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The Case of the Howling Dog :: Гарднер Эрл Стенли
Страница: 23 из 146You know that you brought Cartright here because you wanted to forestall any action for malicious prosecution. If Cartright made a full and complete disclosure of the facts to us, and was authorized to proceed, he acted within his rights. If he distorted or misstated the facts, he did not."
Mason laughed grimly.
"Trying to lay the foundation for a lawsuit, are you?" he asked Foley.
"I am not," Foley said.
"Well, I'm just telling you both something that you've forgotten," Mason remarked, "and that is that no warrant was issued and no complaint was filed. The deputy district attorney decided to write you a letter. That's about the size of it, isn't it, Dorcas?"
"Legally, yes," said Dorcas slowly. "But if it appears the man is insane, something should be done about it."
"All right," Mason said, "all of your ideas about the man's insanity are founded on the statement Foley has made, that the dog didn't howl, isn't that right?"
"Naturally, but Mr. Foley says he has witnesses to substantiate his statement."
"So he says," Mason went on doggedly, "and until you interview those witnesses, you don't know which one of them is crazy. Maybe it's Foley that's crazy."
Foley laughed, but the laugh was mechanical, and his eyes glinted.
"Well, then," Dorcas said, "as I understand it, you want us to investigate further before we do anything, is that right?"
"Naturally," said Mason. "You didn't go any farther on the word of my client, than to write a letter. If you want to write Mr. Cartright a letter, telling him that Mr. Foley says he's crazy, that's all right with me. But if you go ahead on the unsupported word of Mr. Foley, I'm going to stick up for the rights of my client."
Dorcas reached for his desk phone, took down the receiver, and said:
"Sheriff's office."
After a moment, he said: "Let me talk with Bill Pemberton… hello… Bill?… this is Pete Dorcas. Listen, we've got a dispute down here in the office, involving a couple of millionaires out on Milpas Drive. There's a question of a howling dog. One of them says the dog howls; the other one says he doesn't. One of them says the other man's crazy. Perry Mason is retained to represent one of them and demands an investigation. Can you go out there and settle the thing?"
There was a moment of silence, then Dorcas said: "All right, come down to the office right away."
He hung up the telephone and turned to look at Perry Mason with cold eyes.
"Now, then, Perry," he said, "you've started this thing. We're going to make an investigation.
Mason laughed grimly.
"Trying to lay the foundation for a lawsuit, are you?" he asked Foley.
"I am not," Foley said.
"Well, I'm just telling you both something that you've forgotten," Mason remarked, "and that is that no warrant was issued and no complaint was filed. The deputy district attorney decided to write you a letter. That's about the size of it, isn't it, Dorcas?"
"Legally, yes," said Dorcas slowly. "But if it appears the man is insane, something should be done about it."
"All right," Mason said, "all of your ideas about the man's insanity are founded on the statement Foley has made, that the dog didn't howl, isn't that right?"
"Naturally, but Mr. Foley says he has witnesses to substantiate his statement."
"So he says," Mason went on doggedly, "and until you interview those witnesses, you don't know which one of them is crazy. Maybe it's Foley that's crazy."
Foley laughed, but the laugh was mechanical, and his eyes glinted.
"Well, then," Dorcas said, "as I understand it, you want us to investigate further before we do anything, is that right?"
"Naturally," said Mason. "You didn't go any farther on the word of my client, than to write a letter. If you want to write Mr. Cartright a letter, telling him that Mr. Foley says he's crazy, that's all right with me. But if you go ahead on the unsupported word of Mr. Foley, I'm going to stick up for the rights of my client."
Dorcas reached for his desk phone, took down the receiver, and said:
"Sheriff's office."
After a moment, he said: "Let me talk with Bill Pemberton… hello… Bill?… this is Pete Dorcas. Listen, we've got a dispute down here in the office, involving a couple of millionaires out on Milpas Drive. There's a question of a howling dog. One of them says the dog howls; the other one says he doesn't. One of them says the other man's crazy. Perry Mason is retained to represent one of them and demands an investigation. Can you go out there and settle the thing?"
There was a moment of silence, then Dorcas said: "All right, come down to the office right away."
He hung up the telephone and turned to look at Perry Mason with cold eyes.
"Now, then, Perry," he said, "you've started this thing. We're going to make an investigation.