Seven Days Grace (A Grace Rose Novel Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

an air about her like an older woman who had experienced life beyond her years. Grace sat behind her and a millisecond later she stood up again as the judge entered the room and the bailiff said , ‘ All rise. ’
     
    That was too close. He turned his back towards her and pretended to be talking to a colleague about something important. She was closer to him now than she had been this morning. He had to be strong. He couldn ’ t let her see him , not yet. There would be too many questions and silence or lies would be the answer. It had to be this way , to protect her. He wasn ’ t ready to look into her eyes and he certainly hadn ’ t expected to see her so soon.
    He couldn ’ t help feeling there was a greater force driving them to meet. It wasn ’ t even midday and this was the second time he ’ d seen her today. He had to come up with a plan and quick. As he sat down behind a large man , he ran his fingers over his groomed , three-day growth and stared at Grace around the man ’ s wide frame. She looked around and almost saw him. He pretended to turn and look at someone. When he turned back , she was facing the judge and lawyers. Standing , he came to a quick decision. He sent a text. The reply was swift. He sighed. This task would require some nimbleness.
    The spying man slipped between standing people until he was in the row of seats behind her. When the words , ‘ Please be seated ’ were announced , he pretended to drop something on the ground. Simultaneously , he reached into Grace ’ s open handbag under her seat , and snatched her phone. He excused himself and found his seat at the back. With agile fingers , he opened the back of the smart phone , stuck the location chip on the battery and closed it.
     
    Appearances could deceive and this was the case with Mr de Silva. Sophisticated and smiling , the world admired him. In truth , his long work hours had turned into a habit he could not escape and his exhaustion had led to cutting corners and unwise business decisions. She knew the de Silva story was worthy of the front page. It was a juicy piece.
    Grace rarely felt pity for people like Mr de Silva. However , unfamiliar feelings crept in and she questioned where her care for him had begun. She had been following his case for some months and had attended several court hearings regarding his case during that time. Although she was concerned for him , justice was her mantra and she felt fairness would be served today. On the down side , the word was they were all expecting a trial that could last all day.
    With the high-profile case and rumours a verdict would be handed down imminently , the courtroom was packed to overflowing. People gathered at the closed doors in an attempt to hear the proceedings. Those inside sat in silence as sunlight streamed in through the windows and specks of floating dust could be seen floating in its rays. Everyone waited for opening statements.
    The defendant ’ s lawyer argued the evidence against his client was circumstantial. Mr de Silva claimed he knew nothing about the diamonds and anyone could have put them into the shampoo bottles. They could have set him up to protect themselves.
    On the contrary , the prosecution argued the smuggled diamonds were in de Silva ’ s possession so unless he knew who had concealed them , he was indeed guilty. They believed his plea of not guilty would work against him in the end.
    The defendant had run out of evidence to acquit his client when a young man in a suit rushed into the courtroom. He followed protocol and approached the security guard. The guard headed to the court ’ s clerk who in turn advanced to de Silva ’ s defending solicitor , Michael Dawson.
    The clerk took half a dozen steps to Mr Dawson and everyone fell silent at the click-clack of his shoes on the polished wood floors. He handed Mr Dawson some paperwork who immediately read it. Then he gave it to the barrister , David Foster. All eyes in the courtroom were on the