Contents (83)
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- SIXTY-TWO
- SIXTY-THREE
- SIXTY-FOUR
- SIXTY-FIVE
- SIXTY-SIX
- SIXTY-SEVEN
- SIXTY-EIGHT
- SIXTY-NINE
- SEVENTY
- SEVENTY-ONE
- SEVENTY-TWO
- SEVENTY-THREE
- SEVENTY-FOUR
- SEVENTY-FIVE
- SEVENTY-SIX
- SEVENTY-SEVEN
- SEVENTY-EIGHT
- SEVENTY-NINE
- Acknowledgements
- OUT NOW IN PAPERBACK
Michael tapped the photo unconsciously, closed the office door and headed downstairs.
In just minutes he was taking a seat in the garden, an open bottle of beer in his hand.
‘So, Sarah’s told me what happened after court.’ Anne did not skirt around a subject. ‘Well done for holding that temper of yours.’
‘I had a little help with that one.’ Michael reached out, took Sarah’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. ‘Besides, there are better ways of dealing with that sort of thing.’
‘You think he’ll try it again? Once you’ve really gone after his brother?’
‘Who knows?’ Michael was not concerned. ‘Maybe. Maybe not. Whichever it is, it won’t stop me defending Simon Kash properly.’
Sarah squeezed back, telling Michael that she agreed with the sentiment.
‘Do you really think your boy’s innocent, Mikey?’ Again, Anne’s question was blunt.
‘I absolutely believe he is, yeah. And every moment I spend with him convinces me more. He’s a child and he’s scared. He’s no murderer.’
‘How can you be so sure?’
‘Because he only has to do one thing to help get himself out of this. He only has to point the finger at his co-defendant and let me off the leash. But he won’t. Guilty clients tell me lie after lie, Anne. Whereas Simon hasn’t done that at all. He’s telling me nothing. They’ve terrified him into staying silent. Into protecting Darren O’Driscoll, at the cost of his own future. And I’m not going to let that happen.’
Anne smiled. Michael knew why. He had heard the passion in his own voice. It sounded like he was taking the Kash case personally. Which, of course, he was. From the smile on her face, he knew that Anne had heard the same thing.
She said nothing at first, as she took two cigarettes from her packet, passed one to Sarah and lit them both before refilling her own wine glass.
‘This passion of yours, Mikey. It wouldn’t have anything to do with who this kid reminds you of, would it?’
Michael smiled wryly, always surprised by how well his friend could read him.
‘I guess that could be true, yeah.’ Michael placed his now-empty beer bottle on the table ahead of him. ‘It’s not everything, but yeah, when I look at him, when I see him making decisions that will hurt him, like Liam did for me, I want to protect him from himself. But it’s not just that. It’s also the evidence. It just doesn’t stack up.
‘I really believe that Simon’s been dragged into this and now he’s lost. Too terrified to fight for himself. Like I said, I’m not going to watch that convict him. If he can’t fight for himself then I’ll do it for him.’
With a sad smile, Anne looked into Michael’s eyes as he spoke, before raising her glass in a toast.
‘Then here’s to Simon Kash. The luckiest kid in the world to have found you.’
THIRTY-TWO
Wisdom Penfold clicked the Wi-Fi icon at the top right-hand corner of his laptop’s screen, selected the sole available network and entered in the password he had been given at the hotel’s reception. Then he waited for a connection.