CHERUB: Brigands M.C. - Robert Muchamore Page 0,25
than in the coach with all the mums and kids.
‘So anyway, this other truck knocked Pigeon off the road. We followed the truck until it pulled in. They were all set to beat up the truck driver, but the man realised he was being followed and called the cops on his mobile. So we arrived to find all these pigs – sorry, I mean police officers – waiting. But when they asked what we were doing they just said that I’d been whining that I needed to use the toilet.’
‘So nothing happened?’ Ross said, disappointed at the flat ending.
Dante smiled. ‘I said I remembered coming here. I didn’t say it was a great story.’
‘You seem happier today,’ Ross noted.
‘Because something’s happening with the murder case at last, even if I don’t exactly understand what.’
‘I thought I explained,’ Ross said.
Dante shrugged. ‘I still don’t get this whole CPS thing.’
‘OK,’ Ross said. ‘It’s called the Crown Prosecution Service. You know when you watch a court thing on TV they have lawyers who ask people questions?’
Dante nodded.
‘OK, well in each court the person who’s on trial has a defence lawyer who tries to prove that he’s innocent. And the government has a lawyer called a prosecutor who tries to prove that they’re guilty. The government lawyers work for the CPS.
‘With a complex case like the murder of your family, the police and the CPS work together and decide when there’s enough evidence to charge someone with a crime. The CPS lawyers tell the police what kind of evidence they need to get a conviction and they speak with witnesses because it’s very important to know how well their evidence will stand up in court.’
‘So that’s why I’m going,’ Dante nodded.
As Dante said this, a frail looking woman who was well into her sixties entered the restaurant. Her soft leather briefcase and lavender coat with gold buttons looked out of place in the sparsely populated Burger King, but she cracked a big smile when she recognised Ross.
‘Hello, darling!’ the woman said brightly, as she headed towards the table and kissed Ross on both cheeks. ‘When did I last see you? It must have been the child development conference in Leeds two years ago.’
Ross shrugged. ‘Three years, I think. I haven’t been to the last two.’
Dante was curious because the meeting didn’t seem coincidental.
‘Would you like me to get you something to eat?’ Steve asked.
The woman gave a look like she’d rather eat her own shoe. ‘Just a tea. Two sugars, no milk, thank you.’
As Steve stood up to join the short queue at the counter, the woman slipped into the seat next to Dante and loosened the belt on her coat.
‘Dante, I want you to meet Jennifer Mitchum,’ Ross explained.
‘Good to see you,’ Jennifer smiled, as she gently tapped Dante’s wrist before stealing one of Steve’s fries. ‘Ross and I have been swapping e-mails, but it’s wonderful to finally meet you.’
Dante didn’t know what to say, but he hated it when people stole his chips. ‘I’m sure Steve will get you some chips,’ he said. ‘So you knew we’d be here?’
Ross nodded. ‘Jennifer is a trained psychologist and counsellor. She specialises in dealing with children like you who need to make a fresh start.’
Sometimes Dante felt like a stray dog that got passed from one reluctant owner to the next. ‘I thought you were doing that,’ he said, trying not to sound as bitter as he felt.
‘I’m not abandoning you,’ Ross assured him. ‘But I’m a police officer. I have to travel all over the country interviewing children after crimes. There’s no way I can look after you once Tina goes back to university.’
*
The Devon branch of the CPS was headquartered on a business estate near Exeter, fifty miles from where Dante’s family had been murdered. Dante was photographed and given a name badge before following Jennifer and Ross through a full-height turnstile.
A lawyer called Vanessa shook Dante’s hand and led him down a hallway with frosted glass doors branching off each side. She had big eyes and a bust that reminded him of the strippers the Brigands hired for their parties.
The office was small, but functional. Dante sat on a long sofa with Jennifer and Ross on either side. Vanessa rested on the edge of her desk and grabbed a folder full of notes.
‘Has Ross explained who I am?’ Vanessa asked.
‘Sort of,’ Dante nodded. ‘You’re like the legal person in charge of the murder case. You look at all the police stuff, and