‘I don’t remember.’
‘Adam Leckie, as we know, played a leading role in the abduction of Mrs Campion and her son.’
Cronshaw emphasised the word.
‘Which had nothing to do with me. And I had no idea who Adam Leckie was in December nineteen ninety-eight.’
‘Oh, I think you did. You had dinner in his company at a restaurant in Nottingham on the day the jury retired.’
Where was Cronshaw dredging this up from? How did he know about her meeting with the two brothers? Was it the instructing solicitor who had attempted to seduce her who’d given her away? Why oh why had she gone into the witness box? I could deny it, she supposed, but what if he had evidence to support it? Ambiguity was called for.
‘Yes, I remember going for dinner although it was a night I would prefer to forget. There were other people present; I didn’t know all of them.’
‘Adam Leckie was there with his girlfriend, Kelly Maguire, wasn’t he?’
‘I have no idea. As I said, I didn’t know everyone who was there. I left pretty early to get back to Leicester. I was travelling by train and the last train leaves at nine fifty-five pm.’
‘If she were there, it would mean that you had met Kelly Maguire, doesn’t it, contrary to what you told us this morning?’
‘If I did, I wasn’t aware who she was. I went to the restaurant with the solicitor. He insisted I went with him. He obviously had things on his mind that related to me and not the case. Other people were already present. I agree the alibi witness was there, but I did not know the others who were with him. I never saw them in court and I’d never seen any of them before.’
‘Is that right? Didn’t you take Angus Leckie’s statement from him? Didn’t it include a reference to his brother Adam?’
Julia sighed. What was he going to ask next?
‘I might have taken the statement, I can’t remember. I took dozens of statements in dozens of cases. I can’t be expected to remember the details.’
‘Did you not remember Kelly Maguire when you appeared with her at the Old Bailey? You didn’t recognise her from the restaurant?’
‘No. I certainly did not. Although we were in the dock together, I was removed after I pleaded not guilty. I remember having to wait in the cells all day until she and the others were sentenced.’
‘You had no conversation with her?’
‘No. I believe we were in the same van for the journey back to Holloway, but in different compartments. We did not speak. I could hear her whimpering. She was very upset, because of the sentence she received, I presume.’
‘But you knew who she was?’
‘I did by then, but I never connected her in my own mind with anyone involved in the case in Nottingham in December nineteen ninety-eight. That is the truth.’
She looked intently at the jury. She was relieved to see that one of the jurors seemed to be nodding as if he accepted what she had said.
‘So, you did not use the contacts you made in that case to organise the abduction and blackmail before it was taken out of your hands by Grayling?’
She laughed, but uncomfortably.
‘I did not.’
‘That, of course, might explain what Kelly Maguire was doing in Judge Campion’s home three weeks before your meeting with Grayling? You were using a connection you had initially made in December nineteen ninety-eight?’
She dropped her head in frustration. When she looked up her eyes were moist with tears. She spoke slowly and clearly, emphasising each word.
‘I never met Grayling or Hanlon or Duffy. How many times do I have to say this?’
But Cronshaw was not finished with her.
‘Look at the Holbein catalogue again, will you? The same page as before.’
Julia picked it up. She dreaded what she suspected was coming next. The jurors looked at their copies with renewed interest.
‘That telephone number. It contains two sevens does it not?’
‘Yes.’
‘Both of which are crossed in the continental fashion?’
‘Yes.’
‘Neither you nor your mother would write the figure seven in that way?’
‘No.’
‘So who did?’
‘I’ve told you, I have no idea.’
Cronshaw turned to his left and took hold of a note handed to him by Chief Inspector Hood. It contained a tit-bit of intelligence he had recently secured from Ireland following his telephone conversation with the senior Garda officer about Joseph Hanlon’s known associates The earlier note he had received from is junior had alerted him to the fact that something of possible relevance had been discovered.
‘Do you know a woman called Maxine Kruger?’
Julia felt sick to the pit of her stomach. Cronshaw was getting too close for comfort. How did he know about Maxine?
‘I do not,’ she replied, the colour beginning to drain from her face.
‘Let me help you.’ Cronshaw read from the note. ‘She’s German, thirty -six, five feet eight inches tall, long brown hair…’
Everdene jumped to his feet.
‘The Crown has led no evidence about this person – whoever she may be. I do not see how this is in any way relevant to the issues in the case. My friend is not here to give evidence.’
The judge looked at prosecution counsel.
‘That seems to be a perfectly valid observation, Mr Cronshaw. Or do you wish to argue the matter?’
‘I will not pursue it, my Lord, if it upsets Mr Everdene. But I may wish to raise it later if any defence witnesses are called.’
Cronshaw glanced at the jury and sat down, much to Julia’s relief. He had undoubtedly rattled her. Perhaps the fact that the prosecution had some knowledge of Maxine Kruger might deter the defence from calling Kelly Maguire? That, of course, was why Cronshaw had mentioned her.
‘Do you have anything in re-examination, Mr Everdene?’ asked the judge. He noted it was now well past 4.25pm.
