The Case of the Deadly Scalpel
Chapter 16
1
Her heels clicked across the floor of the San Francisco Chronicle. Carly Williams was determined to get to the bottom of the Corbin Schulte murder case. She was absolutely certain Mason and Ironside were hiding something. Since Dr Ben Stern was a friend of Ironside, she was certain he wasn't above withholding evidence in order to help Mason clear the murderous doctor. She wasn't about to let that happen. It was definitely time someone put those two in their place, and she was the one to do it. Carly was tired of puff pieces. She had the talent to be an investigative reporter and she was going to prove it. If her boss in Los Angeles was too stubborn to print her work, she would find someone who would. That someone was the San Francisco Chronicle. Once she brought down Mason, Ironside and Stern, no one would be able to ignore her again!
She marched down the hall as if she was the drum major of a high school band. She waited until she could sneak past everyone working in the newsroom, which was much easier than she thought it would be. Everyone was so busy they didn't even notice her. When she reached the managing editors office, she knocked on the window of his door.
Earl Gray looked up. He didn't recognize the young woman standing on the other side of his door. How did she get past everyone in the newsroom? He sighed, but waved her in.
Carly opened the door and walked into Grey's office. "Mr Gray, my name is Carly Williams. I am an investigative reporter from the Los Angeles Times. I am going to be relocating to San Francisco, and I would like a job."
Gray didn't stand up when Williams entered his office. He didn't like people barging into his office without an appointment. Sizing up the young lady in front of him, he could tell she was going to be extremely pushy. "Did you apply with Human Resources?"
"No, I did not. I am prepared to show you what I have written for the LA Times."
"Miss . . ."
"Williams," she said.
"Miss Williams, you have to go through Human Resources. We have applicants nearly every week. They will bring your application to my attention if they feel your work would be a fit with this paper."
"Mr Gray, I have been working for the Los Angeles Times for quite awhile. All they are giving me is puff pieces. I am tired of them wasting my talent. I am going to find a paper that will give me a chance. I came to San Francisco because I was on a cruise when I discovered Perry Mason and Della Street were on the same cruise. I have this article right here." She dropped the article on Gray's desk. "Mason and Street are having an affair. It is my belief that Street is forced into it by Mason."
He picked up the article and skimmed through it. "Now, that's a new take on their relationship." Dropping the article back on the desk, he said, "Miss Williams, this is not a gossip magazine. People have been speculating about their relationship for years. The fact is — it is no one's business, and furthermore, no one cares, except maybe for ladies hoping to snare the handsome attorney who is obviously extremely successful. If that is your idea of investigative reporting, we definitely would not be interested in hiring you."
Frustrated, Carly still was not willing to give up. "You didn't let me finish. Mason and Street mislead their clients by . . ."
"And you know that how? So Mason took Street on a cruise, so what. It's their business. Now, if you will excuse me, I have work to do."
"As I said, you did not let me finish. Mason received a call on the ship from Chief Robert Ironside. He was called away from the ship and his illicit affair." Gray rolled his eyes and made no attempt to hide it from her. "You are not listening, Mr Gray. Ironside called Mason and told him he needed to come to San Francisco to defend Ben Stern. What he didn't want others to hear," she made up, "Ironside told Mason he was withholding evidence that would definitely convict the doctor."
Gray sat there for a minute. "And you have proof of this, I suppose."
"I overheard the conversation," she lied.
He shook his head. "That won't do. A good reporter digs in, finds, and reports the news, he or she doesn't become part of the story. Besides, both of those men have reputations beyond reproach."
"Maybe, but not anymore. Give me a chance to prove they are both in this only to protect Ben Stern, even if it means breaking the law."
Again Earl Gray sat in his chair and said nothing. He didn't believe for a minute Ironside or Mason was dirty, but what if she was right and they were? Why not let her go with it? He really didn't believe anything would come of it. He knew and dealt with Robert Ironside. There was no more by the book, honest cop anywhere. He knew Perry Mason only by reputation. Sure he pulled rabbits out of his hat at the last minute, skirted the line of law, but no one ever caught him overstepping it. If he didn't tell her to go ahead with her investigation, he wasn't going to get her out of his office short of calling security. Besides, it would get her out of his hair, and she wasn't going to find anything illegal about the way Ironside investigated or Mason defended.
