Erle Gardner - The Case of the Half-Wakened Wife

“How about it, Mrs. Keller?” Benton asked. “Is it a definite offer?”

“What does Mr. Mason think?” Jane Keller asked.

Mason turned to Shelby. “If that is made as a definite offer, will you give us a definite acceptance?”

“No,” Shelby said.

“As far as I’m concerned then, it’s not a definite offer,” Mason said. “If and when you tell us that an offer of four thousand dollars will be accepted, I think something might be worked out at that figure but I’m not going to make any offers in advance of some commitment on your part.”

“Why not?”

“Because it weakens our position and leads to trading. We make an offer. Then you make an offer. Then someone wants to ‘split the difference.’ I don’t do business that way. Make an offer of four thousand and I think it can be worked out. Wait for my clients to make an offer and you’ll be waiting all winter.”

“And that’s that,” Shelby said.

“Now then,” Mason went on, “do you own that oil lease?”

“What do you mean?”

“Is it all yours or have you assigned it to some company?”

Shelby swiftly placed his hand to his chin, stroked the angle of his jaw, holding his hand so that his palm concealed his mouth. His eyes avoided those of Mason and those of his wife. He said, “I don’t see that that makes any difference.”

“It makes quite a bit of difference,” Mason told him, “particularly whether the lease has been assigned and whether you’re in a position to negotiate a settlement.”

“If I negotiate a settlement, it will be all right. But I’m not going to settle on any such basis as you people have outlined.”

Mason said, “I’m asking you definitely, do you own that oil lease?”

“I represent all parties concerned.”

“Have you assigned part of it?”

“I don’t see what that has to do with it.”

“It has a lot to do with it,” Parker Benton said. “I’m not going to conduct any negotiations except with the real owners and all of the owners.”

“Well,” Shelby blurted, “I have a partner. Someone who owns a half interest but she... that associate is perfectly willing to accept any settlement that is okayed by me.”

“The name of your associate?” Parker Benton asked.

“Ellen Cushing,” Shelby said.

Marion Shelby caught Mason’s eyes, then swiftly averted hers.

“And you two own that lease?” Parker Benton asked. “You have the whole thing?”

“The whole thing.”

“There have been no other assignments?”

“No.”

“Just this partnership?”

“That’s right.”

“Will you accept four thousand dollars?” Benton asked.

“Definitely, finally and absolutely no.”

“What’s your minimum offer?”

“Ten thousand dollars.”

Benton smiled. “Well, shall we go up to where we can have some dancing? I guess we’re getting no place.”

“That’s a good lease,” Shelby said. “I can force the lessor to accept the back rental.”

“I don’t care to discuss the legal aspects of the problem,” Parker Benton said. “As far as I’m concerned, tomorrow afternoon I’ll either drop the whole business or notify the title company that I’ll accept a limited certificate. I don’t know which.”

Lawton Keller said somewhat anxiously, “Of course, if it comes to a showdown, I don’t want you to think that we’re...”

“You’ve already given me your position,” Parker Benton interrupted, angrily.

“Well, it may not be final.”

“It’s final as far as you and I are concerned,” Benton told him. “If there are any more negotiations, they will be with Mason. But, as far as I’m concerned, I’m beginning to think I can find some property that will be equally satisfactory.”

Abruptly Scott Shelby said, “If that’s the way you feel about it, sit tight. It suits me.”

“And now,” Benton said, “to preserve that atmosphere of well-bred gentility which I had hoped would clothe our discussions, I think it will be well for us all to know where our staterooms are. Whether you prefer to stay in your rooms or to return for a little dancing is up to you. But, if you do return, please bear definitely in mind that we won’t discuss any business and we will be friendly. There are seven staterooms aboard this yacht. You’ll find in your staterooms a telephone system with a series of call buttons which will connect you with the steward, or with any one of the other rooms.”

Parker Benton turned to the steward. “Please show our guests to their rooms,” he said.

Lawton Keller said, “On second thought, I think it would be a good plan for Jane to sacrifice something in order to get out of a lawsuit. I’d be willing to go as high as two thousand...”

“Not interested,” Scott Shelby snapped. “I’m not going to be pushed around either. I’m no cur to be ordered in and ordered out. The hell with all of you. Where’s my room? I’ll stay tonight on your damned yacht simply because it happens to be more convenient for me to stay aboard than go paddling around in a launch. But I’ll get off first thing in the morning, and as far as I’m concerned you have my personal assurance that the minute you try to build anything on this island, I’ll punch an oil well down in your front yard, whether I think there’s any oil there or not.”

Parker Benton said coldly, “That remains to be seen. I don’t know how much money you have, but before you punch any wells in my front yard you’ll wish you’d never seen an oil lease. Good night, everyone. As far as I’m concerned, I am going to my room and read. There’ll be some confusion over the staterooms, I suppose, but the steward will get you bedded down — all those who wish to stay. The launch will take any of you ashore if you want to catch the eleven o’clock interurban. And now, once more, good night.”

Perry Mason, propped up on snowy pillows in a comfortable bed, adjusted the reading light and settled himself with a book. He had read the first chapter when the telephone tinkled a somewhat tentative summons, far different from the strident mechanical ring of the telephone bells in the city.

Mason picked up the receiver, said, “Hello,” and heard Della Street’s voice. “My gosh, Chief, isn’t it ghastly?”

“Quite a difference all right in the social temperature from what it was before dinner.”

“What do you suppose went wrong?”

“I don’t know,” Mason said. “I think Parker Benton resented Lawton Keller and then, of course, there’s always the chance that the two thousand dollars was the top limit that he intended to place on a compromise... It’s quite possible he has some alternate piece of property, you know. He might feel there wasn’t more than two thousand dollars difference between the two properties.”

“I suppose so, but somehow he doesn’t impress me as being that type. When he wants something, he wants it.”

Mason laughed and said, “After all, we’re talking about our host and it’s quite possible that others can tune in on the conversation.”

“I don’t care... I’m trying to settle down with a book I got from the ship’s library.”

“How is it?”

“It’s supposed to be exciting but it can’t hold my interest. I keep thinking about the people aboard this ship. There are so many people on it who hate some of the other people, and this fog makes them stay all night... Have you been on deck?”

“I took a turn around before I rolled in...”

“Isn’t that a thick and nasty fog?”

“It has settled down all right. How are you, Della, restless?”

“I was. I’m getting calmed down now.”

Mason said, “We can go up and turn on the radio, get some dance music and...”