by Bethan Lewis
‘Hello.’
‘Good afternoon. Scott Wilson here from Legal Eagle. Is this Erin Turnbull?’
‘Hello, yes this is she. What can I do for you?’
‘I was wondering if you had time to meet later this afternoon, I would like to go through some things before the hearing tomorrow.’
‘Oh right, of course.’ Erin glanced at her watch, it was quarter to one. She wanted a few hours to explore this section of the island, and then she would need time to drive back. ‘I am out at the moment, sightseeing. Probably won’t be back at the hotel until about four o clock.’
‘That is fine, I don’t want to ruin your holiday too much. I can meet you at your hotel. You are staying at the Seabeach Hotel aren’t you?’
‘Yes that is right. I should tell you that I am a qualified paralegal, and I am familiar with the process inside out.’
‘We should be able to get through things quite quick then. See you at four.’
‘Okay. Goodbye.’
The line went dead and Erin returned the phone to her bag. With less time to explore than she had anticipated, she started the engine. The road ahead was straight and spacious and ran adjacent to the beach on one side, whilst on the other, lush green grassland and rocky hills outlined the nature reserve. The scenery was stunning and Erin wished she had time to stop and take some photographs. Instead, she followed the brown road signs which directed her to the military museum, and within five minutes she drove into the car park.
She paid the admission fee and strolled inside. On the threshold she stopped and gazed around completely awestruck. The building was huge, and filled with every kind of war memorabilia imaginable. ‘Marcus would love it here,’ she thought, and vowed that one day she would return with her son.
For the next few hours she stared into glass display cases, read information boards and wandered around makeshift bunkers and air raid shelters. She took selfies by the German tanks, which would be added to her blog. By the time she came to the end of the exhibition she was exhausted, her feet ached, and she was in dire need of a cup of tea, but she didn’t have time to stop. It was after three o clock; there was no time to find the ice cream shop recommended by Kath, she had to return to the hotel for her meeting.
After a brief visit to the gift shop where she purchased a souvenir for Marcus, Erin clambered into the car. Her hands started to shake uncontrollably as she gripped the steering wheel; she was not looking forward to the drive back. Putting the postcode into the sat nav she set off, and half an hour later she turned into the hotel and safely parked the car. Her nerves were in pieces. ‘Never again,’ she thought. The sooner she returned the car the better.
Upon entering the hotel she glanced at the clock behind the reception desk, 3:54pm. Erin relaxed, she was on time.
‘Hello,’ Erin said to the receptionist. ‘I am supposed to be meeting a gentleman, Scott Wilson. Do you know if he has arrived yet?’
‘No, I don’t think he is here yet,’ the receptionist replied.
‘Oh thank goodness,’ Erin said, relieved she had made it back before him. ‘I will wait in the bar, can you send him through when he gets here please?’
‘Of course.’
Erin wandered into the bar, ordered herself an orange juice and sat down to wait. Moments later a tall, thin man in a light grey suit carrying a brown briefcase appeared. There was no doubt in her mind, he was the lawyer. He had a distinct air about him that automatically gave him away. Stood just inside the doorway his shrewd eyes roved around the room. Erin rose to her feet and motioned him over.
‘Ms Turnbull,’ he said extending a thin wiry hand. ‘Apologies for being late and for taking up your time on your holiday. I expect this is the last thing you want to be doing.’
‘No it’s fine. I am happy to help.’ Erin said and motioned him to sit.
‘As you are probably aware, there is usually a couple of days between receiving the summons and the actual court date. In this case, as you are all tourists we managed to secure a date so the matter can be sorted before you all depart.’
‘That is convenient. I am sure Arthur and June will appreciate the matter being dealt with straight away.’
‘I have a copy of your statement here, go through it, and familiarise yourself with the events of that day,’ Scott handed her the document. ‘I know you are acquainted with the process, but I am obligated to talk you through proceedings. When you enter the court room you will have to swear an oath. I will ask you to tell the court what happened and then I will ask you a few questions. Then it will be the turn of the defence. The defence lawyer, Sharon Upworth, is a shark of a woman and most people are daunted by her. Prepare yourself for her line of questioning, it might be difficult and invasive. Stay calm, stick to your statement and you will be fine. Always remember, you are a witness, you are not on trial.’
