The Holladay Case | Page 7

his last outburst. I confess that, for my part, I thought we
were very deep in the mire.
The office-boy was called next, but added nothing to the story. He had
gone to the chute to mail some letters; the woman must have entered
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, and did
not know Miss Holladay.
Then the physicians who had attended the dead man were called, and
testified that the knife-blade had penetrated the left carotid artery, and
that he had bled to death--was dead, indeed, before they reached him. It
would take, perhaps, ten minutes to produce such an effusion of blood
as Rogers had noticed--certainly more than five, so that the blow must
have been struck before the woman left the inner office.
The policeman who had responded to the alarm testified that he had
examined the windows, and that they were both bolted on the inside,
precluding the possibility of anyone swinging down from above or
clambering up from below. Nothing in the office had been disturbed.
There was other evidence of an immaterial nature, and then Miss
Holladay's maid was called.
"Was your mistress away from home yesterday afternoon?" asked the
coroner.
"Yes, sir; she had the carriage ordered for three o'clock. She was driven
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
the drive made her worse instead of better. She seemed very nervous
and ill. I advised her to lie down and not dress for dinner, but she
would not listen. She always dined with her father, and did not wish to
disappoint him. She was in a great hurry, fearing that he'd get back
before 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 did not
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 bear
it?"
"She didn't bear it at all, sir," answered the maid, catching her breath to
choke back a sob. "She fainted dead away. Afterwards, she seemed 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, and
held my breath, wondering whether it were wise to ask it. "Do you
remember the gown your mistress wore yesterday afternoon?" he
questioned.
"Oh, yes, sir," and the witness brightened. "It was a dark red broadcloth,
made very plain, with only a little narrow black braid for trimming."
CHAPTER III
The Coil Tightens
From the breathless silence that followed her answer, she saw that she
had somehow dealt her mistress a heavy blow, and the sobs burst out
beyond control, choking her. I could see how my chief's face turned
livid. He had driven another rivet in the chain--just the one it needed to
hold it firmly together. My head was whirling. Could it be possible,
after all, that this gentle, cultured girl was really such a fiend at heart
that she could strike down.... I put the thought from me. It was
monstrous, unbelievable!
The coroner and the district attorney were whispering together, and I

saw the former glance from the blood-stained handkerchief on the desk
before him to the sobbing woman on the stand. It needed only that--her
identification of that square of cambric--to complete the evidence. He
hesitated a moment, said another word or two to Singleton, then
straightened up again in his chair. Perhaps he thought the chain was
strong enough; perhaps he saw only that the witness was in no
condition to go on.
"Anything further, Mr. Royce?" he asked.
"Not at present, sir," answered our junior hoarsely. I think he was just
beginning fully to realize how desperate our case was.
"We will dismiss the witness, then, temporarily," said the coroner. "We
shall probably recall her later on."
The maid was led back to the witness room on the verge of hysteria,
and Goldberg looked over the papers on his desk.
"We have one more witness," he said at last, "Miss Holladay's
coachman, and perhaps a little testimony in rebuttal. If you wish to
adjourn for lunch, Mr. Royce, I'm quite ready to