Revenge (14 page)

"What was Savannah's reaction when you returned to
London
?"

"She was furious."

"What happened
next?"

"
She went back to France and later we
travelle
d to Ireland together
."

After a while the barrister’s questions
took a sudd
en turn into darker waters. He
had reached the poison evidence which made everyone
sit up and
take notice.

“
C
an you tell us about the poison?” Mr. Clifford
asked. The entir
e courtr
oom leaned forward to hear the answer.

Daniel told the story well. His voice was level as he explained that Savannah had found the recipe on the internet and they had concocted the poison in their kitchen before transferring it to the contact lens holder.

“Why did you travel to Ireland?”

“
We went to Ireland
with the full intention of killing
the women. The plan had always been to kill them. It wasn't just a con, those women were
supposed to die.” His voice shook with emotion. “I’m truly
ashamed that
I was involved in any of this.”

"Did you bring anything with you on your trip?"

"Yes, we brought poison with us."

An audible gasp went around the courtroom. The crowd had listened in riveted silence to the momentum of evidence which had been compelling up to that point but everyone could sense that events were about to take a dramatic turn.

"Were you involve
d in the manufacture of the pois
on?"

"Yes, Savannah found instructions on the internet. I can't remember the exact ingredients but I know we used castor beans and acetone."

"Where did you buy the castor beans?"

"Savannah bought them. I don't know where she got them."

"How did you go about making the poison?"

"We dressed in masks and gloves. Then we oiled the beans, removed the skins, blended it with acetone and put it through a filter. We dried it out to become a powder and put it in a contact lens case."

"Who manufactured it with you, just so everyone is clear?"

"Savannah Kingston and I made it together."

The jury listened carefully to the dramatic evidence while
Mr. Clifford
turned his
questioning to
the Assassin for Hire
website.

"Did anyone else contact the website?"

"Yes, several people emailed the website. They were looking for work."

"Did anybody make contact from Ireland?"

"Yes, but I can't recall exactly when they got in touch."

"Did you contact Mark McNamara while you were staying in Ireland?"

"Savanna
h tried phoning and emailing him
several times but there was
no
response. She was starting to get more and more frustrated and angry. We had instructions from Mark to get the hard drive of the computer in the office of M&R Photography. He had previously emailed to advise that the keys to the office were behind a brick in an abandoned house so we collected the keys and went into the office to pick up the computer. There was an alarm but we already had the code which Mark had given us."

"Did you take anything else from the office?"

"We
took some paintings and two computers
. We wanted to make it look like a burglary."

"Were you able to get in touch with Mark while you were in Ireland?"

"No. We didn't hear anything from him. Savannah kept trying to contact him but it was impossible. His mobile was constantly switched off."

"What was her reaction?"

"She was livid
, that's when she decided to go to the women and try to sell them the contract. Mark had already given her their contact details;
mobile number, emails, address
and directions to where they were staying."

"Did you accompany Savannah to the house where the women were staying?"

"No, I stayed at
the hotel in Westport."

"Why did you not go?"

"Savannah felt it would be less intimidating if she went alone and that the women would be more likely to open their door to a woman who was on her own."

"What happened next?"

"It was arranged that I would collect the money from Penelope Garrett the next evening in the restroom of the bar. I met a woman who I assumed was Penelope Garrett. I wasn't completely certain so I asked if she was Penelope. She said yes and then I asked if she had anything for me. She said she wasn't going to give me anything until I gave her the computer. I didn't have the computer
with me so I decided to leave.”

"Where was Savannah when you went to get the money?"

"She was
waiting at a cafe nearby."

"Where was the contact lens case?"

"Savannah had it in her bag with her makeup."

"What did you do with the
keys
to the office
?"

"I went to the bathroom after I was arrested where I wrapped the keys in tissue paper
and
I threw them in the rubbish at the police station."

Mr. Clifford
then changed tack
and began to ask him
about another incident in the United Kingdom where he had been charged with extortion. "I pleaded guilty," Daniel admitted. "There was no plea bargain and I'm awaiting sentencing."

"Do you admit telling the victim, Martin Banks, that he would be killed unless he paid eighteen thousand pounds sterling to call off a hit which was allegedly ordered by his business partner?"

"Yes."

Mr. Clifford
's examination concluded shortly before lunch-time and the defence team began its tough cross-examinations in the early after
noon. First up was Geral
d Loftus, Mark's barrister
.

"You told us earlier this morning that there hadn't been a plea bargain in the case in the United Kingdom. I'd like to suggest to you that there actually was a plea bargain and that the plea of guilty came in the
context of an elaborate deal
."

Daniel
remained resolutely silent.

