Nothing Lasts Forever

Prologue 2 (Sacrificial Pawn)

The trial was now in its fourth week. The spectators and press had found the prosecuting attorney and defense attorney fascinating to watch. Gus Venable was dressed in white and Alan Penn in black, and the two of them had moved around the courtroom like players in a deadly chorerographed game of chess, with Paige Taylor the sacrificial pawn.

Gus Venable was tring up the loose ends.

"If the court please, I would like to call Alma Rogers to the witness stand."

When his witness was sworn in, Venable said, "Mrs. Rogers, what is your occupation?"

"It's Miss Rogers."

"I do beg your pardon."

"I work at the Corniche Travel Agency."

"Your agency books tours to various countries and makes hotel reservations and handles other accomodations for your clients?"

"Yes, sir."

"I want you to take a look at defendant. Have you ever seen her before?"

"Oh, yes. She came into our travel agency two or three years ago."

"And what did she want?"

"She said she was interested in a trip to London and Paris and, I believe, Venice."

"Did she ask about package tours?"

"Oh, no, She said she wanted everything first class--plane, hotel. And I believe she was interested in charactering a yacht."

The courtroom was hushed. Gus Venable walked over to the prosecutor's table and held up some folders.

"The police found these brochures in Dr. Taylor's don and Venice, brochures for expensive hotels and airlines, and one listing the cost of chartering a private yacht."

There was a loud murmur from the courtroom.

The prosecutor had opened one of the brochures.

"Here are some of the yachts listed for charter, " he read aloud. "The Christina O . . .twenty-six thousand dollars a week plus ship's expenses . . . the Resolute Time, twenty-four thousand five hundred dollars a week. . . the Lucky Dream, twenty-seven thousand three hundred dollars a week." He looked up. "There's a check mark after the Lucky Dream . Paige Taylor had already selected the twenty-seven-thousand-three-hundred-a-week yacht. She just hadnt selected her victim yet.

"We'd like to have these marked Exhibit A." Venable  turned to Alan Penn and smiled. Alan Penn looked at Paige. She was staring down at the table, her face pale. "Your witness."

Penn rose to his feet, stalling, thinking fast.

"How is the travel business these days, Miss Rogers?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"I asked how business was. Is Corniche a large travel agency?"

"It;s quite large, yes."

"I imagine a lot of people come in to inquire about trips."

"Oh yes"

"Would you say five or six people a day?"

"Oh no!" Her voice was indignant. "We talk to as many as fifty people a day about travel arrangements."

"Fifty people a day?" He sounded impressed. "And the day we're talking about was two or three years ago. If you multiply fifty by nine hundred days, that's roughly forty-five thousand people."

"I suppose so."

"And yet, out of all those people, you rememberes Dr. Taylor. Why is that?"

"Well, she and her two friends were so excited about taking a trip to Europe. I thought it was lovely. They were like schoolgirls. Oh, yes. I remembered them very clearly, particularly because they didnt look like they could afford a yacht."