Part Eleven
Yvonne hardly ate a thing when her and Karen went to meet Cassie, Roisin and Lauren in the canteen. Fenner followed them but as soon as he saw who was there, he said,
"Jesus! Not the dyke duo out on a pardon?"
"Nice to see you too, Fenner," Was Cassie's equally uncivil reply. He simply glared at the five of them en masse and moved to go somewhere else. Only those not directly involved in the trial were able to eat. Both Karen's and Yvonne's nerves were strung as taut as possible. Yvonne because she kept going over and over the things the defence barrister might ask her, and Karen because she been forced to spend the last three hours in Fenner's company and would be doing the same this afternoon.
"Sod this," Said Yvonne after a while. "I'm going outside for a fag." Karen decided to join her and they stood leaning against the wall, feeling like errant adolescents sneaking out for a secret smoke behind the bike shed. Yvonne suddenly asked,
"How the hell did it all come to this?" Karen took a deep drag and asked,
"How do you mean?"
"I mean, did he do all this and help her to do everything she did because I was such a crap mother?"
"Yvonne, we've had this conversation before. We've both made huge mistakes as mothers, but that gives neither of our sons the excuse to do anything they've either done or might do in the future. I've got absolutely no idea what Ross might end up doing now he hasn't got college to keep him on the straight and narrow."
"I stood there and watched while Charlie threatened to nail him to the warehouse floor!" Said Yvonne, as if only just realising her part in that whole nightmare.
"Oh and what exactly were you supposed to do?" Asked Karen. "Because though you'll hate me for saying it, not even you could have been expected to disagree with Charlie Atkins and still be living to tell the tale."
"I really don't want to go in there this afternoon," Yvonne continued. "I don't want to have to look in to his eyes and see everything I've done wrong over the years." Karen ditched her cigarette and put her arms round Yvonne and gave her a tight squeeze.
"One day," She said her face very close to Yvonne's, "I'll tell you the story of one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made, a mistake that almost cost me my sanity." They stood there in companionable silence, simply taking strength from each other's proximity, until Jo Mills appeared. At first she didn't like to disturb them. They looked so right, so complete that the sight of them tugged at something deep inside her. But time was moving on and justice would wait for no man, or woman come to that.
"Yvonne," She said gently. "It's time to go in." Yvonne found herself not wanting to relinquish her hold on Karen, not wanting to leave this safe haven of brief tranquillity.
"You'll be fine," Karen said giving her a last squeeze. As Yvonne moved with Jo towards the inside of the court, Karen called out to Jo,
"Look after her." Jo turned and smiled.
"I'll do my best," She replied.
When Yvonne took the bible in her right hand and intoned the oath, she wondered just what she was doing here, about to testify against one of her own.
"Mrs. Atkins," Jo began. "Please would you tell the court about the two visits you received from your son, Ritchie Atkins, at the end of May and the beginning of June last year?" Yvonne took a deep breath.
"Some time in the middle of May, Ritchie sent me a letter, saying that he wanted to see me and asking me to send him a visiting order. This was quite a surprise, because I hadn't spoken to him for over four years."
"And why was that?" Asked Jo gently.
"He had a row with his dad."
"I doubt the godfather of the east London version of the Mafia would be in favour of just a simple row," Muttered Brian Cantwell from the defence bench. Jo was furious. She wasn't two minutes in to Yvonne's evidence and Cantwell had already started.
"My Lord," She said approaching the Judge's bench. "such a remark from the defence barrister is surely prejudicial." John was inclined to agree with Brian Cantwell, but he couldn't let his remark go unnoticed.
"I agree Mrs. Mills," He said calmly. "The jury will disregard Mr. Cantwell's remark, and you, Mr. Cantwell, will refrain from making such remarks." Jo returned to stand in front of Yvonne.
"How were things between you and your son when he visited you?"
"He wanted to make up for lost time. He said he'd missed me. He reminded me that I used to call him my little angel when he was a child."
"And when did he first ask you for money?"
"On his second visit. He pointed out that his sister was sitting pretty at home with decent cars in the drive standing idle. He said he needed some money to set up an upmarket taxi business."
