Mystery fiction; Trials (Murder) -- Fiction; United States -- Fiction
T. J. Hunter was up on his feet being stately and important. Warner
advised himself: he must not, would not fall into the dangerous error of
hating or even disliking T. J. Enact hostility, yes, whenever it might
have a useful effect on the jury--enact anything at all, from sputtering
rage to glacial contempt--_but don't feel it_! He could not afford to
feel it, without a far more flexible control of his private emotions
than he now possessed: much too easy for an angry man to look like a
fool. And yet not hating T. J. was going to be intolerably difficult at
times; for Callista could die, and T. J. was after all a good deal of a
bloody bastard.
Hunter said: "Your Honor, I see it's getting on to four. My opening will
be brief. If agreeable to the Court and Mr. Warner, may I make it now?"
Behind his mask Warner felt flustered and unready. He could protest;
Terence Mann would obligingly call an early adjournment; Callista would
have some rest, if you could give that name to her unknowable hours in
the detention cell. The advantage T. J. probably hoped for, in having
the jury sleep on his opening masterpiece, might be no advantage at
all--a jury can forget impressions as well as facts.... Startled, he
realized that Terence with his curious courtesy was deferring, looking
down from the bench with harmless reminders of a ten-year friendship in
his face, waiting for the defense to speak first. He said: "My client is
very tired. However, I assume from what Mr. Hunter says that his opening
will not run much past five o'clock--is that correct?"
"I'm sure it won't, sir. I only intend to summarize, to outline what the
State expects to prove."
_Sir from you?--gah!_ "In that case, the defense has no objection."
"Members of the jury, Callista Blake is the daughter of an artist, by
all accounts a loving father, who died when she was seven, and a lady
who is known to a wide circle of acquaintance as a devoted wife and
mother. This lady, and Callista's father and stepfather, gave the girl a
careful, decent upbringing. Callista's stepfather Dr. Herbert Chalmers
of Winchester College is a distinguished man, author of a textbook in
English widely used in the secondary schools. Her mother is active in
the Presbyterian Church, past president of the Shanesville P.T.A.--in
short I know of nothing in this girl's history or family surroundings to
account for her present situation unless you attach more importance than
I do to certain childhood accidents. As a baby she got a nitric acid
burn, later repaired by plastic surgery. She had polio, which left her
slightly lame, very slightly--as you can see, Miss Blake is not
disfigured, and not at all unattractive. And don't we all know of cases
where ugly accidents have happened to children without turning them
against the human race?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account