“And Mrs. Warfield’s baggage?”
“Mrs. Greeley put it in Greeley’s room, of course — probably telling Mrs. Warfield she was going to spirit it out of the hotel.”
There was a long pause. Then Della frowned. “Greeley wasn’t wearing his dinner jacket when he got home.”
“Sure he was, but he changed his clothes before awakening his wife.”
“How much did Homan know of what Mrs. Greeley had done?”
Mason shook his head. “I don’t know. That is up to Tragg. But my best guess is he didn’t know a thing.”
“Not even if he was keeping Mrs. Warfield on his yacht?”
“No. I don’t think he knows she is on the yacht. Only that Mrs. Greeley said she wanted to borrow it to keep some witness concealed. In any event, that’s Tragg’s headache. I am not going to worry about it. Dammit, Della, I sent a woman to her death. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
Della picked up an ash tray, emptied it, and replaced it on the lawyer’s desk.
“What about your beautiful blonde, Chief?”
“She is in the clear.”
“Sure. I mean—”
“Oh, that uncle of hers will come around after I have talked with him.”
“Uncle!” Della’s nose wrinkled in disdain. “I mean her love life.”
“Well — there is the Romeo from home — but I am betting on young Homan. He is not a bad kid, and if I know the signs—” The telephone rang. Della Street picked up the receiver, said, “Hello?... Hold the line a minute,” and turned to Mason. “It’s Tragg.”
Mason took the phone.
“Hello, Perry,” Tragg said. “I just wanted to thank you. The newspaper boys think I am some detective.”
“That is fine.”
“When did you first know, Mason?” Tragg asked.
Mason said, “I should have known some time before I did, but when you found that white feather in my hallway, Tragg, I realized at once what had happened. When Mrs. Greeley telephoned about the shirt she wasn’t calling from her house. She was telephoning from the Adirondack Hotel or someplace nearby, but said she was at home so that she would have an alibi.”
“And she had already committed the murder?”
“Yes. She had followed Tanner ever since he left the courtroom. By that time she was desperate. She had tried to protect Homan and herself and she was going to see it through. She realized Tanner held the whip hand. Remember, when she called she said she couldn’t leave right away, so she had time to dash by and pick up the shirt and tuxedo. You should have known as soon as you found that feather, Tragg.”
“You mean she was the one who dropped the feather?”
“Of course,” Mason said.
“How did you know you didn’t?” Tragg asked.
Mason grinned. “I wouldn’t want to make any admissions to you in your official capacity, Tragg, but if I had been in that room in the Adirondack Hotel, I certainly hope you don’t think I could be so confoundedly negligent as not to look over my shoes very carefully while I was returning to the office in the taxicab. A man of ordinary intelligence would know that loose feathers would stick to wet shoes — and take proper precautions.”
And Mason gently slid the receiver onto its hook before Tragg could make any reply — or ask any questions.