by Neil Wild
“Gordon was only the third man I’ve ever made love to.”
Brakespeare noticed how she referred to making love.
“Well that’s not being a tart in this day and age. One was the chap who got you pregnant. Who was the other.”
“Oh, that was the boy next door in my last year in the sixth form. That was just sex to find out how it all worked.”
“Hmmmm” said Brakespeare, unsure where the conversation might be leading.
“I loved two of them.”
“Not bad.”
“No it isn’t ,is it.” and she started to cry.
“Now what?”
“People think I’m sleeping with you. Couldn’t you see them at the reception. Did you hear what Annette said. I did.”
“What?”
“Don’t forget Lisa.”
She turned her wet face towards him. “They think I’m a tart.”
Brakespeare could feel the emotional net being cast. “Come off it. I told her that I was going to see Newberry. She must know that you’re working with me. I don’t think she meant it …like that.”
“She did.”
“Look if I had a young bloke working with me, and we went about together on the case, would that mean I was gay and having a relationship with him?”
“Possibly.”
“Oh you’re just depressed, and understandably so. Remember the magic words. Minge Lane.”
Lisa pealed with laughter. “Sorry, you’re right. I was just feeling sorry for myself. I’m glad you got rid of Breezie though.”
“So am I. It means I can – we can run the case our way.”
“What if Bill Mortimer doesn’t agree.”
“Then they’ll just have to find a new solicitor.”
“And his assistant.” Lisa said determinedly.
“Good. That’s settled then. The Minge Lane Partnership?” Brakespeare looked enquiringly at her.
“The Minge Lane Partnership.” replied Lisa, laughing.
“We’re on our way to see our first client.”
chapter thirty
Brakespeare drew the Fiat up outside the house in Worcester Road, Malvern.
“Oooh is this where he lives?” asked Lisa. “It’s like a big dolls house.”
“Hadn’t thought of that.” Brakespeare replied, looking up at the gabled roof of the house. “But you’re right.”
They made their way down the front path. Brakespeare had not previously noticed that it was on a bridge over the sunken garden below. He rang at the door bell, and they waited in anticipation. Lisa was excited and giggly. It was the alcohol. “Hope he’s in after all this.”
There was no immediate answer, and so Brakespeare rang again. After a pause he could hear footsteps coming down a staircase.
“Oh, dear”, said Lisa convulsing. ”I think that we may have come at the wrong time. He’s been having a siesta.”
The door opened and Newberry looked at them in total surprise. He had nothing on his feet, and was tie-less with his shirt collar unbuttoned.
“Yes?” was all he managed to ask.
“Er, have we come at an inconvenient moment?” asked Brakespeare, feeling that he was stating the obvious.
Newberry hesitated. “No. Come in, come through.” He led them through to the lounge at the back. “Please sit down. I’ll be with you in a second. I was just..” but he did not finish the sentence, and hurried quickly up the stairs.
“Well seeing that when I last spoke to him it was not on exactly amicable terms he seems rather subdued.” observed Brakespeare.
“Seeing he wasn’t invited to the funeral.”
“Told to stay away.”
They looked at each other, both with raised eyebrows.
“Is he talking to someone?” asked Lisa as the sound of a murmured conversation came from above them. “It must be his wife.”
Brakespeare didn’t have time to answer, as the sound of footsteps once more came down the stairs towards them.
“Sorry about that. I wasn’t expecting you. Why this call?” Newberry looked quizzical, and too surprised to be aggressive.
“We thought that we should come and see you. I’m sorry about last time we spoke.”
“My fault, I should have been more sensitive. But, well you know…” he opened his palms and gestured.
“I know. Tell me why weren’t you at the funeral?”
Newberry looked at him. “Advised to stay away.” he said simply.
“Breezie?”
“Breezie, Annette’s brother? No, Bill Mortimer.”
“Mortimer!” exclaimed Lisa.
“He told you to stay away?” asked Brakespeare.
“Advised. Felt that with you there, Breezie and himself. It would look a bit… and other things” He shrugged his shoulders.
“Do you mind?”
“I’m fed up with minding. Of course I mind. Gordon was my friend, but, well my life’s out of my hands really isn’t it.”
Brakespeare looked at Lisa, inviting her to speak.
“That’s why we’ve come. Something’s happened in the case.” she said
“When?”
“This afternoon; in fact at the reception.”
Newberry looked totally lost.
“I think I’d better explain”, said Brakespeare, and went through his conversation with Breezie.
“Is that why they didn’t want me at the funeral?” asked Newberry.
“Well it might have been Breezie’s reason. Not sure about Mortimer’s.”
“Perhaps he thought having both me and my wife there would be an embarrassment.”
“Your wife was there?” Both Lisa and Brakespeare chorused in surprise.
“Yes, didn’t she introduce herself? Well to you at least Jonny.” he said with an apologetic look at Lisa.
Brakespeare shook his head. “They all kept quiet about that.”
“This is weird.” said Lisa.
“I think Breezie wanted to get you on your own, to say what he wanted to say. I’m not sorry that you did what you did, but where does that leave us.”
“With Lisa and me.”
