Thank you all for being so very patient with me as I wrote this chapter. I've been hit with a severe case of writers block lately and haven't been able to think of what I wanted to have happen in this chapter. I am probably going to wrap this story up in a few more chapters. I'm not sure exactly how many more though. I now have internet access at home though, so when I have chapters written, I should be able to update more frequently instead of waiting for when I got to work to update.
Anyways, I hope you guys like this story. I appreciate all the kind reviews that everyone has submitted. Please do not hesitate to send me a review if you really like my story. I love reading what people think about my writing.
Okay, on with the story before you guys kill me!
Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Coroner
The courtroom was in an uproar of the latest confession. Christine sat on the witness stand, tears streaming down her face.
"Order! Order!"
The gavel was banged against the judge's podium many times. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the courtroom finally quieted down.
"Miss Daae, you do realize that you have just confessed to committing a murder and that you can go to jail for this right?" the judge asked.
She nodded. "I do Your Honor."
"Well, then, you may step down."
Slowly, she stood up and moved over to sit next to Erik. "Cheri, what have you done?" he asked her.
"I'm so sorry Erik. I just couldn't bear to see them kill you. It would have hurt me too much," she replied, tears streaming down her face.
He looked into her eyes. "I truly thank you from the bottom of my heart Christine. No one has ever done that for me before."
"Monsieur De Page, do you have any other witnesses to call?" Monsieur Frederic asked.
"Yes, your honor, I do. I'd like to call Monsieur Lewis, the town coroner."
A tall, skinny man stood up from within the crowd. He wore a black suit and a worn brown hat on his head. Underneath the hat, bits of light brown hair could be seen.
He made his way up to the witness stand and turned to face the courtroom. After taking his oath, he sat down and placed his hands in his lap.
"Please state your name and occupation for the record."
"Henri Lewis, city coroner," the man managed to get out.
"Monsieur Lewis, it was your office that received the body of the Vicomte was it not?"
"It was."
"What was the state of the body when you received it?" Monsieur De Page asked.
"The Vicomte looked like he had been dead about a day when his body came into my office. Upon first look it appeared that the cause of death was a deep stab wound to the chest," Monsieur Lewis replied.
"Upon first look?"
"Monsieur, it is required that I inspect the body for any other cause of death."
Monsieur De Page nodded. "I see. Please tell us what you came across during your inspection of the body."
"I removed the Vicomte's clothing and began to examine the outside of the body for any other types of wounds. The exam proceeded normally until…" Henri trailed off.
Monsieur De Page looked up suddenly. "Until what Monsieur?"
Henri looked nervously around the courtroom. He took a deep breath and let it out quickly.
"Monsieur Lewis, please answer the question."
"Upon inspecting the Vicomte's arms, I found many small cuts that appeared like they were caused by hitting a bush or plant. Then, when I inspected his wrists, I found a deep cut on both wrists that had cut the vein."
"In your professional opinion, what do you think caused these wounds?"
"The wounds were self-inflicted Monsieur. There is no question about it," Henri replied.
"So, in your opinion, what caused the Vicomte's untimely demise?" Monsieur De Page asked.
"The Vicomte died from the cuts on his wrist. It's my opinion that he was attempting to commit suicide when the Vicomtesse and Monsieur Muhlheim happened to come upon him in the Vicomtesse's dressing room," he said.
Christine gasped. "I remember now Erik! Raoul had a dagger in his hand when we walked in the door. I saw the stain on his sleeve but didn't think anything of it," she whispered.
"Thank you for your time Monsieur Lewis. I have no more questions for you at this time."
I know that it's short, but I have something planned out for this storyline now…it just came to me! I will make every attempt to have another chapter out before the end of the week.
Please don't forget to submit a review and tell me what you think!
I remain your obedient author,
Phantomfan1911