Read Online Omega by Stewart Farrar - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Stewart Farrar
Tags: Science-Fiction
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clothes and escaped down the hill to my car.'
'Being too afraid to inform the police,' the coroner said.
'Yes, sir, I was. I'm not proud of it but I've seen what these people can do.'
The coroner looked at him inscrutably for a moment, and then asked: 'The man's athame, Mr Wharton. Would you please describe it?'
'An ordinary sheath-knife, sir. About a twelve- or fifteen-centimetre blade. You know, sharp along one edge and thick along the other.'
Appalled and furious, Moira was gripping Dan's arm, unable even to whisper. She saw that one or two reporters were hurrying out of the press box. She was so angry that she hardly heard the coroner's questions, clarifying points in Wharton's story. Her attention was dragged back by a sudden cry of 'It's true!'from a woman who had jumped to her feet from the witnesses' seats.
The coroner restored order, and then asked: 'Miss Chalmers, isn't it?'
The woman, a frightened-looking creature with mousey hair, nodded as though she had lost her voice.
'Do I understand that you wish to add to, or amend, the evidence you gave earlier?'
Now the words came in a flood. 'Yes, sir, I do. I was afraid, like him. He's right about what they can do. . . . But I saw those two stab Miss Sutton and her collecting the blood. Just like he said. It was awful . . .'
'Can you describe them?'
'No more than he did, sir. It was all that hair.... Then I saw them running, and I did follow them, not too close, they still had their backs to me. And he's right, they did pour the blood on the ground, in front of where the Altar had been smashed up. I'm afraid I just turned and ran....'
('Oh, God,' Moira breathed. 'Dan, this stinks. But it'll stick! People'll believe it! 1 )
('I hope you're wrong, love.')
The coroner, at least, was not credulous. After he had questioned Miss Chalmers, he recalled the pathologist.
'Doctor, when you examined the body of Miss Sutton, did you find any evidence of a knife wound?'
'No, sir, I did not.'
'You gave evidence that the rib-cage was badly crushed. Is it possible that this damage could have concealed the fact that she had been stabbed, by such a weapon as Mr Wharton has described, deeply enough to cause the kind of bleeding he described?'
'No, sir. The wound would still have been detectable to a careful examination.'
'Which you carried out in this case ?'
'Of course, sir. When a cadaver has suffered multiple injuries, one always bears in mind that those injuries may conceal an earlier and significant injury. One is therefore particularly careful to search for such evidence.'
'Thank you, Doctor.'
Andrea Sutton's solicitor rose immediately. 'Doctor -in addition to being run over twice, Miss Sutton's body had also been hit by a falling motor-cycle, had it not?'
'That is so, yes.'
'And would not that machine have sharp projections?'
'Yes. There were several lacerations from such projections, but mostly on the legs and pelvis, across which the machine fell. There was one such wound in the chest, which would appear to have been inflicted by the clutch lever on the left handlebar. It had penerat r ed to about six centimetres.'
'You say "would appear to have been".'
'The machine is not available for examination. I was being careful to distinguish between deduction and hard fact.'
'I put it to you, Doctor, that the wound which you deduce was caused by a clutch lever could equally well have been caused by a sheath-knife.'
'It could not. The wound would be different.'
'And that difference could be detected after the rib-cage had been badly crushed?'
'This wound was in a part of the chest which was otherwise comparatively undamaged.'
'Ah. Then in the more damaged parts, the evidence would be more doubtful.'
'Not at all. It would merely require more careful examination - which, as I have said, I carried out. There was no knife-wound in the chest.'
'I suggest, Doctor, that you are being over-confident.'
'And I strongly resent that suggestion.'
The solicitor sat
'Being too afraid to inform the police,' the coroner said.
'Yes, sir, I was. I'm not proud of it but I've seen what these people can do.'
The coroner looked at him inscrutably for a moment, and then asked: 'The man's athame, Mr Wharton. Would you please describe it?'
'An ordinary sheath-knife, sir. About a twelve- or fifteen-centimetre blade. You know, sharp along one edge and thick along the other.'
Appalled and furious, Moira was gripping Dan's arm, unable even to whisper. She saw that one or two reporters were hurrying out of the press box. She was so angry that she hardly heard the coroner's questions, clarifying points in Wharton's story. Her attention was dragged back by a sudden cry of 'It's true!'from a woman who had jumped to her feet from the witnesses' seats.
The coroner restored order, and then asked: 'Miss Chalmers, isn't it?'
The woman, a frightened-looking creature with mousey hair, nodded as though she had lost her voice.
'Do I understand that you wish to add to, or amend, the evidence you gave earlier?'
Now the words came in a flood. 'Yes, sir, I do. I was afraid, like him. He's right about what they can do. . . . But I saw those two stab Miss Sutton and her collecting the blood. Just like he said. It was awful . . .'
'Can you describe them?'
'No more than he did, sir. It was all that hair.... Then I saw them running, and I did follow them, not too close, they still had their backs to me. And he's right, they did pour the blood on the ground, in front of where the Altar had been smashed up. I'm afraid I just turned and ran....'
('Oh, God,' Moira breathed. 'Dan, this stinks. But it'll stick! People'll believe it! 1 )
('I hope you're wrong, love.')
The coroner, at least, was not credulous. After he had questioned Miss Chalmers, he recalled the pathologist.
'Doctor, when you examined the body of Miss Sutton, did you find any evidence of a knife wound?'
'No, sir, I did not.'
'You gave evidence that the rib-cage was badly crushed. Is it possible that this damage could have concealed the fact that she had been stabbed, by such a weapon as Mr Wharton has described, deeply enough to cause the kind of bleeding he described?'
'No, sir. The wound would still have been detectable to a careful examination.'
'Which you carried out in this case ?'
'Of course, sir. When a cadaver has suffered multiple injuries, one always bears in mind that those injuries may conceal an earlier and significant injury. One is therefore particularly careful to search for such evidence.'
'Thank you, Doctor.'
Andrea Sutton's solicitor rose immediately. 'Doctor -in addition to being run over twice, Miss Sutton's body had also been hit by a falling motor-cycle, had it not?'
'That is so, yes.'
'And would not that machine have sharp projections?'
'Yes. There were several lacerations from such projections, but mostly on the legs and pelvis, across which the machine fell. There was one such wound in the chest, which would appear to have been inflicted by the clutch lever on the left handlebar. It had penerat r ed to about six centimetres.'
'You say "would appear to have been".'
'The machine is not available for examination. I was being careful to distinguish between deduction and hard fact.'
'I put it to you, Doctor, that the wound which you deduce was caused by a clutch lever could equally well have been caused by a sheath-knife.'
'It could not. The wound would be different.'
'And that difference could be detected after the rib-cage had been badly crushed?'
'This wound was in a part of the chest which was otherwise comparatively undamaged.'
'Ah. Then in the more damaged parts, the evidence would be more doubtful.'
'Not at all. It would merely require more careful examination - which, as I have said, I carried out. There was no knife-wound in the chest.'
'I suggest, Doctor, that you are being over-confident.'
'And I strongly resent that suggestion.'
The solicitor sat
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