Lucy sat on a bench opposite the Custody Sergeant’s desk, waiting to be processed. Beside her sat Father Conroy summoned at Father Anselm’s request.
‘At least you didn’t pull the trigger,’ said the priest.
‘Would it have made any difference?’
‘I was never that good at moral theology. But I do know about people who send other people to prison, and they think there is a difference. ‘
The declaration carried a weight. With the peculiar acuity that comes with anxiety, Lucy asked, ‘Have you been to prison?’
‘Yes.’ He scratched the hairs on his thick arms. ‘Several times.’
A liberating curiosity surfaced over the panic. ‘What for?’
‘Working with street kids in Sao Paulo.’
‘You got locked up for that?’
‘It’s a touch more involved, so, but you can’t make a home for those little divils without upsetting people.’
The arresting officer summoned Lucy with a flick of his finger. Her pockets were emptied and she signed forms that she didn’t read.
‘Now, get your dainty skates on,’ said the Custody Sergeant. A waiting WPC took Lucy firmly by the elbow and escorted her down a colourless corridor to a cell. The heavy blue door slammed into position. Keys turned and jangled. The square peephole opened and banged shut. And, to the echo of withdrawing footsteps, Lucy started to cry.
The lock rattled as iron turned on iron. The door opened and DI Armstrong entered the cell. She sat on a chair fixed to the wall and said: ‘You have been extraordinarily stupid.’
Lucy lifted her hands helplessly as if she didn’t understand what she had done. She continued to cry, increasingly terrified by the working out of the legal process upon her.
DI Armstrong said, ‘I’ll do what I can to smooth things for you but my hands are tied. You are in serious trouble.’
Lucy nodded, grateful for the promise of a friend, however useless, within the system that would judge her.
‘There’s been a development in the Schwermann trial,’ DI Armstrong said, letting compassion slip out – evidently divining Lucy’s undisclosed interest in the verdict. ‘I don’t know what has happened but I expect it will be on the news. You can watch it with me. That is something I can do for you.’