Читать книгу The Devil's in the Detail - Matthew S Wilson - Страница 9

CHAPTER 4

‘By any man’s judgement, David Shepherd was a good soul.’

David’s heart leapt. He wasn’t sure though if it was the fact that the prosecution was conceding that he didn’t deserve to be sent to Hell, or just that it was that incredible French accent. Although as an Englishman, he was sworn to hate all things French, there was an undeniable beauty to it. Even the most troubling news sounded somewhat enticing in a French accent. It was the complete opposite to the German accent, which could make a flowery Shakespearean sonnet sound like a dire proclamation of death.

Gabriel unbuttoned his jacket and strode out from behind his bench. He stood in the middle of the floor, giving the Dominion an even look.

‘He was not a dictator. Nor was he a rapist.’

He turned and looked at David and Olivia.

‘He never laid a finger on his wife or daughter. He never cheated on his taxes. He always gave loose change to the Salvation Army.’

The briefest of pauses.

‘But neither was he an Angel.’

Gabriel glanced at Ezekiel. Their gaze held for a moment, and for a second David could have sworn that there was history between them. With a smirk, Gabriel spun around and faced Dominion Galloway once more.

‘But Your Honour, the passage to Heaven is not left to man’s judgement, no?’

And with this he strode toward the back of the room, pointing at the enormous tablets above the rear doors.

‘Protocol dictates that any soul which has broken the Holy Commandments and not atoned for these mortal sins with their flesh and blood, must then atone for them eternally in the afterlife.’

Gabriel stood calmly behind his bench, his hands folded neatly in front of him.

‘The prosecution will prove, beyond any doubt that in the forty-three years of his natural life, David Shepherd broke not one, not two, not even five, six or seven of the Commandments.’

The statues of the saints gazed down contemptuously at David.

‘No, Your Honour, this trial shall prove that not only did David Shepherd flagrantly break all ten of the Commandments, but he repented for not a single one.’

The flutter in David’s heart had now been replaced by a knot in his stomach. A knot that pushed all of the gas up through his windpipe and into his mouth. His eyes watered. Sweat trickled down his back. He swallowed hard.

‘And as protocol dictates, Heaven holds no place for a soul such as this. The only place for such a soul …’

David almost felt the statues of the saints almost lean down toward him.

‘… is ….’

Their outstretched fingers edging closer.

‘…the deepest, darkest recess of Hell. The tenth circle of Hell.’

The stone lips had curled into grins.

‘Morismia’.

Although there were only five people in the courtroom, the stunned silence befitted a crowd far larger. Gabriel allowed the silence to make its point, eventually striding back to his bench. David leaned over to Olivia.

‘What’s Morismia? What does he mean, the “tenth circle”?’

Before she could respond, Dominion Galloway’s voice once again dominated the courthouse.

‘Counsellor?’

Olivia seemed as much in shock as David was, furrowing her brow and burying her head within her folder. The Dominion sighed.

‘Does the defence wish to make an opening statement or not?’

She snapped out a piece of paper.

‘It does, Your Honour.’

She warily stood up and straightened her tunic. Time lurched to a momentary halt as she silently rehearsed her opening sentence.

‘Your Honour, it is true – David Shepherd was far from an Angel.’

David wondered if she should have rehearsed a moment longer.

‘It is possible that he may have broke one of the Holy Commandments.’

He suddenly wondered if he was allowed to make an objection against his own lawyer.

‘… and he wasn’t a particularly spiritual soul.’

He rubbed his temples. It seemed that the prosecution was to have an awfully easy day at the office.

‘… but as the defence will prove beyond any doubt, he is a good soul.’

Hallelujah.

‘A soul who was married for over 20 years. A soul that worked hard to provide for his family. As the prosecution itself admits, David Shepherd was not a violent soul. He was a loving soul. A caring soul. A generous soul.’

David watched the somewhat timid Olivia grow in stature as she spoke. She didn’t have the same natural charisma of Gabriel, but she had character. And as he’d always reminded Lucy as she grew up: character was important.

‘Your Honour, let us not forget that David Shepherd died as he lived.’

She then spun around to face Gabriel.

‘Protecting the innocent from the wicked’.

She returned to behind the bench.

