“He got rid of the press and returned home. By that time Lorraine had learned of Norda’s departure. They realized, of course, she must have discovered something, so they became more determined than ever to frame the murder on her. They sat there, waiting for the explosion to take place. They were, however, frightened to death when Norda showed up with you. They had no way of knowing she’d found the printing press. That must have been a real jolt.”
“He’s confessed?” Mason asked.
“They’ve both confessed,” Drake said.
“What about Norda Allison?” Mason asked.
“You don’t need to ask that one,” Drake said. “She was released on her own recognizance, you’ll remember, and she and this Nathan Benedict did quite a bit of dining and dancing at The Purple Swan Night Club. They drove away in Benedict’s rented car and somehow my operative, who was trying to tag along, got lost in the shuffle. That was about one-thirty. Norda Allison showed up in front of her hotel at three-forty-five this morning. She seemed to be walking on air. Nathan Benedict, who drove her to the hotel, escorted her in, and my man didn’t have any trouble following him after that. He went directly to his hotel and went to bed.”
“I see,” Mason said dryly.
“So that’s the case,” Drake commented.
“Well, I’m sorry,” Mason said. “I’m sorry for Robert... although, when you come right down to it, a jury isn’t going to be too tough on Barton Jennings for killing a man who was blackmailing him. They’ll make it manslaughter. I don’t know but what a proper presentation of the case might get Lorraine Jennings out of it scot-free without a prison sentence. After all, a court will consider Mervin Selkirk’s character if she applies for probation and...”
The phone rang.
Della Street picked up the instrument, said to the receptionist, “Hello, what is it, Gertie?”
“Just a minute,” she said.
Della Street turned to Perry Mason. “Lorraine Jennings is calling you. Gertie says she’s absolutely frantic. She wants to know if you’ll go to the detention ward to see her.”
Mason hesitated for a long five seconds, then slowly nodded. “Tell her that I’ll be down to see her,” he said. And then added, “For Robert’s sake. I guess I owe them both that much, and I can use my claim against the grandfather for filing a false charge to make him go along. He really loves Robert, and I guess we can make him quit being quite such a cold-blooded greedy grandfather and get him to co-operate with Lorraine in doing whatever is best for Robert.
“Tell her I’ll be down to see her, Della.”