Chapter 20 #2
“I made enquiries. It all goes in your favour. The police clearly didn’t investigate thoroughly enough.
Why would you jeopardise A levels you’d studied so hard for?
There were comments made about you being mistreated by your father.
Your pastoral teacher spoke out on your behalf.
What doesn’t work so well for you is that although you mostly stayed silent, you did plead guilty.
Did your family or the police coerce or threaten you? ”
“The police were convinced I’d done it. I didn’t talk and they kept pushing me to tell them everything.
The evidence was all against me. My family wanted to save Phelan.
They chose him over me. He’d have been in prison for a long time and they thought I’d only serve three years in a young offenders’ institute.
That was the assumption before the victim had the fatal heart attack. ”
“I’m trying to see a reason why you’d sacrifice yourself.”
Newt sagged. “In part, because I’d been so completely set up.
Even to the point of gunshot residue on my hands.
I looked guilty. I couldn’t see a way out.
But I also did it for Phelan. He was everything to me.
I was the son my mother didn’t want. She was desperate for a daughter.
She neglected me and Phelan looked after me.
I was very unlike my brothers. They were loud and boisterous, really into cars.
I liked reading and music. Phelan was kind. The only person in my family who was.”
His eyes filled with tears and he brushed them away.
“The report from your school was excellent. Your teachers couldn’t believe it of you. You were clever, hardworking, trustworthy, respectful, and just about to take your A levels for which you were projected to get top grades.”
Newt huffed. “I was going to run away on my birthday. I had a place at York Uni, if my exams went well. A future planned. Everything stopped that night.”
He took a deep breath. “I wanted to be a child psychologist. I had this idea about helping kids who had crap lives. I didn’t know that a criminal record would destroy my dreams. I can’t ever work with children.
I can’t go abroad without permission—for the next seven years anyway, and some countries would never allow me entry.
No one wanted to give me a job. It was a miracle I found the one I have.
The guy who offered me work was the first person not to ask if I had a criminal record. ”
“I don’t know many young men who would have done what you did.” The lawyer’s voice was kind but it made Newt feel even more pathetic.
“I was weak and stupid.” The breath caught in his throat.
“A little foolish, but it was a brave thing to do. And now you’ve been recalled because you were involved in a shooting incident. Something that most likely wouldn’t have led to you being in here had you not gone to prison in place of your brother.”
Newt nodded. “I thought you were my lawyer come to talk about that.”
“I’ll give her a call. She could follow through with all of this.
You’re the sole beneficiary in your brother’s will.
Witnessed by two employees of my firm. It can take three to six months to be settled and Phelan wanted you have money sooner than that.
As executor, I can give you an interim payment. Do you have a bank account?”
“Yes, but I can’t remember my account number. My card is in my wallet. The prison took that.”
The lawyer showed him a cheque. “I’ll ask that this is put with your things.”
Newt gasped. “Ten thousand pounds?”
“There will be more, but this is to help you out immediately. In addition, Phelan set aside a sum of thirty thousand for me to handle your appeal and find a lawyer to act on your behalf.”
Newt gaped at him.
“Phelan said you might have reservations about where the money has come from. He acquired an Aston Martin. A barn find, he called it. He repaired it and made a lot of money when he sold it.”
“He said something about that when we took him out.”
“I’ll leave my card with your belongings. We’ll get this sorted out. His funeral is next Tuesday. Stenton Crematorium. Eleven o’clock.”
“Phelan wanted me to go.”
“I’ll speak to the governor on your behalf. I can see no reason why he’d say no.”
“Thank you.”
“Your brother instructed me to keep going until the bitter end with the appeal. But I’m not a criminal lawyer. You need someone who is, someone who won’t give up. Because neither should you.”
It was all Newt could do not to burst into tears.
He’d not long been returned to his cell when he was taken back to meet Dominique Samson. She had to know if River was all right.
Newt shook her hand and sat down. “River?” It was the only word he could get out of his mouth.
“Is coming out of hospital today.”
Newt put his head in his heads. Thank God. Fuck, fuck, fuck… He released a ragged breath.
“I couldn’t get any information on his condition, but him being released speaks for itself.”
Newt dropped his hands and looked across at her. “Thank you.”
“I’ve just spoken to Tim Bailey. He’s emailed all the relevant information so I have a fuller picture of your situation; I’m still going through it.
But I do need to inform you that as a duty solicitor, dealing only with the shooting, I’d usually have seen you at the police station.
I’m attending here because it was not made clear to you that you needed legal representation.