"And you believed him?"
"At the time, I had no reason not to. He sounded so plausible." Yvonne refused to let herself look over at the two people who had so successfully conned her out of fifty grand, and worst of all, her pride and self-esteem. "So, I told him I'd fix it with his sister, Lauren, to release fifty grand from the business."
"And during this time, Tracy Pilkinton, known to you as Snowball Merriman, had entered Larkhall. What was your immediate impression of her?"
"She was a trashy American movie star who we later found out had a line in porn films. She was given a cell on enhanced, without any real reason, probably because the PO's thought of her as a minor celebrity. She got very pally with her personal officer, Jim Fenner. She hadn't been in five minutes when she got made up to a red band and given a job in the library."
"And when was it you received the bouquet of flowers from your son?"
"Not long before the open day." Jo walked to the evidence bench and picked up something in a clear, sealed evidence bag. Holding it up in front of Yvonne she said,
"And is this the card you received with the flowers?"
"Yes, but when I received it, only the words at the top were on it."
"Please could you be more specific?" Prompted Jo.
"Only the words, "I love you mum", were on the card when I got the flowers."
"And could you read the rest of the words on the card, for the benefit of the jury."
"don't place your bets till the rod's in K's bag."
"And these words definitely weren't on the card the last time you saw it?"
"No." Returning the card to the evidence bench, Jo returned to the attack.
"If you might cast your mind back to June the fifteenth of last year, could you describe to the jury, the substance of the phone call you exchanged with your son in the prison Chaplain's office."
"I was in there with one of the visitors, Ajit Kahn. The phone rang, and when Ajit Kahn answered it, it was Ritchie. He was asking for Snowball Merriman."
"Can I just make it clear to the jury that before this phone call, you had no knowledge whatsoever that your son was in any way acquainted with Snowball Merriman."
"None at all. I had no idea that he knew her. When he figured out it wasn't Snowball on the phone, he ended the call. I'd heard his voice only too clearly. I did 1471 to get the number, it was Ritchie's mobile number. When I rang it, he answered the phone with the word Snowball. He was expecting it to be her."
"And how did this make you feel?"
"Bleedin angry," Answered Yvonne without a second thought. "It all began to fit in to place. Ritchie hadn't contacted me because he wanted to put the past behind us, he just wanted to get his hands on fifty grand, which knowing my luck is probably paying for his defence." Even John winced at the thought of this. Brian Cantwell began to look a little uncomfortable.
"Did the phone call from your son make you wonder what Snowball was up to?" Asked Jo.
"I guessed she was probably trying to escape, to meet up with Ritchie and go abroad with my money. Oh he was clever," She said, finally making herself look over at the dock, where Snowball sat cuffed to Di Barker on one side, and Ritchie sat in his wheelchair, cuffed to a male officer with officers in between them. "But he wasn't quite clever enough," Yvonne finished, giving Ritchie the kind of stare that let him know she'd won.
"I have no more questions my Lord," Said Jo, dreading what was coming from Cantwell.
Cantwell moved forward with too much of a spring in his step for Jo's liking.
"Mrs. Atkins," He began. "Exactly why were you in the prison chaplain's office with Ajit Kahn?" For once, John found himself wholeheartedly agreeing with Brian Cantwell, though he didn't think Jo would see it that way.
"Is that really relevant?" Asked Yvonne, saying the words Jo was about to utter.
"I think you should allow me to decide that," Quipped Cantwell, and when Yvonne wasn't forthcoming, he said,
"Mrs. Atkins, I must ask you to answer my question. Why were you alone, in a deserted office with one of the visitors for the open day." Yvonne was swiftly trying to think of an excuse that sounded vaguely authentic, but her seemingly endless supply of smart comments had deserted her.
"You must answer the question," Put in John, who definitely wanted to know the answer to this one, if only to satisfy his curiosity. Knowing she couldn't avoid it, Yvonne turned to face the judge and locked eyes with him.
