Lydia Carr, whose black veil had defeated the news camera levelled at
her poor scarred face, was the first witness called by Coroner Price,
and she was required for the single purpose of identifying the body as
that of her mistress. To two perfunctory questions--"Have you any
information to give this jury regarding the cause and manner of the
deceased's death?" and "Have you any personal knowledge of the identity
of any person, man or woman, of whom the deceased stood in fear of her
life?"--Lydia answered a flat "No!" and was then dismissed.
Karen Marshall, looking far too young to be the wife of the elderly
ex-judge, Hugo Marshall, was the second witness called. Dr. Price guided
her gently to a brief recital of her discovery of the dead body of her
hostess, emphasizing only the fact that, so far as she could see, the
bedroom was unoccupied except by the corpse at the time of the
discovery.
He then handed her the photostatic copy of a blueprint of the ground
floor of the Selim house, with a pencilled ring drawn around the
bedroom. Karen falteringly identified it, as well as the pencil-drawn
furniture, and was immediately dismissed--to the packed rows of
spectators and reporters.
Dr. Price himself took the stand next and described, in technical terms,
the wound which had caused death and the caliber of the bullet he had
extracted from the dead woman's heart.
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