Wonderful Short Stories

by Stan Mason

  Grade was stumped but he threw an off-cuff ridiculous question to the witness to give himself time to think. Unwittingly, he struck gold by accident. ‘Di you know Miss Jones at the time?’

  The first chink in her armou appeared as she hesitated for a brief moment. ‘Yes, I did.’

  ‘How well did you know her?’

  ‘We went to school together. We were in the same class.’

  ‘And did you ever see her or meet her betweent he period when you left school to the time you agreed to marry the Defendant?’

  Melanie paused again. ‘Yes, we were friends and lived fairly close to each other. We met quite regularly.’

  ‘Did you tell Miss Joners about the Defendant?’

  ‘I suppose I did. I think I told her we’d got engaged.’

  ‘What was her view of the Defendant?’

  The Plaintiff’s Counsel leapt to his feet quickly again. ‘Objection!’ he called out. ‘Hearsay. Counsel is asking for the hearsay evidence of another person.’

  ‘Objection sustained!’ boomed the Judge without hesitation. ‘You should know better than that, Mr. Grade!’

  The lawyer blundered on for the next ten minutes without making any headway at all. He was on the edge of despair when Sam Snood, his assistant, entered the Courtroom with a sheet of paper in his hand. The lawyer glanced at it briefly and then turned on the witness with new vigour.

  ‘Melanie Hines,’ he began with a new onslaught. ‘That is your name, isn’t it?’

  She appeared somewhat uncomfortable at a seeminingly innocent question. ‘That’s my name.’

  ‘I don’t think so. Your name is Mrs. Melaine Lomax. That’t the truth, isn’t it?’

  ‘At the time Mr. Tanner proposed to me, I was Melanie Hines.’

  ‘When did you get married, Mrs. Lomax?’

  ‘Some time ago.’

  Grade glanced at the piece of paper in his hand. ‘Three months after the Defendant proposed to you. Is that not so?’

  ‘I can’t remember,. It was some time ago.’ Her resolve was beginning to collapse.

  ‘If you married only three months after the Defendant proposed to you, you must have met your husband either before or just after it happened. Don’t you agree?’ The see-saw evidence was beginning to tip the scales.

  ‘I can’t remember.’

  ‘Surely you recall something as important as that, Mrs. Lomax!’ He kept emphasising her married name to influence the jury but he knew that she was now on the rack. ‘You didn’t really accept the Defendant’s proposal of marriage, did you? You may have nodded it through, leading him to believe that you would marry him without any intention of doing so. What was your true intention? To have a good time with him, make him pay for taking you out and accepting presents from him when all the time you had your sights on Mr. Lomax who you married shortly afterwards. That’s the truth, isn’t it?’

  ‘I promised to marry Mr. Tanner.’

  ‘But you didn’t, did you. You immediately married Mr. Lomax instead! This jury isn’ stupid, Miss Hines! They can all see that there’s more to this than meets the eyes and you don’t come out very well at the end of it. They know that you asked Eleanour Jones to take the Defendant off your hands so that you could marry the man you loved, the one who had taken your fancy... Mr. Lomax!’

  The witness became flustered and confused. ‘No I didn’t... I mean she didn’t!’

  ‘Come, Mrs. Lomax. There you are with the Defendant and Mr. Lomax, who you either knew before or who had just come along, and you were hedging your bets. Mr. Lomax seemed to you to be the far better catch. The problem was what to do with the Defendant. You promised to marry him! And then you have a brilliant idea! Ask Eleanour Jones to take him off your hands. You can then claim he was a philanderer and get out of your contract to marry him.’

  ‘No... that’s not right. It didn’t happen that way!’

  There are two matters the jury will consider here, Mrs. Lomax. Firstly, Miss Jones is the next witness in this case. Now that your friendship has been revealed, I’m certain she will tell the Court the truth. So be very careful what you say with regard to your arrangment with her. Perjury is a punishable offence! Secondly, why didn’t you claim Breach of Promise against the Defendant at the time? Why wait until now? The reason is obvious. Marriage to Mr. Lomax!’ He turned and walked back to his seat befoe the witness could utter another word. ‘No further questions!’ he called out triumphantly. He turned to Snood with a sigh of relief. ‘I thought you were never going to get here,’ he whispered. ‘Another two minutes and she would have slipped form my grasp.’