"We were shagging," She said, as if they were two friends out for a drink, not judge and witness facing each other across a crowded courtroom. It seemed that almost everyone was trying to avoid breaking the silence. Everyone that is, except Cassie. Her comment of
"Typical," sent most of the public gallery in to fits of half smothered laughter. Giving Yvonne a little wink, John simply answered,
"I see." Cantwell, feeling thoroughly as if his limelight had been unceremoniously stolen, returned to his cross-examination.
"And will Ajit Kahn confirm your story?"
"He'll be hard put not to," Said Yvonne giving Cantwell a little smirk.
"Now that we have that piece of scurrilous gossip cleared up," Continued Cantwell, "Are you absolutely sure it was your son who was attempting to contact Snowball Merriman?" Yvonne looked at him in disgust.
"Of course I'm sure it was Ritchie. I am his mother for god's sake. I'd know that voice anywhere, full of charm, just like his father's."
"I'm not so sure you would know your son's voice anywhere, as you put it," Went on Cantwell, silkily. "You were estranged from him for over four years, were you not."
"No mother forgets her son's voice, no matter how long they don't speak," replied Yvonne.
"And just why were you so quick and eager to hand over fifty thousand pounds, to a son you hadn't seen for such a long time. Was it not perhaps because you felt guilty? Guilty for the way you and your husband had treated him?" Cursing him to hell and back, yet knowing he was right, Yvonne said,
"Are you going in for a plea of diminished responsibility or what. The reason I chose to give him fifty grand, has absolutely nothing to do with why he chose to help that murdering cow!" At the hint of verbal support from the public gallery, John cleared his throat.
"Mrs. Atkins, might I remind you that you are in court." Cantwell moved in again, but this time for the slaughter.
"You can hardly call yourself a good role model, can you. A mother who allows her son to be threatened, with being nailed to the warehouse floor, among other things? No wonder you felt guilty, and well you might. Is it really any wonder that your son found it so easy to become ensnared in such a disastrous scheme for revenge?" Jo was about to move forward to launch in to her long list of objections, but Yvonne got there before her.
"How dare you," She said, all the anger and hurt clearly showing in her face. "Don't even think about laying the responsibility for Ritchie becoming involved with that evil tart at my door. He chose to do everything he's ever done, including screwing me out of fifty grand and trying to fit up Karen Betts for the bomb." Cantwell changed tack to try and fluster her.
"And how do we know that it wasn't you who wrote the extra words on that card?"
"Because I bleedin said so," Shouted Yvonne, losing any hint of decorum she might have had.
"And just how trust worthy is the word of an Atkins?" Cantwell said.
"You should know," Came back Yvonne. "After all, you're defending one." There was utter silence when she said this. As if going for damage limitation, Brian Cantwell moved back to the defence bench.
"No more questions, Mr. Cantwell?" Asked Deed calmly.
"No, My lord," Came Cantwell's subdued reply.
John concluded the afternoon's proceedings by saying,
"Court is adjourned till ten tomorrow morning."
Yvonne's anger had dissipated by the time she left the courtroom. Jo caught up with her outside.
"I'm sorry about that," Jo said.
"Not your fault," Replied Yvonne matter-of-factly. "It ain't your fault that Ritchie's barrister's a wanker of the highest order. He didn't sound like he was trying to defend Snowball all that much though."
"I think he might be going for damage limitation," Said Jo. "Let's face it, Ritchie is looking at a far shorter sentence, if he's convicted, and Ritchie also probably has the right contacts to make Brian Cantwell afraid of him if he doesn't get the right result."
"You're on the ball," Said Yvonne, which was probably the best complement Jo had ever had from someone like Yvonne Atkins. "You want to be careful of him, though," She went on. "don't forget I probably know most of the other witnesses better than you do. He'll make mincemeat of Grayling, not that he doesn't deserve it, but it might not do much for your case."
"I'll bare it in mind," Said Jo entirely grateful for a warning of this kind. Then catching sight of John, Jo excused herself from Yvonne and moved towards him with the speed and aim of a cat following its prey.
"How could you," Was her opening rejoinder. John looked at her slightly surprised.
"How could I what?" He said to her.
"You just let Cantwell tare Yvonne Atkins to shreds. That wasn't on, John, and you know it."