Erin nodded that she understood, then obediently read through her statement. She didn’t need to memorise it. It had only been a matter of days and the events were still quite vivid in her mind.
‘Court will start at ten o clock prompt, so make sure to arrive a bit earlier. You will be kept in the waiting room until you are called; hopefully you won’t have too long to wait. You don’t need me to tell you that smart clothing will have an immense impact,’ Scott said, eyeing her casual attire of jeans and t-shirt as he got up to leave.
That put Erin in a new state of panic; what was she going to wear? She hadn’t brought any suits with her, as she didn’t think she would need any. Then she remembered, folded up in her suitcase was a pair of tidy black trousers and a purple silk blouse. They would have to do.
‘Penny for your thoughts?’ Kath’s American drawl cut into her musings. ‘Is that the right phrase you Brits use?’
‘Yes it is. Afraid my thoughts aren’t worth that much though,’ Erin laughed. ‘How is the holiday going?’
‘Excellent, we visited a vineyard up north today and did some wine tasting.’
‘That explains the flush in her cheeks and the slight slurring of her words,’ Erin thought, then said aloud, ‘So was it worth a visit?’
‘The place was nice, very peaceful. We aren’t wine drinkers, but you know me, I will try anything. Do you want a drink? You look like you need one after that intense looking conversation you were having with the suited guy.’
‘He was a lawyer. I have to go to court tomorrow to testify about the mugging. I was trying to decide what to wear.’
‘Oh that sucks. Bad enough having to do it at all, but to do it on your holiday, well that’s rough.’
‘I know, but it’s got to be done.’
‘If you want a second opinion, or a hand picking something out, give us a shout. I used to work in fashion.’
‘I might take you up on your offer, I am terrible where clothes are concerned. Where is Bob?’ Erin asked, as her eyes wandered around the bar trying to glimpse the bearded face of Kath’s husband.
‘He went up to our room, too much sun and alcohol. Probably snoring his head off by now.’
‘I think I will have a quick drink. Let me buy them. What do you want?’
‘I should have a soda after the amount of alcohol I consumed last night, but what the hell, I am on holiday. I will have a beer.’
‘Okay, back in a sec,’ Erin said disappearing to the bar.
A short time later they were deep in conversation, when Kath broke off mid-sentence and nudged her arm.
‘Ooh, look who has just walked in. It’s your dishy doctor friend.’
Erin spun around so fast her elbow knocked her bottle over. The liquid sloshed over the table and ran off the edges covering the two women in beer.
‘Oh God. I am so sorry,’ Erin apologised as she grabbed some tissues and attempted to mop up the mess.
‘Don’t worry about it. I should go and change anyway, I have been in these clothes all day.’ Kath got to her feet and winked at Erin. ‘I will leave you two love birds alone.’
Erin could fee
l herself blushing. ‘It’s not like that,’ she protested.
‘It never is,’ Kath laughed knowingly.
‘Hi,’ Dan said stopping in front of her table. ‘Do you fancy getting some food, or have you already eaten?’
‘Hi. That would be lovely,’ Erin answered, the salad she had eaten for lunch had worn off, and she was starving.
‘Do you mind if we eat here? I am exhausted after being at the hospital all day. Plus I didn’t get any sleep last night as some fantastic woman kept me sitting on a beach until sunrise,’ he grinned at her.
‘Oh who was that then?’ Erin said battering her eyelashes innocently.
They placed their order and settled down with another beer. It was only her second drink, but Erin was starting to feel a bit woozy. She had better take it easy, turning up at court with a hangover would not go in her favour.
‘So, I have the day off tomorrow, and I was wondering if you would like to go out with me,’ Dan said.
