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The Case of the Caretakers Cat :: Гарднер Эрл Стенли
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"No one lived there?"
"No one."
"Why didn't he rent the place?" Mason asked.
"It wasn't his way."
"And he left a will providing for you?"
"That he did. The will keeps me in my job while I'm able to work and takes care of me whenever I can't work."
"The heirs are two grandchildren?"
"Three. Only two are mentioned in the will."
"Tell me about your troubles," Mason invited.
"The master was burned to death when the country home caught fire. I didn't know about it until they telephoned me the next morning. After the death, Sam Laxter took charge. He's a nice boy to look at, and he'll fool you if you let him, but he doesn't like animals and I don't like people who can't get along with animals."
"Who was in the house at the time it burned?" Mason asked.
"Winifred—that's Winifred Laxter. She's a granddaughter. Then there was Sam Laxter and Frank Oafley—they're grandsons. Mrs. Pixley was there—she's the housekeeper. And there was a nurse—Edith DeVoe."
"Anyone else?" Mason asked.
"Jim Brandon, the chauffeur. He's a smooth one. He knows which side of the bread his butter's on, all right. You should see the way he toadies to Sam Laxter."
Ashton pounded on the floor with the tip of his crutch to emphasize his disgust.
"Who else?" Mason asked.
Ashton checked off the people he had named on his fingers, then said, "Nora Abbington."
"What's she like?" Mason asked, very evidently enjoying seeing these various characters through Ashton's cynical eyes.
"A big cow," Ashton said. "A docile, trusting, goodnatured, bigeyed clod. But she wasn't there when the house burned. She came in and worked by the day."
"After the house burned there was no more work for her?" Mason inquired.
"That's right. She didn't come any more after that."
"Then I presume we can eliminate her from the picture. She really doesn't figure in the case."
"Wouldn't," Ashton said significantly, "if it wasn't that she was in love with Jim Brandon. She thinks Jim's going to marry her when he gets money. Bah! I tried to tell her a thing or two about Jim Brandon, but she wouldn't listen to me."
"How does it happen you know these people so well if you were in the city house and they were out in the country?"
"Oh, I used to drive out once in a while."
"You drive a car?"
"Yes."
"Your car?"
"No, it's one the master kept at the house for me so I could drive out to see him when he wanted to give instructions. He hated to come to the city.
"No one lived there?"
"No one."
"Why didn't he rent the place?" Mason asked.
"It wasn't his way."
"And he left a will providing for you?"
"That he did. The will keeps me in my job while I'm able to work and takes care of me whenever I can't work."
"The heirs are two grandchildren?"
"Three. Only two are mentioned in the will."
"Tell me about your troubles," Mason invited.
"The master was burned to death when the country home caught fire. I didn't know about it until they telephoned me the next morning. After the death, Sam Laxter took charge. He's a nice boy to look at, and he'll fool you if you let him, but he doesn't like animals and I don't like people who can't get along with animals."
"Who was in the house at the time it burned?" Mason asked.
"Winifred—that's Winifred Laxter. She's a granddaughter. Then there was Sam Laxter and Frank Oafley—they're grandsons. Mrs. Pixley was there—she's the housekeeper. And there was a nurse—Edith DeVoe."
"Anyone else?" Mason asked.
"Jim Brandon, the chauffeur. He's a smooth one. He knows which side of the bread his butter's on, all right. You should see the way he toadies to Sam Laxter."
Ashton pounded on the floor with the tip of his crutch to emphasize his disgust.
"Who else?" Mason asked.
Ashton checked off the people he had named on his fingers, then said, "Nora Abbington."
"What's she like?" Mason asked, very evidently enjoying seeing these various characters through Ashton's cynical eyes.
"A big cow," Ashton said. "A docile, trusting, goodnatured, bigeyed clod. But she wasn't there when the house burned. She came in and worked by the day."
"After the house burned there was no more work for her?" Mason inquired.
"That's right. She didn't come any more after that."
"Then I presume we can eliminate her from the picture. She really doesn't figure in the case."
"Wouldn't," Ashton said significantly, "if it wasn't that she was in love with Jim Brandon. She thinks Jim's going to marry her when he gets money. Bah! I tried to tell her a thing or two about Jim Brandon, but she wouldn't listen to me."
"How does it happen you know these people so well if you were in the city house and they were out in the country?"
"Oh, I used to drive out once in a while."
"You drive a car?"
"Yes."
"Your car?"
"No, it's one the master kept at the house for me so I could drive out to see him when he wanted to give instructions. He hated to come to the city.