"For a start," He said, his own anger beginning to rise. "It looked to me like she was doing perfectly well on her own, and second, you are completely out of order approaching me like this."
"Oh, when should I approach you, in bed?"
"There are worse places," He said with a little smile.
"this is no joke, John," She said, clearly still riled.
"Jo, listen. It hasn't damaged your evidence, and Yvonne Atkins needs no looking after from me. She's quite capable of fighting her own battles."
"That's hardly the point," Said Jo, beginning to calm down.
"She managed to ruffle Cantwell's feathers and question his judgement in acting for their defence in the process. That isn't going to make either him or his clients look good in the eyes of the jury. She did you a favour, Jo. Stop worrying."
Having heard most of Jo's side of this argument, as it had been given in a fairly loud voice, Yvonne grinned. So, the judge and the prosecuting barrister had more in common than their profession did they. She filed it away as a little fact to be used later if it should ever come in handy. Moving towards where Cassie, Roisin, Lauren and Karen were waiting for her, Yvonne almost stopped in her tracks when she saw Karen's face. She was extremely pale and looked like a scared rabbit about to flee at the slightest provocation. Lauren came forward to hug her.
"Mum, you did brilliantly. Really gave that barrister what for." Yvonne gave her daughter a quick squeeze and looked at Karen. Disentangling herself from Lauren, she moved towards her.
"Are you all right?" She asked Karen.
"No," Was Karen's only reply. "I need to get out of here. I just wanted to know how you got on."
"I had a bit of a fight with the defence barrister, and I think I made Jo Mills feel a bit superfluous, but yeah, not too bad. You look terrible, what's happened?"
"Nothing," Karen said quietly.
"And I'm a catholic priest," Replied Yvonne succinctly.
"Really," Said Karen, "I just need to get out of here and have a large drink." Seeing it would be pointless to press the issue, Yvonne simply said,
"Well, if you feel like a chat later, I'm in all evening."
"I might take you up on that," Said Karen, knowing without doubt that she had too. She had to tell Yvonne about everything now. Come hell or high water, Fenner had made that crystal clear.
Yvonne hardly ate a thing when her and Karen went to meet Cassie, Roisin and Lauren in the canteen. Fenner followed them but as soon as he saw who was there, he said,
"Jesus! Not the dyke duo out on a pardon?"
"Nice to see you too, Fenner," Was Cassie's equally uncivil reply. He simply glared at the five of them en masse and moved to go somewhere else. Only those not directly involved in the trial were able to eat. Both Karen's and Yvonne's nerves were strung as taut as possible. Yvonne because she kept going over and over the things the defence barrister might ask her, and Karen because she been forced to spend the last three hours in Fenner's company and would be doing the same this afternoon.
"Sod this," Said Yvonne after a while. "I'm going outside for a fag." Karen decided to join her and they stood leaning against the wall, feeling like errant adolescents sneaking out for a secret smoke behind the bike shed. Yvonne suddenly asked,
"How the hell did it all come to this?" Karen took a deep drag and asked,
"How do you mean?"
"I mean, did he do all this and help her to do everything she did because I was such a crap mother?"
"Yvonne, we've had this conversation before. We've both made huge mistakes as mothers, but that gives neither of our sons the excuse to do anything they've either done or might do in the future. I've got absolutely no idea what Ross might end up doing now he hasn't got college to keep him on the straight and narrow."
"I stood there and watched while Charlie threatened to nail him to the warehouse floor!" Said Yvonne, as if only just realising her part in that whole nightmare.
"Oh and what exactly were you supposed to do?" Asked Karen. "Because though you'll hate me for saying it, not even you could have been expected to disagree with Charlie Atkins and still be living to tell the tale."
"I really don't want to go in there this afternoon," Yvonne continued. "I don't want to have to look in to his eyes and see everything I've done wrong over the years." Karen ditched her cigarette and put her arms round Yvonne and gave her a tight squeeze.
"One day," She said her face very close to Yvonne's, "I'll tell you the story of one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made, a mistake that almost cost me my sanity." They stood there in companionable silence, simply taking strength from each other's proximity, until Jo Mills appeared. At first she didn't like to disturb them. They looked so right, so complete that the sight of them tugged at something deep inside her. But time was moving on and justice would wait for no man, or woman come to that.
