Court Out - By Elle Wynne Page 0,60
a San Pellegrino. As she walks away, Corr speaks.
“So, what did you make of that?”
I decide not to pass the time with platitudes and get straight to the point.
“If the smashed bottle is the Krug, there is no way it came from his cellar. Whoever dropped the bottle bought it from outside. I did a bit of googling last night and it’s a really rare bottle. There is no way that the jury would believe that coincidentally someone else had one too. Why would burglars bring their own booze?”
“We should have the results of the photo enhancement later today along with a statement from a vintner confirming its rarity. If the results are as you suspect then it will significantly strengthen the prosecution case.”
I beam. “I really hope so. Either way you’ll get some closure on this case.”
He gives me a rare smile in return.
“Too true. I’ll be glad to see the back of him.”
“Hobbs?” I ask “Or Quinn?”
He gives a low chuckle. “Peter and I go way back, but we do differ in terms of style somewhat.”
“You can say that again!” I exclaim. “Chalk and cheese would be something of an understatement.”
Our food arrives and we both tuck in in comfortable silence. After the bill is paid he speaks again.
“Back to battle we go!”
By the time we arrive back in the courtroom Serena and Rivers are already there, sitting together whispering about something. I cough and it seems to me that they jump apart, guiltily.
“So, how was your trip?” asks Rivers. I look at him and see no trace of embarrassment, no shame for his actions of last night.
“Fine thanks.” I reply curtly, walking past them and taking my seat. Even without looking, I know that both of them are watching me.
The next witness for the prosecution is the policeman who arrested Hobbs on the morning of the discovery. Corr is seamlessly taking him through his evidence.
“So officer, when did you become aware that the Defendant was near to the house?”
“We were searching the scene for pieces of evidence when I had a report over my radio that the police helicopter had spotted a man matching the Defendant’s description lurking a few roads away. I got in my patrol car and found him hiding in a phone box.”
“What type of state was he in?” asks Corr.
“His eyes were glazed, he was unsteady on his feet and he smelled strongly of alcohol.”
“What about his behaviour?”
“Well he wasn’t pleased to see me if that’s what you mean. He tried to run away when he saw the police car.”
“Did you manage to catch him?”
“Yes, it wasn’t hard. He fell over a few steps in so I was able to apprehend and handcuff him. Once I’d done that I arrested him on suspicion of murder and cautioned him, read him his rights so to speak,” he replies.
“Did you take him back to the house?”
“No, we took him straight to the police station where his detention was authorised. He was put in a cell until he sobered up and he was interviewed the next day.”
“And in that interview he had the presence of a solicitor?”
“That’s correct, yes.”
“But when you asked questions of him, he answered ‘no comment’ to each and every one?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Quinn is on his feet in a flash
“Officer, when you found Mr. Quinn he was quite smelly wasn’t he?”
The policeman pauses.
“Well yes, I suppose he wasn’t particularly fragrant.”
“And he was wearing the same clothes as the night before, we’ve seen the CCTV”
“Yes, I’ll agree with that.”
“And he wasn’t wet was he?” prompts Quinn.
“Pardon?”
“Wet. He wasn’t wet, or damp or at all waterlogged was he?”
“No,” says the officer looking resigned.
“Dry as a bone I’d suggest?”
“Well, it was a dry day,” he retorts.
“Thank you. Now, as a vigilant police officer, I’m sure you were aware of the scandal that was surrounding Mr. Hobbs at that time, the incident with Amanda Windsmore?”
“Yes, of course.”
“And having sex with an underage girl is a criminal offence?”
“Yes, again, of course it is.”
“So it’s quite possible that the police could have been looking to arrest Mr. Hobbs for any number of offences in connection to that girl?”
“Well we did look in to it, but she refused to co-operate.”
“No, officer. On that morning, before you had spoken to her, it’s entirely possible the police could have arrested Mr. Hobbs for a sexual offence,” he presses, knowing full well what the answer will be.
“Yes, we could have.”
“And it’s right that the police hadn’t contacted him prior to then to tell