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The Case of the Velvet Claws :: Гарднер Эрл Стенли
Страница: 135 из 149LeGrande from Detroit,my home town. He wants to get a room here for a few days. I wonder if you can give him one on the same floor that I have?”
The clerk consulted a card index. “Let’s see. You’re in 518, Mr. Johnson?”
“That’s right,” Mason said.
“I can give him 522.”
“That’ll be fine, and there’s some baggage to take care of. I’ll speak to the porter about it.”
They went up to the room with Loring.
“Okay,” Mason said to Loring. “Now you stay right here, and don’t go out. Be where you can answer the telephone if we should give you a ring. We’ve got to make a report to Headquarters. Then it may be that they’ll want to ask you a couple more questions. But it’s going to be all right now that we’ve got your written statement. You’re in the clear.”
“That’s fine,” Loring said. “I’ll do just what you say. The lawyer said to communicate with him as soon as I got located. Should I do that?”
“No,” said Mason, “that’s not necessary, because you’ve communicated with us. Don’t communicate with anybody. Just stay right here and wait until you hear from us. You can’t do anything until after we’ve reported to Headquarters.”
“All right,” agreed Loring, “whatever you say.”
They went out of the room and closed the door.
Drake turned to Mason and grinned.
“Boy, what a break!” he said. “What do we do now?”
Mason strode toward the elevator.
“Now we pull a grandstand,” he said.
“Let her go,” Drake told him.
Mason stopped in the lobby and called Police Headquarters. He asked for Sidney Drumm in the Detective Bureau. After a minute or two, he heard Drumm’s voice on the wire.
“Drumm,” he said, “this is Mason. I’ve got another development in that Belter case, but I’ve got to have some cooperation on it. I gave you a break on the arrest of the woman, and I want you to give me a break now.”
Drumm laughed. “I don’t know whether you gave it to me or not. I walked in on it, and you came through to save your own bacon.”
“Well, there’s no use arguing about it,” Mason said. “I gave you the dope, and you got the credit.”
“Okay,” said Drumm, “what do you want?”
“Round up Sergeant Hoffman and meet me at the foot of Elmwood Drive. I want to go up to Belter’s house with you. I think I can show you something up there.”
“I don’t know as I can get the Sergeant. He may have left already,” Drumm protested. “It’s late.
The clerk consulted a card index. “Let’s see. You’re in 518, Mr. Johnson?”
“That’s right,” Mason said.
“I can give him 522.”
“That’ll be fine, and there’s some baggage to take care of. I’ll speak to the porter about it.”
They went up to the room with Loring.
“Okay,” Mason said to Loring. “Now you stay right here, and don’t go out. Be where you can answer the telephone if we should give you a ring. We’ve got to make a report to Headquarters. Then it may be that they’ll want to ask you a couple more questions. But it’s going to be all right now that we’ve got your written statement. You’re in the clear.”
“That’s fine,” Loring said. “I’ll do just what you say. The lawyer said to communicate with him as soon as I got located. Should I do that?”
“No,” said Mason, “that’s not necessary, because you’ve communicated with us. Don’t communicate with anybody. Just stay right here and wait until you hear from us. You can’t do anything until after we’ve reported to Headquarters.”
“All right,” agreed Loring, “whatever you say.”
They went out of the room and closed the door.
Drake turned to Mason and grinned.
“Boy, what a break!” he said. “What do we do now?”
Mason strode toward the elevator.
“Now we pull a grandstand,” he said.
“Let her go,” Drake told him.
Mason stopped in the lobby and called Police Headquarters. He asked for Sidney Drumm in the Detective Bureau. After a minute or two, he heard Drumm’s voice on the wire.
“Drumm,” he said, “this is Mason. I’ve got another development in that Belter case, but I’ve got to have some cooperation on it. I gave you a break on the arrest of the woman, and I want you to give me a break now.”
Drumm laughed. “I don’t know whether you gave it to me or not. I walked in on it, and you came through to save your own bacon.”
“Well, there’s no use arguing about it,” Mason said. “I gave you the dope, and you got the credit.”
“Okay,” said Drumm, “what do you want?”
“Round up Sergeant Hoffman and meet me at the foot of Elmwood Drive. I want to go up to Belter’s house with you. I think I can show you something up there.”
“I don’t know as I can get the Sergeant. He may have left already,” Drumm protested. “It’s late.