The Goldsworth Series Box Set

by Davie J Toothill

  In the kitchen she made herself a coffee and jumped when Tamar appeared in the doorway, rubbing his eyes. She looked at him in his boxers, hair ruffled from sleep, and she was pleased that he had stayed the whole night.

  “You still worried about today?” Tamar asked, as she slid a mug to him.

  Zoe was nervous, but she felt more at ease with him here.

  “Sort of,” she said, sitting down across the table from him, clasping her own mug in her hands. He didn’t look convinced by her answer. “Okay, I’m shit scared, but like you said, it’ll be over by lunchtime. Then I can move on from it.”

  Tamar nodded, and Zoe wondered why he had not testified. She didn’t want to scare him off though, so she kept quiet and enjoyed his company.

  After finishing her coffee, Zoe began to get ready for court. Tamar stayed, retreating to the lounge and switching the television on, and Zoe got Sienna fed and washed, before turning her attention to her wardrobe. She had a smart outfit she had bought a few days ago, but as she pulled it on she felt uncomfortable in it.

  She was considering changing, though into what she had no idea, when the door went and Tamar reached it before her.

  “Oh, this is a surprise,” Shontelle remarked, and Zoe wondered if her friend was judging her for letting Tamar stay over again. Shontelle peered into the bedroom and smiled at her. “You look smart,” she said. “You all set then?”

  Zoe nodded, knowing it was too late to change her mind or her outfit.

  “I’m ready,” she said, hoping the words would make her feel better.

  She was pleased Shontelle had agreed to babysit for her. She didn’t want Sienna to have to see the inside of a courtroom, not ever, and she didn’t want her daughter to look at Troy again, or be in his presence, after what he’d tried to do before he had been arrested. The thought made her anxious, but she knew that unless she took the stand, there was a chance Troy might get out of prison, and she couldn’t allow that to happen, as much for her daughter’s sake as her own.

  “Don’t be so nervous,” Shontelle said, then covered her eyes as Tamar came into the room, looking for his clothes. Shontelle disappeared off into the lounge to see Sienna, whilst Tamar changed.

  “Are you coming with me?” Zoe asked him tentatively.

  “I can’t,” Tamar said. He looked at her, pulling his jeans up. “I’m not allowed, not after I didn’t turn up the other day.”

  Zoe nodded.

  Shontelle wished her luck and Zoe kissed her daughter goodbye as she left the flat with Tamar. He kissed her lightly on the lips outside the front door and then went off to wherever it was he had to be, and Zoe set off for the bus stop.

  * * *

  Carl hesitated outside the police station. His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out to check, knowing that it would be another message from Asher. He was right. He shoved the phone back into his pocket, not reading what his boyfriend had written.

  He did not like the thought of Asher being worried, but he also knew that he had brought this all down on himself.

  After he had left the flat they shared, Carl had roamed the streets for over an hour, trying to clear his head. Unable to face going home, he had gone to stay with their friend and colleague Diane for the night. It had been an uncomfortable night on her sofa.

  The image of Asher on the grainy CCTV footage would not leave his mind, and Carl was sure that it had even pierced his dreams when he had finally managed to get some sleep.

  He understood why Asher had done it. It had been a spur of the moment decision. He had just been trying to help his sister, and Bolton had just died in front of him. He had made a mistake, Carl understood that. It hurt that he had never thought to share it with him, had kept the secret to himself even though they were supposed to share everything with each other.

  Somebody breezed past him into the station, and Carl pulled himself together. He ignored his phone as it vibrated again in his pocket and took the steps two at a time to the front doors.

  He had made his decision, perhaps before he had even acknowledged that he had. Whatever he thought about the situation, he had no choice, not really. He had to do this.

  Carl took a deep breath and went upstairs, hoping he would not regret it.

  * * *

  Aurora stood in the corridor outside the courtroom, feeling awkward now that her mum was not here with her. Marlena had decided to stay at home today, and Aurora didn’t like to think it was because she was hung over.

