JК
The Case of the Velvet Claws :: Гарднер Эрл Стенли
Страница: 81 из 149”
“That’s better. And you didn’t see him after he came down?”
“No.”
“Now, as a matter of fact,” he inquired, “was there a shot fired while Harrison Burke was up there, and then did he run down the stairs, and out of the house without saying anything to you?”
She shook her head emphatically. “No,” she said, “Burke left before my husband was shot.”
“How long before?”
“I don’t know, perhaps fifteen minutes. Perhaps longer. Perhaps not quite so long.”
“And now,” he pointed out, “Harrison Burke can’t be found.”
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. He can’t be found. He doesn’t answer his telephone. He isn’t at his residence.”
“How do you know?”
“I kept trying to get him on the telephone, and I sent detectives out to his residence.”
“Why did you do that?”
“Because I knew he was going to be implicated in the shooting.”
She widened her eyes again. “How could that be?” she asked. “Nobody knows that he was out at the house except us. And of course we wouldn’t tell, because that would make the situation that much worse for everybody. He left before the other man came, who fired the shot.”
Perry Mason held her eyes in a steady gaze. “It was his gun that fired the shot,” he said, slowly.
She stared at him, her eyes startled.
“What makes you say that?” she asked.
“Because,” he told her, “there was a number on the gun. That number can be traced from the factory to the wholesaler, from the wholesaler to the retailer, and from the retailer to the man who bought the gun. It was a fellow named Pete Mitchell, who lives at thirteen twentytwo West Sixtyninth Street, and was a close friend of Harrison Burke’s. The police are rounding up Mitchell, and when they get him, he’ll have to explain what he did with the gun. That is, that he gave it to Burke.”
She put a hand to her throat.
“How can they trace guns like that?”
“There’s a record kept of everything.”
“I knew that we should have done something with that gun,” she said almost hysterically.
He said, “Yes, and then you would have put your head in the noose. You’ve got yourself to think of. Your own position in this is none too pretty. You want to save Burke, of course, if you can. But the thing that I’m trying to bring out is that if Burke did the thing, you’d better come clean and tell me. Then, if we can keep Burke out of it, we will.
“That’s better. And you didn’t see him after he came down?”
“No.”
“Now, as a matter of fact,” he inquired, “was there a shot fired while Harrison Burke was up there, and then did he run down the stairs, and out of the house without saying anything to you?”
She shook her head emphatically. “No,” she said, “Burke left before my husband was shot.”
“How long before?”
“I don’t know, perhaps fifteen minutes. Perhaps longer. Perhaps not quite so long.”
“And now,” he pointed out, “Harrison Burke can’t be found.”
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. He can’t be found. He doesn’t answer his telephone. He isn’t at his residence.”
“How do you know?”
“I kept trying to get him on the telephone, and I sent detectives out to his residence.”
“Why did you do that?”
“Because I knew he was going to be implicated in the shooting.”
She widened her eyes again. “How could that be?” she asked. “Nobody knows that he was out at the house except us. And of course we wouldn’t tell, because that would make the situation that much worse for everybody. He left before the other man came, who fired the shot.”
Perry Mason held her eyes in a steady gaze. “It was his gun that fired the shot,” he said, slowly.
She stared at him, her eyes startled.
“What makes you say that?” she asked.
“Because,” he told her, “there was a number on the gun. That number can be traced from the factory to the wholesaler, from the wholesaler to the retailer, and from the retailer to the man who bought the gun. It was a fellow named Pete Mitchell, who lives at thirteen twentytwo West Sixtyninth Street, and was a close friend of Harrison Burke’s. The police are rounding up Mitchell, and when they get him, he’ll have to explain what he did with the gun. That is, that he gave it to Burke.”
She put a hand to her throat.
“How can they trace guns like that?”
“There’s a record kept of everything.”
“I knew that we should have done something with that gun,” she said almost hysterically.
He said, “Yes, and then you would have put your head in the noose. You’ve got yourself to think of. Your own position in this is none too pretty. You want to save Burke, of course, if you can. But the thing that I’m trying to bring out is that if Burke did the thing, you’d better come clean and tell me. Then, if we can keep Burke out of it, we will.