Roger Goldmeier yawned a bored oath then ascended the witness stand as though he were to be knighted. Burger rolled his eyes, but focused on the businessman.
"Mr. Goldmeier, in what context did you know Elise Haynes?"
"Miss Haynes was my personal secretary," Goldmeier said. "She was a fine employee and I admired her work."
The members of the courtroom scurried, unsettled by the understatement of the relationship. The gossip rags spewed tales of Goldmeier's involvement with his secretary, and the latest column had focused on the supposedly lurid triangle composed of Haynes, her boss, and Randall Godfrey. The judge's gavel silenced the audience.
"Thank you," Burger said before returning his attention to Goldmeier. "You have been asked to appear here today to testify about a telephone call that was made from Elise Haynes' apartment the night of her murder. According to records obtained through the telephone company, Miss Haynes dialled your number at 11:50 p.m. and the call lasted three minutes and twelve seconds."
Goldmeier pushed back a cuticle. "Yes, she did call me."
"Would you tell us the nature of the call?"
"I had let her go that day, Mr. Burger, after I discovered that she and Godfrey were working together to steal money from my bank. Miss Haynes called me to explain that she was being blackmailed by Godfrey, and wished to turn herself, as well as Godfrey, in to the authorities. I told her that I admired her courage, and would do all I could to support her in the matter. Nevertheless, I could not simply forgive the debt. Miss Haynes said that she understood, and the discussion ended."
"So Elise Haynes had confronted Randall Godfrey about going to the police?"
Mason objected. "Mr. Burger knows perfectly well that while the witness can testify to his conversation with Miss Haynes, he cannot provide hearsay concerning an exchange she may or may not have had with the defendant."
Burger tried to interject, but stopped at the judge's warning stare. "But it is true, Mr. Goldmeier, that Elise Haynes confessed to you that both she and Randall Godfrey were in on the theft of nearly $10,000?"
Goldmeier's waxed moustache twitched. "Yes," he said. "She did."
"No further questions," Burger said.
Judge Ross consulted his watch and regarded Mason. "Will this be a lengthy cross examination, Mason? If so, I'll adjourn and we can continue tomorrow morning."
Mason stood and buttoned his jacket. He'd like the time before he had to question Goldmeier, but didn't want that final image to remain in the jurors' minds overnight. "I don't expect it to take long, your honor. I would like to begin now."
"Very well."
"Mr. Goldmeier, are you familiar with a man named Allan Parker?"
Burger's pencil flew out of his hand. "Objection," he shouted. "Incompetent, irrelevant and immaterial. Defense must limit himself to what was covered in my examination."
"My apologies," Mason murmured, noticing that Goldmeier appeared unaffected by the mention of Parker's name. The lawyer's eyes scanned the courtroom before resting on the District Attorney. "I thought for sure I heard you say it, Mr. Burger. No further questions, but I do request that this witness be available to testify when the defense presents its case."
"Granted," Judge Ross said. "Court is adjourned until ten o'clock tomorrow morning."
Della caught Mason's arm as they left the courtroom. "Why did you do that?" she said. "You looked as though you'd lost your mind." They pushed through the lines of reporters fighting for pay phones.
"The danger in the question is in the asking, not the answering, Della," Mason said. He led her out of the side door of the building. "There are a lot of people in that room who heard the question. Now, all we have to do is put you in a little danger, and I think we'll have our murderer revealed."