Эрл Гарднер - The Case of the Sulky Girl

"And then it brought out the loyalty in Rob. He knew that I couldn't be guilty, but he knew that the evidence was against me, and that I stood a chance of being convicted. In those dark hours when you didn't take us into your confidence and things seemed to be stacking up so much against us, he came forward and was willing to give his life to save mine."

"Yes," said Perry Mason, looking thoughtfully at Rob Gleason, "it was a noble and magnanimous thing to do, but if I hadn't been sure of my theory of the case, he would have thrown me entirely off my stride. His confession was most convincing, save for the fact that he claimed he had taken the thousand dollar bills from the body. I knew that he couldn't have done that, because you had given me ten of those bills the next morning. And then you, Miss Celane, weren't frank with me. You kept certain things back, trying to protect yourself."

"I know it," she told him. "It was all on account of that first lie about the Buick automobile. I couldn't tell the truth after that. I grabbed at the story about being out in the automobile as the best way to prove an alibi, and then I found I was trapped. I couldn't even tell you about getting the money from my uncle, because I was supposed to have been out in the automobile at that time."

There was a knock at the door, and Della Street entered the room.

She looked at Perry Mason with eyes that were starry with pride. When she spoke, her voice had something of caressing tenderness in it.

"There is a telegram for you," she said.

Frances Celane walked quickly across to Perry Mason and extended her hand.

"Rob and I will be going," she said, "and there's no use trying to tell you how much we appreciate what you've done. We can compensate you financially, but in addition to that we want you to know…"

Her voice shook, and there were tears in her eyes.

Perry Mason gripped her hand, then nodded. "I know," he said.

When the door leading from his private office to the corridor had closed on them, he turned to Della Street.

"Here," she said, "is the telegram. If you can make sense from it, you can do more than I can."

He took the telegram and read:

Sending you special delivery air mail photograph of utmost importance in case I am about to present. Keep photograph and await me in your office without fail.

(Signed) Eva Lamont.

Perry Mason stared at the telegram curiously.

"Did the photograph come?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, "a few minutes ago." She opened a drawer in her desk and took out a photograph. It was the photograph of a young woman, generously displaying a beautiful pair of legs. Below the photograph was a typewritten caption which had been pasted to it. The caption said, simply:

The Girl with the Lucky Legs

The photograph did not show the woman's face, merely her shoulders, hips, arms, hands, which held the skirts very, very high, and the legs. They were slim, straight legs, perfectly formed, stockinged and gartered.

"Now," said Perry Mason, his curiosity aroused, "what the devil does that mean?"

"I don't know," said Della Street, "but I'm going to make a file—The Case of the Girl With the Lucky Legs."

Perry Mason looked at his watch. The weariness had dropped from his face, and his eyes were sparkling.

"I wonder," he said, "just what time Eva Lamont is due here."