Constance had waited almost twenty minutes before she saw Sue crossing the street at the pedestrian light. She was smaller than Constance had imagined from the video and yesterday’s call, a slight figure, whose briefcase dwarfed her. As Sue placed her foot on the bottom step, leading up to the entrance to her place of work, she saw Constance in the doorway.
‘Professor Mills, I’m so sorry. I would never normally do this – ambush someone like this. I’m Constance Lamb. We spoke yesterday. Listen, time is running out. The prosecution finishes today and then it’s over to us, the defence. Can we just get a coffee? Fifteen minutes, please? I think you know something which might really help my client. He’s a good man, with a family. Please?’
Sue stared at Constance, then she checked her watch. Then she turned around and pointed at the Greedy Pig café two doors away. The two women entered in silence and sat down. Constance ordered them two cappuccinos.
‘You said something happened to Zoe, and I heard about Rosa’s café,’ Sue began, her tiny hands clasped before her on the shiny table.
Constance wondered if this was a deliberate attempt to divert her from where they had left off yesterday, but if that was where Sue wanted to start, she would roll with it. She could manoeuvre the conversation where she needed once they got started.
‘Someone let Mark’s cows out of their field on Sunday, on to the road. Two of them were killed.’
Sue gasped and one hand went to her mouth.
‘We think it was all the same person – your break-in too,’ Constance said. ‘If you know something, you should tell me.’
Tears sprang into Sue’s eyes. ‘I don’t understand any of this,’ she said. ‘Why anyone would do these things.’
‘We think it’s linked with Brett’s death, but we don’t know how. You knew Brett before, didn’t you? You told me that yesterday. You said he was the reason you became a scientist.’
As the waitress delivered their coffees, Sue wrapped both hands around hers, as if she needed the heat to sustain her.
‘I’m probably overstating things. I never even met him – Brett Ingram. I got some holiday work with his company, straight from school,’ she began. ‘Quite basic, in the lab, testing for salt and sugar content and other similar stuff. But we were also allowed onto the production line to see all the things they were making. That was amazing. I realised that food was my thing. I wrote a paper on the impact of flavourings on rise and consistency in bread and I was set on the road that led me to where I am now.’
‘So Heart Foods gave you your first job?’
‘Yes, but the company had another name then; um, Kwality Foods, it was called. No, Hi Kwality Foods. There was a problem there, that summer, and they changed the name.’
Sue looked away again.
‘Do you remember what the problem was?’ Constance asked.
Sue’s hands began to shake so violently that she spilled her coffee and was forced to return her mug to the table.
‘I can’t,’ she said, ‘I can’t talk about it.’
‘Can’t or won’t?’ Constance asked. ‘A man is dead.’
‘I have to go now.’
‘Wait!’ Constance caught Sue’s arm, gently but firmly, as she began to rise out of her seat.
‘I think you want to tell me,’ Constance said. ‘You want to tell me what happened at Brett’s company, before it changed its name. Please. I might be able to help.’
‘I’ve never told anyone,’ Sue said. ‘Well, that’s not true. I told them when it happened, the supervisor and a lawyer. They said I was mistaken. But I know what I saw. I was prepared to do it, be brave; whistleblowing they call it nowadays, don’t they? The lawyer advised me to keep it to myself; keep well out of it. Said Brett’s company had deeper pockets, said they had evidence I was mistaken. Told me to move on. So I have, all these years. I’d buried it. But when Brett died, just like that, it brought it all back.’
‘What were you advised to keep to yourself?’
‘It was the boy,’ Sue said. ‘The poor boy.’
Constance was conscious that her own pulse was racing. The boy? Was Zoe’s phantom right and she’d been too embarrassed to follow it up? Had Sue held the key all along?
‘Who was the boy?’ she asked, hardly daring to breathe, in case it caused Sue to clam up again.
‘George,’ Sue said. ‘His name was George. He was my age, nice-looking, kind, funny. He worked with me that summer. And then…and then he died.’
***
As Dr Leigh’s evidence had been disposed of quickly, Judith had time to check on a few leads in addition to reviewing the prosecution evidence. First she called Greg, gave him two names and asked him to find out more about them. Then she rang Constance. No reply. She allowed the call to click to voicemail but hung up without leaving a message. What could be taking her so long?
Finally, she opened up the transcript of witness evidence on her laptop and began to skim through it all, from the beginning of the trial.
Two hours later, Judith was on her way back to the courtroom, when she saw Greg waiting for her. As she greeted him, Andy appeared in the corridor and stepped between the two of them.
‘Hello again.’ Andy stretched out his hand to Greg and then saw Judith’s enquiring look. ‘I don’t want to interrupt, I just saw you and wanted to say hello.’
Greg nodded to Andy. ‘Nice to see you again,’ was all he managed.
‘Are you recruiting Judith too?’ Andy went on. ‘I have to say, that would be a surprise.’
‘Not today,’ Greg replied.
Andy accepted Greg’s response with a raised eyebrow. He folded his hands one on top of the other and, when he saw that nothing more was forthcoming from either Greg or Judith, he nodded amiably and walked on.
‘What’s he talking about?’ Judith asked, once Andy had disappeared into the court.
‘It’s nothing. We met a couple of years ago. I’ll tell you all about it later.’
‘I’d prefer now.’
‘It’s too long to explain.’ He kissed her cheek. ‘Look, Connie called me because she knew I was nearby. She’ll be here in half an hour, tops.’
Judith watched Greg closely for any giveaway sign of what business he and Andy Chambers had transacted two years ago. Maybe Greg had been an expert witness in one of Andy’s cases, like he had been for her. That still didn’t explain the curious ‘recruitment’ comment though.
‘I’ve been ringing her and she doesn’t pick up,’ she said.
‘She’s probably on the Underground. She said to ask to adjourn till she gets here. She says it’s big news and you have to wait for her.’
‘Well then,’ Judith said, sneaking a glance which followed in Andy’s wake. ‘I’d better do as she says, don’t you think? Are you sticking around?’
‘I can’t. I have a presentation to give shortly. Look, you asked me about those names. Maria and George Doukas. I…I didn’t want to put into writing what I found.’ He stood close to her and whispered in her ear.
Judith drew back with a frown. ‘I understand,’ she said. ‘Thank you.’
‘Must run,’ Greg said aloud. ‘I just came over to pass on Connie’s message, as it was so important. I’ll see you this evening.’
As she watched his receding back, Judith took a moment to process what Greg had told her. The key now was to buy a little more time. She turned around and stared at the door leading into the court. The simplest thing. Just ask for a short adjournment she told herself. Go on in there. You can’t lie, but just say your solicitor has been delayed and you need her. If that doesn’t work? Then she smiled, as she knew what reason she would give and why the judge would be forced to agree.
After Judith had engineered a further two-hour adjournment, she sat alone, closed her eyes and reflected on the day’s events. She had the feeling that although some of the others might have provided clues, it was in Eleni’s testimony that something of real significance was lurking. She looked back through Eleni’s answers. After the third reading it clicked and she chastised herself for not working things out sooner. Now, at last, everything was clear.