Chapter 38: Hello, Goodbye
When morning rolled around and they're no further, Nikki realised that she may as well have gone home and slept after all. They were no nearer to finding anything than they were twelve hours ago. Leaning back against the legs of a chair, she surveys the scene in front of her.
She and Leo, sat on the floor of his office, are surrounded by graffiti-covered scraps of paper. Hastily scrawled hypotheses, lists of evidence gathered, a 'for' list and an 'against'; plus numerous copies of interviews, police reports and documents that they probably shouldn't have, but did. Two hours left. Two hours. And then her world was going to most likely crumble around her feet.
It's this limbo that Nikki hates. The desperate state of being 'inbetween'; of not knowing one way or the other. She can't breathe because of it. The fear of losing Harry for good is all consuming, yet what can they do when there's nothing to say otherwise? She'll be damned if she gives up.
Joe arrives earlier than usual; he doesn't look entirely surprised to see them.
"Did you two find what you were looking for?"
Nikki can do nothing but shake her head; she fears that if she opens her mouth, she might be sick.
Joe pulled a sympathetic face. "How long until the trial?"
"Two hours," Leo croaked, running a hand over his unshaven chin.
"Oh. Are you sure you don't want me to help? Maybe a fresh set of eyes..."
Maybe it wasn't such a bad suggestion, Nikki considered. It wasn't like she and Leo were getting anywhere. She nodded at Leo, who in turn said to Joe, "All right then. It's all here, as you can see. If you do that, Nikki and I can go home and get ready."
"What?" Nikki exclaimed, finally finding her voice. "I'm not going anywhere!"
"Nikki, look at the state of us. We need to go home, have a shower, get changed, and make ourselves look presentable," Leo said placatingly as he stood up, and Nikki didn't miss the look he shared with Joe.
"I don't give a damn about looking 'presentable'!" she shouted bitterly. "How will looking 'presentable' help Harry? I want to stay here and help Joe!"
Once again, Joe caught Leo's eye, which only served to fuel Nikki's anger.
"Y'know, Nikki, I tend to work better on my own," Joe said gently. "Less distractions. I can figure everything out better when I'm alone. Leo's right, you should go."
"But I don't want to," she said quietly, and Joe knelt down to her level and placed his hand on hers.
"I know, but the best way you can help Harry right now is by leaving me to it."
Reluctantly, Nikki got to her feet. Leo gave her an encouraging smile, but when she reached the doorway, she turned around.
"Why would you do this?" she asked Joe. "Why would you help me after all that happened? You must hate Harry."
Joe smiled slightly. "What happened between us, happened. That's just the way life goes. And I don't hate Harry, how could I? I've never met the guy. But he makes you happy, and you being happy makes me happy, so..."
Surprising everybody, Nikki swiftly bent down and planted a spontaneous kiss on Joe's cheek. "Thank you," she whispered, before leaving the lab with Leo.
If she was honest, pretty much all hope had left her now. There was no way Joe was going to find something in two hours when both she and Leo hadn't succeeded after two months. All she could do now was hope that Harry's sentence would be lenient, and that when she eventually told him about the baby – for she would eventually tell him – he would be okay about it.
"Where's Cameron?" she asked suddenly as Leo drove her home.
"With Harry, I expect. He texted me earlier to say he'd meet us at court."
Nikki simply nodded, lapsing into silence again. She didn't speak for the rest of the journey, too consumed in her own thoughts. Thoughts of Harry, having to miss all of the pregnancy, never getting a chance to propose to her... She was unable to prevent the tear that slipped down her cheek.
She still didn't speak when Leo dropped her outside her flat, simply nodding when he told her that he'd be back in an hour to drive them both to court. She trudged up to her apartment, letting herself in and instantly going through to her bedroom.
Autopilot kicked in; she was just running through the motions. She opened her wardrobe and pulled out her floral dress and blazer; an outfit she often reserved for court. Using the hanger to hook it onto the top of the wardrobe, Nikki then walked into her bathroom and started the shower. She took off the clothes that she'd been in for twenty-four hours straight and stepped under the powerful stream of warm water. It was oddly invigorating, yet at the same time quite soothing.
She washed her hair and then stepped out into her cold bathroom, shivering slightly as she wrapped a thick, fluffy towel around herself. She got dressed quickly, drying her hair to do nothing more than curl it into a loose bun.
Shoving her phone, keys, purse, lipstick and a bottle of water into her handbag, Nikki slipped her feet into her favourite heels and left her apartment. She was waiting outside for Leo ten minutes before he arrived, much to his surprise.
