you walked past the abandoned tenement on Harding and Fourteenth?”
“I couldn’t say, sir. I know I got back to Paul’s at about a quarter past eleven, so it had to have been before that.”
“Before a quarter past eleven.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And then you went up to Paul’s—”
“Yes, I went up to see if the girls had gone back there, but they hadn’t. So I went down looking for them again.”
“And did you go past the abandoned tenement again?”
“No, sir. I went in the opposite direction this time. I began searching in the opposite direction.”
“Mr. Lowery, when you were in Paul Gaddis’s apartment… you were in there twice on the night of the murder, were you not?”
“Yes, sir, twice.”
“Did you go into the kitchen on either of those occasions?”
“Yes, I was in the kitchen both times.”
“Both times.”
“Yes, I was talking to Paul in the kitchen.”
“Did you notice any knives on a rack above the counter top?”
“No, sir, I did not.”
“There’s a cutting board, from what I understand, that forms one section of the counter top, and above that there’s a knife rack. You didn’t see that rack?”
“No, sir, I did not see a knife rack.”
“Do you recognize this knife?” Locke asked, and shook the knife out of the manila envelope and onto the desk top.
“No, sir, I don’t recognize that knife,” Lowery said.
“Never saw it before?”
“Never.”
“Your sister says it’s the knife that killed Muriel Stark.”
“I couldn’t tell you about that, sir.”
“Because you’ve never seen this knife before, is that right?”
“That’s right.”
“But your sister did see it.”
“Then I suppose she knows what it looks like.”
“Do you suppose she also knows what the killer looks like?”
“If she says I’m the killer, then she’s crazy. That’s all there is to it,” Lowery said. “She’s just crazy.”
“You weren’t in that hallway with them, is that it?”
“That’s it, sir.”
“You didn’t force your cousin to perform an unnatural—”
“Sir, I loved my cousin and I did not kill her. I simply did not kill her. My sister has got to be crazy, that’s all there is to it.”
“Do you and your sister get along well?” Locke asked.
“Yes, sir, we do. I always thought we got along fine. But now I don’t know what to say, I honestly don’t know what’s got into her. Sir, if I may make a suggestion, I would like to suggest that you have a psychiatrist look at her, because, sir, she has got to be crazy to be making this kind of an accusation.”
“Mr. Lowery, I’m going to ask you some personal questions,” Locke said. “If you don’t want to answer them, just say so, all right? Is that all right with you, Counselor?”
“Yes, that’s fine,” Harris said. “I want the record to show that my client has cooperated in every respect. He had nothing to do with this crime, and—”
“Mr. Lowery, where do you live, can you tell me that?”
“I live at 1604 St. John’s Road.”
“With your parents?”
“Yes.”
“And your sister?”
“Yes.”
“And your cousin, when she was alive?”
“Yes.”
“How large an apartment is it?”
“There are five rooms counting the kitchen.”
“What are those rooms, can you tell me?”
“There’s the kitchen, and the living room, and three bedrooms.”
“How many bathrooms are there?”
“Two.”
“Mr. Lowery, can you describe the layout of those bedrooms to me?”
“Layout? What do you mean? The way they’re furnished?”
“No. The relationship of one bedroom to another. Where they are in the apartment.”
“What’s the point of this, Counselor?” Harris asked suddenly.
“If I may—”
“I just want to know what the point is.”
“He knows where the bedrooms are, doesn’t he?”
“I suppose so, but why—?”
“Will he answer the question or not?” Locke said. “It seems like a very simple question, but if you feel it’s in some way
“I couldn’t say, sir. I know I got back to Paul’s at about a quarter past eleven, so it had to have been before that.”
“Before a quarter past eleven.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And then you went up to Paul’s—”
“Yes, I went up to see if the girls had gone back there, but they hadn’t. So I went down looking for them again.”
“And did you go past the abandoned tenement again?”
“No, sir. I went in the opposite direction this time. I began searching in the opposite direction.”
“Mr. Lowery, when you were in Paul Gaddis’s apartment… you were in there twice on the night of the murder, were you not?”
“Yes, sir, twice.”
“Did you go into the kitchen on either of those occasions?”
“Yes, I was in the kitchen both times.”
“Both times.”
“Yes, I was talking to Paul in the kitchen.”
“Did you notice any knives on a rack above the counter top?”
“No, sir, I did not.”
“There’s a cutting board, from what I understand, that forms one section of the counter top, and above that there’s a knife rack. You didn’t see that rack?”
“No, sir, I did not see a knife rack.”
“Do you recognize this knife?” Locke asked, and shook the knife out of the manila envelope and onto the desk top.
“No, sir, I don’t recognize that knife,” Lowery said.
“Never saw it before?”
“Never.”
“Your sister says it’s the knife that killed Muriel Stark.”
“I couldn’t tell you about that, sir.”
“Because you’ve never seen this knife before, is that right?”
“That’s right.”
“But your sister did see it.”
“Then I suppose she knows what it looks like.”
“Do you suppose she also knows what the killer looks like?”
“If she says I’m the killer, then she’s crazy. That’s all there is to it,” Lowery said. “She’s just crazy.”
“You weren’t in that hallway with them, is that it?”
“That’s it, sir.”
“You didn’t force your cousin to perform an unnatural—”
“Sir, I loved my cousin and I did not kill her. I simply did not kill her. My sister has got to be crazy, that’s all there is to it.”
“Do you and your sister get along well?” Locke asked.
“Yes, sir, we do. I always thought we got along fine. But now I don’t know what to say, I honestly don’t know what’s got into her. Sir, if I may make a suggestion, I would like to suggest that you have a psychiatrist look at her, because, sir, she has got to be crazy to be making this kind of an accusation.”
“Mr. Lowery, I’m going to ask you some personal questions,” Locke said. “If you don’t want to answer them, just say so, all right? Is that all right with you, Counselor?”
“Yes, that’s fine,” Harris said. “I want the record to show that my client has cooperated in every respect. He had nothing to do with this crime, and—”
“Mr. Lowery, where do you live, can you tell me that?”
“I live at 1604 St. John’s Road.”
“With your parents?”
“Yes.”
“And your sister?”
“Yes.”
“And your cousin, when she was alive?”
“Yes.”
“How large an apartment is it?”
“There are five rooms counting the kitchen.”
“What are those rooms, can you tell me?”
“There’s the kitchen, and the living room, and three bedrooms.”
“How many bathrooms are there?”
“Two.”
“Mr. Lowery, can you describe the layout of those bedrooms to me?”
“Layout? What do you mean? The way they’re furnished?”
“No. The relationship of one bedroom to another. Where they are in the apartment.”
“What’s the point of this, Counselor?” Harris asked suddenly.
“If I may—”
“I just want to know what the point is.”
“He knows where the bedrooms are, doesn’t he?”
“I suppose so, but why—?”
“Will he answer the question or not?” Locke said. “It seems like a very simple question, but if you feel it’s in some way
Similar Books
