“Hang it!” he said irritably, “it shows how circumstances can betray you and how coincidences can make a mess. You go on home, Della.”
“You’ll promise to call me if anything urgent develops?”
“Cross my heart,” Mason said.
“Well,” she surrendered, “I think I will. I feel like a wet dish rag.”
“You may be coming down with something,” Mason said. “You’d better see a doctor before—”
“No,” she said, “I just feel that if I could get some sleep it would be all I needed. I should have taken a sleeping pill last night, but I waited so long that I knew if I took one I wouldn’t be much good today.”
“You go take a sedative right now, and go to bed,” Mason said. “What’s more, watch yourself. If you develop any fever, call a doctor. I’m inclined to agree with you. I think all you need is a good rest, but make sure.”
“All right,” she told him, “and you remember, you’re to call me if anything urgent develops.”
Mason nodded and resumed pacing the floor.
Chapter Twelve
Homer Garvin, Sr. called just before noon.
“Good work, Perry!” he said.
“What are you talking about?” Mason asked.
“You should know,” Garvin said.
“Where are you?”
“Las Vegas, Nevada.”
“I’m afraid,” Mason said, “there have been some developments that you don’t know about, Homer, some complications that...”
“I know all about them,” Garvin said. “That’s why I’m calling. I’m over here in Nevada, but I’m keeping in touch with developments. I have my own sources of information.”
Mason said, “Did you know about the police picking up your son and his wife for questioning? Did you know about the gun I accidentally discharged and which turned out...?”
“I know all about it,” Garvin said. “You’re doing all right, Mason. Now remember this: it’s your duty to protect Stephanie Falkner at all costs.”
“What about your son and his wife?”
“Do what you can,” Garvin said, “but don’t bother about them. Police can’t make any case against either one of them, and they’ll drop them like hot potatoes when they finish their investigative work.”
“Do you want me to represent them?” Mason asked.
“Go ahead. Represent everybody,” Garvin said, “but primarily you’re representing Stephanie Falkner.”
“And what about you?”
“I’ll take care of myself. But I want to know something about my rights.”
“What about them?”
Garvin said, “I’m over here at the Double-O Motel. I’m registered under my own name. I haven’t resorted to flight. I can prove that I have business here. I expect police to locate me at any moment.
“Here’s what I’d like to do, Mason. I’d like to simply sit tight and refuse to answer any question on the grounds that I have no information that would be of value and that I do not intend to volunteer any statement until my attorney can be with me.”
Mason said, “That might put you in an embarrassing position as far as the public is concerned. It wouldn’t endear you to the police, and they’d pin something on you if they had a chance.”
“Let them pin,” Garvin said.
“You know,” Mason told him, “there’s some evidence in this case that points toward you.”
“There’ll be more before I get done,” Garvin told him. “You represent Stephanie. She’s the one who is going to need the representation. Do you understand?”
“I think so.”
Garvin said, “Do anything you can to keep police from building up a case against her. I’ll take care of myself. Now here’s what I want to do. I want to refuse to make any statement to the police...I don’t have to talk, do I?”
“Not if you tell them you won’t make any statement except in the presence of your attorney.”
“And you’re my attorney,” Garvin said. “Also I take it it’s very inconvenient if not impossible for you to come to Las Vegas, Nevada.”
“I have very urgent matters in my office here at the moment,” Mason said.
“That’s what I thought,” Garvin said. “I’m willing to make a statement, but only in the event that you are present at the time. Now then, I want to know what will happen if they try to get tough with me.”
“You’re out of the State,” Mason said. “They can charge you with murder, and try to extradite you.”
“I take it,” Garvin said, “that, since I’m out of the State, they won’t be in such a hurry to try to arrest me on a definite charge.”
“They’ll want to feel they have a pretty good case before they do anything,” Mason said.
“That’s what I thought.”
“But they may feel they have a pretty good case,” Mason warned.
“In which event, we’ll sit tight and make them prove it beyond all reasonable doubt.”
“Don’t waive extradition,” Mason warned.
“I won’t waive anything except my hands.”
“I’m afraid police are interrogating Stephanie Falkner right now.”
“Sure, they are. They’re also interrogating my son and his bride. You know, Mason, the more trails they have to follow the more confused they’ll get. I don’t know just how you did what you did, but you did a wonderful job. Now if you want to get in touch with me, just ring the Double-O Motel and leave any message you want with Lucille.”
“Okay,” Mason told him, “and if you should call me and I’m not in, or if you want to call me at night, get in touch with the Drake Detective Agency. You’re going to have a bill to pay on this, Homer.”
“I don’t expect something for nothing,” Garvin said.
“I’m keeping some private detectives on the job. I just want to be sure that...”
“You do anything you see fit,” Garvin interrupted. “Spend as much money as you want. I’ve never kicked about your charges yet, and I’m not going to begin now. But whatever you do, be sure to protect Stephanie Falkner. Good-bye.”
Mason was just dropping the receiver into its cradle when he heard the sound of a key at the lock of the door to his private office.
Mason whirled just as the door opened, and Della Street stood in the doorway.
“Now what?” Mason said. “I told you to go home and rest, Della, to take a sleeping pill and...”
“I didn’t need one, Chief,” she said. “I got some headache medicine downstairs. I went home and relaxed and feel a lot better... I got to thinking about what Mr. Garvin had said to us about buying cars.”
“Go on,” Mason said, suddenly straightening in the chair.
“Well,” Della Street said, “after all there is a terrific depreciation in buying new cars, and if you know someone who is in the used car business and who will give you a good deal...”
“Della,” Mason interrupted, “do you mean to say that instead of sleeping you went out to Junior Garvin’s used car lot and...”
“But I wasn’t sick, Chief. I simply had a headache and I hadn’t slept well last night, but the headache medicine quieted my nerves and made me feel all right.”
“Go on,” Mason said, “what did you do?”
“Well, I just kept thinking about what Garvin had told us. You see my car didn’t seem to be running right. I stopped by the used car lot. After all, it’s right on my way to the office. Well, only a few blocks out of the way.”
“All right,” Mason said, “what did you do?”
“Junior Garvin wasn’t there,” she said, “but I met one of the nicest salesmen, and he knew that Junior Garvin was your friend. I told him that Junior had offered to make either or both of us a good deal. He had a car there that was just a dream of a car.”