Post Mortem, Gary Bell [best fiction novels .txt] 📗

‘Not quite,’ Garrick sighed. ‘As My Lady knows, Miss Meadows has also been remanded in custody in relation to a large number of offences including several murders. In relation to those matters, I am to inform the court that she is no longer a suspect and, from now onwards, Miss Meadows’s status will be as a witness for the prosecution. It follows that there is no longer any reason for her to be remanded in custody. Charli Meadows may be released.’

A voice – her brother’s – roared from the gallery. ‘Yes!’

‘Very well,’ the judge replied, turning to the dock. ‘Officer, please release Miss Meadows.’

The dock officer – with all eyes now upon him – blushed. ‘Apologies, My Lady, but she’ll have to go downstairs to be processed before she’s released.’

Allen’s eyes flared. ‘Miss Meadows is an innocent woman of good character facing no criminal charges. Under what authority do you purport to keep her in custody while she is, as you call it, processed?’

The dock officer shrank on the spot. ‘I’ll need to check with my supervisor.’

‘You will not,’ Allen scalded. ‘You will open the dock gate and release Miss Meadows immediately or I will have you remanded in custody for contempt of court.’

That did it. The dock officer opened the gate. Charli Meadows rose to her feet, paused for a moment and closed her eyes. Then she stepped down out of the dock and proceeded to walk straight out of the courtroom to scattered applause from the public gallery.

‘Well.’ Lady Allen sighed, leaning back into her chair. ‘I think that concludes our business for today. Thank you for your assistance, everybody. It has been … unusual.’

The usher led the jury out as soon as the judge retired. Eventually, after everybody else had filed out in dribs and drabs, only Harlan Garrick remained in the room while I packed away the case papers.

I could hear some sort of incessant grinding, and it took me a moment to realise that the noise was coming from his teeth.

‘I’m still not entirely sure what happened today,’ he said, ‘but may I say that your performance in this case has been utterly shambolic.’

‘You think so?’ I replied. ‘I’m not sure that Charli Meadows would agree with you.’

‘Yes, I think so. Your conduct has been an embarrassment to the Bar, and I’ve a good mind to report you to your head of chambers.’

‘Be my guest. Only, when you do, you ought to ask him to remind you of the barrister’s code of conduct. I suspect you could use a reminder.’

He gathered his papers into his arms and, in a sweep of silk, began to walk to the doors. ‘You have an answer for everything, don’t you, Rook?’

I couldn’t resist. ‘Only one.’

He turned back, glowering. ‘Which is?’

I grinned. ‘I count that as two-one to me.’

And then he was gone.

Charli was waiting outside the courthouse when I emerged. Zara was there with her, pointing out the destruction on the lawn, waving her arms around and doing her best to replicate the experience in a mature fashion.

‘So this dickhead’s just, like, driving straight at us! And I’m like, shit, then this cop car comes and smash! The car goes spinning across the grass, everybody’s screaming, people coming out onto the steps with their phones and that, filming it all …’

Charli looked bewildered, and she seemed grateful for the distraction when I came walking down the steps. ‘Mr Rook.’

I nodded a greeting. ‘Welcome back to the real world, Charli.’

‘Thank you,’ she said, offering her hand. ‘I’m not sure if you ever really believed in me, but I can never repay you for what you’ve done. I don’t expect there are many barristers that would risk their careers, let alone their lives, for any client.’

I shrugged it off and shook her hand. ‘I can’t imagine how relieved you must be feeling.’

‘I don’t even know myself,’ she said. ‘I mean, I will, in time. It’s just … shocking, you know? I just want to get back to my kids.’

‘Of course.’

She hesitated. ‘What did happen to my dog?’

‘I don’t know,’ I admitted. ‘Maybe they’d realised the significance of that breed, and its ties to Werner, being found in your allotment after all. Maybe they knew that, without the dog’s body, you’d be hard-pressed to explain any burial to begin with. Either way, they must’ve disposed of it elsewhere, but we’ll likely never know where. I think it’s probably best not to think about it.’

She nodded, eyes flooding.

A cheer boomed from the doors behind us and Delroy came leaping down the steps. He caught his sister in a bear hug, scooped her up high and spun her round in a circle. Charli sobbed. Zara and I watched. Attempts on our lives be damned; the effort had, as always, been worth it.

Delroy glanced over, crying a little himself, and grinned. ‘So, does this mean I can get some of those legal fees back now that she’s been found not guilty?’

‘I’m sure you can probably get your solicitor’s fees back,’ I said, ‘given the circumstances, but I’m sorry to say that some wise chap in government has decided that innocent people can no longer recover their legal fees.’

‘In that case, I’ll have to try and make it back by overcharging on a couple of repair bills. There’s this Jag in at the minute, they say the owner’s some sort of legal genius, but I don’t think he’s all that much.’

I laughed. ‘How are you getting on with that?’

‘Oh, pretty good. The garage is still being turned upside down by coppers as we speak, and my only employee has been arrested for mass murder.’

‘I’ll expect it in the morning then, good as new.’

‘Yeah, right.’ He slapped his sister on the back. ‘In the meantime, I know three kids who are about to have the best night they’ve had in a long time. I’ll be in touch, Rook.’

‘Whenever you get around to it,’ I said. ‘For now, go and celebrate.’

‘We will,’ Charli said. ‘Thank you.