Joe, the defense attorney, was cross-examining Dr. Mark about whether or not he had checked the pulse of the deceased before he signed the death certificate.
"No," Dr. Mark said. "I did not check his pulse."
"And did you listen for a heartbeat?" asked Joe, adjusting his legal notepad.
"No, I did not," Dr. Mark said.
"So," Joe said, turning to face the jury with a confident smile, "when you signed the death certificate, you had not taken any proper steps to make sure he was dead."
Dr. Mark leaned toward the microphone and said, "Well, counselor, let me put it this way. The man's brain was in a jar on my desk but, for all I know, he could be out practicing law somewhere."