Yesterday's Papers Read Online Free Page B

case.’
    Miller bowed. ‘Of course. But if you do discover any relevant information and feel able to share it with me, you have my address and telephone number. I hope to hear from you. In the meantime, au revoir , Mr Devlin, and thank you for listening.’
    Harry watched him walk away in the direction of the taxi rank, a frail old man with a taste for death. He found Miller easy to dislike, but not so easy to ignore. What exactly caused him to doubt Smith’s guilt? It must be more than an old woman’s blind faith in her son’s innocence. Was it a snatch of gossip founded on fancy, or something more substantial, something a court might accept as evidence? Harry felt sure Miller did know more about the case than he was yet prepared to reveal and, almost to his dismay, he found himself itching to learn what it was.
    â€˜Penny for ’em,’ said a voice in his ear.
    Turning to face the man who had spoken, Harry said, ‘Whatever makes you believe my thoughts could be published in a family newspaper?’
    Ken Cafferty smiled broadly, as he often did. He was chief crime reporter on one of the city’s local papers and his cherubic appearance and amiable manner often induced indiscretions from people who had meant to keep their mouths shut and soon had cause to wish they had done so.
    â€˜I’m always more interested in the bits we leave out of our stories than in those we print. Not so much the stuff that’s libellous, but all the true stories the man in the street simply couldn’t bring himself to believe.’
    â€˜Headlines we never see, like “Low Pay Unit Demands Higher Fees For Lawyers”?’
    â€˜Now I don’t mind a little invention, but I draw the line at outright fantasy. Anyway, I can sniff an exclusive already. I’ve caught Harry Devlin standing outside a pub with no apparent intention of going inside.’
    â€˜I staggered to the exit after I ran out of oxygen.’
    â€˜I’d have thought after a few pints you wouldn’t bother about that kind of thing. Personally, I don’t mind the Wallace. I like anywhere so cramped that there’s no alternative but to eavesdrop. Anyway, what were you up to, celebrating the Kevin Walter verdict in advance?’
    Harry shook his head. ‘I’m not counting my chickens. No, someone’s been bending my ear about a trial that dates back to the sixties.’
    â€˜Don’t tell me they’ve finally decided to appeal?’
    â€˜It’s an old murder case, dead and buried in more ways than one. There’s a suggestion that the wrong man may have been found guilty.’
    â€˜I sometimes wonder how any crimes are ever committed, given the number of innocents around who are unlucky enough to keep being convicted. But let that pass. A miscarriage story always sells papers. Who did the system stitch up this time?’
    Harry wondered how much he should tell the journalist. He could see no harm in selective disclosure. Miller had not sworn him to secrecy and Ken might have ideas of his own about the case. His encyclopaedic knowledge of Liverpudlian crime was all the more impressive in view of the sheer volume of the subject matter. He claimed his years in the job had brought him face to face with more villains than Her Majesty’s Inspector of Prisons ever saw.
    â€˜A young girl called Carole Jeffries was killed.’
    â€˜The Sefton Park Strangling,’ said Ken promptly.
    â€˜Ten out of ten. You know the case?’
    â€˜Before my time, of course, but I’ve heard about it. Every now and then we dig something up from the archives to fill a few paragraphs on a slack day. If there’s a mugger roaming round that part of the city, say, or we’re doing a feature on famous Liverpool murders. Lazy journalism, admittedly.’ He winked and added, ‘I do it a lot.’
    â€˜Any chance I might have a look at the material you have?’
    Ken clicked