Witness for the Prosecution Page #11

Thank you, Miss Plimsoll.

(train announcement on PA)

- You wouldn't be Sir Wilfrid, would you?

- I would.

Didn't recognise you without your wig.

Lovely you all look in them wigs.

Two o' yer? I'm not talking to two o' yer.

This is Mr Mayhew,

Leonard Vole's solicitor.

- Well, that's all right, then.

- And your name, please?

No need for mine. If I did give you a name

it mightn't be the right one, might it?

'Ave a drink, boys.

Two whiskies for me gen'lmen friends.

Now what is this information

you allegedly have?

You realise that you're duty-bound

to give any evidence that you might have?

- Come off it. Did you bring any money?

- What is it you have, madam?

Letters. Letters that German wife

of 'is wrote. That's what I've got.

- Letters written to the prisoner?

- To the prisoner? Don't make me laugh.

Poor bleeder, he's been took in

by 'er all right. And these letters prove it.

If we could see these letters, we could

advise you as to how pertinent they are.

Well, I don't expect you...

Well, as I say, I don't expect you

to buy without seeing, but fair's fair.

If these letters get the boy off,

it's? 100 for me, right?

If these letters contain information useful

to the defence, I'm prepared to offer? 10.

What? Ten bleeding pounds

for letters like these?

Take that piece of glass

out o' yer eye. Good night.

If these help prove my client's innocence,

? 20 should, I think, not be an

unreasonable sum for your expenses.

That's if you're satisfied with 'em.

- ? 40.

- All right, blast yer.

'Ere, take 'em. Nice little lot there.

How do we know

these are from Mrs Vole?

Oh, she wrote 'em all right.

It's all fair an' square.

I 'ope they fix 'er good and proper.

I've had messages from Mrs Vole.

It looks like her handwriting.

Good heavens, look at this.

Juicy, ain't they?

- There's one that's even better.

- How did you get hold of these?

What's the difference

so long as she gets what's coming?

- What have you got against her?

- Ha!

I'll give you something

to dream about, mister.

Want to kiss me, ducky?

Ha!

- I didn't suppose you would.

- Christine Vole did that to you?

Not 'er, the chap I was going with. He was

a bit younger than me but I loved 'im.

Then she come along, started seeing 'im

on the sly. Then one day he cleared out.

I found 'em together. I said what I thought

of 'er and he cut me face up proper.

- Did you go to the police about it?

- Who, me? Not likely.

It wasn't 'is fault. It was all 'ers, gettin' 'im

away from me, turnin' 'im against me.

But I waited me time to pay 'er back.

And it's come now.

I'm deeply sorry, deeply sorry.

We'll make it another? 5 for the letters.

'Olding out on me, were yer?

I knew I was being soft with yer.

Cold-blooded vindictiveness.

Read this one.

Unbelievable.

We'd better have the full name of the man

to whom these were addressed, Miss...

Miss, um...

Where is she?

On that train, I should think. Doesn't want

her other cheek slashed. Can't blame her.

- Care for another, sir?

- Hm?

Good idea.

(gavel)

Silence!

Be upstanding in court.

All persons who have anything

to do before my lords,

the queen's justices of oyer and terminer

and general jail delivery for the

jurisdiction of the Central Criminal Court,

draw near and give your attendance.

God save the queen.

Since the defence has called

but one witness, the prisoner,

it has the right to be heard last.

Mr Myers, if you are ready, let us have

the final address for the prosecution.

My lord, members of the jury,

I will be brief in my final speech

because I think we've proved so obvious

a case of murder against Leonard Vole,

that a verdict of guilty

must be the only possible conclusion.

- I will briefly summarise these facts...

- (footsteps)

You'd better begin again, Mr Myers.

That is, if Sir Wilfrid

is at all interested in our proceedings.

I am, indeed, my lord. The speech

for the crown, however, is premature.

I ask that the case for the defence be

reopened. And that a witness be recalled.

I most strenuously object to the case

being reopened at this final stage.

Evidence of a startling nature

has come into my possession.

The course my learned friend

proposes is quite unprecedented.

I have anticipated this objection

and can meet it with ample precedent.

There is the king vs Stillman, reported

in the criminal appeal reports of 1926

at page 463.

Also, the king vs Porter in volume one

of the king's bench division reports,

And lastly there is the case

of the king vs Sullivan

in which this issue was raised, which

I'm sure Your Lordship will remember,

since you appeared for the prosecution.

I did? Oh, yes, before Mr Justice Swindon.

What is this new evidence, Sir Wilfrid?

Letters, my lord.

Letters written by Christine Helm.

My lord, the prosecution

continues its objection.

If my memory serves me well,

Your Lordship's similar objection

in the king against Sullivan

was sustained.

Your memory, for once,

serves you ill, Mr Myers.

My objection then was overruled

by Mr Justice Swindon.

As yours is now, by me.

(muttering)

Call Christine Helm.

Christine Helm.

- Christine Helm.

- Christine Helm.

If you still have doubts about Mr Vole, I

wouldn't mind betting you a box of cigars.

Mrs Helm, you appreciate

you are still under oath?

Yes.

- Do you know a man named Max?

- I don't know what you mean.

It's a simple question. Do you

or do you not know a man called Max?

Max? Certainly not.

It's a fairly common name and yet

you've never known a man named Max?

In Germany, perhaps, but a long time ago.

I shall not ask you to go back that far.

Just a few weeks, to... October 20 last.

- What have you got there?

- A letter.

I suggest that on October 20

- you wrote a letter...

- I don't know what you're talking about.

...addressed to a man named Max.

- I did nothing of the sort.

The letter was but one of a series

written to the same man.

Lies! All lies!

You seem to have been, well, let us say,

on intimate terms with this man.

How dare you say a thing like that?

It isn't true!

I'm not concerned with the general trend

of this correspondence, only one letter.

"My beloved Max,

an extraordinary thing has happened."

"I believe all our difficulties

may be ended."

I will not stand here

and listen to a pack of lies!

That letter's a forgery.

It isn't even my letter paper!

- It isn't?

- No!

I write my letters on small blue paper

with my initials on it.

Like this?

(muttering)

This is a bill from my tailor for a pair

of extremely becoming Bermuda shorts.

(laughter)

Wilfrid the fox! That's what we call him

and that's what he is.

Now, Mrs Helm, you've been kind enough

to identify your letter paper.

Now, if you like, I can have an expert

identify your handwriting.

Damn you!

- Damn you!

- Leave her alone!

- Damn you!

- Mrs Helm!

Let me go!

Let me get out of here! Let me go!

- Mrs Helm!

- Let me go!

Usher, get the witness a chair.

(Christine sobs)

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