  She caught sight of Zoe emerging from the toilets and went over to her. Zoe smiled when she saw her, but Aurora could tell from her fidgeting hands that she was nervous.

  “You’re a brave girl,” Aurora said. Zoe nodded, obviously not feeling so brave. Aurora put a hand on her shoulder. “I really appreciate what you’re doing, Zoe.”

  Zoe smiled properly, and glanced around, as if expecting the Banks brothers to lunge at her. Aurora squeezed her shoulder in what she hoped was a reassuring way, and then watched Zoe retreat into the witness room.

  The clerk had opened the courtroom doors, and Aurora watched people surge forward to go inside. The crowd was smaller than it had been on the first day, and she wondered if people had become bored by the trial, and felt frustrated that people might have come to see it just out of curiosity or for a bit of entertainment. This was about justice for Shaniqua and punishment for Troy, nothing else.

  She followed the people inside and sat down, seeing Troy already in the dock. He was looking down into his lap, and he didn’t look up. She was pleased he did not look as smug as he usually did, and she hoped that he was beginning to realise justice would be done.

  * * *

  Zoe stood in the witness box and was reassured when Lindhurst gave her a brief smile. He was on her side, she reminded herself, he wanted her to do well. She had seen Aurora sitting in the public gallery as she had walked into the courtroom, and she was doing this for her, as well as for herself.

  She had not dared look at the dock where Troy was sitting. She knew he would have a sour face on him, and that looking at him would do nothing to calm her nerves, so she had avoided even glancing at that part of the courtroom.

  Instead, she focused on Lindhurst as he approached her.

  “You were there the night Shaniqua Curtis died, were you not?”

  “Yes, sir,” Zoe said.

  “Can you tell me what happened when Shaniqua Curtis walked by?” Lindhurst asked, his voice friendly, as if they were chatting at a café rather than in court.

  Zoe nodded.

  “Brandy, my best mate at the time, she said she’d looked at her funny,” Zoe recalled, shaking her head with the shame of it. “We went after her, all of us that is. Me and Brandy. Troy and all his mates. We kind of surrounded her –”

  “Troy was in front of her, correct?” Lindhurst asked.

  “Yes, sir,” Zoe said. “Brandy said that Shaniqua had disrespected her, and Shaniqua said that she hadn’t meant to. I think she just wanted to go home –”

  “What happened next?” Lindhurst asked.

  “It’s a bit of a blur,” Zoe admitted. “Troy pulled out a knife. I don’t know where it came from, I didn’t even know he had one. Then he just stuck it in her stomach, and it all happened so quickly that –”

  “You saw Troy holding the knife?” Lindhurst asked. Zoe nodded. “And you saw Troy stab Shaniqua Curtis?”

  “Yes, sir,” Zoe said.

  “What happened next?” Lindhurst asked.

  “We were all kind of shocked. Her eyes got real wide. Shaniqua looked really confused,” Zoe said, shuddering at the memory. “We just ran for it. I don’t think anyone expected Troy to stab her, but he had, and –”

  “Zoe,” Lindhurst said, raising a hand, and she went quiet. “After Shaniqua Curtis had died, why didn’t you come forward?”

  Zoe looked at him for a long moment.

  “I was scared,” she admitted. “Troy didn’t want to get caught.”

  “
And he threatened you?” Lindhurst asked.

  “Yes, sir,” Zoe said. “And he threatened my daughter too.”

  She felt Troy’s eyes boring into her but she refused to look in his direction.

  “Yes, he threatened your daughter,” Lindhurst nodded. “On the night Troy was eventually arrested for the murder, can you tell me what was happening?”

  “Troy had found out the police were onto him,” Zoe said, her voice trembling at the memory. “He thought I’d grassed him up. He broke into my flat.”

  “And he threatened you and your daughter?” Lindhurst prompted her.

  “Yes,” Zoe said. “He said he was going to drown her.”

  “He was going to drown your baby daughter?” Lindhurst asked, and Zoe could feel the jury’s revulsion at his words.

  “Yes, sir,” Zoe said. “And he would’ve done, if the policewoman hadn’t come in and arrested him.”