  ‘I’ve got something even better for Eleanour Jones,’ remarked his assistant eagerly. He opened his briefcase and removed a sheet of paper. ‘Have a look at this!’

  The lawyer took it and glanced at the details, his eyes glowing with excitement. With the information to hand, Eleaner Jones was going to be a pushover. In cross-examination, the witness admitted that she had been a friend of Melanie Hines from way back and that made a lot of difference to the case as far as Grade was concerned.

  ‘Miss Hines was a very close friend and you would do anything for her, wouldn’t you?’ he asked the new witness.

  ‘Most things a friend would do.’

  ‘And she would do the same for you, wouldn’t she... if she needed your help... as a friend?’

  ‘That goes without saying.’

  ‘Can I take you back to the time when the Defendant proposed to you after Miss Hines married Mr. Lomax? Were you going out with anyone else when you first met him?’

  Miss Jones stared at him blankly. ‘I had been seeing someone else but it was over by the time I met Mr Tanner.’

  ‘No it wasn’t!’ exclaimed Grade bluntly. ‘It wasn’t over at all! You were nearly three months pregnant when you and Melanie Hines formed a conspiracy.’

  The Plaintiff’s Counsel nearly threw a fit and objected most vociferously at the allegation. The Judge overruled him but warned Grade to be careful with his line of questioning.

  ‘Melanie Hines,’ continued the lawyer in cross-examination, was interested in marrying Mr. Lomax not the Defendant. And you had a problem as well. You discovered that you too were pregnant from a previous lover who had left you and was unlikely to return. The Defendant’s appearance was like manna from Heaven to you. He became useful to both of you. In the first place he caused Mr. Lomax to become jealous, influencing to ask Melanie Hines to marry him. In the second place, he would be an ideal step-father for your child if he married you... although you would never reveal that the child had been conceived with someone else. And before you answer, I would point out to you that Mrs. Lomax has given evidence to the Court about you and herself. So be very careful to tell the truth!’ The wintess swallowd hard and began to look distressed. ‘Tell the Court, Miss Jones! Why is it you never married the Defendant?’

  She seemed to be on the point of breaking down but managed to maintain control. However, all signs of resistance were gone.

  ‘It’s true. Melanie fell in love with Reg Lomax after Mr. Tanner proposed to her and we thought it would be a good idea if he married me instead... especially as I was pregnant. We could kill two birds with one stone. But Mr. Tanner went to New York for two months with regard to his work. By the time he came back, I was as big as a house. I looked enormous and, as we’d never slept together, he would know it wasn’t his child. Because of that, I never saw him again on his return to England.’

  The lawyer decided it was time to turn the screw for the benefit of the jury. Within a few minutes they would eliminate both Eleanor Jones and Melanie Hines from the case. ‘Do you know much about the law of Breach of Promise, Miss Jones?’

  ‘Only that when a man proposes to a woman and backs out of it he can be sued for Breach of Promise.’

  ‘Perf
ectly correct. But other matters may be involved. For example, a defence exists if, at the time of the Defendant’s proposal and your acceptance, you were guilty of immorality. As you were pregnant by another man to whom you were not married, that was clearly the case. Secondly, a defence exists if you wilfully misrepresented to the Defendant any important matters regarding your life and family. Well bearing a child from another man falls into that category. You never told the Defendant you were pregnant by another man at the time you accepted his proposal of marriage, did you? Therefore, it’s impossible for you to substantiate a case of Breach of Promise, Miss Jones, and that’s an end to it!’ He sat back on his seat again, blowing out his cheeks with relief. He had fooled her into believing that Melanie Lomax had told the Court all about their conspiracy... and he had got away with it!

  ‘Three down, two to go,’ whispered Snood. ‘I think Mr Tanner owes you more than one drink for this so far.’

  ‘But what do I do about the next one,’ bleated Grade with a frown on his face.

