Mason sat back in his chair with the air of having been defeated. After a moment, Judge Romley said, “It appearing that there is no objection, the photographs will be received in evidence.”
“Now, Mr. Borge, ” Scudder went on, “were you present at that apartment last night at the hour of approximately ten-fifty in the evening, at a time when Perry Mason, Paul Drake, a certain Della Street, Inspector Frank Bodfish, and myself were present?”
“I was.”
“And at that time and at that place, did you hear me accuse Perry Mason of having spirited away the said Roger P. Cartman, who had temporarily occupied that flat or apartment? And did I then and there accuse the said Perry Mason of having kidnaped and abducted the said Roger P. Cartman and of holding him where he could not be found by the deputy district attorney, and could not be brought into this court to testify as an eyewitness in the case of The People versus Anna Moar, otherwise known as Ann Newberry?”
“I was there,” Borge said. “I heard you make that accusation.”
“And at that time and at that place, what statement did the said Perry Mason make in connection with that accusation?”
Mason jumped to his feet, his manner desperate. “Your Honor, I object! This is incompetent, irrelevant and immaterial. This has nothing whatever to do with...”
Judge Romley cut him short. “Objection overruled,” he snapped.
Borge looked at Mason and said, without raising his voice, “He said you could never convict him because his accomplice had been an ex-convict, and no jury would convict him on the testimony of an ex-convict, and anyway you couldn’t convict him because you couldn’t corroborate the testimony of his accomplice.”
“You may cross-examine,” Scudder snapped.