"I'll tell you what. You go ahead and investigate. If you can prove the allegations and you write an article worthy of this paper, then we'll talk about possible employment." Earl had been in the newspaper business for years. He could tell within just a few minutes if he would be interested in a reporter, and this woman wasn't one of them. Obviously, she was out for sensationalism. Unfortunately, she picked the wrong cop for that! Robert Ironside would chew her up and spit her out. And if he was wrong, and he knew he wasn't, then she would bring down a dirty cop. Ironside, a dirty cop! He almost laughed at the thought. He would have, but he didn't want to come up with a reason for laughing. "Now, if you don't mind, I have work to do."
Carly grinned. Finally! Someone was going to give her a chance to prove she was a good investigative reporter. She was going to bring down Ironside and Mason. She would be famous all over the country. Then newspapers would be begging her to come work for them!
2
Ironside didn't care for the pace of the investigation. There wasn't any way Ben Stern would take a life. Yet, they were no closer to finding out who murdered Corbin Schulte. Something had to be done to jumpstart the investigation. He had his team and Paul Drake investigating. There wasn't anybody out there better than those people. Why had they not been able to come up with anything?
The office door opened when Paul Drake walked in. "Chief, we may have a top suspect," he said. He walked over to the main table and sat down.
Ironside turned his attention to the tall gray-haired private eye. "It's about time we start narrowing down the suspects. It looks like Gary Sullivan is not going to show much of his hand. The rumor is he is going to rest the prosecution's case today. Perry has to start putting on his case, and we have nothing to help him."
"We might have something. Schulte's wife tried to withdraw $500,000 from her husband's account."
Ironside steely blue eyes bore into the Los Angeles detective. "Just exactly where would Corbin Schulte get that much money?"
"I am looking into that."
"And what do you mean tried?" Ironside demanded.
"Since I've been following her, I was in the bank when she attempted to withdraw the money. I pointed out to the bank manager that Schulte had been murdered and until the case was resolved, a freeze should be put on the money. I spoke with him privately after she left the bank. I told him that if she murdered her husband, she wouldn't be entitled to one cent of that money. He agreed to keep it frozen until further notice. I was able to catch Perry this morning before he went into court. He is going to make sure that she can't withdraw the money."
"What about her relationship with Schulte?"
"I am about to check into that. I'm going to go back to the neighborhood and find out if any heated arguments took place between them, and how often."
"Paul, find out if there was life insurance on Schulte, and if there was, who is the beneficiary. If his wife was the beneficiary, find out how much she would receive upon his death."
"It's already in the works, Chief." Drake walked over to the kitchenette and poured himself a cup of coffee. He returned to the table and sat down next to the former chief of detectives.
Ironside asked, "Anything else on Sherry Schulte?"
Taking a drink of his coffee, the private eye set it down on the table and answered, "Not yet." Ironside stared at him. Drake picked up his coffee and took another drink when he noticed Ironside staring at him. "What?"
"If you have nothing else and there is more to find, then why are you still sitting here?" Ironside said in his signature gruff tone.
Paul set his coffee mug down on the table. He glared at Ironside, got up and left the office. As he was leaving, Sargent Ed Brown came in and walked down the ramp. He went directly over to his boss.
Sitting down, he wasted no time giving Ironside the news. "You said you wanted to narrow down suspects. Well, someone is out there doing that for you. Joey Mancino was just found. One gunshot right between his eyes. I thought Drake was investigating the mob end of it."
"He is, but he might need some help. I'm not sure it is a good idea for him to be doing it alone. I want you to give him a hand. The two of you need to work closely together when it comes to the mob. Watch each other's backs, but find out what Stoner's connection is to all of this.
"That is not exactly how I want them eliminated," Ironside said. "Sounds like the work of Benny Stoner. Ed, we have to find out the connection… to all this. Perry had Drake serve him with a subpoena, and he ended up dead not long after. There has to be a reason. Stoner obviously did not want Mancino on the witness stand. Anything new on the hospital front?"
"Not yet."
"All right, keep at it."
With that, Sergeant Brown left the office.
3
Eve Whitfield had always loved San Francisco, at least most of it. It certainly did have a seedy side to it as well. Now and then, she was called upon to investigate it. She didn't relish the idea of where she had to go, but she was under orders of her boss, and you didn't ignore an order from Chief Robert T Ironside.
Eve opened the door to what she knew was what modern day people would call a whorehouse. Her assignment was to speak with Sharon Duncan, who was well known to be the madam.