  “Thank you, Zoe,” Lindhurst said, smiling reassuringly at her. “No further questions,” he said to Judge Harksaw.

  Zoe took a sip of water from the glass in front of her as Khan approached. She looked angry, ready to tear her apart, but Zoe felt bolstered now she was getting the truth out in the open, and she no longer felt so afraid of Troy and his family.

  “Zoe, you mentioned that when you all surrounded Shaniqua Curtis, it all became a bit of a blur,” Khan said. “The adrenaline, I’m sure, but you were also pregnant at the time, correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “You say it became a bit of a blur, that it all happened so fast,” Khan summarized. “So how can you be so sure that Troy was the one to stab her?”

  “I saw him do it,” Zoe said firmly. “The knife was in his hand. He stuck it into her stomach. That’s how I’m sure.”

  She saw Khan give an almost imperceptible grimace, and Lindhurst looked pleased with her response. Zoe felt reassured.

  “You say Troy threatened you after Shaniqua was dead,” Khan moved on, “But in your statement, it seems that Brandine Mason did most of the intimidation, is that correct?”

  “I guess so,” Zoe admitted, faltering. “But she was doing it because of –”

  “I don’t think you can know her motivation,” Khan snapped, “Unless you heard him telling her to do it, which from your statement, is not the case.”

  Zoe held her tongue, uncertain now.

  “You were threatened by Brandine,” Khan noted. “And she was the one who initiated the argument with Shaniqua. Did you ever suspect that she may be guilty?”

  “No,” Zoe said. “I saw Troy do it.”

  Khan pursed her lips, and Zoe got a small sense of satisfaction seeing that.

  “No further questions,” Khan said briskly, and Zoe sighed with relief. Lindhurst looked pleased and gave her a slight nod, which boosted her spirits.

  “You can leave the courtroom,” Judge Harksaw said, looking down at her. “Thank you for coming in today to give your evidence.”

  Zoe did a bow and then blushed, her cheeks going red, and she left the courtroom, still not daring to look at Troy in the dock. She caught sight of Aurora and wondered if she was pleased she had done so well.

  Whatever the outcome, Zoe thought, she had done the right thing. Perhaps she would feel less guilty now, and she hoped that her crimes, for the part she had played in Shaniqua’s death and in the aftermath, had finally been absolved.

  * * *

  Carl walked across the office to his desk and sat down as Patterson turned to look at him.

  “Your boyfriend called,” she said casually. “Asked if you could give him a call. He sounded pretty worried about you.”

  “I’m fine,” Carl said tersely.

  Patterson shrugged, but her eyes lingered on him for a moment before she returned her attention to the computer screen. Carl checked his phone, saw another message from Asher, and gritted his teeth.

  “Did you get anywhere with tracking that missing money?” Serena asked, glancing back over at him. “I could help you dig around if you want. We don’t want that visit to Dante to be wasted, do we?”

  “I’ve looked into it,” Carl said. “I think we should follow some other leads. That one seems like a dead end to me, and we have bigger stuff to be getting on with.”

  “Really?” Patterson asked, surprised. “You were so convinced that -”

  “Well, part of this job is about admitting when you’ve made a mistake,” Carl said, trying to keep his voice light. “Let’s just forget about that. It’s a couple of thousand quid, nothing in comparison to everything else.”

  Serena shrugged.

  “If you’re sure,” she said quietly. “Don’t worry about it, at least you followed up the leads.”

  “Yeah,” Carl murmured.

  Serena looked away, and Carl let out a breathless sigh of relief. He had made his decision. Right or wrong, he would protect his boyfriend. He would not let Asher’s mistake be discovered. Patterson had her own distractions, and he knew she would not look twice if he had told her there was nothing to be found there.

  He turned on his computer and made a mental note to take the disc with the CCTV footage away with him, so that nobody would stumble across it.

  When Serena caught his eye, he forced a smile, and she smiled back.

  “Just forget about that lead,” Patterson said. “This case is big enough as it is.”

  Carl nodded. That was exactly what he intended to do.

