Memories of Midnight

"But you saw him after that?"

"Oh, yes. He would come to see me from time to time, when he had bronchitis, or a liver ailment – nothing serious."

"When was the last time you saw Mr. Savalas?"

"In December of last year."

"That was shortly before he died."

"That’s right."

"Did he come to your office, doctor?"

"No. I went to see him at his home."

"Do you usually make house calls?"

"Not usually, no."

"But in this case you made an exception."

"Yes."

"Why?"

The doctor hesitated. "Well, he wasn’t in any shape to come to the office."

"What shape was he in?"

"He had lacerations, some bruised ribs, and a concussion."

"Was he in some kind of accident?"

Dr. Frangescos hesitated. "No. He told me he had been beaten by his wife."

There was an audible gasp from the courtroom.

The Chief Justice said, angrily, "Mr. Chotas, aren’t you going to object to putting hearsay testimony into the record?"

Napoleon Chotas looked up and said mildly, "Oh, thank you, Your Honor. Yes, I object."

But, of course, the damage had already been done. The jurors were now looking at the defendant with overt hostility.

"Thank you, Dr. Frangescos. No more questions." Peter Demonides turned to Chotas and said smugly, "Your witness."

"No questions."

There followed a steady flow of witnesses: a maid who testified that she had seen Mrs. Savalas going into the chauffeur’s quarters on several occasions…a butler who testified that he had heard George Savalas threaten to divorce his wife and change his will…neighbors who had heard the noisy arguments between the Savalases.

And still Napoleon Chotas had no questions for any of the witnesses.

The net was fast closing in on Anastasia Savalas.

Peter Demonides could already feel the glow of victory. In his mind’s eye he could see the headlines in the newspapers. This trial was going to be the fastest murder trial in history. This trial could even end today, he thought. The great Napoleon Chotas is a beaten man.

"I would like to call Mr. Niko Mentakis to the stand."

Mentakis was a thin, earnest young man, with a slow and careful manner of speech.

"Mr. Mentakis, would you tell the court your occupation, please?"

"Yes, sir. I work at a nursery."

"You take care of children?"

"Oh, no, sir. It’s not that kind of nursery. We have trees and flowers, and all kinds of plants."

"Oh, I see. So you are an expert on growing things."

"I should be. I’ve been at it for a long time."

"And I presume that a part of your job is to make sure that the plants you have for sale stay healthy?"

"Oh, yes, sir. We take very good care of them. We wouldn’t sell any ailing plants to our customers. Most of them are regulars."

"By that, you mean the same customers keep coming back to you?"

"Yes, sir." His voice was proud. "We give good service."

"Tell me, Mr. Mentakis, was Mrs. Savalas one of your regular customers?"

"Oh, yes, sir. Mrs. Savalas loves plants and flowers."

The Chief Justice said impatiently, "Mr. Demonides, the court does not feel that this line of questioning is pertinent. Would you move on to something else, or…"

"If the court will let me finish, Your Honor, this witness has a very important bearing on the case."

The Chief Justice looked toward Napoleon Chotas. "Mr. Chotas, do you have any objection to this line of questioning?"

Napoleon Chotas looked up and blinked. "What? No, Your Honor."

The Chief Justice stared at him in frustration, and then turned to Peter Demonides. "Very well. You may proceed."

"Mr. Mentakis, did Mrs. Savalas come to you one day in December and tell you that she was having problems with some of her plants?"

"Yes, sir. She did."

"In fact, didn’t she say that there was an infestation of insects that was destroying her plants?"

"Yes, sir."

"And didn’t she ask you for something to get rid of them?"

"Yes, sir."

"Would you tell the court what it was?"

"I sold her some antimony."

"And would you tell the court exactly what that is?"

"It’s a poison, like arsenic."

There was an uproar from the courtroom.

The Chief Justice slammed down his gavel. "If there’s another outburst, I’m going to order the bailiff to clear this court." He turned to Peter Demonides. "You may continue the questioning."

"So you sold her a quantity of antimony."

"Yes, sir."

"And would you say it’s a deadly poison? You compared it to arsenic."

"Oh, yes, sir. It’s deadly, all right."

"And you entered the sale in your record book, as you are required to do by law when you sell any poison?"

"Yes, sir."

"And did you bring those records with you, Mr. Mentakis?"

"I did." He handed Peter Demonides a ledger.

The prosecuting attorney walked over to the judges. "Your Honors, I would like this to be labeled ‘Exhibit A.’" He turned to the witness. "I have no more questions." He looked over at Napoleon Chotas.

Napoleon Chotas looked up and shook his head. "No questions."

Peter Demonides took a deep breath. It was time for his bombshell. "I would like to introduce Exhibit B." He turned toward the back of the room, and said to a bailiff standing near the door, "Would you bring it in now, please?"