Of course, the real purpose of her business was camouflaged. The girls were only supposed to appear as eye candy on the arms of men at functions of importance. Yet, everybody knew they did more than just appear with them. Duncan was extremely skilled in keeping the real purpose of her business under wraps in the form of Norman Stewart. The man stood 6'6 tall and weighed 240 lbs. His size alone was enough to keep all of the girls under control. He had no qualms about beating them up if they stepped out of line.
Eve opened the door and walked into the outer office. She walked over to the desk. A young lady in her early twenties looked up from her paperwork.
"You must be looking for a job. I have no doubt that the boss will be willing to hire you."
Officer Whitfield immediately pulled her badge out of her purse. "I am not looking for a job. I already have one. I'm here to speak with Sharon Duncan."
The woman's attitude changed immediately. She picked up the phone and punched one of the lines. "Miss Duncan, there is a police officer here to see you."
Duncan was expecting the police would get around to her sooner or later. No doubt their investigation into Corbin Schulte would lead them directly to her. Fortunately, they had nothing on her and could prove nothing.
"Send him in," she told her receptionist.
"I'll do that, except it isn't a he, it's a she." The woman hung up the phone, walked around the counter and told Officer Whitfield to follow her. Eve followed her through a door, down the hall until they reached the end. On the right, was a door marked with Sharon Duncan's name.
The young receptionist knocked, knowing better than to just barge in. She opened it after hearing her boss telling them to come in. She opened the door, allowing Eve to walk into the office in front of her. "Officer Eve Whitfield is here to see you."
"Thank you, Tammy. You may return to the reception desk." As the receptionist left her office, Duncan stood up, walked around the desk, and went directly to Eve. "I am Sharon Duncan. What may I help you with?" She gestured for Eve to take a seat in front of her desk. Once the lady officer was seated, she walked around the desk and sat back down in her executive chair. She waited for the officer to respond.
Once again, Eve pulled her badge out of her purse and showed it to Duncan. "I work for Chief Ironside. I am here to talk to you about Corbin Schulte."
"Never heard of the man," Duncan lied.
"Come now, Miss Duncan, the police department is fully aware of your business endeavors."
"Everyone is aware of them. I provide young ladies to accompany men to important business meetings and functions. Nothing more, nothing less."
"We know better."
Tapping her fingers on the desk, Duncan smiled. "Just exactly what are you accusing me of?"
"We know fully well that you run a brothel here. You provide young ladies all right, but as prostitutes."
Duncan snorted at the suggestion. Actually, she knew it wasn't a suggestion, but she also knew the police couldn't prove anything. "And I suppose you have proof of that? Of course not, this is the reason people in this city don't trust the police. You harass hard-working business owners. If you had any proof of what you were accusing me of, I would have been arrested already."
"I have no doubt that that will happen eventually. However, I am not here to talk about this. It is also well known that Corbin Schulte was a pimp. He pimped out underage girls. We know that he was supposed to provide them for a meeting that several mobsters were attending here in San Francisco. Unfortunately for him, he was in the hospital for surgery, and the girls decided not to obey him. We also know that Schulte came to you."
"That's ridiculous! I don't know the man and have never dealt with him."
"Why don't you just stop lying to me. As you said before, we don't have the proof we need to arrest you. You know as well as we do what you really do for a living here. It is rumored that Schulte would come to you for girls when he couldn't provide his own. We know that was the case for the meeting of the mobsters. You refused to help him. We would like to know why."
"Sorry, can't help you. As I have stated more than once, I don't know the man, have never dealt with him, and from what I hear about him, I wouldn't deal with him."
"If I were you, I wouldn't tick off Chief Ironside. He has left your doings to the vice squad. However, if you keep lying to us and refuse to help us, I have no doubt the chief will make you a priority and bring your organization down around your ears. So, I ask you again why you refused to help Corbin Schulte?"
Duncan sat there for a moment. She knew Whitfield was right. If Ironside decided to come after you, he was relentless. He wouldn't quit until he had you behind bars. "Do I have your word that Ironside will not try to capitalize on what I tell you?"
"He will capitalize on it all right, but just not on you. Besides, he would need more than just what you say to me to prove your real occupation. You are rather coy. You are also very good at what you do. The vice squad has not been able to prove anything against you. So stop worrying and answer my questions."
She hesitated for a moment, but then decided she did not want Ironside on her trail. She might be very good at keeping herself out of everything when it came to her prostitution ring, but if there was one individual that could bring her down, it was Robert T Ironside. "All right, I'll tell you. Schulte would come to me and ask me to provide girls for different functions. Those girls, of course, we're just window dressing for the men."
