The After House - Page 96/108

"Yes."

"When?"

"That same morning."

"Where? And by whom?"

"Miss Lee found it on the floor in Mr. Turner's room."

The prosecution was totally unprepared for this reply, and

proceedings were delayed for a moment while the attorneys consulted.

On the resumption of my examination, they made a desperate attempt

to impeach my character as a witness, trying to show that I had

sailed under false pretenses; that I was so feared in the after

house that the women refused to allow me below, or to administer

to Mr. Turner the remedies I prepared; and, finally, that I had

surrendered myself to the crew as a suspect, of my own accord.

Against this the cross-examination threw all its weight. The

prosecuting attorneys having dropped the question of the key, the

shrewd young lawyer for the defense followed it up:-"This key, Dr. Leslie, do you know where it is now?"

"Yes; I have it."

"Will you tell how it came into your possession?"

"Certainly. I picked it up on the deck, a night or so after the

murders. Miss Lee had dropped it." I caught Elsa Lee's eye, and

she gave me a warm glance of gratitude.

"Have you the key with you?"

"Yes." I produced it.

"Are you a football player, Doctor?"

"I was."

"I thought I recalled you. I have seen you play several times.

In spite of our friend the attorney for the commonwealth, I do not

believe we will need to call character witnesses for you. Did you

see Miss Lee pick up the key to the storeroom in Mr. Turner's room?"

"Yes."

"Did it occur to you at the time that the key had any significance?"

"I wondered how it got there."

"You say you listened inside the locked door, and heard no sound,

but felt a board rise up under your knee. A moment or two later,

when you called the prisoner, he was intoxicated, and reeled. Do

you mean to tell us that a drunken man could have made his way in

the darkness, through a cabin filled with chairs, tables, and a

piano, in absolute silence?"

The prosecuting attorney was on his feet in an instant, and the

objection was sustained. I was next shown the keys, club, and file

taken from Singleton's mattress. "You have identified these objects

as having been found concealed in the prisoner's mattress. Do any

of these keys fit the captain's cabin?"

"No."

"Who saw the prisoner during the days he was locked in his cabin?"

"I saw him occasionally. The cook saw him when he carried him his meals."

"Did you ever tell the prisoner where the axe was kept?"

"No."

"Did the members of the crew know?"

"I believe so. Yes."

"Was the fact that Burns carried the key to the captain's cabin a

matter of general knowledge?"