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The Case of the Velvet Claws :: Гарднер Эрл Стенли
Страница: 28 из 149D’you hear?”
The diamondhard eyes stared at him with the uncordial glitter of a snake’s eyes staring into the face of a man armed with aclub. George Belter’s right hand was in his coat pocket.
“It’s a good thing,” he said, “that you stopped right when you did. Make a move to lay a hand on me, and I’ll blow your heart out! I’ve got witnesses to show it’s selfdefense, and I don’t know but what it would be a good thing to do anyway.”
“Don’t bother,” Mason said, evenly, “you can’t stop me that way. There are others who know what I know, and know where I am and why.”
Belter’s lip curled.
“The trouble with you is,” he said, “that you keep singing the same tune. You’ve already played that game for all that it’s worth. If you think that I’m afraid of anything that a cheap, blackmailing ambulance chaser can try to pin on me, you’re mistaken. I’m telling you to get out, for the last time!”
Mason turned on his heel. “All right. I’m getting out. I’ve said all I’ve got to say.”
George Belter’s sarcastic comment reached his ears as he gained the door.
“At least twice,” said Belter. “Some of it you’ve said three times.”
Chapter 5
Eva Belter sat in Perry Mason’s private office, and sobbed quietly into a handkerchief.
Perry Mason sat behind the desk with his coat off, and watched her with wary eyes and an entire absence of sympathy.
“You shouldn’t have done it,” she said, between sniffs.
“How was I supposed to know that?” asked Perry Mason.
“He’s utterly ruthless,” she said.
Mason nodded his head.
“I’m pretty ruthless myself,” he observed.
“Why didn’t you put the ad in the Examiner?”
“They wanted too much money. They seemed to think I was going to play Santa Claus.”
“They knew it was important,” she wailed. “There’s a lot at stake.”
Mason said nothing.
The woman sobbed silently for a moment, then raised her eyes, and stared in mute anguish at Perry Mason.
“You should never have threatened him,” she said. “You should never have come to the house. You can’t do anything with him by threats. Whenever he gets in a corner, he always fights his way out. He never asks for quarter, and he never gives any.”
“Well, what’s he going to do about it?” asked Mason.
“He’ll ruin you,” she sobbed. “He’ll find every lawsuit that you’ve got, and accuse you of jury bribing, of suborning perjury, and of unprofessional conduct. He’ll hound you out of the city.
The diamondhard eyes stared at him with the uncordial glitter of a snake’s eyes staring into the face of a man armed with aclub. George Belter’s right hand was in his coat pocket.
“It’s a good thing,” he said, “that you stopped right when you did. Make a move to lay a hand on me, and I’ll blow your heart out! I’ve got witnesses to show it’s selfdefense, and I don’t know but what it would be a good thing to do anyway.”
“Don’t bother,” Mason said, evenly, “you can’t stop me that way. There are others who know what I know, and know where I am and why.”
Belter’s lip curled.
“The trouble with you is,” he said, “that you keep singing the same tune. You’ve already played that game for all that it’s worth. If you think that I’m afraid of anything that a cheap, blackmailing ambulance chaser can try to pin on me, you’re mistaken. I’m telling you to get out, for the last time!”
Mason turned on his heel. “All right. I’m getting out. I’ve said all I’ve got to say.”
George Belter’s sarcastic comment reached his ears as he gained the door.
“At least twice,” said Belter. “Some of it you’ve said three times.”
Chapter 5
Eva Belter sat in Perry Mason’s private office, and sobbed quietly into a handkerchief.
Perry Mason sat behind the desk with his coat off, and watched her with wary eyes and an entire absence of sympathy.
“You shouldn’t have done it,” she said, between sniffs.
“How was I supposed to know that?” asked Perry Mason.
“He’s utterly ruthless,” she said.
Mason nodded his head.
“I’m pretty ruthless myself,” he observed.
“Why didn’t you put the ad in the Examiner?”
“They wanted too much money. They seemed to think I was going to play Santa Claus.”
“They knew it was important,” she wailed. “There’s a lot at stake.”
Mason said nothing.
The woman sobbed silently for a moment, then raised her eyes, and stared in mute anguish at Perry Mason.
“You should never have threatened him,” she said. “You should never have come to the house. You can’t do anything with him by threats. Whenever he gets in a corner, he always fights his way out. He never asks for quarter, and he never gives any.”
“Well, what’s he going to do about it?” asked Mason.
“He’ll ruin you,” she sobbed. “He’ll find every lawsuit that you’ve got, and accuse you of jury bribing, of suborning perjury, and of unprofessional conduct. He’ll hound you out of the city.