JК
The Case of the Caretakers Cat :: Гарднер Эрл Стенли
Страница: 32 из 146"It won't take over an hour, but I'd be willing to pay for a full day."
She wet her lips with the tip of a nervous tongue, glanced swiftly from Mason to Drake. Her voice showed suspicion. "Just what is the nature of this employment?" she asked.
"We wanted you to recall a few facts," Drake said, folding the ten dollar bill about his fingers. "It would take perhaps ten or fifteen minutes for you to give us an outline, and then you could sit down and write out the facts you'd told us."
Her voice was distinctly guarded now.
"Facts about what?"
The detective's glassy eyes watched her in expressionless appraisal. He pushed the ten dollar bill toward her. "We wanted to find out all you knew about Peter Laxter."
She gave a start, staring from face to face in quick alarm, and said, "You're detectives!"
Paul Drake's face registered the expression of a golfer who had just dubbed an approach shot.
"Let's look at it this way," he said. "We're after certain information. We want to get the facts—we don't want anything except facts. We're not going to drag you into anything."
She shook her head vehemently. "No," she said. "I was employed by Mr. Laxter as a nurse. It wouldn't be ethical for me to divulge any of his secrets."
Perry Mason leaned forward and took a hand in the conversation. "The house was burned, Miss DeVoe?"
"Yes, the house was burned."
"And you were in it at the time?"
"Yes."
"How did the house burn—rather quickly?"
"Quite quickly."
"Have any trouble getting out?"
"I was awake at the time. I smelled smoke and thought at first it was just smoke from an incinerator. Then I decided to investigate. I put on a robe and opened the door. The south end of the house was all in flames then. I screamed, and, after a few minutes… Well, I guess perhaps I shouldn't say anything more."
"You knew the house was insured?" Mason asked.
"Yes, I suppose so."
"Do you know whether the insurance has been paid?"
"Why, I think it has. I think it's been paid to Mr. Samuel Laxter. He's the executor, isn't he?"
"Was there someone in that house you didn't like?" Mason asked. "Someone who was particularly obnoxious to you?"
"Why, whatever makes you ask such a question as that?"
"Whenever a fire occurs," Mason said slowly, "which might result in the loss of life and in which a person actually was killed, the authorities usually make an investigation.
She wet her lips with the tip of a nervous tongue, glanced swiftly from Mason to Drake. Her voice showed suspicion. "Just what is the nature of this employment?" she asked.
"We wanted you to recall a few facts," Drake said, folding the ten dollar bill about his fingers. "It would take perhaps ten or fifteen minutes for you to give us an outline, and then you could sit down and write out the facts you'd told us."
Her voice was distinctly guarded now.
"Facts about what?"
The detective's glassy eyes watched her in expressionless appraisal. He pushed the ten dollar bill toward her. "We wanted to find out all you knew about Peter Laxter."
She gave a start, staring from face to face in quick alarm, and said, "You're detectives!"
Paul Drake's face registered the expression of a golfer who had just dubbed an approach shot.
"Let's look at it this way," he said. "We're after certain information. We want to get the facts—we don't want anything except facts. We're not going to drag you into anything."
She shook her head vehemently. "No," she said. "I was employed by Mr. Laxter as a nurse. It wouldn't be ethical for me to divulge any of his secrets."
Perry Mason leaned forward and took a hand in the conversation. "The house was burned, Miss DeVoe?"
"Yes, the house was burned."
"And you were in it at the time?"
"Yes."
"How did the house burn—rather quickly?"
"Quite quickly."
"Have any trouble getting out?"
"I was awake at the time. I smelled smoke and thought at first it was just smoke from an incinerator. Then I decided to investigate. I put on a robe and opened the door. The south end of the house was all in flames then. I screamed, and, after a few minutes… Well, I guess perhaps I shouldn't say anything more."
"You knew the house was insured?" Mason asked.
"Yes, I suppose so."
"Do you know whether the insurance has been paid?"
"Why, I think it has. I think it's been paid to Mr. Samuel Laxter. He's the executor, isn't he?"
"Was there someone in that house you didn't like?" Mason asked. "Someone who was particularly obnoxious to you?"
"Why, whatever makes you ask such a question as that?"
"Whenever a fire occurs," Mason said slowly, "which might result in the loss of life and in which a person actually was killed, the authorities usually make an investigation.