Erin’s heart sank. She wanted nothing more than to spend the day with him. ‘I’m sorry, but I can’t,’ she watched as his smile disappeared, and his face became guarded. ‘I would love to go out with you, but I am afraid I have to go to court tomorrow, to testify about the mugging.’
His face relaxed and his breath whooshed out in a whistle. ‘That’s fine, I understand. Thought for a minute you were blowing me off.’
‘No, I wouldn’t do that,’ Erin smiled and reached across the table to take his hand in hers. ‘I won’t be there all day. My part should only take an hour or so.’
‘If you want, I can drive you, and sit in the court room to support you. Then we can go somewhere afterwards.’
‘Thank you. That sounds wonderful.’
Their food arrived, putting an end to the conversation. They ate in companionable silence and after, Dan walked Erin to her room. Nervously she fiddled with the key. Was it too soon to invite him in?
Before she could decide, Dan pulled her into his embrace and kissed her. The kiss was soft and tender, his lips warm with the faint aroma of beer. Erin’s legs wobbled, and she clung to his muscular shoulder for support. Dan broke the kiss, and stared into her eyes for what seemed like an eternity.
‘Good night Erin. Sweet dreams,’ he murmured softly.
He dropped another kiss on her tingling lips, then turned on his heel and walked away. Erin stood transfixed, staring at his back as he retreated down the corridor. Should she call him back? Too late, he rounded the corner and disappeared from view.
Erin locked the door and sank down on the bed. Hugging her knees to her chest she swayed back and forth. The silly grin was back and plastered permanently to her face. An unfamiliar emotion shot through her body. She sat, trying to figure it out, and suddenly she realised what it was; happiness. For the first time she could remember, she was actually happy. She just hoped it would last, as she didn’t want the feeling to ever go away.
Chapter 16
Stanley sucked in his breath, and a deep scowl appeared on his face as he inspected the car. His pen flew over the clipboard as he marked down the damage. Moving round to the passenger side, Stanley’s expression changed to one of pure horror.
Erin shuffled nervously from one foot to the other, gnawing at her lower lip as she waited for him to explode and start ranting about women drivers.
‘What on earth happened? Do you have any idea how expensive it is to repair paintwork?’
Erin swallowed hard, but remained silent. She didn’t have a clue how much it would cost, but judging by Stanley’s reaction she guessed it would be a lot, most likely in excess of a hundred pounds. He tutted as he continued his report, and when he was finished he fixed her with an icy glare.
‘I think we should go into the office,’ he said sharply.
Without waiting, he stalked back to the porta cabin. For a split-second Erin debated whether to make a run for it, but decided against it and feeling as if she was on her way to the gallows, followed Stanley inside.
He was already shuffling papers about his desk and waved her to the seat opposite him. ‘I see you took out the damage excess. That was a wise move on your part.’
‘Yes I did. Does this mean I don’t need to pay any extra?’ she asked and crossed her fingers under the desk.
‘Fortunately for you it does. Sign here to say you returned the vehicle to us,’ Stan pointed to the line on the paper where she needed to put her signature.
Erin signed the document and got to her feet. ‘I am so sorry about the car. I am not used to driving on such narrow roads.’
‘These things happen. Goodbye, Ms Turnbull,’ Stanley said as he swung away from her to open the draw to the filing cabinet.
Erin left the office and sighed in relief, the car saga was dealt with, now all she had to do was go to court and then continue with the remainder of her holiday. Dan had followed her to the rental place and was leaning out of the jeep’s window, waving her over.
‘All done?’ Dan asked as she climbed in next to him.
‘Yes thank God. I took out the excess so didn’t need to pay anything.’
‘Good job you did, the repairs would have cost a small fortune otherwise.’
He turned the key and started the engine, but waited until her seatbelt was buckled before pulling off into the traffic. The court house was a ten-minute drive away, and they arrived in plenty of time. The building was a modern, grey brick structure, built on a quiet tree-lined street in the business district. The double fronted glass doors swung open as they approached, but a man dressed in a security uniform stopped them from entering.
