Elaine had been wondering where she had put her free bus pass when the shoe had crashed down on the bench. She was trying very hard to pay attention, but these court cases were complicated and the language they used wasn’t always as clear as could be and Mr. Keebles had been sick that morning. He had looked sheepishly at her with his big amber eyes and then away from the big pile of foul smelling vomit he had deposited on the rug by the door, then he had looked back at her, finally as if he was disgusted by the whole affair he had stalked off with his tail straight up in the air. Poor Mr Keebles, Elaine thought. She had had to clear up the mess and with all the muddle she couldn’t remember where she had put her pass and that’s when the shoe landed on the bench. It was Exhibit A, she wasn’t sure what that meant but she tried to promise herself that she would do her best to listen from now on.

As a child, her Dad’s friend Alan had been selected for jury service and the whole Close had been proud that one of their own had been deemed fit to serve justice. Maybe that’s why Alan had never confessed how intrinsically tedious the whole affair was. Elaine also wanted to do her duty, but they had spent so much time telling her this, telling her that. They told her to go here and then to go there and sometimes they just told her to go away altogether. She hadn’t expected jury service to be like this at all, but eventually she had been chosen as a representative member of the jury and she had tried ever so hard to listen to all the goings on.

The defendant seemed like a nice girl; she had a full head of curly brown hair and a rather round face which gave her a jolly look. She was tall, but dressed very sensibly in a black trouser suit with a white wrap around blouse. And her shoes were sensible flat court shoes too. You could tell a lot from a person’s shoes Elaine’s mother had always said. Elaine wasn’t surprised therefore when the defendant entered a plea of ‘not guilty’. Elaine noticed that shoulders around her sagged, some heads shook and the young woman next to her did both then gave the defendant a look positively filled with evil. As the young scowling woman lowered her eyes she noticed Elaine watching her closely. “It’s not going to be straightforward now love.” She hissed under her breath. “The trial could take ages now.”

Elaine’s mouth formed a little o, but inside she was shocked at this woman’s reaction. How was the defendant going to receive proper justice if the jury were already against her from the moment she entered her plea?

Elaine’s next surprise was the first witness. Her name was Miss Amy Foote. She was the victim’s sister and the defendant’s lover. Elaine’s brow furrowed as this piece of information entered her brain. She didn’t really understand homosexual relationships; her understanding of love poured out from the pastel covered books she kept hidden under her bed. Some of the scenes in them were quite raunchy and she didn’t want anyone who visited her thinking that she was into pornography. Not that it was pornography, the scenes were usually very tastefully described and the lovers were always meant to be together. Elaine patted a tissue to her face, she had the impression she had drifted off for a moment there and she hoped no one had noticed.

“Miss Foote, you are Miss Robson’s partner are you not?”

“Mmm” Miss Foote mumbled.

“Please answer clearly Miss Foote; you are Miss Robson’s partner?”

“Ehm, yeah, yes.” Miss Foote looked up briefly before returning her scrutiny to the floor.

“And you have been Miss Robson’s partner for three years, is that right?”

“Yep.” Miss Foote replied not lifting her head.

The tale ran somewhat along these lines. Miss Foote; Amy, had once been Miss Robson’s personal assistant in an up and coming PR firm in Manchester. The two women recognising they had a strong attraction to each other had decided that in order to start a relationship without damaging their careers they should seek alternative employment. Miss Foote had found secretarial work back in her home town of London. Since then Miss Robson had travelled down to London every weekend to visit Miss Foote. Leading up to the crime Miss Foote and Miss Robson had planned to go on holiday together to Mexico. Elaine thought that was ever so exciting, imagine having the courage to go so far without a man. Shortly before they were due to go Miss Foote’s sister Claire had lost her employment and her boyfriend had left her. Feeling sorry for her sister Miss Foote had paid for her sister to accompany her on holiday. Elaine had to admit that was very nice of Amy, but then again there was something about her that she didn’t trust. Amy had kept her head down the whole way through her testimony. Why couldn’t she look anyone in the eye?

