A Prisoner of Birth

by Jeffrey Archer

  ‘Before we left the restaurant Danny called Bernie to tell him the news. He agreed to join us later so we could all celebrate.’

  ‘And where did you arrange to meet up for this celebration?’

  ‘The Dunlop Arms on Hambledon Terrace in Chelsea.’

  ‘Why did you choose that particular venue?’

  ‘Danny had been there once before, after watching West Ham play Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. He told me it was very classy and he thought I’d like it.’

  ‘What time did you arrive?’

  ‘I’m not sure,’ said Beth, ‘but it can’t have been before ten.’

  ‘And your brother was already there waiting for you?’

  ‘He’s at it again, m’lord,’ objected Pearson.

  ‘I do apologize, m’lord,’ said Redmayne. He turned back to Beth. ‘When did your brother arrive?’

  ‘He was already there,’ said Beth.

  ‘Did you notice anyone else in the room?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Beth, ‘I saw the actor, Lawrence Davenport – Dr Beresford – standing at the bar with three other men.’

  ‘Do you know Mr Davenport?’

  ‘Of course not,’ said Beth. ‘I’d only ever seen him on the TV.’

  ‘So you must have been quite excited to see a television star on the night you became engaged?’

  ‘No, I wasn’t that impressed. I remember thinking that he wasn’t as good-looking as Danny.’ Several members of the jury took a closer look at the unshaven man with short spiky hair who was wearing a West Ham T-shirt that looked as if it hadn’t been ironed recently. Alex feared that not many of the jurors would agree with Beth’s judgement.

  ‘What happened next?’

  ‘We drank a bottle of champagne, and then I thought we ought to go home.’

  ‘And did you go home?’

  ‘No, Bernie ordered a second bottle, and when the barman took the empty one away, I heard someone say, “Wasted on them”.’

  ‘How did Danny and Bernie react to that?’

  ‘They didn’t hear it, but I saw one of the men at the bar staring at me. He winked, then opened his mouth and started circling his tongue round his lips.’

  ‘Which of the four men did that?’

  ‘Mr Craig.’

  Danny looked up into the gallery to see Craig scowling down at Beth, but fortunately she couldn’t see him.

  ‘Did you tell Danny?’

  ‘No, the man was obviously drunk. Besides, you hear worse than that if you’ve been brought up in the East End. And I knew only too well how Danny would react if I told him.’ Pearson didn’t stop writing.

  ‘So you ignored him?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Beth. ‘But then the same man turned to his friends and said, “The slut’s quite presentable until she opens her mouth.” Bernie did hear that. Then one of the other men said, “I don’t know, there are times when I quite like a slut’s mouth to be open,” and they all began laughing.’ She paused. ‘Except for Mr Davenport, who looked embarrassed.’

  ‘Did Bernie and Danny also laugh?’

  ‘No. Bernie grabbed the champagne bottle and stood up to face him.’ Pearson wrote down her exact words, as she added: ‘But Danny pulled him back down and told him to ignore them.’

  ‘And did he?’

  ‘Yes, but only because I said I wanted to go home. As we were on our way out, I noticed that one of the men was still staring at me. He said, “Leaving, are we?” in a loud whisper, then, “When you’re finished with her, my friends and I have just enough left over for a gang bang.” ’

  ‘A gang bang?’ repeated Mr Justice Sackville, looking bemused.

  ‘Yes, m’lord. It’s when a group of men have sex with the same woman,’ said Redmayne. ‘Sometimes for money.’ He paused while the judge wrote down the words. Alex looked across at the jury, none of whom appeared to require any further explanation.

  ‘Can you be sure those were his exact words?’ asked Redmayne.

  ‘It’s not something I’m likely to forget,’ said Beth sharply.

  ‘And was it the same man who said this?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Beth, ‘Mr Craig.’

  ‘How did Danny react this time?’

  ‘He continued to ignore them – after all, the man was drunk – but my brother was the problem, and it didn’t help when Mr Craig added, “Then why don’t we go outside and sort it out?” ’

  ‘Why don’t we go outside,’ repeated Redmayne, ‘and sort it out.’

