Part 15 (1/2)
”The waters where the yacht was found?”
”I am not familiar with those waters except in a general way. Most of our work is done a lot closer to the sh.o.r.e line.”
”I understand. But you know generally the waters, and quite particularly you are familiar with the waters between the coast line and the place where the yacht was found?”
”Yes, sir.”
”That yacht was some distance on the other side of Catalina Island?”
”Yes, sir.”
”Now, then,” Mason said, ”what are the chances that the yacht with no one aboard except the dead woman could have started out from Los Angeles yacht harbor or the Deep Sea Cruising Yacht Club near Long Beach with the steering mechanism locked in position so that it would have gone in a straight line and have sailed out to the place where it was found without mishap--and without attracting attention because of failure to follow regulations or display running lights--a.s.suming, Captain, that there was no one aboard the yacht other than the body of the decedent?”
”Ordinarily I would have said the chances would be pretty slim,” the captain admitted, ”but here we are confronted with an established fact. Regardless of the percentage of chances, the yacht did do that very thing.”
”Now, just a moment, Your Honor,” Fraser said. ”I don't see the purpose of this examination. I don't see what counsel expects to accomplish by it.”
It's legitimate cross-examination,” Judge Keyser said. ”Anyway, the question has been answered. Let the answer stand.”
”What was the cruising radius of the yacht? With a full tank of gasoline, how far would it have gone?”
”We don't know the tank was full,” Fraser objected.
”This is simply cross-examination,” Judge Keyser said. ”He can ask anything he wants to about the yacht. The Court, frankly, is interested in this. It's rather a significant phase of the case. At least, it seems so to the Court.”
”The cruising radius would have varied depending upon wind, tide and weather conditions, but if the tanks had all been full, the cruising radius would have been . . . well, somewhat beyond the point where we found the yacht.”
”You're a.s.suming, then, that the tanks were not full when the yacht was started on its journey. Is that right?”
”Yes.”
”There was some sort of a steering mechanism on the yacht which would hold it to its course?”
”That is right. There are several variations of mechanical devices which hold a yacht on course. Some of them are quite elaborate, working with compa.s.s directions so that a yacht can be set on a compa.s.s course and will hold that course. Some of them are simply devices to hold the yacht steady after the course has been manually selected.”
”a.s.suming that you were on that yacht at Long Beach, that you wanted to point it in the direction where it was located by the Navy and picked up by you, would it have been possible for you to have set that steering gear so that the yacht would have been pointed in that direction and gone on until the fuel tanks became dry?”
”I think it could have been done, because I know it was done.”
”If the yacht had started from its regular mooring, wouldn't it have had to sail right through Catalina Island to arrive at the place where it was found?”
”Not necessarily.”
”What do you mean by that?”
”I think it might have been difficult, although not impossible, for the yacht to have been sailing blind through all the ocean traffic without being noticed. It could have cleared the westerly end of the island, then, after the fuel was exhausted, drifted to the portion of the ocean where it was found.”
”You think the yacht did that?”
”I feel certain it must have.”
”Then you feel the murderer was not aboard after the yacht left its mooring?”
”Not unless he was an exceptional swimmer.”
Judge Keyser frowned at the t.i.tter of the audience.
”What are the chances that the yacht could have made the trip without collision, without having wind and tidal currents get it off course so that it would have run into trouble?”
”That depends on what you mean by trouble. Once the course had been set so as to miss Catalina Island, there was very little to stop it.”
”Except the normal small-boat traffic on the water?”
”Yes.”
”That is a considerable factor?”
”That depends. It depends on when the yacht was started, it depends on conditions.”
”There were no running lights on the yacht?”
”You mean that were lit?”
”Yes.”
”No, the lights were not lit.”
”Indicating that the yacht had made its journey during daylight hours?”
”Either that or it had violated the regulations in regard to navigation.”
”And if the yacht had been detected violating those regulations, something would have been done about it?”
”Yes.”
”Now, this yacht was found in a restricted area?”
”Yes.”
”It is customary for the Navy to use radar in that area for the purpose of detecting small boats which may have entered the area?”
”I believe so, yes.”
”Therefore, if the person who started that yacht on its way had wanted the yacht to vanish, to sail on into oblivion, that person would hardly have selected that particular area?”
”Not if the individual was familiar with the restricted areas.”
”And this was a restricted area?”
”Yes, sir.”