Mason walked dejectedly across tohis car, got in, twisted the ignition key, started the motor and drove backtoward his office.
Chapter 13
Della Street looked up in surprise as Mason entered theoffice.
"What's the matter, didn't youget down there?" she asked.
"I got down there," Masonsaid, "and I got back. Now I'm waiting for a telephone call."
Della raised inquiring eyebrows.
"I think," Mason said,"we'll have a call from Horace Warren within a short time. He'll want meto represent him on a charge of murder."
"Murder!" Della echoed.
"That's right," Masonsaid. "Apparently he got down to Gideon before I did. He had the same ideaI did, that in dealing with a blackmailer there were only three possiblechannels of approach – and one of them is to kill him."
"And you mean Warren decided to kill him?"
"Apparently Warren thought he could get away with it,"Mason said, "and he might have if it hadn't been for that damned firealarm we turned in."
"Oh-oh," Della Street said.
"He and Gideon were probablyalone," Mason said. "They had a showdown. Warren killed him, and I can't blame him very muchfor that. But then he heard the sirens of the fire department and was trappedin the building. They caught him red-handed."
"What about Mrs Warren?"
"She had either been therebefore we sewed the building up with the fire alarm, or else she didn't getthere until afterwards. And of course at that time the building was underpolice guard.
"She's smart enough to havespotted the uniformed police there and gone on home. Now, Della, that's whereyou come in. Get in your car, go out to the house. See if Mrs Warren is home.If she is, deliver your message. If she isn't, wait until she gets home andtell her not to say a word to anyone about anything. Simply state that she ismaking no comment about anything until she has had a chance to talk with anattorney."
"With you?" Della asked.
"You don't have to say withme," Mason said. "I'd prefer you didn't. She can simply tell thepolice that she wants to talk with an attorney. I think I'm going to berepresenting her husband."
"But if they caught himred-handed," Della Street ventured, "what can you -"
"I don't know," Masonsaid. "But Gideon was certainly asking for it."
The telephone rang.
Della picked up the telephone, said,"Yes, Gertie … Yes, Mr Mason will talk."
She turned. "Horace Warrennow," she said.
Mason picked up the telephone."Yes, Warren."
"I'm being held on a charge ofmurder. They say I have a right to telephone an attorney and -"
"I'll be there within fifteenminutes," Mason said. "Don't tell them anything. You understand? Notone single damned thing."
"I understand."
"I'll be there," Masonsaid.
Chapter 14
Mason sat in the counsel room andsaid to Horace Warren, "Keep your voice down. Put your mouth close to myear and mumble the words. I've always had a feeling this room was bugged. Nowfirst, answer some of my questions Did you take the money out of the suitcase inyour wife's bedroom?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I knew it wasblackmail and I didn't want her to pay blackmail. I felt that if I stole themoney and left nothing but newspapers in the suitcase, when she tried to paythe blackmailer she would find she had been robbed and would then come to meand confide in me."
"Did she?"
"No."
"What did she do?"
"Apparently she went aboutgetting another batch of money together."
"Did you know who was puttingthe bite on her?"
"Yes."
"How long had you known?"
"I knew before I married her,Mr Mason. But she didn't know I knew it and if she wanted it a secret I decidedto help her keep that secret."
"How did you know aboutit?"
"Through Judson Olney."
"What did he know?"
"He knew who she was."
"How did he know?"
"When I met Lorna in Mexico City and became interested in her, I could tellthat there was something in her past that was bothering her. She just nevertalked about her past, and I could see she was in a panic.
"At that time, Judson Olney wasmy legman. He was my secretary and did all my legwork. I told him to find outabout Lorna Neely put him on a plane and told him to get the information.
"It wasn't hard to get. On theother hand, she hadn't been implicated in anything. She had been the innocenttool of a smooth crook who had wormed his way into her confidence and hadprofited by her loyalty."
"Do you think she took thatforty-seven thousand to keep for him?"
"I never thought so until …well, until I knew that he was getting out of prison and – Well, she hadforty-seven thousand dollars in the suitcase."
"So now you think she acted ascustodian of that money for him?"
"I don't know."
"Does it make any difference inthe way you feel toward her?"
"No."
"All right. Now tell me whathappened," Mason said, "and remember to keep your voice low, put yourmouth close to my ear and mumble."
"Gideon was making aclean-up," Warren said. "I suppose he telephoned Lorna. He telephoned Judson Olney.He telephoned me. He put the bite on everyone. He said he was leaving and heneeded cash money."
"Why Olney?" Mason asked.
"Olney is very loyal to myinterests. He didn't know all that was going on but he was terribly afraid thatGideon was going to blackmail Lorna and the story might come out. Gideon put avery gentle touch on him, just twenty-five hundred dollars."
"How much on you?"
"He wanted me to get tenthousand in cash and bring it to him."
"He told you who he was?"
"Yes."
"Did he tell you of hisconnection with your wife?"
"He told me the whole thingover the telephone. The man was fiendish, Mason."
"Then it's logical to assume hetelephoned your wife."
"I presume so."
"And she went out there withmoney?"
"I don't know."
"Did Olney go out there withmoney?"
"Olney was raising themoney"
"Did Olney say anything toyou?"
"Not at first. He was trying toraise the money The cashier told me that Olney wanted an advance. I called himin and asked him what was the matter and finally I became convinced it wasblackmail, and knowing what Gideon had been up to I faced Olney He thenadmitted that it was true, that he was trying to protect Lorna and protect me.The man has that much loyalty."
"You trust him?" Masonasked. "You think it's simply loyalty?"
"I think it's simplyloyalty." "What did you tell him?"
"I told him to forget it, thatI'd take care of it, and I went down there."
"Did you have the money?"Mason asked.
"No, I didn't have the money. Iknew that if I once started paying him there'd be no end to it."
"In dealing with ablackmailer," Mason said, "you either submit to his demands, you callin the police, or you kill him. Now then, you weren't going to pay his demands.Did you make up your mind you were going to kill him?"
"No, Mr Mason, I didn't. Idecided to take the second choice. I decided to tell him that if he made anyother demand I was going to go to the police, tell them the whole story, accusehim of blackmailing and put him back in prison."
"And what did he say when you putthat up to him?" Mason asked.
"He never had a chance. He wasdead when I got there."
Mason raised his eyebrows.
"I know it soundsstrange," Warren said, "but he was dead. Someone had killed him."
"Do you know how?"
"I assume with a revolver. Therewas a revolver there on the table."
"The police found it?"Mason asked.
Warren lowered his eyes.
"Well?" Mason asked.
"I lost my head, Mason."
"What the devil!" Masonsaid. "Come clean. What happened?"
"The man was lying there dead.He had evidently been living there for some time. It was a secret hideout.There were cases of canned goods and a little alcohol stove, a table, a boxfilled with empty tin cans, and, as I say, there was this gun on the table."