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The Case of the Velvet Claws :: Гарднер Эрл Стенли
Страница: 125 из 149”
“Not even when she tried to put a murder rap on you?” asked Drake, curiously.
“Not even when she tried to put a murder rap on me,” said Mason, doggedly.
“You sure as hell do stick up for your clients,” said Drake.
“I wish I could convince some other people of that,” the lawyer said, wearily.
Drake looked at him sharply. Perry Mason went on, “That’s my creed in life, Paul. I’m a lawyer. I take people who are in trouble, and I try to get them out of trouble. I’m not presenting the people’s side of the case, I’m only presenting the defendant’s side. The District Attorney represents the people, and he makes the strongest kind of a case he can. It’s my duty to make the strongest kind of a case I can on the other side, and then it’s up to the jury to decide. That’s the way we get justice. If the District Attorney would be fair, then I could be fair. But the District Attorney uses everything he can in order to get a conviction. I use everything I can in order to get an acquittal. It’s like two teams playing football. One of them tries to go in one direction just as hard as it can, and the other tries to go in the other direction just as hard as it can.
“It’s sort of an obsession with me to do the best I can for a client. My clients aren’t blameless. Many of them are crooks. Probably a lot of them are guilty. That’s not for me to determine. That’s for the jury to determine.”
“Are you going to try and prove this woman was crazy?” the detective asked.
Mason shrugged his shoulders. “I’m going to keep a jury from convicting her,” he said.
“You’ll never get away from that confession,” said Drake. “It shows murder.”
“Confession or no confession, they can’t prove her guilty of anything, until the jury says she’s guilty.”
Drake shrugged expressive shoulders, and said, “Oh, well, there’s no use of our arguing about it. I’ll turn the men loose on the Veitches, and get all the dope for you.”
“I don’t suppose I need to tell you,” said Mason, “that minutes are precious. All that I’ve been fighting for all the way along is time enough to get the evidence I want. You’ve got to work fast. It’s a matter of time, that’s all.”
Perry Mason went back to his office. The puffs under the eyes, which came from fatigue, were more pronounced, but his eyes were steady and hard.
He opened the door of his office. Della Street was at the typewriter. She glanced up, then looked back at her work.
“Not even when she tried to put a murder rap on you?” asked Drake, curiously.
“Not even when she tried to put a murder rap on me,” said Mason, doggedly.
“You sure as hell do stick up for your clients,” said Drake.
“I wish I could convince some other people of that,” the lawyer said, wearily.
Drake looked at him sharply. Perry Mason went on, “That’s my creed in life, Paul. I’m a lawyer. I take people who are in trouble, and I try to get them out of trouble. I’m not presenting the people’s side of the case, I’m only presenting the defendant’s side. The District Attorney represents the people, and he makes the strongest kind of a case he can. It’s my duty to make the strongest kind of a case I can on the other side, and then it’s up to the jury to decide. That’s the way we get justice. If the District Attorney would be fair, then I could be fair. But the District Attorney uses everything he can in order to get a conviction. I use everything I can in order to get an acquittal. It’s like two teams playing football. One of them tries to go in one direction just as hard as it can, and the other tries to go in the other direction just as hard as it can.
“It’s sort of an obsession with me to do the best I can for a client. My clients aren’t blameless. Many of them are crooks. Probably a lot of them are guilty. That’s not for me to determine. That’s for the jury to determine.”
“Are you going to try and prove this woman was crazy?” the detective asked.
Mason shrugged his shoulders. “I’m going to keep a jury from convicting her,” he said.
“You’ll never get away from that confession,” said Drake. “It shows murder.”
“Confession or no confession, they can’t prove her guilty of anything, until the jury says she’s guilty.”
Drake shrugged expressive shoulders, and said, “Oh, well, there’s no use of our arguing about it. I’ll turn the men loose on the Veitches, and get all the dope for you.”
“I don’t suppose I need to tell you,” said Mason, “that minutes are precious. All that I’ve been fighting for all the way along is time enough to get the evidence I want. You’ve got to work fast. It’s a matter of time, that’s all.”
Perry Mason went back to his office. The puffs under the eyes, which came from fatigue, were more pronounced, but his eyes were steady and hard.
He opened the door of his office. Della Street was at the typewriter. She glanced up, then looked back at her work.