Bitterly, Henry snorted. “And what could we possibly have to discuss?”
“Well I wouldn’t be here about the bloody weather now, would I?”
Henry weighed him carefully. “You’re changing your story?”
A shrug. “Might be, aye.”
“Now? After all these years?”
“If you ain’t interested, I could go find someone else.”
“There is nobody else. You know that. Nobody would touch that case, not after what happened to me. I should have been King’sCounsel by now, running my own set, but look at me: look what that bastard did!”
He held out his arms to the office, his life. Billy said, “Noone put you here?”
“Of course, Noone—who else?” He nodded at Billy’s suit, his pocket watch, the obvious trappings of his wealth. “Seems you’vefared a little better. All that blood money feathering your nest.”
“Hey now, I never had nothing to do with your troubles.”
“You had everything to do with them. You lied through your teeth!”
“For my own protection. That wasn’t about you.”
A burst of laughter from Henry. He looked about in disbelief. “He doesn’t even deny it! As if perjury isn’t a crime!” He pointedat Billy. “If you’d told the truth, if you’d contradicted Noone, we’d have had him hanged by now, and my career would havebeen made. Do you know how long it took chambers to get rid of me? Two days! I’d been with them since my pupilage and theydropped me like a bad penny. I lost my career, my marriage, my children—I’m a pariah in this city thanks to you.”
After a moment Billy said, “I thought you chased the fellas anyhow?”
“Excuse me?”
“I didn’t figure you were married, I mean.”
“Well, if there is a silver lining, perhaps that is it. Work might be in the sewer but I am perfectly happy at home. Not thatI suspect you actually care.”
He seemed to have blown himself out a bit. Billy said, “Is there somewhere we can talk, out of view of the street?”
Henry took a long breath then led him into the office, an airless little room drowning under the sea of paper that spilled from every surface and covered most of the floor. “Just clear off those files there,” he told Billy, pointing to a chair, while he edged round the other side. “So,” Henry said, flopping down, as warily Billy took a seat, “what’s with this sudden change of heart?”
“I need to know if I can trust you first.”
“You’ve already admitted lying under oath. It’s a little late for that.”
“Just answer the bloody question.”
“I don’t . . . what are you even asking here?”
“If I tell you, if we do anything, it’s on my terms, understand?”
Henry straightened a little, his attention piqued. “All right. Go on.”
“What you just said, about me lying, it being a crime—is that right?”
“I’m afraid so, yes.”
“Meaning what exactly?”
“Well, you could be prosecuted for perjury, but I suppose it would depend.”
“On what?”
“On whether a deal could be struck first.”
Billy pointed at him. “That’s what I’m getting at: What kind of deal?”
“Again, it would depend on what the perjurer has to say.” He noticed Billy’s irritation, explained, “I’m not trying to becircuitous here. It really does boil down to a quid pro quo. But for you, for something like this, let’s say you were to retract your earlier testimony and blow this thing wide open,help root out Noone and all the rest—assuming we have support, politically—then I’d expect immunity from prosecution wouldn’tbe out of the question.”
“And you could arrange that?”
“I could certainly try. Anonymously, of course. Until the terms are agreed.”
“It wouldn’t just be for me, neither. Katherine, Tommy . . . all of us involved.”
“My God, how many of you were there?”
Laughing, Billy said, “The whole fucking country knows what went on back then. But the only ones I’m bothered about takingcare of are my own.”
“That sounds reasonable enough. You were all children, I suppose.”
“Would I have to go to court again?”
“I’d imagine so, in one form or another. Actually, I’m thinking we might be better off doing something extra-judiciously.Royal Commission, Parliamentary Enquiry, that sort of thing.”
“And how long would all that take to set up?”
“Probably months, certainly weeks. I’d want to be discreet.”
“But you know people?”
“Not as many as I used to, admittedly, but there is someone, yes. I have a friend high up in the attorney general’s office.I will see if he can help.”
“Do you trust him?”
“With my life.” Henry leaned forward, elbows crinkling the papers spread over the desk. “Listen, Billy, our personal historyaside, there is nothing I want more in this world than to get another crack at Edmund Noone. I see him parading around thecity and I had him, the bastard, I had him and he wriggled free.”
“You ain’t scared of him then?”
“The man has already ruined me. What more could he do?”
Billy sat there contemplating a tea-stained document on the cluttered desk, and when he spoke his eyes never moved: “Well,I might as well just say it. We did it. We killed them. Exactly like that priest of yours said.”
“All of them?”
“Aye, other than the gins Noone kept to sell.”
Henry fell back in his chair, as if blown there. “And the bodies?”
“Burned.”
“Have you been back?”
“What do you think?”
“But could you find it? Do you know where the crater is?”
“Probably, aye.”
“So you could take me there?”
Billy sighed, nodding. “If I have to.”
“Because I’ve learned my lesson, Billy. If we’re to win this time, we’ll need more than just your word. Bodies, preferably.I’ll bring a photographer. Are there any other witnesses we could try to find?”
“What happened to your priest?”
“He disappeared. I never heard from him again. In fact, I always wondered if you’d had something to do with that, the night you came to my room.”
Billy shook his head. “Not me.”
“So there’s nobody else?” Henry said. “Your brother, perhaps?”
“No. Tommy’s not involved, neither’s Katherine. You get them immunity but they’re kept out of it, understand?”
“Fine. But in that case we’ll need every last shred of evidence we can get.”
“Well, there’s something else they might be interested in. His troopers, them that were with us at the time, Noone
