Erle Gardner - The Case of the Horrified Heirs

«I'm sorry,» Mason said. «It was my fault.»

The manager turned to Virginia Baxter. «Are you hurt?»

«No,» she said. «Fortunately, I was going slow and I put on my brakes.»

The manager turned back to Mason. «Have you been drinking?» she asked.

Mason turned half away from her. «No,» he said.

«Well, I think you have-that sign there is just as plain as day-Now, let me see, dearie, you're registered here in the motel, aren't you? Unit Fourteen?»

«That's right.»

«Well,» she said, «if you want me as a witness you just call me any time. I'm going to call the highway patrol.»

«That won't be necessary,» Mason said. «It was my fault. I accept the responsibility.»

«I'll say it was your fault. You've been drinking. You aren't staying here, are you?»

«I would like to see about getting a room.»

«Well, we don't have any rooms left. And we don't cater to drinking parties. You wait right here and don't try to move those cars. I'm calling the police.»

The manager turned and marched back to the office.

«What in the world,» Virginia Baxter asked, getting Mason to one side, «were you trying to do?»

«Insurance,» Mason told her.

«Insurance?» she exclaimed.

«Exactly,» Mason said. «Now if anyone asks you how your car got smashed up, you can tell them. Moreover, you have witnesses to prove it. You'd better go to your friend, the manager, and see if you can borrow a broom and we'll sweep this broken glass out of here; borrow a dustpan and dump it all in a trash barrel somewhere. You have one headlight and I have one headlight. It looks very much as though we're going to spend the night here unless I get busy and have a rental car delivered to me here. In which event, I'll give you a ride home.»

«And our cars?» she asked.

Mason smiled and said, «After the police come, we'll try and get yours back to the parking lot. As far as mine is concerned, I think I'll have the garage tow it away.»

Harry Auburn, the traffic officer who was summoned by the manager, was very polite, very efficient and very impersonal.

«How did this happen?»

«I was coming out,» Mason said, «and this young woman was coming in.»

The manager said belligerently, «He flagrantly violated the traffic rules of this parking place. There's a sign over there that says Exit in letters two feet high.»

Mason said nothing.

The traffic officer looked at him.

Mason said, «I will report the facts. I was driving out of the parking place. I was coming out to the road through this opening. The young lady was coming in.»

«Didn't you see this sign Entrance Only ?» the traffic officer asked.

Mason said, «My insurance company has instructed me that, in the event of any accident, I am not to say anything that would admit liability in any way. Therefore, I will have to advise you that I am adequately insured and that the facts speak for themselves.»

«He's been drinking,» the manager said.

The officer looked inquiringly at Mason.

«I had a cocktail before dinner some two hours ago,» Mason said. «I have not had anything since.»

The officer went to his car, produced a rubber balloon. «Mind blowing this up?» he asked Mason.

«Certainly not,» Mason said.

He blew up the rubber balloon.

The traffic officer took it over to a testing machine and, after a few minutes, returned and said. «You don't have enough alcohol to register.»

«He's drunk,» the manager said.

Mason smiled at her.

«Or he may be drugged,» she said.

Mason handed the officer one of his cards. «You can always locate me,» he said.

«I recognized you,» the officer said, «and, of course, checked your name on your driving license.»

«I think that's all that needs to be done here,» Mason said. «I will need a tow car.»

«I'll phone for one,» the officer said, then moved over to his automobile, climbed into the seat, picked up the microphone of his radio and called a number.

After a while, a voice came over the radio speaker. The officer turned down the volume, raised the windows on his car so that the voice was inaudible outside of the car. He talked for some two or three minutes, then he hung up the phone and came back to Virginia Baxter.

«Where have you been this evening, Miss Baxter?» he asked.

«I drove from my apartment to the motel here.»

«Make any stops along the way?»

«No.»

«Where is your apartment?»

«The same address that's on my driver's license-422 Eureka Arms Apartments.»

«Have any trouble along the way?» the officer asked.

«Why, no. Why do you ask?»

The officer said, «There's been a pretty bad accident down on the coast road. George Eagan, a chauffeur, was driving Mrs. Lauretta Trent, going south, when a car veered out of control, crowded the Trent car off the road, struck the rear fender, sent the car into a spin and into the ocean. Eagan escaped, but the car went over the road into the ocean. Lauretta Trent was drowned. They haven't as yet recovered her body.

«The description of the car that caused the accident matches the description of this car-You're sure you haven't been drinking?»

«Give her a test,» Mason said.

«You any objection to taking a test?» the officer asked.

She looked at Mason with wide, frightened eyes.

«Not in the least,» Mason said.

The officer didn't even turn but kept his eyes on Virginia Baxter.

«No,» she said, «I'll take a test.»

«Blow up this balloon,» the officer said.

Virginia Baxter blew up the balloon. The officer again retired to his automobile, again talked for a while into the microphone, then returned.

«You been taking any drugs today, Miss Baxter?»

«Not today. I took a couple of aspirin last night.»

«And that's all?»

«That's all.»

«What time did you leave your apartment?»

«Well, let's see, it was about… well, probably three hours ago.»

«And you came directly here?»

«Yes.»

«How long have you been here?»

«You can check the time of registration,» Mason suggested.

The manager said, «We don't keep a time record-only the date, but I think she's been here for… well, say an hour and a half anyway.»

«But I've been here longer than that,» Virginia said.

«Well, I'm willing to swear to an hour and a half,» the manager said.

The officer looked thoughtful.

«May I ask how they got a description of the Baxter car?» Mason asked.

The officer regarded him thoughtfully, then said, «A motorist, coming along behind, saw the accident. The car turned off on the road that came up here. He got a description of the rear of the car, and a part of the license number.»

«Which part?» Mason asked.

«Enough to make a pretty good identification,» the officer said shortly.

Virginia Baxter suddenly burst out angrily. «All right,» she said, «I've taken all I'm going to take. This is just another frame-up!

«I didn't have any accident along the road; I didn't run into Lauretta Trent's car, and as far as that chauffeur is concerned, he's a plain liar.

«He's been after me to make a forged will for Lauretta Trent and-«

«Easy, easy,» Mason interrupted.

«I'm not going to take it easy,» she stormed. «This chauffeur paid me to make a forged will. He's been planning murder and-«

«Shut up!» Mason snapped.

Virginia turned indignant eyes on him. «I don't have to keep quiet and-«

«You let me do the talking for a minute, Virginia.»

The officer said, «You representing this woman?»

«I am now,» Mason said.

The traffic officer went over to his automobile, picked up the microphone. This time, he left the door open so they could hear what he said.