Part 25 (2/2)
”No. Everything was clean.”
”What about these various items on the table? Would you identify them for the court?” She found the photograph of the entire table and showed it to him.
”Objection,” Novak said, jumping to his feet. ”May I approach, Your Honor?”
Judge Mac beckoned him to come forward. He turned off his microphone and waited until Novak and Barbara were together before the bench. ”What is it, Mr. Novak? On what grounds?”
”Immaterial. It has nothing to do with the murder, and there's no point in dragging the personal, private lives of the two deceased people out in the open. It's to no end, except sensationalism. Those are Mrs. Marchand's birth-control pills and condoms. What's the point in making an issue of them?”
Judge Mac turned to Barbara. ”I tend to agree with him. Do you have a point to make concerning those items?”
”I do, but it can wait until the defense presents its case and has laid a solid foundation. However, at that time I will have to recall Lieutenant Whorley to identify the items on the table.”
”And I'll make the same objection,” Novak said heatedly. ”Irrelevant and immaterial.”
”Mr. Novak, at that time will you stipulate as to the ident.i.ty of those items?” Judge Mac asked calmly.
”Yes. If they're admitted at all,” he said, but not with good grace.
”Very well. Ms. Holloway, will you withdraw your question at this time with that understanding?”
”Yes, Your Honor. Thank you.”
He waved them away and Barbara withdrew the question. When she turned back to her table, she saw Dolly Feldman gazing at her with undisguised hostility.
She faced the lieutenant again. ”Did you recover fingerprints on the lid of the skillet?”
”Just smudges.”
”How about the control for the stove burner? Did you recover fingerprints from it?”
”No. Just smudges.”
”The oven control?”
”Leona Marchand's prints were on it.”
”Did you find more than one dish towel out and in use in the kitchen?”
”No. Just the one.”
”The one on the counter? Is that the one that had linseed oil on it?”
”Yes.”
”All right. Since you recapitulated the crime earlier, I'd like you to do it again, and this time add some of the new evidence. For example, Mr. Marchand washed his hands in the lavatory. Then what?”
”He went to the stove and turned on the burner,” Whorley said, possibly bored and certainly indifferent.
”Did he remove the cover of the skillet first?”
”I don't know.”
”Was it on the counter nearby, not on the skillet?”
”Yes.”
”Did you lift it at any time?”
”Yes. We picked it up to test for fingerprints.”
”Was the counter moist under it?”
He thought about this for a moment, then said, ”I don't recall.”
”Had the lid been used? Was it spotless, or did it have food stains, moisture, even grease on it?”
”It had been used,” he said after a moment. ”It was a little greasy.”
”All right. Now, if someone took the lid from the skillet, wouldn't you expect to find that person's fingerprints on it?”
”He might have used a mitt, or even the dish towel to pick it up.”
”What would that suggest?”
”Objection,” Novak said, rising. ”This line of questioning is irrelevant and immaterial. Obviously, the lieutenant can't be held accountable for every single action that took place in that kitchen.”
”You opened that door,” Barbara said, ”when you invited Lieutenant Whorley to speculate about the sequence of events on which he based his entire investigation. I am merely exploring the events he left out of his account.”
”Her point,” Judge Mac said. ”Overruled. Proceed, Ms. Holloway.”
”Thank you, Your Honor. The question, Lieutenant, is: Did you at any time speculate about why there were no fingerprints on the skillet lid?”
”No. I didn't attach any importance to the lid.”
”Did you speculate about why there were no fingerprints on the dial to the burner that was turned on?”
”No, I didn't. He probably was carrying the towel at the time.”
”I see. Lieutenant Whorley, please continue recapitulating the events as you did before, but include some of the things you neglected the first time.”
His att.i.tude said clearly, It's a waste of your time and mine, but here goes. ”Mr. Marchand entered the house by the back door-”
”Let's stop a moment,” she said. ”Did you find linseed oil on the doork.n.o.b? Or the screen door?”
”On the screen-door pull,” he said. ”Not on the doork.n.o.b.”
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