“And did your company’s doctors see Mr. Manning after that date?”

“Not that I’m aware of.”

“Had they seen him before that date?”

“Not that I’m aware of. He had no earlier policies with us.”

Stone was getting into shallow water now, and he hoped he would not run aground. “Did he have any earlier policies with any other company?”

Stendahl consulted his notes. “None.”

“Mr. Stendahl, when you are investigating an applicant for life insurance, is there a central record of health history you can consult?”

“Yes. If the applicant has had medical problems, we can usually find out about them.”

“But if he hasn’t had health problems, and if he hasn’t previously applied for life insurance, there would be no record of his height, weight, or blood studies, would there?”

“No.”

“Did you find any earlier medical records of Paul Manning?”

“No.”

“So you don’t know what occurred with regard to Mr. Manning’s weight and various blood studies either before the examination or between the date of that examination and the date of his death?”

“No.”

Stone breathed easier. He held up the documents for the bailiff. “May the witness read from these, Your Lordship?”

“He may.”

The bailiff took the documents and handed them to Stendahl.

“Mr. Stendahl,” Stone continued, “what are the documents you have just been handed?”

Stendahl flipped quickly through them. “They appear to be the results of another physical examination taken by Mr. Manning.”

“On what date?”

“A year after our company’s doctors examined him.”

“Would you read the first paragraph, which has been highlighted?”

Stendahl found the paragraph. “‘Paul Manning is a forty-year-old author who has come in for a physical examination prior to an extensive sea voyage. Mr. Manning has no complaints, but he is desirous of being examined and taking a copy of his medical records on his journey. Mr. Manning is six feet, two inches tall and weighs…’” Stendahl paused.

“Go on, Mr. Stendahl.”

“‘…weighs two hundred and sixty-one pounds, rather too much for a man of his frame. The results of blood tests show a serum cholesterol count of three hundred twenty-five and serum triglycerides are four hundred and ten. These are both dangerously elevated, the high end of normal being two hundred and twenty for cholesterol and one hundred and fifty for triglycerides. Because of these numbers, in conjunction with Mr. Manning’s lack of regular exercise, I have advised Mr. Manning to immediately undertake a program of exercise, a diet low in cholesterol and other fats, and to bring his weight down to a maximum of two hundred pounds.’”

“Does this sound like the man your doctors examined?” Stone asked.

“No. It would appear that Mr. Manning changed his eating habits after our exam.”