The next witness was a character witness. Elaine’s mouth puckered as the character witness took the stand. She was the sort of woman who made Elaine want to clutch onto her handbag tightly, but she wasn’t allowed to bring her handbag into the courtroom. All the same she wondered how on earth this woman could defend someone’s character when she seemed positively dubious herself. She had short cropped orange hair where for some unfathomable reason a long thin strand of red snaked down her back. She wore reds and oranges and again she remembered her mother’s words: “Never trust a woman in a red dress.” Or was it red shoes? Elaine was no longer sure; her mother’s words were so very long ago now. In any case the sack the witness was wearing did nothing for her figure and then to top it off she wore bright red booties, the sort that little children should wear. This woman looked like a clown not a character witness. Elaine could also tell straight away that Ms. Katherine Wright did not take criminal justice very seriously.

“Did Miss Robson say that she would kill Claire Foote?”

“Yes,” Katherine rolled her eyes. “In the same way that you would say you’re going to kill your son when you wake up on a wet Sunday morning and discover he’s traipsed mud all through the house.”

“But I am not on trial for murder.” The prosecution lawyer pointed out.

“Then what she actually said was that she was would kill Claire if she ruined the holiday.”

“Did you take Miss Robson’s threat seriously?”

“Obviously not.” Katherine rolled her big brown eyes again.

“We are not dealing in what is obvious Ms. Wright. Did you take Miss Robson’s threat seriously?”

“No, we’ve all said we’re going to kill Claire at some point or another. She was a complete bitch.”

“Ms. Wright we are not here to assassinate the victim’s character.”

“No, I did not take Miss Robson’s threat seriously.”

“Prior to the date of departure were you aware that there had been violent arguments between Miss Robson and Miss Amy Foote?”

“They had argued, I was not aware that they were violent.”

“Voices were raised.”

Katherine looked the prosecution lawyer in the eye. “I believe that is the nature of arguments, otherwise they would be discussions.”

“They were arguments during which Miss Amy Foote felt physically threatened.”

“Ellie would never hit Amy.” Katherine retorted and Elaine sat up. As a child her mother had called her Ellie.

“But the threat of violence was in the air?”

“Ellie is able to control her temper and would not hit Amy. When raised to such levels of frustration she would leave.”

“So Miss Robson was raised to such levels of frustration?”

“Yes,” Katherine looked down and sighed. “She left Amy’s house and came to stay with me to calm down.”

“And you still believe that Miss Robson would never hit Miss Amy Foote?”

Katherine looked up. “I know that she never hit Amy. I know that she would never hit Amy.”

“Can you say the same about Miss Claire Foote? Would Miss Robson ever hit Miss Claire Foote?”

Katherine’s face darkened. “Only to defend herself. I’ve said it before, Claire was a bitch and she wasn’t beyond slapping and hair pulling. She was a nasty piece of work.”

“And I’ve told you before Miss Wright, we are not here to discuss the victim’s character, unfortunately the victim is not here to defend herself.”

Elaine could not understand what happened next, but the prosecution lawyer jumped up and many words were uttered that she didn’t understand before the proceedings continued. She knew that the jury had been told to do something but she couldn’t be exactly sure what. She bit her lip and tried to focus again, but it seems that they were now being told to go home. As she left the court the young scowling woman who sat next to her sidled up.

“What do you think about all that then?”

Elaine gazed up at the woman unable to answer, she had been preoccupied with finding her free bus pass in her bag, it was such a bother to replace.

“Well seems to me like that Ellie did it and her mates are all covering up for her “We’re not supposed to talk about the case are we?” Elaine muttered in hushed tones.

“Sorry love?” The woman was ferreting about for something in her bag.

“We’re not supposed to talk about it, the case.” Elaine repeated slightly louder.

“To our families dear. You can’t go home and talk about it to your old man.” The woman slid a cigarette between her lips.

“Oh.” Elaine looked down the street to see if her bus was coming.

“Well see you tomorrow; I’m Natasha, by the way.”

“Elaine,” Elaine said as Natasha began stalking off in the opposite direction her slicked back ponytail bouncing from side to side.

***

As Elaine opened the door Mr. Keebles brushed past her legs and pattered off in the direction of his bowl and sat by it expectantly. “I’m not supposed to tell you anything.” Elaine giggled. “But it’s very complicated. A very mixed up love story Mr. Keebles, not like the sort I read to you at all.” Mr. Keebles stretched up resting his paws on her knees. “I’m not sure what to make of it.”

“Meow.” Mr. Keebles answered wrapping himself round her legs.

“Mm, I think you’re right. I’ll just have to wait and see.”

