Page 109 of Dissection of a Murder
“Earlier in the day on September 6,” I continue, “you visited Eddie Sorrington at the Electric Dreams salon. What was the purpose of that visit?”
“I told Quinn when I went to see him at Diamond Lounge that if he didn’t go to the police by 12 p.m. the following Friday I’d tell Eddie myself. I’d given him enough time.”
“But you didn’t tell him, going by what happened in court today, did you?”
“No. He was busy, and I didn’t want to rush it. I needed to find the right time, and that wasn’t it. The second I saw Daniella, Lewis’s mum, I couldn’t do it. They’d been through enough—I couldn’t find the words. Quinn should have been the one to tell them, or the police.”
He’s finding this painful. He takes a second to catch his breath and rubs his eyes before straightening, ready for more questions.
“One last thing, Mr. Millman. What happened to your phone? Everything you’ve said could be proved by the content on it.”
“I wish I knew. All I know is that I last had it around 7 p.m. on the night of September 6 and then it vanished. That phone would prove what I’m saying is true.”
“Mr. Millman, why didn’t you say anything about this in your interview?”
“I’ve always wanted to tell the truth, but feared I wouldn’t get a fair trial because of the powerful people involved. I wanted the jury to hear the full story, not one with pieces of evidence conveniently going missing, like last time.”
“You’re referring to the conviction in 2019 when you were convicted of Section 20 grievous bodily harm?”
“Yes. That case also involved high-profile prosecution witnesses.”
“You’re also aware, are you not, that by not mentioning this defense before today, the jury will be entitled to draw an adverse inference against you while considering their verdict? They will be permitted to conclude that failure to disclose this defense before now is an indication of your guilt.”
His eyes glance down for a moment, to his hands. He lets out a deep breath.
“I’ll take that risk. I’m not prepared to tell you who she is. I love her, and that night she saved my life. I’ll do whatever I have to in order to save hers.”
I give his last words a moment to rest with the jury.
“Mr. Millman, thank you for your evidence. My learned friend will have some questions for you.”
That’s putting it lightly. Julian is going to love this.
55
Witness X
Friday, September 6, 2024
10:37 p.m.
“I’d love tosay I’m surprised, but that would be a lie,” Anton spat.
The three of us froze, as if we were in some kind of standoff.
“Anton,” I said quietly, to calm a situation that was already completely out of control. “Let’s just all settle down. It’s a bit out of hand, isn’t it?”
“How much did you hear?” he interrupted.
“Nothing,” I said quickly. “I ran in there when you came in. I don’t know what this is about and I don’t care. I’d really love for us just to walk away from this and keep the whole thing to ourselves.”
We both knew I’d heard everything. But I was searching, grasping for a way out.
Looking at Jack, I wondered if Anton was also considering it. We could all agree to move on and say nothing. Anton would get what he came for and our secrets would remain safe.
That’s when he saw it.
The phone resting against the TV, still recording.
