“And I want a transcript.”
“I’ll take a copy,” Colton snapped.
They waited a few moments, and then the door opened and a spare, tight-lipped man in a double-breasted gray business suit walked into the courtroom with an air of quiet, competent authority.
“George S. Alder,” Colton announced. “Just come forward and be sworn, and take the stand, Mr. Alder.”
Alder, his keen gray eyes from underneath level brows glancing around the courtroom, then coming to rest somewhat curiously on Perry Mason, held up his right hand and was sworn.
“Just sit down there on the witness stand,” Colton said. “You have a list of the jewelry that was taken?”
“I have a very partial list. I find that it’s a little difficult to trust to my memory in these matters. I really would prefer to return home and take a complete inventory in order to make certain.”
“Well, can you tell the Court generally just about the value of the jewelry that was taken?”
“I said approximately fifty thousand dollars, and I see no reason to change that figure,” Alder said, glancing quickly at Perry Mason, then back at Colton.
“You’re quite certain that fifty thousand dollars’ worth of jewelry was taken?”
“Well,” Alder said, “I, of course, am making an estimate —I haven’t as yet made a complete inventory, and then, of course, it’s a question whether you mean wholesale or retail price. But I would say that approximately fifty thousand dollars in jewelry had been taken.”
“I think that’s all,” Colton said triumphantly.
“Just a couple of questions on cross-examination,” Mason said.
“Very well. Go ahead, Mr. Mason,” Judge Lankershim said. “This seems to be a routine matter and we’re making quite a fuss about it. Let’s try and get the matter disposed of. It seems to me that fifty thousand dollars’ bail is rather high, but if that amount was taken—and, of course, that’s the stipulation which counsel entered into.”
“Quite right,” Mason said. “I’m willing to be bound by my bargain, but I do want to ask a couple of questions.”
“Go ahead,” Judge Lankershim said, glancing at the clock.
“This jewelry insured?” Mason asked casually.
“What does that have to do with it?” Colton asked.
“Simply this,” Mason said, “that if the jewelry is insured there will then be an inventory, together with values, attached to the insurance policy, and this might refresh Mr. Alder’s recollection.”
“Oh, I see. No objection.”
Alder said, “Most of my jewelry is insured, yes.”
“Don’t you carry a general all-purpose insurance policy with complete coverage on everything?”
“Come to think of it, I believe I do, but the jewelry under that policy is ten per cent of the amount of the policy, I think.”
“And what’s the amount of the policy?”
“A hundred thousand dollars.”
“All right, there’s ten thousand dollars’ worth of jewelry. Then you have another insurance policy specifically on your jewelry?”
“Yes, sir, I do.”
“In which the items are listed?”
“Well, some of them are listed.”
“All right,” Mason said, “now, tell me one item of jewelry, just one item, mind you, that’s covered in that specific insurance policy and which was taken from your house in this burglary.”
“I… I told you I’d have to make an inventory.”
“Just one item,” Mason said, holding up his index finger so that it emphasized the figure “one.” “Just one item of jewelry covered in that insurance policy.”
“I don’t think’ I can do it, offhand.”
“All right,” Mason said, “now, tell me one item of jewelry that was taken that is not covered in that insurance policy.”
“Well, for one tiling, there’s a wrist watch.”
“What make?”
“A rather expensive Swiss wrist watch.”
“How do you know it was taken?”
“I haven’t seen it—it seems to be missing.”
“All right,” Mason said. “Now that wrist watch would be covered in your other insurance policy, wouldn’t it? The ten per cent of your all-purpose coverage?”
“I believe it would, yes.”
“So,” Mason said, “you’re going to make a claim to the insurance company for this wrist watch in the event the police don’t recover it Is that right?”
“Well, I suppose so. I’m a busy man. I hadn’t thought …”
“Yes or no,” Mason said. “Are you going to make a claim to the insurance company?”
“What does that have to do with it?” Colton asked.
“Just thisl” Mason said. “In the event that that wrist watch was not taken and this man makes a claim to an insurance company, he’s going to be guilty of perjury and of obtaining money under false pretenses, and I think he knows it. So he’s not going to make any false statements in connection with a claim on an insurance policy. Now, then, Mr. Alder, you’re on oath. I want you to tell us one particular item of jewelry that was taken. Just one, any one.”
“Well, I saw this person, that is she had been discovered trying to steal things from my desk, and I… I went in there and opened the locked compartment where I keep jewels, and … well, I took a look at the jewel box and estimated that a very large amount of jewelry had been taken.”
“Where did you get this jewelry?”
“Most of it came to me from my mother, after my father died. That is, it was part of Fathers estate. It was Mother’s jewelry.”
“And some of your own?”
“Wrist watch, cuff links, a diamond pin, a ruby ring…”
“Well, then,” Mason said, “we shouldn’t have any trouble, so let’s list these things. Now, the diamond pin is gone, the ruby ring is gone, the…”
“I didn’t say they were gone.”
“They’re covered in the insurance policy?”
“I believe so, yes.”
“Well, are they gone, or aren’t they?”
“I don’t know. I tell you I didn’t make a detailed inventory. I took a look at the contents of the jewel box and estimated that about fifty thousand dollars’ worth of jewelry had been taken.”
“Fifty thousand dollars,” Mason said, “is quite a lot of jewelry.”
“Yes, sir.”
Alder moistened his lips, glanced somewhat appealingly toward the deputy district attorney.
“How much jewelry was in that box?”
“Quite a lot”
“Insured?”
“Yes, sir.”
“How much was it insured for?”
“Fifty thousand dollars.”
“That was the value of it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then all of it must have been taken if fifty thousand dollars’ worth of jewelry is missing.”
“Well, it wasn’t all gone. I … I tell you I didn’t take an inventory.”
“Why not?” Mason asked. “Wasn’t it good business for you to take an inventory?”
“Surely,” Judge Lankershim interrupted, “you must have made some survey in order to find out what was missing, Mr. Alder.”
“Well, I didn’t go through everything that was there. I was excited and … well, that was it, I was excited.”
“You’re not excited now, are you?” Mason asked. “No.”
“All right, tell us what was missing.”
“I haven’t the jewel box here.”
“Were you excited this morning before you went to the district attorney’s office?”
“Of course there was the shock of having someone I’d trusted burglarize my house.”
“How much of a shock?”
“Quite a shock.”
“So much so that you couldn’t concentrate on making a list of jewelry?”
“Well, I was excited, yes.”
“So, when you told the district attorney fifty thousand dollars in jewelry was taken, you were excited?”