Eve rolled her eyes. "Schulte was supposed to pay me 50% of what he earned with the girls. Then I found out that he was cheating me. He would get much more than 50% of the proceeds. I was getting around 10% of the proceeds. You have to understand that my business of providing window dressing is very lucrative."
"I have no doubt that it is," Eve said sarcastically. Afterwards, she realized the chief's sarcasm was rubbing off on her.
"So anyway, I told him I would not provide any girls until he paid me the money he owed me. He was pretty upset, but there wasn't anything he could do about it."
"How much did he owe you?" Eve asked.
"Let me put it this way, it was in the thousands."
"That makes for a very good motive for murder," Whitfield pointed out.
Sharon Duncan just laughed. "I see what this is all about now. I understand that Stern is a friend of Ironside's. In order to free a murderer, Ironside has to put the blame on someone else. So, he sent you here to try to put it on me. It won't work, Officer Whitfield. No matter what time of the day or night Schulte was murdered, I can provide a witness who will say I was right here." She made sure the detective could see the smirk on her face. "Besides, why would I kill him? You can't collect money from a dead man."
"I have no doubt you have many people who will lie for you," Eve responded dryly.
Duncan had enough of the overbearing cop. "I trust you got what you came here for. Now, if you don't mind, I have work to do. There are many organizations who need girls for window dressing. I have to arrange it."
The woman had a definite reason and motive for wanting Schulte dead. Chances of her collecting from him were about nil. She could have decided the only revenge was murder. The problem was pinning it on her would be extremely difficult. How would she gain access to Ben Stern's office and the locked glass case on the wall where the scalpel was kept?
Eve got up and walked to the door. "Do not leave town."
"And why is that?" Duncan raised an eyebrow.
"I'm officially informing you that you are a suspect in the murder of Corbin Schulte." With that, Eve turned and walked out the door.
4
The courtroom was hot and stuffy. Mason wished he had worn a lighter suit. The last thing he wanted was sweat pouring down his face. Despite that the prosecutor would have the same problem, he would still think that Mason was sweating it out because he was afraid of losing his first case.
"All rise," the court bailiff called out.
Everyone in the courtroom stood up as judge Herman Thatcher entered and sat down behind the bench. "Be seated," he told the packed courtroom. Long gone were the days when only a few people showed up to watch trials Mason was involved in. The courtroom was always in an overflow situation when he was the defense attorney.
"Mr Sullivan, call your next witness."
"The people call Beverly Kane."
Nurse Kane was sworn in and Sullivan started his questioning immediately. "Miss Kane, tell the court your occupation and where you work.
"I am a nurse at St Mary's Hospital."
"Did you have the opportunity to oversee the care of Corbin Schulte?" Sullivan looked back at Mason. He had to know that the woman's testimony was going to be very damaging to his client.
"Yes, I did."
"Were you on duty the day the defendant did the surgery on Mr Schulte?"
"I was."
"And, did you have the opportunity to overhear a conversation that took place between the defendant and Mr Schulte?" He looked over at Ben Stern and smirked.
"I did indeed."
Mason wanted to object, but he had no grounds. It could not be considered hearsay since Ben was involved in the conversation. He had no choice but to sit there and listen to what Kane had to say.
"Did the conversation seem amicable?"
She shook her head. "Definitely not. They were arguing."
"They were arguing regarding whether or not the defendant should do the surgery. So, tell the court . . ."
Now, Mason could definitely object to that. He stood up, and called out, "Objection, Mr Sullivan is testifying for the witness, or at the very least he's leading the witness."
"The objection is sustained," Thatcher ruled.
Sullivan didn't mind the objection whatsoever. In fact, he purposely stated it that way so that Mason would object. It was time he rattled Mason a bit. After all, he had been doing it to him since the trial started. Looking at Mason, he gave him a sly smile. "What was the argument about?"
"It was definitely about the surgery. Mr Schulte was complaining that Dr Stern wouldn't do the surgery that day. Stern told him they had to run a few tests the next day, and if the test indicated a chance of success, they would do the surgery the following day. Schulte was extremely upset. He didn't understand why the tests would have to wait a day before getting the results. He also complained about doing the surgery the following day. Stern explained that he had several surgeries the next day and he couldn't possibly do Schulte's surgery. It would have to wait one more day."
"Was anything else said?"
"Yes, Schulte told him the surgery better be successful or he would sue him for the previous surgery he did on his back. He claimed he had another surgeon who said Dr Stern botched that surgery and he was willing to testify to that effect in a court of law."
