The Innocent Ones

by The Innocent Ones (retail) (epub)

  Dan let his words fade on the silent courtroom before he sat down and let out a long breath. He’d finished. Putting aside all that had gone on, he’d done his best for Nick. All he had to do now was wait.

  Chapter Seventy-Five

  Dan’s father was staring out of his window. Another day was turning into one all about waiting for something to happen, just to break the monotony. Cricket was showing on the television, but he wasn’t paying any attention.

  The visit to the pub with Dan had been good, but it had depressed him too, because it got him thinking of all that he’d missed out on since his stroke. He’d shut himself away, ashamed of his damn withered left side, his arm useless, his leg not strong enough to support himself, either stuck in his bloody wheelchair or confined to an armchair in front of the television.

  He could lift himself about using his right arm, so he didn’t have to suffer the indignity of being helped onto the toilet, although it involved falling onto the seat rather than any nimble use of his body.

  The cider blunted his dignity and, at the end of a long day, he’d been known to drag himself along the floor when he’d had too much, when it didn’t bother him how he got to his bed, but the mornings after brought shame. Was this what he’d come to, staring out of a window? The pub visit had reminded him that the world just carried on. He hadn’t wanted anyone to see him like this, a shadow of the man he used to be, but in the end no one cared. He was a five-minute distraction, because people got on with their lives. He had let his come to a halt.

  There was a knock on his door.

  He thought about not answering, he wasn’t in the mood for much talk, but the venture into the outside world had whetted his appetite for more. Wasn’t this the point, that he wanted more things to happen? Was this Dan, ready to take him out again?

  He pushed his wheelchair round and wheeled it slowly towards the door.

  His electric wheelchair was to one side, too bulky to be used indoors, not when he could manoeuvre himself in his old wheelchair. It was slow work, using only one hand, his right foot used to push against the floor, so that the wheelchair zigzagged through his flat.

  When he opened the door, there was a woman there. Young, pretty. Perhaps a new assistant at the home.

  ‘Can I help you?’

  ‘Mr Grant?’

  ‘That’s me.’

  ‘This is really embarrassing, but I felt I had to do this. I’m your son’s new girlfriend and I know we haven’t met before, but he means so much to me and I just want to meet his family. We’ll be going public soon, and well,’ and she laughed and blushed, ‘I want to know more about him. Sounds sad, I know, but we’re getting serious and I should know his family better.’

  He was surprised. Dan had never mentioned a girlfriend. Then again, why should he? He was a good-looking young bloke, shades of himself in him, so he was sure there’d been plenty.

  ‘Yes, sorry, come in.’ He pushed himself backwards as she went past.

  He tried not to look at her behind as she walked in front of him, but he was an old man from a different time, and what the hell, even if it felt wrong because she was his son’s girlfriend.

  As she went in, she looked around.

  ‘Not much to see,’ he said. ‘Where I’ve ended up, but what went before was good, so I’ve got my memories.’

  ‘It’s cosy. You get all the help you need but your own space too. Do they bother you much, the people who work here?’

  He came to a stop and put the brake on. ‘They leave me alone. They have a communal dining room along there, but I’m not interested in that. I can work a microwave and I’ve got an alarm if I need something. They’ll check on me a couple of times a day, but that’s it.’

  ‘It’s good that you’ve got some independence.’

  ‘What did Dan say about me?’

  ‘He’s proud of you, even if he doesn’t show it. He talks about you all the time.’

  He smiled. It was good to hear that. ‘How long have you been seeing him?’

  ‘Just a few months, but I can tell it feels right.’

  ‘He’s a good man. He’ll look after you. Tell me about you though. If you’re going to become part of the family, let me know more. What’s your name?’

  Her smile was broad and bright, and straight away he saw what Dan saw in her. Her eyes glinted, and her blonde hair was long and luscious, even though it was tied up.

  ‘It’s Leoni,’ she said.

