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The Case of the Caretakers Cat :: Гарднер Эрл Стенли
Страница: 136 из 146"A friend of mine gave me the cat and I gave it to Perry Mason—that is, Perry Mason took itwith him. He said that the police mustn't find it in my apartment."
Spectators stirred restlessly.
"Was this friend Douglas Keene?" Truslow asked.
"I refuse to answer."
"Go on and answer," Mason ordered.
Judge Pennymaker cleared his throat. In a voice which obviously contained sympathy for the young woman, he said, "Of course, gentlemen, it is only fair to advise this witness that the answer might incriminate her, in that it would make her an accessory…"
"There is no necessity," Perry Mason said. "I am representing the interest of this witness. Go ahead and answer the question, Winifred."
"Yes," she said.
"You may crossexamine," Truslow announced.
"No crossexamination," Mason said.
Truslow got to his feet. His manner was cold and purposeful.
"Your Honor," he said, "I regret being forced to do this, but it appears that the murder of Charles Ashton is inseparably connected with the murder of Edith DeVoe. The murderer must have taken the crutch from Ashton's room to the place where Edith was murdered. The murderer must have sawed up the crutch, taken out the diamonds and used a part of the crutch as a club with which to injure fatally Edith DeVoe. Therefore, the murderer of Charles Ashton must be the murderer of Edith DeVoe. It therefore becomes necessary to prove that Ashton was murdered before the cat was taken from the Laxter house and that the cat did not return to the Laxter house at any time after the murder. It is, as I see it, incumbent upon the Prosecution to account for the time of the caretaker's cat from the moment it was taken into the custody of the defendant in this action until the police recovered it. Therefore, I am going to ask that Della Street take the stand."
Della Street gasped with surprise.
"Take the stand, Della," Perry said.
Della Street stepped forward and was sworn.
"Your name is Della Street and you are the secretary of Perry Mason, who is appearing as an attorney in this case. On the night of the twentythird, did Perry Mason appear at your apartment carrying the cat known as Clinker and which is now in Court?"
"Answer the question," Perry Mason told her.
"I don't know," she said defiantly.
"Don't know?" Truslow asked.
"No," she said.
"What do you mean by that answer?"
"I mean that I don't know."
"Why don't you know?"
"Because I don't know whether this cat is the cat which belonged to the caretaker."
"But Winifred Laxter says it is.
Spectators stirred restlessly.
"Was this friend Douglas Keene?" Truslow asked.
"I refuse to answer."
"Go on and answer," Mason ordered.
Judge Pennymaker cleared his throat. In a voice which obviously contained sympathy for the young woman, he said, "Of course, gentlemen, it is only fair to advise this witness that the answer might incriminate her, in that it would make her an accessory…"
"There is no necessity," Perry Mason said. "I am representing the interest of this witness. Go ahead and answer the question, Winifred."
"Yes," she said.
"You may crossexamine," Truslow announced.
"No crossexamination," Mason said.
Truslow got to his feet. His manner was cold and purposeful.
"Your Honor," he said, "I regret being forced to do this, but it appears that the murder of Charles Ashton is inseparably connected with the murder of Edith DeVoe. The murderer must have taken the crutch from Ashton's room to the place where Edith was murdered. The murderer must have sawed up the crutch, taken out the diamonds and used a part of the crutch as a club with which to injure fatally Edith DeVoe. Therefore, the murderer of Charles Ashton must be the murderer of Edith DeVoe. It therefore becomes necessary to prove that Ashton was murdered before the cat was taken from the Laxter house and that the cat did not return to the Laxter house at any time after the murder. It is, as I see it, incumbent upon the Prosecution to account for the time of the caretaker's cat from the moment it was taken into the custody of the defendant in this action until the police recovered it. Therefore, I am going to ask that Della Street take the stand."
Della Street gasped with surprise.
"Take the stand, Della," Perry said.
Della Street stepped forward and was sworn.
"Your name is Della Street and you are the secretary of Perry Mason, who is appearing as an attorney in this case. On the night of the twentythird, did Perry Mason appear at your apartment carrying the cat known as Clinker and which is now in Court?"
"Answer the question," Perry Mason told her.
"I don't know," she said defiantly.
"Don't know?" Truslow asked.
"No," she said.
"What do you mean by that answer?"
"I mean that I don't know."
"Why don't you know?"
"Because I don't know whether this cat is the cat which belonged to the caretaker."
"But Winifred Laxter says it is.