Newberry inclined his head questioningly.
“Whatever happens, Jonny and I are prepared to stick with your case and see it through.” Said Lisa.
“Jonny and you?”
“Sure, we’re a partnership.” Lisa could not help but give a quick snort of laughter at what she had said.
“I see.” Said Newberry slowly. Brakespeare realised he was probably reading more into Lisa’s statement than he was meant to.
“What Lisa means is that we have been working together on the case, as you know. We’re a good team. Lisa is going to resume her studies for the Bar; I’m not sure what happens to me now that Gordon is no longer with us..”
“And especially as you have christened Breezie.” added Newberry.
“But if you wish, we’re prepared to see your case through, whatever it takes.”
Newberry thought. “And if Bill, how shall we say, feels it inappropriate, that you should stay with the firm.”
“He has no choice. He needs you to be acquitted as much as anyone. No-one could take this case over in the middle. He has to keep us on.”
“You’ve got it all worked out, haven’t you. Look I know I’m an ungrateful sod, but..”
“There’s no need to go into that again.”
“I really am grateful to you both.” He looked earnestly at them. “Just a moment.”
He got up and went to out into the hallway to the foot of the stairs. “Kate”. he called up. “Can you come down?”
He came back into the room with a small slim blonde woman behind him. Brakespeare immediately branded her as attractive but on closer inspection saw that her eyes were dull and surrounded with tired lines which continued round her mouth and which made her look older than she probably was. Life had been hard on her. So this was the mother of Newberry’s youngest son.
“Kate, this is Jon
ny Brakespeare, and his partner.”
“Assistant.” corrected Brakespeare.
“His assistant, sorry, Lisa Barnes.”
Kate came forward nervously and shook their hands. She smiled a nice smile and her eyes lit up. Brakespeare could see that she was trying to work out their relationship, and to anticipate the reason why she had been called down to meet them. Her handshake was limp; her eye contact was fleeting, and she contented herself with a simple “Hello.”
She looked to Newberry timidly as to what to do next. “Sit down.” he commanded, and reiterated all that Brakespeare had told him.
A simple “Oh” was the only comment that she made.
“Well where do we go from here?” asked Newberry. “I need a new barrister”
“’I’ve been thinking about that. I know one; a woman, Rosemary Lappin.”
“A woman. Is she any good?”
“I don’t think that Jonny would have selected her if she were not.” said Lisa fiercely, even though the announcement was as much news to her as it was for Newberry.
“Sorry I didn’t mean to imply that she might be no good.”
“You mean, ‘how good is she.’”. said Brakespeare, coming to the rescue.
Newberry nodded.
“Well I’ve briefed her before, on both the prosecution and defence side. She’s tough, and highly competent. She gets to the core issues very quickly, and isn’t afraid of anyone.”
“Sounds like the woman for me.” said Newberry, with a sidelong glance at Kate who was sitting next to him, holding his hand. She merely gazed at him like a puppy.
“When do we see her.”
“Well I think we ought also to update you on what we’ve found.” Brakespeare turned to Lisa.
“Lisa?” he invited.
For the next ten minutes Lisa carefully went through the import of the documents that they had found at Old Hill. Newberry seemed spellbound. Kate squeezed his hand whenever a key point was made.
“And that’s as far as we have got at the moment.” concluded Lisa.
Newberry was animated. The presence of Kate brought out a sparkle in him that Brakespeare had never seen before. Whatever she did to him, and that seemed fairly obvious, it had a humanising effect on him.
“The bastards. I told you that there was nothing wrong with our valuations. This guy Black is only in it for the money. Let’s crack on. I want to see him in Court.”
“We’ll crack on as soon as we can; depending of course what if any problems arise out of my treatment of Mr. Breezie.”
“Don’t you worry about that.” said Newberry, darkly. “I shall be on the telephone to Bill Mortimer tonight..”
“Well that’s a matter for you.”
Newberry rose to his feet and Kate followed suit. He held his hand out to Brakespeare, and then embarrassed him by hugging him. He then turned his attention to Lisa, and smacked a kiss onto her firmly closed lips.
“Bless you, bless you both. Kate and I won’t forget this.”
Kate, merely held a limp hand out and smiled.
“Just one thing,” Newberry added anxiously, glancing at his watch. “Kate has to catch the London train at Malvern Link station. I was going to walk her down, but we’re running out of time.”
“Want a lift? Of course.” Said Brakespeare.
“I’ll just get my things” said Kate.
“This has been a good day, Jonny.” said Newberry. “I’m glad you’ve met Kate.”
“Well it is another piece in your complicated jigsaw puzzle.”
“And I’m glad she’s met you and Lisa. It’s been difficult for her, stuck in London, and not totally understanding what’s been going on. Now that she’s met you she’ll be able to put faces to names. In fact, when she comes up again, perhaps we can all go out for a meal. Perhaps you would both come to London and stay overnight at Kate’s.”
Brakespeare did not dare look at Lisa. This was all going a bit faster than he wanted. People were making assumptions. He noticed that Lisa had not said anything.
“I think we need to get this case out the way first,” he said. “Thank you for the invitation, but let’s concentrate on the business side of things first, shall we?”