  Chapter Seventy-Six

  Dan paced on the spot, close to the windows at the end of the court corridor. He wasn’t there for the view, it was nothing special, just an amusement arcade, the window filled only with a large statue, promising exotic rewards inside, along with some bargain shops.

  There was an attempt to gentrify the area, with a new bar aimed at bearded beer lovers, real ales served in wooden surrounds, but people in Langton liked things just the way they were. People who flock to the big cities do so for the new adventure, to discover new things, and that need changes neighbourhoods as trends move on. Langton was one of those small cities that no one flocked to, and those who stayed there did so because of the lack of change.

  For Dan, it had none of the charm of the small town nor none of the buzz of the bright lights. It existed. That was the best he could say about it. Any attempts to make the area look better were ruined by the litter blown by the buses that came in a steady stream from the nearby bus station.

  Those were just random thoughts to keep himself distracted, knowing that the hours ahead could drag, with just the tension of the verdict to keep him going.

  Jayne was leaning on a wall next to him. ‘Did you see Leoni?’

  Dan stopped. ‘I guessed it was her. I recognised her too. I think she might have been one of the people who attacked me last week.’

  ‘She’s gone now though. I tried to see where she went, but she ran. She might never come back.’

  ‘She’s not my concern right now. It’s about Nick Connor, not Leoni.’ He frowned. ‘Did you see the man sitting next to Barbara?’

  She blushed. ‘That was Chris, Ruby’s brother.’

  Dan didn’t add anything to that. He didn’t want to think of Jayne and Chris together.

  Barbara walked over. Porter was with her and he held out his hand to Dan. ‘I’ve come to say goodbye.’

  Dan was surprised. ‘I thought you might stay for the verdict,’ he said, shaking his hand.

  ‘I’ll find out about it later. This case isn’t about me. It’s about Barbara and Mark and Nick. If I’d acted differently all those years ago, this might not have happened. There’s nothing for me to cheer about, whichever way it goes.’

  ‘I understand.’

  ‘What are you going to do with that recording?’

  Barbara spoke up. ‘I’m going to write about the case, and how one event leads to another, using Mark’s notes. I’m sorry, I really I am, but you’ll be part of it.’

  Porter gave a rueful smile. ‘I’ll lose a reputation, perhaps even be investigated for perverting the course of justice or something, but your loss is still greater than mine. Goodbye, and good luck.’

  They both watched him go, Dan noticing how he didn’t seem as imposing, as if he’d shrunk somehow, taken away a little bit of himself.

  Dan felt distracted for a moment. There was something amiss, but he couldn’t pin it down. Before he could get any closer, Barbara spoke up. ‘Do you think Mr Porter will be all right?’

  ‘Only he knows that, but he’s told the truth. For more than twenty years, he’s been fearful of it. Now it’s out there, he can deal with it.’

  She looked back towards the courtroom. ‘How long do you think they’ll be?’

  ‘The jury? I’ve stopped trying to guess. I’ve known it be unexpectedly quick. I’ve known it take a few days when I couldn’t work out why. At least the judge helped.’

  ‘How?’

  ‘She was brief in her summing up. I’ve known some who will spend a day or
more so that it felt often like they were reading out the whole case. This time, she left it to the advocates. We’d made our cases, our arguments, and what did the case really amount to? Whether being a despicable thief also made him a murderer? The judge just reminded them what they have to take into account and then let them get on with it.’

  ‘Is that good though?’

  ‘It means that she didn’t sway them against Nick. Judges are neutral, but they’re human too and aren’t above putting a slant on things, to nudge a case the way they think it should end.’

  She looked back to the clock on the wall. Nearly four o’clock now. ‘Will she let them go on all night?’

  ‘She’ll find out soon how near they are. If they’re a long way from a verdict, she’ll tell them to come back tomorrow.’

  ‘We just wait, then?’

  ‘No real choice, I’m afraid.’

  She put her hand on his. ‘Thank you for what you did in there.’

  ‘It’s my job to look after Nick, but thank you.’

