The Case of the Daring Divorcee by Erle Stanley Gardner Page B
Authors: Erle Stanley Gardner
Tags: Crime
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includes the sales tax. That's true everywhere. No matter what the tax is, the glasses cost ten dollars. The Willikens line is standard. They do a lot of advertising in the slick magazines."
Mason nodded, said, "All right. You called Simley Beason this morning?"
"Yes. It was just before I called you. Simley was worried. He said he had called the house two or three times and that the tape-recording answering service was still on. He said my husband had that important appointment at the office, that when my husband had an appointment of that sort he nearly always arrived ten or fifteen minutes early."
"The appointment hadn't been canceled?" Mason asked.
"No, the man whom my husband was to meet was there in the office waiting. Simley said that if Garvin didn't show up within the next five or ten minutes he was going to drive out to the house to see what the trouble was."
"Would he have a key to the house?" Mason asked.
"He could get one," she said. "There's a key to the house which my husband keeps at the office so that if he's out of town and telephones and wants anyone to go out to the house and get something, the person he sends can pick up the key, and let himself in."
Mason looked at his watch, said, "Then we should know something within the next few minutes. If your husband was called out somewhere he would have left a note and-"
"If he'd been called out," she interrupted, "he would have called the office immediately. I'm afraid he's sick or…"
"Or?" Mason prompted, as her voice trailed into silence.
"Or what you thought last night," she said.
Mason consulted his watch, said to Della Street, "Let's give Paul Drake a ring."
Della Street dialed Drake's number.
Mason got on the line and as soon as he heard Drake's voice said, "Perry, Paul. How are you coming with that assignment?"
"I've got two girls that meet the requirements. One of them is a friend of my receptionist. Another one came from the secretarial agency on the third floor. There's also a secretarial agency on the top floor and I think we can get one or two girls from there. I have an operative up there now."
"The parking lot?" Mason asked.
"No dice down there. At least, so far. I've had an operative down there who hasn't had any luck. Women of that description who put their cars in there are very definitely intent on shopping and, moreover, they're rather suspicious. Even when my operative shows them his identification and tells them that it's a routine matter of just a few minutes' work, they fight shy."
"Even at fifty dollars for an hour's work?" Mason asked.
"Even at that price, they fight shy."
Mason looked at his watch again and said, "I'm fighting the second hand of the watch, Paul. Do the best you can."
"Good Lord," Drake said, "I'm doing the best I can… Here comes my man from the secretarial agency on the top floor. He's got two young women with him who answer the description."
"That's fine," Mason said. "Stay with it. Let me know just as soon as you're ready and remember the call that will trigger the thing. Della will just mention her name and hang up."
"I wish I knew what the hell you were getting at," Drake said.
Mason said, "It's probably better that you don't, Paul."
"How soon will you want these girls?"
"Probably within a matter of five or ten minutes," Mason said. "You'll be bearing from me."
Mason dropped the telephone into its cradle, frowned thoughtfully.
"What's all this?" Adelle Hastings asked. "Does this have to do with my case?"
Mason looked at her thoughtfully. "What case?" he asked.
She seemed embarrassed. "Why, I-Well, of course I expect to pay you for your time, Mr. Mason. You'll be compensated."
Mason said to Della Street, "Get Homicide at police headquarters, Della. See if Lieutenant Tragg is in. I'll talk with him, but if he isn't in I'll talk with whoever is in charge."
Della Street nodded, asked for an outside line, then put through the call herself.
"Homicide, please," she said. Then after a
Mason nodded, said, "All right. You called Simley Beason this morning?"
"Yes. It was just before I called you. Simley was worried. He said he had called the house two or three times and that the tape-recording answering service was still on. He said my husband had that important appointment at the office, that when my husband had an appointment of that sort he nearly always arrived ten or fifteen minutes early."
"The appointment hadn't been canceled?" Mason asked.
"No, the man whom my husband was to meet was there in the office waiting. Simley said that if Garvin didn't show up within the next five or ten minutes he was going to drive out to the house to see what the trouble was."
"Would he have a key to the house?" Mason asked.
"He could get one," she said. "There's a key to the house which my husband keeps at the office so that if he's out of town and telephones and wants anyone to go out to the house and get something, the person he sends can pick up the key, and let himself in."
Mason looked at his watch, said, "Then we should know something within the next few minutes. If your husband was called out somewhere he would have left a note and-"
"If he'd been called out," she interrupted, "he would have called the office immediately. I'm afraid he's sick or…"
"Or?" Mason prompted, as her voice trailed into silence.
"Or what you thought last night," she said.
Mason consulted his watch, said to Della Street, "Let's give Paul Drake a ring."
Della Street dialed Drake's number.
Mason got on the line and as soon as he heard Drake's voice said, "Perry, Paul. How are you coming with that assignment?"
"I've got two girls that meet the requirements. One of them is a friend of my receptionist. Another one came from the secretarial agency on the third floor. There's also a secretarial agency on the top floor and I think we can get one or two girls from there. I have an operative up there now."
"The parking lot?" Mason asked.
"No dice down there. At least, so far. I've had an operative down there who hasn't had any luck. Women of that description who put their cars in there are very definitely intent on shopping and, moreover, they're rather suspicious. Even when my operative shows them his identification and tells them that it's a routine matter of just a few minutes' work, they fight shy."
"Even at fifty dollars for an hour's work?" Mason asked.
"Even at that price, they fight shy."
Mason looked at his watch again and said, "I'm fighting the second hand of the watch, Paul. Do the best you can."
"Good Lord," Drake said, "I'm doing the best I can… Here comes my man from the secretarial agency on the top floor. He's got two young women with him who answer the description."
"That's fine," Mason said. "Stay with it. Let me know just as soon as you're ready and remember the call that will trigger the thing. Della will just mention her name and hang up."
"I wish I knew what the hell you were getting at," Drake said.
Mason said, "It's probably better that you don't, Paul."
"How soon will you want these girls?"
"Probably within a matter of five or ten minutes," Mason said. "You'll be bearing from me."
Mason dropped the telephone into its cradle, frowned thoughtfully.
"What's all this?" Adelle Hastings asked. "Does this have to do with my case?"
Mason looked at her thoughtfully. "What case?" he asked.
She seemed embarrassed. "Why, I-Well, of course I expect to pay you for your time, Mr. Mason. You'll be compensated."
Mason said to Della Street, "Get Homicide at police headquarters, Della. See if Lieutenant Tragg is in. I'll talk with him, but if he isn't in I'll talk with whoever is in charge."
Della Street nodded, asked for an outside line, then put through the call herself.
"Homicide, please," she said. Then after a
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