Dan was emerging from the robing room, running his finger round his collar, as Jayne came to meet him, rushing from the security barrier.
‘Rodney’s here,’ she said, breathless. ‘I saw him arrive, but not just Rodney though. Leoni too.’
He craned his neck to look through the door and towards the street. ‘Why is she here?’
‘I don’t know, but she was waiting for Rodney. And she knows who I am, gave me real daggers before she walked off.’
‘Someone has tipped her off.’
‘That’s what I thought. But who?’
‘I’ve one guess,’ Dan said, and turned towards the door that led to the cells.
The clang of the door echoed as Dan went down the stairs. The press of a buzzer brought a security guard to the other side of a screen, and Dan asked for Rodney Walker before sitting down.
His breath steamed up the glass screen as he waited. He didn’t have to wait for long. The lock rattled and Rodney was shown in.
Rodney wasn’t as brash as he had been the last time Dan saw him. He slumped into the chair and cast his gaze to the floor. His shoulders heaved as he took a deep breath.
‘Are you ready, Rodney?’
He looked up. ‘This is it then. Is Porter doing the same?’
Dan reached into his pocket for his Dictaphone ‘He’s not going into court, he won’t, but I’ve got something better,’ and he waved the machine. ‘The whole story. I’m going to the media with his, so the world will hear the story Mark Roberts was going to write. It’ll be heard beyond this courtroom.’
Rodney thought about that, before saying, ‘Good. That was the deal, that I don’t do this alone. Let’s go.’
As Dan put the Dictaphone away, he said, ‘Leoni was here before.’
‘I know, I saw her. I guessed she would be.’
‘Did you tell her you’d be here?’
‘I called her last night.’
‘But why?’
‘To tell her what I was going to do. It changes everything. For me. For her.’
‘But why tip her off?’
‘Because I had this one last hope that she might have gone into the police station herself. It was her chance for some redemption, to make it right.’
‘I don’t think she took it.’
‘I know. I could tell from her expression. She wasn’t there to see me. She was there to warn me off, to somehow tweak my emotions. Do you know what she mouthed when I looked up? I love you, Daddy. Can you believe that? She wanted me to break, to get back on the prison van and forget all about it.’
‘And why didn’t you?’
‘Because I’m trying to do the right thing, however much it hurts.’ He wiped his eyes and his voice broke. ‘I haven’t seen her in over twenty years but I knew it was her. She looked just like Sarah did at that age. And a father’s love never dies. She might be incapable of that emotion, but I can feel it, and seeing her in the flesh like that…’ He blew out. ‘It made me feel sick, because I wanted to reach out for her, have my little girl hold me like I’d always hoped she would.’ Tears ran down his cheeks. ‘Do you know she never asked for a hug? I thought little girls were supposed to love their daddy, be all over them, sit on their knees and play stupid games.’ He held up his hand. ‘I know, I’m making it all about me, but it’s only when I look back that I can see it. She’s dead in here,’ and he patted his chest. ‘Always has been, because I tried. I blamed Sarah for it, and me, but I never thought of blaming her.’
‘Are you going to go through with it, Rodney? I need to know, because I’ve got a client depending on you.’
He wiped his eyes. ‘I’m ready.’
Dan left him and went back to the court corridor, anxious for the case to start before Rodney had a change of heart. Porter was there, waiting further along.
As Dan approached him, he stood and said, ‘This isn’t a good day for me, Mr Grant. Are you sure I need to do this?’
‘That was the deal I made with Rodney. He’ll do it if you will. I’ll speak to the press, and you should too. If you talk to them, you can control the information.’ Dan stepped closer. ‘And you know, deep down, that it’s the right thing to do. I made a deal, a promise. Whatever you think of defence lawyers, you’re the one with the dirty secret.’
With that, Dan went into the courtroom, wanting the cool hush to calm him. If he was going to get his own revenge for what happened to his office, and for the beating he took, it had to go right in court.
He checked his watch. Almost time.