Read Online Trespass (P.I. Johnson Carmichael Series - Book 2) by Stephen Edger - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Stephen Edger
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that?’
‘What? Murder?’
‘No, I mean the other barrister. How can he sleep at night, knowing he is defending someone who is guilty of such despicable crimes?’
‘Oh Charleston’s not all that bad. He is a smarmy trickster who knows how to pick holes in evidence and ask difficult questions, but he has morals. He would only take on the case if he believed that correct protocol had not been adequately followed, and if that is the case, then his client won’t have received a fair trial and therefore is right to be acquitted. It’s a strange system.’
‘You’re telling me!’
‘You did well yesterday.’
‘You think?’
‘Yes I do. I know he was attempting to discredit your story but I think you gave an honest enough account of what happened. It just hinges on me convincing the jury that he is responsible for the three crimes.’
‘The police reckon he is guilty of more than just these three. What do you think?’
‘Well, if he was capable of doing what he is accused of, then I’m sure he will have attempted to do it earlier. People like him practise the art of what they do, until they achieve the satisfaction they are searching for, no matter how gratuitous.’
‘Is that why you took this case?’
‘Sort of. Look, I need to do some preparation for this afternoon, would it be okay if you left the court now?’
Cat nodded her understanding and made her way back to the small canteen outside the room. She found Sharon at a small table with two Styrofoam cups of tea.
‘You look like you need this,’ Sharon said as Cat took the seat next to her.
10
THURSDAY
Judge Thomas Adams took a long slurp from the mug of coffee his wife had so kindly left for him on the breakfast bar, while he had been in the shower. He had not slept well. The trial he was serving on Crown vs. Green had lasted nine days so far, but now the end was very much in sight. The jury had been sent out, to deliberate all the evidence they had seen and heard, at eleven a.m. the previous morning and the Clerk of the Court had indicated at four forty-five the same day that a verdict had been reached on the main charge, that of the murder of Patricia Tropaz. The fact that verdicts had not been confirmed on the other two assault charges, suggested to Adams that the first outcome was likely to be guilty as the additional charges were made on the assumption of the first.
Whilst there was no scientific evidence to confirm Adams’ suspicions, a quick verdict, in his experience, often meant a guilty verdict. But he knew there was always a first time for him to be wrong. The case had affected him deeply, more so than any other he had ever presided over, yet he couldn’t quite decide why. He had heard a handful of sexual assault cases before and this was certainly not the first murder trial he had witnessed in his twenty years on the bench, but there was just something about this case.
‘Everything okay, dear?’ asked his wife over his shoulder when she saw how pensive he looked.
He forced a reassuring smile, ‘Just work, that’s all.’
The response seemed to pacify her as she wandered out to the garden to attack some weeds in a flower bed. Adams quickly glanced through the main headlines of the newspaper that had been delivered earlier but his mind kept returning back to Nathan Green and the photographic evidence provided by the police. Some of the accounts of what had happened to each of the three victims made his blood boil, and although he was required to remain impartial, he knew if he was responsible for the verdict, Green would already have been found guilty.
Adams finished dressing and made the short drive to Rickmansworth Underground Station and then caught the first train to Central London. He arrived at the Old Bailey at eight forty-five and entered his office to review the other impending cases that he could preside over. A little before twelve p.m. a knock on the door was followed by a message that the
‘What? Murder?’
‘No, I mean the other barrister. How can he sleep at night, knowing he is defending someone who is guilty of such despicable crimes?’
‘Oh Charleston’s not all that bad. He is a smarmy trickster who knows how to pick holes in evidence and ask difficult questions, but he has morals. He would only take on the case if he believed that correct protocol had not been adequately followed, and if that is the case, then his client won’t have received a fair trial and therefore is right to be acquitted. It’s a strange system.’
‘You’re telling me!’
‘You did well yesterday.’
‘You think?’
‘Yes I do. I know he was attempting to discredit your story but I think you gave an honest enough account of what happened. It just hinges on me convincing the jury that he is responsible for the three crimes.’
‘The police reckon he is guilty of more than just these three. What do you think?’
‘Well, if he was capable of doing what he is accused of, then I’m sure he will have attempted to do it earlier. People like him practise the art of what they do, until they achieve the satisfaction they are searching for, no matter how gratuitous.’
‘Is that why you took this case?’
‘Sort of. Look, I need to do some preparation for this afternoon, would it be okay if you left the court now?’
Cat nodded her understanding and made her way back to the small canteen outside the room. She found Sharon at a small table with two Styrofoam cups of tea.
‘You look like you need this,’ Sharon said as Cat took the seat next to her.
10
THURSDAY
Judge Thomas Adams took a long slurp from the mug of coffee his wife had so kindly left for him on the breakfast bar, while he had been in the shower. He had not slept well. The trial he was serving on Crown vs. Green had lasted nine days so far, but now the end was very much in sight. The jury had been sent out, to deliberate all the evidence they had seen and heard, at eleven a.m. the previous morning and the Clerk of the Court had indicated at four forty-five the same day that a verdict had been reached on the main charge, that of the murder of Patricia Tropaz. The fact that verdicts had not been confirmed on the other two assault charges, suggested to Adams that the first outcome was likely to be guilty as the additional charges were made on the assumption of the first.
Whilst there was no scientific evidence to confirm Adams’ suspicions, a quick verdict, in his experience, often meant a guilty verdict. But he knew there was always a first time for him to be wrong. The case had affected him deeply, more so than any other he had ever presided over, yet he couldn’t quite decide why. He had heard a handful of sexual assault cases before and this was certainly not the first murder trial he had witnessed in his twenty years on the bench, but there was just something about this case.
‘Everything okay, dear?’ asked his wife over his shoulder when she saw how pensive he looked.
He forced a reassuring smile, ‘Just work, that’s all.’
The response seemed to pacify her as she wandered out to the garden to attack some weeds in a flower bed. Adams quickly glanced through the main headlines of the newspaper that had been delivered earlier but his mind kept returning back to Nathan Green and the photographic evidence provided by the police. Some of the accounts of what had happened to each of the three victims made his blood boil, and although he was required to remain impartial, he knew if he was responsible for the verdict, Green would already have been found guilty.
Adams finished dressing and made the short drive to Rickmansworth Underground Station and then caught the first train to Central London. He arrived at the Old Bailey at eight forty-five and entered his office to review the other impending cases that he could preside over. A little before twelve p.m. a knock on the door was followed by a message that the
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