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Blackwell gave him a bleak, sympathetic smile, more a grimace, and poised his pencil for the next item.
‘That’ll do to start with. Kitteridge is continuing to search for anything useful in the law,’ Daniel said.
‘There won’t be anything in the law.’ Blackwell dismissed it. ‘Use him for something that matters, for heaven sake, he’s not a fool.’ He looked at Daniel, meeting his eyes. ‘Don’t need to tell him about your father. He’ll know anyway – the whole world will – if you fail! Bite the bullet!’
Daniel heard the faint contempt in Blackwell’s voice. He was about to fight back, then he realised he had nothing to fight with.
‘You’re standing in your own light,’ Blackwell said. ‘Get Kitteridge to help. fford Croft is in no position to complain. He got you into this. And you don’t need to tell him so. He’ll know.’
Daniel acquiesced silently.
‘And there’s one other thing,’ Blackwell added. ‘You need to find out how they burned her. Dropping a match on her might make a hole in her clothes, but not much more. Even if there was a fire in the grate, a hot coal would dig deep in the flesh, but it wouldn’t have burned her face. Did someone come prepared? Or know where to find the means? We need to dig her up and get an expert to tell us what was used. Can this woman of yours, fford Croft’s daughter, do that?’
‘We’ll never get permission to exhume the body!’ Daniel said in disbelief. Please God, Blackwell was not suggesting they do so anyhow. ‘Roman, we can’t go grave-robbing! Apart from anything else, the evidence wouldn’t stand up in court – that is, if we’re even out of prison ourselves and allowed to offer it!’
Blackwell pressed his hand over his eyes. ‘Please, Daniel, couldn’t we have a little sense? We’ll get an exhumation order.’
‘They’ll never give one. The case is closed, as far as they’re concerned. They had their evidence. The police surgeon looked at the body – or someone did.’
‘Someone?’ Blackwell’s eyebrows shot up.
‘I don’t know. I wasn’t there until the end of the trial. But they won’t give us an order.’
‘Would this Miriam of yours do it if we can get the body up, legally?’
‘It won’t happen . . .’
Blackwell slammed his hand down on the table. ‘Would she?’
‘Yes. I suppose so.’
‘Fine. Then leave the exhumation order with me. I’ll get one.’
‘Not a forgery!’
Blackwell looked indignant for a moment then he gave a bright smile. ‘No, not a forgery. It’s got to be a real one, so I’ll get a real one. Just go on with what you are doing. I’ll let you know when I have it.’
‘A real one,’ Daniel insisted. He knew Blackwell’s forgery skills.
‘Of course, a real one! There’s more than one way to skin a cat.’
‘Disgusting!’ Daniel’s imagination ran riot.
‘Not a real cat, you fool,’ Blackwell sighed. ‘When are you going to learn to speak English like an ordinary person?’
Mercy put her hand on Blackwell’s arm. ‘Enough,’ she said gently. ‘The poor boy’s in a miserable situation. They’re after his father. Just get on with it and speak to whoever you have to.’ She turned to Daniel. ‘And you get yourself ready to go back to Graves. And mind how you watch yourself! When you’ve got a rat cornered, that’s when he’ll bite anybody, starting with you.’
‘I know,’ Daniel agreed. ‘Thank you for the bacon sandwiches.’
Mercy smiled. ‘There are times when it’s the only thing that works.’
Chapter Fourteen
Daniel left Blackwell’s house, and went straight to the chambers in Lincoln’s Inn. He spoke briefly with fford Croft. Apart from the courtesy of reporting in to him, he wanted to do it when he had something to say, rather than when he was sent for.
fford Croft was sitting behind his desk reading papers. He looked up as Impney announced Daniel, hope in his face. It faded rapidly.
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