"You are a fraudster, facing serious charges and trying to cut a deal with the people who are prosecuting."

"No."

"Would you agree that contacting
someone in order to extort money from them is fraudulent?"

"I was under Savannah's instructions."

"Your suggestion that it was done under any direction is self-serving. You were a willing participant to the fraud in which you pleaded guilty."

"I disagree."

"You are at the mercy of Scotland Yard in the evidence which you are giving here today."

"That's not true. I agreed to give evidence here without immunity and a
gainst the advice of my lawyer
."

"Why was your sentencing hearing adjourned in England?"

"So I could spend more time with my sick mother."

"I'd like to suggest to you that it was adjourned so you could give evidence in this case."

"That's not true."

"If
Scotland Yard
believes that you told the truth here they may seek to have your sentence reduced or even no jail sentence at all. Aren't you at the mercy of the English authorities as to what evidence you give here today?"

"No."

"What else have you agreed to do in the past?"

Daniel stared in ston
y-faced silence at him.

"Did you agree to act in an undercover capacity for Scotland Yard and to tap phones if they required it?"

"Yes, that's true."

"You did that out of desperation because of the serious crime that you had committed."

"I did it becaus
e it was the right thing to do;
to expose the truth."

"May I suggest that you were a full participant in the scheme to extort money in England, a scheme which in many respects is quite similar to the circumstances of this case?"

"I did that at Ms. Kingston's instruction."

Mr. Loftus
then turned to indicate Mark who was sitting writing note after note. "You have referred repeatedly to Mark McNamara, the defendant, as though you somehow know him. Have you ever met him?"

"I have never met him."

Mr. Loftus
then question
ed
Daniel on his evidence from that morning where he claimed he
couldn't bring himself to go
through with the job in France. "Can I suggest that the reason you didn't go to the apartment was because you had no way of knowing if the apartment was empty and you were worried that someone was in fact inside the entire time?
I believe that the only reason you are giving evidence here is so that you can advance your own position in the proceedings in England."

"That's
not true," Daniel quickly replied.

"When did you first hear the name Mark McNamara?"

"I saw his name in his email correspondence with Savannah. I was completely under Savannah's influence. I was in love with her and would have done anything for her. She organised the whole thing."

"You are someone who was not under her influence. You were a willing participant with a colourful criminal past of your own. If you
satisfy Scotland Yard
you hope not to go to jail, it's as simple as that."

"It's not true."

"You
lied to the police
when you were questioned initially."

"I denied that we had broken into the offices of M&R Photography. However, I agreed to tell the truth here today agains
t the advice of my lawyer
."

"You tell lies or remain silent because you are a criminal and a fraudster. Do you agree with me?"

"No, I do not."

"You scam your way through life and think you can get out of it by lying."

"I'm not lying."

"You're a star witness fo
r the prosecution," Mr. Loftus
persisted. "It's obvious what's going on here. The simple fact is that if you hadn't been arrested in England you wouldn't be here as a witness. You'd be in
London
. Is that correct?"

"No," was
the staunch response. He remained unflappable under the intense c
ross-examination
.

"Would you consider yourself to be a sof
tly spoken person?" Mr. Loftus
asked.

Daniel coughed before replying. "I would say that I speak with an average tone."

"Interesting," Mr. Loftus
continued. "Agents at Scotland Yard described your voice as being deep, raspy and obviously that of a smoker. Are you putting on a voice for the jury?"

"This is my voice," was Daniel's short response.

"Did you have
access to the Assassin for Hire
website?"

"Yes."

"Are you saying that you and Savannah were operating the site?"

"I had access to the site."

"Who designed the website?"

"I don't know. Savannah took care of it."

"It's not exactly a professional job is it? There's a photo of a man holding a machine gun on the home page and instructions on how to order a hitman; email us, pay a deposit, follow our instructions then pay the outstanding balanc
e. Surely only a
total idiot would think this was serious."

"I agree, that's why I couldn't believe it when Savannah told me that Mark had actually sent the money."

"You'd clearly found a fool; someone who was daft enough to log on to your website and who was just plain stupid to send the deposit. You must have been thrilled."

"I couldn't believe it."

"You
pleaded guilty to a shakedown
in London, which happened in similar circumstances, where you also fooled some other idiot. It seems to me that you are involved in shaking down, stealing and robbery, but not murder."

"It was a contract to kill."

"Do you really expect us to believe that this piece of ludicrous nonsense was a plot to kill?"

"Yes, because that's what it was."

"You are trying to help your case in England, where you have pleaded guilty to another shakedown. You're trying to make this case here in Ireland seem like a plot to kill for your own convenience and advantage."

"It was a plot to kill," Daniel insisted.