Unravel a Crime - Tangle With Women by Neil Wild Read Free Book Online Page B

the
train to London from Malvern Link station as it was to catch the same train
farther down the line at Worcester."
    "But you decided not to
move to London?"
    Newberry who had relaxed
considerably in the course of the conversation tensed up again.
    He gestured back to the
kitchen window. "As you said, no views in London.” He sounded
unconvincing. Brakespeare again decided it was better not to purse the point..
    "Right, so what did you
do in London. "
    "The same as I did in
Birmingham, only more "hands on" because Masters, as I have said,
wanted us to develop as an independent company, and to bring work in. In fact
many of the surveyors we took on had been independent surveyors with their own
practices which had been working for the National, and they brought with them
their portfolio of clients. "
    "OK that's very useful
background", said Brakespeare, sitting back in his chair.
    "Can I move on to where
we are today. What about Clearfield?"
    "What about
Clearfield?" Newberry gazed steadily at him. This was not the defensive
reaction that Brakespeare had been expecting. To avoid confrontation, he looked
out of the window, and said," Well, I'm sure you know that all the
properties which are the subject of the charges against you, were all owned at
some stage by Clearfield Limited. "
    "Yes"
    "And that Clearfield was
operated and possibly owned by Jonathan Levy"
    "Yes."
    "And you knew Levy"
    "Yes."
    "He was a friend of
yours".
    "No".
    Shakespeare paused. Was Newberry
some kind of prick? He was supposed to have had some financial interest in
Clearfield; he had supposedly been on trips paid for by Levy; the whole case
turned on valuations of Clearfield property and the man was clearly
stonewalling. He probably was as guilty as hell. Might as well tell him so and
get it over with.
    "Mr. Newberry, David. To
put it bluntly, stop pissing me about."
    Newberry showed visible signs
of surprise. Brakespeare continued quickly.
    "I've never met you
before; all I know about you is what I've read and that, to make an
understatement it is not good. I'm not the Police. I'm being paid to help you,
and anything you tell me is in strictest confidence, but if you won't come
clean and tell me all that I need to know in order to help you, then I'm afraid
that there is nothing neither I nor any other person can do to help you. I'm
afraid it's as simple as that".
    There was a pause and Newberry
looked at his fingers. He put the palms of his hands were together, fingers
interlocked, as if in a form of prayer, and brought them to his lips.
    "Anything I tell you is
in the strictest confidence?"
    "Yes, but you must
understand that you cannot tell me one thing, and ask me to do another. Many
people ask lawyers, 'how can you defend that person when you know they are
lying?' The answers is that a lawyer cannot. Whatever you tell me I will accept
as being the truth. However, you cannot tell me that something is true, and
then expect me to act as if it were not. "
    "You mean I couldn't tell
you that I fiddled the surveys and then expect you to defend me?"
    "Did you?"
    "I didn't. So you have no
problem.”.
    Brakespeare smiled with
relief. “As the Americans say, can we cut to the chase? What was your
involvement with Clearfield? With Levy."
    Newberry suddenly had a smile
on his face too.
    “ If you want the truth, here
it is. Did you know that Levy was once a client of Bill Mortimer's?"
    "What?"
    "No I didn't think that
Bill would tell you. Well Bill is a bit of a wheeler dealer. I suspect that he
has earned more money outside the law than inside it. He used to run round in a
Rolls Royce until it became a liability. Too many people wanting to run a key
down the side of the paintwork. I don't know for how long or from when, but
Bill and Jonathan go back some way. Bill and I also go back a long way to when
I worked for the County Council, and he worked in the legal department. In fact
he trained as a solicitor there. Anyway to cut to the chase as you