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Daniel did not have to look at him again to know that his jaw was set and his face white.
Kitteridge cleared his throat. ‘In . . . in twenty-one days, sir.’
‘I know what day of the week it is!’ fford Croft snapped. ‘He has three Sundays clear. It is the law. Then that is how long we have to find a cause for appeal, and to get a stay of execution.’
Kitteridge looked profoundly unhappy. ‘Yes, sir.’
Daniel was sorry for him, and sorry that he was here to witness the situation. He thought that was an error on fford Croft’s part, the first he had recognised. You never found fault with a man in front of those who are junior to him. It humiliates him, and reduces his ability to lead. It also makes him dislike the junior, although he may find it as embarrassing as anyone else.
‘It was my fault,’ Daniel said, taking a step forward. ‘I tried an experiment, although Mr Kitteridge told me not to. Graves seemed very cold and arrogant, sir. He showed no distress, even when the description was given of his wife’s body. I asked him how he told the news of their mother’s death to his children. He was very angry – but he did show grief at last.’
fford Croft sat still. ‘Against your orders, Mr Kitteridge?’
Kitteridge was caught, he hesitated.
‘Yes, sir,’ Daniel replied.
fford Croft blinked several times. ‘Why, Mr Pitt?’ he said at last.
‘I wanted to show the jury that the man was human, just under very tight control. That he was proud—not heartless.’
‘I see,’ Marcus replied. ‘And did you think him innocent, Mr Pitt?’
‘I thought it a possibility, sir. Not a likelihood.’ That was the truth.
fford Croft turned to look at Kitteridge. ‘And do you support your junior colleague in this, Mr Kitteridge? Or is he stepping forward to take the blame for you?’
The colour flamed up Kitteridge’s cheeks. ‘He is taking the blame for himself, sir. And for me, for allowing him to speak up.’ He cleared his throat. ‘And actually, sir, I think it may be the only thing that made the jury hesitate at all. I think without it they would have come back in less than an hour – sir.’
fford Croft pursed his lips. ‘I didn’t think you’d work well together. Wouldn’t have put you together, if I’d had any choice. Looks as if I may have been wrong.’ He turned to Daniel. ‘I thought it was a mistake your representing Blackwell, but your father asked me to have you do it. What happened?’
‘Not guilty, sir,’ Daniel said as firmly as he dared. ‘Someone else’s fingerprints on the shell casing.’
‘Whose?’ fford Croft asked.
‘I don’t know, sir. I couldn’t stay, because I had to go to the Old Bailey.’
‘Would you like to know?’
‘Yes, I would!’
‘It was as you thought: Parks. The witness was guilty.’ fford Croft’s face was unreadable. There was a quirk at the corner of his mouth. It might have been a suppressed smile, or simply a nervous tic.
‘Thank you, sir,’ Daniel replied.
‘Disobedience won’t always turn out so well,’ fford Croft warned, shaking his head. ‘Well, between the two of you, you have a disaster to rescue.’
‘Sir?’ Daniel and Kitteridge said almost in unison.
‘Only an appeal can save Graves and it needs to be lodged in good time. You have twenty-one days in which to get Graves out of the noose. Twenty days, tomorrow. You, Mr Pitt, know very little of the law. Mr Kitteridge, on the other hand, is possibly the best student of the law we have in this firm. He knows the law, as other men know their own minds.’ He ignored the hot colour in Kitteridge’s face and the fact that he was acutely uncomfortable. ‘You will leave all examination of every aspect of the law to him, from every view whatever, is that clear, Mr Pitt?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Mr Kitteridge.’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘You will examine the records of the case. You will find if there is an error in anything whatsoever. Anything! Do you understand me?’
