Page 87 of Next in Line

‘I’ll get by,’ said Beth, ‘although there are one or two opportunities I’ll be sorry to miss out on. By the way, Christina,’ she added, taking the portrait of Henry VIII off the wall. ‘Don’t leave without your latest boyfriend.’

‘I never want to see the damn man again,’ replied Christina, spitting out the words. ‘I deserve the same fate as Anne Boleyn.’

‘I think that’s what Miles had in mind. But if you don’t want Henry, I’ll leave him on the wall to remind me in future only to take advice from friends I can trust.’

‘Will you ever forgive me?’

Beth didn’t reply as she put Henry back on the wall.

‘Who can blame you?’ Christina eventually managed.

‘I’ll never forget your generosity and support when I most needed it,’ said Beth. ‘But that doesn’t mean I could ever trust you again.’

Beth turned to face Christina and was once again taken bysurprise when she tore the cheque in half and handed it back to her.

‘If I can’t be your friend, at least I can be your partner.’

•••

‘It wouldn’t stand up in court,’ said Sir Julian, after he’d read the pleading in judgment a second time.

‘Why not?’ asked William.

‘The document hasn’t been signed, so all Booth Watson would have to say is that it was the initial proposal his client had insisted on, although he’d made it clear to him at the time it had little or no chance of succeeding, with which any judge would concur. BW would go on to claim that Faulkner later accepted his advice and signed the most recent agreement in the presence of a senior prison officer, which stated that if he pleaded guilty his sentence would be reduced by two years, which is in line with the CPS’s recommended policy in such cases. I can hear Booth Watson saying that he finally convinced his client that a sentence reduction of two years was the best he could hope for given the circumstances.’

‘In which case, Faulkner wouldn’t hesitate to tell the court what Booth Watson had been up to behind his back.’

‘Who are they more likely to believe?’ asked Sir Julian. ‘A man currently serving a sentence for fraud and absconding from prison, or one of the leading counsels at the bar?’

‘But if Booth Watson was found to have misrepresented his client, he’d have so much to lose.’

‘But so much to gain if he pulled it off,’ said Sir Julian. ‘Think about it, my boy. BW isn’t far off retirement, and heknows where all the bodies are buried, including one of the finest art collections in private hands. So if Faulkner were to end up spending the next fourteen years in prison, he could live a life of luxury during that time. BW might not even be around to face the music by the time Faulkner is finally released. And you can’t kill a dead man.’

William thought about his father’s words for some time before saying, ‘Could you make an application to see the judge in chambers and express your concerns?’

‘I could. But I can assure you he won’t change his mind about the length of the sentence, unless I have some fresh evidence to present.’

‘There’s something else you ought to know about,’ said William.

•••

‘Is that your signature?’ asked William, turning to the last page of the agreement.

‘Yes, it is,’ said Faulkner. ‘And although you have no reason to believe me, Superintendent, I can assure you it’s the first time I’ve ever seen this document.’

‘I do believe you,’ said William, to Miles’s surprise. ‘And perhaps more importantly, so does my father.’

‘So what’s he going to do about it?’

‘He’s already made an appointment to see the trial judge, when I suspect he’ll be the first Prosecuting Counsel ever to plead clemency on behalf of a defendant.’

‘Perhaps he’ll manage to get another couple of years off my sentence, so I end up only serving six? Big deal!’

‘My father intends to make it clear to the judge,’ William continued, ignoring the riposte, ‘that the information yousupplied about the planned suicide attack at the Albert Hall unquestionably saved countless lives.’

‘If that’s all you have to offer,’ said Miles, ‘I may as well plead not guilty, and take you down with me.’

‘My father will also leave the judge in no doubt about the consequences of your changing your plea to not guilty, not only for DI Hogan and myself, but for the reputation of the Metropolitan Police Service.’

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