‘He might have evaded the police yet again had it not been for an equally resourceful Detective Inspector, who ironically ended up saving Faulkner’s life. However, that’s the point at which it stops being an open-and-shut case. I’ll leave you to bring us up to date, Clare,’ he said, before turning to his daughter, ‘while you, Grace, as my junior, can act as devil’s advocate and try to think like Booth Watson.’
‘I presume by that you mean devious and amoral, while exuding oily charm when it comes to addressing the jury.’
‘Couldn’t have put it better myself,’ said Sir Julian.
‘I have already interviewed both DCI Warwick,’ began Clare, avoiding saying ‘your son’, ‘and DI Hogan. Hogan claims that while Faulkner was attempting to escape, he locked himself into his own safe and would have suffocated if he hadn’t come to his rescue.’
‘That much I believe,’ said Sir Julian. ‘But I fear the rest of Hogan’s story sounds less credible. However, please continue.’
‘DI Hogan went on to report that Faulkner was still alive but unconscious when he pulled him out of the safe. With the help of a Lieutenant Sanchez of the Spanish national police, who performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, Faulkner regained consciousness and asked to be taken back to London so he could consult his own doctor. He then fainted.’
‘That’s the bit I find less convincing,’ said Sir Julian, ‘and I’m sure Booth Watson will find several holes in DI Hogan’s evidence once he gets him in the witness box — and will then grandstand when it comes to how it was possible for Hogan to commandeer Faulkner’s private jet, and then fly him back to London without his express permission.’
‘But Inspector Hogan was able to supply us with the name of Faulkner’s physician in Harley Street,’ said Grace.
‘I suspect that Hogan is a risk-taker, who took a punt on Harley Street and got lucky.’
‘Unfortunately, neither Lieutenant Sanchez nor DCI Warwick were able to confirm the exchange between Faulkner and Hogan,’ continued Clare, ‘and, at the time, they took Hogan at his word. It wasn’t until they’d got Faulkner back to England, and he was locked up once again, that DCI Warwick began to consider the consequences of their actions.’
‘We should remember,’ said Grace, ‘that Faulkner was responsible for the tragic death of the Inspector’s wife, so Hogan’s judgement might well have been, to use a legal term, temporarily impaired.’
‘Booth Watson won’t be bothering with temporarily, once he gets Hogan into the witness box,’ said Sir Julian. ‘He’ll start by raising the subject of kidnapping, which I don’t think you’ll find is recommended procedure in the Metropolitan Police handbook.’
‘And that will be before he turns his attention to the theft of a Frans Hals self-portrait, worth at least half a million,’ added Grace, ‘that the general public will have the chance to view at an exhibition to be opened by the Princess of Wales.’
‘An exhibition that will take place at the Fitzmolean Museum,’ said Clare, ‘where coincidentally DCI Warwick’s wife just happens to be the keeper of pictures.’
‘Booth Watson won’t consider it a coincidence, and you can be sure that “the keeper of pictures” will be words he repeats ad nauseam while addressing the jury,’ said Sir Julian. ‘Is there any good news?’
‘That problem could well resolve itself as the trial doesn’t begin until after the exhibition has closed,’ said Clare, ‘and the painting will have been returned to its rightful owner.’
‘Whoever that might be,’ said Sir Julian, the lines on his forehead creasing to reveal deep furrows. ‘But how does that help our cause?’
‘Mrs Christina Faulkner has signed an affidavit stating that the painting belongs to her,’ replied Clare, ‘and she therefore has the right to loan it to whomever she pleases.’
‘Unfortunately, we won’t find out which side that woman is on,’ said Grace, ‘until she enters the witness box, and that’s not a risk I’d be willing to take while BW has more to offer her than we do. And in any case, by then it may be too late.’
‘I fear you’re right,’ said Sir Julian. ‘And we’re already on shaky ground when it comes to defending our position, as Booth Watson will undoubtedly point out when he joins us for a preliminary consultation’ — he checked his watch — ‘in about twenty minutes’ time.’
‘I have a feeling,’ said Grace, ‘that he’ll be only too happy to make a deal that will allow him to get Faulkner off the hook, remembering that he stayed in contact with him after his escape from prison, and even played the conductor at his orchestrated funeral.’
‘Let’s hope you’re right,’ added Sir Julian. ‘But will it be enough to stop him raising the subjects of kidnap and theft?’ He paused for a moment before he picked up a sheet of paper from his desk. ‘I’ve already made a wish list for us to consider,’ he declared, ‘were we in his shoes.’
‘So have I,’ said Clare, extracting a sheet of lined yellow paper from the agreed bundle.
‘Good, then let’s compare notes,’ said Grace.
‘One,’ began Sir Julian, ‘BW will demand that the case be heard in open court so all the damning evidence concerning Chief Inspector Warwick will be in the public domain. And by that, I mean on the front pages of every tabloid newspaper, because if there’s one thing the press enjoy more than being responsible for putting a criminal behind bars, it’s having a go at the police.’
‘Judges aren’t influenced by the red-tops,’ said Grace.
‘But juries are,’ countered Sir Julian. ‘And don’t forget not many of them read the Guardian.’
‘But—’ began Grace.
‘Therefore,’ he continued, taking over from his daughter before she could offer an opinion. ‘Don’t be surprised if BW advises Faulkner to plead guilty to a lesser offence in exchange for a suspended sentence.’
‘Unlikely,’ said Grace. ‘If that were to happen, the press would want to know the reason why he’d got off so lightly.’
‘Two,’ said Sir Julian, ‘for not raising the subject of a stolen painting, he will demand his client’s current sentence be halved to four years, which would mean with good behaviour he’d be released in about a year’s time.’
‘Hogan should have left him in the safe,’ muttered Clare, before putting another tick on her list.
Sir Julian ignored the comment before summing up. ‘So, what we’re looking at is the Crown calling for the judge to double Faulkner’s sentence to sixteen years for absconding from prison, while the defence will be pushing for us to drop the latest charges in exchange for not raising the subject of kidnap and theft, while at the same time halving Faulkner’s present sentence if he’s willing to plead guilty, thus ensuring nothing gets into the press. So what have we got to offer,’ he continued, ‘to prevent that from happening? Because at the moment, frankly I can’t come up with a whole lot.’
‘As I mentioned,’ said Grace, ‘Booth Watson has one or two of his own problems that he certainly won’t want raised in open court.’
‘Rehearse your argument as if you were addressing the jury,’ instructed Sir Julian, gripping the lapels of his jacket before setting off on another circuit.
‘If Booth Watson attended Faulkner’s staged funeral in Geneva, as DCI Warwick will confirm he did, and later flew to Barcelona to see him, as witnessed by DC Pankhurst, he must have known all along that Faulkner was still alive, which means, under the 1967 Criminal Law Act, he was aiding and abetting a fugitive. If we can prove that, the police would have no choice but to open a preliminary investigation into his conduct, the results of which they’d pass on to the CPS and the Bar Council. That could result in Booth Watson being struck off, and even arrested for criminal conspiracy, which would make him ineligible to defend Faulkner, or anyone else for that matter.’