  ‘I think we have enough,’ declared his assistant, taking another sheet of paper from his briefcase.

  ‘My goodness!’ uttered Grade. ‘You have been busy!’

  Janet Old claimed that she had met Tanner eight months earlier. He had dined her, wooed her, made love to her, and proposed to her. When it came to cross-examination, Grade looked at the attractive woman with her clear blue eyes and long blonde hair. She had dressed most elegantly for her visit to the Courtroom.

  ‘Miss Old,’ he began slowly. ‘You give the impression that your relationship with the Defendant ended in disaster. Why is that?’

  She stared at him coldly with a Medusa-like stare. ‘He gave the impression that he was romantic and caring but his only interest is to pass on from one woman to the next. It’s a flaw in his character. He doesn’t seem to be able to maintain a relationship with a woman for any length of time,... let alone a lifetime of marriage. Castration! That’s the only way to deal with men like that!’

  ‘Your dislike of the Defendant appears to go most deeply.’

  ‘It does! I detest the man!’

  ‘You’re twenty-two years of age. Was the Defendant your first intimate male friend?’

  ‘Mr. Tanner was my first serious beau,’ she retorted sharply. ‘He proposed to me and I accepted.’

  ‘Did he make love to you?’

  She bridled at the question. ‘I don’t think that’s any business of this Court!’

  ‘But you did say something of that nature in this Court. You said that the Defendant dined you, wooed you, and made love to you before he proposed to you. Do you wish to change any of that?’

  The witness shrugged her shoulders in defeat. ‘No... it was the truth. He made love to me... for what it was worth! I can tell you there more satisfaction in eating a bowl of cold rice pudding than making love with Mr. Tanner.’

  A giant wave of laughter rippled through the Courtroom and the Judge strove hard to restore silence by banging his gavel repeatedly on the bench.

  ‘You found a sexual relationship with the Defendant horrendous, didn’t you?’

  The Plaintiff’s Counsel leapt to his feet once more but the Judge halted him with a wave of his hand.

  ‘The witness has already admitted an intimate relationship with the Defendant,’ exclaimed the Judge judiciously, ‘by comparing it with a bowl of cold rice pudding. He turned to Grade tiredly. ‘I hope we’re not going to labour over old ground,’ he complained.

  The lawyer nodded and then resumed his onslaught on Janet Old. ‘It isn’t the Defendant that you really detest, is it? He’s a nice enough person in his own way. It was the sex you hated so much, wasn’t it?’

  Miss Old’s nostrils flared and she bridled again. ‘It wasn’t any fun?’

  ‘And you say that for a reason, don’t you?’

  ‘I don’t know what you mean.’

  Grade returned to his desk slowly and picked up the sheet of paper that Snood had given him. ‘Do you know a woman by the name of Gillian Ann Holmes who lives at fourteen Charteris Road in Kilburn?’

  There was a long pause as the witness swallowed hard and hesitated. ‘I know her,’ she managed to say.

  ‘It’s the same address where you live, isn’t it?’

  ‘Yes... I live there.’

  ‘What’s your relation ship with Miss Holmes?’

  ‘She and I are friends. We share an apartment.’

  ‘Indeed you are friends. She’s outside the Court waiting to give evidence of the extent of your friendship. I think the term for two women in a habitual sexual relationship is commonly known as Lesbianism.’

  Janet Old wilted in the witness box as a loud murmur rippled through the Courtroom. ‘Both before and after you met the Defendant, you lived with Miss Holmes entering into a sexual relationship with her. When the Defendant made love to you, you found it to be totally abhorrent and decided that you had enough of men. You never intended to marry the Defendant but simply used him in an experiment with a man. The evidence you have given with regard to his association with other women is sheer fabrication, is it not? Well Miss Holmes will give evidence later to enlighten us still further.’

  ‘No!’ shouted the witness in desperation. ‘I don’t want her to be called into Court. You Don’t understand the situation. She and I are in love with each other. I came only because Phoebe Starlight persuaded me to do so. I don’t want to go on any more!’

