The Holladay Case: A Tale Read online

  CHAPTER II

  In the Grip of Circumstance

  The outer room was crowded from end to end, and the atmosphere reekedwith unpleasant dampness. Only behind the little railing before thecoroner's desk was there breathing space, and we sank into our seatsat the table there with a sigh of relief.

  One never realizes how many newspapers there are in New York until oneattends an important criminal case--that brings their people out indroves and swarms. The reporters took up most of the space in thissmall room, paper and pencils were everywhere in evidence, and in onecorner there was a man with a camera stationed, determined, I suppose,to get a photograph of our client, should she be called to the stand,since none could be obtained in any other way.

  I saw Singleton, the district attorney, come in and sit down near thecoroner, and then the jury filed in from their room and took theirseats. I examined them, man by man, with some little anxiety, but theyall seemed intelligent and fairly well-to-do. Mr. Royce was lookingover their names, and he checked them off carefully as the clerkcalled the roll. Then he handed the list up to the coroner with alittle nod.

  "Go ahead," he said. "They're all right, I guess--they look allright."

  "It's a good jury," replied the coroner, as he took the paper. "Betterthan usual. Are you ready, Mr. Singleton?"

  "Yes," said the district attorney. "Oh, wait a minute," he added, andhe got up and came down to our table. "You're going to put MissHolladay on the stand, I suppose----"

  "And expose her to all this?" and our junior looked around the room."Not if I can help it!"

  "I don't see how you _can_ help it. An alibi's the only thing thatcan save her from being bound over."

  "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," retorted Mr. Royce. "Ithink the case against her will soon die of inanition."

  "Oh, very well," and Singleton abruptly went back to his desk, bitinghis mustache thoughtfully. He had made something of a reputation,since his election a year before, as a solver of abstruse criminalproblems, and had secured a conviction in two or three capital caseswhich had threatened for a time to baffle the police. He evidentlyscented something of the same kind here, or he would have entrustedthe case to one of his assistants. It might be added that, while hissuccesses had made him immensely popular with the multitude, there hadbeen, about one or two of them, a hint of unprofessional conduct,which had made his brethren of the bar look rather askance at him.

  He nodded to the coroner after a moment, the room was called toorder, and the first witness summoned.

  It was Rogers, the confidential clerk. I knew Rogers, of course, hadtalked with him often in a business way, and had the highest respectfor him. He had been with Mr. Holladay much longer than I had beenwith Graham & Royce, and had, as Mr. Graham had pointed out, anunimpeachable reputation.

  There were the usual preliminaries, name, age, residence, and so on,Coroner Goldberg asking the questions. He was a really goodcross-examiner, and soon came to the core of the matter.

  "What is the position of your desk in Mr. Holladay's office?" heasked.

  "There is an outer office for the clerks; opening from that, a smallerroom where my desk is placed. Opening from my room was Mr. Holladay'sprivate office.

  "Had Mr. Holladay's office any other door?"

  "No, sir."

  "Could entrance be had by the windows?"

  "The windows open on the street side of the building. We occupy a partof the eighth floor."

  "The fire-escapes----"

  "Are at the back of the building--there are none on the streetside--nothing but a sheer wall."

  "So that anyone entering or leaving the private office mustnecessarily pass by your desk?"

  "Necessarily; yes, sir."

  "Could anyone pass without your seeing him?"

  "No, sir; that would be quite impossible."

  The coroner leaned back in his chair. There was one point settled.

  "Now, Mr. Rogers," he said, "will you kindly tell us, in your own wayand with as much detail as possible, exactly what happened at youroffice shortly before five o'clock yesterday afternoon?"

  I could see that Rogers was deeply moved. His face was very white, hemoistened his lips nervously from time to time, and his hands graspedconvulsively the arms of his chair. Plainly, the task before him wasfar from an agreeable one.

