The Case of the Singing Skirt

'I didn't go so far as to say that,' Mason said. 'What I said was that you couldn't be convicted of murder- unless, of course, two people were acting together in accordance with a common plan, as the result of a conspiracy, or in the commission of a felony. In that event you would both be guilty of first-degree murder. But I think the law is quite plain that where a person has received a fatal injury but is not yet dead, and another entirely independent agency inflicts a wound which is immediately fatal, the second person is the one who is guilty of the homicide. However, I just mentioned that as an illustration. I have a whole drawer full of unusual decisions, and this gambling decision just happened to be one of them. You go ahead and use it any way you want to.

'Now, while we're on the subject, Gowrie, your client, Nadine Ellis, feels that Ellen Robb has been breaking up her home and-'

'Not at all, not at all,' Gowrie interrupted. 'I'm afraid Miss Robb had the wrong impression. I will admit that I was questioning her, trying to find out something about Helman Ellis and I'll also be perfectly frank to state that I don't know just what Mrs. Ellis is going to do about it. There's no question but that Ellis has been hanging around The Big Barn because he was interested in Ellen Robb. That's why they kept the girl there. They have her appear in clothes which show off her figure, and she has a figure that's worth showing off.

'Helman Ellis became completely fascinated. I'm not blaming the girl. I don't think she was guilty of any wrongdoing at all, but naturally, as Mrs. Ellis' attorney, I would like to know a little of what was going on. You might tell your client, Mr. Mason, that I think she was a little less than frank with me. I don't blame her under the circumstances, but if she'd co-operate with Mrs. Ellis, I think she'd find Mrs. Ellis very broad-minded and very understanding.'

'Actually,' Mason said, 'my client was thinking of doing just that. She was thinking of going direct to Mrs. Ellis and having a heart-to-heart chat with her.'

'I think that would be a wonderful thing,' Gowrie said.

'No objections as Mrs. Ellis' attorney?'

'None whatever.'

'All right,' Mason said. 'You go ahead and put on your talk to the women's club. I think I'll tell my client to go talk with Mrs. Ellis.'

Mason hung up the phone, turned to Ellen Robb. 'Look, Miss Robb,' he said, 'why don't you just go see Mrs. Ellis and tell her something of what you've told me? Don't talk too much about her husband as an individual, but talk about the problem of marriage in general. I take it you've given the subject quite a bit of thought.'

'I have,' she said. 'I've given it thought during a lot of sleepless nights, and, believe me, that's when you really cover all the angles of a problem. Right now Mrs. Ellis may feel rather vindictive, but, believe me, it's a lot better to make sacrifices and save a marriage than to go rushing into something where you win a little alimony and then have years of loneliness to think things over.'

'All right,' Mason said, 'you go see Mrs. Ellis and I'll get to work.'

She seemed rather hurt at his brusque manner of dismissal. 'I have money now, Mr. Mason. I want to pay you for your services.'

Mason hesitated a moment.

'Fifty dollars,' Della Street said.

Ellen Robb opened her purse, took out two twenties and a ten.

'Right this way,' Della Street said. 'If you'll step out to my office I'll give you a receipt.'

'I take it you can spare that money,' Mason said. 'You made some sort of a settlement?'

'I received a present, Mr. Mason. It wasn't a settlement. It was for the purpose of paying my expenses in the matter and-'

'Did you sign anything?' Mason asked.

She shook her head. 'George said my word is good enough for him.'

Mason nodded.

'Right this way,' Della Street interposed. 'I'll get your receipt.'

When Della had returned to the office, Mason picked up the file of urgent correspondence. 'Don't you think fifty dollars was a little steep?' he asked.

'It should have been two hundred and fifty,' Della Street said. 'Do you realize you made a trip out of the office, killed half a day, and then she had the temerity to come back and see you? You mark my words, Chief, that girl is one who could become a pest. She's got her eye on you.'

'On me?' Mason asked.

'On you! You don't react the way she's accustomed to having men react. You noticed the way she bent over when she leaned over to put her hands on the arm of your chair?'

'I noticed,' Mason admitted.

'You were supposed to,' Della Street said. 'That's why she did it. I'll tell you something else. She's a pretty good shorthand stenographer. While you were talking with Gowrie over the telephone, she was taking notes.'

'What!' Mason exclaimed incredulously.

'That's right.'

'You're sure it was shorthand?' Mason asked. 'It was shorthand,' Della Street said. 'I couldn't see the point of her pencil but I could see the way her shoulder moved, and I would say she was a very clever shorthand stenographer, and she was taking down your entire conversation with Gowrie.'

