"At 8 A.M. on Monday, March 4, 1968, you were drinking coffee in a rear booth in the Sandwich Shop at the airport?" asked
the district attorney.
"I was," answered McCarthy, the murder defendent.
"And you didn't see the man in the booth across the aisle --- not five feet from you --- stabbed to death!"
"No, I was reading the local morning newspaper."
The cashier remembers you. You were in an awful hurry. You gave her a half-dollar in payment of a 15-cent check, and you
didn't wait for your change."
"I had to catch a plane."
"You were aware of the time, but you didn't notice the man in the next booth was dead --- with a knife sticking out of
his chest?"
"I might have seen him, but I never looked directly at him."
"You didn't hear him order eggs and coffee?"
"I might have. I don't remember. I was busy reading the New York Stock Exchange listings. I own some shares."
"How long did that take you?"
"A couple of minutes. Then I read the market news. There was a long article forecasting steel prospects for next year.
After I finished reading the article, I noticed the time. I had less that two minutes to catch my plane to Los Angeles."
In the rear of the courtroom, Dr. Haledjian leaned over and whispered to Inspector Winters: "If he isn't convicted of murder,
he'll draw a stiff sentence for perjury!"
