The Underground Man

40

There was a moment of stunned silence in the courtroom. No one could quite believe what they’d just heard. Judge Grimes blinked twice, and his jaw actually dropped open.

Harry Dirkson lunged to his feet. “What?!” he roared incredulously.

That opened the floodgates. Suddenly the court was in an uproar as everyone began talking at once.

Judge Grimes recovered, banged the gavel furiously. Even so, it took several minutes to get the courtroom quieted down.

When order was restored, Judge Grimes said, “Mr. Winslow, did I hear you correctly? You are resting your case?”

“That’s right, Your Honor. The defense rests. Let’s proceed with the closing arguments.”

Harry Dirkson could hardly contain himself. He was puffing furiously and his face was bright red. ‘Your Honor, Your Honor,” he cried. “This is why I didn’t want to stipulate. This is exactly what I was talking about. This comes as a complete surprise. I demand a continuance.”

Steve Winslow raised his voice. “Now, Your Honor,” he said, “this is the very thing I sought to avoid. The prosecutor stipulated he wouldn’t ask for a continuance, and here he is asking for one.”

“Mr. Dirkson,” Judge Grimes said. “I thought you agreed to stipulate.”

“I was tricked into stipulating, Your Honor,” Dirkson said. “It was a trick on the part of Counsel. It has taken me completely by surprise, and the interests of the People demand a continuance. Mr. Winslow himself stated that I could have one if I was taken by surprise.”

“Not so, Your Honor,” Steve said. “My stipulation was if Mr. Dirkson could point to one fact that I have brought out for which he was unprepared I would not object to a continuance. Since I have brought out no facts at all, he obviously cannot do that. The interests of my client demand that the trial proceed. I ask that Mr. Dirkson be bound by his stipulation.”

“Mr. Dirkson,” Judge Grimes said. “I must consider the stipulation binding. Are you prepared to proceed?”

“As I said, I have several rebuttal witnesses, Your Honor.”

Judge Grimes smiled slightly. “But as the defense has put on no case, there is nothing to rebut.”

“But, Your Honor-”

Judge Grimes held up his hand. “That is a moot point, Mr. Dirkson. The evidentiary part of the case is over. We have come to the closing arguments. Are you prepared to proceed with yours?”

Dirkson paused, took a breath. It had finally occurred to him that he was losing on all fronts, and all he was accomplishing was making himself look bad.

“I had not expected to argue the case so soon, Your Honor, but I am certainly prepared to do so.”

“I will of course grant you a brief recess to prepare your summation. In fact, since that will run us close to the lunch hour, I am going to break now, and we will come back after lunch. Court is adjourned until two o’clock.”

Judge Grimes’s gavel had barely sounded when newspaper reporters were already tripping over each other in their haste to get out the door.