"The defence calls Amelia Murphy."
Silence fell in the courtroom as Amelia stood and took to the witness stand. "I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth," she recited, hand over her heart.
"Amelia Murphy, you have heard the evidence against you," said McAfferty. "When asked how you plead in this case, you answered 'not guilty'. I will now ask again. Amelia Murphy, for the attempted murder of Rebecca Hidgens, do you plead guilty or not guilty?"
"Not guilty," said Amelia, her voice shaking.
"For conspiracy to commit theft from Harry Corbett, do you plead guilty or not guilty?"
"Not guilty."
"Amelia Murphy, you have been charged as the leader of an organised crime ring, the person referred to as 'The Godfather'. Do you plead guilty or not guilty?"
"Not guilty," Amelia said, unsure of where to look. She wanted to glare at Lisa Kleinman or Rebecca Hidgens, to scream at them, or better still, rip them apart with her bare hands, to hell with the forensic evidence. But they were outside, with no idea what was happening but probably congratulating each other on a job well done.
McAfferty nodded to Drew Carson. "Miss Murphy, can you confirm your whereabouts on the 29th October 2034 between the hours of 5 and 7 pm?"
Amelia nodded. "I was in my apartment at 5 o'clock, and left approximately 15 minutes after that. You see, it was the anniversary of myself and Anthony's first date, so we had arranged to spend the night together. As I'm not very organised I had forgotten to buy wine, so I stopped at the local Tesco. I then drove to Anthony's house but found he wouldn't answer the door. Concerned for his safety, I let myself in. That's when I found Rebecca Hidgens holding him at gunpoint. She turned the gun on me as soon as I entered - presumably it was me she had been waiting for. Anthony ambushed her, between us we managed to overpower her and restrained her, before calling the police. To my horror the officers that arrived were her closest friends."
The jurors exchanged glances. Amelia looked down at her hands. "I don't know my way around a gun. I held it up to defend myself, then fired by accident. If I could change what happened to Constable Green then I promise I would. But I didn't intend to hurt anyone, only to protect myself and the man I love."
Carson nodded and indicated the slide show. "Eyewitness statements place Miss Murphy at Tesco like she says, buying a bottle of wine. And can you describe the relationship between yourself, Rebecca Hidgens and Paul Houston?"
"Rebecca Hidgens and I were once close friends, until one day she snapped, taking Paul Houston with her."
Carson nodded to Richard. "Your witness."
Richard stood and started pacing in front of Amelia. "You say you overpowered and restrained Rebecca Hidgens?"
Amelia nodded. "That's correct."
"And also coated the hallway in tarpaulin?"
Amelia raised an eyebrow. "There was no tarpaulin there."
Richard sighed. "Forensic analysis of the tarpaulin found at the crime scene. Fibres from the hallway in question detected, as well as fibres from a storage cupboard in Anthony's house and fibres from the clothing worn by Rebecca Hidgens."
Amelia shrugged. "It could easily have been planted there."
Richard raised an eyebrow. "All right, let's move onto the gun. No fingerprints were found belonging to you or Rebecca Hidgens, however gunshot residue was found on your clothing."
YOU ARE READING
Costa Crew: One More Shot
Mystery / ThrillerIt's been 12 years since the events of school prom - or not, in the case of the Costa Crew. But Becky Hidgens has moved on: she's got her dream job, the phone numbers of some of the highest officials in the country - and she hasn't spoken to her bes...
