Page 105 of Dissection of a Murder
“Whatto come out like this?” I ask urgently.
Jack pauses for a brief moment and swallows hard, before turning to look at the public gallery. After a few seconds, his breathing becomes heavy, and he rubs his forehead; he looks like he’s going to cry.
“I’m sorry, Eddie. I never wanted you to find out this way.”
Everyone in the courtroom is confused and looks between Jack and Eddie to see what he’s going to say next.
“Mr. Millman,” I say firmly. “What didn’t you want Eddie to find out about like this?”
Turning to face me again, Jack takes a deep breath before settling his eyes on mine. “Quinn is responsible for the death of Eddie Sorrington’s son. I saw it happen.”
The court explodes into absolute uproar. Gasps race around the room, crashing against horrified cries coming from the public gallery. A glance at the jury reveals they don’t know what to do with this news; each of their heads darts around the courtroom, not knowing where to look. Their mouths drop open; one juror at the front cranes her neck to look at Quinn, who is now sitting in the public gallery following his evidence yesterday.
Jack and I stare at each other among the chaos. I feel someone—presumably Davina—tugging on the back of my robes, trying to get my attention.
Quinn is now center stage. Everyone’s eyes are on him. He sits in the second row of the public gallery, next to his mother. His face is white; he looks about to faint. Eddie Sorrington charges from the back of the public gallery down to the front in an attempt to reach Quinn. Daniella screams at him to stop. Security guards rush over and drag Eddie away as he shouts, “Fucking murderer!,” which echoes throughout the courtroom.
That’s the video Jack told Quinn he had. Jack was forcing Quinn to confess about Eddie’s son.
“Quiet,now!” booms the judge. “I appreciate this is sensitive, but unless anyone wants to spend the night in the cells for contempt, we will allow the defendant to continue with his evidence. I will not tolerate outbursts of this nature in my court. This is a murder trial.”
Jack looks utterly broken in the witness box. He leans forward, head in his hands.
“My Lady.” Julian’s voice belts through the courtroom as he stands to address the judge. I watch as his jaw flickers from the side. He is furious. “I wonder if I might—”
“Mr. Kesler, I think we need to hear what this witness has to say. You’ll have your opportunity to cross-examine him in due course. Let’s get on with it, Miss Reynolds.”
Julian sits down slowly. I fear what’s to come. I really hope Jack is prepared.
“Can you explain, Mr. Millman?” I ask, my voice trembling.
“I never, ever wanted it to come out like this,” Jack says. The emotion in his eyes is clear to everyone in the room. “His parents should never have found out here.”
He breaks off, unable to continue.
“Take your time, Mr. Millman.” I think we all need a minute to recalibrate. Jack takes a few deep breaths. The jury are bewitched. Their gazes are all focused on Jack right now. You could hear a pin drop in this courtroom.
Davina pokes my arm. I turn quickly to see what she wants, and she hands me a piece of paper with scribbled writing on it, none of which is legible. I acknowledge it but don’t have time to read it.
Jack composes himself and stands upright. He’s started this and has every intention of finishing it.
“About a month before the night Mr. Smythe died, Quinn was in Innocence with his friends. They were full of private-school cockiness. Lewis Sorrington was in, and the two of them clashed over some girl they were both trying to crack on with. Lewis wasn’t a bad lad. I’ve known him for years, but he wasn’t one to mess with, either. He would defend himself if he needed to. Around 3 a.m., I was opening my bedroom windows—it gets hot in there, as it’s an attic room—and I saw Lewis on his own round the back of the club. He’d parked his car down the alley. Quinn’s boys jumped him and held him while Quinn punched him in the face. Thing is, I thought Lewis was going to absolutely smack the shit out of them all, so I got my phone out and started filming. Quinn was known for being cocky, and I was going to send the video to Eddie afterward saying, ‘Look at your lad, sorting this posh boy out.’ Lewis went down and didn’t get back up, then Quinn and his mates ran off.”
Everyone in court is stunned.
“What happened after that?”
“I think Lewis must have been giving some friends a ride home because all of a sudden some girls were screaming and one of them was on the phone, I think she was calling an ambulance because it was there within minutes. I found out the next day that Lewis was dead. I met Quinn three weeks later and said if he didn’t hand himself in to thepolice, I’d tell Eddie what he’d done, which would certainly be worse than anything the law could throw at him. It was for his own good.”
“Why didn’t you just go to the police yourself?”
“I wanted to give him the chance to do it himself. I expected a man—a judge’s son—to be morally responsible like that.”
Julian would have buried this if Jack had disclosed it earlier, and Quinn’s family would have covered it up. Well played.
“What happened when Mr. Smythe came to see you? Was that the first time you’d met him?”
“Yes, it was. Quinn must have told him where I lived. It was well-known that my apartment was above the club. I opened the door, and he barged straight in, pushing past me.”