  * * *

  Aurora let herself into her mother’s flat, wondering how Clint’s mood would be, knowing he was due to testify this afternoon after the trial resumed after lunch. He had been edgy last night, and she didn’t expect he had much improved since she had left this morning.

  “You back already?” Marlena asked, her words slightly slurred, as Aurora went into the kitchen. She eyed the half-finished bottle of wine.

  “Where’s Clint?” Aurora asked, going into the lounge.

  “He went out,” Marlena said.

  “With Angel?”

  “No, by himself,” Marlena replied. Aurora saw Angel asleep in her small cot in the lounge, and then returned to the kitchen, anger rising.

  “You’re babysitting my daughter and you’re stood in here having a drink?” Aurora demanded, and Marlena frowned at her tone. “What if something had happened and you’re standing here getting shitfaced?”

  “Watch your language,” Marlena snapped, draining her glass.

  Aurora shook her head, turning away before she said something to her mother that she would regret when her temper had subsided. She went back into the lounge and checked on Angel, hearing the front door open and close.

  “I’m back,” Clint called.

  “Oh, brilliant,” Marlena groaned from the kitchen.

  He came into the lounge and saw Aurora. She turned, hand-on-hip.

  “You left Angel alone with my mum?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” Clint said, uncertain.

  “You know what she’s like,” Aurora whispered. “She’s already on the wine.”

  “She wouldn’t let anything happen to her,” Clint assured her.

  “You don’t know that,” Aurora snapped.

  “I heard that,” Marlena said from the doorway. She fixed her daughter with glazed eyes. “I don’t have to listen to my own daughter insult me. I’d never let anyone hurt my precious little granddaughter.”

  “Really?” Aurora asked. “What about when your pissed?”

  “I’m not listening to this,” Marlena said, shaking her head. “I’m off.”

  Before Aurora could say anything else, her mum had gone, the front door slamming behind her.

  “Well handled,” Clint muttered, and blushed when Aurora rounded on him.

  “Where did you sneak off to anyway?” she asked him.

  “I went out for some fresh air,” Clint said.

  “Oh, great, go for a sneaky cigarette and leave our daughter –”

  “I just needed to relax,” Clint said.
/>   Aurora felt her eyes narrowing.

  Aurora didn’t know what to say. She knew that Clint must be nervous, perhaps even frightened, but he owed it to Shaniqua to take the stand. She hoped that he was not getting cold feet. She turned away from him, hoping he would not see the doubts on her face.

  * * *

  Zoe dropped onto the sofa and put her head in her hands. She felt relieved that she had done her duty.

  “You look like shit,” Shontelle said. “Come on, I’ll get you a drink.”

  She left the lounge and returned a minute later with some vodka and two glasses. She poured them each a large measure, and pushed a glass along to Zoe. She picked it up and knocked it back in one, wincing at the taste of the vodka.

  “Better?” Shontelle asked.

  “I don’t know,” Zoe admitted.

  Shontelle poured her out another and Zoe downed that too.

  “Keep ‘em coming,” Zoe said, pushing her glass back to her.

  “We celebrating or are we commiserating?” Shontelle asked as she topped up her glass, and took a dainty sip of her own.

  Zoe looked at her for a long moment, not really sure what to say.

  “Both I guess,” she said. “Maybe neither.”

  “How about I get some of the girls round,” Shontelle suggested. “Take your mind off it.”

  Zoe nodded. She wanted, no needed, that. Today had brought back memories she didn’t want to think about. Shontelle seemed to understand and kept the drinks coming as she made some phone calls. Zoe hoped that today would, finally, be a fresh start.

  * * *

  Clint buttoned up his white shirt and tucked it into his black trousers, his hands steady but his mind racing, apprehensive about attending court in an hour.

  He wanted to do the right thing, so he finished doing up his shirt and flipped up the collar, draping the black tie around his neck and fumbling to tie it.

  There was a knock at the door but he let Aurora go for it. He went to the mirror on the back of the door and struggled with the tie, hearing women’s voices in the hallway and the front door closing, then talking came from the lounge.