  ‘Are you withdrawing your name from the summons?’ asked Grade knowing that he had won the game.

  ‘Yes... I withdraw my name!’

  The Judge dismissed the witness and declared a recess for lunch as Janet Old left the Courtroom as the lawyer returned to his seat.

  ‘I didn’t know we called Gillian Holmes as a witness,’ commented Snood with an element of surprise as they left the Courtroom. ‘I only found out about her yesterday and the relationship couldn’t be proved. If both women denied it, we’d be sunk. How did you get her to come to Court so quickly?’

  ‘I didn’t,’ replied Grade unashamedly. ‘I used psychology. Janet Old knew that her lover would spill the beans and it might also affect their relationship. So I used the situation to my own advantage. I didn’t really know about the woman, let alone call her to Court.’

  ‘And what if she’d called your bluff?’

  The lawyer smiled easily. ‘Well she didn’t, did she?’

  Snood shook his head with a grin on his face. ‘You’re a cool rascal! A real cool rascal!’

  Roland Tanner was in a tremendous mood at the interval. There was only Phoebe Starlight left.

  ‘You’ve done a great job so far... a great job... and I’m really indebted to you. The way you tore them apart... gee... I wish I could see it all over again!’ stated the Defendant as they went to a restaurant for lunch. ‘Did you see the look on those women’s faces? It was a picture!’

  ‘Before you get carried away, Mr. Tanner,’ cut in Snood annoyed at the irreverent attitude of the man to the alleged victims. ‘Remember, you did propose to those women!’

  ‘Yes,’ returned Tanner on reflection. ‘You’re right. I did. How are you going to deal with Phoebe? She’s a much tougher nut to crack.’

  ‘She’s the Plaintiff in this case,’ stated Grade. ‘We’ve got nothing on her at all. She seems to be as clean as a whistle. But one thing’s certain. You’re facing only one case of Breach of Promise instead of five.’

  They returned to the Court a little later and Phoebe Starlight stood in the witness box. She looked radiant in a smart black dress, with lovely auburn hair, brown eyes, a very trim figure, and she spoke beautifully. She looked like a lady and there was no doubt that she would influence a number of male members of the jury to maintain a relationship with her if they were given the chance.

  ‘Mis
s Starlight,’ began Grade., with nothing but a hope and a prayer to go on. ‘The Defendant proposed to you four months ago. Is that correct?’

  ‘That’s correct,’ she replied in a smooth low tone.

  ‘What made you think he would refuse to marry you?’

  ‘Because after he proposed, we spent a night together in a hotel and then he disappeared. I tried to contact him by letters and telephone and I even sent him three telegrams but he refused to reply and never turned up again. So I went to my solicitor to sue him for Breach of Promise.’

  ‘I believe that you’re a widow. You husband was killed in a tragic accident three years ago.’

  ‘He was only twenty-five. He died in a motor vehicle accident on the Brighton Road.’

  A groan could be heard to echo through the Courtroom. Miss Starlight was already becoming a popular witness to the crowd.

  ‘Will you tell the Court the details of the proposal of marriage by the Defendant?’

  ‘We met each other at a bridge club and eventually came partners. One evening, Mr. Tanner invited me to the White Hart hotel. Over dinner, he declared that he couldn’t get me out of his mind because he had fallen in love with me. I told him that I felt the same way and we agreed to get married.’

  ‘You agreed to marry. Was this a mutual arrangement or did the Defendant bend on his knee and propose to you in the traditional way?’

  She paused for a moment to reflect. ‘Well he didn’t get down on his knee. We were dining at a hotel. We talked about marriage and then he asked me to marry him.’

  ‘Are you sure that he was the one who suggested marriage?’

  ‘I thought he did but now that I think about it I’m not sure. I can’t remember exactly how it happened.’

  ‘What you’re saying is that the Defendant may not have proposed to you. In fact it was more likely that you proposed to him. That’s the truth, isn’t it?’

  The witness stared at him blankly. She was suddenly confused at the turn of events. ‘I’m not sure,’ she managed to say, watching the case slipping away from her. ‘We had a number of drinks. I thought that he proposed to me.