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The Case of the Velvet Claws :: Гарднер Эрл Стенли
Страница: 80 из 149When he’s worried, he wants some one to share his worry with him. So I figured that he must have left that message with the maid.”
She looked hurt.
“Do you think that’s a nice way to treat me?” she asked. “Do you think that’s being fair with me?”
He grinned.
“What a sweet angel you are to sit around and talk to a man about playing fair.”
She pouted. “I don’t like that,” she said.
“I didn’t think you would,” he told her. “There’s going to be lots about this you don’t like before we get done. So Harrison Burke came to the house, did he?”
“Yes,” she said in a weak voice.
“All right, what happened?”
“He kept insisting that he wanted to see George. I told him that it would be suicidal even to go near George. He said that he wouldn’t mention my name at all. He thought that if he could go to George and explain the circumstances to him, and tell him that he was willing to do anything after he was elected George would order Frank Locke to lay off the publicity.”
“All right,” said Mason, “now we are getting someplace. He wanted to go see your husband, and you tried to keep him from doing it. Is that it?”
“Yes.”
“Why,” he asked, “did you want to keep him from doing it?”
She said slowly, “I was afraid that he would mention my name.”
“Did he?” asked Mason.
“I don’t know,” she said, and then suddenly added: “That is, of course not, he didn’t see George at all. He talked with me, and I convinced him that he mustn’t talk with George. And then he left the house.”
Perry Mason chuckled. “You thought of that trap just a little bit too late, young lady. So you don’t know whether or not he mentioned your name to George, eh?”
She said sullenly: “I told you he didn’t see him.”
“Yes,” he said, “I know, but the fact is that he did see him. He went upstairs to his study and talked with him.”
“How do you know?”
“Because,” he said, “I’ve got a theory about this thing, and I want to run it down. I’ve got a pretty good idea of what happened.”
“What did happen?” she asked.
He grinned at her.
“You know what happened,” he told her.
“No, no,” she said, “what was it that happened?”
His voice was a steady, expressionless monotone. “So Harrison Burke went upstairs and talked with your husband,” he droned. “How long was he up there?”
“I don’t know. Not over fifteen minutes.
She looked hurt.
“Do you think that’s a nice way to treat me?” she asked. “Do you think that’s being fair with me?”
He grinned.
“What a sweet angel you are to sit around and talk to a man about playing fair.”
She pouted. “I don’t like that,” she said.
“I didn’t think you would,” he told her. “There’s going to be lots about this you don’t like before we get done. So Harrison Burke came to the house, did he?”
“Yes,” she said in a weak voice.
“All right, what happened?”
“He kept insisting that he wanted to see George. I told him that it would be suicidal even to go near George. He said that he wouldn’t mention my name at all. He thought that if he could go to George and explain the circumstances to him, and tell him that he was willing to do anything after he was elected George would order Frank Locke to lay off the publicity.”
“All right,” said Mason, “now we are getting someplace. He wanted to go see your husband, and you tried to keep him from doing it. Is that it?”
“Yes.”
“Why,” he asked, “did you want to keep him from doing it?”
She said slowly, “I was afraid that he would mention my name.”
“Did he?” asked Mason.
“I don’t know,” she said, and then suddenly added: “That is, of course not, he didn’t see George at all. He talked with me, and I convinced him that he mustn’t talk with George. And then he left the house.”
Perry Mason chuckled. “You thought of that trap just a little bit too late, young lady. So you don’t know whether or not he mentioned your name to George, eh?”
She said sullenly: “I told you he didn’t see him.”
“Yes,” he said, “I know, but the fact is that he did see him. He went upstairs to his study and talked with him.”
“How do you know?”
“Because,” he said, “I’ve got a theory about this thing, and I want to run it down. I’ve got a pretty good idea of what happened.”
“What did happen?” she asked.
He grinned at her.
“You know what happened,” he told her.
“No, no,” she said, “what was it that happened?”
His voice was a steady, expressionless monotone. “So Harrison Burke went upstairs and talked with your husband,” he droned. “How long was he up there?”
“I don’t know. Not over fifteen minutes.