reassembled, Sam frowned and said, ‘You’re changing.’
‘People do.’
Sam looked at the view and then back at the wine glass. ‘You can’t reinvent yourself, Joe.’
He took a deep breath. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘This,’ Sam said. ‘Apartment on the canal, wine, like you’re some kind of city sophisticate. You’re just like me, from the same bland part of the city, our family trashed. This isn’t you.’
‘You’re turning my booze preference into a class war,’ Joe said. ‘It’s not like that.’
‘Are you sure?’ Sam said. ‘Is that why you wouldn’t come to the grave today? You’re moving onwards and upwards, leaving us behind.’
‘Don’t be stupid,’ Joe said. The smile disappeared. He could feel the darkness tugging at him. Ellie. A woodland path.
‘I just think our family should matter more,’ Sam said.
‘It does matter, it’s just that…’ and then Joe paused. There were too many things he carried around with himself, a secret he couldn’t share with Sam. ‘I had to be somewhere. It’s work, Sam. It’s what I do. It pays my bills.’
Sam sighed. ‘I worry about Mum. And Ruby. Mum can’t cope with her. She goes out all the time, doesn’t do her homework, and Mum just ignores it, because she can’t stomach the fight.’
‘Should we speak to her?’ Joe said. ‘Teenagers left to make their own decisions get into trouble, and I don’t want to get called out to the police station for her.’
‘Yes, I think we should.’
Joe let the silence grow as Sam looked out over the water. There was something troubling him. Finally Sam said, ‘Talking to Ruby would make a change from talking to a murderer, I suppose. That must sit heavily, after what happened to Ellie.’
Joe took another sip of wine. There it was, the reason for the visit. ‘You said “murderer”.’
‘Yes, I did.’
‘Do you mean Ronnie Bagley?’
‘Well, yes.’ Sam sat back. ‘Why was he more important than your family today, so that you had to squeeze us in before a prison visit?’
‘It’s not a competition,’ Joe said, and put down his glass. ‘How did you know I’m involved in Ronnie’s case?’
Sam looked surprised by that. ‘Well, you are, aren’t you?’
‘From today I am, but how did you find out?’
Sam didn’t answer at first, and so Joe waited, knowing that Sam would fill the silence.
‘Someone mentioned it at the station,’ Sam said eventually. ‘They asked me what was going on.’
‘And what did you say?’
‘Nothing. What else could I say? I don’t know anything about your cases.’
‘How did they say it to you? The last I heard, you were on the financial unit, shuffling papers. So what was it? An email, or a phone call? Or just whispers in the canteen?’
‘It wasn’t like that.’
‘I’m not stupid, Sam. I’ve had one court hearing and a prison visit and you find out, when I can’t think of any reason why you should. So why? Is my involvement making people nervous, because I get results?’
‘Don’t be so bloody arrogant.’
‘Or is there something about the case that you don’t want people finding out?’
‘Now you’re being ridiculous. Someone just mentioned that you had picked up the case, that’s all. You being my brother is a conversation piece, something to say when you pass people in the corridor.’
Joe didn’t respond. Sam wasn’t going to reveal anything.
‘I don’t know how you can do it anyway,’ Sam said.
‘If you’re saying what I think you are, we’ve had this conversation before.’
‘It still needs saying. You defend murderers and rapists and thieves and fraudsters. How can you do that? How can you go to sleep at night, knowing the people you help keep on the streets?’
Joe closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
The question bored him. It was the one all defence lawyers got, especially from the police. His answer changed, depending on who was doing the asking. Sometimes he gave the truthful
‘People do.’
Sam looked at the view and then back at the wine glass. ‘You can’t reinvent yourself, Joe.’
He took a deep breath. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘This,’ Sam said. ‘Apartment on the canal, wine, like you’re some kind of city sophisticate. You’re just like me, from the same bland part of the city, our family trashed. This isn’t you.’
‘You’re turning my booze preference into a class war,’ Joe said. ‘It’s not like that.’
‘Are you sure?’ Sam said. ‘Is that why you wouldn’t come to the grave today? You’re moving onwards and upwards, leaving us behind.’
‘Don’t be stupid,’ Joe said. The smile disappeared. He could feel the darkness tugging at him. Ellie. A woodland path.
‘I just think our family should matter more,’ Sam said.
‘It does matter, it’s just that…’ and then Joe paused. There were too many things he carried around with himself, a secret he couldn’t share with Sam. ‘I had to be somewhere. It’s work, Sam. It’s what I do. It pays my bills.’
Sam sighed. ‘I worry about Mum. And Ruby. Mum can’t cope with her. She goes out all the time, doesn’t do her homework, and Mum just ignores it, because she can’t stomach the fight.’
‘Should we speak to her?’ Joe said. ‘Teenagers left to make their own decisions get into trouble, and I don’t want to get called out to the police station for her.’
‘Yes, I think we should.’
Joe let the silence grow as Sam looked out over the water. There was something troubling him. Finally Sam said, ‘Talking to Ruby would make a change from talking to a murderer, I suppose. That must sit heavily, after what happened to Ellie.’
Joe took another sip of wine. There it was, the reason for the visit. ‘You said “murderer”.’
‘Yes, I did.’
‘Do you mean Ronnie Bagley?’
‘Well, yes.’ Sam sat back. ‘Why was he more important than your family today, so that you had to squeeze us in before a prison visit?’
‘It’s not a competition,’ Joe said, and put down his glass. ‘How did you know I’m involved in Ronnie’s case?’
Sam looked surprised by that. ‘Well, you are, aren’t you?’
‘From today I am, but how did you find out?’
Sam didn’t answer at first, and so Joe waited, knowing that Sam would fill the silence.
‘Someone mentioned it at the station,’ Sam said eventually. ‘They asked me what was going on.’
‘And what did you say?’
‘Nothing. What else could I say? I don’t know anything about your cases.’
‘How did they say it to you? The last I heard, you were on the financial unit, shuffling papers. So what was it? An email, or a phone call? Or just whispers in the canteen?’
‘It wasn’t like that.’
‘I’m not stupid, Sam. I’ve had one court hearing and a prison visit and you find out, when I can’t think of any reason why you should. So why? Is my involvement making people nervous, because I get results?’
‘Don’t be so bloody arrogant.’
‘Or is there something about the case that you don’t want people finding out?’
‘Now you’re being ridiculous. Someone just mentioned that you had picked up the case, that’s all. You being my brother is a conversation piece, something to say when you pass people in the corridor.’
Joe didn’t respond. Sam wasn’t going to reveal anything.
‘I don’t know how you can do it anyway,’ Sam said.
‘If you’re saying what I think you are, we’ve had this conversation before.’
‘It still needs saying. You defend murderers and rapists and thieves and fraudsters. How can you do that? How can you go to sleep at night, knowing the people you help keep on the streets?’
Joe closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
The question bored him. It was the one all defence lawyers got, especially from the police. His answer changed, depending on who was doing the asking. Sometimes he gave the truthful
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