Page 44 of Dissection of a Murder
“You really think he’s innocent, don’t you?” she says.
Davina is a very functional, practical person. She holds her cards very close to her chest, so I’m slightly thrown by her asking this now.
“I do,” I tell her, openly and truthfully. “Don’t you?”
“Who knows?” She shrugs. “I don’t have the time to contemplate whether my clients are telling the truth or not. I do my job the best I can, go home, and forget about them. And so should you.”
“It’s difficult when you’ve seen an innocent person suffer an injustice and you get a second chance to put it right. That’s what we have here. This case is more than just a job for me.”
She goes to say something, just as her own phone starts ringing, which she answers. I can tell it’s a phone call about Jack by the way she frowns in that intense way she does sometimes.
“Mmm-hmm…right…yes…Christ. OK. I’ll let them know. Well, it’s not ideal. Yes. Fine.”
“What is it?” I ask the second she hangs up.
She takes a gulp of her wine before delivering the news, which I can tell is going to be bad.
“We’ve just received more details about the offense Jack was sent to prison for in 2014. He was charged with supplying drugs and his barrister submitted that he ought to be spared prison, because his foster mother had just been diagnosed with an aggressive form of lung cancer and was not expected to last more than a few months. He asked for one last chance so he could spend her remaining months with her, as he’d never get over allowing her to die on her own.”
“I don’t like where this is going.”
“The judge rejected his submissions and sent Jack straight to prison.”
“Who was the judge?” It’s a rhetorical question, but I ask it anyway.
“His Honor Judge Anton Smythe.”
I steal a long, sharp breath.
“Well, I guess Julian just found his motive for murder.”
21
Leila
60 days before trial
“She’s jealous ofyou, Leila. I wouldn’t trust anything she says.”
I told Julian about Sienna cozying up to me at the law fair. I was interested to hear his take on it, although I knew it wouldn’t be positive.
“Why would she be jealous?” I ask him, leaning into the doorway to our dressing room at home. “You split up years ago and, no offense, but she left you.”
He stops what he’s doing. Julian likes to select what he’s wearing for court the night before and had been reaching up for a suit before pausing to turn around. This was Julian’s house, originally. He lived here with Sienna but bought her out when they divorced. I wasn’t sure about it, initially, moving into their old marital home. I felt I’d be a diluted version of her. I did suggest to Julian we buy a more modern property when we married, but he almost vomited at the mention of a new-build and wouldn’t hear any further discussion about it.
“She obviously realized what a mistake she made,” he says, with deep satisfaction running through his voice. “I mean, look at who she ended up with. Bloody Keiran Fox. He’s hardly a catch, is he? Couldn’t hack it at the Bar, so went to teach instead.”
“There’s nothing wrong with teaching, Julian.”
“No, but he obviously didn’t have what it takes for this job. That’s the measure of the man.”
“I got the impression it was a lifestyle choice rather than him not being able to handle it.”
“Well, whatever it was, it’s a waste of everything he worked for.”
“It’s just very weird that she’s started being like this.”
“Look, simply stay away from her,” he snaps. “I don’t know why she’s intent on doing this now, but she’s very two-faced. She fools a lot of people, and trust me, I know what that’s like.”
