John Carr - The Judas Window

‘I will.'

'Go on, please.'

"Considering what I have heard, I think it best that we should settle matters concerning my daughter."

The judge turned his small eyes towards counsel and spoke in the same unhurried voice:

'Mr Lawton, do you propose to establish that it was the prisoner speaking at the other end of the telephone?'

'My lord, with your permission, we shall produce a witness who overheard both sides of the conversation on an extension of the telephone at the end of the hall; and will, I think, be willing to testify as to whether or not it was the prisoner's voice speaking.'

From the left side of the front bench issued a vast throat-clearing. It had an evil and war-hunting quality. Up rose H.M. leaning his knuckles on the desk. For some reason the tail of his wig seemed to stick up straight behind like a pigtail. His voice was the first human sound we had heard here.

'Me lord,' rumbled H.M., 'if it's goin' to save the court's time any, we're ready to admit that it was the prisoner speakin’. In fact, we're goin' to insist on it.'

After bows, and a curious feeling of wonder in the court, he thumped down. Under iron politeness the amusement among counsel communicated itself to Mr Lawton's grave bow.

'You may proceed, Mr Lawton,' said the judge.

Counsel turned to the witness. 'You have told us that the deceased said: "Considering what I have heard, Mr Answell, I think it best that we should settle matters concerning my daughter." What else did he say?'

'He said: "Yes, I quite appreciate that" - waiting, you see, as though the other person had said something in the meantime - "but this is not the place to discuss it. Can you arrange to call at my home?" Then: "Would six o'clock this evening be convenient?"'

'What was his tone when he said this?'

"Very curt and formal.'

'And what happened then?'

'He put up the receiver quite quietly, and looked at the phone for a moment, and then he said: "My dear Answell, I'll settle your hash, damn you."'

Pause.

'And how did he speak these words?' 'The same way he had spoken before, only more satisfied.'

'You gathered that he was talking to himself: that is to say, speaking his thoughts aloud?' 'Yes.'

Like most witnesses, when coming to tell a story or quoting actual words, she was on the defensive. She seemed to feel that each word she said might be picked up and used against her. Under the shadow of the black hat, with its brim like the peak of a cap, her faded good looks and fashionable glasses seemed to withdraw. If there is such a thing as a severely practical clinging-vine, it was Amelia Jordan. She had a singularly sweet voice, which gave even the mild expletive 'damn' a sound of incongruity.

"What did you do after you had heard this?'

'I went away quickly.' Hesitation. 'I was so - well, so shocked at all this sudden change, and the way he spoke about Mr Answell, that I did not know what to think; and I did not want him to see me.'

'Thank you.' Counsel reflected. "Considering what I have heard" repeated Lawton, in a ruminative way, but with very distinct pronunciation. 'Was it your impression that Mr Hume had heard something against the prisoner which had caused him to change his mind so forcibly?'

The judge spoke without a muscle seeming to move in his face.

'Mr Lawton, I cannot allow that. Counsel has already stated that the Crown attempt to show no definite cause in this matter. You will therefore refrain from implying one.'

'Beg-lordship's-pardon,' said the other with hearty humility, and an immediate turn. 'I assure your lordship that it was far from my intention. Let me try again. Miss Jordan: should you describe Mr Hume as a man whose conduct was governed by whims?'

'No, of all people.'

'He was a reasonable man, influenced by reasons?' ‘Yes.'

'If (let us say) he thought John Smith an intelligent man on Monday, he would not think him a complete imbecile on Tuesday unless he had discovered some good reason for thinking, so?'

The judge's soft voice silenced every creak in the court.

'Mr Lawton, I must insist that you stop leading the witness.'

Counsel, in gentlemanly humility, muttered: 'If-yr-ludship-pleases,' and went on: 'Now, Miss Jordan, let us come to the evening of January 4th. At six o'clock on that evening, how many people (to your knowledge) were in the house?'

'There was Mr Hume, and Dyer, and myself.' 'Are there no other occupants?'

'Yes, Dr Hume and a cook and a maid. But the cook and the maid had the evening off. And I was to pick up Dr Hume in the car at St Praed's Hospital as near six-fifteen as I could, because we were driving straight down to Sussex from there -'

'Quite, Miss Jordan,' interposed counsel, smoothing away the volubility of nervousness. 'Where were you at about six-ten?'

'I was upstairs, packing up. Dr Hume had asked me whether I would put a few things into a suitcase for him, because he did not have time to come home from the hospital to get them; and I was packing my own valise -'

'Exactly; we quite understand. I believe that at about six-ten you heard the front-door bell ring?'

‘Yes.'

'What did you do?'

'I ran out to the stairs and looked over the banisters.'

'Did you see the prisoner come in?'

'Yes. I - I peeped through the lower part of the banisters,' said the witness, and flushed. She added: 'I wanted to see what he looked like.'

'Quite natural. Will you describe what happened?'

'Dyer opened the door. The - that man over there,' with a quick look, 'came in. He said his name was Answell, and that Mr Hume was expecting him. He dropped his hat on the floor. Dyer asked him for his hat and coat, and he said he preferred to keep his coat on.'

'He preferred to keep his overcoat on,' said counsel slowly. 'What was his demeanour then?'

'He spoke very angrily.'

'And after that?'

'Dyer took him down the hall, and round the bend of the little passage that goes to the study. He looked up at me as he went past. They went into the study, and that is all I saw. I went upstairs to finish packing. I did not know what to think.'

'Just tell us what you did, Miss Jordan; that will be sufficient. Let us go on to a few minutes before half-past six. Where were you then?'

'I put on my hat and coat and picked up the bags and came downstairs. Dyer had been told to bring the car round from the garage in Mount Street and put it at the door. I had been expecting him to call me, but when I came downstairs I could not find anyone. I went down to the study door to find out whether Mr Hume had any last messages or instructions before I left.'

'He had no "last messages", Miss Jordan,' commented Mr Lawton, with unscrupulous grimness. 'What did you do?'

'I was going to knock at the door when I heard someone behind it say: "Get up, damn you."' Again the word fell with some incongruity from her lips. She pronounced it self-consciously, as people do in public.

'Anything else?'

'Yes, I think it also said: "Get up off that floor and say something."' 'Was it a loud voice?' 'Rather loud.'

'Was it the prisoner's voice?'

'I know now it was. I hardly recognized it then. I associated it somehow with what I had heard Mr Hume say that morning -'

'Did you try the door?'

'Yes, for a second.'

'Was it bolted on the inside?'

'Well, I did not think about its being bolted then. It was locked somehow.' 'And then?'

'Just then Dyer came round the corner of the passage with his hat and overcoat. I ran to him and said: "They are fighting; they are killing each other; go and stop them." He said: "I will go for a constable." I said: "You are a coward; run next door and fetch Mr Fleming."' 'What were you doing then?'

‘I was dancing up and down, I think. He would not go; he said that I had better go in case anything happened, and with me alone in the house. So I did.'