"Yvonne," She said gently. "It's time to go in." Yvonne found herself not wanting to relinquish her hold on Karen, not wanting to leave this safe haven of brief tranquillity.
"You'll be fine," Karen said giving her a last squeeze. As Yvonne moved with Jo towards the inside of the court, Karen called out to Jo,
"Look after her." Jo turned and smiled.
"I'll do my best," She replied.
When Yvonne took the bible in her right hand and intoned the oath, she wondered just what she was doing here, about to testify against one of her own.
"Mrs. Atkins," Jo began. "Please would you tell the court about the two visits you received from your son, Ritchie Atkins, at the end of May and the beginning of June last year?" Yvonne took a deep breath.
"Some time in the middle of May, Ritchie sent me a letter, saying that he wanted to see me and asking me to send him a visiting order. This was quite a surprise, because I hadn't spoken to him for over four years."
"And why was that?" Asked Jo gently.
"He had a row with his dad."
"I doubt the godfather of the east London version of the Mafia would be in favour of just a simple row," Muttered Brian Cantwell from the defence bench. Jo was furious. She wasn't two minutes in to Yvonne's evidence and Cantwell had already started.
"My Lord," She said approaching the Judge's bench. "such a remark from the defence barrister is surely prejudicial." John was inclined to agree with Brian Cantwell, but he couldn't let his remark go unnoticed.
"I agree Mrs. Mills," He said calmly. "The jury will disregard Mr. Cantwell's remark, and you, Mr. Cantwell, will refrain from making such remarks." Jo returned to stand in front of Yvonne.
"How were things between you and your son when he visited you?"
"He wanted to make up for lost time. He said he'd missed me. He reminded me that I used to call him my little angel when he was a child."
"And when did he first ask you for money?"
"On his second visit. He pointed out that his sister was sitting pretty at home with decent cars in the drive standing idle. He said he needed some money to set up an upmarket taxi business."
"And you believed him?"
"At the time, I had no reason not to. He sounded so plausible." Yvonne refused to let herself look over at the two people who had so successfully conned her out of fifty grand, and worst of all, her pride and self-esteem. "So, I told him I'd fix it with his sister, Lauren, to release fifty grand from the business."
"And during this time, Tracy Pilkinton, known to you as Snowball Merriman, had entered Larkhall. What was your immediate impression of her?"
"She was a trashy American movie star who we later found out had a line in porn films. She was given a cell on enhanced, without any real reason, probably because the PO's thought of her as a minor celebrity. She got very pally with her personal officer, Jim Fenner. She hadn't been in five minutes when she got made up to a red band and given a job in the library."
"And when was it you received the bouquet of flowers from your son?"
"Not long before the open day." Jo walked to the evidence bench and picked up something in a clear, sealed evidence bag. Holding it up in front of Yvonne she said,
"And is this the card you received with the flowers?"
"Yes, but when I received it, only the words at the top were on it."
"Please could you be more specific?" Prompted Jo.
"Only the words, "I love you mum", were on the card when I got the flowers."
"And could you read the rest of the words on the card, for the benefit of the jury."
"don't place your bets till the rod's in K's bag."
"And these words definitely weren't on the card the last time you saw it?"
"No." Returning the card to the evidence bench, Jo returned to the attack.
"If you might cast your mind back to June the fifteenth of last year, could you describe to the jury, the substance of the phone call you exchanged with your son in the prison Chaplain's office."
"I was in there with one of the visitors, Ajit Kahn. The phone rang, and when Ajit Kahn answered it, it was Ritchie. He was asking for Snowball Merriman."
"Can I just make it clear to the jury that before this phone call, you had no knowledge whatsoever that your son was in any way acquainted with Snowball Merriman."
"None at all. I had no idea that he knew her. When he figured out it wasn't Snowball on the phone, he ended the call. I'd heard his voice only too clearly. I did 1471 to get the number, it was Ritchie's mobile number. When I rang it, he answered the phone with the word Snowball. He was expecting it to be her."
