MURDER BRIEF Read Online Free Page A

was afraid that, if he mentioned he
was in Sydney, they’d suspect him of murder.
    The cops interviewed Grimble,
who supported his client’s alibi. But to no avail. The cops were
now sure Rex’s plan was to slip quietly up to Sydney, kill his
wife, fake a burglary and head back to Nowra. But he messed up
because he ran out of petrol and used his credit card to buy some
more. When confronted about that, he cooked up a false alibi that
Grimble supported. The cops charged him with murder.
    If the cops were right, it was a
pretty tawdry tale, hardly worthy of a novelist. Where was the
fantasy and imagination? Surely, there had to be a twist.
    Brian Davis had arranged to meet
Markham tomorrow morning, in his chambers, and Robyn was invited.
Supposedly, it was never a good idea to meet a favourite author in
the flesh. But she had no choice.

CHAPTER SIX
     
    The next morning, just before
nine, Robyn caught a lift down to Lord Mansfield Chambers and
strolled past the vacant reception desk to Brian Davis’ room.
    The door was open. Brian sat
behind a huge boomerang-shaped desk, talking to a chubby man with a
shiny pate, red cheeks and mutton-chop whiskers.
    Robyn coughed politely.
    Brian said: "Ah, Robyn. Come in.
This is our instructing solicitor, Bernie Roberts."
    The solicitor stood and looked
at her with twinkling eyes. She immediately liked him.
    She said: "Hello. Thank you for
the brief."
    They shook hands.
    "Don’t mention it. Brian was
very complimentary."
    She wondered if the solicitor
thought Brian recommended her because Brian was sleeping with her.
She prayed not.
    She also wondered if Brian also
suggested that Rex Markham, charged with murdering his wife, needed
a woman in his corner to improve his image. The sneaky bastard
probably said something like that.
    Bernie said: "So you got the
brief?"
    "Yes. And I’ve read through it.
Very interesting. Our client here yet?"
    "No, but he will be soon."
    She sat next to the solicitor
and they all chatted about the case for a few minutes, sharing
their pessimism.
    The phone rang. Brian picked it
up, listened briefly, put it down and glanced at Bernie. "He’s
here."
    Bernie rose. "Alright. I’ll get
him."
    The solicitor left the room and,
thirty seconds later, returned with Rex Markham.
    The publicity photograph was a
little misleading. Markham was taller than she expected, and his
face more worn and lined. Maybe being charged with murder had
expunged his last traces of youth.
    She searched his face for some
sign he was capable of murder, but saw none: no demonic glint in
his eyes; no pent-up aggression; no furtiveness. But clients like
Mrs Vandervelt had taught her to distrust appearances and Markham
obviously had plenty of rage in his breast. His punch-up with his
wife proved that.
    Seeing him in the flesh made
Robyn realize, for the first time, they were playing for high
stakes. Her guts squirmed a little. As a colleague once commented,
being a barrister is all fun and games until someone loses an
eye.
    Bernie said: "Rex, let me
introduce you to Brian Davis and Robyn Parker, who’ll be
representing you."
    Markham studied them carefully,
smiled quickly and shook their hands. "Hello. Pleased to meet
you."
    Robyn interjected. "No, it’s my
pleasure. In fact, I’ve read some of your books."
    Markham relaxed slightly.
"Really?"
    "Yes. My favourite’s Edge of
the Abyss ."
    Markham’s smile widened.
"Funnily enough, it’s mine too. I admire your taste."
    "Thanks."
    Brian said: "Anyway, let’s sit
down." He retreated behind his desk and dropped into his
high-backed swivel-chair. The others sat facing him, Markham in the
middle.
    Brian looked at Markham.
"Alright then. Robyn and I have read through our briefs. But we
want you to tell us what happened. Start by telling us about
your wife. How did you meet?"
    Markham wrung his hands. "Oh,
through my literary agent, Hugh Grimble. Have you heard of
him?"
    "He’s mentioned in our
briefs."
    "Hugh’s one of the biggest
agents