"I see," Mason said.
"So the government will startchecking on your clients, particularly those who have been in touch with you orwith whom you have been in touch during the past few days, or with whom youwill be in touch alter I leave this office.
"You'll be surprised howefficient some of these government operatives are. They can put two and twotogether just as I have. They doubtless have read or will read the societycolumn in the evening paper."
"And so?" Mason asked.
"And so they'll wonder why ithappens you broke your usual rule to attend what was seemingly a purely socialgathering. They'll start probing into the background of the guests, andeventually, of the host and hostess.
"That would be unfortunate, MrMason."
The lawyer remained silent.
"Now then," Gideon said,"if Mr Warren would make a contribution toward my financial welfare, itwould give me the margin I need to ditch the government's smooth shadows,vanish completely and be on my way."
"Otherwise?" Mason asked.
"Otherwise," Gideon said,"I am trapped in an economic net. They stripped me clean when they sent meto prison. They released me with only what is referred to as 'gatemoney'."
Mason regarded the man's clothes andthe cigar. "You seem to have done very well for yourself in a short periodof time."
Gideon smiled. "Let ussay," he said, "that I am resourceful and not entirelyunintelligent."
"And so you come to me?"Mason asked.
"And so I come to you,"Gideon said.
"And if your requests are notcomplied with?"
"Then I keep coming toyou," Gideon said. "Every time I come to you it causes more and morespeculation on the part of the government. And if, after my visits, you get intouch with Horace Warren or his wife, that triggers an investigation which wouldbe disastrous to the welfare of your clients."
"This is a very interestingform of blackmail," Mason said.
"Please, please, Mr Mason!Don't use that word! This is not blackmail. I have the greatest respect forHorace Warren and I am very, very fond of his wife. I wish them everyhappiness. I am trying to give them an opportunity to achieve that happiness.
"If I remain financiallyembarrassed, it is almost certain that sooner or later I will have to betraymyself. Some clue will crop up which will enable the authorities to know thereal identity of Loma Warren. Of course, they don't have anything against herat the moment, but they would bring her in and question her and it would soonbecome known that she was none other than Margaret Loma Neely who was tried andacquitted for conspiracy to defraud by use of the mails.
"Now surely, Mr Mason, youwouldn't want that to happen, and Mr Warren, with his present social andbusiness contacts, wouldn't want it to happen.
"I don't want any financialconsideration given me to keep quiet. That would be blackmail. I simply want tovanish. I want to elude the smooth shadows of the government. In order to dothat I need money. I have to be able to buy an automobile."
"Why an automobile?" Masonasked.
"Because I would need that inorder to ditch the smooth shadows and disappear."
"Surely," Mason said,"the government operatives could follow an automobile."
"Oh, of course. That's thesimplest thing in the world, particularly in these days when they haveelectronic shadowing devices. They simply put a little installation on myautomobile and the thing gives off little 'beeps' which would enable governmentdetectives in an automobile to follow me without the slightest bit of trouble.They wouldn't even have need to get close to me. They could get three or fourblocks behind me and still have no difficulty following me."
"Then perhaps you'd betterexplain why you want the automobile," Mason said.
"I would want to play the sametrick on the government detectives that they are trying to play on me. In otherwords, they want me to become overconfident and I want them to becomeoverconfident.
"You see, Mr Mason, I wouldn'tget a new car, and I would buy it on a contract. Then I would assume theinitiative. It has been my experience that one can do very much better when hehas the initiative.
"Of course, the money withwhich I paid for the automobile would be pounced on by government agents whowould look it over for some clue. I would, therefore, like to have this moneyin older bills of five-and ten-dollar denominations and some ones. It wouldappear that I had put the bite on someone who had had to dig deep into hissavings in order to get that money."
"Go on," Mason said.
"Then," Gideon went on, "Iwould take that automobile and let the government think that I had no ideathere were any smooth shadows on the job. I'd ditch the rough shadow, which, asI said, wouldn't be very much of a job."
"Go on," Mason said.
"So then the smooth shadowswould handle things in such a way that they would flatter themselves that Iwould have no idea I was being shadowed. They might perhaps have as many asfive cars on the job. They might even work with a helicopter andbinoculars."
"And they'd keep you in sight?"Mason asked.
Gideon grinned and said, "Ofcourse."
"They could do that?"Mason asked.
"They're clever," Gideonsaid, "and they hold all the face cards. I would, of course, go throughall the expected motions. I'd take a lot of evasive tactics so the governmentdetectives would know that I felt certain I had ditched the rough shadow. Iwould then go into a restaurant to eat, and leave the car parked outside.
"While I was gating, thegovernment agents would, of course, put an electronic bug on the car so that Iwould be shadowed by cars that were two or three blocks away."
"Just how would you handle thatsituation?" Mason asked.
Gideon smiled. "You have toleave me with some cards I don't turn face up, Mr Mason. I'd handle it. Thegovernment agents would never see me again. Just when they were flushed withtriumph, I'd trump their aces and be on my way."
"You're certain you could dothat?" Mason asked.
"I'm certain."
"The government has some goodmen who are highly trained," Mason said.
Gideon's silence was eloquent.
"In other words," Masonsaid, "if you get this money I'll never see you again?"
"Exactly."
"And if you don't get it?"
"I'll be in daily touch withyou."
"You realize that after thisinitial experience I wouldn't ever see you again," Mason said. "I'dlet you cool your heels in the outer office until you got tired."
"No," Gideon said, puffingat the cigar, then removing it from his mouth and turning it so he couldinspect the burning tobacco, "I rather think you'd see me, Mr Mason. Ithink you'd be instructed to see me."
"And do what?"
"Give me money."
"How much money?"
Gideon moved his hands in anexpansive gesture. "You would, of course, want me to make a good job ofit. You wouldn't want me to play right into their hands. You'd want to be surethat I didn't come back, because of course once I ditched the smooth shadowsthey'd put a stake-out on your office."
"And would probably assume thatI had given you the money with which to purchase an automobile."
"They might."
"And might even questionme."
"Oh, I think you can count onthat," Gideon said. "I think they'd be certain to question you. Afterthey once woke up to the fact that they had been outwitted, they'd be ratherannoyed. They'd question you. They'd think perhaps you had thought up thescheme for outwitting them. They'd talk about compounding felonies, about beingan accessory after the fact they'd be rather rough. But I'm assuming that youwould simply sit back in your chair, with an enigmatic smile, and tell themthat if they thought they had any case against you, to go right ahead andprosecute you otherwise, to just keep the hell out of your office and leave youalone."
"All of this has been mostentertaining," Mason said, "but it just happens, Gideon, that I don'tknow anyone who would be likely to give you any sum of money."
"You know the Warrens."
"I don't know them well enoughto go to them and suggest that they should pay blackm-"
Once more Gideon held up his hand."Please, Mr Mason, please don't use that word. It has unsavoryconnotations and it bothers me. It's crude."