Court Out (34 page)

She looks visibly shocked. I hear gasps coming from around me. My own voice is included.

“What, what do you mean?” she asks in a shaky voice.

“I mean, I’ve known about you and him for a while now. I must confess that I had no idea about your new criminal career though. That’s a new low Serena”

“So why are you here!” she exclaims, a hint of anger in her voice. She must have realised that the game is up. “Why did you come here to marry me?”

He shrugs. “I wanted to see if you’d come clean. I wondered if I at least meant that much to you. Obviously not.”

He walks towards the aisle with his back to her. Turning, almost as an afterthought, he continues, “I’ve changed the honeymoon tickets; I’m going with my brother. I suspect the police will be looking for you so I advise you stay in the country.”

With that he walks away from her towards the door. He stops next to where I’m stood.

“Lauren, if what has been said is true, then I hope everything works out for you. I’m sorry she’s ruined your life as well as mine.”

His voice is wobbling but his face remains fixed. I lunge forwards and grab him in a tight hug.

“Thank you,” I whisper in his ear. He squeezes me back and I let him go. As he walks out, I turn my attention to the front of the room. Lucinda is still at the lectern and Serena is stood, motionless next to the registrar.

“Let’s go,” I whisper to Sebastian.

We turn to leave and progress quickly towards the door. Just as I think that we’ve made it, I’m spun round quickly by a hand on my shoulder. Serena looks like a broken woman. She’s started to cry and has mascara streaming down her face.

“Lauren,” she pleads, “I didn’t do anything. I don’t know what they’re talking about. You’re my best friend, I’d never do that to you.”

I can’t help it. A snort of laughter has escaped my lips before I have time to stop it.

“Serena, you tried to ruin my career, have me prosecuted, steal my work and have dressed me like I’ve escaped from a fairground. You are no friend of mine.”

She grabs my wrist and for a terrible moment I think she is going to get on her knees and beg for forgiveness. She doesn’t. The pressure increases and I wince in pain. In an instant, her face shifts and her tone changes.

“You think you’re something special, but you’re not,” she hisses, squeezing harder. I can feel her nails digging into my skin. I’ve had enough of this. I just want to get home, take off this wretched dress and sort out what is happening with the remains of my career.

I take a long, hard look at my former best friend.

“Serena, take a long, hard look at yourself. You’ve been dumped at the altar, you’ll never work again, you’re about to be arrested and you’ll probably go to prison.” I pause and snatch my arm back from her. “Enjoy.”

I take Sebastian’s hand and together, we walk out of the room. I can hear an almighty commotion behind me, but I can honestly say, I couldn’t care less.

Chapter Twenty Seven

I run upstairs and quickly grab my belongings. Sebastian joins me at the bottom of the stairs and we hurry to his car, outside. We drive in silence for a few moments before I loudly exhale. The last hour seems like it could have been a really vivid dream. 

“Did I imagine that?” I venture, turning to look at him. He laughs and strokes my arm with his hand.

“Yes Lauren. We’re fleeing from your best friend’s wedding simply because we felt like it.”

He smiles and I’m reassured that everything might turn out okay.

We make it home and I have a massive feeling of deja-vu. The phone is ringing off the hook and the press have just arrived outside again. Panic rises and I have an awful feeling that my name is far from being cleared. Sebastian has just unplugged the phone and I’m not sure what to do.

A knock on the door makes me jump. I can see a tall figure in dark clothes behind the frosted glass. Taking a deep breath I walk forwards and open it. DC Connelly looks tired. He walks in without being invited and makes his way into the kitchen.

“What’s going on?” I ask, unable to keep the slight tremor from my voice. “I know you’ve arrested Rivers.”

He looks surprised, “Talk about news travelling fast! Yes, we picked him up this morning.”

“So?” I persist, determined to figure out exactly where I stand.

He lowers his voice, “Between you and me, he sang like a canary when we interviewed him. Dropped your friend in it too.”

I sit down. “Wow. What about Quinn?”

The officer shakes his head. “No chance. We’ve obviously got our suspicions, but we’ve got nothing firm to tie him in to this. River’s hasn’t said a word about him and won’t answer any question that could lead us to him.”

