Archer, Jeffrey - Hidden in Plain Sight

‘I don’t recall the exact sum, Mr Booth Watson, but as Mr Heath testified, it was for the finest Royal Beluga caviar, supplied by Fortnum and Mason.’

Clare wrote down £20 , underlined it and passed it to Sir Julian, who smiled and nodded.

‘And you’d never met Mr Heath before that night?’

‘No, never. I was horrified when I learnt of his tragic death, and at the same time somewhat mystified.’

‘What are you getting at, Mr Faulkner?’ asked BW innocently.

‘I was mystified as to how two Scotland Yard detectives just happened to arrive on the scene of the crime moments before the murder took place.’

‘Stop there, Mr Faulkner,’ interrupted the judge. Looking across at the jury, he said, ‘You must dismiss those words from your minds.’

‘But they won’t,’ whispered Sir Julian, ‘as Faulkner knows only too well.’

‘Move on, Mr Booth Watson,’ said the judge firmly.

‘Mr Faulkner, do you have any explanation as to how twelve grams of cocaine ended up in a statue at your home?’

‘None whatsoever. I refuse to believe that Superintendent Lamont or one of his men could have been involved in something as corrupt as planting drugs in the home of an innocent person, with the intention of securing a false conviction.’ He paused. ‘For a second time.’

The judge was just about to intervene again when Faulkner added, ‘Mind you . . .’ and paused again.

‘Mind you?’ said Booth Watson.

‘I was shocked that when Superintendent Lamont arrested me, he said, “I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time.” ’

The judge waited for the uproar to die down, before he said, ‘Do you have any proof, Mr Faulkner, that Superintendent Lamont said those words? Or are you just relying on your memory?’

‘M’lud, I made a written note at the time of the arrest,’ interjected Booth Watson. ‘Ah, yes, here it is. “I’ve been looking forward to this for some time.” Mr Faulkner did get one word wrong.’

The judge wrote the words down before saying, ‘Carry on, Mr Booth Watson.’

‘Thank you, m’lud. Mr Faulkner, you do not dispute that the police found two marijuana cigarettes and an Ecstasy tablet during the two hours they spent ransacking your home.’

‘That’s correct. They found the Ecstasy tablet in the kitchen and the joints in the stables. Two members of staff admitted that they were theirs, and I had no choice but to let them go.’

‘Finally, Mr Faulkner, can I ask what your attitude is to people who indulge in the use of illegal drugs?’

‘I feel sorry for them. They’re often sad, helpless individuals who are in desperate need of medical help. But when it comes to the dealers, I consider them vile, despicable people, and a stain on our society. They deserve to rot in hell.’

‘No more questions, m’lud.’

‘Thank you, Mr Booth Watson. I think this would be an ideal time to take a break. Let’s resume at two o’clock, when I shall call on Ms Warwick to conduct her cross-examination of this witness. All rise.’

21

‘DO YOU THINK I could ask Dad to take my place?’ said Grace, as she collapsed onto the nearest seat.

‘Don’t even think about it,’ said Clare. ‘Not least because he’d refuse, and would never take you seriously again.’

‘But you saw how Faulkner handled Booth Watson from the witness box. He was so assured and self-confident, and he had an answer to every one of his questions.’

‘Of course he did. He knew every question that was coming, even before Booth Watson had opened his mouth, so it wasn’t difficult for him to have a well-rehearsed, apparently off the cuff, remark ready to impress the jury.’

‘But if he already knows about the smoking gun . . .’

‘If he did, Booth Watson would have pulled the trigger this morning and blown a hole right through your cross-examination.’

Grace was about to respond when her father walked into the corridor, clearly looking for his junior.

‘I’m going to ask him to take my place,’ she whispered.

‘We should be heading back in to court,’ said Sir Julian. ‘Everyone’s waiting for you. Even your mother’s sitting in the gallery.’

‘Grace has just been telling me how much she’s looking forward to the challenge,’ said Clare.

‘I’m glad to hear it,’ said Sir Julian, ‘although one shouldn’t be over-confident on these occasions. First time at the Bailey is always a bit of an ordeal, but once you’re on your feet . . .’ Grace didn’t move. ‘Still, we’d better get going. Can’t afford to keep the judge waiting.’

When Grace stood up, her legs almost gave way. Clare quickly took her arm and led her slowly but firmly back into the arena.

‘Do you think Faulkner’s as nervous as I am?’ she asked, as Mr Justice Baverstock entered the court and took his place.

‘No,’ said Clare. ‘Which is why you’ll kill him.’

Once the court had settled, the judge looked expectantly down at the Crown’s bench. Grace glanced at her father, but he didn’t move. Booth Watson looked puzzled, while Faulkner glowered at her from the witness box.

‘Stand up!’ whispered Clare sharply.

Grace rose unsteadily to her feet. It didn’t help that everyone in the courtroom was staring at her. She looked down at her carefully prepared list of questions, opened her mouth, but no words came out.

‘When you’re ready, Ms Warwick,’ said the judge, giving her an encouraging smile. But still nothing.

‘Get on with it!’ Clare whispered from behind.

‘Mr Faulkner,’ she managed. ‘I won’t be keeping you for too long –’ a leaf she’d taken out of Booth Watson’s book – ‘but I would like to go into a little more detail about your meeting with Mr Heath on May the seventeenth, when, at your request, he went to your home to deliver a box of the finest Royal Beluga caviar.’

Booth Watson clung on to the lapels of his gown, a prearranged signal that his client should remain silent.

‘For which you paid him eight hundred pounds.’

‘That is correct,’ said Faulkner, feeling on safe ground.

‘And indeed, Mr Heath confirmed that amount when he testified on the first day of this trial.’

‘He did indeed,’ said Faulkner, defiantly. ‘So, are you now finally going to admit that he was telling the truth?’

‘When it comes to the eight hundred pounds, I accept that you were both telling the truth, but before I return to Mr Heath’s testimony, may I take you back to another witness, Dr Ruth Lewis, who gave evidence yesterday.’

‘The government’s lickspittle who was speaking on behalf of the Crown?’ said Faulkner, ignoring Booth Watson, who had warned him to keep his answers to the barest statements of fact and make sure not to insult anyone.

‘Dr Lewis told the court that the street price of twelve grams of ninety-two per cent pure cocaine would also be around eight hundred pounds. Didn’t you find that a bit of a coincidence?’

‘No, I did not. Once she knew the amount I’d paid Heath, she conveniently used it to bolster her case. Now that’s what I would call a coincidence, if it wasn’t for the fact that she’s working for you.’

That stone having flown harmlessly over Faulkner’s shoulder, Grace selected another one from her heavy pouch.

‘Are you suggesting, Mr Faulkner, that Dr Lewis made up the figure of eight hundred pounds in order to mislead the court?’

‘Your words, not mine,’ said Faulkner, looking rather pleased with himself.

‘Then I’m bound to ask, if you doubted her veracity at the time, why your distinguished counsel didn’t dispute her findings? In fact, as I’m sure you will recall, Mr Booth Watson chose not to cross-examine Dr Lewis, which would rather suggest that he accepted her evidence without question.’