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The Case of the Velvet Claws :: Гарднер Эрл Стенли
Страница: 65 из 149You’re here as an audience, and you can keep quiet, or get out!”
“You’re not frightening me a damned bit, Sergeant,” Mason said. “I’m here in the house of Mrs. Eva Belter, as attorney for Mrs. Eva Belter, and I hear a man making statements which are bound to be damaging to her reputation, if not otherwise. I am going to see that those statements are substantiated or withdrawn.”
The look of patience had entirely vanished from Hoffman’s eyes. He stared at Mason moodily.
“Well,” he said, “stick up for your rights if you want to. And I don’t know but what you’ve got some explaining to do at that. It’s a damn funny thing that the police come here and find a murder, with you and a woman sitting here talking things over. And it’s a damn funny thing, that when a woman discovers her husband has been murdered, she goes and rings up her attorney, before she does anything else.”
Mason remarked hotly, “That’s not a fair statement, and you know it. I’m a friend of hers.”
“So it would seem,” said Sergeant Hoffman, dryly.
Mason planted his feet wide apart and squared his shoulders. “Now, let’s get this straight,” he said. “I’m representing Eva Belter. There’s no reason on God’s green earth for throwing any mud at her. George Belter wasn’t worth a damned thing to her dead. He was, to this guy. This guy comes drifting in with an alibi that won’t stand up and starts taking cracks at my client.”
Griffin protested hotly.
Mason kept staring at Sergeant Hoffman. “By God, you can’t convict a woman with a lot of loose talk. It takes a jury to do that. And a jury can’t convict her until she’s proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
The big sergeant looked at Perry Mason searchingly.
“And you’re looking for a reasonable doubt, Mason?”
Mason pointed his finger at Carl Griffin.
“Just so you won’t shoot off your face too much, young fellow,” he said, “if my client ever goes before a jury, don’t think I’m dumb enough to overlook the advantage I can get from dragging you and this will into the case.”
“You mean you think he’s guilty of this murder?” asked Sergeant Hoffman, coaxingly.
“I’m not a detective,” said Mason. “I’m a lawyer. I know that the jury can’t convict anybody as long as they’ve got a reasonable doubt. And if you start framing anything on my client, there sits my reasonable doubt right in that chair!”
Hoffman nodded.
“About what I expected,” he said. “I shouldn’t have let you sit in on this thing in the first place.
“You’re not frightening me a damned bit, Sergeant,” Mason said. “I’m here in the house of Mrs. Eva Belter, as attorney for Mrs. Eva Belter, and I hear a man making statements which are bound to be damaging to her reputation, if not otherwise. I am going to see that those statements are substantiated or withdrawn.”
The look of patience had entirely vanished from Hoffman’s eyes. He stared at Mason moodily.
“Well,” he said, “stick up for your rights if you want to. And I don’t know but what you’ve got some explaining to do at that. It’s a damn funny thing that the police come here and find a murder, with you and a woman sitting here talking things over. And it’s a damn funny thing, that when a woman discovers her husband has been murdered, she goes and rings up her attorney, before she does anything else.”
Mason remarked hotly, “That’s not a fair statement, and you know it. I’m a friend of hers.”
“So it would seem,” said Sergeant Hoffman, dryly.
Mason planted his feet wide apart and squared his shoulders. “Now, let’s get this straight,” he said. “I’m representing Eva Belter. There’s no reason on God’s green earth for throwing any mud at her. George Belter wasn’t worth a damned thing to her dead. He was, to this guy. This guy comes drifting in with an alibi that won’t stand up and starts taking cracks at my client.”
Griffin protested hotly.
Mason kept staring at Sergeant Hoffman. “By God, you can’t convict a woman with a lot of loose talk. It takes a jury to do that. And a jury can’t convict her until she’s proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
The big sergeant looked at Perry Mason searchingly.
“And you’re looking for a reasonable doubt, Mason?”
Mason pointed his finger at Carl Griffin.
“Just so you won’t shoot off your face too much, young fellow,” he said, “if my client ever goes before a jury, don’t think I’m dumb enough to overlook the advantage I can get from dragging you and this will into the case.”
“You mean you think he’s guilty of this murder?” asked Sergeant Hoffman, coaxingly.
“I’m not a detective,” said Mason. “I’m a lawyer. I know that the jury can’t convict anybody as long as they’ve got a reasonable doubt. And if you start framing anything on my client, there sits my reasonable doubt right in that chair!”
Hoffman nodded.
“About what I expected,” he said. “I shouldn’t have let you sit in on this thing in the first place.