“So, what’s going to happen?” I wonder out loud.

“Well, we charged him this morning and your mate will be picked up soon.”

“You’ve charged him?” I exclaim, louder than I intended.

DC Connelly looks confused. “Is that a problem?”

“No! It’s just, does that mean that I’m in the clear?” I venture, knowing that the answer to my question will cause hysteria either way.

“God, sorry. I should have said.” He switches to a formal style of prose, “We are taking no further action in the investigation against you. You’re in the clear. However, we may need a further statement from you at some point and if there’s a trial, you’ll have to give evidence. But of course you know that.”

As I mentally run through what’s happened, a thought strikes.

“Hang on! What about Hobbs? He’s going to get away with this. There’s no way Rivers would have done this just to further his career!”

“Oh we know that,” smiles Connelly. “He’s due to be arrested too. I think we’ll manage to pin something on him. We’ve got Stephen Walker in custody too. Between the lot of them, something will stick.”

I shake my head in disbelief. I can see that Sebastian is stood behind the policeman, in the doorway. He clears his throat and Connelly jumps.

“Don’t you have something to say to Lauren?” Sebastian asks. His voice is firm and confident.

“Excuse me?” Connelly replies.

“Well let me see. You arrested her, kept her in a cell for an eternity, interviewed her and made her feel like shit.”

Connelly goes to say something but Sebastian raises a hand in protest.

“No. Wait. I understand that it’s your job to investigate crime. I don’t blame you for doing that. What I do blame you for is stopping the investigation after you’d interviewed Lauren. I’d put money on the fact that if she hadn’t have solved this for you, your lot never would have.”

“Sebastian, it’s fine-” I try, anxious to diffuse the situation.

“No Lauren, it’s not.”

He’s not shouting, but he sounds majorly angry.

“Can you honestly say that the police would have worked this out? I had visions of you being on trial for this as they thought they’d got their criminal.”

DC Connelly looks very uncomfortable now. “We were following our lines of enquiry. The evidence pointed to Lauren.”

“Yes and your evidence was wrong. I hope that following this disaster you learn not to take things at face value. I should let you know I’m minded to put in an official complaint about this. I’ll be guided by what Lauren wants, but please don’t think this is the end of this.”

DC Connelly shoots me a worried look and I can’t help but smile. Odds are I won’t pursue any official complaint, but there may be some strongly worded letters winging their way to my local constabulary.

As I let him out, I catch sight of the waiting paparazzi at the end of my drive. I pose, give them a smile and shut the door. All too late, I remember what I look like.

Sebastian has obviously plugged the phone back in as I hear the shrill sound as it rings. He answers it and I can hear him making some noises of assent. I wander through to see who he is talking to. As he sees me he holds the phone out in his hand.

“It’s for you,” he smiles, “You’ll want to take this one.”

Chapter Twenty Eight

Alexander looks exquisite, as usual. He’s had his hair cut since I last saw him and the short neat crop really flatters his angular face. To my distaste, he looks delighted to see me and welcomes me into his room like a long lost friend.

It was really, really weird coming back into Chambers this morning. The press are still (For reasons that I can’t fathom) desperate to speak to me, but I can’t think of many things worse that engaging in a post-drama interview.

I didn’t venture into the clerks room but I did receive some welcoming smiles from members of Chambers and admin staff as I went past the glass-fronted room on my way in. As I ascended the punishing stairs, it was almost like nothing had changed.

I’m wearing a familiar black suit, white top and a new pair of divine black Kurt Geiger heels. I had my hair trimmed yesterday and I look pretty much exactly as I did before this whole fiasco.

“Lauren! Great to see you. You’re looking well!” exclaims Alexander. To be fair, so is he. His suit is a deep shade of navy blue with a hot pink lining. Unusually, when I came into his domain he was already on his feet, waiting for me.

“Hi Alexander,” I reply.

There is what can only be described as an awkward silence. For a terrible minute I have the impression that he is going to give me a hug. I’m either wrong, or he decides against it.

“So, how are things?” he starts. Before I can answer, he continues. “I’ve been speaking to Roger and he’s sorted you out a six-week fraud trial. After that, I’ll be leading you on a gang related murder case that’ll last at least a couple of months.”

