The Silver Arrow Read Online Free PDF Page A

of the older Murphy brother, Shaun?”
      “Yes, we all know what they say about no smoke without fire.  The Crown would almost certainly use that to demolish our argument and paint a negative picture of Johnboy Taylor’s character.  There would need to be a solid alibi there that can stand up to aggressive challenge and scrutiny on what Johnboy Taylor was doing on the night Shaun Murphy disappeared.  I must admit, Swansea, the more I think about this, the more I want to bury my head in the sand,” the brief admitted, smiling.
      “So, where does that leave us?”
      “Oh, I think it would be fair to say that our lives could be in danger as well.  Look at who the key players are here.  What would the impact be if all of this became public?  Whether Johnboy Taylor did or did not shoot Shaun Murphy, there would be serious health implications from his brother, Danny or One-bob Brown and his associates.  You can see why Johnboy is urging caution.”
      Silence.
      “To successfully challenge and overturn this conviction, what is it that we require, that we would deem as A-plus evidence?” Swansea asked.
      “Well, we already have two signed statements from the girls and Abraham Silas’s client, the schoolgirl killer.  Given who they are, particularly the obvious close relationship between Taylor and Senga Jackson, this could inadvertently prejudice any statements made by her.  Access to Paddy McPhee’s service pocket notebook, which would almost certainly be robustly denied to us by the police and the Crown in equal measure, would be a crucial element of our argument for a retrial.  We would need a signed statement from this Paisley inspector, identifying the exact time and location he supposedly handed over the information that was supplied to The Glasgow Echo.  A rock solid alibi as to where Johnboy Taylor was on the night Shaun Murphy disappeared would be another crucial piece of the jigsaw.  The Crown would use every means at their considerable disposal to undermine Johnboy Taylor’s character by establishing involvement in other serious crimes,” the brief said, smiling grimly.
      “Is that all?” Swansea asked, showing the first sign that there wis a sense a humour lurking behind that ragged featured face, as he uttered a wee chuckle.
      “Johnboy’s right.  Simon Epstein could be crucial in gathering evidence.  However, the only one of The Mankys I would fully trust for this purpose is the accused himself.  I’ve known all the boys for years, and although they can come across as being quite friendly and civil, they wouldn’t hesitate for one moment to use tactics out with the bounds of what we would call acceptable behaviour.  Of all the boys currently not in prison, Simon Epstein, along with Jake McAlpine, would probably be the last people I would wish to be involved in seeking out corroborating evidence.  Oh, don’t get me wrong…Simon is very loyal, clever and could charm the hind legs off a donkey, but he has an almost psychopathic side to him that can erupt without the slightest provocation.  In fact, come to think of it, those sentiments could probably apply to most of them,” The Brief said, as him and Swansea smiled at each other. “In different circumstances, they would, in all probability, have had successful careers in whatever profession they chose…other than crime.  I hate to admit it, but given the safety implications and the people involved, we’ll have to trust Johnboy’s instincts here.  That means you having to work closely with Simon Epstein, but restricting your activity to desk research.  I think you’re best placed as a conduit, for the time being, until we see how this pans out. I’m still extremely concerned about the tactics that Simon or the other Mankys may apply in the gathering of evidence.  It must be made absolutely crystal clear to him that although we welcome his assistance with precognition work, we cannot tolerate, under any