Standing up, he gulped the rest of his beer and then pushed past the table, knocking it so that my coffee slopped into its saucer.
‘Wait a second,’ I said, but he was already forcing his way through the crush of bodies towards the door. One portly man in a pinstripe suit was jostled and almost spilled his drink as Mears pushed past.
‘And that, gentlemen, is the sort of attitude we have to deal with today,’ he announced, glaring after him.
I don’t think Mears even noticed.
Chapter 24
I stayed in the pub only long enough to finish the sandwich. Outside, the drizzle hadn’t eased up and the people I passed all trudged along the slick pavements with heads bowed, shoulders hunched miserably. Although it was only mid-afternoon, the day already seemed to be hurrying towards night. It was days like this that made me wonder why I chose to live in the city. I’d moved away once before, exchanged the clogged streets and concrete of London for a tiny Norfolk village, where at least the autumn weather felt more like a natural cycle, the steady turn of seasons. Here it just felt dismal.
But I knew my outlook was probably tainted by the incident with Mears. As I stood on the pavement edge waiting to cross the road, I wondered again what was going on with him. Few investigations ran smoothly, and dealing with the unexpected was part of the job. The young forensic taphonomist had all the necessary skills, and even his lack of experience needn’t be too great a handicap. Provided he admitted it, to himself as much as anyone.
I had a feeling Mears’s ego might make that difficult, though. Combined with his brittleness under pressure, it made for a bad combination. The question was what I should do about it.
My phone rang as I crossed the road. I hurried under a shop awning to answer it, seeing as I took it out that the number wasn’t one I knew. But the voice on the other end was immediately recognizable.
‘Dr Hunter? It’s Adam Oduya. Have I caught you at a bad time?’
I didn’t bother asking how he’d got hold of my number: as he’d said before, he had his sources. ‘Is this anything to do with the investigation?’
‘No, I give you my word. It’s another matter entirely.’
I looked at the drizzle, now fully fledged rain, dripping off the edge of the awning. ‘OK.’
‘When we spoke a couple of days ago I mentioned there was something I wanted to talk to you about. Nothing to do with St Jude’s, I assure you. I wondered if you’re free later this afternoon to discuss it?’
I kneaded my eyes. After the encounter with Mears in the pub I wasn’t in a mood to contend with Oduya as well. Still, I didn’t feel able to refuse out of hand. Even if I didn’t agree with his methods, it was hard to fault the activist’s motives.
‘What is it?’ I asked guardedly.
‘How do you feel about pro bono work?’
I’d taken on pro bono cases in the past, but it depended on the case. Particularly when it came from Oduya. ‘You’ll need to tell me more about it.’
‘I’m trying to launch an appeal for an individual convicted of murder ten years ago who I strongly believe is innocent. I think the evidence against him is flawed, especially the supposed cause of the victim’s injuries. I’d like you to review it and give me your opinion.’
I hesitated, still wary.
‘I understand your reluctance,’ Oduya went on, and I could hear the wry smile in his voice. ‘Obviously, you don’t want to do anything that will compromise your work for the police. But I give you my word this won’t. I was going to wait for things to settle down over St Jude’s, but my client has already tried to kill himself twice and his family are worried he’ll try again. They don’t have much money, but if it helps I could see about a small fee to cover expenses?’
‘The money’s not an issue, but I’d want to know more before I commit myself.’
‘Of course. That’s why I’d like to meet to discuss it.’
The rain was dripping down my neck from the edge of the shop awning. I moved further underneath, thinking what I had left to do at the mortuary. Not an awful lot, but I still wanted to look at the burnt dental palate from the boiler.
‘I can’t make this afternoon,’ I told him.
‘This evening, then. Whatever time and place suits you.’
I was still reluctant, but I was curious now as well. ‘I could meet you after work. I’m at the mortuary on Carlisle Street—’
‘Near the law courts,’ he finished for me. ‘I know it. I used to spend a lot of time around there when I was in full-time practice. It’s not far from the Tube station, and there’s a pub close by called the Plume of Feathers. I could meet you there, say, seven o’clock?’
That was the same pub I’d just seen Mears in. But it was convenient, and that should give me more than enough time. I thought Oduya would be satisfied with that, but he hadn’t finished.
‘Do you know how Gary Lennox is?’ he asked.
‘I thought we weren’t going to talk about St Jude’s.’
‘I’m not, but I’d still like to know how he is. As you’ve probably heard, I’m no longer representing Gary and his mother.’
‘What happened?’ Ward had told me Oduya had been fired, though not why.
‘Lola had a change of heart and went with the duty solicitor instead. She decided she’d feel more comfortable with… Well, let’s say someone more traditional.’
From what I knew of Lola, that didn’t surprise me. And I couldn’t see any harm in updating Oduya about her son’s condition. ‘He’s not good, last I heard.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that. Regardless of how it turns out, it’s a sad situation.’
Yes, it was. ‘Do Christine Gorski’s parents know?’
‘That I tried to help a vulnerable man and his elderly mother, you mean?’ Oduya sounded weary rather than angry. ‘It’s no secret. I wasn’t representing Sandra and Tomas in a legal capacity, so there was no conflict of interest.’
I moved aside to let a group of people into the shop. ‘I was thinking more about frustrating the police’s attempts to find their daughter’s killer.’
‘If you mean advising Gary Lennox’s mother on their legal rights, again it’s no secret. Whatever her son may or may not have done, he has the same rights as you or I. If the police have a case against him, let them bring it. But I won’t stand by while someone’s vulnerability is exploited. I’ve seen the justice system abused too many times for that.’
‘What about justice for the victims and their families?’
‘It’s all part of the same coin. And please, don’t insult either of us by assuming the moral high ground. I’ve sat with a mother who’s just been told her pregnant daughter was lying dead in a derelict hospital for over a year. Believe me, I want whoever’s guilty to be caught as much as you do. We just have different ways of going about it.’ The amusement crept back into his voice. ‘Anyway, Dr Hunter, for someone who didn’t want to talk about St Jude’s, you’re not making a very good job of it.’
No, I wasn’t. I hadn’t meant to let myself get drawn into a discussion. Ending the call, I put my phone away, feeling annoyed with myself. As long as the police were unable to gather enough evidence to either charge Gary Lennox or exclude him from suspicion, the investigation would continue to be stuck in limbo. But however responsible I might feel for opening this particular Pandora’s box, it was out of my hands now. Getting into a debate about it with Oduya wasn’t likely to help.
It was only as I stepped from under the awning into the rain that I wondered if that was what he’d intended when he’d asked how Gary Lennox was. As I hurried back to the mortuary, I told myself I’d have to be careful when I met him that evening.