He looks at me expectantly. I nod slowly. “That would certainly keep me out of trouble.”

His face shows the merest flicker of discomfort. He shakes it and laughs cheerily, “Onwards and upwards Lauren!”

I walk over to the window and take a few deep breaths, my gaze fixed on the pedestrians scuttling down below.

“Just out of curiosity, when the six-week fraud came in to Chambers, which barrister did the solicitors want to do it?”

There’s a pause. “Well, I’m not sure,” replies Alexander eventually.

“Can you check for me?” I query.

He laughs again. It sounds forced. “Lauren, Lauren, you should just be happy that we have all of this work for you!”

I don’t laugh back, but turn to face him. “I’m just curious you see. Has Roger performed a clerking miracle or did the solicitors send the work to me in the first place?”

It’s a simple question. Either the work is mine because the solicitors wanted me to do it, or as some massive apology, the work has been taken from someone else to placate me.

“Well, I suppose the brief does have your name on it,” he concedes. 

I knew it. He’s been talking total bullshit. No strings have been pulled, no special treatment has been given to me by way of an apology. Come to think about it, no apologies have been forthcoming whatsoever.

“Good to know,” I smile. “It’ll be coming with me then.”

He falters. “What?”

His cheerful expression is slowly sliding from his face. In contrast, I’m certainly regaining my good mood.

“Sorry, wasn’t I clear? I said, I’m taking the brief with me.”

He looks at me like I’m trying to explain advanced nuclear physics to him. I decide to put him out of his misery.

“Alexander I’m leaving. You and most of Chambers have treated me like something you’d scrape off your shoe. You all thought I was guilty and not one of you thought to take me aside and discuss it with me.” My voice begins to wobble, but I’m damn sure that I’m going to finish what I came here to say. “I always thought that Chambers was a family of sorts, friends that I could count on no matter what happened. I can forgive the police for how they behaved, but I can’t forgive you.”

Satisfyingly, Alexander looks completely flummoxed.

“You’re leaving the Bar?” he exclaims.

I laugh. “No. Far from it. I’ve joined another set of Chambers and I’m taking my work with me.”

“Where?” he enquires.

“I’m joining Corr’s set. He has been a tower of strength to me and for that I’ll be eternally grateful. He didn’t judge me, never questioned my actions or my innocence. You, on the other hand couldn’t wait to get rid of me, to ‘protect your reputation.’ Well, I hope when people hear about this they know exactly why I left.”

I turn and walk back towards the door. When Corr called the other night to offer me a place he made it clear that if I joined his Chambers, it’d be on the same terms as everyone else; I wasn’t to expect any special treatment or work based on sympathy at my predicament. I literally jumped with joy when he offered me a home. I don’t want this nightmare to follow me for the rest of my career, I want to be the barrister I was, fearless, feisty and full of beans. If I stay here then I’ll carry the resentment I have for most of them around with me like a weight around my neck.

“Wait!” exclaims my former Head of Chambers. I pause and slowly turn round to face him, my skirt swishing satisfactorily against my legs.

“Yes?” I enquire politely.

“I hope you’re not going to speak to the press about this.”

He really is unbelievable. Right, that’s it.

“Why, are you worried that I’m going to tell them how I was unceremoniously ejected from Chambers? How I was treated like a leper by my colleagues? How you made me feel like a criminal? How a bunch of barristers can’t even grasp the concept of ‘innocent until proven guilty?’ Oh Alexander, I owe you nothing.”

As I’m half way out of the door I have another thought.

“Someone will come to collect my things. By the way, I’m taking Cassie with me too.”

“What, our pupil?” he exclaims in confusion.

“You didn’t give her a tenancy. Corr will. You really need to learn how to treat people. Goodbye Alexander.”

Chapter Twenty Nine

Six months later...

“Court Rise”

As I uncross my ankles, raise myself to my feet and take a low bow, I silently thank God that this Judge’s ferocious nicotine habit has kept his summing up mercifully short. I glance over my shoulder to check that Mr. Walsh is still awake in the dock. He is... just. After his last glorious acquittal of stealing knickers, he’s back.