JК
The Case of the Caretakers Cat :: Гарднер Эрл Стенли
Страница: 48 из 146That's right—stand about there… Oh, don't be so damned squeamish!"
He fumbled about in the interior of the coffin, took a sharp knife from his pocket. The sound of the blade ripping through cloth sounded startlingly distinct above the steady drip of the misty rain. After a moment he straightened, and nodded to Hamilton Burger. "You wanted a guess?" he asked.
"That's right, a guess—the best you can make, of course."
Dr. Jason dropped the lid back into position. "Go ahead with your investigation," he said.
Hamilton Burger stood staring moodily down at the coffin, then he nodded and turned on his heel. "Okay," he said, "let's go. You ride with us, Mason. Paul Drake can follow in your car. You take charge of the body, Doctor."
Mason followed Burger to the district attorney's car. Tom Glassman drove. The men were grimly silent. The windshield wipers swung back and forth in monotonous tempo, their steady throbbing sounding above the purr of the motor and the whine of the tires.
"Going out to Laxter's place?" Mason asked at length.
"Yes," Burger answered, "up to the place where they're living now—the city house I believe they call it. I want to ask some questions."
"Going to make any accusations?" Mason inquired.
"I'm going to ask some pretty direct questions," Burger admitted. "I don't think I'll make any definite accusations. I don't want to divulge just what we're trying to get at until I'm ready to do so. I'm not going to ask anything about the tube which ran from the exhaust until after I've laid a pretty good foundation. I think it would be better, Mason, if you and your detective weren't present when we asked the questions."
"Well," Mason said, "if you feel that we've done all we can, I know where there's a nice soft bed, a piping hot toddy, and…"
"Not yet," Burger interrupted. "You've started this thing, and you're going to stick around until we see whether we've drawn a blank."
Mason sighed and settled back against the cushions. The car made time through the deserted streets, climbed a winding road which ran up a hill. "That's the place up there," Burger announced—"the big place. Try not to use a flashlight unless you have to, Tom. I'd like to get a look at that garage before we alarm anyone."
Glassman eased the car in close to the curb, stopped it and shut off the motor. There was no sound, save for the beating of rain on the roof of the car.
"So far so good," he said.
"Got skeleton keys?" Burger asked.
"Sure," Glassman said. "You want me to get that garage open?"
"I'd like to take a look at the cars, yes.
He fumbled about in the interior of the coffin, took a sharp knife from his pocket. The sound of the blade ripping through cloth sounded startlingly distinct above the steady drip of the misty rain. After a moment he straightened, and nodded to Hamilton Burger. "You wanted a guess?" he asked.
"That's right, a guess—the best you can make, of course."
Dr. Jason dropped the lid back into position. "Go ahead with your investigation," he said.
Hamilton Burger stood staring moodily down at the coffin, then he nodded and turned on his heel. "Okay," he said, "let's go. You ride with us, Mason. Paul Drake can follow in your car. You take charge of the body, Doctor."
Mason followed Burger to the district attorney's car. Tom Glassman drove. The men were grimly silent. The windshield wipers swung back and forth in monotonous tempo, their steady throbbing sounding above the purr of the motor and the whine of the tires.
"Going out to Laxter's place?" Mason asked at length.
"Yes," Burger answered, "up to the place where they're living now—the city house I believe they call it. I want to ask some questions."
"Going to make any accusations?" Mason inquired.
"I'm going to ask some pretty direct questions," Burger admitted. "I don't think I'll make any definite accusations. I don't want to divulge just what we're trying to get at until I'm ready to do so. I'm not going to ask anything about the tube which ran from the exhaust until after I've laid a pretty good foundation. I think it would be better, Mason, if you and your detective weren't present when we asked the questions."
"Well," Mason said, "if you feel that we've done all we can, I know where there's a nice soft bed, a piping hot toddy, and…"
"Not yet," Burger interrupted. "You've started this thing, and you're going to stick around until we see whether we've drawn a blank."
Mason sighed and settled back against the cushions. The car made time through the deserted streets, climbed a winding road which ran up a hill. "That's the place up there," Burger announced—"the big place. Try not to use a flashlight unless you have to, Tom. I'd like to get a look at that garage before we alarm anyone."
Glassman eased the car in close to the curb, stopped it and shut off the motor. There was no sound, save for the beating of rain on the roof of the car.
"So far so good," he said.
"Got skeleton keys?" Burger asked.
"Sure," Glassman said. "You want me to get that garage open?"
"I'd like to take a look at the cars, yes.