But Elaine couldn’t stop thinking about it. She thought about it the whole time she prepared her tea. She thought about it while she set the trays out before the TV and as her and Mr. Keebles sat down to watch that evenings episode of Eastenders she thought some more not paying attention to what was going on in the Square at all.

“Maybe she didn’t do it.” She said out loud to Mr. Keebles’ bowed head. He raised his head from his bowl and looked at her licking his lips and yawning. “Maybe she didn’t do it.” Mr. Keebles jumped off the sofa and scampered out of the room.

***

The next morning Elaine spotted Natasha’s angular hard features and her slicked back hair from behind a magazine. She headed across the room and arranged her coat and handbag carefully on the chair before sitting carefully next to Natasha. “I don’t think Ellie did it?” Elaine whispered.

“Sorry love?” Natasha lowered her magazine and a grotesque questioning look twisted her glossed lips.

“I don’t think Ellie did it.” Elaine repeated

“Who’s Ellie?” Natasha frowned.

Elaine rose up in her seat indignantly. “The defendant.” Elaine said primly.

“Yeah, well we’ll wait and see.” A grin spread across her face revealing her large teeth. “I think Ellie...” Natasha winked. “...is being called up to the bar today.”

Elaine frowned.

“Have you got a soft spot for her?” Natasha nudged her.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Elaine’s mouth became thin.

“Well, I noticed you weren’t wearing a ring.” When she got no reaction, Natasha flashed her large gold band and showy engagement ring at Elaine.

Horror spread over Elaine as she began to realise what Natasha was insinuating.

“Miss Havers, you have been requested in court.” The usher called her from across the room.

Elaine scuttled across the room clutching her handbag and coat. “But I don’t want to sit next to that woman today. She’s beastly.” Elaine spluttered pointing at Natasha as she strutted across the room.

“I’m afraid you have to Miss Havers, remember we explained this to you at the beginning and we can’t start without you.” And he flashed her a huge smile. “Do you want me to lock your coat and bag up for you?” He said holding his arm out. He was black, but he had been so kind and polite so Elaine smiled a discrete smile back and handed her things over.

“Ooh flirting with the usher now are you?” Natasha giggled from the front of the line.

Elaine looked away from her and inserted herself into the line.

This time Ellie was wearing an aubergine skirt suit. The cut suited her very well and she had on a matching pair of kitten heels which showed off her legs nicely. Again, Elaine was pleased that the defendant had chosen to make an effort with her appearance, it made such a difference. Ellie was being called to testify today. Despite being from the North, she had a very cultivated accent. You wouldn’t otherwise be able to tell, Elaine thought.

“Miss Robson, can you explain to the jury your feelings on discovering that Miss Claire Foote was to accompany you on your holiday?”

“I was upset of course.” Ellie looked up into the distance as if remembering the scene clearly. “Amy left it until the last moment to tell me. I was tempted to back out as Claire and I had never got on particularly well. Claire didn’t approve of us and she was convinced that I had turned Amy into a lesbian.”

“Why did you choose to go on with the trip?”

“Well, I’d paid for it.” Ellie rolled her eyes as if now recognising that this was a rather pathetic excuse. “And also...” She sighed. “I realised that Amy knew I would back out of the trip if she had told me earlier. I realised that the reason she left it so late was because in actual fact she really wanted to go with me, so I decided I’d go for Amy.”

Elaine heard Natasha humph loudly.

The prosecution lawyer had obviously made his mind up like Natasha next to her. He continuously interrupted Ellie and tried to make it sound like she had planned the murder all the time.

“Did you or did you not claim loudly to your friends in the Oxford Arms on Tuesday fifteenth July at eight thirty pm that you would kill Miss Claire Foote?”

“Well, I wouldn’t be able to confirm that it was eight thirty pm exactly, but yes I did say that if Miss Foote ruined our holiday I would kill her, which also proves that I did not plan to kill her before we went on holiday.” It was inevitable, but Ellie had lost her calm. She was red faced and now her curls were escaping from the tight bun at the back of her head and bouncing around in fury.

“Yet, you did kill Miss Amy Foote, the following day at ten thirty am.”

“No, I did not.” Ellie replied emphatically.

“Why Miss Robson? Why? If as you have confirmed, you had such a bad relationship with Miss Claire Foote were you charged with picking her up and taking her to the airport?”

