Unravel a Crime - Tangle With Women (51 page)

Where they have failed, is in
examining the evidence more closely when invited so to do by Mr. Newberry’s
solicitors. They also failed to appreciate the significance of the
correspondence that they had available to them between Mr. Black’s firm and
those acting for potential buyers.

However all this occurred
after the institution of proceedings, and has not brought them about. For this
reason, and may I say, with some reluctance, I am unable to grant this
application for a wasted costs order.

Mr. Newberry will not be out
of pocket. I will order his costs and those of all the Defendants to be paid
out of public funds.

The application will therefore
be dismissed.”

He wrote a few more notes in
his book, stood up and bowed his way out of Court.

“
Phew” said Lappin turning
round. “That was a close one. Still it’s all over Mr. Newberry.”

Newberry began making what
looked like being a long speech.

“
Let’s go outside”, said Lappin.
She collected her papers, and lead the way into the foyer, where she took off
her wig.

“
Thank you, thank you so
much.” gushed Newberry with Kate next to him. “Can I take you all out to
lunch?” he gestured around him.

Lappin smiled. “Thank you very
much, Mr. Newberry. That is extremely kind of you, but apart from the fact that
there isn’t anywhere decent to eat in this part of London, I ought to get back
to Chambers. My Clerk tells me that there is a lot of paperwork waiting for
me.”

Brakespeare suspected that she
was being slightly ungracious, but he knew that it was best to keep clients at
arm’s length. Still if she didn’t want a meal, he did. In fact he could do with
a good drink!

“
Oh, all right.” said
Newberry. “You would have been most welcome, well I guess that’s the end of
it.”

“
Well it may be the end for
you,” replied Lappin, “but I expect that a few searching questions are going to
be asked of Mr. Black.” She looked at Brakespeare as she spoke. He tried not to
move a muscle.

“
Anyway” continued Lappin, “I
really am pleased for you that this matter has been sorted out so easily. You
can now get on with the rest of your career.”

“
Thank you very much again.”

“
Oh, don’t thank me, thank
Jonny here and Lisa. If they hadn’t cracked this case - well, it would have
been a hard slog. Goodbye”. She shook his hand. “Goodbye Mrs. Potter. Good bye
Jonny. I’ll get my Clerk to return the brief and all the papers in the post.
Goodbye Lisa, and I’ll see you soon.”

“
Goodbye Rosie.” said Lisa and
kissed her on the cheek. “and thanks” she said.

With a wave of her hand Lappin
left to go to the barrister’s robing room.

“
Well” said Brakespeare,
“after all this time, it’s a bit of an anticlimax. I never expected the case to
collapse like that.”

“
I can’t quite believe it.”
replied Newberry. “I can’t believe that I won’t have it hanging over my head
any more. You can’t know how relieved I am. Come on let’s have that meal.”

Lisa put on a contrite act.
“Look I’m sorry Paul – another time perhaps, but I really need to get back to
Worcester, and poor Jonny has left his car in Milton Keynes, and needs to get
back there before driving back to Worcester. We also need to cancel our hotel
booking otherwise we’ll get charged.”

“
We can do that now.” said
Brakespeare pulling the mobile phone out of his pocket.

“
Do you know the number?”
asked Lisa quickly.

“
I don’t even know the hotel.
I left that to you.”

“
Oh, it’s in my bag somewhere.
Look Paul, Kate, I’m really, really sorry, but as you can see we do have things
to do.”

Brakespeare was going to
protest. Another hour or two wasn’t going to hurt, but Lisa seemed so
insistent, and the attraction of any meal would be her presence; he didn’t want
to have to eat with Newberry and Kate alone. This was annoying. What a way to
celebrate a successful outcome to the case. What an anticlimax.

Newberry looked at Brakespeare
enquiringly. Brakespeare shrugged his shoulders deprecatingly. “You two go and
have a really good meal together. I’m sure that you’ll be able to relax far
more without us.”

Newberry looked at Kate who
clearly had no opinion on the subject. He stuck out his hand. “Thanks Jonny,
thanks a lot, and I really mean it. Lisa, the same goes for you.” and after
shaking Lisa’s hand he kissed her.

“
Thanks Jonny.” Kate gushed as
she gave him a hug. “See you soon.” She repeated the exercise with Lisa, and
then she and Newberry walked out of the Court door, their arms wrapped round
each other.

“
Well let’s get going,” said
Brakespeare with resignation, picking up his bags. “Better find that hotel. We
need to try and cancel the bookings, or Mortimer will charge us.”

They walked out onto the front
steps of the Court.

Lisa stopped him. “It’s too
late to cancel for tonight. We should have done it by eleven o’clock if we were
going to.”

“
Well we’ll have to cancel for
the rest of the week. How many nights did you book?”

“
We can see to that when we
get there. Oh, and there’s another problem.”

“
What?”

“
They didn’t have any single
rooms. I had to book a double.”

Brakespeare looked at her with
astonishment, changing to amusement. She looked at him hopefully.

“
Well Jonathan Brakespeare, I
sort of thought that the Minge Lane Partnership might have some unfinished
business to transact. If you’re free to that is. The hotel will be as good a
place as any.”

Brakespeare put his bags down,
and on the steps of the Court Jonny Brakespeare took Lisa Barnes into his arms.