Unravel a Crime - Tangle With Women (30 page)

Brakespeare returned to his
seat to await her arrival. He listened to her steps literally tripping up the
stairs and pattering along the corridor. It was as if she didn’t have a care in
the world.

“
Good morning, Mr. Brakespeare,”
she sang as she came into the room.

She stood in front of him and
let him take her in. She was slim. The flouncy blouses and skirts had suggested
that she might be otherwise, but she was curvaceously slim.

She had put on make up, which
only enhanced those big eyes. Her legs were long. Her stomach flat, and her
usually long wavy hair, was straight and shiny and drawn back into a pony tail.

To Brakespeare, she was simply
gorgeous.

“
Christ, Lisa,” was all
Brakespeare could manage.

“
I thought it was time to
change.” She announced.

“
Oh.”

“
Well with Gordon no longer
with us, it’s sink or swim for me. I’ve got to make my own way in the world,
and not worship his shadow, so, I’ve given myself a makeover and turned myself
into the executive woman, and here I am.”

“
Sorry,” said Mortimer walking
into the room. “I didn’t realise that you were within anyone.”

“
I do apologise.” he said to
Lisa and was about to leave the room when he did a double take.

He looked in amazement first
at the girl, and then at Brakespeare, who could only offer a grin.

Recovering, he turned to
Brakespeare, sounding quite angry.

“
I’ve just had David on the
‘phone. He says that you were rude to him.”

“
Did he tell you why?”

“
Why? No, but he said that you
shouted and swore at him.”

“
I did. I told him that he was
a selfish bastard because he didn’t have a word to say about Gordon Morrison.
Instead all he was concerned with was his own sweet self.”

“
He says that you were going
to leave.”

Brakespeare paused as he saw
Lisa’s face drop.

“
That’s a misquotation. I said
that for two pins I’d walk – because of his attitude.” “Good for you”
contributed Lisa.

“
Lisa, I don’t think…”
interjected Mortimer.

“
Well I’m afraid I do, “
replied Lisa. “If it wasn’t for Jonny, you wouldn’t be able to handle this
case. That’s why you’ve got him. Gordon told me. It was a gamble for you to
take on Jonny, with his history, but with Gordon incapacitated you’d have been
lucky to find someone capable of dealing with the case, if at all. David knows
that. Now Gordon’s gone, David knows it doesn’t really affect his defence,
because Gordon was never really involved, yet if what Jonny says is true, he
still can’t think of anyone other than himself. He’s the one who got himself
into this mess, and it is a mess, and he’s like the man standing in front of
the hot fire and wondering why his arse is burning!”

“
Lisa!” exclaimed Mortimer.

“
And I’ll tell you something
else. I decided last night not to stay here. As soon as this case is finished
I’m going to sit the Bar Examinations and see if I can get myself a pupillage
with a barrister – and that’s thanks to Jonny. Mr David up-his-arse-Newberry is
not the only one who should be grateful to him.”

Mortimer was totally stunned
by this transformed woman attacking him.

“
I think that we had better
discuss all this later.” he muttered. “I’m sure that we’re all a little
overwrought this morning.” He almost scuttled out of the room.

“
Christ, now you’ve put the
cat among the pigeons.” said Brakespeare.

“
Well it’s about time we had a
few home truths spelt out in this place. It’s all too cosy. Perhaps Newberry
ought to go to another firm of solicitors who won’t feel the need to pussy foot
around him.”

“
I don’t think we’ve pussy
footed.” protested Brakespeare. “I’ve told him that he’s up against it.”

“
But still he behaves like a
spoilt child, wanting attention all the time.”

Lisa was totally forceful in
what she said. This was not the quiet mousy girl who Brakespeare had met a few
weeks before. He looked at her with some wonder.

“
Jonny, it’s the end of an era
for me with Gordon’s death. I thought about it all yesterday evening and night.
When I first went to Bristol University, everyone said that I would get to the
top, whatever that meant, but as I told you, I lost all confidence. Here I know
I was sheltering under Gordon’s wing. More than that in fact, I’ve been
clinging on to him.”

She stood up straight.

“
There, I’ve made my
confession. I’ve changed my mind. A woman’s prerogative.”

She waited for a reaction but
none was forthcoming. She could not see what Brakespeare could see. Margaret
was standing in the door listening. Lisa continued.

“
However it’s you, not Gordon
who has given me my chance; given me the opportunity to show myself that I can
be a lawyer; that my brain isn’t dead and full of girly dreams of being an old
man’s darling.” Her face fell. “No that’s not fair on Gordon, but you know what
I mean. So I’ve decided to stand on my own two feet. I want to finish this case
with you, if you’ll let me, and then pick up the pieces and do what I always
intended to do; become a barrister. I’ve only lost three years of my life, and
what’s that when you’re young. I’m three years the wiser.”

She finished the speech which
she had obviously previously prepared in her mind. Behind her Margaret seemed
to be holding back tears. Surely not? Lisa began to look a little apprehensive
as she waited for a response, but it came from Margaret who came forward and
gently touched Lisa on the elbow. As Lisa turned to her, Margaret kissed her on
the cheek. A mixture of horror and surprise filled Lisa’s face. Margaret smiled
as if she half expected the reaction.

“
Well done, dear.” She said.
”You’ve made the right decision. You’re far too good to be doing clerical work
in a solicitors office. I can see that, and Mr. Morrison told me as much.”

“
He did?”

“
Didn’t he tell you?”

“
Not in so many words.”

“
Perhaps you weren’t listening
dear. Perhaps you didn’t want to hear him.” Margaret smiled gently.

Lisa nodded quietly, and
almost as if to herself murmured, “Maybe not, no.”

