Erle Gardner - The Case of the Phantom Fortune

Mason parked his car on Clovina Avenue.

On the other side of the street weretwo police cars and the red car of a deputy fire chief. Further down the blockthere were several cars parked at the kerb.

The store at the corner of Clovinaand Hendersell had evidently been a large space, low rental property Thebuilding was run-down, the neighbourhood was drab and dejected. At one time thebuilding had been used for surplus goods, and a weather-beaten sign of SURPLUSSALE still adorned the front of the building.

As Mason left the car a man came upto him. "Perry Mason?"

"That's right."

"I'm Lou Pitman, one of Drake'soperatives. Drake caught me on the car radio phone and sent me here on a rushcall. As it happened I was working on another job not too far away and I gothere about the same time the fire department did."

Mason eyed the man steadily."Let's see your credentials," he said.

Pitman produced his identificationcard.

"Okay," Mason said."Now tell me what happened."

"It was a false alarm,"Pitman said. "The fire company came charging up, parked their fire trucks,looked the place over, started to leave, then one of them looked in a window,said something to the others. They knocked a window out, went in, thenevidently put in a call over their short-wave radio for the police. The policecame rushing out here and apparently there was a man trapped inside thebuilding."

"Trapped inside thebuilding?" Mason asked.

"That's right."

"He didn't get away?"

"He didn't get away."

"He should have," Masonsaid thoughtfully. "He shouldn't have been there by the time the firewagons got there. Go on, what happened?"

"I don't know what happened,but more police cars have been coming. There's something on the inside therethat bothers them and they're evidently questioning this man – Here they comenow."

The front door of the store opened.Lt Tragg, flanked by a plain-clothes detective and two uniformed officers,escorted Horace Warren out of the building.

"Good Lord!" Mason said.

"You know him?" Pitmanasked.

Abruptly Mason turned from Pitman,barged across the street and moved toward the group. One of the officers saidsomething to Lt Tragg, who looked up and was unable to keep the expression ofsurprise from his face as he saw Mason bearing down on them.

"Well, well," Tragg said."This is quick work! How did you get here? Did your client telephone youand -"

Mason fastened his eyes on Warren. "Not one word, Warren," he said. "Not one word. Don'topen your lips!"

One of the uniformed officers bargedforward, shoved Mason back. "On your way," he said, "this is ahomicide."

"Not one word," Masoncalled over his shoulder. Then said to the officer, "I'm this man'sattorney."

"I don't give a damn who youare," the officer told him. "After he's booked he has the right toask for a lawyer and then you can come and see him, but you're not going tobutt in on things here. On your way!"

Mason side-stepped enough to catch Warren's eye and received a slight nod of thehead.

Mason walked back across the street.

The other group entered two policecars and roared away.

"Wasn't that Tragg, ofHomicide?" Pitman asked.

"That's right," Masonsaid. "He wouldn't be here unless there was a dead body inside and unlessit was murder.

"They're leaving a police carthere with officers in charge of the place. That looks like a big storeroomwith a warehouse in back. There may be an entrance on the other street. As soonas you get reinforcements here, cover the building. Try and find out whathappened and telephone me at my office."

Mason walked dejectedly across tohis car, got in, twisted the ignition key, started the motor and drove backtoward his office.

Della Street looked up in surprise as Mason entered theoffice.

"What's the matter, didn't youget down there?" she asked.

"I got down there," Masonsaid, "and I got back. Now I'm waiting for a telephone call."

Della raised inquiring eyebrows.

"I think," Mason said,"we'll have a call from Horace Warren within a short time. He'll want meto represent him on a charge of murder."

"Murder!" Della echoed.

"That's right," Masonsaid. "Apparently he got down to Gideon before I did. He had the same ideaI did, that in dealing with a blackmailer there were only three possiblechannels of approach – and one of them is to kill him."

"And you mean Warren decided to kill him?"

"Apparently Warren thought he could get away with it,"Mason said, "and he might have if it hadn't been for that damned firealarm we turned in."

"Oh-oh," Della Street said.

"He and Gideon were probablyalone," Mason said. "They had a showdown. Warren killed him, and I can't blame him very muchfor that. But then he heard the sirens of the fire department and was trappedin the building. They caught him red-handed."

"What about Mrs Warren?"

"She had either been therebefore we sewed the building up with the fire alarm, or else she didn't getthere until afterwards. And of course at that time the building was underpolice guard.

"She's smart enough to havespotted the uniformed police there and gone on home. Now, Della, that's whereyou come in. Get in your car, go out to the house. See if Mrs Warren is home.If she is, deliver your message. If she isn't, wait until she gets home andtell her not to say a word to anyone about anything. Simply state that she ismaking no comment about anything until she has had a chance to talk with anattorney."

"With you?" Della asked.

"You don't have to say withme," Mason said. "I'd prefer you didn't. She can simply tell thepolice that she wants to talk with an attorney. I think I'm going to berepresenting her husband."

"But if they caught himred-handed," Della Street ventured, "what can you -"

"I don't know," Masonsaid. "But Gideon was certainly asking for it."

The telephone rang.

Della picked up the telephone, said,"Yes, Gertie … Yes, Mr Mason will talk."

She turned. "Horace Warrennow," she said.

Mason picked up the telephone."Yes, Warren."

"I'm being held on a charge ofmurder. They say I have a right to telephone an attorney and -"

"I'll be there within fifteenminutes," Mason said. "Don't tell them anything. You understand? Notone single damned thing."

"I understand."

"I'll be there," Masonsaid.

Mason sat in the counsel room andsaid to Horace Warren, "Keep your voice down. Put your mouth close to myear and mumble the words. I've always had a feeling this room was bugged. Nowfirst, answer some of my questions Did you take the money out of the suitcase inyour wife's bedroom?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I knew it wasblackmail and I didn't want her to pay blackmail. I felt that if I stole themoney and left nothing but newspapers in the suitcase, when she tried to paythe blackmailer she would find she had been robbed and would then come to meand confide in me."

"Did she?"

"No."

"What did she do?"

"Apparently she went aboutgetting another batch of money together."

"Did you know who was puttingthe bite on her?"

"Yes."

"How long had you known?"

"I knew before I married her,Mr Mason. But she didn't know I knew it and if she wanted it a secret I decidedto help her keep that secret."

"How did you know aboutit?"

"Through Judson Olney."

"What did he know?"

"He knew who she was."

"How did he know?"

"When I met Lorna in Mexico City and became interested in her, I could tellthat there was something in her past that was bothering her. She just nevertalked about her past, and I could see she was in a panic.

"At that time, Judson Olney wasmy legman. He was my secretary and did all my legwork. I told him to find outabout Lorna Neely put him on a plane and told him to get the information.