JК
The Case of the Howling Dog :: Гарднер Эрл Стенли
Страница: 17 из 146It isn't the kind of a will a crazy man would write. It's logical and coherent. He leaves his property, ninetenths to Mrs. Clinton Foley, and onetenth to me. He provides…"
Suddenly Perry Mason broke off and stared at the document with eyes that slowly widened in surprise.
"What is it?" asked Della Street. "Anything serious; a defect in the will?"
"No," said Mason slowly, "it's not a defect in the will, but it's something peculiar."
Abruptly he strode across the office to the door which opened into the outer corridor, and locked it.
"We're not going to bother with visitors for a while, Della," he told her, "not until we get this straightened out."
"But what is it?" she asked.
Perry Mason lowered his voice.
"Yesterday," he said, "when the man was in, he asked me particularly about leaving the property to Mrs. Clinton Foley, and wanted to know what the effect of the will would be if it should turn out that the woman who posed as Mrs. Foley, wasn't really Mrs. Foley."
"Meaning that she wasn't married to Clinton Foley?" asked Della Street.
"Exactly," said Mason.
"But isn't she living with Mr. Foley out there in an exclusive neighborhood?"
"Exactly," Mason said, "but that doesn't prove anything. There have been cases where…"
"Oh, yes, I know," said Della Street. "But it does seem strange that a man would live in a neighborhood like that with a woman who posed as his wife."
"There might be reasons for it. Those things happen every day. Perhaps a former wife who won't get a divorce, herself, and won't let the man get one. Perhaps the woman has a husband. There might be any one of a dozen things."
She nodded slow affirmation. "You've got me curious now. What about the will?"
"Well," said Mason, "when he was in yesterday he brought up this question about leaving the property to Mrs. Clinton Foley if it should turn out that the woman wasn't Mrs. Clinton Foley at all, but was merely posing as Mrs. Foley. From the way he spoke, I felt quite certain that he had reason to believe the woman was not Mrs. Foley, so I explained to him that it would be all right for him to leave the property to the party named, describing her as being the woman who at present resided with Clinton Foley, at 4889 Milpas Drive."
"Well," asked Della Street, "did he do it?"
"He did not," said Perry Mason. "He left his property to Mrs. Clinton Foley, the lawfully wedded wife of Clinton Foley, said Clinton Foley at present residing at 4889 Milpas Drive in this city.
Suddenly Perry Mason broke off and stared at the document with eyes that slowly widened in surprise.
"What is it?" asked Della Street. "Anything serious; a defect in the will?"
"No," said Mason slowly, "it's not a defect in the will, but it's something peculiar."
Abruptly he strode across the office to the door which opened into the outer corridor, and locked it.
"We're not going to bother with visitors for a while, Della," he told her, "not until we get this straightened out."
"But what is it?" she asked.
Perry Mason lowered his voice.
"Yesterday," he said, "when the man was in, he asked me particularly about leaving the property to Mrs. Clinton Foley, and wanted to know what the effect of the will would be if it should turn out that the woman who posed as Mrs. Foley, wasn't really Mrs. Foley."
"Meaning that she wasn't married to Clinton Foley?" asked Della Street.
"Exactly," said Mason.
"But isn't she living with Mr. Foley out there in an exclusive neighborhood?"
"Exactly," Mason said, "but that doesn't prove anything. There have been cases where…"
"Oh, yes, I know," said Della Street. "But it does seem strange that a man would live in a neighborhood like that with a woman who posed as his wife."
"There might be reasons for it. Those things happen every day. Perhaps a former wife who won't get a divorce, herself, and won't let the man get one. Perhaps the woman has a husband. There might be any one of a dozen things."
She nodded slow affirmation. "You've got me curious now. What about the will?"
"Well," said Mason, "when he was in yesterday he brought up this question about leaving the property to Mrs. Clinton Foley if it should turn out that the woman wasn't Mrs. Clinton Foley at all, but was merely posing as Mrs. Foley. From the way he spoke, I felt quite certain that he had reason to believe the woman was not Mrs. Foley, so I explained to him that it would be all right for him to leave the property to the party named, describing her as being the woman who at present resided with Clinton Foley, at 4889 Milpas Drive."
"Well," asked Della Street, "did he do it?"
"He did not," said Perry Mason. "He left his property to Mrs. Clinton Foley, the lawfully wedded wife of Clinton Foley, said Clinton Foley at present residing at 4889 Milpas Drive in this city.