that inspired confidence. He radiated self-assurance and Daniel suspected that when he was in his element, he could be quite formidable.

“Okay let me brief you about what’s going to happen when we go into court. You’ll be asked to confirm your name. At that point you just say yes, nothing more. Don’t say anything else at that stage unless they actually get your name wrong, which almost certainly isn’t going to happen.”

Daniel nodded.

“Okay then the next thing they’ll do is read out the charge and ask you whether you plead guilty or not guilty. At that point you say ‘not guilty’ and nothing else. You can even sit down after that.”

“What about bail?”

“That’s what I’m getting to. At that stage, the judge will ask if there’s an application for bail. At that point I’ll make an application for bail. The judge will invite counsel for the prosecution to respond and needless to say he — or she — will oppose the application. There may be a bit of too-ing and fro-ing between me and the lawyer from the CPS and then the judge will rule.”

“What are my chances?”

“Of getting bail on a murder charge?”

“Yes.”

“It can happen. You have don’t have a criminal record for a similar offence, so the legal presumption is in your favour. On the other hand you did breach your bail conditions that time you were accused of killing Harrison Carmichael.”

“If I hadn’t done that I’d never have come up with the evidence that proved my innocence.”

“I can argue that, but it’s not the sort of thing that the Courts like to hear.”

“What do they like to hear?”

“That you’re sorry about that time, but that it was a very different case. That you came back of your own accord. That you’re a man of unblemished record when it comes to actual criminal convictions. That you have a permanent residence in this country. That you have a job. That you’re ready to surrender your passport and wear an electronic tag.”

“And you think that’ll swing it?”

The lawyer gave this a moment’s thought.

“We can but try.”

“Is that a coded way of telling me not to get my hopes up.”

The lawyer smiled.

“We’re on the same wavelength.”

“Is there anything I can do that might help tip the scales in my favour?”

Again the lawyer paused to give the answer the care and consideration it deserved.

“Nothing at this stage. When it comes to the committal hearing, what we really need is evidence.”

“What sort of evidence?”

“Something that might counter the prosecution’s theory about Costa changing his mind.”

“Like what? He never had a chance to tell me anything.”

“No but he sent you the image already. So we could argue that changing his mind was irrelevant.”

“Yes, but like I told the police, the image was blurred. That’s why I was meeting him. He was going to show me the original — at least I assume he was.”

“You know what they say about assume. But let me ask you this: why didn’t you just ask him to send you another copy of the image — a less blurred copy?

“I told him it was blurred and left the ball in his court. He chose not to do it that way.”

“But you see, that’s the problem. That suggests that maybe he decided not to be so open with you.”

“Or maybe he just felt that a face to face meeting would be more productive.”

“Now that is pure speculation. Can you take a look at the image and see if you can decipher it… or read at least part of it?”

“It was on my phone. I dropped that when I escaped.”

“It’s a pity you didn’t make a back up.”

The words jogged Daniel’s memory. He just about to blurt out that he had, when he decided to hold back. It occurred to him that he didn’t really know anything about this man who was representing him. Sure it was his lawyer, and as such some one who had a professional duty to him as the client. But how much did he really know about him? He had hired him on a recommendation. But even if Hackett was a hundred percent trustworthy, what if he was being watched? Whoever had tried to kill Daniel, it was evidently some one dangerous. Anything he told the lawyer might merely put the lawyer in jeopardy… and might leak out to the unknown enemy who was still out there.

Daniel decided to hold back for the time being.