The Accused (Modern Plays) Read Free Page B

the fire escape.
    Kersley Well, that would certainly explain Mrs Sherwood’s words, ’How did you get in?’ So, Mr Webster, when you unlocked the door, what did you find?
    Webster Some furniture had been knocked over and Mrs Sherwood was lyin’ on the floor moanin’.
    Kersley And was she on her own?
    Webster Yes, as far as I could tell.
    Judge What do you mean, Mr Webster, by ’as far as I could tell’?
    Webster Cos the door on the far side of the room slammed shut the minute I walked in, didn’t it. ( Judge
makes a note
.)
    Kersley Slammed shut the minute you walked in - as if someone had hurriedly pulled it closed?
    Webster Yes, you got the idea.
    Kersley So what did you do next? ( Barrington
nods
.)
    Webster I dials 999 and tells ’em to send round an ambulance an’ the police sharpish, an’ then I gets a blanket and covers ’er up.
    Kersley Did she give any reason why the furniture had been knocked over?
    Webster No, she was just lying there, moanin’ and rubbin’ ’er arm what was bruised, so I offered ’er the glass of wine that was on the table ’opin it would ’elp, but she just pushed it away, and then she began cryin’ even louder. So Iwondered if someone ’ad put somethin’ in the wine that had made her ill.
    Barrington (
rises
) My Lord …
    Judge Yes, yes, Sir James. (
Faces the audience
.) Members of the Jury, you should ignore that comment - it is nothing more than speculation. Carry on, Mr Kersley.
    Kersley No more questions, My Lord. I think the jury has taken the point.
    Webster
starts to leave the witness box
.
    Judge Mr Webster, please remain in the box for a moment, as I have a feeling that Sir James might want to ask you a question or two.
    Barrington You are quite right, My Lord. Mr Webster, may I begin by congratulating you on your remarkable memory.
    Webster Thank you, Guv. I s’pose you can put it down to my army trainin’.
    Barrington Quite so, but even I was puzzled, Mr Webster, as to how you could be so sure that when Mr Sherwood left the building, on the night in question, he was not carrying his doctor’s bag. ( Kersley
smiles
.)
    Webster To be honest, Guv, I wasn’t sure at the time.
    Barrington You weren’t sure at the time, but you stated categorically…
    Webster No, I wasn’t categoric, not until I phoned for the ambulance.
    Barrington Not until you phoned for the ambulance. I’m not altogether certain I’m following you, Mr Webster.
    Webster Well, you see, that’s when I first saw the doctor’s bag. He’d left it on the table by the phone, so he couldn’t ’ave taken it wiv ’im, could he?
    Barrington I see. Mr Webster you told the court that you thought someone else might have been in the room when you first unlocked the door to the apartment.
    Webster Yeah, I did.
    Barrington And your immediate reaction when you saw the overturned furniture was that it must have been a burglar whom Mrs Sherwood had been shouting at?
    Webster Yes, cos there ’ave been a lot of break-ins durin’ the past year, aven’t there?
    Barrington Have there? Now, Mr Webster, remembering what a good memory you have, is it possible you can tell the court when you heard the sentence ’How did you get in?’. Was it before you unlocked the door, as you opened the door, or after you had entered the room?
    Webster Before I unlocked the door.
    Barrington So, some time before you stepped into the room?
    Webster (
hesitates
) Yes, I think so.
    Barrington When you walked in, you told my learned friend that you saw the door on the far side of the room slam shut?
    Webster Yeah, I did.
    Barrington Could it have been the wind?
    Webster I s’pose so.
    Barrington Did you check to see if anyone was hiding in the kitchen?
    Webster No. Why should I?
    Barrington Because it leads to the kitchen window and fire escape.
    Kersley My Lord, I am enthralled by Sir James’s gift for storytelling and indeed I would go as far as to suggest thatwere he to submit this particular scenario to the BBC they