  ‘No, I didn’t mean Nick. I meant what you did for my son. He always had dreams of being a writer, of seeing a book he’d written in a bookshop somewhere. He never got to see that happen, but his persistence meant something in the end. What he discovered brought justice for those poor dead children.’

  He patted her hand. ‘Thank you.’

  They both stared out of the window in silence for a few minutes more.

  Dan turned to Barbara. She seemed more pensive than he expected, distracted almost. Before he could say anything, the usher emerged from the courtroom doorway and bellowed, ‘For anyone interested in the case of Nick Connor, the court is now in session.’

  Before Barbara could say anything, Dan said, ‘Probably means come back tomorrow.’

  They both headed for the doorway, Dan holding the door for Barbara.

  As Dan went through, the usher nodded to him. It made Dan pause.

  Dan leaned in to whisper. ‘Verdict?’

  ‘That’s what I’m hearing.’

  Dan’s stomach turned. That was too quick. There must have been some people who weren’t persuaded by him, who would convict Nick Connor because he was the prisoner in the dock. People with firm convictions like that don’t sway easily. It can only mean one thing: guilty.

  Keys clanked in the door that led into the dock and Nick followed. Dan nodded to him, to let him know that the verdict was in, but tried not to give away his feelings.

  Nick gave a helpless shrug. Dan returned it. He didn’t know either.

  The judge came in next, and then the jurors.

  The following few moments seemed to drag. The foreman of the jury rose to his feet as Dan’s chest tightened, butterflies in his stomach, a tremble in his fingers. He confirmed that they had a verdict upon which they were all agreed.

  Dan closed his eyes. He couldn’t imagine how Nick must be feeling. Dan would walk out of court and go back to his life, whatever happened. The whole of Nick’s future rested on the next few seconds.

  Then it came. Those words.

  ‘Not guilty.’

  There was a shout of ‘yes’ from the dock before Dan put his head back, relief coursing through him.

  He looked to the dock and gave Nick the thumbs up; Nick was wiping his eyes with relief, tears on his cheeks. Dan looked to Barbara, and he was surprised. He expected her to show more pleasure. Instead, she was staring straight ahead, her jaw set.

  Dan was distracted by the words of the prosecutor, muttering some congratulations as he collected his papers, before Dan smiled his response and closed his eyes.

  It was all over.

  But as he looked back again to the public gallery, Barbara was still there, unmoved.

  * * *

  Leoni sat down on the sofa opposite as Dan’s father switched off the cricket.

  ‘How did you meet Dan? Bit of a closed book, that one.’

  ‘We just saw each other around and started talking. We spoke online too, and one thing led to another, and,’ she held out her hands, ‘here I am.’

  ‘Ah, online. It’s all so different now. I’m glad he’s got someone though, because it’s been a bit rough for him lately.’

  ‘He’ll recover though. Good men do.’

  ‘He is a good man, thank you. I don’t know how much of that is down to me. Not much, I suspect.’

  ‘Don’t be hard on yourself, Mr Grant. I can bet he wouldn’t like to lose you. No one should lose their father.’

  He frowned. That was an unusual response. Perhaps it was nerves.

  ‘You’re very pretty, if I’m allowed to say that these days. He’s got lucky.’

  ‘No, I’m the lucky one, but thank you.’

  He thought of something. ‘Wait there.’

  She laughed. ‘I’m not going anywhere.’

  He pushed himself towards an old wooden cabinet, chipped and scarred, the varnish cracked like a spider’s web. His wheels squeaked. There were some old novels on top, and a collection of vinyl records alongside, too high up to reach, but they were a reminder of his old life. They were faded now, the edges worn and ragged from when he kept them on the floor in his old house and his cat used to sharpen his claws on them.

  He opened a drawer and pulled out a small collection of photographs. He hadn’t looked at them for a while, but it seemed the right time.

