The courtroom emptied as Dan remained at his bench. He needed the solitude. Unsure of his next step, it felt like he’d lost control of the case. It had stopped being about Peter and had become about Sean and Trudy. He didn’t know whether that was a good thing or not.
He called Jayne. When she answered, he said, ‘Any movement?’
‘Murdoch arrived a while ago, with some hot young detective. They weren’t there long though.’
‘It will have been about going to court tomorrow. What happened when they left?’
‘He waved them off and closed his door. Since then, not a peep.’
‘Are both Sean and Trudy there?’
‘I haven’t seen Trudy. So, what now?’
He thought about that. ‘I wanted their immediate reaction but, if there hasn’t been one, there isn’t much point in you staying there. Come back to mine. We’ll think of another strategy. I need to nail Sean Martin tomorrow, but I don’t know what with.’
‘And if we can’t?’
‘I’ll make the accusations on Peter’s behalf. Sean will deny them. The jury will reject Peter’s evidence and Sean will carry on as before.’
‘What about Trudy, if I leave?’
‘Unless you know where she is, what are you going to find out by staying? We need to work out what to do. Just give me time to get home.’
He clicked off and tapped his phone against his lip. Before he could work out his next move, his phone rang. As soon as he pressed the answer button, the unmistakable smoky wheeze of Murdoch filled his head.
‘Dan, we need your help on this one. We have the same objective, and that’s getting Sean Martin in a cell. Let’s discuss.’
‘What about the prosecutor? Francesca won’t be happy about you bypassing her.’
‘Are you going to tell her?’
‘Well, no.’
‘There you go then. Our little secret.’
‘What did Sean Martin say when you went to see him?’
‘How did you know I’d been to his house,’ Murdoch said, surprise in her voice. ‘Are you watching me?’
‘No, I’m having him watched. Did he make a written statement?’
‘I told him he ought to speak to his lawyer first.’
‘Except his lawyer has gone missing.’
‘I made that point and told him to be at court in the morning.’
‘How did he react?’
‘He seemed nervous, but he kept his cool, almost rehearsed, as if he’d braced himself for the conversation. That’s where he got it wrong.’
‘How do you mean?’
‘Let’s imagine he’s innocent, just for a moment. Your client is making false accusations against him, and they’re just like the ones that got him locked up. What would you expect?’
Dan thought about that. ‘Outrage, maybe. Dismay, at least.’
‘An emotion, is what you’re saying. That’s not what I got. It was like a barrier going up.’
‘Did you mention Claire Watkins? That Peter’s described her murder in court?’
‘I did. He said he knew her to talk to.’
‘At least he’s admitting a connection. It means that something Peter said was true, which, when you think about it, is good for you. Peter has stayed silent throughout this case, which means he has never told a lie. If the jury believes him, you’ve got a credible witness against Sean Martin.’
‘Have you spoken to anyone?’
‘An old friend of Claire’s.’
‘Have you got a name?’
Dan shuffled through his papers until he found Jayne’s notes. ‘Here we are, Mandy Rogers,’ and read out her address. ‘Mandy and Claire used to speak to Sean when Trudy lived on the next street and Sean moored his boat nearby. Peter liked Claire. I think that’s why Sean chose her, because he thought Peter wouldn’t be able to resist.’
‘Like some damn offering.’
‘Why didn’t the police speak to Mandy?’
‘We did.’
‘Why did you ask for her name then?’
‘To check that we hadn’t missed anyone.’
‘What did she say?’
‘That Sean Martin was creepy.’
‘And he wasn’t a suspect?’
Murdoch didn’t answer straightaway. ‘Let’s focus on what we have now.’
‘You said this was about sharing. Have you got anything you want to tell me that I don’t know already?’
‘I just wanted what you had.’
‘That wasn’t the deal. What about Pat?’
Murdoch’s tone softened. ‘Sorry, Dan, nothing so far. Have you thought of anything else?’
‘No, I’m sorry, and I’m worried.’
‘You’ve every right to be,’ she said, and clicked off.
He left the courtroom. The corridor was deserted apart from a cleaner emptying the bins, the peace broken only by the rustle of a large black bag.
He headed for the stairwell that led to the cell complex. It was cool and deliciously quiet, the drama of the courtroom behind him, but thoughts of Pat continued to trouble him as he went downstairs.
He’d taken the first step towards nailing Sean Martin. He didn’t know how many more he had to make, but Pat was still missing, and he was certain that Sean Martin was somehow connected.
For now, though, he had to be the lawyer and speak to his client.
His footsteps echoed in the stairwell, and by the time he was buzzed through he was ready to sag into the chair in front of the glass screen. It seemed an age before Peter appeared on the other side, although it was probably no more than two minutes.
Peter seemed brighter, almost excited.
Dan put his file on the narrow shelf in front of the glass. ‘How are you feeling?’
‘Better,’ he said, nodding. ‘It’s what I wanted to do all along, but I didn’t know how to do it.’
‘You weren’t open with me, or the police. You weren’t prepared to talk about Claire Watkins, about your involvement in her death.’
‘I didn’t take part though.’
‘You didn’t stop it. Morally, that’s close enough.’
He thought about that and some of his brightness faded. ‘My conscience isn’t clear, and it never will be, but at least I’ve tried to get there.’ He leaned forward so that his breath misted the glass. ‘Will you get them, Mr Grant?’
‘I don’t know, Peter, but I promise you that I’ll try my best.’
He sat back as he thought about that before saying, ‘That will have to do.’