The Case of the Velvet Claws   ::   Гарднер Эрл Стенли

“No,” he said, “I don’t think I want you to—not until I know more about it.”

“This is on the level, Sergeant,” Mason insisted. “You sit and listen to the questions. Any time you think I’m getting off the reservation, you can stop me. Hell’s fire, man! If I wanted to slip over a fast one, I’d run you in front of a jury and then pull my stuff as a surprise. I certainly wouldn’t go out and take the police in on the ground floor of what my defense was going to be.”

Sergeant Hoffman thought a minute.

“That’s logical,” he said. He turned to Drumm. “Go on down and round up the two women, and bring them up here,” he said.

Drumm nodded and left the room.

Paul Drake stared at Mason curiously. There was not the faintest trace of expression on Mason’s face, nor did he say anything during the few minutes which elapsed after Drumm left the room and the time when shuffling steps were heard outside of the door. Then the door opened, and Drumm bowed the two women into the room.

Mrs. Veitch was as sombre as ever. Her dull black eyes stared incuriously at the men in the room. She walked with her peculiar, long, flatfooted stride.

Norma Veitch wore a tight fitting dress, which accentuated the curves of her figure. She seemed proudly aware of her ability to catch the masculine eye as she stared from face to face, with a half smile on her full lips.

Mason said, “We wanted to ask you a few questions.”

Norma Veitch said, “Again?”

“Mrs. Veitch, do you know anything about your daughter’s engagement to Carl Griffin?” asked Mason, ignoring Norma’s comment.

“I know they’re engaged.”

“Did you know that there was any romance there?” asked Mason.

“There’s usually a romance when people get engaged,” she said, in her husky voice.

“I’m not talking about that,” he told her. “Please answer my question, Mrs. Veitch. Was there any romance between the pair, that you know of, prior to the time that Norma came here?”

The dark, sunken eyes shifted for a moment toward Norma, then came back to Mason’s face.

“No,” she said, “not before they came here. They got acquainted afterwards.”

“Did you know your daughter had been married?” asked Mason.

The eyes stared full in his face without any change of expression.

“No,” said the woman wearily, “she hasn’t been married.”

Mason shifted quickly to Norma.