Эрл Гарднер - The Case of the Shapely Shadow

“I gathered as much,” Mason said. “And you expect Mr. Theilman in on the train?”

“Not Mr. Theilman,” she said, “Mrs. Theilman.”

“Mrs. Theilman!” Mason exclaimed.

“Yes. She’s coming to join me here and—”

She was interrupted by the blast of the air whistle and the rumble of the train.

“This,” Mason said, “is going to be good. Step right out and meet Mrs. Theilman. We’ll be a little behind you. Don’t say anything about us being here.”

Mason turned to Della Street and grinned. “I think,” he said, “that the next few minutes are going to be rather eventful and quite satisfying.”

Janice Wainwright started to say something, then checked herself and ran out to the side of the train to stand looking at the long line of pullmans that came to a gliding stop.

“Good heavens,” Mason said, as Janice ran forward, “how in the world did you ever recognize her?”

“I had a mental image of what she’d look like after she’d fluffed her hair out, fixed her mouth right, and done things to her eyelashes,” Della Street said.

“She’s a knockout!” Mason exclaimed.

“Remind me someday,” Della Street observed, “to glamourize my personality.”

“You don’t need it,” Mason said.

“Every woman needs it,” she said, somewhat wistfully. And then added, “Men being what they are.”

The train had come to a stop. Doors glided open. Porters stood helping passengers off the train. Janice Wainwright stood looking first to the left, then to the right.

As the seconds passed Mason said, “Now, if she’s putting on an act, she’s the best little actress in the world. But somehow I’m becoming increasingly skeptical. I...”

A woman got off the train, stood looking around as though expecting to meet someone, started to walk toward the depot, paused, turned and walked toward Janice Wainwright.

Janice watched her for a moment, turned away, then suddenly swung back to look at her a second time.

“Janice!” the woman said.

“Why, Mrs. Theilman!” Janice exclaimed. “Good heavens, I didn’t recognize you. What have you done to yourself?”

Mason and Della Street exchanged glances.

“Good Lord,” Mason said, “ the Mrs. Theilman! The first Mrs. Theilman!”

“Oh-oh,” Della Street observed.

Janice Wainwright shook hands with the woman. Then she pressed her hand against the woman’s arm and led her toward where Mason and Della Street were standing.

“Mrs. Theilman,” Janice said, “I would like to present my friends, Miss Della Street and Mr. Perry Mason, the lawyer.”

“Perry Mason!” the woman exclaimed.

The lawyer bowed.

“Well, my goodness.”

Janice said nervously, “This is Mrs. Theilman. She is... that is, was...”

“The ex-wife of her boss,” Mrs. Theilman explained.

“I hardly knew you,” Janice said. “You’ve really taken off weight.”

“Thirty-five pounds.” Mrs. Theilman said. “I’m down to a hundred and twenty-one and I’m going to stay that way. I had to learn the hard way what happens to a woman when she lets her figure go.”

Mason said, “We don’t want to intrude, but I wanted to see Miss Wainwright about a matter of some importance. I just arrived in Las Vegas. We got in by plane and came directly to the depot. Now, if you folks have something to discuss, I don’t want to interfere, but since it’s quite late and we have to get back to Los Angeles, I would like to have a few minutes alone with Miss Wainwright.”

“Well, that’s quite all right with me,” Mrs. Theilman said. “I’m in no hurry to get back and I may be here for a couple of days. I always liked Las Vegas until— Well, I guess you know all the scandal, Mr. Mason. If you don’t, you’ll learn it anyhow... One of these Las Vegas cuties decided my husband would be a soft touch for her and started all the snaky-hipped tricks of professional seduction. He fell for it like a ton of bricks.”

Janice Wainwright said hurriedly, “If you could wait just a few minutes, Mrs. Theilman, if it wouldn’t be asking too much, I—”

“Not at all,” she said, “but I’m not going to wait here in a stuffy old depot. I want action. I’ll go down to the Double Take Casino. I always was lucky there.”

“All right, we’ll be there in just a few minutes,” Janice said. “If you don’t mind.”

“Not at all... My, Mr. Mason, I’ve heard so much about you. I didn’t expect to be meeting you, particularly in Las Vegas. Can you tell me just what your interest is in—?”

“I think I’ll have to be the one who explains that,” Janice interposed hurriedly. “I’ll— If you’re sure you don’t mind, Mrs. Theilman...”

“No, no. Run along and have your talk,” Mrs. Theilman said. “You’ll find me at the Double Take Casino, and if I’ve got a good-looking man in tow by that time, don’t interrupt. I take it this can keep until morning.”

Janice Wainwright seemed undecided.

“It’s all right,” Mrs. Theilman said, and bowing to Della Street, smiling at Mason, turned and walked away.

Janice Wainwright stood looking after her. “Heavens,” she said, “I’d never have recognized the woman. Look at that figure.”

“Quite a figure,” Mason said. “I take it that it wasn’t always like that.”

“Lord, no I She says she’s taken off thirty-five pounds. I’ll bet she’s taken off forty-five. Why, the woman was positively matronly and now... well, just look at her.”

“I’m looking,” Mason said.

Once more Della Street’s elbow made contact with the lawyer’s ribs.

“All right,” Mason said, “now tell me what this is all about and talk fast. You’ve left me in a most embarrassing position. You knew that Mr. Theilman had disappeared.”

She laughed and said, “He had to disappear, but he’ll reappear tomorrow and then everything will be all right. I’m sorry that I— Well, I guess I sort of goofed, Mr. Mason. I fell for the build-up myself. I should have had more confidence in the man I was working for.”

Mason said, “You came to my office with a suitcase full of money. You —”

“Oh, Mr. Mason, I’m so sorry about that! There’s one thing that I can tell you, however. You’re going to be compensated for all the work you’ve done and all the trouble you’ve been to. That’s one thing that I insisted on.”

“Thank you,” Mason said. “Now suppose you tell me what it’s all about.”

She said, “Will you believe me, Mr. Mason, when I tell you that even when I telephoned you this morning I didn’t know a thing in the world of what it was all about?”

“Keep talking,” Mason said. “I’m getting rather skeptical these days. Go ahead. What’s your version?”

“It isn’t a version,” she said. “It’s the truth.”

“All right, what’s the truth?”

“Well, the explanation is simple when you come right down to it. There wasn’t any blackmailer and there wasn’t any blackmail.”

“All right, go on,” Mason said. “What’s the story?”

“Well,” she said, “when Mr. Theilman and his first wife were divorced, she got quite a large property settlement. Some of it was in cash and some of it was in the form of stock in a corporation that Mr. Theilman controls — that is, he always has controlled it.

“But recently Mr. Theilman found out that a move was being made by interests that are hostile to him to get control of the corporation. He never was able to find out exactly who was back of it because whoever it is, is working through dummies and through attorneys. But as soon as Mr. Theilman found out what was going on, he naturally wanted to keep them from getting control.