Dishonour by Helen Black Page A

the ground.
    Raffy took one look at his solicitor and head-butted the guard. His brow connected with the bigger man’s nose with a wet crunch.
    The guard collapsed, out cold.
    ‘Is it always this boring?’ Taslima held a wet tissue against Lilly’s cheek.
    Lilly attempted a smile. ‘Ow.’
    They were sitting in the magistrates’ chambers, theroom behind court, waiting with Kerry and DI Bell for Mrs Holmes.
    ‘You’ll find that Lilly attracts excitement,’ Kerry advised Taslima.
    Lilly wanted to argue but her face hurt. She had caught it on the corner of the table as she fell and it was swollen and hot. God knows what Jack would say when he saw it. If she were a better liar she’d make something up, anything to avoid a scene that would rival the one they’d just had in court.
    ‘What about junior?’ Taslima gestured to Lilly’s pregnant bump. ‘OK?’
    Lilly nodded. ‘I think all the excitement has woken him up. My ribs hurt almost as much as my face.’
    Mrs Holmes bustled into the room and took a seat.
    ‘The ambulance has taken the security guard to the hospital,’ she said. ‘His nose is broken.’
    ‘Couldn’t happen to a nicer person,’ said Lilly.
    Mrs Holmes gave a disapproving look.
    ‘I’m sorry,’ said Lilly, ‘but the man is a thug.’
    ‘I admit his handling of the situation could have been better,’ said Mrs Holmes.
    Lilly turned to Bell. ‘You should nick him for assault.’
    Mrs Holmes spread her hands flat on the table. Her nails were short but perfectly smooth.
    ‘I’ll deal with him,’ she said. ‘And in the meantime I suggest you go home and put an ice pack on that.’
    Lilly waved the concern away. ‘We didn’t sort out Raffy’s bail.’
    ‘You cannot be serious,’ said Kerry.
    Lilly ignored her and spoke directly to Mrs Holmes.‘You seemed to accept my argument that a child should not spend time on remand if it can be avoided.’
    ‘Perhaps,’ said Mrs Holmes.
    ‘Then we can’t let an incident that was not of my client’s making override that,’ said Lilly.
    She could hear the snorts of derision coming from her left but she refused even to acknowledge them. She kept her eyes trained on Mrs Holmes and willed her to grant bail.
    ‘You seem to be forgetting what precipitated all this,’ said Mrs Holmes.
    Lilly shrugged.
    ‘The defendant’s little outburst about not being subject to the law,’ said Mrs Holmes.
    ‘Silly nonsense from a young boy,’ she dismissed it.
    Mrs Holmes raised her eyebrows. ‘He’s fifteen, Miss Valentine—and he sounded as if he knew exactly what he was saying.’ She let the words hang in the air until they were an established detail with which Lilly could not argue.
    ‘The fact remains,’ said Lilly, ‘that a child should not be in prison.’
    ‘The fact also remains,’ countered Mrs Holmes, ‘that I cannot release someone who refuses to even recognise the conditions of his bail.’
    Lilly let out a long breath. Raffy had backed Mrs Holmes into an impossible corner. There was no chance of bail and her cheek hurt.
    Kerry leaned over and patted Taslima’s arm. ‘With Lilly, there’s never a dull moment.’
    The Clayhill Estate was a shithole.
    Jack had spent over ten years in Child Protection in Luton and had visited every tower block more times than he could remember. The Clayhill had to be the worst.
    He parked outside a children’s playground, the swings long since abandoned by young mums. Every year the council would spend thousands clearing away the smashed glass and used condoms. A new roundabout would be installed and cheery footprints painted on the ground but days later the low-life would creep back in.
    He double-checked his car was locked and headed towards the nearest block of flats. The group of boys huddled at the foot of the slide didn’t glance his way, but mumbled into their freezer bags of glue. Jack knew he should get their names, send them on their way, but what was the point? They’d be back before