JК
The Case of the Velvet Claws :: Гарднер Эрл Стенли
Страница: 109 из 149”
“That’s all right, Della,” he said soothingly. “I knew she was going to do that.”
Della stared at him with wide eyes.
“You did?” she asked. “I thought I was the one who knew that!”
He nodded. “Sure you did, Della. So did I.”
“She’s a rat and a liar!” Della Street said.
Mason shrugged his shoulders and walked to the telephone. He gave the number of Drake’s Detective Bureau, and got Paul Drake on the line.
“Listen, Paul,” he said, “make sure you’re not tailed, and sneak over to Room 518 in the Hotel Ripley. Better bring a couple of stenographer’s notebooks, and a bunch of pencils along with you. Will you?”
“Right away?” asked the detective.
“Right away,” he said. “It’s eight fortyfive now, and I’m expecting a show to start at nine.”
He hung up the telephone.
Della Street was curious. “What is it, chief?” she asked.
“I’m expecting Eva Belter to be here at nine o’clock,” he said briefly.
“I don’t want to be here when that woman’s here,” Della Street said. “I can’t trust myself around her. She’s doublecrossed you all the way from the start. I want to kill her. She’s such a sleek little gutter rat.”
He put his hand on her shoulder. “Sit down and take it easy, Della. There’s going to be a showdown.”
There was a sound at the door. The knob turned, the door opened, and Eva Belter walked in.
She looked at Della Street, and said, “Oh, you’re both here.”
“Apparently,” Mason said, “you’ve been doing some talking.” He gestured, as he spoke, toward the newspapers which were piled on the bed.
She walked over to him, ignoring the other woman, placed her hands on his shoulders, looked up in his eyes. “Perry,” she said, “I never felt so rotten about anything in my life. I don’t know how I happened to say it. They got me down at Headquarters and barked questions at me. Everybody shrieked questions. I never saw anything like it. I didn’t dream that it would be anything at all like that. I tried to protect you, but I couldn’t. It slipped out, and just as soon as I made the first slip, they all started piling on me. They made threats, and told me they’d name me as an accessory.”
“What did you tell them?” asked Mason.
She looked in his eyes, then went over to the bed, sat down, took out her handkerchief from her purse, and started to cry.
Della Street moved two swift steps toward her, but Mason caught her arm and pushed her back.
“That’s all right, Della,” he said soothingly. “I knew she was going to do that.”
Della stared at him with wide eyes.
“You did?” she asked. “I thought I was the one who knew that!”
He nodded. “Sure you did, Della. So did I.”
“She’s a rat and a liar!” Della Street said.
Mason shrugged his shoulders and walked to the telephone. He gave the number of Drake’s Detective Bureau, and got Paul Drake on the line.
“Listen, Paul,” he said, “make sure you’re not tailed, and sneak over to Room 518 in the Hotel Ripley. Better bring a couple of stenographer’s notebooks, and a bunch of pencils along with you. Will you?”
“Right away?” asked the detective.
“Right away,” he said. “It’s eight fortyfive now, and I’m expecting a show to start at nine.”
He hung up the telephone.
Della Street was curious. “What is it, chief?” she asked.
“I’m expecting Eva Belter to be here at nine o’clock,” he said briefly.
“I don’t want to be here when that woman’s here,” Della Street said. “I can’t trust myself around her. She’s doublecrossed you all the way from the start. I want to kill her. She’s such a sleek little gutter rat.”
He put his hand on her shoulder. “Sit down and take it easy, Della. There’s going to be a showdown.”
There was a sound at the door. The knob turned, the door opened, and Eva Belter walked in.
She looked at Della Street, and said, “Oh, you’re both here.”
“Apparently,” Mason said, “you’ve been doing some talking.” He gestured, as he spoke, toward the newspapers which were piled on the bed.
She walked over to him, ignoring the other woman, placed her hands on his shoulders, looked up in his eyes. “Perry,” she said, “I never felt so rotten about anything in my life. I don’t know how I happened to say it. They got me down at Headquarters and barked questions at me. Everybody shrieked questions. I never saw anything like it. I didn’t dream that it would be anything at all like that. I tried to protect you, but I couldn’t. It slipped out, and just as soon as I made the first slip, they all started piling on me. They made threats, and told me they’d name me as an accessory.”
“What did you tell them?” asked Mason.
She looked in his eyes, then went over to the bed, sat down, took out her handkerchief from her purse, and started to cry.
Della Street moved two swift steps toward her, but Mason caught her arm and pushed her back.