Anatomy of a Murder Page #8

My word is my bond.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

You may proceed.

Your Honour...

...the defence notices a third person

at the prosecution's table.

We were wondering if the court

shares our curiosity about him?

I was about to introduce him.

Your Honour, this gentleman

is Dr. W. Gregory Harcourt.

Dr. Harcourt is the People's psychiatrist

in this case.

We ask that Dr. Harcourt be allowed

to sit at our table as an observer.

What will he observe? The constellation

of Taurus or the life of a bumblebee?

He'll observe the defendant.

That's fine.

The defence has no objection.

I just wish to express my relief...

...that the new recruit is not additional

legal reinforcements from Lansing.

We call Alphonse Paquette.

Raise your right hand, please.

You do solemnly swear

that the testimony you give...

...shall be the truth, the whole truth

and nothing but the truth?

- I do.

- Take the seat, please.

Will you state your name, please?

Alphonse Paquette.

- You work at the Thunder Bay Inn, right?

- I'm bartender there.

Were you working the night

Mr. Quill was shot by Frederick Manion?

- I was.

- Were you witness to the shooting?

I was.

Will you tell us in your own words, please,

what happened?

I was at a table by the door

when Lt. Manion came in.

Did you know Lt. Manion

by sight and name?

- Yes, sir.

- Go ahead.

He came in and walked over to the bar

and began to shoot.

He shot Barney

when he came up to the bar.

When Barney fell, he kept on shooting

down at Barney behind the bar.

Then he turned and walked out.

When Lt. Manion entered the bar,

how did he appear to you?

Well, he walked slow.

Kind of deliberate.

Did he speak to Barney Quill?

Not a word.

He just walked over

and pulled out his gun and "bang."

- And then he walked out?

- Yes.

When he walked out,

how did he appear to you?

He seemed just like he did

when he walked in.

Like he was the mailman delivering mail.

When Lt. Manion walked out of the bar,

what did you do?

It happened so fast,

I guess I was stunned...

...but then I ran after him.

- Did you find him outside?

- Yes, sir. He was walking away.

- Did you speak to him?

I said, "Lieutenant,

you'd better not run away from this."

Did he reply to you?

He said, "Do you want some, too, buster?"

Was he pointing the gun at you?

He was holding the gun in my direction,

but the muzzle was low.

When he said,

"Do you want some, too, buster?"...

...how was that expressed?

Did he shout it? Was it hysterical?

Was he hoarse? Did his voice tremble?

No, sir. He just said it cool and hard,

and looked right at me.

Did he appear to you,

as far as you could tell...

...to be in complete possession

of his faculties?

Yes, sir, as far as I could tell.

- Your witness.

- Did you see Laura Manion...

...Lt. Manion's wife, in the bar that night?

There he goes again.

This is immaterial and irrelevant.

I don't see what the prosecution's

jumpy about. I haven't gone any place yet.

Let's see where he's going

before we start objecting, Mr. Lodwick.

You may proceed, Mr. Biegler.

Did you see Mrs. Manion

in the bar that night?

- She was there.

- Did Barney Quill leave the bar that night?

- Yes.

- Do you remember when he returned?

Around midnight.

From which entrance did he come?

Did he come from the lobby entrance

or from that outside entrance?

It was from the lobby.

- How did he appear to you at that time?

- How do you mean?

You understood the prosecution...

...when he asked

about Lt. Manion's appearance.

He was just old Barney, like usual.

You mean,

he was just good old, sober, reliable...

...gentle, salt-of-the-earth,

friend-to-man Barney?

- What kind of a question is that?

- I withdraw the question.

Mr. Paquette...

...had Barney changed his clothes

since he left the bar?

I don't remember.

Might his clothing have been different

when he returned?

That is,

might he have changed his clothes?

I couldn't say. I didn't notice.

Was Barney drinking that night?

He always had a few shots

while talking to the customers.

- He was friendly.

- Sure he was, good old Barney.

How many shots would you say

good old Barney usually had?

I don't know exactly.

Wasn't he, in fact,

pretty loaded that night?

Objection.

Even if the deceased was dead drunk,

it's no defence to this charge.

Sustained. I suggest you get off this.

Mr. Paquette.

What would you call a man

with an insatiable penchant for women?

A what?

A penchant:
A desire, a taste, passion.

A ladies' man, I guess.

Or maybe just a damned fool.

Just answer the questions, Mr. Paquette.

The attorneys will provide the wisecracks.

What else would you call a man like that?

We can't see the drift of this.

You mean you do see, Mr. Lodwick.

You may answer.

Can you think of another name?

- Woman chaser.

- Try again.

- Masher?

- Come now, Mr. Paquette.

Mashers went out

with whalebone corsets and hairnets.

- Did you ever hear the expression "wolf"?

- Sure, I've heard that.

- It just slipped my mind.

- Slipped your mind. Naturally, it would.

Clanking around in there

with those rusty old mashers.

Have you ever known a man

who you could call a wolf?

- I'm not sure.

- Was Barney Quill a wolf?

- I couldn't say.

- Or wouldn't.

- Objection.

- Sustained.

The question was answered.

He said he couldn't say.

Mr. Paquette, when Barney returned...

...from wherever he had gone...

...did he relieve you at the bar?

- Yes.

- What did he say?

- He said, "I'll take over."

Coming out from behind the bar,

where did you go?

I went over to the Pedersons' table.

You testified that you were by the door

when Lt. Manion came in.

You were by the door

because the Pedersons' table was there?

Yes.

How long was it

before Lt. Manion came in?

I don't know exactly. Maybe 30 minutes.

And you remained with the Pedersons

all that time?

Yes. They're my friends.

Is there also a window beside that table?

- I think so.

- You think so.

How long have you worked

at the Thunder Bay Inn?

Six or seven years.

Does this window beside the table

suddenly vanish...

...and then reappear,

and come and go in a ghostly fashion?

It's there all the time.

While you were talking to your friends,

did you look out the window?

- I might have.

- When you looked out...

...were you looking for something?

- No, I wasn't looking for anything.

Didn't Barney Quill tell you to go

to the window and watch out for Manion?

Did he tell you to look out for Lt. Manion?

He did not.

Barney was quite a marksman, wasn't he?

With guns.

He'd won prizes for shooting, hadn't he?

- Yes.

- Did he keep any guns behind the bar?

He might have.

Isn't it a fact that there are three

concealed pistol racks behind the bar?

The defendant's plea is one of insanity,

not self-defence.

I'm sure Mr. Biegler hasn't forgotten that,

Mr. Lodwick.

You may answer.

Are there concealed gun racks

behind the bar?

- Yes.

- How many people know of the gun racks?

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