I’m only funded for this visit. If you wish to continue to use me in court, then I’d require funding either through Legal Aid or payment by yourself. ”
Newt’s head was buzzing.
“I can take over your entire case if you wish. Not just the shooting but the wrongful imprisonment. Your brother’s confession is now in the hands of the police. I wish I could tell you that it should have a direct impact on your current position, but…”
“Not immediately.”
She sighed. “Legal wheels trundle very slowly. But you’ll be in Crown Court sometime within the next few days and we can make our case then. Hopefully, you’ll be released immediately. Even if it’s on bail pending a court case, it’s better than being in here. Right?”
“Do you think they’ll let me go to my brother’s funeral? Mr Bailey said he’d talk to the governor.”
“I’ll speak to him too. You have to apply for leave to attend and you’d have to go with two officers. It’s up to the governor really. Now I need to hear everything from your point of view. Begin the night it all started.”
~~~
River was relieved to be leaving hospital but Max refused to take him back to his home.
“I’m not going to leave you there on your own. You can stay with me. The police are going to come and see you this afternoon.”
“But Newt—”
“He’s in prison in Maidstone. I tried to get him out but there’s nothing we can do.”
River argued all the way back to Max’s but when he almost fell getting out of the car, Max pulled an ‘I told you so’ face and helped him into the house.
Once he was sitting in Max’s lounge, he held out his hand. “Give me your phone.”
“I’ll get you a new one tomorrow.”
“I want to speak to Newt.”
“You won’t be able to. They’ll have taken his phone off him. You need to think about what you’re going to tell the police.”
River wanted to lie, to say that he’d seen Barney and Newt struggling and the gun had gone off.
No one could contradict him. But he shouldn’t need to lie.
Barney had been the aggressor. Newt had simply been trying to save both their lives.
But if Newt told the truth and said that River was unconscious, a lie wouldn’t help the situation.
“The story’s out.” Max scrolled on his phone. “River Lawson Shot… Shooting At Home of River Lawson… Bodyguard Kills Man Who Shot River Lawson. And many versions of the same thing. Calls are pouring into the office asking about you. Great publicity for Medway Boys.”
“Fuck off.”
Max winced. “Sorry.”
“Harry G…Gardner came to see me yesterday.”
“What did he want? Hoping to step into your shoes if you weren’t fit for Kaden’s Monster?”
“He’s the reason Barney tried to kill me in Cro… that fucking place I can’t say… Cro…Croatia.” He tutted. “And why he came to the house with a gun.”
River told Max everything that Harry had said.
“Christ Almighty! How did Barney behave with you on Cloud Fall?”
“Not…friendly but not…unpleasant. I asked Harry to make a statement to the police.”
“Do you think he will?”
“He said he would.”
Max leaned back on the couch.
“I’m not going to deny Newt,” River said. “Not going to…Du…Dubai with Dila. I want Newt out of prison.”
“You’re not thinking long term.”
“I am. I want Newt out now. Misha wants me for Kaden’s Monster. He’s not going to…change his mind and go for Harry…if I come out as gay. Harry’s bisexual. Not out. He asked about me.”
“What did you say?”
“That I was the same. Easier than…explaining.”
“Oh God.”
“Please,” River said quietly. “Help Newt.”
“Let me think about everything.”
When the police arrived, Max made them coffee and left the room at their request. It was the same guys who’d spoken to River before, DI Sutcliffe and DS Pierce.
“Before we talk, can I ask if you’ve had a…statement from Harry Gardner?” River asked.
“Yes,” Sutcliffe told him.
River hoped Harry had told the truth.
“We’re going to record our conversation and DS Pierce will take notes. The statement will be read back to you or you can read it. Then you’ll be asked to sign it, confirming it’s a truthful account.”
River started from the moment that he and Newt had arrived back from the hospice and finished by repeating what Harry had told him. The difficult bit was not telling them about what Phelan had done. He’d already told Max but… he didn’t want to tell the police unless Newt agreed.
“Did you see anything after Colter fired the gun?” Pierce asked.
“No.” I wish I could say yes.
“So you can’t be certain what Newt did?”
“No.” River took a deep breath. “I could have lied to you. I could have said…I saw them struggling. I’m sure that’s what happened.
Barney…wasn’t going to let either of us live.
He said he’d written the hate letters to me.
He said…it was a pity the guy with the knife had missed.
He told us he was going to kill us. Both of us.
Newt killed him in self-defence. He shouldn’t… be in prison.”
“You know about his past?” Sutcliffe asked.
“I know the truth and I know what lies were told.” It was as much as he dared say.
The statement was written, read out and River signed it.