Costa Crew 2: They Walk Among Us

Chapter 19 - The Defence Never Rests

Hannah wasn't sure how long it had been since she had last slept. Her brain was fighting her eyes, willing them to stay open. Because she had to keep going. For Becky. For everyone. So she threw some cold water in her face and marched into the Melbourne Sheriff Court.

This wasn't too different from the court where she had once given her testimony against Amelia Murphy. The layout was slightly different, but everything was clean and neat, with plants, benches and water coolers lining the corridors, which were full of people in suits gathered in groups talking and looking and case files. But there was no sign of Lisa Kleinman.

Hannah strolled down the corridor to some of the smaller courtrooms, glancing inside but unable to get a good look at the lawyer seated at the defence table. However, when she proceeded to the main courtroom it was a different story.

"In conclusion, Your Honour, the prosecution has no forensic evidence tying my client to the scene of the murder," a familiar voice announced. "They had no motive, made no financial gain, and no…"

Lisa Kleinman hesitated as her eyes fell on Hannah at the back of the courtroom. "No access to the weapon," she continued hurriedly, blushing. "Therefore they could not have committed this crime. The defence rests."

"The court will now take a recess while the jury comes to a verdict," the judge announced, standing and leaving the courtroom.

Lisa kept her eyes fixed on the ground as she left the courtroom, but Hannah ran to catch up with her. "Lisa, I know I'm probably the last person you want to see," she began.

"Really? What gave you that idea?" muttered Lisa, still not looking up.

"Becky needs your help," Hannah pressed.

Lisa stopped walking. "Right. And how long is the prison sentence if I don't help?"

Hannah sighed. "It's not like that."

Lisa scowled. "It was last time."

"Last time you kidnapped me and held me hostage while you tried to convince Paul Houston to commit perjury and also attempted to aid Amelia Murphy in the murder of Rebecca Hidgens," Hannah replied, rolling her eyes.

Lisa glanced around nervously. "Do you mind?"

"I flew halfway across the world to find you, I'm not leaving until you listen to what I have to say," said Hannah stubbornly.

"Fine," sighed Lisa impatiently. "But after work. I'm about to wrap up this case, we can go and get dinner after that. We'll make it my house, since I have a feeling that whatever you have to say isn't something I'll want to discuss in public."

Hannah nodded. "Fair enough. I'll wait."

***

Lisa and Australia had seemed to work well together. From what Hannah had seen she had a good reputation in the courtroom, and as well as becoming more tanned her face looked more awake and alive than it had before, not to mention her house was well-kept and well furnished. This was a woman living her own life, not just working in someone else's shadow.

"D-dead?" asked Lisa. Hannah nodded solemnly.

"I'm sorry Lisa," she said. "I know Amelia meant a lot to you."

Lisa shook her head. "She didn't...I mean, she did...but...I don't know, I definitely loved her once, but by the time I left England I just wanted to get as far away from her as possible. And she was murdered?"

Hannah nodded. "And Becky's been arrested for her murder. She needs a good lawyer. And you're the best lawyer that we know."

Lisa snorted. "No, you are," Hannah continued. "You nearly got Amelia off. Getting an innocent person off should be easy."

"If she was on trial in Australia I probably could," Lisa agreed. "But I'm disgraced in London, because of her testimony no less. Besides, I can't just leave, I've got my own life here."

Hannah sighed. "I didn't want to have to say this, but if not for Becky you would be in prison for murder. She knew what you were going through because Amelia had manipulated her before she manipulated you. Now Becky's facing prison for a murder she didn't commit, and there's even an investigation into the possibility that she's the Godfather, which I know she isn't. There's a flight at midnight that goes back to London. I hope you'll join me."

"Rebecca Hidgens isn't the Godfather," said Lisa, startled by this revelation. "It's Amelia. I know, I was there when she started what she called her business. The only people that know more than me are Anthony and Amelia herself."

"Then Becky didn't stage her kidnapping?" asked Hannah, even though she already knew the answer.

Lisa shook her head. "Definitely not. She called me the night before to talk about it - I almost feel sick thinking about it now."

"We're all set for tomorrow," Amelia was saying. "We got the address and Beckett's on board."

"So you're saying that in a day's time…" Lisa began hesitantly.

"Rebecca Hidgens will be dead," Amelia finished. "As will Courtney Beckett. Which is a shame, really, but Anthony and I can't do this alone and nobody else can be trusted to keep this quiet. Except for you and Lisa, of course, but you'll understand why I can't bring either of you in on this."

"Of course," Lisa said hurriedly. "I don't mind. I know Hidgens has to die, and obviously she deserves to die, but it would feel strange killing someone we went to high school with. I mean, she helped me with chemistry and now I'm talking about putting a bullet in her head."

"You're still in, aren't you?" asked Amelia, her voice going dangerously low. "I can trust you, can't I?"

"You know you can," Lisa confirmed. "As your best friend I want to see Hidgens dead just as much as you do-"

"Oh, trust me, nobody wants that as much as me," Amelia interrupted with a chuckle. "For so many reasons. Imagine a Venn diagram. On one side is people who are smart enough to figure out what I'm doing. On the other is people who can't be blackmailed or bought off. There's a very small cross-section called Rebecca Hidgens. Killing her's the only way I can stay safe. That, and she's an arrogant bitch."

"Nobody's arguing with you there," agreed Lisa. "It should have been you that got Dux, Amelia."

"I'll never forget that smug grin on her face when she walked into chemistry with that cup," Amelia said contemptuously. "But we digress. None of this will matter any more. Not once I've put a bullet through her head. Anyway, there was something else I wanted to talk to you about. I'd like you to be maid of honour at my wedding."

"She cared more about killing Rebecca than her own wedding," Lisa said gloomily. "How could I have been friends with someone like her? And what does that say about me?"

"For one thing, we have to remember that it was Anthony that Amelia was marrying," Hannah said, making Lisa smile slightly. "For another, you made a mistake. A giant mistake, but mistakes are mistakes. By the time you realised what was happening you were in too deep, too scared and too in love to do anything to stop her. So you made a mistake. You can't change it. All you can do is learn from it and do the next right thing. Frozen references aside, this is your chance to make things right."

Lisa sighed. "All right, I'll talk to Rebecca. There's something I need to take care of then I'll pack. But no promises until I get a look at this mess for myself."