‘We have plenty,’ she assured him, ‘and Graeme loves to show off his culinary skills.’
‘I heard that,’ he shouted from inside.
‘And you know it’s true. Anyway,’ she said to Dan, ‘we don’t see enough of you, so I was glad when you called. I’ve been wondering how the new junior partner’s working out.’
‘Maxim? He’s great. Sleep deprived – his girlfriend’s just given birth to their first – but he knows his stuff and he’s keen. Actually, I’m pretty impressed with all five of my staff.’
‘So, taking over Henry Matthews’s practice is turning out to be a good move?’
‘Given how much existing business it came with, I’d have to be a pretty poor sort not to say yes.’
His smile showed a dimple in one cheek that she always found endearing. ‘I’m reliably informed,’ he added, helping himself to another canapé, ‘that you haven’t exactly broken with the law yourself.’
Her eyes showed surprise, but he could see that she’d picked up the segue and was intrigued by it. ‘Why? Do you need help with something?’ she asked carefully.
‘Not in the sense you’re meaning it,’ he replied, and pulling out a chair he sat down at the table. ‘I’ve been thinking about something you told me the last time I was here, and it prompted me to go and have a chat with an old friend, ex-colleague, of yours.’
Regarding him knowingly, she said, ‘Are we talking about Detective Chief Inspector Terence Gould, by any chance?’
‘We are. I met with him last week to discuss something I’d like to set up here in Kesterly, and I wasn’t surprised when he suggested I should talk to you.’
‘This is sounding interesting,’ Graeme commented, coming to set a tureen of perfectly chilled gazpacho on the table.
‘Isn’t it?’ Andee commented dryly. ‘No disrespect, Dan, but Gould usually sends people to me when he wants to get them out of his office.’
Dan laughed. ‘He told me you’d say something like that, but yours wasn’t the only name he mentioned – we’ll come on to the others, most of whom you’ll know. For now, Gould confirmed my own thoughts that there are few better placed than you to help get the project launched.’
Andee’s eyes widened. ‘OKaaay,’ she responded, glancing at Graeme and clocking his clear amusement. ‘Are you in on this?’ she asked suspiciously.
He held up his hands. ‘I’m as in the dark as you are,’ he assured her.
She turned back to Dan.
Coming to the point, he said, ‘You know about restorative justice, right?’
She nodded slowly. ‘Weren’t you running a team in your previous life?’
Graeme said, ‘You might have to enlighten me.’
Dan explained, ‘Restorative justice is basically about putting victims of crimes together with offenders to try and come to a resolution that will help both parties to move on.’
Graeme arched an eyebrow. ‘So, someone vandalizes my car, is charged with the crime, then I get to meet him so he can say he’s sorry? Do I get to thump him?’
Dan laughed. ‘Yes, apart from the thumping bit, but it can be about much more serious offences.’
Graeme waved for everyone to help themselves to soup, and began refreshing the wine.
Turning back to Andee, Dan warmed to his theme as he said, ‘I’m sure you’d agree that this community is crying out for an RJ service, but in order to get funding we have to impress the Ministry of Justice with a cracking business plan and a board of experts. These need to be police and probation officers, local authority officials, magistrates, councillors … we can draw up a list of who we think would be interested and influential, and as you’re so well connected in the area I’m hoping you’ll come on board to approach them with me.’
Andee was so taken aback that she wasn’t sure what to say.
‘You’d also make a brilliant practitioner,’ Dan continued, ‘someone who deals with victims – or offenders – on a personal level.’
Andee blinked.
‘You’d be perfect for it,’ Graeme chipped in. ‘Whatever the qualifications are for practitioners, people skills have to come into it and I don’t know anyone who’s better at people than you.’
‘Exactly,’ Dan agreed. ‘Empathy is what’s needed for the task, patience as well, obviously, in fact a whole slew of good qualities, but empathy is the most important. You have that; you also have a good knowledge of the community and unless you tell me differently you have a stronger belief in rehabilitation than you do in punishment.’
Andee couldn’t deny it, although she did say, ‘Some crimes have to be punished. Murder, rape, GBH …’
Dan’s hand went up. ‘No one will argue with that, although there are cases where even murderers and rapists have met their victims or the victim’s family and believe it or not there have been some positive results.’
Graeme regarded him sceptically. ‘Why the heck would anyone want to meet their rapist?’
‘Or their son’s or daughter’s killer?’ Dan added. ‘Most certainly don’t – and don’t have to. But there are some victims who find themselves wanting to ask why. Why me? Why my mother, son, grandfather? If it’s a burglary, they ask, what did you do with the photos or the jewellery? Are you coming back to take more of what’s mine? And sometimes it helps to have answers.’
‘But the perpetrators still go to prison?’ Graeme prompted.
‘If someone is found guilty of a serious crime then yes, they do, and often the restorative process can begin during the sentence. In fact, I’d say more than seventy per cent of the cases I’ve worked on have happened in the run-up to parole, when victims are approached to find out how they feel about an offender returning to society. The RJ programme can work well at that time, if we can get them together. Or it can happen while someone is awaiting trial. It basically depends on when they’re referred to us.’
Graeme’s eyes returned to Andee as she began to ladle gazpacho into her bowl.
‘In principle,’ she said as she set the ladle down again, ‘of course I’m interested, but before we start drawing up a list of potential board members – I’ve got about half a dozen names already in mind – I’d like to read some case histories, if you have any.’
Clearly delighted, Dan said, ‘No problem. I’ve a mountain of stuff you can look at, so I’ll email you the links and passwords as soon as I get home. Oh, and I don’t want you to worry about your interior design business, I know you’re busy with it. This is something that can be made to work around it.’
‘Unless there are prison visits involved?’
‘Yes, we’d have no say on timings there, but I’m happy to take on those cases as we get started – and further down the line I hope we’ll have a number of practitioners to call on.’
‘And who’ll be running your legal practice while you’re doing all this?’ Graeme wanted to know.
‘I will for the most part, but having Maxim on board will free up some time for me to start pulling together an impressive board, appointing a chief exec, applying for MOJ accreditation and funding …’