Johnny Swanson - Eleanor Updale [49]
He heard the door close, and the police car pull away. He regretted his decision straight away. The chance to meet the inspector had gone, but he was still at risk of being caught. He was trapped for as long as Mr Bennett stayed in the hall. Johnny sensed that Bennett was walking towards him. He peeped through the slit again, only to see Bennett staring straight back, his eyes filled with contempt. Johnny held his breath; then Bennett broke the tension, turning to shout down the corridor to the butler.
‘Maxwell! Some fresh coffee in the morning room!’ Johnny relaxed as Bennett started walking away to restart his breakfast, but then he stopped, and yelled again: ‘And Maxwell, get rid of that fur coat. Miss Carmichael won’t be coming back.’
A distant shout of ‘Very good, sir’ came from the kitchen. Johnny panicked. He couldn’t leave his hiding place while Bennett was in the hall, but there was no way he could risk staying there till Maxwell re-entered and tore the cloak from its peg. He watched Bennett walk slowly back to the breakfast room, but a heartbeat later he heard Maxwell coming up the passage. The butler turned towards the coat-stand and looked the fur up and down. But his hands were full. He sniffed. No doubt he’d deal with the coat after he’d put down his tray.
As soon as Maxwell was in attendance on his master, Johnny ran for the back door. He didn’t want to risk meeting the handyman, or walking on the noisy gravel at the front of the house, so he crossed the grounds till he found a wall. It was a long walk back to the post office, but he was elated to have got away, and glad to be carrying Hutch the good news that Mrs Langford was safe.
Chapter 24
THE HEARING
Winnie was due to appear in court on the next Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday was early closing day in Stambleton. All the shops shut at noon, including Hutchinson’s General Store and Post Office, and Hutch told Johnny that he would go to the court to see what happened. Johnny, he said, wouldn’t be allowed in, and must go to school as normal.
Of course, nothing was ‘normal’ at school now. Johnny had never been paid so much attention; but it wasn’t the kind of attention he enjoyed. The other pupils stared at him and whispered about him, but no one came near. Some had been told by their parents not to have anything to do with him. The teachers were stiff and formal, and didn’t know what to say. Only Mr Murray made any reference to Winnie’s arrest. Johnny’s class were in the gym, using the wallbars and climbing ropes. Mr Murray curled a rope into the shape of a noose, and lolled his head to one side with his tongue hanging out. Everybody laughed.
On the day of the hearing, Johnny was stuck in a classroom, trying to imagine what was going on. Hutch had explained that this wasn’t the big trial: it was to decide whether the police had enough evidence against Winnie to justify keeping her in prison, so that the case could go on to a more important court. Johnny knew what that meant, though Hutch didn’t spell it out: a court that could impose the death penalty.
Hutch got to the court as early as he could, determined to find a seat in the public gallery. There was quite a crowd. With all the shops closed, lots of other people were free too, and everyone wanted to hear why the police were so sure that Winnie had killed Dr Langford. If they had gone to see a monster, they were disappointed. Winnie looked tiny, standing alone in the shabby shift dress she’d had on when she was arrested. She stayed still, with her head down and her hands clasped in front of her, throughout the proceedings. Her mousy hair flopped forward, hiding her face. Hutch had hoped to catch her eye – to give her a reassuring nod, at least – but she didn’t look at the public gallery once. Her voice was so weak when she confirmed her name that the magistrate had to ask her to speak up.
The policeman who had discovered the body described the scene. Then a doctor testified that the victim had definitely not died of