He sounded a bit abrupt, even to himself, and Newberry looked a little put out.
“I know what Jonny means” said Lisa. “Business lunches are not really the part of …work like this.” She searched for a suitable phrase.
“Oh. I didn’t mean it as a business lunch.”
“We did.” said Brakespeare, winking, although he was not sure what the wink was supposed to convey.
“Oh, I see.” said Newberry, even though he didn’t.
Kate rescued the situation by re-appearing.
“I’ll just go and unlock the car.” said Brakespeare.
“I’ll come.” said Lisa, and they left Newberry and his lover to say their fond farewells.
“This is weird.” said Lisa as they sat in the car.
“What have we got ourselves into?” Brakespeare contributed. “I didn’t mind knowing about her, but I didn’t want to be part of their relationship. She must have sneaked up while his wife was at the funeral.”
“Bit risky.”
“Will be, if she doesn’t come soon!”
Kate hurried down the path leaving Newberry at the door. She turned to quickly blow him a final kiss, and then got into the back seat of the car.
“God I hate all this cloak and dagger stuff, don’t you?” she asked. ”How did you manage it Lisa?”
Lisa sat upright in her seat. “I coped.” she said slowly, turning round in her seat. ”But it was really all over months ago.”
“Well it’s certainly over now, innit” laughed Kate.
“For sure,” said Lisa, looking at Brakespeare as she turned back. “It’s all over now.”
chapter thirty one
“God, what a woman.” said Brakespeare as they pulled away from Malvern Link Station.
“What on earth does David see in her. I mean he’s an intelligent man.” responded Lisa.
“He may be intelligent but he’s also a stupid one. It’s pretty obvious what he sees in her. She must be good in the sack.”
“Is that where they were when we arrived?”
“What do you think.”
“I think that if he preferred to shag his mistress rather than go to Gordon’s funeral, that doesn’t make him a very nice man.” Lisa opined.
“But he was asked not to go.”
“Sure, but he doesn’t seem to have put up much protest. That’s men for you.” She looked out of the window.
“Right it’s a quarter to six. What do you want to do. I did think of going back to the office and doing some more work on the case, but I really can’t be bothered now. I haven’t had a drink all day.”
“Fancy a meal?” Lisa asked eagerly.
“An Early Bird at the Old Rectifying House. Nice and cheap.?” He looked at her enquiringly.
“Park the car and we can share a bottle of wine.”
“Good idea. I can walk home. Will College Yard be open?”
“I don’t think so. Hitler closes and locks the gate at six o’clock. He even makes the partners take their cars out if they’re working late.”
“I’ll use the Deansway car park then, if you don’t mind walking to the Pub.”
“Of course not,, it’s only a hundred yards or so, and I’m getting stiff, sitting about all day.”
They arrived at the Car Park, got out of the car and looked at each other.
“You look dressed for a funeral” said Brakespeare.
“Funny that, so do you.”
It was a warm evening.
“I’ll take my jacket off”. said Lisa.
“Me likewise and this tie.”
“Still a bit formal” said Lisa; she in white blouse, dark skirt, tights and black shoes. He in white shirt and dark trousers.
“We look like assistants in a department store.”
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“That’s it.” said Lisa. “Not the John Lewis Partnership, but the Minge Lane Partnership.”
Without any further thought they took each other’s hand, and laughing and joking walked down to the Old Rectifying House.
The waitress recognised them.
“Hello again.” she said and took them to a table overlooking the Bridge and the River Severn. They were the only ones in the restaurant.
“What would you like to drink?” she asked.
“I’m parched, “ said Brakespeare. “Can I have a pint of whatever you have on draft”
“And I’ll have a half lager and lime please?” asked Lisa.
The Menus were on the table. Both chose the steak again.
The waitress promptly bought the drinks.
“Gosh, you were thirsty.” said Lisa as Brakespeare downed the contents of the pint glass in one go.
“Need re-hydrating” he replied. “I think I need another.”
“Are you ready to order?” asked the waitress.
They ordered their streaks.
“Do you want anything to drink with the meal?”
“I’ll have another one of these while we’re waiting” Brakespeare indicated his glass. “What about you?” he looked at Lisa.
She shook her head. “I’d like some wine with the meal.”
Brakespeare looked at the menu.”
“They’ve got some Crianza as a House Wine.”
“Suits me.
“A bottle of Crianza” repeated the waitress.
“Phew. At last we can relax.” said Brakespeare.
“”It’s been quite a day. I still can’t get over Kate though. She’s just not David’s type, She’s so …” He struggled for an adjective.
“Gauche” suggested Brakespeare.
That’s it, but …” again she struggled.
“A bit common with it?”
Lisa nodded. “Essex Girl.”
“Except that she’s from Worcester.”
“Lived in London too long.”
“Is that it?” Brakespeare hesitated. “You know when she mentioned to you about that ‘cloak and dagger stuff.’”
Lisa looked up. She knew what was coming.
“You said that it had been over ‘months ago.’”
“It was.” she replied evenly.
“But you were seeing Gordon right up to the end.”
