Part 17 (1/2)

Following her denial, Henry asked her why 'they' would suggest that she had. She answered that she had no idea. d.a.m.n her, thought Henry. She won't rise to the bait.

Next, the chair turned to exhibit 5, which he identified as some of the standards used by the doc.u.ment examiners.

Apparently, he had heard and taken note when Trenchant had made a point of the fact that the so-called standards were copies.

”One is an original, here on top--the rest are copies.”

Then he continued, obliquely, asking, ”have you seen these before?”

”Since these exhibits were pa.s.sed around and discussed yesterday,”

Trenchant answered, ”I have seen something that appears like this.

”If you are asking if I wrote them, the answer is that I couldn't say. The one original in the packet looks like my signature but there is no date on it. I don't know when it was written and do not recall writing it.

”These others show dates of a long time ago. We're in the late eighties now and these are dated '61, '69. . .”

”We have some dated more current that the doc.u.ment examiners used.

I can send over to Mark's office for them.”

”Oh, you have additional evidence that I was not given before the hearing?

Is that correct?”

”No. Well, I mean no one has looked at it. No one on this committee either. This was handled between Mark and the doc.u.ment examiners. I will call Mark right now and have him bring them over.”

Henry left the hearing room and headed up the stairs to the witness waiting room where Mark was standing by for just such emergencies.

You'd think we were the ones on trial, he grumbled to himself.

Why does she persist in this inane manner when I've got everything so well planned out? ”Mark, Trenchant's called us on the remaining standards that you sent but that we decided not to include in the material we gave her. Please go and get them and bring them to the hearing room as soon as possible.”

As the men descended the stairs, Mark to leave and Henry to return to the hearing, Mark asked, ”how did she find out about them, Henry?”

”She was making such a fuss about all the standards having dates so far back that she couldn't identify them and the panel apparently thinks this is a valid reason why she won't identify them.

I had to say the doc.u.ment examiners had more recent samples of her handwriting or. . .” Henry broke off quickly as Helen came out of the room used by Diana's witnesses at the foot of the stairs.

”Hi, guys,” greeted Helen placidly. ”How's it going? Are you on a break?”

Spare me these emanc.i.p.ated females, thought Henry as he angrily ignored her, waived goodbye to Mark and reentered the hearing room.

Congenial old Mark, badly in need of a conversation fix after Ian had left, approached Helen with a wide smile.

”No,” he said to her, ”Henry just had to step out for a minute so he could tell me something he needed me to get for him.

”I'm on the way over to the admin building right now. You must be one of the witness for Diana. Sure hope this isn't too traumatic for you all. It really is a terrible thing to have happen at Belmont and I'm sure that as much as you all must like Diana and want to help her that as soon as you understand the preponderance of evidence against her, you'll decide. . .” Strange woman, he thought, as Helen went back into the waiting room and firmly closed the door. Oh well, I might as well go over and get that stuff for Henry.

Inside the hearing room, Henry had ruled that they would go ahead for now and introduce the material when it was brought over.

Continuing her challenge, Diana said, ”I repeat again, this is evidence, this is material that was sent to the doc.u.ment examiners that I have not seen. Is that correct? Even though you and Lyle have both a.s.sured me that I was given all the evidence?”

”Well, that only meant that you had all the material sent at that time.

This is additional information that the doc.u.ment examiners brought with them.”