‘I’d like to know which witnesses you’re going to bring forward to testify to this.’
Her mind was racing. Who could she call? If it was just Luke saying this, it wouldn’t be enough. She turned to go.
‘I’ll let you have the list straight away.’
She turned and walked up to the bunch of men by the door.
‘Were any of you present when Luke Goddard was arrested,’ she asked, stepping into the circle.
‘Sure. We were there.’ One of the men said.
‘Did any of you see a group of police officers attack a protester?’
‘Yes, I saw it,’ a young lad piped up.
‘And did you see a police officer being restrained?’
‘Yes, I did. They had to bundle him into the police van.’
‘Would you be able to pick him out?’
‘I think so, yes. Tall chap. Hard looking. Pock-marked face.’
‘Would you be prepared to give evidence about that?’
‘Yes. Anything to discredit those pigs. Anything.’
‘Thanks. Anyone else see it?’
They all murmured that they hadn’t, but they were prepared to give evidence anyway.
She went to the payphone in the corner and dialled the number to her flat. It rang for a long time. Then, she heard Rory’s voice.
‘It’s Laura. I’ve got to be quick. Were you there when Luke got arrested?’
‘Yes.’
‘Did you see some police officers beating up a protester?’
‘Yes. But that happens all the time.’
‘Did you see one of the officers being restrained from going too far?’
‘Yes. The big bastard, Foster.’
‘Would you be prepared to come to court and swear it was him?’
‘Of course. Do you want me to come now?’
‘I’ll call you back if I do.’
‘But Laura …’
She put down the phone and strode back to Neil.
‘I have at least two eyewitnesses, who are prepared to stand up in court and swear. Your case is non-existent. The evidence is fabricated. That much is obvious to anyone reading the statements.’
Neil walked away angrily to speak to the officer by the window. In a minute or two he returned.
‘OK. We’re prepared to drop the charge of GBH, as long as your client will plead guilty to a charge of breach of the peace and agree to keep the peace for a month from now.’
They went into court, and the magistrates’ clerk read out the charge of breach of the peace. Laura got up to say her client pleaded guilty, and the magistrate read out the sentence. Luke would be unable to approach the News International plant or go anywhere near the Highway or Wapping High Street for a month.
‘You’re free to go, Mr. Goddard,’ the magistrate then said, and a cheer went up from the gallery.
She joined Luke in the lobby afterwards. He was surrounded by people slapping his back, shaking his hand. He was jubilant. She saw in his eyes the same infectious joy that drew people to him, that had first attracted her to him.
‘You’re a gem, Loz. You’ve got hidden talents,’ he said, kissing her on the lips. ‘Coming for a drink to celebrate? All these guys are on for a pint at the Jolly Sailor.’
‘I’d best get back to Dad. He’s not well at all.’
‘He can’t be that bad, surely? We could go back to your place afterwards.’
He pulled her towards him, and she felt a shiver of desire at the touch of his hand on her waist. But she pulled away.
‘Look, I’ll meet you later. You go to the pub with the others, and I’ll see you at the flat this evening.’
‘You always were your daddy’s girl, weren’t you?’
He kissed her again.
She took a taxi back to Highbury. As it turned into the road and moved towards her father’s house, she saw that a light was revolving around the trees, bathing the house fronts in blue. An ambulance was parked outside the house. A few onlookers were hanging around on the pavement.
A group of people moved slowly through the front garden. She recognised the dark uniforms of paramedics and realised they were stooping with the weight of a stretcher.
‘Dad!’ She thrust some notes through the partition of the taxi and jumped out before it came to a stop. She ran down the pavement.
Ken and Marge were standing beside the stretcher, white-faced. A paramedic was adjusting an oxygen mask over her father’s mouth. Another held a bottle with a drip above him as they manoeuvred the stretcher into the back of the ambulance. She couldn’t see Dad’s face.
She turned to Ken. Her mouth was dry with shock. He shook his head. Tears were standing in his eyes.
‘Heart attack,’ he said.
9
Harry was hit instantly and fell, slumped in front of the tree trunk. Ian was still saluting when he was hit, his body jerked about by the force of the shots. When he finally fell he was still holding the salute, his eyes staring ahead in bold defiance. Tom, shaking all over, sunk down on the bench. After a few agonising seconds, the guns finally fell silent.
Tom jumped up from his seat on the back of the truck.
‘You murdering bastards!’ he yelled at the firing squad.
The guards turned towards him, screaming in Japanese, but he took no notice of them. He leapt down from the truck and ran to where Ian and Harry had fallen. He knelt between them, sobbing, staring at their bodies in horror. The sickly smell of fresh blood oozing from their punctured flesh caught the back of his throat. It made his stomach turn.
His friends lay there half covered in earth, their bodies scattered with white flowers from the pomelo trees. On an impulse, Tom picked up a twig laden with flowers and shoved it into his pocket.
With trembling fingers, he then reached out and closed each of their eyelids in turn. Their skin was warm. He shut his own eyes and uttered a small prayer for each