"Blimey, normally we're waiting around for you to get ready," he smiled as she climbed into the car, in an obvious attempt to lighten her spirits. However, it would take a lot more than a feeble quip at her expense to cheer her up, so she merely buckled up her seatbelt and didn't say anything.
Leo, now wearing a crisp, grey suit and freshly shaven, sighed and pulled away from the curb.
"Janet's going to join us later," he said, as they made their way to the court. "She's got a meeting at work first that she can't get out of."
Nikki nodded, her gaze never shifting from the window. It didn't take them long to arrive at court. Shaking slightly, Nikki found it was a great effort to get one foot to move in front of the other as they slowly headed up the stone steps outside. Leo seemed to notice this, as he offered her his arm, which she accepted gratefully. Once inside the cool, airy building, with its stone floors and mahogany furnishings, they climbed yet more flights of carpeted stairs until they met Cameron.
Even Cameron Gables, whom Nikki always associated with calm and collectedness, looked stressed and anxious. He was wearing his black robes already over his white shirt and grey pin-striped trousers, wringing his wig in his hands.
"Hi, guys," he sighed, rushing over to them. "How are you feeling?"
"Never mind us, how's Harry?" Leo asked immediately.
Cameron shrugged. "He seems okay. He's had a long time to prepare for this day. He's nervous, obviously..."
"What is it?" Leo asked sharply, noticing that Cameron was clearly holding back on something.
"He's pleading not-guilty," he told them both quietly.
"What?" Leo exclaimed, whilst Nikki just listened and bit her lip apprehensively.
"I've told him that with the chances of him being found not guilty as they are, he'd be wiser changing his plea. But he's certain that he's not going to confess to something that he didn't do, even if it does mean a life sentence." Cameron shook his head, clearly at his wit's end with Harry.
"How do you think this is going to go, Cameron?" Leo asked quietly. "Seriously? Don't sugar-coat it."
The lawyer sighed. "I don't know. But I think, without any evidence in Harry's favour, the chances of him getting found not guilty are bleak. Very bleak indeed."
Nikki swallowed the lump in her throat and tugged her arm out of Leo's, sinking onto the wooden bench behind them.
"I'd better get back to Harry," Cameron said, gesturing behind his shoulder. "I'll speak to you later. Probably when we stop for lunch. Leo, you're up first on the stand, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"Okay, I'll see you later then."
Cameron rushed away and Leo sat down beside Nikki.
"I'm being called up by the prosecution," he muttered, more to himself than Nikki. "Doesn't seem right somehow. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm giving my professional opinion, and that's it."
Still, Nikki found she couldn't say a word. Leo didn't seem too bothered this time; he was lost in his own world of thought. It seemed like no time at all that an official looking man in a suit appeared and announced that the trial of Harry Cunningham was now convening in court room two. Nikki released a long breath and got to her feet, as did Leo.
"You can do this, you know," he told her, grabbing her hand momentarily. "I know you can."
She gave him a weak smile and the pair nervously entered the court room and filed into the wooden benches that were stacked behind where Cameron and his aide were sat. On the other side of the aisle to them sat the prosecutor and, behind her, Christopher and Helen Jones. Anger burned through her body momentarily as she watched him with gritted teeth.
"Pretend he's not there," Leo whispered in her ear, following her gaze.
She nodded, although Leo's request was easier said than done, and her eyes quickly scanned the rest of the large room. The judge was sat at the front, a plump man in his mid-fifties, if Nikki had to guess. He was ruddy-faced and looked bored as he waited. Her gaze shifted to where the jury were sat on her right-hand side. A collection of your average people; people who would be determining her future. She turned; behind them the benches were mostly empty, save for a few members of the public. Nikki immediately spotted Kent and Sullivan and turned away again, before she could get too angry. On the far side of the room, opposite the jury, was the dock where, judging by the policeman stood stiffly by the side, Harry was due to appear. Next to the judge was another dock, considerably less-guarded. Nikki knew that was where Leo would be standing at some point that day.
The hushed murmurings that had been going on stopped suddenly as a clear, sharp voice told them to rise. Everyone got to their feet, the judge straightened up and looked considerably more alert, Cameron shuffled some papers in front of him, and, on the other side of the room, Harry was led into the dock by two policemen.
