Common Murder Read Online Free Page B

unidentifiable material slowly slithering down on to the bonnet. Jane’s head appeared beside her. “Oh God, not the pigs’ blood routine again,” she moaned. “I thought they’d got bored with that one.”
    As she spoke, the bikes revved up again, then their roar gradually diminished into an irritated buzz as they left the camp and reached the road.
    â€œWe must call the police!” Lindsay exclaimed.
    â€œIt’s a waste of time calling the police, Lindsay. They just don’t want to know. The first time they threw blood over our benders, we managed to get the police to come out. But they said we’d done it ourselves, that we were sensation seekers. They said there was no evidence of our allegations. Tire tracks in the mud don’t count, you see. Nor do the statements of forty women. It doesn’t really matter what crimes are perpetrated against us, because we’re subhuman, you see.”
    â€œThat’s monstrous,” Lindsay protested.
    â€œBut inevitable,” Jane retorted. “What’s going on here is so radical that they can’t afford to treat it seriously on any level. Start accepting that we’ve got any rights and you end up by giving validity to the nightmares that have brought us here. Do that and you’re halfway to accepting that our views on disarmament are a logical position. Much easier to treat us with total contempt.”
    â€œThat’s intolerable,” said Lindsay.
    â€œI’d better go and check that no one’s hurt,” Jane said. “One ofthe women got quite badly burned the first time they fire-bombed the tents.”
    â€œGive me a second to check that Cara’s okay and I’ll come with you,” Lindsay said, getting up and climbing the ladder that led to Cara’s bunk. Surprisingly, the child was still fast asleep.
    â€œI guess she’s used to it by now,” Jane said, leading the way outside.
    It was a sorry scene that greeted them. The headlights of several of the women’s vehicles illuminated half a dozen benders now reduced to tangled heaps of wreckage, out of which women were still crawling. Jane headed for the first aid bender while Lindsay plowed through the rain and wind to offer what help she could to two women struggling to salvage the plastic sheeting that had formed their shelter. Together all three battled against the weather and roughly reerected the bender. But the women’s sleeping bags were soaked and they trudged off to try and find some dry blankets to get them through the night.
    Lindsay looked around. Slowly the camp was regaining its normal appearance. Where work was still going on, there seemed to be plenty of helpers. She made her way to Jane’s bender, fortunately undamaged, and found the doctor bandaging the arm of a woman injured by a whiplashing branch in the attack on her bender.
    â€œHi, Lindsay,” Jane had said without pausing in her work. “Not too much damage, thank God. A few bruises and cuts, but nothing major.”
    â€œAnything I can do?”
    Jane shook her head. “Thanks, but everything’s under control.”
    Feeling slightly guilty, but not wanting to leave Cara alone for too long, Lindsay returned to the van. She made up the double berth where Jane had shown her Deborah normally slept.
    But sleep eluded Lindsay. When she finally dropped off, it was to fall prey to confusing and painful dreams.

    Cara woke early, and was fretful while Lindsay struggled with the unfamiliar intricacies of the van to provide them both with showers and breakfast. Luckily, the night’s rain had washed away all traces of the pigs’ blood. Of course, the keys of the van were with Deborah’spossessions at the police station, so they had to drive into town in Lindsay’s car.
    Fordham Magistrates Court occupied a large and elegant Georgian town house in a quiet cul-de-sac off the main street. Inside, the building was