  "Well, sir," he began, "we had a very busy day yesterday, and were atthe office considerably later than usual; but by five o'clock we hadclosed up work for the day, and all the other clerks, with theexception of the office-boy, had gone home. I had made some notes fromMr. Holladay's dictation, and had returned to my desk to arrange them,when the outer door opened and Mr. Holladay's daughter came in. Sheasked me whether her father was engaged, and upon my saying no, openedthe inner door and entered his office. She remained, I should think,about ten minutes; then she came out again, walked rapidly pastwithout looking at me, and, I suppose, left the building. I finishedarranging my notes, and then entered Mr. Holladay's office to ask ifhe had any further instructions for me, and I found him lying forwardon his desk, with a knife sticking in his neck and the blood spurtingout. I summoned aid, but he died without regaining consciousness--Ishould say he was practically dead when I found him."

  I felt, rather than heard, the little stir which ran through the room.There was an indefinable horror in the story and in the conclusion towhich it inevitably led.

  "Now, let us go back a moment," said the coroner, as Rogers stoppedand mopped his forehead feverishly. "I want the jury to understandyour story thoroughly. Mr. Holladay had been dictating to you?"

  "Yes."

  "And was quite well?"

  "Yes--as well as usual. He'd been suffering with indigestion for sometime past."

  "Still he was able to attend to business?"

  "Oh, yes, sir. There was nothing at all serious in his illness."

  "You then left his office and returned to your own. How long had youbeen there before the outer door opened?"

  "Not over five minutes."

  "And who was it entered?"

  "Miss Frances Holladay--the daughter of my employer."

  "You're quite sure? You know her well?"

  "Very well. I've known her for many years. She often drove to theoffice in the evening to take her father home. I supposed that waswhat she came for yesterday."

  "You looked at her attentively?"

  Rogers hitched impatiently in his chair.

  "I glanced at her, as I always do," he said. "I didn't stare."

  "But you're quite sure it was Miss Holladay?"

  "Absolutely sure, sir. Good God!" he cried, his nerves giving way foran instant, "do you suppose I'd make an assertion like that if Iwasn't absolutely sure?"

  "No," said the coroner soothingly; "no, I don't suppose any suchthing, not for a moment, Mr. Rogers; only I want the jury to see howcertain the identification is. Shall I proceed?"

  "Go ahead, sir," said Rogers. "I'll try to hold myself together alittle better, sir."

  "I can see what a strain this is for you," said the coroner kindly;"and I'll spare you as much as I can. Now, after Miss Holladay enteredthe inner office, how long did she remain there?"

  "About ten minutes, I should say; not longer than that, certainly."

  "Did you hear any sound of conversation, or any unusual noise of anykind?"

  "No, sir. It would have been a very unusual noise to be audible. Mr.Holladay's office has heavy walls and a double door which completelyshut off all sounds from within."

  "Miss Holladay then came out?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "And walked past you?"

  "Yes, sir; walked past me rapidly."

  "Did you not think that peculiar?"

  "Why, sir, she didn't often stop to speak to me. I was busy and sothought nothing particularly about it."

  "Did you notice her face? Did she seem perturbed?"

  "No, sir; I didn't notice. I just glanced up and bowed. In fact, Ididn't see her face at all, for s
he had lowered her veil."

  "Her veil!" repeated the coroner. "You hadn't mentioned that she worea veil."

  "No, sir; when she came into the office she had lifted it up over herhat-brim--you know how women do."

  "Yes--so you saw her face distinctly when she entered?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "But when she went out, she had lowered her veil. Was it a heavy one?"

  "Why, sir," the witness hesitated, "just an ordinary veil, I shouldsay."

  "But still heavy enough to conceal her face?"

  "Oh, yes, sir."

  The coroner nodded. "Now, Mr. Rogers, how long a time elapsed afterthe departure of the woman before you went back into the inneroffice?"

  "Not more than three or four minutes. I thought perhaps Mr. Holladaywas getting ready to accompany his daughter, and I didn't wish todetain him."