'Well, isn't that interesting,' Mason said, his eyes narrowing. 'And do you suppose that Mr. Gowrie called quite by accident, that the fact he made his call while Ellen Robb was in the office was pure coincidence?'

'Not pure coincidence,' Della Street said flatly.

CHAPTER FIVE

Perry Mason latchkeyed the door of his private office to find Paul Drake, head of the Drake Detective Agency, visiting with Della Street over a cup of coffee from the office percolator.

'Hi, Perry,' Drake said. 'Della was telling me about your Rowena case.'

'Quite a case,' Mason said.

'Well, I'll be on my way and let you get to work. I just dropped in to make a report on that Finsley case. I gave it to Della. There's nothing you need to take any action on at the moment.'

'Don't run away, Paul,' Mason said. 'We haven't had a visit for quite a while. I don't have anything pressing this morning.'

'On the contrary,' Della Street said firmly. 'This is the morning you are going to dictate replies to the letters in that file of urgent mail. On your way, Paul.'

'I've been ordered out,' Paul Drake said, grinning.

He started for the door, paused midway and said to Perry Mason, 'You're all cleaned up with that bunch down in Rowena?'

'Uh-huh.'

'It's rather a mess down there,' Drake said. 'The joints actually control the town. It's a prosperous little community as far as outside money pouring in is concerned, but this fellow Anclitas you tangled with is quite a guy.'

'How come?'

'I don't know too much about him,' Drake said, 'except that he's supposed to be bad medicine. He fights dirty. He has the city attorney and the chief of police in his pocket. I don't know whether you remember reading about it, but about a year ago there was a case in the papers.'

'Involving him?'

'That's right. He filed charges against a girl who had been working there, claimed that she had been stealing money from the cash register and that she had stolen a gun. They found the gun in her possession, and she claimed the whole thing was a frame-up. There was an investigation. I guess the kid had been smoking marijuana. Quite a lot of those people connected with music go for that type of junk. The police found some marijuana in her apartment along with this stolen gun. Then George's friend, the chief of police down there, took the girl's fingerprints and from them dug up an FBI record which showed a prior conviction for marijuana.'

'What happened?' Mason asked, interested.

'I think the girl went up, as I remember it, but she was making some wild accusations, claiming that George and his partner had framed her. Just keep an eye on those boys, Perry, and remember they've got the town all sewed up. If you have any trouble with George Anclitas, don't leave your car parked in front of a fireplug in Rowena or you'll be in jail for six months. And if they can get you where there are no witnesses, they'll charge you with resisting an officer and show bruises on your face to prove the charge.'

'A nice cozy little setup,' Mason said.

'It is for a fact,' Drake told him. 'Well, I'll be on my way, Perry. I'm keeping on the job on that Finsley case. I expect to hear something definite by tomorrow. You get back to your dictation.'

'Thank you, Paul,' Della Street said sweetly.

'I like to make him work,' Drake said and left the office.

Perry Mason sighed, said, 'One cup of coffee and one cigarette, Della.'

'All right,' she said, 'only answer those two top letters while you're sipping the coffee and smoking the cigarette.'

'Slave driver!' he charged.

Della Street adjusted her shorthand notebook on her knee. 'I'm the slave,' she said. 'What do you want to tell that fellow?'

Della Street 's phone rang while she was in the midst of taking Mason's dictation on the letter.

Della said, 'Hello,' listened, then cupped her hand over the mouthpiece and said to Perry Mason, 'Your girl friend.'

Mason raised his eyebrows.

'Ellen Robb,' Della Street said.

'All right,' Mason said, 'we've wasted enough time with her, Della. She can't keep dropping in on us this way without an appointment. Tell Gertie to explain to her I'm busy, that I see clients only by appointment and… well, you'd better go out and tell her yourself. I don't want to be too obvious with the brush-off. I'm afraid this is getting to be one of those things.'

'I'll send her on her way,' Della Street said.

She pushed back her chair, walked quickly out of the office, and Mason, waiting to resume his dictation, studied the letter to which he had been replying. After some thirty seconds he began to frown impatiently. He put the letter down, took a cigarette from the silver case on the office desk and was just lighting it when Della Street returned to the office.

'Perhaps I've been uncharitable,' she said.

'What is it?' Mason said.

'This time,' Della Street said, 'she has a story and a black eye.'

'How come the black eye?'

'George.'

Mason's face darkened. 'I'm afraid,' he said, 'George needs something in the way of a lesson.'