Witness for the Prosecution

In his first interview with Vole, Mayherne stresses that it is important that he know the full story of Vole’s involvement with Miss French, not because it will affect whether he defends Vole, but rather how he does: “[W]e’re going to make a determined effort to get you off […] But I must have all the facts. I must know just how damaging the case against you is likely to be. Then we can fix upon the best line of defence” (2). Mayherne here effectively reveals his willingness to deceive the jury as part of his duty to defend Leonard; Vole could be guilty and Mayherne would still depict him as innocent to the jury. For instance, when he discovers that Leonard knew of Miss French’s wealth when he befriended her, Mayherne queries, “Who was it exactly who told you that she was well off? […] Is he likely to remember having done so?” (4), before speculating about the possibility of “confus[ing]” the man into changing his testimony in a way that would be beneficial to Leonard’s defense (5).

What is noteworthy about Mayherne’s strategy isn’t simply that he intends (or is at least willing) to deceive the jury, but rather that he plans to do so largely while telling the truth.