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The Case of the Velvet Claws :: Гарднер Эрл Стенли
Страница: 144 из 149Then, when she realized that Griffin was in a trap and that there was nothing to be gained by sticking up for him, and that the daughter might go to jail as an accessory if she kept on lying, the woman turned her testimony against Griffin. After all, she was the one that knew the facts.”
“How about Eva Belter?” asked Mason. “I’ve got a writ of habeas corpus out for her.”
“You won’t need it. I think they turned her loose aboutseven o’clock. Do you suppose she’ll come here?”
Mason shrugged his shoulders. “Perhaps she’ll be grateful,” he said, “perhaps not. The last time I saw her she was cursing me.”
The door in the outer office made a sound as it opened, then clicked back into place.
“Thought that door was locked,” said Paul Drake.
“Maybe it’s the janitor,” said Mason.
Drake got to his feet, gained the door of the private office in three swift strides, jerked the door open, looked out, and grinned. “Hello,Miss Street,” he said.
Della Street’s voice came through from the outer office. “Good morning, Mr. Drake. Is Mr. Mason in there?”
“Yes,” said Drake, and closed the door.
He looked at his wristwatch and then at the lawyer. “Your secretary comes to work early,” he said.
“What time is it?”
“Noteight o’clock yet.”
“She’s not due until nine,” Mason said. “I didn’t want to bother her. She’s had so much work piled on her in this case. So I worked out the application for a writ of habeas corpus on the typewriter myself. I got a judge to sign it aboutmidnight, and had it served.”
“Well, they turned her loose,” the detective said. “You wouldn’t have needed the writ.”
“It’s better to have them when you don’t need them than to need them when you haven’t got them,” Perry Mason said grimly.
Once more the outer door opened and closed. In the quiet of the building the sound came through to the inner office. They heard a masculine voice; then the telephone on Mason’s desk rang. Mason scooped the receiver to his ear, and Della Street’s voice said, “Mr. Harrison Burke is out here and wants to see you at once. He says it’s important.”
The business street below the office had not yet taken on its rumble of sounds, and the words were audible to the detective. He got to his feet. “I’m on my way, Perry,” he said. “Just dropped in to tell you that Griffin has confessed and that they’ve turned your client loose.”
“Thanks for the information, Paul,” the lawyer remarked, then indicated a door which led to the corridor. “You can go out that way, Paul.
“How about Eva Belter?” asked Mason. “I’ve got a writ of habeas corpus out for her.”
“You won’t need it. I think they turned her loose aboutseven o’clock. Do you suppose she’ll come here?”
Mason shrugged his shoulders. “Perhaps she’ll be grateful,” he said, “perhaps not. The last time I saw her she was cursing me.”
The door in the outer office made a sound as it opened, then clicked back into place.
“Thought that door was locked,” said Paul Drake.
“Maybe it’s the janitor,” said Mason.
Drake got to his feet, gained the door of the private office in three swift strides, jerked the door open, looked out, and grinned. “Hello,Miss Street,” he said.
Della Street’s voice came through from the outer office. “Good morning, Mr. Drake. Is Mr. Mason in there?”
“Yes,” said Drake, and closed the door.
He looked at his wristwatch and then at the lawyer. “Your secretary comes to work early,” he said.
“What time is it?”
“Noteight o’clock yet.”
“She’s not due until nine,” Mason said. “I didn’t want to bother her. She’s had so much work piled on her in this case. So I worked out the application for a writ of habeas corpus on the typewriter myself. I got a judge to sign it aboutmidnight, and had it served.”
“Well, they turned her loose,” the detective said. “You wouldn’t have needed the writ.”
“It’s better to have them when you don’t need them than to need them when you haven’t got them,” Perry Mason said grimly.
Once more the outer door opened and closed. In the quiet of the building the sound came through to the inner office. They heard a masculine voice; then the telephone on Mason’s desk rang. Mason scooped the receiver to his ear, and Della Street’s voice said, “Mr. Harrison Burke is out here and wants to see you at once. He says it’s important.”
The business street below the office had not yet taken on its rumble of sounds, and the words were audible to the detective. He got to his feet. “I’m on my way, Perry,” he said. “Just dropped in to tell you that Griffin has confessed and that they’ve turned your client loose.”
“Thanks for the information, Paul,” the lawyer remarked, then indicated a door which led to the corridor. “You can go out that way, Paul.