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The Case of the Howling Dog :: Гарднер Эрл Стенли
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"Sure," said Mason, "and if you weren't so dumb, that would be the best proof of my innocence, instead of an indication of my guilt."
"And you can't prove that you went to the house at eightthirty. There's no one who saw you go there; no one knows you had an appointment? No one who let you in? No one who saw you there at all at eightthirty?"
"Sure," said Perry Mason, "I can prove that."
"How?" asked Sergeant Holcomb.
"By the fact," Perry Mason said, "that I called police headquarters shortly after eightthirty and told them about the murder. That shows I was there at eightthirty."
"You know that isn't what I mean," Sergeant Holcomb told him. "I mean can you prove that you just came there at eightthirty?"
"Certainly not, we've already gone over that."
"I'll say we've gone over it," Sergeant Holcomb said. He scraped back his chair and got to his feet.
"You win, Mason," he said. "I'm going to let you go. You're pretty well established here in town, and we can put our finger on you whenever we want you. I don't mind telling you that I don't really think you did the murder, but I sure as hell think you're shielding some one, and that some one is a client of yours. I'm just going to tell you that in place of shielding your client, your conduct has made me all the more suspicious."
"Suppose you tell me just how," Mason said.
"I believe," said Sergeant Holcomb slowly, "that Arthur Cartright ran away with Foley's wife; that she told him a story of abuse, and that Cartright came back and shot Foley. Then I think that Cartright called you and told you what he'd done, and wanted to surrender himself; that you told him not to make a move until after you got there; that you went out and started Cartright going some place in a hurry, while you waited fifteen or twenty minutes, and then telephoned the police. In fact, there's no reason why you couldn't have been the one to have wiped off the dead man's face, and put the towel with the lather on it under the bathtub, near the dog chain."
"What's that make me? An accessory after the fact, or something of the sort?" asked Perry Mason.
"You're damn right it would," said Sergeant Holcomb, "and if I can ever prove it, I'm going to give you the works."
"I'm glad to hear you say so," said Perry Mason.
"Glad to hear me say what?" rasped Sergeant Holcomb.
"That you're going to give me the works if you can prove it. The way you've been acting, I thought you intended to give me the works whether you could prove any thing or not."
Sergeant Holcomb gestured wearily. "Go ahead," he said, "and get out of here.
"Sure," said Mason, "and if you weren't so dumb, that would be the best proof of my innocence, instead of an indication of my guilt."
"And you can't prove that you went to the house at eightthirty. There's no one who saw you go there; no one knows you had an appointment? No one who let you in? No one who saw you there at all at eightthirty?"
"Sure," said Perry Mason, "I can prove that."
"How?" asked Sergeant Holcomb.
"By the fact," Perry Mason said, "that I called police headquarters shortly after eightthirty and told them about the murder. That shows I was there at eightthirty."
"You know that isn't what I mean," Sergeant Holcomb told him. "I mean can you prove that you just came there at eightthirty?"
"Certainly not, we've already gone over that."
"I'll say we've gone over it," Sergeant Holcomb said. He scraped back his chair and got to his feet.
"You win, Mason," he said. "I'm going to let you go. You're pretty well established here in town, and we can put our finger on you whenever we want you. I don't mind telling you that I don't really think you did the murder, but I sure as hell think you're shielding some one, and that some one is a client of yours. I'm just going to tell you that in place of shielding your client, your conduct has made me all the more suspicious."
"Suppose you tell me just how," Mason said.
"I believe," said Sergeant Holcomb slowly, "that Arthur Cartright ran away with Foley's wife; that she told him a story of abuse, and that Cartright came back and shot Foley. Then I think that Cartright called you and told you what he'd done, and wanted to surrender himself; that you told him not to make a move until after you got there; that you went out and started Cartright going some place in a hurry, while you waited fifteen or twenty minutes, and then telephoned the police. In fact, there's no reason why you couldn't have been the one to have wiped off the dead man's face, and put the towel with the lather on it under the bathtub, near the dog chain."
"What's that make me? An accessory after the fact, or something of the sort?" asked Perry Mason.
"You're damn right it would," said Sergeant Holcomb, "and if I can ever prove it, I'm going to give you the works."
"I'm glad to hear you say so," said Perry Mason.
"Glad to hear me say what?" rasped Sergeant Holcomb.
"That you're going to give me the works if you can prove it. The way you've been acting, I thought you intended to give me the works whether you could prove any thing or not."
Sergeant Holcomb gestured wearily. "Go ahead," he said, "and get out of here.