“
Right,” said Brakespeare, and
grinned. “Time to move forward. Margaret has some typing for you to do!”.

“
What!”

Margaret gave Brakespeare a
severe look. “Take no notice, dear,” she said to Lisa. “It’s just that you have
what I think is called a mail merge on your computer, and we need to write to
all the clients about Mr. Morrison’s death. It would be quicker than me trying
to learn how to work it.”

Lisa understood immediately
and allowed Margaret to lead her put of the room.

“
We also need to do some work
on Newberry, if you have time.” Brakespeare called out as they left the room.
Lisa merely raised a hand in acknowledgement.

“
Women” thought Brakespeare.
Yesterday Margaret was showing an ill concealed dislike of the flower child,
Lisa. Today the flower child had blossomed into a beautiful and dynamic young
woman, and seemed to have acquired a best friend. Was his own relationship with
Lisa going to change, and if so in what way?

He then remembered Newberry
and felt his heart sink. The visit to Old Hill had opened up an exciting
prospect for the case. They could now discredit the whole basis of the
prosecution. A prosecution which had been brought simply to appease Clive
Masters. A prosecution which seemed to have no moral, let alone legal
foundation. Should he give in his notice and let Newberry to his fate? Whoever
took it over would have the revitalised Lisa behind him? Behind him? Ahead of
him surely.

Perhaps he owed it to Lisa to
let her take over the conduct the defence. She certainly seemed capable of it.
She knew her law; she could spot the cracks and flaws in the evidence, and she
seemed to have made a friend in D.C. Durkin. What role was he going to play?

They were treading on
dangerous ground. Whatever Durkin found, the C.P.S. Headquarters were never
going to back down from Newberry’s prosecution. If they discovered that he and
Lisa were behind any investigation, then there might be professional
consequences, and with his track record with the Solicitors Regulation
Authority, he could get struck off.

Perhaps he owed it to the firm
to finish the case off. Whatever the partners motives, they had given him a
job. A cynical view would be that they only did so because they knew that he
would be so desperate for work that he would ignore the web of connections. But
now that Morrison had gone, then they would need to keep their litigation
department going, until a permanent successor had been found. Him?

He liked Worcester, but he was
far from settled here. He just existed during the week. He didn’t feel able to
join in any clubs or societies, because he didn’t know how long he would be
here. He needed to see the children at weekends in Milton Keynes; that was
where home was, although the goodbyes at the end of the contact periods made
him feel empty and sad.

He didn’t have Mel any more.
Her physical comforts always helped him forget his worries. Perhaps he should
have treated more as a human and less as a sex object. But then did he want a
permanent relationship with her? He didn’t really know Mel. She was bright in
the streetwise sense, and no fool, but outside the bedcovers he did not know
what interests they would share. Could they be soul mates? He doubted it.

Where or where was he going?
To a funeral. God that was going to be fun. Did he really have to go. Lisa was
going to be as welcomed by the family as much as a gastric virus on a holiday.
He wouldn’t know anybody. Oh, and that arsehole Breezie would be there – and Newberry.
Wonderful.

Was that the only reason they
had invited him there, to occupy Lisa? Was he being used again? The funeral of
a total stranger. He wouldn’t be going in any other circumstances. Or would he.
The respect thing. It was only right that sitting as he was in the man’s chair,
behind the man’s desk, and dealing with the man’s clients, that he paid his
respects. Yes, but that would be at the funeral. What about the shaking of
hands afterwards with the widow, Annette, with Lisa on his elbow. Should they
excuse themselves and avoid the wake? That would make things pretty obvious.
Could they slip in and out at the back of the Church. Would that be enough for
Lisa?

He suddenly remembered that
she might not have been told. Better go and find her.

He passed Margaret again as he
went to Lisa’s room. She smiled him a knowing smile.

Dick Ridley stuck his head out
of his office door.

“
Oh, I was just coming to see
you”, and stepped back to invite Brakespeare in.

“
Pretty bad situation.” He
commented.

“
Well, I assume that Gordon’s
death was anticipated. Lisa said that he wouldn’t be coming back to the Office”

Ridley’s face clouded.

“
Not that, I mean her going to
the funeral.”

This was a situation in which
Brakespeare thought it better to remain silent.

“
My wife, Mary, doesn’t
approve.”

“
No?”

“
No, she doesn’t approve of
Lisa.”

Brakespeare couldn’t help but
be flippant.

“
Afraid she might steal you
away?” he grinned.

Ridley went scarlet.

“
I say, that’s a bit steep.”

“
Only joking.”

“
Well it’s all going to be
rather embarrassing.”

“
Why?”

“
Well the Church people will
be there.”

“
Gordon was a churchgoer?”

“
No, but Annette is. My wife
goes to the same Church. They’ll be there to support Annette.”

“
Ah. I see. So who decided she
should go?”

“
I think that David insisted”.

“
Well I suppose in his
circumstances, he would.”

“
Pardon”

“
You know that he has or had –
I’m not sure which, a mistress in London?”

Ridley looked alarmed.

“
I didn’t know that, well,
there were rumours about his relationship with his wife..”

“
Does she go to the Church
too?”

“
Oh no. Well she wouldn’t.
She’s Roman Catholic”

“
I see”. Brakespeare had to
try not to smile at the vision of the unhappy wives of Worcestershire forming a
vigilante group within the Church. “Well, David has or had a mistress, and so
he would see nothing wrong in insisting that Lisa should be invited. In fact,”
Brakespeare paused. “It would be typical of his slightly out of the ordinary
thinking.”

“
Perhaps.”

Brakespeare had a thought.
“Has anyone actually asked Lisa if she wants to go to the funeral?”