  ‘Yes,’ said Beth, not quite sure why he was repeating her words.

  ‘And did Mr Craig join you outside?’

  ‘No, but only because Danny pushed my brother into the alley before he could retaliate, and I quickly closed the door behind us.’

  Pearson picked up a red pen and underlined the words pushed him out into the alley.

  ‘So Danny managed to get your brother out of the bar without any further trouble?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Beth. ‘But Bernie still wanted to go back and sort him.’

  ‘And sort him?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Beth.

  ‘But you walked on down the alley?’

  ‘Yes, I did, but just before I reached the road I found one of the men from the bar was standing in my way.’

  ‘Which one?’

  ‘Mr Craig.’

  ‘What did you do?’

  ‘I ran back to join Danny and my brother. I begged them to return to the bar. That was when I noticed the other two men – one of them was Mr Davenport – were standing by the back door. I turned round to see that the first man had been joined by his mate at the far end of the alley, and they were now walking towards us.’

  ‘What happened next?’ asked Redmayne.

  ‘Bernie said, “You take Dickhead and I’ll deal with the other three,” but before Danny could reply, the one my brother called Dickhead came running towards him and threw a punch that caught Danny on the chin. After that an almighty fight broke out.’

  ‘Did all four of the men join in?’

  ‘No,’ said Beth. ‘Mr Davenport remained by the back door and one of the others, a tall, skinny guy, hung back, and when my brother nearly knocked out the only other man willing to fight, Bernie told me to go and get a taxi as he was confident it would be all over fairly quickly.’

  ‘And did you?’

  ‘Yes, but not until I was sure that Danny was getting the better of Craig.’

  ‘And was he?’

  ‘No contest,’ said Beth.

  ‘How long did it take you to find a taxi?’

  ‘Only a few minutes,’ said Beth, ‘but when the cabbie drew up, to my surprise he said, “I don’t think it’s a taxi you’ll be needing, luv. If they were my friends, I’d be phoning for an ambulance,” and without another word he shot off.’

  ‘Has any attempt been made to locate the taxi driver concerned?’ asked the judge.

  ‘Yes, m’lord,’ replied Redmayne, ‘but so far no one has come forward.’

  ‘So how did you react when you heard the taxi driver’s words?’ Redmayne asked, turning back to Beth.

  ‘I swung round to see my brother lying on the ground. He appeared to be unconscious. Danny was holding Bernie’s head in his arms. I ran back down the alley to join them.’

  Pearson made another note.

  ‘And did Danny give an explanation as to what had happened?’

  ‘Yes. He said that they had been taken by surprise when Craig produced a knife. He had tried to wrestle it from him when he was stabbing Bernie.’

  ‘And did Bernie confirm this?’

  ‘Yes, he did.’

  ‘So what did you do next?’

  ‘I phoned the emergency services.’

  ‘Please take your time, Miss Wilson, before you answer my next question. Who turned up first? The police or an ambulance?’

  ‘Two paramedics,’ said Beth without hesitation.

  ‘And how long was it before they arrived?’

  ‘Seven, perhaps e
ight minutes.’

  ‘How can you be so sure?’

  ‘I never stopped looking at my watch.’

  ‘And how many more minutes passed before the police arrived?’

  ‘I can’t be certain,’ said Beth, ‘but it must have been at least another five.’

  ‘And how long did Detective Sergeant Fuller remain with you in the alley before he went into the bar to interview Mr Craig?’

  ‘At least ten minutes,’ said Beth. ‘But it might have been longer.’

  ‘But quite long enough for Mr Spencer Craig to leave, return home, a mere hundred yards away, change his clothes and be back in time to give his version of what had taken place before the detective sergeant went into the bar?’

  ‘M’lord,’ said Pearson leaping up from his place, ‘this is an outrageous slur on a man who was doing no more than carrying out his public duty.’

  ‘I agree with you,’ said the judge. ‘Members of the jury, you will ignore Mr Redmayne’s last comments. Never forget that it is not Mr Craig who is on trial.’ He glared down at Redmayne, but the lawyer didn’t flinch, well aware that the jury would not forget the exchange, and that it might even sow some doubt in their minds. ‘I do apologize, m’lord,’ he said in a contrite voice. ‘It won’t happen again.’

