‘Me, too,’ said Mason. ‘So Jane could win after all.’
Hall felt a frustrating surge of impotence. ‘I just can’t leave her,’ he said, a remark more to himself than to anyone else.
‘Your legal responsibility ends with her acquittal,’ said Perry.
‘I know what my legal boundaries are,’ said Hall, sharply. ‘But I haven’t practised law long enough yet to lose my moral or humane responsibilities.’
Perry flushed. ‘Don’t we have to face the fact that there’s nothing we can do to help her?’
‘You know where to find me, if you think there’s anything I can do,’ offered Mason. ‘Exorcism’s the only thing I can think of.’
‘I agree,’ said Elliott. ‘And I’ll help, if anyone comes up with an idea.’
‘I’ll talk to some guys back home: see if they’ve got any thoughts,’ offered Smith. ‘But I’m not holding out any hope.’ There was another pause. ‘If she were to agree to a period under analysis I’d appreciate being involved. You never know. It might produce something…’
‘Like a Nobel prize?’ said Hall, bitterly.
Geoffrey Johnson waited until the psychiatrists had filed out before saying, ‘And there’s another problem…’ He nodded towards the telephone by the window. ‘… I spoke to Annabelle. The foreign press don’t consider themselves bound by any order Jarvis has made. The place is under siege, too. The police are doing what they can but she says Emily’s terrified.’
‘We’ll move her,’ decided Hall, at once.
‘And get her involved in the sort of car chase we had before?’ challenged Johnson.
The memory of that morning came to Hall. ‘Helicopter,’ he decided. ‘The grounds are big enough. Tell Annabelle to get everything prepared, so they’re ready to move the moment it lands. The press won’t be able to catch up…’ That morning’s memory remained. ‘… But don’t let it land where you’re going to hide her. They’ll trace her from the flight plan. Have it put down somewhere where you’re waiting. Then you go on by road. But not in that Bentley: it’s too identifiable
…’
Johnson blinked at the flurry of instructions. Perry said, ‘Where the hell’s it all going to end?’
‘I don’t think it is going to,’ said Hall.
At the hospital Jane said, ‘ They were terrified when they opened my grave. You know what we’ve done! We’ve made everybody believe in ghosts.’
Chapter Twenty-six
Jennifer was surprised – annoyed even, as she had been throughout the previous day by his lack of contact – at Jeremy Hall arranging for her to travel to court in a police van and under front and rear police escort. Her uncertainty lasted only until they attempted to leave the hospital. The Embankment outside, in both directions, seethed with people – more public than press – through whom it was practically impossible to move. It took thirty minutes to move as many yards, the outside of the van constantly banged and hit, her name shouted again and again, in an echoing, chanted demand for her to put herself at the narrow window. From which, in fact, she recoiled.
It was far worse at the approach to the court. The solid block of a baying, gawking mob began to form a quarter of a mile away, jamming every street they tried, and they only reached it, finally, edging along in the middle of a linked-arm guard of walking policemen, with others forming an outer barrier physically forcing a path. Jennifer finally closed her eyes altogether against the camera lights, careless of how she’d look in any picture that might be snatched.
It was clearly impossible for her to use the public access, which she was entitled to do on bail. Instead she entered as she had on all the previous days, through the gated-off rear doors.
Hall was already there, waiting. Jennifer was shaking, frightened, and said, ‘This is incredihle. Awful. Do something!’
Before Hall could reply Jane said, ‘ This is how it’s going to be! ’
Hall began walking with her along the corridor, hand cupping her elbow, careful not to come into contact with her strapped side. ‘I spent yesterday trying to think of something. We’ll sort it out.’
‘ Believe that and you’ll believe anything! ’
‘Where’s Emily? I phoned home, yesterday afternoon. Mrs Jenkins said Annabelle had taken her away. By helicopter! What the hell…?’
‘For the same reason you had to be brought here by the police. We had to get Emily away. Annabelle’s with her, of course. Johnson, too. Emily thinks she’s on holiday.’
Jennifer shuddered, flinching at the pain from her ribs. ‘I want it to end. For everyone to go away.’
‘ It’s just beginning! I keep telling you! ’
‘Let’s get today over.’
‘I saw what was inside the coffin,’ declared Jennifer. The contents had been photographed from both helicopters, by television as well as still cameras, and in the majority of cases published without the obscenity being air-brushed or blanked out. It had first been shown on the previous evening’s television news.
‘Today’s really just a formality.’
‘ But there’s a lot of surprises still left.’
The two regular wardresses were waiting at the bottom of the court steps, reminding her. ‘You’ve got everything from the prison?’
‘Johnson has.’ To the wardress, Hall said, ‘Keep close to her.’
‘ Tell him not to worry. I’ve got a different surprise today. One you’re really going to like.’
‘She says she’s got another surprise.’
Ann Wardle visibly stood back. As the Irish-accented Kathleen did the same she said, ‘What?’
‘ Surprises are surprises! ’
Jennifer shook her head against the question.
Hall said: ‘There’s nothing that can go against you in court. You’re provably innocent.’
‘We’ve been beyond that for the last two days, haven’t we?’ demanded Jennifer, objectively. She didn’t have to stress the weariness. Her injured ribs and knee ached and Peter Lloyd had told her that morning that the result of the HIV blood test might take longer than he’d first thought, although he’d made it a priority request. Jane had been noisily in the background throughout her sedated half-sleep and she’d had her first real experience of how mobs would react (‘ Told you you’d be a freak, from now on: didn’t listen, did you? ’ to that reflection) and Jennifer at that moment wasn’t sure how much longer she could go on fighting: didn’t know – wouldn’t know – after today what she had to fight. The court, the murder charge, had been a reality, an actuality she could confront: understand. And she’d had someone believing her, supporting her. She wasn’t faced with any reality from now on. And her defender wouldn’t be around to help her. She wouldn’t be in any court and so Jeremy wouldn’t be there to rely on. He hadn’t tried to distance himself from her today: actually held her arm, helped her along the corridor and been careful he didn’t jar into her side, to hurt her. She didn’t want to lose him: be without him. Didn’t want to be alone, apart from her tormentor.
‘ But I’m all you’ve got, honey. Think of it like a marriage; the worst marriage in your worst nightmare. Then double it.’
‘Here it is,’ announced Hall. ‘The last time you’re going to have to stand in a dock.’
‘ Ready, steady go! ’
Yet again Jennifer had to force one foot in front of the other to ascend into the dock. The approaching noise was practically deafening – louder than it had ever been – but at her appearance it died, into an awed silence that was even more disconcerting. Police were shoulder to shoulder around the dock but today there was no darted media approach. For her own satisfaction Jennifer stood at the dock rail, for the first time not trying to withdraw from the incredulous fascination but gazing defiantly, challengingly, back at her onlookers. Briefly she was tempted to say something, anything, (‘ Go on! Go on! ’) to see how frightened the reaction would be but she didn’t. (‘ Lots of time, later,’). Jeremy Hall turned and smiled and she smiled back.