  "And you found him, as you say, lying forward across his desk with aknife in his throat and the blood spurting out. Did you recognize theknife?"

  "Yes, sir. It was his knife--a knife he kept lying on his desk tosharpen pencils with and erase and so on."

  "Sharp, was it?"

  "It had one long blade, very sharp, sir."

  The coroner picked up a knife that was lying on the desk before him.

  "Is this the knife?" he asked.

  Rogers looked at it carefully.

  "That's the knife, sir," he said, and it was passed to the jury. Whenthey had finished with it, Mr. Royce and I examined it. It was anordinary one-bladed erasing knife with ivory handle. It was open, theblade being about two inches and a half in length, and, as I soonconvinced myself, very sharp indeed.

  "Will you describe Mr. Holladay's position?" continued the coroner.

  "He was lying forward on the desk, with his arms outstretched and hishead to one side."

  "And there was a great deal of blood?"

  "Oh, a great deal! Someone, apparently, had attempted to check it,for a little distance away there was a handkerchief soaked in blood."

  The coroner picked up a handkerchief and handed it to the witness.

  "Is that the handkerchief?" he asked.

  "Yes, sir," said Rogers, after a moment.

  "Is it a man's or a woman's handkerchief?"

  "Oh, a woman's undoubtedly."

  The jury examined it and so did we. It was a small square of finecambric with no mark that I could see, soaked through and through withblood--unquestionably a woman's handkerchief. Then Rogers told therest of the story--how he had summoned aid and informed the police.

  "Now, Mr. Rogers," said the coroner, when he had finished, "there isone point more. Has there been anything in your knowledge of Mr.Holladay or his business to suggest the idea of suicide?"

  The witness shook his head decidedly.

  "Nothing whatever, sir," he said positively. "His business wasprospering; he was happy and contented--why, he was planning for atrip abroad with his daughter."

  "Let us suppose for a moment," continued Goldberg, "that he didactually stab himself in his daughter's presence; what would younaturally expect her to do?"

  "I should expect her to give the alarm--to summon aid," repliedRogers.

  "Certainly--unquestionably," and Goldberg nodded to my chief. "I turnthe witness over to you, Mr. Royce," he said.

  "Now, Mr. Rogers," began our junior impressively, "you know, ofcourse, that this whole case hinges, at present, on youridentification of the woman who, presumably, was in Mr. Holladay'soffice when he was stabbed. I want to be very sure of thatidentification. Will you tell me how she was dressed?"

  The witness paused for a moment's thought.

  "She wore a dress of very dark red," he said at last, "with some sortof narrow dark trimming--black, possibly. That's all I can tell youabout it."

  "And the hat?"

  "I didn't notice the hat, sir. I only glanced at her."

  "But in that glance, Mr. Rogers, did you see nothing unusual--nothingwhich suggested to your mind that possibly it might not be MissHolladay?"

  "Nothing, sir."

  "Some change of demeanor, perhaps; of expression?"

  The witness hesitated.

  "I thought she was looking not quite so well as usual," he saidslowly. "She seemed a little pale and worried."

  "Ah! It was dark in the office, was it not, at five o'clock yesterdayafternoon?"

  "We had turned on the lights half an hour before, sir."

  "Is your office well lighted?"

  "I have a light over my desk, sir, and there's another on the wall."

  "So you could not see your visitor's face with absolute clearness?"

  "No, sir; but quite clearly enough to recognize her," he addeddoggedly.

  "Yet you thought her looking pale and worried."

  "Yes, sir; that was my impression."

  "And when she asked for Mr. Holladay, did she use the words 'myfather,' as your evidence would suggest?"

  Again the witness hesitated in the effort at recollection.

  "No, sir," he answered finally. "Her words, I think, were, 'Is Mr.Holladay engaged at present?'"

  "It was Miss Holladay's voice?"