‘Just one or two matters, my Lord.’
Everdene spoke very causally as if he had no concerns about the cross-examination of his client. He looked sympathetically towards Julia.
‘I shall be brief, Miss Hamilton. Did you ever make any connection between the individuals you met in the restaurant who seem to have been involved in the case here in Nottingham in December nineteen ninety-eight and any of the individuals who have pleaded guilty to the kidnap of Mrs Campion and the attempt to blackmail the judge?’
She let out a long sigh.
‘Absolutely not. I have no connection with any of them. If Kelly Maguire were present, it was not something that made any impression on me. I was only there at the invitation of the solicitor. He really fancied himself - he thought he was God’s gift to women. It was obvious what he was after and was quite insistent that I went with him. I had little choice in the matter if I wanted to receive further work from his firm. I didn’t even like him and I certainly kept him at arm’s length. He was a horrible little man.’
‘In December nineteen ninety-eight, when you were apparently briefly in the company of these people, where was Michael Doyle?’
‘At the hotel in Dorset. I joined him there when the case concluded. He picked me up at the railway station.’
‘Had he been arrested?’
‘No.’
‘As far as you knew, was he suspected of any crime?’
‘No.’
‘Were you anticipating he might be arrested?’
‘Of course not.’
‘When was he arrested? Remind us please?’
‘Not until mid-February nineteen ninety-nine. Two months after the Nottingham case concluded.’
‘Thank you. Finally, this, were you involved in any way in the kidnapping of Judge Campion’s family and the attempt to blackmail him?’
‘No I was not. I am entirely innocent.’ Her voice became strained and emotional. ‘This whole case is a nightmare. I just want to go home with my son.’ She gave the jury a desperate look. ‘Please let me go home.’
Several jurors looked at each other, some shifting uncomfortably in their seats. Hannah Mathews gave her a sympathetic look.
‘That will be all, unless your Lordship has any questions?’
The judge shook his head. Everdene sat down.
‘You may return to the dock, Miss Hamilton said the judge, looking at the clock again. ‘You have other witnesses, Mr Everdene?’
‘As your Lordship knows, I am not permitted to speak with my lay client while she is giving evidence. I would value the opportunity to do so before making any decisions about the remainder of the defence case. We have already strayed past the usual time to adjourn for the day.’
‘Of course. I’ll say ten-thirty tomorrow, members of the jury. There is no reason to detain you further today.’
Chapter Forty-Two
‘Well, what do you make of that?’ asked Bryan as the jurors arrived back in their room. ‘He’s a bit bloody good that QC isn’t he? I wouldn’t want him cross-examining me! There’s no saying what he’d get out of me.’
He then started searching for his bicycle clips which he had left on the table. Jimmy Murphy pointed to one of them which had fallen on the floor.
‘It was all very clever,’ said Jimmy, ‘but what did it amount to?’
Miss Duston said nothing. She sat at the end of the table and finished making her notes. Paul Green joined her.
‘It makes you think, doesn’t it,’ he said, quietly. ‘I wonder who this German woman is? We haven’t heard anything about her before. You don’t think she could be the one that took the defendant to Hastings?’
‘I really don’t know,’ whispered Miss Duston. ‘If Kelly Maguire gives evidence, we might find out more about her. If Mr Everdene is right and Maguire was in hospital on the sixteenth of March, she couldn’t have taken her to Hastings. And the prosecution didn’t challenge Hamilton’s evidence that she has no licence for a motorbike.’
‘That would mean that Hanlon was lying.’
Miss Duston nodded.
Hannah Mathews slumped down in a chair next to them and sighed.
‘I feel quite sorry for her,’ she said. ‘She must miss her son terribly. If it was me I wouldn’t be able to cope, I really wouldn’t. If she went to prison for as long as the others, she’d probably lose contact with him for good.’
Paul Green shook his head.
‘We mustn’t let sympathy for her or her son affect our judgment. That telephone number on the brochure is very worrying. How did it get there? Someone has put it there, but why? Whoever did must have known Grayling’s ex-directory telephone number which means they must have known Grayling. His number would have been known to very few. I had my doubts about this case before that came up but I’m beginning to wonder if she’s telling the truth about it. Did you see her face when the QC put it to her? I thought she was going to collapse.’
‘It could be that she genuinely didn’t know it was there,’ said Jimmy Murphy, showing a degree of insight that surprised the others. ‘That would explain her reaction, wouldn’t it? She’s not stupid and she’d appreciate it might be damaging. I think it could equally show that she’s innocent. On the other hand…’
‘Or she’d forgotten it was there,’ said Miss Duston, cynically. ‘Why would she have kept it all this time if she knew it might incriminate her unless she’d simply forgotten someone had scrawled the number on it?’
‘And continental sevens,’ added Paul Green. ‘A German might well cross her sevens like that.’
‘That’s my point,’ said Jimmy. ‘If she’d known it was there she wouldn’t have kept it. Why should she? She’s too clever to have made a mistake like that.’