  ‘Be sure that it doesn’t,’ said the judge sharply.

  ‘Miss Wilson, while you were waiting for the police to arrive, did the paramedics put your brother on a stretcher and take him to the nearest hospital?’

  ‘Yes, they did everything they could to help,’ said Beth, ‘but I knew it was too late. He’d already lost so much blood.’

  ‘Did you and Danny accompany your brother to the hospital?’

  ‘No, I went on my own because Detective Sergeant Fuller wanted to ask Danny some more questions.’

  ‘Did that worry you?’

  ‘Yes, because Danny had also been wounded. He’d been—’

  ‘That’s not what I meant,’ said Redmayne, not wanting her to finish the sentence. ‘Were you anxious that the police might consider Danny to be a suspect?’

  ‘No,’ said Beth. ‘It never crossed my mind. I had already told the police what happened. In any case, he always had me to back up his story.’

  If Alex had looked across at Pearson, he would have seen the rare flicker of a smile appear on the prosecutor’s face.

  ‘Sadly your brother died on the way to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital?’

  Beth began to sob. ‘Yes, I rang my parents, who came immediately, but it was too late.’ Alex made no attempt to ask his next question until she had composed herself.

  ‘Did Danny join you at the hospital later?’

  ‘No, he didn’t.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘Because the police were still questioning him.’

  ‘When did you next see him?’

  ‘The following morning, at Chelsea police station.’

  ‘Chelsea police station?’ repeated Redmayne, feigning surprise.

  ‘Yes. The police came round to my house first thing in the morning. They told me they’d arrested Danny and charged him with Bernie’s murder.’

  ‘That must have come as a terrible shock.’ Mr Pearson leapt up. ‘How did you react to this piece of news?’ asked Redmayne quickly.

  ‘In total disbelief. I repeated exactly what had happened, but I could see they didn’t believe me.’

  ‘Thank you, Miss Wilson. No more questions, m’lord.’

  Danny breathed a sigh of relief as Beth stepped down from the witness box. What a diamond. She smiled anxiously up at him as she passed the dock.

  ‘Miss Wilson,’ said the judge before she had reached the door. She turned back to face him. ‘Would you be kind enough to return to the witness box? I have a feeling Mr Pearson may have one or two questions for you.’

  10

  BETH WALKED SLOWLY back to the witness box. She looked up at her parents in the public gallery – and then she saw him, glaring down at her. She wanted to protest, but realized that it would serve no purpose, and nothing would please Spencer Craig more than to know the effect his presence had on her.

  She stepped back into the witness box, more determined than ever to defeat him. She remained standing, and stared defiantly at Mr Pearson, who was still seated in his place. Perhaps he wasn’t going to ask her any questions after all.

  The old prosecutor rose slowly from his seat. Without glancing at Beth, he began to rearrange some papers. He then took a sip of water before finally looking across at her.

  ‘Miss Wilson, what did you have for breakfast this morning?’

  Beth hesitated for a moment, while everyone in the court stared at her. Alex Redmayne cursed. He should have realized that Pearson would try to throw her off guard with his first question. Only Mr Justice Sackville didn’t look surprised.

  ‘I had a cup of tea and a boiled egg,’ Beth eventually managed.

  ‘Nothing else, Miss Wilson?’

  ‘Oh, yes, some toast.’

  ‘How many cups of tea?’

  ‘One. No, two,’ said Beth.

  ‘Or was it three?’

  ‘No, no, it was two.’

  ‘And how many slices of toast?’

  She hesitated again. ‘I can’t remember.’

  ‘You can’t remember what you had for breakfast this morning, and yet you can recall in great detail every sentence you heard six months ago.’ Beth bowed her head again. ‘Not only can you recall every word Mr Spencer Craig uttered that night, but you can even remember such details as him winking at you and rolling his tongue round his lips.’

  ‘Yes, I can,’ insisted Beth. ‘Because he did.’

  ‘Then let’s go back and test your memory even further, Miss Wilson. When the barman picked up the empty bottle of champagne, Mr Craig said, “Wasted on them”.’