  ‘I don’t know if you’ve seen these,’ he said, and chuckled. ‘The first rule when you meet the parents is that they dig out the old pictures.’ He passed one over. ‘There’s one from when Dan was at school,’ and he passed over a picture of Dan in his school uniform. ‘I didn’t know then that he was going to be a lawyer. He kept his ambition to himself. I thought he’d go into the factories, like me.’

  Leoni looked at the picture and said, ‘Do you ever wish he had?’

  ‘I don’t understand.’

  ‘Being a lawyer can be difficult because they’re always on one side, which means that someone else gets hurt on the other side.’

  ‘Let me tell you, love, I’ve had my share of fights and battles. We’re both the same, Dan and me, we do what’s right, but yes, people get hurt. That’s life. That’s what I taught him as a boy, that whatever battle you fight, do it hard. If you don’t win, at least you’ll know you did your best.’

  ‘Whoever gets hurt along the way?’

  ‘If the fight is right, there’s always a price to pay.’ He passed over another picture: Dan in a graduation gown. ‘This is him leaving university. That was a proud day for me, and his mother. She’s dead now, cancer, but it was so special for her. Her boy, her Daniel, with a degree. Letters after his name. Dan was the first one from both our families to go to university, so it was a big deal to us.’

  She took it from him. ‘I can see the man he was about to become. He looks so confident, so sure of himself.’ She handed it back. ‘That’s what I love about him.’

  He leaned back and gestured towards a cider bottle on a counter at the back of the room. ‘I wasn’t going to start this early, but this seems like a cause for celebration, meeting you. Could you get me a glass and pour me one? You’ll learn that I like it too much. I can bet Dan has told you that already.’

  ‘No problem, Mr Grant.’ She went past him, and he could hear her opening a cupboard, looking for a glass.

  The view out of the window seemed a little brighter now. It was good to have some company, and for Dan to be settling down at last.

  Leoni was behind him, although he hadn’t heard her pour out any drink. She was by his left shoulder, his weak side, so he had to twist to see what she was doing.

  She moved, as if she was avoiding his gaze.

  ‘Leoni, are you all right?’

  She leaned over his shoulder to take the photographs from his grasp, before tearing them in half and throwing him into his lap.

  ‘What the hell?’

  ‘Say goodbye.’

  Before he could respond, a cord tightened round his neck. He gasped, and
then gagged as he tried to breathe. He reached up with his good hand, but she was too far the other way, staying on his weak side. He pushed with his foot against the floor, desperate, panicking, bewildered, trying to use his wheelchair against her. She was too strong, pulling back hard.

  She was snarling in his ear, guttural sounds, spittle hitting his skin.

  He thrashed his head, felt his cheeks flush as he tried to breathe. His head felt like it was going to explode, his chest straining. He tried to get his fingers underneath the cord, but it was too tight, digging into his skin.

  He tried to cough, but it came out as a gurgle. His chest pushed out, reaching for air.

  Then the pain started to subside, although not from any release. Her grunts of effort were still there, and the creak and whine of his wheels as she pulled, but it was as if he was leaving his body, seeing it from a distance. From above. Her hair bobbed as she pulled back hard, her teeth gritted, his left arm still, his right arm just twitching up and down as everything came to an end.

  Chapter Seventy-Seven

  They convened in a pub in Highford, the Craven Heifer.

  It had been Nick’s request, his need for a drink taking over everything else, although Dan had chosen the pub. It relied on the lunchtime trade, with two-for-one meal deals, burgers and pies. No one chose it for a night out, so he knew it would be quiet. Nick had been all over the local paper since the case started, and the website was showing the verdict as breaking news, and Dan thought Nick deserved the privacy. In the Craven Heifer, they’d be ignored, no one caring who was in there, provided it gave a boost to the pre-weekend takings.

  Dan needed the drink, too. He had waited with Jayne outside the side door at the court as Nick’s freedom was processed, until he emerged with his meagre belongings in a clear plastic bag tied up by a red tag. He left holding it high, the media taking pictures, Nick punching the air and grinning in bewilderment. For the first time in his life, things had gone right for him.