Errors of Judgment(17)

‘Of course I don’t. By the way, did you see Whiteside’s judgment?’

‘Yes, I did. What a hash he made of it! It seemed wrong from start to finish.’

‘I couldn’t agree more. A complete travesty. That’s what comes of letting any Tom, Dick or Harry sit in Admiralty cases. It makes one wonder about the calibre of people getting onto the High Court Bench these days.’

‘That’s because hardly anyone wants the job. Would you do it?’

‘I doubt if Henry would let me.’ Leo paused, then added, ‘I suppose it has its attractions.’

Rachel laughed. ‘Tell me about them when you become Mr Justice Davies. Then I’ll believe it.’

‘At least I wouldn’t be handing down ludicrous judgments like Whiteside’s and clogging up the Appeal Court lists.’

They talked about the case briefly, then Leo said, ‘I’d better go. I’ve got a con in a couple of minutes.’

‘OK. Thanks for this afternoon. I’ll ring Lucy to tell her you’ll be taking Oliver to school in the morning. Bye.’

Rachel wished that all conversations with Leo could be as amicable. It reminded her of the early days of their relationship. They’d always had so much to talk about – in bed and out of it. On paper, they were a perfectly suited couple. If only it could have been as easy as talking – or even making love. She brought her drifting thoughts to a halt. That was enough. She was going to have to do something about her situation.

Later that morning she rang her friend Sophie, the mother of Oliver’s school chum Josh, who lived just round the corner.

‘Hi, it’s Rachel. I just wondered if you were free later this evening for a glass of wine. Say around nine? My love life needs sorting out.’

‘Absolutely. I’ll be gasping for a drink after I’ve got this lot to bed.’ Rachel could hear the sound of small voices and clattering in the background. ‘Josh! Put that down! It doesn’t go in the dishwasher. Sorry, Rachel. Yes, I’ll pop round and leave Richard to do the evening shift. They’re all in bed by eight, so it doesn’t involve more than him sitting with a beer watching the Dave channel, and keeping an ear out.’

‘Great. See you later.’

That was the evening taken care of. Now to find someone to take Ann Halliday’s place in the casino case. She rang the clerks’ room at 5 Caper Court and spoke to Henry, who consulted the on-screen diaries of the various members of chambers. ‘Let’s see … Mr Vane’s no good, he’s in court that day. Mr Bishop, no … How about Mr Cross? He’s free to do the hearing, and he hasn’t got much heavy work on in the run-up.’

Rachel hesitated. She needed someone who could get their head round what was a very complex case in a short space of time, and Anthony would be ideal. The truth was, ever since their affair a couple of years ago, Rachel had avoided briefing Anthony. They’d remained good friends, but she had the feeling it might be tricky working on a case together. Still, it seemed she didn’t have much choice.

‘Mr Cross will be fine.’ They discussed fees, and Rachel said she would send the papers round within the hour.

Shortly after one, Leo went to Anthony’s room. Anthony was sitting at his desk reading, his feet propped up on a cardboard box stuffed with documents. Unlike Leo’s room, Anthony’s was comfortably messy, with files and books everywhere.

Leo gave the box a kick. ‘Christ, man, how can you work in this squalor? Didn’t I teach you, when you were a callow and giddy youth, to keep a sense of order?’

‘Don’t kick that! It contains highly valuable evidence. Besides, everything is in perfect order. I can lay my hands on any given document in seconds, if required. It just looks disordered to the untrained eye,’ replied Anthony.

‘Oh, yes? What’s this, then?’ asked Leo, picking up a random piece of paper from a pile on the table.

Anthony squinted at it. ‘It’s a chart. Something to do with a grounding case. Put it back. You’re destroying an intricate filing system.’ He swung his feet off the box. ‘Rachel has just instructed me in a case that’s coming up for a hearing in a few weeks’ time. Rather an unusual one.’

‘Tell me about it over lunch. How do you fancy beer and sandwiches at The Eagle?’

They left chambers and walked to the pub in Bouverie Street.

‘Just an orange juice for me,’ said Anthony, when they were at the bar. ‘I need to finish those documents. We have a con tomorrow afternoon.’

They took their drinks and sandwiches to a table. ‘So,’ said Leo, ‘fill me in. What’s the case about?’