“The judge was impressed. He made an order that Robert was to spend two months out of every year with Mervin and that I was to be particularly careful not to discuss Mervin with the boy. Then the judge continued the case for seven months.
“The seven months are up a week from Monday. Now, with this new testimony, and with your testimony, we can show Mervin up for just the sort of a man he really is. Then I can get the sole custody of Robert, and—”
“I’m not so sure you can,” Norda interrupted. “Remember I only saw him slap Robert’s face once.”
“But you saw it!” Lorraine insisted. “You saw the way he did it; the hardness of the slap. You saw him reach out in that deadly, self-contained way of his and slap a little child half across the room.”
“It wasn’t half across the room.”
‘Well, it was a hard slap.”
“Yes,” Norda conceded, “it was a hard slap.”
“Administered in front of company and only because he had interrupted you with some childish request.”
Norda remained dubious, feeling somehow that she had been tricked. “After all, Lorraine, I was almost one of the family. Robert called me ‘Aunt Norda’ and he couldn’t have been expected to be as formally polite with me as with a stranger.”
“Of course,” Lorraine agreed. “That’s what makes the cruelty of it all the more flagrant.”
Norda turned to Barton Jennings, but he forestalled the question. “Don’t look at me,” he laughed. “I’m just the guy who drives the car. Lorraine’s troubles with her former spouse are out of bounds for me. If he comes around me, I’ll bounce a hammer off his head. I don’t want any part of him, but I’m trying desperately to keep out of Lorraine’s private affairs. I’ll furnish whatever financial help is needed... Of course, I’m crazy about Robert.”
“Who isn’t?” Norda laughed. “By the way, where is he? I had hoped you’d bring him.”
“He’s leaving early in the morning for a four-day camping trip,” Lorraine explained. “It’s a great event for him because he can sleep out and take his dog with him. Frankly, we didn’t tell him you were coming. You have no idea how much he cares for you. If he’d known you were coming, I know he’d have preferred to stay and visit with you... and then there would have been speculation as to why you were here and all that.
“We don’t want Robert to know anything about all this. We think it’s better that way. There’ll be time for a visit with you on some more propitious occasion. You must come and spend a week with us after all of this is ironed out.”
Norda was silent, thinking of Robert, knowing how fond he was of her, wondering what would have happened if she hadn’t broken the engagement but had gone ahead and married Robert’s father... Then it suddenly dawned on her that had she done so, Mervin would undoubtedly have used her affection for Robert and the child’s regard for her as a lever to get at least half-time custody of Robert.
With a sudden shock she wondered if Lorraine had ever considered this possibility.
As soon as she had that thought, she felt certain Lorraine had at least explored the possibilities. It wouldn’t be like her not to have thought of that. Any woman would have. And Mervin had admitted a reluctant admiration for Lorraine’s foresight and mental agility. “There’s one thing about my former wife,” he had told Norda, “she never overlooks a bet She is constantly chattering and has a babyface, but she’s as cold-bloodedly accurate as an adding machine and she lies awake nights thinking of the things that will happen if such and such takes place.”
Norda’s thoughts were interrupted by Lorraine, who had been studying her face. “At least, Norda, you’ll come out to spend the night with us and then talk with our lawyer tomorrow morning. I know you’ll see things in a different way after that.”
At that point Norda would have much preferred to have gone to a hotel, but Lorraine was so insistent that she permitted herself to be driven to the Jennings’ home in Beverly Hills.
She asked where Robert was sleeping and was told he was in a tent in the patio. Of late he had become quite an out-of-door character, watching television shows featuring the famous plainsmen of the west. He had finally insisted on moving from his bedroom and sleeping outside.
Lorraine said they usually had a baby sitter for him when they were out. Tonight, however, both of their favorite baby sitters were tied up and couldn’t come. So they had waited until Robert was asleep in his tent in the patio, and then had driven to the airport.
They had known he would be quite safe because Rover would be on guard. Rover was the Great Dane Lorraine had insisted on keeping when she had made her property settlement with Mervin. Norda had heard Robert talk about the dog, and then she herself had been “introduced” to the animal once when Robert was visiting Mervin.
The dog was a huge creature with great dignity and expressive eyes. He had taken to Norda and to her delight had remembered her when he had next seen her, waving his tail and showing his pleasure when she stroked his forehead.
Barton Jennings went to the back door to look out in the patio. He reported everything was all right that Rover was asleep where he could keep one eye on the house, one on Robert’s tent.
Norda asked about going out to speak to the dog, but Barton said he’d probably get excited, make a noise and waken Robert.
Once Robert knew Norda was there, Lorraine said, he’d be certain to refuse to go on the camping trip and that wouldn’t be fair to the other boys, or to Robert himself.
There was something in her voice that gave Norda a vague sense of disquiet Robert and Norda had been great pals. She felt she had won Robert’s complete confidence. Was it possible there was an element of jealousy on the part of Lorraine?
She dismissed the thought as soon as it occurred to her, pleaded fatigue from a long day, and was shown to her bedroom, a second-floor front room on the northwest side of the house.
Chapter Three
Perry Mason latchkeyed the door of his private office to find his secretary, Della Street, waiting for him.
Mason made a little grimace of distaste. “Saturday morning,” he said, “and I have to drag you out to work.”
“The price of success,” Della Street told him smilingly.
“Well, you’re good-natured about it, anyway.”
Della Street made a sweeping gesture, which included the office, the desk with its pile of correspondence, the open law books which Mason was to use in the brief he was about to dictate. “It’s my life and it’s yours. We may as well face it.”
“But it’s work,” Mason said, watching her face. “There are times when it must be sheer drudgery for you.”
“It’s more fascinating than any type of play,” she said. “Are you ready?”
She opened her notebook and held a pen poised over the page.
Mason sighed and settled into his chair.
The private unlisted telephone rang.
There were only three people in the world who had the number of that telephone. Perry Mason himself, Della Street, his confidential secretary, and Paul Drake, head of the Drake Detective Agency, which had offices on the same floor with Perry Mason.
“How does Paul know we’re here?” Mason asked.
“He saw me coming up in the elevator,” Della Street said. “He told me he had something he might bother us with. I warned him that you wouldn’t interrupt dictation this morning for anything short of murder.”
Mason picked up the telephone. “Hello, Paul. What’s the trouble?”
Drake’s voice came over the wire. “Despite the fact Della told me you are working on an important brief this morning and don’t want to be disturbed, Perry, I thought I should call you. There’s a young woman in my office who insists she must see you. She’s really worked up, almost hysterical, and...”