Josef Pappas looked toward Napoleon Chotas for help. But there was none.
"I...Yes, sir. I guess I was."
Peter Demonides was withering in his scorn. "You guess you were? You're under oath. You either had an affair with her or you didn't. Which is it?"
Pappas was squirming in his seat. "We had an affair."
"Even though you were working for her husband - being paid generously by him, and living under his roof?"
"Yes, sir."
"It didn't bother you, to take Mr. Savalas's money week after week while you were having an affair with his wife?"
"It wasn't just an affair."
Peter Demonides baited the trap carefully. "It wasn't just an affair? What do you mean by that? I'm afraid I don't understand."
"I mean - me and Anastasia were planning to get married."
There was a surprised murmur from the courtroom. The jurors were staring at the defendant.
"Was the marriage your idea, or Mrs. Savalas's?"
"Well, we both wanted to."
"Who suggested it?"
"I guess she did." He looked over toward where Anastasia Savalas was seated. She returned his look without flinching.
"Frankly, Mr. Pappas, I'm puzzled. How did you expect to get married? Mrs. Savalas already had a husband, hadn't she? Did you plan to wait for him to die of old age? Or have a fatal accident of some kind? What exactly did you have in mind?"
The questions were so inflammatory that the prosecutor and the three judges looked toward Napoleon Chotas, waiting for him to thunder an objection. But the defense lawyer was busily doodling, paying no attention. Anastasia Savalas too was beginning to look concerned.
Peter Demonides pressed his advantage. "You haven't answered my question, Mr. Pappas."
Josef Pappas shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "I don't know, exactly."
Peter Demonides's voice was a whiplash. "Then let me tell you, exactly. Mrs. Savalas planned to murder her husband to get him out of the way. She knew that her husband was going to divorce her and cut her out of his will, and that she would be left with nothing. She..."
"Objection!" It came not from Napoleon Chotas but from the Chief Justice. "You're asking the witness to speculate." He looked over at Napoleon Chotas, surprised at the silence of the lawyer. The old man was sitting back on the bench, his eyes half-closed.
"Sorry, Your Honor." But he knew he had made his point. Peter Demonides turned to Chotas. "Your witness."
Napoleon Chotas rose. "Thank you, Mr. Demonides. No questions."
The three justices turned to look at one another, puzzled. One of them spoke up: "Mr. Chotas, you are aware that this will be your only opportunity to cross-examine this witness?"
Napoleon Chotas blinked. "Yes, Your Honor."
"In view of his testimony, you don't wish to ask him any questions?"
Napoleon Chotas waved a hand in the air and said, vaguely, "No, Your Honor."
The judge sighed. "Very well. The prosecutor may call his next witness."
The next witness was Mihalis Haritonides, a burly man in his sixties.
When Haritonides was sworn in, the prosecutor asked: "Would you tell the court your occupation, please?"
"Yes, sir. I manage a hotel."
"Would you tell us the name of the hotel?".
"The Argos."
"And this hotel is located where?"
"In Corfu."
"I'm going to ask you, Mr. Haritonides, whether any of the people in this room have ever stayed at your hotel."
Haritonides looked around and said, "Yes, sir. Him and her."
"Let the record show that the witness is pointing to Josef Pappas and Anastasia Savalas." He turned back to the witness. "Did they stay at your hotel more than once?"
"Oh, yes, sir. They were there half a dozen times, at least."
"And they spent the night there, together, in the same room?"
"Yes, sir. They usually came for the weekend."
"Thank you, Mr. Haritonides." He looked at Napoleon Chotas. "Your witness."
"No questions."
The Chief Justice turned to the other two justices, and they whispered among themselves for a moment.
The Chief Justice looked toward Napoleon Chotas. "You have no questions for this witness, Mr. Chotas?"
"No, Your Honor. I believe his testimony. It's a nice hotel. I've stayed there myself."
The Chief Justice stared at Napoleon Chotas for a long moment. Then he turned to the prosecutor. "The state may call its next witness."
"The state would like to call Dr. Vassilis Frangescos."
A tall, distinguished-looking man rose and moved toward the witness box. He was sworn in.
"Dr. Frangescos, would you be good enough to tell the court what kind of medicine you practice?"
"I'm a general practitioner."
"Is that equivalent to a family doctor?"
"It's another way of putting it, yes."
"How long have you been in practice, doctor?"
"Almost thirty years."
"And you are licensed by the state, of course."
"Of course."
"Dr. Frangescos, was George Savalas a patient of yours?"
"Yes, he was."
"For what period of time?"
"A little more than ten years."
"And were you treating Mr. Savalas for any specific problem?"
"Well, the first time I saw him, he came to me because he had high blood pressure."
"And you treated him for that."
"Yes."