on which side of it?”
“Not sure, I expect forensics will have photos.”
There was nothing more to see. Darla walked up close to Reggie as they headed back toward the gate.
“This is good, isn’t it?” she said in a low voice. “They have no footprints. Nothing to indicate he was at the scene really, do they?”
“So far. But I would like things better if it had not rained, so that the prosecution could offer no logical explanation for why our client’s footprints are not present.”
She thought about that for a moment, then said, “You said on the phone that the motive seems weak. Why? What’s weak about it?”
“It takes years of effort to become a Black Cab driver. It’s almost as tough as becoming a barrister,” said Reggie, and then in a quick afterthought, “Or a solicitor. You wouldn’t expect anyone to jeopardize all that for a simple robbery. Or even a string of them.”
“I see,” she said. “I hadn’t thought of it that way. Then we’re in decent shape, with low motive and little or no forensic proof?”
“No,” said Reggie. “They still have the ID on the cab. Without a verifiable alibi, that will be enough for the indictment to stand. Our client says he was driving home at the time in the East End, but we have only his word for it. The prosecution, on the other hand, has two witnesses who reported seeing his cab, and its license number, thirty or so minutes away in the West End. If we can’t overcome that—and right now I don’t see how we do—this will go to trial, and if it goes to trial, anything can happen.”
“We’ll think of something. I have full confidence in you.”
“Noted and appreciated, but we have just two days to think of it.”
“Perhaps a pint would help?”
Reggie turned and looked at her. What he heard was a purely casual invitation between two lawyers working the same case, and not at all inappropriate, even though they had already hashed out all the lawyerly issues they could for the moment. But her emerald eyes were glimmering and she was standing quite close, as if she wanted to tuck herself inside his raincoat, making him at first highly inclined to accept the invitation, and at second thought, concerned about the consequences of doing so.
He was not prepared at the moment for a determination on this subject. He decided to ask for a continuance.
“Save the pint till after?” he said.
“Done,” she said.
Reggie drove back to chambers. He rang Laura on his mobile along the way, but he got no answer. The message service picked up—but he wasn’t quite certain what he wanted to say. That he thought the young female solicitor was hitting on him? No, probably not a good subject for conversation. That he had finally acquired a new case, the first since he had returned from Los Angeles, but that it wasn’t going particularly well? No, probably not that either. In fact, it was probably a bad idea to leave any message at all. He shut off the phone.
Half a moment later, it rang. It was Laura.
“Did you call?”
“Yes,” said Reggie.
“Why didn’t you leave a message?”
“I … didn’t have all that much to say, really.”
“You are allowed to call without an agenda.”
“Noted. Just thought I’d mention that I got a new brief, actually.”
“That’s wonderful,” said Laura brightly. “What sort is it?”
“Robbery homicide.”
There was a pause.
“Well, double homicide, actually,” added Reggie, in a tone that was halfway between bragging and apology.
“I thought you didn’t do criminal,” said Laura, with just a slight note of concern.
“Circumstances are … exceptional.”
“I see. Well, I am glad you rang … or that you sort of did at any rate, because I was just about to ring you.”
“You did just ring me.”
“Oh, of course,” she said with a laugh, and as awkward as Reggie was sure he sounded a moment ago, now it was Laura who seemed just a bit flustered.
“I just wanted to let you know
“Not sure, I expect forensics will have photos.”
There was nothing more to see. Darla walked up close to Reggie as they headed back toward the gate.
“This is good, isn’t it?” she said in a low voice. “They have no footprints. Nothing to indicate he was at the scene really, do they?”
“So far. But I would like things better if it had not rained, so that the prosecution could offer no logical explanation for why our client’s footprints are not present.”
She thought about that for a moment, then said, “You said on the phone that the motive seems weak. Why? What’s weak about it?”
“It takes years of effort to become a Black Cab driver. It’s almost as tough as becoming a barrister,” said Reggie, and then in a quick afterthought, “Or a solicitor. You wouldn’t expect anyone to jeopardize all that for a simple robbery. Or even a string of them.”
“I see,” she said. “I hadn’t thought of it that way. Then we’re in decent shape, with low motive and little or no forensic proof?”
“No,” said Reggie. “They still have the ID on the cab. Without a verifiable alibi, that will be enough for the indictment to stand. Our client says he was driving home at the time in the East End, but we have only his word for it. The prosecution, on the other hand, has two witnesses who reported seeing his cab, and its license number, thirty or so minutes away in the West End. If we can’t overcome that—and right now I don’t see how we do—this will go to trial, and if it goes to trial, anything can happen.”
“We’ll think of something. I have full confidence in you.”
“Noted and appreciated, but we have just two days to think of it.”
“Perhaps a pint would help?”
Reggie turned and looked at her. What he heard was a purely casual invitation between two lawyers working the same case, and not at all inappropriate, even though they had already hashed out all the lawyerly issues they could for the moment. But her emerald eyes were glimmering and she was standing quite close, as if she wanted to tuck herself inside his raincoat, making him at first highly inclined to accept the invitation, and at second thought, concerned about the consequences of doing so.
He was not prepared at the moment for a determination on this subject. He decided to ask for a continuance.
“Save the pint till after?” he said.
“Done,” she said.
Reggie drove back to chambers. He rang Laura on his mobile along the way, but he got no answer. The message service picked up—but he wasn’t quite certain what he wanted to say. That he thought the young female solicitor was hitting on him? No, probably not a good subject for conversation. That he had finally acquired a new case, the first since he had returned from Los Angeles, but that it wasn’t going particularly well? No, probably not that either. In fact, it was probably a bad idea to leave any message at all. He shut off the phone.
Half a moment later, it rang. It was Laura.
“Did you call?”
“Yes,” said Reggie.
“Why didn’t you leave a message?”
“I … didn’t have all that much to say, really.”
“You are allowed to call without an agenda.”
“Noted. Just thought I’d mention that I got a new brief, actually.”
“That’s wonderful,” said Laura brightly. “What sort is it?”
“Robbery homicide.”
There was a pause.
“Well, double homicide, actually,” added Reggie, in a tone that was halfway between bragging and apology.
“I thought you didn’t do criminal,” said Laura, with just a slight note of concern.
“Circumstances are … exceptional.”
“I see. Well, I am glad you rang … or that you sort of did at any rate, because I was just about to ring you.”
“You did just ring me.”
“Oh, of course,” she said with a laugh, and as awkward as Reggie was sure he sounded a moment ago, now it was Laura who seemed just a bit flustered.
“I just wanted to let you know
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