Эрл Гарднер - The Case of the Reluctant Model

Mason said, “Della, don’t ever discount the police. Once they get on the right trail they’ll dig up what evidence they need. Remember the unidentified fingerprint on that locker. That, very definitely, would have been the fingerprint of Goring Gilbert...”

“I can see now it had to be Gilbert,” she said. “When he was paid for the picture, Durant was broke. Gilbert loaned him a thousand. Durant worked out the blackmailing game. Gilbert didn’t like that... How did he get Maxine’s gun, Chief?”

“He found it,” Mason said. “When he got into the apartment he went to the dresser to see if Maxine was in on the play and had left any incriminating evidence in the drawer. It was at that exact moment Durant started wondering if Olney had planned a trap and looked in the shower to see if a witness had been planted there.

“Gilbert found the gun — the temptation was too great. He despised Durant... If he’d taken the whole eleven thousand it wouldn’t have been such a giveaway. As it was, he took only the one thousand, thereby leaving a broad trail — to wit, the murderer didn’t care much about money but was someone to whom Durant was indebted to the tune of an even thousand dollars.”

Della Street thought that over. “And the hold Durant had on Maxine?”

“Durant,” Mason said, “was the father of the child Maxine’s sister had given birth to while the husband was overseas. Durant didn’t care who knew it. Maxine did.”

Della Street nodded. “I see now — and your fee?”

Mason grinned. “You can send Howell’s check back to him, Della. I think Olney will quite probably loan Maxine all she needs to cover costs.” Then after a moment he added, “ All costs.”