MURDER BRIEF by Mark Dryden Read Free Book Online Page B

Muldoon. The charge was small potatoes and he’d do as good a
job as any barrister. But he obviously wouldn’t lift a finger to
help. He’d act as a mail-box, no more.
    She said: "Alright. I’ll ask
around and see if I can find someone."
    "OK. But I don’t like your
chances."
    "Nor do I."
    "If you can’t find a
replacement, tell Mrs Muldoon she’s on her own. There’s a limit to
how much she can expect."
    "I hear what you say. But I
don’t fancy breaking the news to her."
    George sounded grim. "I take you
point. Anyway, good luck."
    "Thanks."
    She hung up and desperately
wondered whom she could persuade, without telling any lies, to
represent Mad Mrs Muldoon and her delinquent dog. Nobody sprung to
mind. Nobody.
    OK then, if she had to tell some
lies, she would.

CHAPTER ELEVEN
     
    The next morning, Robyn spent
several hours wandering around Fisher Chambers trying to find a
barrister crazy enough to take Mad Mrs Muldoon off her hands. She
wheedled, pleaded and begged. But no-one - not even the baby
barristers with no work - would appear in a dog-bite case for free.
Indeed, several looked insulted she’d asked.
    Who else could she importune?
The only remaining candidate was Gary Monaghan. So far, she hadn’t
approached him because he was a tax lawyer who’d probably never
appeared in a criminal case. But Silvia said he was very keen on
Robyn. So maybe he’d take the Muldoon brief to impress her.
    Of course, Robyn couldn’t offer
him anything in return. She certainly didn’t want a relationship.
So she’d have to be careful she didn’t manipulate him or raise his
expectations. She’d ask him very formally to take the brief. And
if, despite her best efforts, he fooled himself that she liked him,
that would be his fault. She strolled around to his room and
stepped through the open doorway.
    Though Gary had only been at the
Bar for a few years, he was obviously prospering, because he had a
big room overlooking Phillip Street. The three inner walls were
lined with a massive collection of leather-bound law reports and
loose-leaf tax services. The room was scrupulously neat and clean.
Indeed, every document on his desk was carefully aligned with the
edges and all of the carpet pile ran in the same direction.
Christ.
    Gary sat behind his desk, head
down, dictating softly into a mini-cassette recorder. "Of course,
the question you have asked is not without difficulty. However, on
balance, I believe that the proposed tax-minimisation scheme
complies with s149YZK of the Income Tax Assessment Act and
is therefore legal. Thank you for your instructions. I enclose my
memorandum of fees. End of tape."
    He switched off the tape
recorder, sat back, noticed Robyn and flushed slightly. "Oh,
hi."
    Despite vowing not to play any
games, she couldn’t suppress a coquettish smile. "Hi. Got a
moment?"
    He leaned back, a little
nervous. "Oh yeah. Sure."
    She’d planned to warm him up
with some chit-chat, before asking him to take the Muldoon case.
But she was too nervous. He’d probably say no anyway, so why
delay?
    She shifted on her feet and
glanced down. "It’s like this: I was wondering if you could do me a
favour."
    He brighten a little. "A
favour?"
    "Yes, a favour."
    "What?"
    Words tumbled out. "I’m looking
for someone who’ll take over a pro bono brief I’m stuck with. It’s
not much of a brief, I’m afraid. It’s umm, a dog-bite case in the
Local Court. I’m for the defendant dog-owner, and the dog I
suppose. The trial’s going to start in about a month. I’m jammed,
because I’ve got a junior brief in a murder trial and, well,
funnily enough, I’d rather do the murder trial."
    He looked a little puzzled. "A
dog-bite case?"
    "Yeah. Like I said, I’m for the
defendant and I’m afraid she’s pretty mad. In fact, very mad. I’ll be so grateful if you’ll take the brief - so
grateful."
    God, she’d vowed she wouldn’t
try to manipulate him. But surely, by promising to be grateful,
she’d done just that.