‘And surely this act alone is not the nature of a soul that belongs in Hell, but rather one that should be embraced by the Kingdom of Heaven.’

David could have kissed her – save for the fact that it probably wouldn’t have been wise given that she’d just painted him as a loyal family man.

The Dominion gave a thoughtful nod and made a note.

‘The Court will take a few moments and then the prosecution may begin its case.’

Gabriel nodded curtly and opened his folder, running a slender manicured finger down a sheet of paper.

David leaned into Olivia nervously.

‘When do we make our case?’

‘We don’t.’

‘What?’

‘Every soul has a claim to Heaven, Mr Shepherd. You have something similar in your world. I believe you call it “the presumption of innocence”. We are required to simply discredit the prosecution’s case and by inference, your passage to Heaven will be assured.’

‘And how do we do that?’

‘By cross-examining the witness after the prosecution has finished their examination.’

‘What witness? I thought you said that there weren’t any witnesses in the Court of Saint Peter? They couldn’t be trusted to tell the truth, you said.’

She smiled.

‘Well there is always one witness.’

‘Who?’

But before Olivia could answer, the Dominion took off his spectacles and looked up at Gabriel.

‘And is the prosecution ready to call its witness?’

Gabriel stood up.

‘It is, Your Honour. The prosecution calls David James Shepherd to the stand.’

He didn’t know whether to be glad or upset. On one hand, he was quite relieved that a jaded ex-girlfriend wasn’t about to walk through the doors and testify to what an awful person he had been. But by the same token, he was far from relishing the prospect of being at the mercy of a demonic prosecutor examining his past indiscretions. He looked at Olivia for some kind of last-minute legal loophole that would excuse him from this entire mess altogether. Instead he received an expression from her that suggested any attempt at wasting the Dominion’s time was unwise.

He stood up and walked timidly across the courtroom – the squeal of his trainers accompanying his passage across the polished marble floor. Every eye was on him, particularly those of the Dominion. As he took the stand to the left of the bench, David felt those ancient eyes boring into him. Silent, but ever watchful. Ever judging. From the seat in the witness stand, Olivia looked very far away, whilst Gabriel’s menacing grin seemed much too close for comfort.

Ezekiel approached him, carrying a Bible. If it wasn’t the original document itself, it must have been a first edition, as it looked impossibly old. The Angel held it out in front of David. He slid his hand onto it, thinking that it almost seemed to be radiating heat.

‘Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth….’

The Archangel’s eyes locked onto David’s.

‘… so help you God?’

As someone that didn’t particularly worship God, David had always wondered if this ritual made any impact on those that weren’t overly religious. He found that being confronted by an eight foot tall, luminous Angel seemed to help.

‘I do.’

Ezekiel held David in his glare for a moment longer, before placing the Bible on the Dominion’s bench and resuming his post at the front of the courtroom. The formalities were out of the way, the stage had been set. There was nowhere left to hide.

And Gabriel knew it. He checked one last little fact, then snapped his folder shut and gave David a small smile of false reassurance. The type of smile that dentists often give their patients.

‘The prosecution draws the attention of the court to the sixth day of September in the year 1982. Do you remember that day, Monsieur Shepherd?’

‘I can’t say that I do.’

‘You were twelve years old at the time.’

David’s memory started to unfold. What possible commandments could a twelve-year-old boy contravene?

‘It was your first day of Year Seven at St John’s Middle School.’

Year Seven? The year when you’re finally the biggest fish in the pond. The year when you didn’t hate girls quite as much as you had the previous year, but still opted to not talk to them. An age where teachers tended to lie to you and tell you that your studies were now important.

‘Perhaps I can jog your memory, Monsieur Shepherd. Your Honour, please allow me to present Exhibit Alpha.’

Gabriel walked to his bench and opened a drawer. To David’s absolute amazement, he produced an object that didn’t quite belong in a place quite like this.

‘Do you know what this is, Monsieur Shepherd?’

‘Of course.’

A moment of silence. Gabriel raised his eyebrows expectantly.

‘Well?’

‘It’s a “Mars” bar.’

And suddenly David remembered with resounding clarity that day of the sixth of September 1982. And realised that he had indeed broken his first Commandment.