Miss Duston smiled and then remembered what Dudley Manning had said to her. She stopped smiling and assumed a quite serious air. Someone wanted Julia Hamilton to go down. Had someone placed the number there to try and get her convicted? But she kept such thought to herself for the time being.
‘Well said, Jimmy,’ she remarked, approvingly. ‘You’ve got a head on your shoulders after all. We’ll have to make good use of it.’
* * * *
‘Who is this Maxine Kruger?’ asked Everdene as he and Cronshaw prepared to leave the court building. ‘I’ve had no disclosure about her.’
‘It’s just some intelligence we’ve had from Ireland. You needn’t worry, I shan’t be calling any evidence about her.’ He dropped his voice. ‘But she’s said to be an associate of Hanlon – and she rides a motorcycle!’
‘Well, I can’t stop you mentioning her but I shall certainly object if you try and get something like that in. It’s not for you to give evidence, Hal, as you well know. It could cause all manner of speculation in the jury room, especially as Kelly Maguire can’t have taken Hamilton to Hastings.’
Cronshaw pulled on his coat and picked up his briefcase.
‘So, you’re still going to call her?’
‘Are you prepared to make an admission about her being in hospital on the sixteenth of March?’
‘I’d have to think about that. On balance, I prefer to have her here in person tomorrow. There are a number of things I’d like to ask her, although I don’t suppose I shall be in a position to challenge her about her operation. I don’t suppose she has a twin sister?’
‘No, she hasn’t. And if you won’t make an admission, what choice do I have? I’ve already cross-examined Hanlon about her being hospitalised. The jury will think it pretty odd if they don’t hear from her now. And don’t think I don’t know why you mentioned Kruger.’ He laughed. ‘It’s not going to cause me to change my mind; whatever you may have up your sleeve for tomorrow.’
Chapter Forty-Three
‘I call Kelly Maguire,’ said Everdene.
He sounded confident enough as he announced her name, but glanced at the jury to see their reaction. None of them gave anything away. There was a lengthy pause before the witness appeared, walking slowly between two female security officers. The handcuffs she had been sporting before she came into the courtroom had been removed and dangled from the hands of the larger of the two officers. She looked pale and uninterested as she took her place in the witness box. Her dark brown hair had been cut short and she wore little if any make-up. She was dressed in a blue jumper and jeans which were slightly too big for her. A sly glance towards the dock produced no sign of recognition from Julia Hamilton. Maguire took the oath on the testament and asked if she could sit down,
‘If you wish,’ said the judge.
She turned, looked at the seat and sat down, very casually, then looked directly at the jury.
‘Would you tell us your full name?’ asked Everdene.
‘Theresa Kelly Maguire,’ came the reply. ‘But everyone calls me Kelly.’
‘Do you know the defendant?’
‘Yes.’
‘When did you first meet her?’
‘Do you mean to speak to?’
‘Yes.’
‘At Holloway prison, while we were being put into the van to travel to the Old Bailey last July.’
‘Had you ever seen her before?’
‘Seen her? I don’t think so. Not before I was remanded, not that I remember anyway.’
‘In July last year, you pleaded guilty to a number of serious criminal offences including the kidnapping of Judge Campion’s family?’
She nodded her head
‘Yes. I was sentenced to twenty-four years in prison.’
‘You went into the Campion’s home with Joseph Hanlon and two others?’
‘I did, but I was there to make sure no harm came to them. That was the only reason I was there.’
‘Who asked you to get involved?’
‘Grayling.’
‘I believe you also went to the Campion’s home on the twenty-fourth of February last year pretending to be a potential purchaser?’
She smiled.
‘Yes I did. I pretended I was an American. I do quite a good American accent. At least I used to.’
‘Why did you go there on the twenty-fourth of February?’
‘To get an idea of the layout, of course. I also picked up a copy of the sale particulars. The estate agents only allowed those who viewed the house to have one. There was a floor plan in there.’
‘Who asked you to go there at that time?’
‘Grayling.’
Bryan nudged the juror sitting to his left.
‘I told you,’ he whispered.
‘When did he ask you?’ continued Everdene.
‘The week before.’
‘How did the request come to you?’
‘I received a phone call from my ex-partner, Adam Leckie. The message came through him. The original idea was that we should go as a couple, but we decided that was too risky. Adam had once appeared before Judge Campion – only on a minor matter two years before - so it was decided I should go alone. That’s why I needed a driver.’
‘You didn’t think it appropriate to ride there on your motorcycle?’
She laughed.
‘Of course not. It wouldn’t have created the right impression. And I’ve never passed my test to drive a motorcar.’
‘Had you ever met or spoken with Julia Hamilton at that time?’
‘No, I had not.’
‘Did you ever discover what the object of this kidnapping was?’
‘I did ask. I was told I didn’t need to know. That’s how Grayling worked. On a need to know basis.’
‘You’ve indicated that you ride a motorcycle?’
She smiled.
‘I used to. It’ll be a long time before I ride one again!’
‘Where were you on the sixteenth of March last year?’
‘In hospital in Swansea – having my appendix removed.’
‘When did you go into hospital?’
A Private and Convenient Place Page 35