‘Can you place your bag on the table?’ he instructed Erin and motioned a female officer over to help. ‘Sir, can you lift your arms?’ he asked Dan and moved a scanning device over him.
The woman officer opened Erin’s bag, glanced inside and nodded. ‘All okay. Can you stand here please?’ she ran the body scanner over Erin and finding nothing suspicious cleared them both to enter. An usher came over to greet them and directed Dan to the public gallery.
‘Follow me,’ the usher said as he led Erin to the waiting room.
‘Best of luck,’ Dan called out from behind her.
‘Thanks. See you soon.’
The waiting room was bright with plain white walls and a brown carpet. Rows of chairs were positioned against the wall and a coffee table stood in the middle with piles of magazines and newspapers on. Erin sat down and picked up one of the magazines, idly leafing through the pages. A brass clock on the wall chimed ten o clock. Court was now in session.
Biting her finger nails, Erin jumped as footsteps pounded down the corridor outside. Was it her turn already? But whoever it was didn’t stop, and the door remained closed. Relieved, Erin leaned back in the chair and listened as the footsteps receded down the hall.
Fifteen minutes later the door opened and the usher strode in.
‘Miss Turnbull. They are ready for you now,’ he announced.
Erin left the safety of the waiting room and entered the court. This was familiar territory for her, everything looked and smelled the same even the atmosphere was identical. Taking a deep breath she took the stand, placed her hand on the bible and vowed to tell the truth.
The judge ordered everyone to be seated and Erin scanned the sea of faces seeking a familiar one. Her gaze landed on Dan who gave her the thumbs up as encouragement. Sat in the front, beside their lawyer Scott Wilson, was June and Arthur, who smiled to reassure her. Behind the table, on the opposite side, was Brad, the defendant, a sullen looking youth who kept pulling at his tie as if it was a noose. Next to him, shuffling some papers was his lawyer, Sharon Upworth, a formidable looking woman of about fifty years of age dressed in a black suit. Her grey hair was pulled into a tight bun at the back of her head, and a pair of spectacles dangled from a chain around her neck.
The court quietened down and Scott Wilson stood and approached Erin.
‘Ms Turnbull, please tell the court, in as much detail as yo
u can remember, what happened on the afternoon of the fifteenth of September.’
‘I was out sightseeing…,’ Erin started quietly.
‘Can you speak up please?’ Brad’s lawyer interrupted her.
‘Sorry,’ Erin said clearing her throat. ‘I was sightseeing, when I bumped into June and Arthur at a jewellery store. We chatted for a while then I left to catch my bus. As I made my way to the bus stop I heard a commotion. When I turned, I saw the defendant,’ Erin pointed at Brad for good measure, ‘he was wrestling with the elderly couple, trying to grab the handbag. After he pulled it free, he sprinted off down the road. Without thinking, I ran after him, grabbed hold of him and he fell to the ground. Then I sat on him to stop him from escaping and waited for the police to arrive.’
‘Thank you, Ms Turnbull. Upon reflection do you think your actions were justified?’
‘Yes I do. I did what anyone else would have done. My only concern at the time was helping the couple retrieve their belongings.’
‘Did you not consider what you were doing to be dangerous? The defendant might have been armed.’
‘Everything happened so fast, spur of the moment. I didn’t have time to think. My aim was to capture the boy and hand him over to the authorities, so he could be punished.’
‘Thank you. No further questions.’
Sharon Upworth rose from her seat and straightened her skirt, before advancing on Erin. She pulled on her glasses and glanced briefly at the paper in her hand, then lifted her head and glared intently at Erin.
‘Ms Turnbull, did you know the couple before the day in question?’
‘Yes, I met them a few days before, on a boat ride. They are a pleasant and interesting couple, and I am fond of them.’
‘So was it a coincidence that you ended up in the same location as them a second time?’
‘Yes. I hadn’t seen or spoken to them after getting off the boat.’
‘Had you met my client before that day?’
‘No never.’
‘Is it true you have recently been fired from your job at a law firm in Bristol?’