Mason had a pretty good idea that Nurse Kane would provide the motive, and he was right. She just did. The prosecution was putting forth that Ben murdered Schulte in order to keep the alleged first surgery quiet.
Gary Sullivan turned around with a triumphant look on his face. "Your witness, counselor." He strutted over to the prosecution's table like a peacock.
Della Street looked at Mason's face as he stood up. No one in the courtroom would be able to read him, but years of working with him allowed her the privilege of reading his emotions despite appearing that he had none. Della could tell he knew this witness provided the motive.
Mason walked over to the witness stand. "Miss Kane, were you able to see the face of the defendant during this alleged argument?"
Sullivan didn't hesitate. He stood up and called out, "Objection! The witness has testified regarding an argument she heard. I object to the use of the word alleged."
Thatcher rubbed the bridge of his nose. Whenever Perry Mason was in town, Sullivan was over anxious to beat him. Everybody wanted to be the first to beat Perry Mason. So, some of the objections should never be made. "I'm going to allow the verbiage. I'm well aware, Mr Sullivan, that the witness is testifying to the conversation between her and the deceased. It is up to Mr Mason to prove the conversation didn't happen or was different than what the witness said. It is just a word and has no bearing on the testimony this witness gives."
Sullivan sat back down. Was Thatcher going to give Mason all the breaks? It seemed many judges were intimidated by the famous lawyer, and Thatcher was no different.
Mason turned back to the witness. "Once again, Miss Kane, were you able to see the face of the defendant?"
"Actually, I could see his face very clearly," she answered.
Mason wondered how that was possible. He got wind of her testimony and had his brother dispatch Officer Duffy to former patients along with another individual who traveled with him. Her testimony didn't make sense. He was certain Sturn would be standing at Schulte's bedside and blocking her view of the patient's face. He saw the room. From the position of the door and the way the bed was angled, he couldn't see any possible way unless Ben Stern was standing at the foot of the bed.
"Where was the doctor standing when you heard the conversation?"
"Beside the bed. He always stands beside the patient's bed." Looking over at Sullivan, she saw him wince. She must have made an error.
Mason smiled. It was not possible. Stern would have been blocking her view of Schulte's face. He turned to the bench. Your Honor, I know that Lieutenant Reese had photos taken from the door. I ask that the prosecution provide those photos now."
Sullivan was livid. There was no way he was going to do that. He knew what it would do to his witness's testimony. He had a good reason for not using the photos when he questioned Nurse Kane. He shot out of his seat. "I object! They are part of the prosecution's case. We do not wish to present them at this time. Mr Mason will have to wait until this hearing goes to a jury trial."
Thatcher looked over at Sullivan. "You mean 'if' it goes to a jury trial, don't you, Mr Sullivan?"
"Well, yes, of course. That is exactly what I meant," he said.
"I thought so," Thatcher said, knowing fully well it was not what Sullivan meant at all. Why didn't prosecutors just admit their mistake? As far as he was concerned, by saying that is what he meant, it was the same as lying. It wasn't what he meant at all. He already decided the case was going to a jury trial. "Mr Mason, as you know, in the preliminary, the prosecution only has to present enough evidence to show a murder has been committed and that there is cause to believe the defendant committed it."
Mason bowed slightly. "Yes, Your Honor, I am aware of that. However, the witness said she saw the face of Corbin Schulte clearly and that she was standing at the door when she heard the alleged conversation. She also stated Dr Stern was standing beside the bed. The defense submits that if those statements are true, it was not possible for her to see Corbin Schulte's face. The defense has the right to impeach this witness's testimony."
"You don't have the right to anything the prosecution has that we don't choose to present in the preliminary hearing," Sullivan said angrily.
How did he get so lucky as to adjudicate another trial with Perry Mason as the defense attorney? Thatcher shook his head and ran his hand down his face. "Mr Mason, is it your contention to prove the witness has errored in the ability to see the face of the deceased, and that the photos will prove your claim?"
"That is exactly what I intend to prove," Mason stated confidently.
"Mr Sullivan, are the pictures Mr Mason is referring to in the courtroom?"
Sullivan didn't like where this was going. He didn't have to produce those pictures in the preliminary hearing. "Yes, they are, but we will not be presenting them until the jury trial . . ." Catching himself, knowing the judge would scold him again, he added, "if this goes to a jury trial."
"You are correct that you don't have to present your entire case in the preliminary. However, Mr Mason has every right to impeach this witness if he is able. Therefore, I am going to order the prosecution to produce the photos at this time."