  ‘Yes, that’s right.’

  ‘But who was it who said’ – Pearson leant forward to check his notes – ‘ “There are times when I quite like a slut’s mouth to be open”?’

  ‘I’m not sure if that was Mr Craig or one of the other men.’

  ‘You’re “not sure”. “One of the other men”. Do you mean the defendant, Cartwright?’

  ‘No, one of the men at the bar.’

  ‘You told my learned friend that you didn’t react, because you’d heard worse in the East End.’

  ‘Yes, I have.’

  ‘In fact, that’s where you heard the phrase in the first place, isn’t it, Miss Wilson,’ said Pearson, tugging the lapels of his black gown.

  ‘What are you getting at?’

  ‘Simply that you never heard Mr Craig deliver those words in a bar in Chelsea, Miss Wilson, but you have heard Cartwright say them back in the East End many times, because that’s the sort of language he would use.’

  ‘No, it was Mr Craig who said those words.’

  ‘You also told the court that you left the Dunlop Arms by the back door.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Why didn’t you leave by the front door, Miss Wilson?’

  ‘I wanted to slip out quietly and not cause any more trouble.’

  ‘So you had already caused some trouble?’

  ‘No, we hadn’t caused any trouble.’

  ‘Then why didn’t you leave by the front door, Miss Wilson? If you had, you would have found yourself on a crowded street, and could have slipped away, to use your words, without causing any more trouble.’

  Beth remained silent.

  ‘Then perhaps you can also explain what your brother meant,’ said Pearson checking his notes, ‘when he said to Cartwright, “If you think I’m gonna call you guv, you can forget it”.’

  ‘He was joking,’ said Beth.

  Pearson stared at his file for some time before saying, ‘Forgive me, Miss Wilson, but I can’t see anything humorous in that remark.’

  ‘That’s because you don’t come from the East End,’ said Beth.

  ‘Neither does Mr Craig,’ responded Pe
arson, before quickly adding, ‘and then Cartwright pushes Mr Wilson towards the back door. Was that when Mr Craig heard your brother say, “Then why don’t I join you and we can sort it”?’

  ‘It was Mr Craig who said: “Then why don’t I join you and we can sort it out,” because that’s the kind of language they use in the West End.’

  Bright woman, thought Alex, delighted that she’d picked up his point and rammed it home.

  ‘And when you were outside,’ said Pearson quickly, ‘you found Mr Craig waiting for you at the other end of the alley?’

  ‘Yes, I did.’

  ‘How long was it before you saw him standing there?’

  ‘I don’t remember,’ replied Beth.

  ‘This time you don’t remember.’

  ‘It wasn’t that long,’ said Beth.

  ‘It wasn’t that long,’ repeated Pearson. ‘Less than a minute?’

  ‘I can’t be sure. But he was standing there.’

  ‘Miss Wilson, if you were to leave the Dunlop Arms by the front door, make your way through a crowded street, then down a long lane, before finally reaching the end of the alley, you’d find it’s a distance of two hundred and eleven yards. Are you suggesting that Mr Craig covered that distance in under a minute?’

  ‘He must have done.’

  ‘And his friend joined him a few moments later,’ said Pearson.

  ‘Yes, he did,’ said Beth.

  ‘And when you turned round, the other two men, Mr Davenport and Mr Mortimer, were already positioned by the back door.’

  ‘Yes, they were.’

  ‘And this all took place in under a minute, Miss Wilson?’ He paused. ‘When do you imagine the four of them found time to plan such a detailed operation?’

  ‘I don’t understand what you mean,’ said Beth, gripping the rail of the witness box.

  ‘I think you understand only too well, Miss Wilson, but for the benefit of the jury, two men leave the bar by the front door, go around to the rear of the building while the other two station themselves by the back door, all in under a minute.’

  ‘It could have been more than a minute.’

  ‘But you were keen to get away,’ Pearson reminded her. ‘So if it had been more than a minute you would have had time to reach the main road and disappear long before they could have got there.’

  ‘Now I remember,’ said Beth. ‘Danny was trying to calm Bernie down, but my brother wanted to go back to the bar and sort Craig, so it must have been more than a minute.’