“Fuck knows!”

Elaine’s hand shot to her mouth. Oh she shouldn’t have sworn Elaine thought, but now the poor dear was in tears.

A recess was called shortly after and Elaine found herself next to that despicable Natasha in the queue for lunch. “It was all rehearsed.” Natasha shook her head.

Despite herself Elaine found herself drawn in.

“You should just completely ignore everything she said to the defence lawyer. Did you see the way she was staring into the air like that? She rehearsed her answers, that bit was all planned, even that line where she stared out to her lover and said: ‘I did it for Amy’. Makes you want to be sick doesn’t it? That prosecution guy is bringing out the true side of her though.”

Elaine felt herself instinctively clutch her tray closer to her. That foul prosecution lawyer would have brought out the worst side of anybody Elaine thought.

The case was adjourned for the afternoon and of course Natasha had to give a commentary on that too.

“Yeah so she can go and make up some more porky pies to explain how her girlfriend’s sister ended up dead in a suitcase.”

“Excuse me?” Elaine’s eyes goggled.

“It was all over the news last summer. ‘Rotting woman found in suitcase’. What were you doing?”

“Gardening.” Elaine replied primly.

She heard Natasha guffaw as she walked off in her direction home. Elaine didn’t like to use these words but she was beginning to think that Natasha was a real bitch.

***

Mr. Keebles sat on her lap that evening as she explained the day’s proceedings. Elaine was convinced that Mr Keebles’ contented purring indicated that he too shared her conviction that Ellie was innocent.

***

The following day Ellie was wearing a dark blue trouser suit with a white top and flat courts, it made her look extremely business like, but she had left her hair down which gave her a kind of childish vulnerability. Elaine felt kindly towards Ellie and when she noticed her scanning the jury she flashed her a smile and gave her a discrete thumbs up.

During the first break of the morning Natasha pulled her brusquely into the ladies toilet. “Do that again you silly cow and you’ll be chucked off the jury and we’ll have to start the whole bloody proceedings all over again.” Natasha leaned over her menacingly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Elaine tried to make herself smaller as she had as a child when her mother told her off.

Natasha grinned grotesquely and waved a thumb in the air. “What the fuck was that?”

“I really don’t appreciate your language young lady.” Elaine snapped back.

“And I really don’t appreciate your stupidity.” Natasha backed off and then shook her head, her expression changing to one of dismay. “Do you have any idea of what’s going on here?”

“Of course I do.”

“Miss Havers.” Natasha sighed. “You have to behave in a certain way in court. There’s no room for impropriety.”

“I’m old enough to be your mother young lady, I know how to behave.”

“Then please don’t do that again. I don’t think you realise the consequences.” Natasha left the toilets. Elaine had to stay for a while as she realised she was shaking, that woman had given her a real fright. Maybe she should report her to the usher. She didn’t have time though as shortly after the usher was knocking on the door telling her they were waiting for her again. At least he was a nice boy; he had obviously been brought up well.

***

“So Miss Robson, can you describe the scene when you arrived to pick Miss Claire Foote up.”

Ellie sighed deeply and began; it obviously pained her to continue. “When I arrived Claire wasn’t even ready, she wasn’t dressed and she hadn’t packed.”

“So it seems she was already ruining your holiday?” The prosecution lawyer said. Again the defence lawyer jumped up and words were exchanged before Ellie could continue.

“As I said Claire wasn’t ready. I began throwing things into her suitcase and told her to get ready quickly.” Ellie hesitated. “It was then that Claire went berserk.”

“Oh!” Elaine gasped.

“She went berserk?” The prosecution lawyer pressed further.

“She began screaming at me, telling me that I had caused a rift between her and her sister. That Amy had told her not to go, that she hated me and she began throwing things at me.”

“The shoe?” The prosecution lawyer held up the shoe for the jury to see. Ellie blanched. Elaine scrutinized the shoe carefully. From the top it looked like nothing more than a white peep toe wedge sandal, but then turned onto its side its full hideousness was revealed. It was a platform wedge shoe, built to make a Lilliputian look like a giant. Each extra inch was marked by a line of white that divided the heavy wooden heel into bands. What a silly shoe, Elaine thought, what a silly girl that Claire must have been.

“Yes, she threw the shoe at me and it caught my sunglasses and smashed them.” Ellie’s voice quivered.