"Your Honor!" Sullivan shouted.
"You heard me, Mr Sullivan. Produce the photos."
Sullivan could barely contain his anger. The judge had no right to force him to do this. Red faced, he said, "They are on a thumb drive."
"That is not a problem, we have a computer in the courtroom which will project the pictures to the screen."
Sullivan reached into his pocket and removed the thumb drive. "Your Honor, there is other evidence on the drive we do not wish to present at this time."
"That is fine. You can put the thumb drive into the computer and show the court the pictures Mr Mason is talking about."
Sullivan walked over to the computer and placed the thumb drive in the usb slot. He glanced back at Mason. The esteemed attorney was lucky looks could not kill. The prosecutor made sure the computer didn't project anything to the screen until he located the picture Mason demanded to see. He then turned around and went back to the prosecution table.
Mason walked over to the computer. He pointed at the exact spot he believed Kane stated Stern was standing. The program showed an arrow marking the spot. "Is this where you were standing, Nurse Kane?"
She looked at the screen. Her face paled. She now knew what Mason was up to. "Well . . . I . . . might have been . . ."
"Nurse Kane, isn't it obvious that if you were standing here at the door," he pointed, "and Ben Stern was standing here where you have stated in your earlier testimony," he pointed again, "that it would have been impossible for you to see Corbin Schulte's face?"
"Well . . . I . . . must be mistaken. Dr Stern must have been standing at the foot of the bed. Yes, that must be it."
"Isn't it well known that Ben Stern always stands right by the bed when speaking with a patient?"
"Objection! Mr Mason cannot substantiate that," Sullivan called out.
"Oh, but I can," Mason said, and walked back to the defense table. Della Street handed him a stack of papers." The lawyer walked back to the witness stand. "I have in my hand statements signed by fifty-five former patients of Dr Stern's and witnessed by a notary. In each and every statement, the patient has stated Dr Stern always stood right next to their bedside, even demanding anything obstructing his ability to do so be removed from the area. I would like to enter them into evidence as exhibit — "
Sullivan didn't even hear the exhibit identification. He sat sulking in his seat.
"Mr Sullivan, any objection?" Thatcher asked.
"No objection," he said, adding quietly, "not that objecting would do any good. Mason gets all the breaks."
"What was that, Mr Sullivan? Speak up so the court can hear you."
"Nothing, Your Honor." He hadn't meant for the judge to hear the last statement.
Thatcher kept his glare on Sullivan. "So moved, Mr Mason." Sooner or later he would have to deal with Gary Sullivan's behavior. The documents were marked and added into evidence.
"Miss Kane, you were mistaken as to being able to see Corbin Schulte's face. Isn't it possible that you are mistaken about what you heard?"
"No, I know what I heard." She shook her head. Ben Stern deserved to go to prison for the murder of Corbin Schulte. Mason wasn't going to confuse her about what she heard.
"Dr Stern's back was to you, wasn't it?" Mason asked.
"Yes."
"And you could not see Mr Schulte's face?"
"According to you," she snapped.
"I think we have proved you could not have, Miss Kane. In checking on the activity at the hospital, wasn't there a code red in the room next to Mr Schulte?"
"Yes, there was."
"And wasn't there a loud piercing warning sounding in the hall next door?"
"Yes."
"So, isn't it possible it interfered with your ability to hear the conversation between Dr Stern and Corbin Schulte clearly?"
"I know what I heard?" she snarled.
"You sure?" Mason demanded.
"Yes, I am sure."
"As sure as you were that you could see Corbin Schulte's face when the conversation took place with Dr Stern?" Mason didn't give her time to answer before turning and stating, "I am finished with this witness."
Damn Mason!! Sullivan thought. He didn't think to blame himself for not preparing his witness better.
"We will adjourn for the day. The hearing will continue tomorrow at 10:00. Court is dismissed."
Sullivan slammed his paperwork into his briefcase and practically ran out of the courtroom. Mason may have muddied the waters, but he couldn't change the most important part of Kane's testimony.
Mason watched him. He wasn't kidding himself. Despite being able to mix Nurse Kane up, the motive was there. "Della, let's get something to eat. I would like to spend some time alone with you before Bob monopolizes my time. I really wish we could have stayed in a hotel. Having to keep my hands off you is killing me."
Della smiled as she picked up his papers and put them back into his briefcase. "You'll live, Mr Mason."
"Are you sure? You're my lifeline." He grinned, took her by the elbow and led her out of the courtroom.