"And how did this make you feel?"
"Bleedin angry," Answered Yvonne without a second thought. "It all began to fit in to place. Ritchie hadn't contacted me because he wanted to put the past behind us, he just wanted to get his hands on fifty grand, which knowing my luck is probably paying for his defence." Even John winced at the thought of this. Brian Cantwell began to look a little uncomfortable.
"Did the phone call from your son make you wonder what Snowball was up to?" Asked Jo.
"I guessed she was probably trying to escape, to meet up with Ritchie and go abroad with my money. Oh he was clever," She said, finally making herself look over at the dock, where Snowball sat cuffed to Di Barker on one side, and Ritchie sat in his wheelchair, cuffed to a male officer with officers in between them. "But he wasn't quite clever enough," Yvonne finished, giving Ritchie the kind of stare that let him know she'd won.
"I have no more questions my Lord," Said Jo, dreading what was coming from Cantwell.
Cantwell moved forward with too much of a spring in his step for Jo's liking.
"Mrs. Atkins," He began. "Exactly why were you in the prison chaplain's office with Ajit Kahn?" For once, John found himself wholeheartedly agreeing with Brian Cantwell, though he didn't think Jo would see it that way.
"Is that really relevant?" Asked Yvonne, saying the words Jo was about to utter.
"I think you should allow me to decide that," Quipped Cantwell, and when Yvonne wasn't forthcoming, he said,
"Mrs. Atkins, I must ask you to answer my question. Why were you alone, in a deserted office with one of the visitors for the open day." Yvonne was swiftly trying to think of an excuse that sounded vaguely authentic, but her seemingly endless supply of smart comments had deserted her.
"You must answer the question," Put in John, who definitely wanted to know the answer to this one, if only to satisfy his curiosity. Knowing she couldn't avoid it, Yvonne turned to face the judge and locked eyes with him.
"We were shagging," She said, as if they were two friends out for a drink, not judge and witness facing each other across a crowded courtroom. It seemed that almost everyone was trying to avoid breaking the silence. Everyone that is, except Cassie. Her comment of
"Typical," sent most of the public gallery in to fits of half smothered laughter. Giving Yvonne a little wink, John simply answered,
"I see." Cantwell, feeling thoroughly as if his limelight had been unceremoniously stolen, returned to his cross-examination.
"And will Ajit Kahn confirm your story?"
"He'll be hard put not to," Said Yvonne giving Cantwell a little smirk.
"Now that we have that piece of scurrilous gossip cleared up," Continued Cantwell, "Are you absolutely sure it was your son who was attempting to contact Snowball Merriman?" Yvonne looked at him in disgust.
"Of course I'm sure it was Ritchie. I am his mother for god's sake. I'd know that voice anywhere, full of charm, just like his father's."
"I'm not so sure you would know your son's voice anywhere, as you put it," Went on Cantwell, silkily. "You were estranged from him for over four years, were you not."
"No mother forgets her son's voice, no matter how long they don't speak," replied Yvonne.
"And just why were you so quick and eager to hand over fifty thousand pounds, to a son you hadn't seen for such a long time. Was it not perhaps because you felt guilty? Guilty for the way you and your husband had treated him?" Cursing him to hell and back, yet knowing he was right, Yvonne said,
"Are you going in for a plea of diminished responsibility or what. The reason I chose to give him fifty grand, has absolutely nothing to do with why he chose to help that murdering cow!" At the hint of verbal support from the public gallery, John cleared his throat.
"Mrs. Atkins, might I remind you that you are in court." Cantwell moved in again, but this time for the slaughter.
"You can hardly call yourself a good role model, can you. A mother who allows her son to be threatened, with being nailed to the warehouse floor, among other things? No wonder you felt guilty, and well you might. Is it really any wonder that your son found it so easy to become ensnared in such a disastrous scheme for revenge?" Jo was about to move forward to launch in to her long list of objections, but Yvonne got there before her.
"How dare you," She said, all the anger and hurt clearly showing in her face. "Don't even think about laying the responsibility for Ritchie becoming involved with that evil tart at my door. He chose to do everything he's ever done, including screwing me out of fifty grand and trying to fit up Karen Betts for the bomb." Cantwell changed tack to try and fluster her.
