Эрл Гарднер - The Case of the Curious Bride

Perry Mason raised neither his voice nor his eyes. He sat slumped in his chair, his head bowed. "There was an alarm clock in the room?" he asked in a conversational tone of voice.

"Yes."

"What became of it?"

"It was taken as evidence."

"Who took it?"

"One of the men on the homicide squad."

"Would you know the alarm clock if you saw it again?"

"Yes."

Perry Mason turned to John Lucas. "You have the alarm clock?" he asked.

"We have it," said Lucas, puzzled.

"Will you produce it?" asked Perry Mason.

"When we are ready," John Lucas said.

Perry Mason shrugged his shoulders, turned his attention once more to the witness. "Did you notice anything about this alarm clock?" he asked.

"Yes."

"What was it?"

"The alarm had been set for two o'clock in the morning, or perhaps a minute or two before two o'clock."

"The clock was running?"

"It was."

"Look at the photograph," said Perry Mason, "and see if the photograph, People's Exhibit B. shows the alarm clock."

"It does," said the witness.

"Would you mind pointing it out to the jury?"

There was a craning of necks as the jurors leaned forward and the witness, holding the photograph in his hand, pointed out the alarm clock.

"Might I ask to have the alarm clock produced now?" asked Perry Mason.

"It will be produced when we are ready to produce it," John Lucas remarked.

Perry Mason looked at Judge Markham. "I would like," he said, "to crossexamine this witness upon the alarm clock."

"The alarm clock has not been definitely brought into the case by the prosecution, as yet," Judge Markham said. "I think I will not force the prosecution to put on its case out of order. If, after the alarm clock is produced, you desire to examine this witness further, he may be recalled for further crossexamination."

"Very well," said Perry Mason listlessly, "I have no more questions."

John Lucas forged rapidly ahead. He called members of the homicide squad, members of the ambulance crew. He established the death of the man who had been taken from the apartment, introduced the poker which had been found in the apartment, with the gruesome stains of blood and the bits of hair adhering to the encrustations.

Perry Mason sat motionless, like some huge bear lying asleep in the sunlight and taking no notice of the circling approach of hunters. He asked no questions upon crossexamination.

Bit by bit John Lucas built up his case, and then he called Frank Lane to the witness stand. Frank Lane was a bright, alert young man of some twentyfive years of age. He testified to his name, address and gave his occupation as that of employee in a service station, giving the location of the service station and identifying it with reference to the residence of Rhoda Montaine. He was then asked if he had seen Rhoda Montaine on the morning of the sixteenth of June of the present year, and answered crisply in the affirmative.

"When?" asked John Lucas.

"At one fortyfive in the morning."

"What was she doing?"

"She was driving a Chevrolet coupe."

"Was there anything peculiar that you noticed about that coupe?"

"Yes, sir."

"What?"

"The right rear tire was flat."

"What did she do, if anything?"

"She drove the car into the service station and asked me to change the tire."

"What did you do?"

"I jacked up the car, unscrewed the lugs, took off the tire, unscrewed the spare tire lugs and put it back on the right rear. Then, when I let the car off the jack, I saw that the spare tire was nearly flat. I listened and heard air escaping from a small leak in the spare tire."

"Then what did you do?"

"I jacked the car back up, took off the spare tire and put in a new tube."

"Did you have any conversation with the defendant about the time?"

"Yes."

"What was it?"

"I asked her if she wanted me to repair the tube and she said that she was late for an appointment and that she couldn't wait. She told me to put in a new tube and repair the old one, that she'd call for it later."

"You gave her a ticket to serve as a claim check?"

"Yes, sir."

John Lucas produced a bit of numbered pasteboard. "Is this it?" he asked.

"That is it."

"What time did the defendant leave your service station?"

"At exactly ten minutes past two o'clock in the morning."

"Did you check the time in any manner?"

"I did, yes, sir. The time was checked in a book that I keep for entering repair work that is to be done by the day shift."

"And the defendant told you that she had an appointment to keep?"

"Yes."

"Did she say what time the appointment was for?"

" Two o'clock in the morning."

"Did she say where?"

"No."

John Lucas turned to Perry Mason with a sarcastic gesture. "Have you any questions of this witness?" he asked.

Perry Mason looked up at the witness, did not so much as move his body, but filled the courtroom with the booming resonance of his voice as he said, "The defendant drove into your station at one fortyfive?"

"Yes."

"Exactly one fortyfive?"

"Almost on the minute. It might have been a few seconds one way or another. I looked at the clock when she drove in."

"She left at two ten?"

"On the dot."

"During the interval between one fortyfive and two ten she was in your service station?"

"Yes."

"Watching you work?"

"Yes."

"Was she ever out of your sight?"

"No, she was there all the time."

"Is there any chance you're mistaken in your identification?"

"None whatever."

"You're positive?"

"Absolutely."

"That's all," said Perry Mason.

John Lucas called Ben Crandall to the stand. "Your name?"

"Benjamin Crandall."

"Where do you reside, Mr. Crandall?"

"At the Bellaire Apartments, 308 Norwalk Avenue, in this city."

"You resided there on June 16th last?"

"Yes."

"Were you in your apartment from midnight until two thirty on that date?"

"Yes."

"Are you familiar with the apartment known as Apartment B in the Colemont Apartments at 316 Norwalk Avenue?"

"Yes."

"I'll show you a diagram purporting to show the Colemont Apartments and also the Bellaire Apartments, and will ask you to designate your apartment on this diagram and also the position of Apartment B in the Colemont Apartments, with reference to your apartment." Lucas glanced up at Judge Markham. "I will state, your Honor, that I will subsequently connect up this map as far as its accuracy is concerned."

"No objections to the map or the questions," said Perry Mason.

"Proceed," said Judge Markham.

The witness pointed out the location of the two apartments. John Lucas produced a scale from his pocket. "There is, therefore," he said, making an elaborate show of extreme accuracy in applying the scale to the map, "a distance of less than twenty feet between your apartment and Apartment B in the Colemont Apartments, measuring in an air line."

Perry Mason shifted slightly in his chair. His deep voice rumbled across the courtroom. "That, your Honor," he said, "is acting, first, upon the assumption that the map is correct, and, secondly, upon the assumption that there is no difference in elevation between the two apartments. In other words, this map shows only a projected distance. It measures an air line between two apartments, so far as lateral distance alone is concerned; but does not take into account any slope or elevation between the windows of the two apartments."

Judge Markham looked across at John Lucas. "You have some side elevation map or sketch, Counselor?" Judge Markham asked.

Lucas bit his lip. "I'm afraid, your Honor," he said, "that I do not have such a map."

"The objection is sustained," said Judge Markham.