The Other Side of Midnight

"It fits beautifully. I don't seem to have any luck with my suits. Have you ever tried the English tailors? They're supposed to be excellent, also."

"No, monsieur."

"I'm sure you've been to England many times?"

"Well--no."

"Never?"

"No, sir."

"Have you ever been to the United States of America?"

"No."

"Never?"

"No, sir."

"Have you ever visited the South Pacific?"

"No, sir."

"Then you must truly be a fantastic detective, Mr. Barbet. My hat is off to you. These reports of yours cover the activities of Larry Douglas in England and the United States and the South Pacific--and yet you tell us that you have never even been to any of these places. I can only assume that you are psychic."

"Permit me to correct you, monsieur. It was not necessary for me to have been in any of those places. I employ what we call correspondent agencies in England and in America."

"Ah, forgive my stupidi

ty. Of course! So it was actually those people who covered the activities of Mr. Douglas?"

"Exactement."

"And so the fact is that you yourself have no personal knowledge of Larry Douglas' movements."

"Well...no, sir."

"So in reality all your information is secondhand."

"I suppose...in a sense, yes."

Chotas turned to the judges. "I move to strike the entire testimony of this witness, Your Honors, on the grounds that it is hearsay."

Peter Demonides leaped to his feet. "Objection, Your Honors! Noelle Page hired Mr. Barbet to get information on Larry Douglas. That is not hearsay--"

"My learned colleague has submitted the records as evidence," Chotas said gently. "I am perfectly willing to accept it--if he wishes to bring the men here who actually conducted the surveillance of Mr. Douglas. Otherwise I must ask the Court to assume that there was no such surveillance and ask that the testimony of this witness be held inadmissible."

The President of the Court turned to Demonides. "Are you prepared to bring your witnesses here?" he asked.

"That's impossible," Peter Demonides spluttered. "Mr. Chotas knows that it would take weeks to locate them!"

The President turned to Chotas. "Motion granted."

Peter Demonides was examining.

"Would you state your name, please?"

"George Mousson."