Tragg switched on a light.
“There’s the car,” he said.
Mason looked at the big light-colored automobile.
“What about it?” he said.
Tragg said, “Take a look at that right-hand fender, Perry. Stand over this way a little bit — a little farther — right here. See it? See that spider web and the flies in it? That spider web goes from the emblem on the car to the edge of the little tool bench in the garage, and notice the flies that are in it. That spider web has been there for some time.”
Tragg, watching Mason’s face, said, “I’ve been in this business, Perry, long enough to know that you can’t trust a woman when she’s telling a story, particularly if she’s had an opportunity to rehearse that story.
“If Dorrie Ambler is your client, she may or may not have been abducted. There was a murdered man on the floor of her apartment. She may or may not have been responsible for that, but there’s an automobile in her garage and she sure as hell is responsible for that automobile. That’s a stolen automobile in the first place, and in the second place it was involved in a hit-and-run.
“Now then, Perry, I’m going to ask you just how much do you know about Dorrie Ambler?”
Mason was thoughtfully silent for a moment, then said, “Not too much.”
“Everything based on what she’s told you?”
“Everything based on what she’s told me,” Mason said.
“All right,” Tragg said. “I’m not going to tell anybody that I showed you that spider web. We’re going to have it sprayed and photographed. It’ll be a big point in the district attorney’s case whenever the case comes up.
“I’ve shown you that on my own responsibility. I want to make a trade with you. That’s information that’s vital to your client. I think you have some information that’s vital to me.”
Tragg ushered Mason and the detective from the garage, locked the door behind them.
“How about it, Perry?” he asked.
Mason said, “Tragg, I’d like to co-operate with you but I’m going to have to think things over a bit and I’m going to have to do some checking on certain information.”
“And after you’ve checked on it you’ll give us everything you can?”
“Everything I feel that I can conscientiously give you and which will be to the advantage of my client, I will.”
“All right,” Tragg said, “if that’s the best you can do, that’s what we’ll have to take.”
“And,” Mason said, “I’d like to ask one thing of you.”
“What?”
“As soon as you get in touch with my client, will you let me know?”
“When we get in touch with your client, Mason, we’ll be questioning her in regard to a murder and a hit-and-run and we’ll tell her she has an opportunity to consult counsel if she desires, but we’re going to do everything in the world to make her talk. You know that.”
“Yes,” Mason said, “I know that.”
Chapter Six
Mason turned to Drake as soon as Tragg was out of earshot and said, “Get your office, Paul. I want Minerva Minden. I want to talk with her before the police do.”
“Okay,” Drake said, “we’d better go down the street a ways before we do any telephoning.”
Mason said, “She may still be at the courthouse.”
“Could be,” Drake said, “but I have an idea her lawyer whisked her out of circulation just as rapidly as possible.
“You know and I know that a thousand-dollar fine means no more to Minerva Minden that the nickel she dropped into the parking meter. The tongue-lashing given her by the judge was just so much sound as far as Minny Minden was concerned. That girl has been in enough scrapes to learn how to roll with the punch. She listened demurely to the judge’s lecture, paid the thousand dollars with due humility and then looked for some place where she could open a bottle of champagne and celebrate her victory.
“Judges don’t like to have persons who have been sentenced by them start celebrating. Attorneys know that, and the attorney is thinking not only about this case but about Minny’s next one and about his next one before that same judge, so my best guess is he’s told her to get out of circulation, stay away from the public, see no one and refuse to come to the telephone.”
“That,” Mason said, “makes sense. That’s what I’d do under the circumstances if she were my client, Paul. However, let’s go phone your office and see what the reports are.”
They drove half a dozen blocks before Mason found a gasoline station with a telephone booth which seemed sufficiently removed from the scene of operations.
Drake put through the call, came back and said, “Everything checks, Perry. She was whisked away from the courthouse by her attorney. She went into the telephone booth to make some jubilee calls, but he caught up with her after the first two and dragged her out of there. He put her in his car and personally drove her to Montrose. Presumably they’re both there now.”
“Who’s her attorney?” Mason asked.
“Herbert Knox,” Drake said, “of Gambit, Knox & Belam.”
“Old Herb Knox, huh?” Mason said. “He’s a smooth article. Tell me, did he act as her attorney when she received her inheritance?”
“I don’t know,” Drake said, “but I don’t think so. As I remember it she’s done a little shopping around with attorneys.”
“Well, she couldn’t have had a better one than Herbert Knox for this particular job,” Mason said. “He’s smooth and suave and a wily veteran of the courtroom.”
“All right, what do we do now?” Drake said.
Mason thought for a moment, then said, “We get busy on the telephone. Let’s call Minerva at her place in Montrose and see what we can get.”
“It’ll be an unlisted number,” Drake said.
Mason shook his head. “They’ll have two or three telephones, Paul. Two of them will be unlisted but there’ll be one telephone that’s listed. That will be answered by a secretary or a business manager but we can at least use it to get a message through to her.”
“Will getting a message through do any good?” Drake asked.
“I think it will,” Mason said. “I think I can convey a message which will make her sit up and take notice.”
Drake, who had been looking through the telephone book, said, “Okay, here’s the number. You were right. There’s a listed telephone.”
Mason put through the call and heard a well-modulated feminine voice saying, “May I help you? This is the Minden residence.”
“This is Perry Mason, the attorney,” Mason said. “I want to talk with Miss Minden.”
“I’m afraid that’s impossible, Mr. Mason, but I might be able to take a message.”
“Tell her,” Mason said, “that I know who fired the shots at the airport and that I want to talk with her about it.”
“I’ll convey that message to her. And where can I communicate with you, Mr. Mason?”
“I’ll hang on the line.”
“I’m sorry, that’s not possible. I can’t reach her that soon.”
“Why not? Isn’t she there?” Mason asked.
“I’ll call you later at your office. Thank you,” the feminine voice said, and the connection clicked.
Mason said, “Paul, there’s just a chance we can get out to her place at Montrose before Herbert Knox leaves. If I can talk with her, I may be able to clear up certain things and we may be able to get some information that will save Dorrie Ambler’s life. I don’t want to tell the police all that I know but I have a feeling that— Come on, Paul, let’s go.”
“On our way,” Drake said, “but I’ll bet you old Herb Knox won’t let you get within a mile of his client.”
“Don’t bet too much,” Mason said. “You may lose.”