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But the moment Da
"You're full of shit," said Bernie.
"Then why don't we go outside and sort it out?"
"Be my guest, Dickhead," said Bernie as Da
"Not tonight," said Da
When Beth reached the main road she saw the man Bernie described as Dickhead standing there, one hand behind his back. He leered at her and began licking his lips again, just as his friend came rushing around the corner, slightly out of breath. Beth turned to see her brother, legs apart, standing his ground. He was smiling.
"Let's go back inside," Beth shouted at Da
"Fuck 'em," said Bernie. "It's time to teach the bastards a lesson."
"No, no," pleaded Beth as one of the men came charging up the alley toward them.
"You take Dickhead," said Bernie, "and I'll deal with the other three."
Beth looked on in horror as Dickhead threw a punch that caught Da
As the other two men standing by the back door didn't seem to want to join in, Beth assumed the fight would be over fairly quickly. She could only watch as her brother landed an uppercut on the other man, the force of which almost knocked him out. As Bernie waited for him to get back on his feet, he shouted to Beth, "Do us a favor, sis, grab a cab. This ain't go
Beth turned her attention to Da
Beth flagged down the cabbie as the man Bernie had felled staggered past her and disappeared into the night.
"Where to, luv?" asked the cabbie.
" Bacon Road, Bow," said Beth. "And two of my friends will be along in a moment," she added as she opened the back door.
The cabbie glanced over her shoulder and down the alley. "I don't think it's a taxi they'll be needing, luv," he said. "If they were my friends, I'd be phoning for an ambulance."
BOOK ONE. The Trial
CHAPTER ONE
"NOT GUILTY."
Da
Da
While they all waited for the twelve men and women to appear, Da
Da
It had taken several months for the case of The Crown versus Daniel Arthur Cartwright finally to reach the Old Bailey. It seemed to Da
Once they had settled, the associate rose from his place to address them. "Members of the jury," he began. "The defendant, Daniel Arthur Cartwright, stands before you charged on one count of murder. To that count he has pleaded not guilty. Your charge therefore is to listen to the evidence and decide whether he be guilty or no."
CHAPTER TWO
MR. JUSTICE SACKVILLE glanced down at the bench below him. "Mr. Pearson, you may open the case for the Crown."
A short, rotund man rose slowly from the counsel's bench. Mr. Arnold Pearson QC opened the thick file that rested on a lectern in front of him. He touched his well-worn wig, almost as if he were checking to make sure he'd remembered to put it on, then tugged on the lapels of his gown; a routine that hadn't changed for the past thirty years.
"If it please your lordship," he began in a slow, ponderous ma
In the public gallery, the parents of the victim sat in the far corner of the back row. Mr. Wilson looked down at Da
"During the course of this trial, you will learn how the defendant," continued Pearson, waving a hand in the direction of the dock without bothering even to glance at Da