‘I’ll call the Devon Constabulary and ask them to keep an eye on him. I’ll also warn Jim Travers at BA to keep an eye open, so he can let us know when a booking comes up in Carter’s name. Shouldn’t you be on your way?’
‘On my way, sir?’
‘You’re meant to be at Snaresbrook Crown Court this morning giving evidence. We got a call after you swanned off on Friday afternoon to say that, to everyone’s surprise, Cyril Amhurst put in a plea of not guilty, and the case would be heard this morning. You’d better get going if you don’t want to lose your first case before the judge even opens proceedings.’
William quickly retrieved the Amhurst–Churchill file from his desk drawer, and put his jacket back on.
‘Make sure he goes down for twenty years,’ said Lamont.
‘At least,’ said Jackie, who appeared just as he was heading for the door.
The long tube journey to Snaresbrook gave William a chance to reacquaint himself with the details of the case, but when he reached the last page of the file, he still couldn’t understand why Amhurst was pleading not guilty.
The train pulled into the station just after 9.45, and once William was out on the street he asked a news vendor the way to the Crown Court. He followed the man’s directions and it wasn’t long before he spotted an imposing building looming up in front of him. He sprinted up the steps and pushed his way through the door just before ten o’clock. Checking the court timetable, he saw that The Crown v. Amhurst was scheduled for 10.00 in court five. He ran up another flight of steps to the first floor, where he found a young man dressed in a long black gown and holding a wig pacing around, looking anxious.
‘Are you Mr Hayes?’ asked William.
‘I am, and I’m hoping you’re Detective Constable Warwick.’ William nodded.
‘The first thing I should tell you,’ said Hayes, ‘is that because Amhurst’s case has come up at such short notice, I could apply for a postponement and get the trial set for a later date.’
‘No, let’s get on with it,’ said William. ‘The damn man hasn’t got a leg to stand on.’
‘I agree, but your evidence may still prove crucial, so I’ll quickly take you through what I consider to be the salient points.’
‘When do you think we’ll be called?’ asked William as they sat down on a bench outside court five.
‘There are a couple of bail applications to be heard, and a request for a liquor licence to be dealt with before us, so we should be on around 10.30.’
By the time Hayes had finished briefing William, he felt even more confident that Amhurst was whistling in the wind, although he did admit to Hayes that this would be the first time he’d given evidence in a trial.
‘I’m sure you’ll be fine,’ said Hayes. ‘I have to leave you now and set up my stall in the court. Just hang about until your name is called.’
William didn’t hang about. He paced up and down the corridor, becoming more nervous as each minute passed. Finally, the court usher appeared from within and announced, ‘Detective Constable Warwick.’
William nervously followed him into the courtroom. He passed the defendant in the dock, and without looking at him, headed straight for the witness box.
The clerk of the court handed William a Bible and he delivered the oath, relieved to hear that his voice sounded more assured than he felt. But when Mr Hayes rose from his place, what little confidence William possessed had evaporated.
‘Detective Constable Warwick, would you please tell the court how you became involved in this case.’
William began by describing his meeting with Mr Giddy, the manager of Hatchards, and his concern that he might have been sold a set of Winston Churchill’s The Second World War with fake signatures. He went on to tell the court about his visits to other bookshops, a number of which had been offered, and some had purchased, a total of twenty-two volumes of Churchill’s memoirs purportedly signed by the former prime minister.
‘And what happened next?’ asked Hayes.
‘I had a call from an assistant at John Sandoe Books in Chelsea, to tell me that the suspect had returned so I went straight to the shop. But he had just left.’
‘So you lost him?’
‘No. The assistant was able to point the man out as he was walking towards Sloane Square. I chased after him, and had nearly caught up with him when he disappeared into Sloane Square tube station. I continued to pursue him, and just managed to jump on the train he’d got onto as the doors were closing.’
‘And then what happened?’
‘The suspect got off at Dagenham East, when I followed him to a house in Monkside Drive. I made a note of the address, and then took the tube back to Scotland Yard. The following day I obtained a search warrant for the defendant’s home, where I found a number of signed books, including a complete set of Sir Winston Churchill’s The Second World War, three of which had been signed, and several sheets of paper with rows of handwritten Churchill signatures.’
‘These are all in the list of exhibits, Your Honour,’ said Hayes, before turning back to the witness. ‘And did you discover anything else of particular interest?’
‘Yes, sir. I found a first edition of A Christmas Carol, signed by Charles Dickens.’