  "I could not say, sir," answered the witness, again mopping theperspiration from his forehead. "I have no wish to incriminate MissHolladay unnecessarily. I'm not sufficiently well acquainted with hervoice to swear to it."

  "Well, when you answered her question in the negative, did shehesitate before entering the private office?"

  "No, sir; she went straight to it."

  "Is there any lettering on the door?"

  "Oh, yes, the usual lettering, 'Private Office.'"

  "So that, even if she were not acquainted with the place, she mightstill have seen where to go?"

  "Yes, sir; I suppose so."

  "And you stated, too, I believe, that you could have heard no sound ofan altercation in the private office, had one occurred?"

  "No, sir; I could have heard nothing."

  "You have been with Mr. Holladay a long time, I believe, Mr. Rogers?"

  "Over thirty years, sir."

  "And you are intimately acquainted with his affairs?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "Now, Mr. Rogers, have you ever, in all these years, ran acrossanything--any item of expenditure, any correspondence, anythingwhatever--which would lead you to think that Mr. Holladay was a victimof blackmail, or that he had ever had a liaison with a woman?"

  "No, sir!" cried the witness. "No, sir! I'm willing to swear that sucha thing is not possible. I should inevitably have found it out had itexisted."

  "That will do for the present," said Mr. Royce. "I shall want torecall the witness, however, sir."

  The coroner nodded, and Rogers stepped down, still trembling from theeffects of his last outburst. I confess that, for my part, I thoughtwe were very deep in the mire.

  The office-boy was called next, but added nothing to the story. Hehad gone to the chute to mail some letters; the woman must haveentered the office while he was away. He saw her come out again, but,of course, did not see her face. He had been employed recently, anddid not know Miss Holladay.

  Then the physicians who had attended the dead man were called, andtestified that the knife-blade had penetrated the left carotid artery,and that he had bled to death--was dead, indeed, before they reachedhim. It would take, perhaps, ten minutes to produce such an effusionof blood as Rogers had noticed--certainly more than five, so that theblow must have been struck before the woman left the inner office.

  The policeman who had responded to the alarm testified that he hadexamined the windows, and that they were both bolted on the inside,precluding the possibility of anyone swinging down from above orclambering up from below. Nothing in the office had been disturbed.There was other evidence of an immaterial nature, and then MissHolladay's maid was called.

  "Was your mistress away from home yesterday afternoon?" asked thecoroner.

  "Yes, sir; she had the carriage ordered for three o'clock. She wasdriven away shortly after
that."

  "And what time did she return?"

  "About six, sir; just in time to dress for dinner."

  "Did you notice anything unusual in her demeanor when she returned?"

  The maid hesitated, fearing doubtless that she might say too much.

  "Miss Holladay had complained of a headache in the morning," she said,after a moment. "She was looking badly when she went out, and thedrive made her worse instead of better. She seemed very nervous andill. I advised her to lie down and not dress for dinner, but she wouldnot listen. She always dined with her father, and did not wish todisappoint him. She was in a great hurry, fearing that he'd get backbefore she was ready."

  "There's no doubt in your mind that she was really expecting him?"

  "Oh, no, sir; she even went to the door to look for him when he didnot come. She seemed very uneasy about him."

  That was one point in our favor certainly.

  "And when the news of her father's death reached her, how did she bearit?"

  "She didn't bear it at all, sir," answered the maid, catching herbreath to choke back a sob. "She fainted dead away. Afterwards, sheseemed to be in a kind of daze till the doctor came."

  "That is all. Have you any questions to ask the witness, Mr. Royce?"

  "Only one," said my chief, leaning forward. I knew what it was, andheld my breath, wondering whether it were wise to ask it. "Do youremember the gown your mistress wore yesterday afternoon?" hequestioned.

  "Oh, yes, sir," and the witness brightened. "It was a dark redbroadcloth, made very plain, with only a little narrow black braid fortrimming."