A Prisoner of Birth Read Online Free PDF Page B

selected a striped tie that he would never have considered wearing unless he was in front of a camera. But it was not his outer garments that caused women to turn their heads. It was the piercing blue eyes, thick wavy fair hair and helpless look that made so many of them want to mother him. Well, the older ones. The younger ones had other fantasies.
    Lawrence Davenport had built his reputation playing a heart surgeon in
The Prescription
. For an hour every Saturday evening, he seduced an audience of over nine million. His fans didn't seem to care that he spent more time flirting with the nurses than performing coronary artery bypass grafts.
    After Davenport had stepped into the witness box, the usher handedhim a Bible and held up a cue card so that he could deliver his opening lines. As Davenport recited the oath, he turned court number four into his private theater. Alex Redmayne couldn't help noticing that all five women on the jury were smiling at the witness. Davenport returned their smiles, as if he were taking a curtain call.
    Mr. Pearson rose slowly from his place. He intended to keep Davenport in the witness box for as long as he could, while he milked his audience of twelve.
    Alex Redmayne sat back as he waited for the curtain to rise, and recalled another piece of advice his father had given him.
    Danny felt more isolated in the dock than ever as he stared across at the man he recalled so clearly seeing in the bar that night.
    "You are Lawrence Andrew Davenport?" said Pearson, beaming at the witness.
    "I am, sir."
    Pearson turned to the judge. "I wonder, m'lord, if you would allow me to avoid having to ask Mr. Davenport to reveal his home address." He paused. "For obvious reasons."
    "I have no problem with that," replied Mr. Justice Sackville, "but I will require the witness to confirm that he has resided at the same address for the past five years."
    "That is the case, my lord," said Davenport, turning his attention to the director and giving a slight bow.
    "Can you also confirm," said Pearson, "that you were at the Dunlop Arms on the evening of September eighteenth 1999?"
    "Yes, I was," replied Davenport. "I joined a few friends to celebrate Gerald Payne's thirtieth birthday. We were all up at Cambridge together," he added in a languid drawl that he had last resorted to when playing Heathcliff on tour.
    "And did you see the defendant that night," asked Pearson, pointing toward the dock, "sitting on the other side of the room?"
    "No, sir. I was unaware of him at that time," said Davenport addressing the jury as if they were a matinee audience.
    "Later that night, did your friend Spencer Craig jump up and run out of the back door of the public house?"
    "Yes, he did."
    "And that was following a girl's scream?"
    "That is correct, sir."
    Pearson hesitated, half expecting Redmayne to leap up and protest at such an obvious leading question, but he remained unmoved. Emboldened, Pearson continued, "And Mr. Craig returned to the bar a few moments later?"
    "He did," replied Davenport.
    "And he advised you and your other two companions to go home," said Pearson, continuing to lead the witness—but still Alex Redmayne didn't move a muscle.
    "That's right," said Davenport.
    "Did Mr. Craig explain why he felt you should leave the premises?"
    "Yes. He told us that there were two men fighting in the alley, and that one of them had a knife."
    "What was your reaction when Mr. Craig told you this?"
    Davenport hesitated, not quite sure how he should reply to this question, as it wasn't part of his prepared text.
    "Perhaps you felt you should go and see if the young lady was in any danger?" prompted Pearson helpfully from the wings.
    "Yes, yes," responded Davenport, who was beginning to feel that he wasn't coming over quite so well without an autocue to assist him.
    "But despite that, you followed Mr. Craig's advice," said Pearson, "and left the premises?"
    "Yes, yes, that's right," said Davenport. "I followed Spencer's advice, but