Estelle got off the phone just before lunch ended, and moments later Ayamin and her lawyer were in the courtroom.

Draper was already sitting, there were two new men seated at his desk. They wore uniforms almost like a police officer’s, but I couldn’t recognise their faces.

By quarter to one, the entire court was standing as they waited for the judge to appear.

‘You’re first up Danny,’ Estelle said, ‘It’s pretty simple, you’ll tell the judge your name, swear an oath, answer three questions from our side, and then a few from Draper. You’ll need to be wary of him, don’t go into too much detail unless he asks you to.’

‘Sweet.’

We remained standing, as did the rest of the court.

Estelle glanced down at her phone, ‘Huh?’

I looked across, ‘What is it?’

She showed me her phone screen, ‘It’s almost one o’clock. The judge is never late’

The longer we stood the more agitated Ayamin’s lawyer got. I could see McCurdy tapping his foot beneath his desk. He kept ruffling his papers, ordering, and then reordering them.

By contrast, Draper was chatting with the men at his bench. He glanced up at our camera and gave a smile.

The judge entered. Her footsteps were quicker than before. She reached her desk and stared around the courtroom. Her eyes fell on Draper. He nodded.

‘Be seated,’ the judge said.

There was a ruffle of clothes, then silence as she picked up her pen.

‘Over the lunchbreak I received a request from counsel Draper to have our next witness, Mr Danny Frey, appear in court rather than via video – I am now granting this request.’

Ayamin’s lawyer lept to his feet, ‘I’m sorry, but surely the request could’ve been made in open court?’

The judge nodded, ‘I don’t like granting requests made outside of court. It’s not the way justice should work. BUT you have forced my hand counsel McCurdy, why on earth didn’t you tell me they were married?’

McCurdy went pale. He dropped one hand to his desk, as if to brace himself.

‘I – I – I thought it’d be best to focus on the other areas of Mrs Yacoub’s life. They were married without my knowledge – or advice… after the legal process had started. I think they believed it would help Ayamin’s case. I believed otherwise.’

The judge gave a bitter laugh, ‘It sounds like one mistake after another. Do you have a copy of the marriage certificate with you?’

McCurdy fumbled through a stack of paper until he came to our marriage certificate. He handed it to one of the judge’s aides.

Opposite him, the bulldog was grinning. He made a joke to one of the policemen next to him, then stood up.

‘Your honour, one of my Italian colleagues has offered to speak while we wait for Mr Frey to arrive.’

The judge paused, then nodded, ‘Tell him to take the stand,’ then she looked directly at me, ‘See you very soon Mr Frey.’

****

‘Oh hell,’ Estelle said, ‘They’re using it against us.’

‘Who are the Italian guys?’ I asked.

‘You don’t recognise them? Maybe you’ll get a better look in court,’ Estelle pushed back her chair and stood, ‘Let’s go meet our maker.’

A guard was waiting for me at the door. I held out my hands behind me for the handcuffs dangling from his belt.

With the handcuffs in place, he led us to a waiting police car. With its light blaring we sped through the London traffic.

Estelle was biting her nails as she stared out at the cars flashing past the window.

I nudged her arm with an elbow, ‘What should I say when I get in there?’

She smiled at me, it was a sad smile, ‘Just tell them the truth Danny. The truth’s all we’ve got left.’

‘That’s okay.’ I said, when really I meant the opposite. I wanted to tell her I’d do anything to help Ayamin stay here.

Estelle was staring into my eyes. She seemed to understand.

‘I listened to your interview Danny, the one at the Italian radio station. You kids have been through a lot. I’m sorry this system is the way it is. I’m sorry we couldn’t make it easier for you.’

Our police car pulled up outside the court. I wanted to hug Estelle, but my arms were still handcuffed. Outside the tinted windows, I saw flashes of light. A tear spilled down my cheek. Estelle used the sleeve of her shirt to wipe it away.

‘Let’s do it for Ayamin,’ she said.

I sucked in a final breath, ‘For Ayamin.’