Mercy

He wouldn’t hurt the innocent … and this man was innocent — relatively.

He heard a car screech to a halt and seconds later there was a knock on the door. The police had arrived. The next few minutes were spent on formalities as Nat showed his tenancy agreement to prove that he was the legal tenant of the house and signed the complaint. They wanted him to come to the police station to make a full statement, but he had already prepared his excuse.

“I work for Alex Sedaka, the lawyer representing Clayton Burrow. I’m still working and my boss is going to be wondering where I am.”

“Okay, can you come to the station in the morning?” asked the patrolman.

“Sure,” said Nat. “No problem.”

The patrolman closed his notebook while his partner, who had already cuffed Lee Kelly, led his man away.

“Listen, maybe I shouldn’t say this, but off the record I hope they fry your client.”

Nat looked shocked, but only for a second.

“I’m not in the business of judging,” said Nat. “I just want to make sure that the system works — that includes defending a man in a capital case.”

“I’m sorry. I guess I was out of line with that wisecrack.”

But Nat wasn’t thinking of that. He was still thinking about why Lee Kelly should have picked his place to break into — and right after Alex had got him bail.

22:08 PDT

When Alex came to, he found himself handcuffed to a radiator in a bedroom. Jonathan was sitting on the bed looking at him. He did not look happy. He was holding something in his hands, looking at it almost with fascination. It was a cell phone. As Alex’s eyes regained their focus, he realized that it was his own iPhone.

But what was he planning to do?

“Jonathan?”

“You awake?” The voice was nervous. Alex had expected a trace of aggression, given the circumstances in which he had got here. But there was none. He could tell that Jonathan was more afraid than he was.

“Yes. What’s going on?”

“I didn’t mean to do it. I mean, I didn’t want a confrontation.”

“Then why did you attack me?”

“I mean with … He just grabbed me.”

Alex was confused.

“What are you talking about? Who grabbed you? Clayton?”

“I mean at the lab! David.”

“The lab?” Realization dawned on Alex. “It was you?”

“I just wanted the hard drive. I didn’t want him snooping round anymore. I didn’t mean to attack him. I just wanted to grab the disk platters and run out. But he caught me and shoved me back against a wall. Look … is he all right?”

Alex remembered that Jonathan had never been a bully. He was the kid who stood up to the bully even when he knew he was going to get beaten. He was not the sort of person to take pleasure in hurting an innocent man.

“He’s fine. His nose may be a bit crooked unless he gets it set, but aside from that he’s fine.”

Jonathan permitted himself a smile.

“Okay…”

“Okay,” Alex echoed. “So now … can you let me go?”

“Let you…?” Jonathan seemed to snap out of a trance. “Oh yes! Of course.”

Jonathan leaned forward and was about to insert the key into the lock of the handcuff on Alex’s wrist when he paused.

“If you didn’t come here about David, what did you come here for?”

“I came here to ask about Dorothy and why she went to England.”

“I don’t know anything about that. I didn’t even know she went to England. I don’t even know if it’s true. I’ve only got your word for it — and you’re trying to save that scumbag Burrow.”

“It’s true I’m trying to save him. But a lawyer’s not allowed to falsify evidence: he could get disbarred.”

“Some lawyers are ready to risk disbarment.”

“Not me … and not for someone like Burrow.”

“Well even if it’s true, I don’t know anything about it.”

“Oh, I think you do. You see, your mother told me that she heard you and Dorothy talking about the rape a few days before she vanished.”

“Heard us?”

“It was just whispering through the walls. But she heard Dorothy crying and she heard the word rape.”

“So? I knew about the rape. I never denied that.”

“Yes, but the rape took place on Dorothy’s eighteenth birthday: that would be April the first. Your mother heard you and Dorothy talking about it: a week before she vanished. That was on the 16^th May.”

“So what?”

“Well I was wondering why she would be talking about it then?”

“Why shouldn’t she?”

“Surely if she wanted to talk to you about the rape, she’d’ve talked about it before?”

“Maybe she did.”

“So what brought it up again six weeks later?”

“Maybe she couldn’t bring herself to talk about it sooner.”

“Maybe,” Alex agreed. “But I think that she decided to talk to you then because she had just found out that she was pregnant. When she realized she was pregnant, that was the trigger. She had to talk to someone.”

“Why would it take her six weeks?”

“Oh she would’ve suspected before, Jonathan. But she was probably in denial. May 16 is round about the time she would have finally realized.”

“And what if it was?” asked Jonathan slowly.

“And we know that she had an abortion. So maybe she was talking to you about her intention to have an abortion.”

“Again,” said Jonathan irritably, “so what?”

“Well she had the abortion in England. So if she talked to you about the pregnancy and having an abortion — and if she had the abortion in England — then don’t you think that would suggest that she probably talked to you about going to England for the abortion?”

Jonathan opened his mouth to speak. But no words came out. He looked away, unwilling to meet Alex’s eye.

“You see, Jonathan, I’m not trying to corner you into an admission that you knew what Dorothy was planning — although I think you did. But the thing that has me puzzled is why she went to England for an abortion. Why not have it done right here?”

Jonathan finally turned to look at Alex.

“And is that just a question? Or do you have some sort of an answer in mind?”

“Well she booked the ticket right after her father blew his brains out. And then there’s the whole question of who she blamed for her pregnancy.”

“Well I think that, at least, should be obvious,” Jonathan sneered.

“Oh I’m not doubting for a minute that Clayton Burrow got her pregnant. But the question isn’t who made her pregnant, but rather who she thought was responsible at the time. And remember,