It was the first time Nikki had actually seen him since he broke up with her in prison, and she nearly cried. It wasn't that he looked particularly different. Besides being paler than normal, slightly thinner and exhausted-looking, it was as if nothing had changed. He was wearing a black suit with a lilac tie that Nikki was pretty sure must have been Cameron's choosing. She tried to catch Harry's eye, but he was looking at the judge, who started to speak.
Nikki zoned out. She didn't want to, didn't do it deliberately, but she simply couldn't listen to them go over and over everything again. They were saying out loud what she'd been rehearsing in her head for two months. Hearing it all again was painful. It only served to remind her how much she'd failed.
Unsure of how much time passed, Nikki was only roused when she felt Leo stand up beside her.
"Your Honour, the Prosecution calls upon the expert testimony of Professor Leo Dalton, forensic pathologist and head of a university department."
This time, Nikki remained alert as Leo took to the stand and swore to tell the truth. She couldn't imagine how impossible it must be for him to have to speak for both the prosecution and the defence.
There was silence as the lawyer for the prosecution, Phillip Milne, extracted a file from in front of him before speaking.
"Professor Dalton," he said eventually, his voice loud and clear. "You are a good friend of Harry Cunningham, are you not?"
"We're colleagues," Leo replied testily.
"Even so. Does this not compromise your judgement?"
"No. I can assure you, my conclusions are nothing but professional."
"My Lord," Cameron interrupted, looking at the judge. "What relevance does this have to Professor Dalton's conclusions, which we have not even heard yet?"
"Move on, Mr Milne," the judge said lazily.
Phillip Milne nodded. "Yes, your Honour." He redirected his attention to Leo again. "Professor Dalton, if you could please talk us through your post-mortem results on Robert Jones."
Leo relayed his conclusions just as Nikki would do in his position; quickly, clearly and objectively. It was after, when Milne picked at every hole in Leo's words, that things began to go downhill.
"The attacker was approximately five foot ten tall, yes?" Milne asked.
"Obviously it could be another inch or so either way, but yes, about that," Leo replied.
"How tall is the Accused, Professor?"
Leo swallowed hard. "Five foot ten."
"Hmm. And the murderer you estimate weighed, what? About 180 pounds? How much does Harry Cunningham weigh?"
"175 pounds," Leo grudgingly informed them.
"Ah. So, what you're saying is: the man who murdered Robert Jones matches Harry Cunningham's height and weight?" Milne asked, with an air of mild interest.
"Yes," Leo said, having to be honest.
"So, to all intents and purposes, it was perfectly plausible for Harry Cunningham to exert the force needed to strike the victim in the jaw, stun the victim, and then stab him to death?"
"I suppose so, but-"
"Thanks, Professor Dalton," Milne interrupted. "I think we've heard everything we need to."
Nikki glanced across at the jury, who were scribbling on the notebooks in front of them and occasionally glancing up at Harry with frowns on their faces. In front of her, Cameron got to his feet. It was his turn.
"Professor Dalton, what's the average height and weight of a male Harry Cunningham's age in this country?" he asked meaningfully.
"Five foot ten inches and 185 pounds," Leo said clearly.
"So, really, it could have been any number of men who murdered Robert Jones?"
"Yes, it could have been."
"You, yourself, would fit the profile," Cameron went on. "As would half of the members of the jury."
"Yes," Leo nodded. "It is impossible to say for certain that Harry Cunningham killed Robert Jones."
"Thank you, Professor. That is all," Cameron smiled, sitting back down.
Still attempting to catch Harry's eye, Nikki was stung slightly when he continuously refused to look at her. All she wanted to do was go and give him a hug, tell him that everything was going to be all right. Even though it wasn't.
At that precise moment, the doors behind them slammed open. Everyone in the court turned and looked as Joe strode up to the front of the room, a folder clutched tightly in his hand. He blushed slightly as he realised that everyone was looking at him, but continued walking until he reached Cameron.
Nikki strained to hear as he muttered something in Cameron's ear, and then the lawyer whispered something back, looking intrigued. Chancing a glance at Harry, Nikki could see him frowning at Joe in confusion. Everyone waited with baited breath as Cameron straightened up again and got to his feet.
"Your Honour," he said, directly addressing the judge. "I apologise for the inconvenience and lack of former planning, but I would very much like your consent to bring Doctor Joseph Cooper to the stand, as an impromptu ... Witness for the Defence."
You'll find out in the next chapter. Promise. :)
And I know, I know, court cases actually take longer than this and are different, blah blah, but I'm stretching my creative license to the limit to get it how I want it to be. ;)
Thanks for the reviews!