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"Yes," said Donaldson.
"How did the accused, Rosemary Richards behave when her
husband's body was brought ashore?"
"She was nearly hysterical."
"Did she insist that Sven Richards was put in the recompression
chamber?"
"Yes. Although I pointed out to her that Sven hadn't been
down long enough to need recompression. I thought it more
important
to get him to hospital."
"So why was he recompressed?"
"It was a compromise - to keep Sven under a controlled rate
of decompression until the ambulance arrived."
"So there was no question of Sven Richards being denied
medical treatment while he was in the chamber?"
"No. Except that we wouldn't be able to keep him warm while
he was in it, but Rosemary insisted."
Golding changed his line of questioning. "Warmsley Quarry
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is not completely full of water?"
"No."
"The water level is some fifty feet below the quarry's upper lip.
Yes?"
"Yes."
"And you operated from a piece of flat ground below the edge
of the quarry and near the water's edge?"
"Yes."
"You said when you sniffed the air from that aqualung, that
it smelt strongly of petrol engine fumes?"
"Yes."
"Your aqualung compressor is driven by a petrol engine?"
"Yes."
"And it had been running all the time filling up other members'
aqualung bottles?"
"I could hear it all the time I wasn't underwater."
"Was it a windy day?"
"No. Just the odd eddy."
"Because the quarry is sheltered?"
"Yes."
"So reasonably, there would be a good deal of exhaust fumes
from the compressor hanging about in this still air stirred only
by the odd eddy'?"
"I suppose it's possible."
"I would've said that it was most likely, wouldn't you, Mr.
Donaldson? A powerful engine running at high-speed in a sheltered
place like Warmsley Quarry?"
"Yes. I suppose so."
"I don't like this vagueness," said Sinclair to the witness.
"Were there, or were there not petrol engine fumes in the air,
or
don't you know?"
"Yes, sir. There were fumes. But the air wasn't thick with
them."
Sinclair nodded to Golding.
The hard stare focused on Donaldson. "So when you sniffed
the air from that aqualung, how do you know that you weren't
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also sniffing petrol engine fumes that were already in the
atmosphere?"
Donaldson flushed angrily. His beard trembled. "Now look.
You've twisted everything else I've said, at least give me credit
for being able to recognise a smell that's squirted out right
under
my nose!"
"But the air we breathe is under our noses all the time, Mr.
Donaldson. Is that a fact I've twisted?"
Donaldson said nothing. He avoided looking at the stare.
"And there were petrol engine fumes in the air all round you?"
The witness remained silent.
"So how do you know that what you were sniffing was wholly
air from the aqualung and not air contaminated with petrol
engine fumes borne on one of these 'odd eddies' you mentioned ?''
Donaldson looked round the court in desperation. "This is
crazy! If I say I sniffed the air and said it smelt of petrol
engine fumes then why shouldn't I be believed? I'm not lying!"
"No one is suggesting you are, Mr. Donaldson," said Sinclair.
"Counsel is merely trying to establish whether or not you
are mistaken."
"Mr. Donaldson," said Golding in a reasoning tone. "If I asked
you to breathe the contents of that aqualung, and nothing but the
contents of that aqualung, you would have to put on a facemask
to cover your nose and eyes, and put the mouthpiece properly
in your mouth and inhale as if you were using the aqualung.
Correct?"
"I suppose so."
"Answer the question properly," Sinclair reprimanded sternly.
"Yes!"
"You didn't do that, did you?" said Golding. "You merely
placed your nose near the mouthpiece, operated the by-pass and
sniffed."
"Yes."
"So you can't be certain, one hundred percent certain, that the
air you sampled was air wholly from the aqualung?"
Donaldson's reply was a sulky: "No."
Ander's wasn't unduly worried. He could see from the expression
on some of the jurors' faces that they believed that if a
man said that he could smell engine fumes, then he could smell
engine fumes. Any doubt Golding may have raised about fumes
from the compressor not being deliberately introduced into Sven
Richards' aqualung would be reinstated by his next witnesses.
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"You said in your evidence that Rosemary Richards and Colin
Freeman had a relationship. Would you clarify that please?"
"They were lovers," said Donaldson crisply.
"Ah yes. Of course. You'd seen them kissing in the Seven
Bells one evening. How many of these kisses were exchanged
between the couple?"
"I'm not sure."
"Twenty? Forty? Eighty?"
"I saw them kissing once."
"One kiss? That's what kissing means is it?"
"It think it was one kiss -- yes."
"I understand the Seven Bells is what one would call an Olde
Worlde Inn with dark corners and low beams -- soft lighting?"
"Yes."
"Were the two accused sitting in a dark corner?"
"They were sitting in a corner. I can't remember the lighting."
"Well let's see what else we can find out that you didn't
remember."
Anders stood. "My Lord. My learned friend is including
Unnecessary comment in his cross-examination."
Golding smile graciously. "I withdraw the remark, my Lord."
Donaldson had relaxed during the exchange between the counsels
and the judge. Before he had time to brace himself, Golding
snapped out another question:
"Did you see their lips touch?"
Donaldson was off-guard. "Er ... Well, no. Rosemary had
her back to me, but it was the gesture of a kiss."
"They were in a dark corner --"
"I didn't say that!"
"I understand that all the corners in the Seven Bells are dark.
Perhaps I've been misinformed. Is there a light one?"
"I don't know. I don't think so." Donaldson's voice was sulky
again.
"So. They were in a dark corner. Rosemary Richards had her
back to you. You didn't see her lips and you didn't see Colin
Freeman's lips, and you didn't see their lips touch, yet by some
amazing miracle of perception, you saw them kiss."
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Donaldson said nothing and Golding didn't press for a reply.
"Was it noisy in the bar?"
"Yes."
"It didn't occur to you that Rosemary Richards was leaning
towards Colin Freeman or he was leaning towards her so that
they could hear what they were saying to each other?"
"It looked like a kiss."
Golding's eyes were hard. "So now it looked like a kiss. Well
I can think of a thousand gestures that might look like a kiss."
"Can you really, Mr. Golding?" Sinclair asked in a mildly
reproving tone.
"Quite a lot, my Lord."
"Look," said Donaldson. "It was common knowledge in the
club that those two were having it away"
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