‘Is it to do with what Bob said about you?’
‘What did Bob say about me?’ said Jordan, only just keeping the demand out of his voice.
‘That you were clever and that you’d found something that helped me… about what I was telling him.’
‘It could be. Let’s see how the rest of the day goes.’
‘I don’t want to see how the rest of the day goes. I want to run away and hide and not come out for a long time.’
‘That’s…’ started Jordan but stopped.
‘That’s what?’
Jordan’s first thought had been to describe it as childish. Instead he said, ‘Giving up, with no reason to give up.’ His mind butterflying beyond his conversation with Alyce, Jordan thought it was difficult to conceive how someone like her could have gone to bed – had grunting on top of her – someone as heavy and animal-like as the man he’d just seen for the first time in court. Beckwith and Reid were properly listening to what he said now – despising him as well for being a smartass and he didn’t give a damn about that – and he’d go on pushing if he had to until what he’d read, but obviously not expertly understood, from the venereal case notes of Alfred Appleton and Leanne Jefferies was explained. But what if the case notes didn’t mean anything? Everything would rebound back upon them. Like Beckwith, Jordan hadn’t believed that the judge could be such a cantankerous old bastard.
‘What’s she like?’
‘Who?’ said Jordan, momentarily lost in his own thoughts.
‘The woman he fucked, Leanne?’
‘I don’t believe you haven’t looked at her!’
‘I haven’t looked… don’t want to look.’
Jordan still didn’t believe her. ‘Much older than she really is, compared to you. Doesn’t compare at all – as well – with you…’
‘Perhaps she does things I wouldn’t.’
‘After France I can’t imagine what that might have been.’
Alyce shook her head, dismissing the memory. ‘I’m going to ask Bob if it’s absolutely necessary for me to be in court.’
‘Would that be a good idea?’
‘That’s what I want. Why shouldn’t it be all right?’
‘It could look to the judge – and the jury, when it’s eventually convened – as if you’re the guiltier party. Which you aren’t.’
‘I don’t care what it looks like.’
‘Don’t you care who’s proved to be guilty: if you’re branded as the slut that he’s trying to make you out to be?’
‘Not really.’
‘I don’t believe that.’
‘I don’t care what you…’
‘Believe?’ Jordan finished for her.
‘I don’t want us to fight.’
‘Neither do I.’
‘Then let’s not.’
Jordan turned at the sound of Reid’s returning approach and saw that two of the men who had remained beyond the rail behind Appleton’s table were starring at him and Alyce. When Reid reached his table the lawyer said, ‘I told you to keep it brief.’
‘Why don’t you worry more about the strain on Alyce than our simply talking together!’ said Jordan, aware as he spoke of the opposition entourage re-entering the court.
‘I fear there has been created the possibility of a severe misunderstanding which I wish -’ Bartle turned to indicate the next table – ‘as well as my colleague, Mr Wolfson wishes, to make clear I am most anxious to correct-’
‘And which I am even more anxious to have explained to me,’ predictably broke in Pullinger.
‘It is fortunate, your honour, that present in this court today are the two medical experts who conducted the required examinations upon my client and that of Ms Leanne Jefferies, who is enjoined in this matter.’
‘How did that come about, that they should be present?’ persisted the judge.
Bartle lowered his head, not immediately replying, which Jordan decided to be in frustration at the constant intrusion. Beside him he saw Beckwith was scribbling a soldiers’ battalion of exclamation marks on his yellow legal pad.
‘I was obliged, as was my fellow attorney, Mr Wolfson, to have been alerted prior to today’s hearing by Mr Beckwith that there was some disparity between the required medical assessments.’
‘You had the evidence of Mr Beckwith’s expert witness in your required pre-hearing presentations,’ reminded Pullinger. ‘Why weren’t the omissions from your side corrected before today, so that this whole matter could have been resolved without the time-wasting disruption to which it has been subjected?’
Bartle turned pointedly to where Beckwith sat. ‘I regret, your honour, that neither myself nor Mr Wolfson were specifically advised what the challenge was going to be. Had we been, then this court would not have been caused the delay to which you are quiet rightly drawing attention. My request, sir – with which my colleague, Mr Wolfson, is in full agreement, to prevent any further delay in the proceedings – is that this session be adjourned until tomorrow to enable the apparent discrepancies to be rectified, with our deep and respectful apologies.’
Pullinger kept the lawyer standing for what seemed to be an age in the completely hushed court, irritably waving the man back into his seat when the uncertain Wolfson made as if to get to his feet, imagining that the judged wanted a supporting request.
Instead Pullinger turned to where Jordan sat with his lawyer and said, ‘Mr Beckwith?’
‘I am, as always, at your honour’s disposal and would not seek any further to delay the progress of my submission or anything else that might be brought before the court,’ said Beckwith. ‘But I would draw your honour’s attention to the fact that had the omission not been brought to your honour’s early attention this entire case might have proceeded with insufficient evidence at the court’s disposal, which I am sure you would deplore. A re-presentation of the medical reports will, I hope, rectify that problem, but I would respectfully request that your honour gives me the opportunity, upon such re-presentation, to explore the matter further if those re-presentations are applicable to the submission that I have not yet had the opportunity to pursue.’
‘I certainly will wish to examine most carefully what is provided to this court tomorrow,’ said Pullinger. ‘And give you now the undertaking that you will be allowed to do the same, as all three expert witnesses are present in court and as it is my wish that they so remain until the court decides otherwise.’ The vulture’s head swivelled. ‘I expect to be provided by 9 a.m. tomorrow with the redrafted medical report upon your client, Mr Bartle, and yours, Mr Wolfson. And I will say, at this point, that I will not tolerate another single instance of expected court protocol being inadequately complied with.’
‘It wouldn’t have been right for me to have interceded,’ declared Reid. ‘You’d won the point, hands down. If I had tried to add on more applications it would have defused everything.’
‘I know. Thank you,’ said Beckwith.
They’d gathered in Reid’s Raleigh office, after the local lawyer had smuggled Alyce out of the court and into a waiting car.
‘I will do, tomorrow, if it all goes well,’ persisted Reid, defensively.
‘You did the right thing,’ assured Beckwith. ‘I said I’m grateful.’
‘Any trouble getting Alyce away?’ asked Jordan.
‘I don’t think so. I didn’t see any cameras.’ Reid nodded to his telephone console. ‘There’ve been four or five media enquiries, asking me to call back. I’m not sure that I will.’
‘Alyce told me she doesn’t want to be in court,’ said Jordan.
Reid’s face tightened, irritably, at Jordan’s awareness. ‘She told me the same thing. She wants the judge to excuse her.’
‘You going to go to Pullinger with that?’ asked Beckwith.
‘Certainly not before the case has even properly started,’ said Reid.
‘I don’t think it would be a wise application to make at any stage,’ said Beckwith.
‘You think she’s up to it: sitting through everything that’s going to be said, all the details likely to come out?’ asked Jordan.
Reid shrugged, uncertainly. ‘Apparently there’s a lot of family pressure building up, disgrace and shame to the established dynasty, that sort of shit.’