“What happened next?” The prosecution lawyer snarled.

“Well, I lost it.” Ellie admitted. “I picked up the shoe and threw it back at her.”

“Miss Robson, I believe you are the goal attack for the over thirties Stockport netball team.”

The defence lawyer jumped up, but before he had a chance to say anything the judge had told him to sit down. Elaine’s mind raced, she had played Netball at school. She would have been quite a good goal attack too, but her size let her down.

“Miss Robson you play goal attack?”

“Yes.” Ellie snapped back.

“So can we assume that your shot is rather more on target than Miss Foote’s?”

“I wasn’t shooting a bloody netball. She had just smashed my Dior sunglasses; I was angry I just picked up the shoe and threw it back.”

“And?”

“And it hit her on the head.”

A snort escaped from Natasha. A look of pure hatred crossed Elaine’s face.

“And?”

“And it knocked her out.” Ellie said quietly.

Oh dear Elaine thought, it was an accident, she didn’t mean it and the shoe was ridiculous.

“What happened next?”

“I don’t remember exactly.” Ellie’s face began to crumple and she her hand danced across her face. “I just thought I had to get to the airport.”

“So you put Miss Claire Foote’s body into her suitcase and sealed the suitcase?”

Elaine noticed that now Natasha had her fist shoved into her mouth. When she caught Elaine’s eyes she noticed that Natasha had tears in her eyes. Pathetic woman, Elaine thought venomously.

“She wouldn’t wake up and I couldn’t think how else to get her to the airport. I wasn’t going to carry her unconcious, so I - I just emptied the suitcase and put her in it.” Ellie buried her face in her hands.

“And you locked the suitcase, Miss Robson?”

“It was one of those suitcases that lock automatically. I didn’t realise until afterwards.”

“And then you left her in the suitcase.”

“No, it didn’t happen like that. I was confused, we were late, and then Amy phoned.” Ellie looked out over the court for Amy, but Amy was hidden at the back of the court room her features impassive, Elaine noticed.

“Did you tell Miss Amy Foote that you had just killed her sister and locked her in a suitcase?”

“No she wasn’t dead.” Ellie screamed in response, then looked to her lawyer and took a deep breath. “I told her that Claire wasn’t ready and she told me to just leave her that it wasn’t worth bringing her, that she had already told Claire that she couldn’t come.”

“So you left Miss Foote locked in a suitcase?”

“Yes, no.” Ellie shook her head tears streaming down her face. “I was confused, I wasn’t thinking, everything had gone wrong. I didn’t know what to do and then I realised that I couldn’t open the bloody suitcase so I just left it.”

“Did you kick the suitcase before you left?”

“I don’t know, I don’t remember, I was just upset.”

“Did you kick the suitcase? The dent in the corner of the suitcase is ultimately what cracked Miss Foote’s skull and killed her.”

“I don’t know, I don’t remember, I don’t know.” Ellie wailed over and over.

Elaine wished she knew a way of making the prosecution lawyer stop, couldn’t he see that she was upset. She hadn’t meant to kill the girl, it was an accident, the girl had provoked her.

“Oh please stop!” Elaine cried out. Hush descended over the court room apart from Natasha burying her head in her hands and groaning. “It was an accident. She didn’t mean to do it. It was an accident.”

Elaine felt a strong pair of hands grip her arms. “Come with me please Miss Havers.” The usher pulled her roughly.

“Get your hands off me boy.” Elaine slapped at his hands.

“Ma’am I have to escort you from the court.” He shrugged his shoulders.

All around her the court had descended into chaos. The lawyers were shouting at the judge. The Judge was shouting and Natasha was looking at her as she was an imbecile.

“But why? I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“You’ve disrupted the proceedings ma’am. You’re not allowed to just shout out what you think in the middle of a case.” He shook his head in disbelief.

“But I haven’t done anything wrong.” Elaine whispered searching for Ellie’s kindly face. And then she found her, her eyes were dry now and narrowed into two vicious little slits.

“You stupid fucking cow.” Ellie mouthed carefully across the court room. Elaine gasped and turned to the usher for support.

“Come on.” He said pulling at her arms roughly.

“I – I d-don’t understand Elaine stuttered as she was led away. “What did I do wrong?”

Copyright, 2006, The Pimple Continued

Labels: short story