Chapter Thirty-six
Dr Alex Phillips was the next witness, and he gave evidence of being phoned by Jessica Vandermeer, who in a state of extreme distress had asked for him to attend her husband’s surgery as Cornelius had been found dead.
‘When you attended the surgery, what did you find?’ Del Assandro asked.
‘I checked Cornelius for a pulse, but found none. His face was a bluish colour and rigor mortis had begun to set in.’
‘Was Jessica Vandermeer at her husband’s surgery when you arrived?’
‘No, she arrived a few minutes after me.’
‘What did she say to you?’
The witness paused for a few seconds to compose his answer. ‘She was very upset and not at all coherent.’
‘Did she ask you to sign a medical certificate of cause of death?’
‘I … ah … don’t recall. In any event it was clearly no
