Desperate Acts

Chapter Fourteen

FOURTEEN

When Marc arrived at the Court House, somewhat groggy after being wakened intermittently throughout the night by a teething Maggie and a fretful Beth, he got two surprises, neither of them heartening. The first one concerned the witness-lists. He handed the clerk his own roster - that included Horace Fullarton, Andrew Dutton and Celia Langford - and received the Crown's in return. Subpoenas, where necessary, would go out within the hour. As expected, the Crown proposed to call Dr. Angus Withers, Cobb, Sturges, Gillian Budge, Dutton, Fullarton, Cyrus Crenshaw, Tobias Budge and Sir Peregrine Shuttleworth. If called in this order, the Crown's tactics were crystal clear. After Dr. Withers reported on the injuries and time of death, the two policemen would be compelled to discuss the confession, after which the testimony of those at The Sailor's Arms would, minute by minute, seal Brodie's fate. But it was the unexpected name on the Crown's list that gave Marc a nasty shock: Celia Langford.

What on earth would the Crown - Alf McGonigle to be precise - want with Celia? Brodie's statement admitted his receiving the blackmail note, and the note itself had been destroyed. All Marc could think of was that, according to Brodie, Celia had been present when the note arrived a week before the fatal encounter took place. Perhaps McGonigle was going fishing for something Celia might have heard Brodie say at that time, or later, about his intentions. After all, Brodie had claimed in his statement that he had planned to entrap the blackmailer, expose him, and haul him off to the police quarters - but had lost his temper and struck Duggan on the cheek. By putting the "confession" into evidence, the Crown was taking a calculated risk: while the eye-witness testimony jibed with Brodie's account (except for the battering with his walking-stick), the jury would have to be persuaded to interpret Brodie's truncated version as a deliberate, self-serving attempt to save his neck. But they might not see it that way. Under British law, a defendant like Brodie could not testify on his own behalf, but in this instance some of the lad's own words and intentions would get admitted, and might be believed. Unless Celia had heard him utter more incriminating ones! Marc would have to go to her as soon as possible and find out.

The second nasty shock came just as Marc was set to leave, when he asked casually after Alf McGonigle, and was informed that the fellow would not be prosecuting Brodie after all. He had been given leave to attend his dying mother up in Newmarket. But a suitable replacement had been found by coaxing an experienced barrister out of semi-retirement.

Marc did not need to be given the name. "Kingsley Thornton," he said.

"The very man," the clerk smiled, knowingly.

Thornton had been a renowned barrister at the Old Bailey in England for many years before retiring to Upper Canada to be with his extended family. Last January he had been lured out of retirement to prosecute a local man for murder, having been drawn to the case by the equally talented barrister he was to face on the other side: Doubtful Dick Dougherty, Brodie's guardian. Although things had not gone his way, he had obviously enjoyed the contest, and was eager to slip back into harness. Which was not good news for either Marc or Brodie. This was to be Marc's first trial as a barrister. He had had superb tutors in the Baldwins and Robert Sullivan, and an incomparable exemplar in Richard Dougherty, but Thornton was a seasoned professional - eloquent, disarming, and quick to exploit an opponent's weakness. Moreover, he had been handed an airtight case, one which left the defense with no choice but to execute a daring, high-wire act. Marc thought he had better deliver this disquieting news to Brodie - as soon as he had talked to Celia.

Some of the subpoenas had likely gone out already, but if Celia had been an afterthought, there was a chance he could get to her before she was served. If not, he would be ethically bound to quiz her only on the testimony she was going to provide the defense as a character-witness. He went straight to Miss Tyson's Academy on George Street, and was relieved to find Celia sitting in the headmistress's office poring over her French verbs. She looked up and gave him a welcoming smile.