Chapter 7
Sarah stopped reading and looked up as she heard Will’s footsteps on the path outside and his key in the front door, which then slammed shut.
‘Hi!’ he called out.
‘In here,’ Sarah called back.
Will opened the living-room door and peered round. ‘Cup of tea?’
‘Glass of wine, I think.’
‘Hmm. That bad?’
Sarah sighed. ‘No. Not really. It’s just that it’s like pulling teeth, trying to get anything from the court. Or the police.’
Will walked over and sat down on the sofa beside her, shrugging off his coat as he did so. ‘What have you got so far?’
‘The prosecution bundle. Well, some of it. The IDPC. Several witness statements. Jamie’s pre-cons.’
‘What has he got?’
‘Not a lot. A couple of cautions as a teenager. A criminal damage from 1999. He got a fine, so it can’t have been anything much.’
‘And?’
‘That’s it.’
‘So, nothing for violence?’
‘No.’
‘Doesn’t mean he didn’t attack anyone, of course,’ Will murmured. ‘It just means he didn’t get caught.’
Sarah smiled. ‘Have you been prosecuting today, by any chance, Mr Gaskin?’
‘I have, Ms Kellerman,’ Will nodded. ‘But this evening, I am definitely defending.’
‘Who are you defending?’
‘You.’ Will pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
‘First, I’m going to bring you that glass of wine, then I’m going to cook you a delicious frozen pizza, and make a salad to go with it.
Then I’m going to go and collect Ben from Andy’s while you put your feet up and binge a bit of Boston Legal or The Good Wife, or whatever it is you consider to be switching off but actually isn’t.
And then, after I’ve got Ben bathed and off to bed, I’ll let you catch me up with whatever you’re watching and I’ll watch an episode with you. And massage your feet.’
Sarah smiled. ‘What have I done to deserve all this? Or … wait. Am I yet to do it?’
Will eyed her, his own smile fading. ‘I just think you need fortification.’
Sarah shifted in her seat, pulling away from him slightly. ‘You think I’m wasting my time on this case?’
‘I’m not saying that.’ Will shook his head.
‘But we both know that when it comes to the defence getting access to what the police and the prosecution get access to, it’s already far from a level playing field.
And that’s in an ordinary trial. When it comes to an appeal – and especially one that’s twenty years old and has been refused twice before – well …
you’re still playing uphill, but this time you’re two nil down.
’ Will scratched his chin. ‘And you’re well into injury time. ’
Sarah smiled briefly at his sporting analogy, then sighed. He was right. ‘There’s no money for a start,’ she agreed.
‘Of course there isn’t,’ Will said wryly. ‘The state is never going to pay to prove itself wrong.’
Sarah looked up at him. ‘Are you OK with this, Will? With me working for nothing? I mean, we’ll get some administrative support from the City law firms, and likely get some money for testing and stuff, but you can’t Crowdfund something like this.’
Will gazed at her for a moment, then said, ‘We’ll make it work, Sarah. Don’t worry about money. If Sam thinks there’s a case, a route to appeal—’
‘She thinks there might be. But we’ll only know for sure if I can get hold of all of the defence papers, the police file, the analogue tapes from the original trial.
And then I’ve got to get the tapes listened to and transcribed, and I’ll have to get funding for that, and that’s assuming they still have them and they haven’t degraded to the point where that’s impossible. ’
‘You’ll find a way.’
Sarah looked at him plaintively. ‘All of this … it might take a year. Longer, even. Maybe three to bring it to a conclusion.’
Will inhaled deeply. ‘I know, and that’s fine.’
‘Are you sure?’
Will looked into her eyes. ‘Would you do it if it was for me?’
Sarah nodded, feeling her throat tighten. ‘I’d fight forever. I’d never give up.’
‘Well then, you need to take the case,’ Will said, squeezing her hand. ‘He deserves a chance. And I’m here for you to bounce off, if he’s OK with that?’
Sarah nodded. ‘Thank you. I’d love that, and I’m sure he will too. I’m speaking to him tomorrow.’
‘Good,’ Will nodded. ‘I’ll help as much as I can.’