"And how do we know that it wasn't you who wrote the extra words on that card?"
"Because I bleedin said so," Shouted Yvonne, losing any hint of decorum she might have had.
"And just how trust worthy is the word of an Atkins?" Cantwell said.
"You should know," Came back Yvonne. "After all, you're defending one." There was utter silence when she said this. As if going for damage limitation, Brian Cantwell moved back to the defence bench.
"No more questions, Mr. Cantwell?" Asked Deed calmly.
"No, My lord," Came Cantwell's subdued reply.
John concluded the afternoon's proceedings by saying,
"Court is adjourned till ten tomorrow morning."
Yvonne's anger had dissipated by the time she left the courtroom. Jo caught up with her outside.
"I'm sorry about that," Jo said.
"Not your fault," Replied Yvonne matter-of-factly. "It ain't your fault that Ritchie's barrister's a wanker of the highest order. He didn't sound like he was trying to defend Snowball all that much though."
"I think he might be going for damage limitation," Said Jo. "Let's face it, Ritchie is looking at a far shorter sentence, if he's convicted, and Ritchie also probably has the right contacts to make Brian Cantwell afraid of him if he doesn't get the right result."
"You're on the ball," Said Yvonne, which was probably the best complement Jo had ever had from someone like Yvonne Atkins. "You want to be careful of him, though," She went on. "don't forget I probably know most of the other witnesses better than you do. He'll make mincemeat of Grayling, not that he doesn't deserve it, but it might not do much for your case."
"I'll bare it in mind," Said Jo entirely grateful for a warning of this kind. Then catching sight of John, Jo excused herself from Yvonne and moved towards him with the speed and aim of a cat following its prey.
"How could you," Was her opening rejoinder. John looked at her slightly surprised.
"How could I what?" He said to her.
"You just let Cantwell tare Yvonne Atkins to shreds. That wasn't on, John, and you know it."
"For a start," He said, his own anger beginning to rise. "It looked to me like she was doing perfectly well on her own, and second, you are completely out of order approaching me like this."
"Oh, when should I approach you, in bed?"
"There are worse places," He said with a little smile.
"this is no joke, John," She said, clearly still riled.
"Jo, listen. It hasn't damaged your evidence, and Yvonne Atkins needs no looking after from me. She's quite capable of fighting her own battles."
"That's hardly the point," Said Jo, beginning to calm down.
"She managed to ruffle Cantwell's feathers and question his judgement in acting for their defence in the process. That isn't going to make either him or his clients look good in the eyes of the jury. She did you a favour, Jo. Stop worrying."
Having heard most of Jo's side of this argument, as it had been given in a fairly loud voice, Yvonne grinned. So, the judge and the prosecuting barrister had more in common than their profession did they. She filed it away as a little fact to be used later if it should ever come in handy. Moving towards where Cassie, Roisin, Lauren and Karen were waiting for her, Yvonne almost stopped in her tracks when she saw Karen's face. She was extremely pale and looked like a scared rabbit about to flee at the slightest provocation. Lauren came forward to hug her.
"Mum, you did brilliantly. Really gave that barrister what for." Yvonne gave her daughter a quick squeeze and looked at Karen. Disentangling herself from Lauren, she moved towards her.
"Are you all right?" She asked Karen.
"No," Was Karen's only reply. "I need to get out of here. I just wanted to know how you got on."
"I had a bit of a fight with the defence barrister, and I think I made Jo Mills feel a bit superfluous, but yeah, not too bad. You look terrible, what's happened?"
"Nothing," Karen said quietly.
"And I'm a catholic priest," Replied Yvonne succinctly.
"Really," Said Karen, "I just need to get out of here and have a large drink." Seeing it would be pointless to press the issue, Yvonne simply said,
"Well, if you feel like a chat later, I'm in all evening."
"I might take you up on that," Said Karen, knowing without doubt that she had too. She had to tell Yvonne about everything now. Come hell or high water, Fenner had made that crystal clear.