ups to the newspaper. Then this subpoena was served, and the newspaper wouldn't have anything more to do with him. They figure whatever he says now is going to become public property.'
Mason nodded, said, 'Uh-huh,' looked at his watch, asked, 'How soon were you expecting him?'
'He telephoned me about an hour ago and said he'd be home in an hour. I'm expecting him any minute. He wanted to change his clothes.'
Drake looked at his wristwatch, then glanced across at Mason. Mrs. Belgrade said nervously, 'I think he'll be here any minute now… That sounds like his car.' The worn rivets on brake linings squeaked against drums as a dilapidated car swung wide in the street and turned into the driveway.
'There he is,' Mrs. Belgrade said. Mason nodded, walked to the door.
Steps sounded on the porch. Mason pulled the door open and said to the heavy-set individual who was pounding his way across the porch, 'Welcome home, George. Come in and join the party.'
Belgrade came to a dead stop. Paul Drake appeared in the doorway beside Mason and said, 'Well, don't stand there gawking. Come on in.'
Belgrade slowly walked toward the door, his eyes glancing about him apprehensively as though he were seeking some means of escape.
'I'd feel the same way myself if I'd sold out a client,' Paul Drake said.
'Skip it, Paul,' Mason cautioned.
Belgrade, avoiding their eyes, entered the house. His wife came running across, flung her arms about him, and clung to him for several seconds.
Drake coughed, and they separated.
Belgrade said, 'I'm sorry about this whole business, Mr. Mason. I owe you an apology. I know how you fellows must feel. You think I'm a two-time, chiseling crook.'
Mason said, 'Suppose we sit down and talk things over for a while, George. I've practiced law long enough to know that people are only human, after all.'
Belgrade glanced across at his wife. 'You got my things all ready, Flo?' he asked.
She nodded.
'Sit down, George,' Drake said.
Belgrade kept his eyes fixed on his wife. 'How about mixing up some Scotch and soda, Flo? Perhaps the gentlemen would like…'
'Would like nothing better than to have Mrs. Belgrade stay right here in the room,' Mason said, grinning.
Belgrade looked puzzled.
'She might want to telephone a friend,' Drake explained.
'Oh,' Belgrade said.
When they were all seated, Belgrade looked across at Drake. 'So I'm all washed up in the detective business, am I?' he asked.
'That depends,' Mason told him, before Drake could answer. 'We want you to tell us just how you happened to sell out, George. Perhaps it won't look so bad after we hear your side of it.'
Belgrade turned to him. 'You're certainly taking this mighty fine, Mr. Mason. You make me feel like an awful heel. I don't know as I can explain it, but I'd like to have you gentlemen understand my position. I haven't been working steady, and I have a wife to support, a house to keep up, and all sorts of expenses.
'Well, I went out on that gambling ship and walked right into the middle of a murder case. It's the first time I've ever stacked up against anything quite like it in all the time I've been working as an operative. I was tailing Sylvia Oxman, you'll remember, and when I'd followed her back to the wharf, Staples stepped up and said he'd been instructed to relieve me. That left me standing there, all washed up for the evening. I telephoned in my report, and Drake said that'd be all. I knew Drake was working for you, Mr. Mason, and I knew you were still out aboard the ship, so I thought I might do you a good turn by going back to the ship and seeing if I could help you.'
Drake said, 'Wait a minute, Belgrade. Do I understand you went back to the ship?'
Belgrade nodded. 'That's right.'
'Why?'
'I told you why. I wanted to see if I could help Mr. Mason.'
Drake said, 'Why the devil didn't you go on home after I told you you were through for the night?'
'Well,' Belgrade explained, shifting uncomfortably in his chair, '… well, to tell you the truth, Mr. Drake, I may as well come clean. I knew that Mr. Mason kept you busy most of the time. I didn't think I stood very high with you. There were too many men ahead of me who copped off all the important jobs. You remember, you'd given me the job of tailing Sylvia Oxman's maid. The only reason I got into the big-time stuff was because the maid went to Sylvia. And as soon as I contacted Sylvia, you yanked me off the case and put Staples on. Well, I figured that I might be able to make a good impression with Mr. Mason and then perhaps he'd speak to you about keeping me on his work regularly. Then I'd get the important jobs.'
Drake said, 'If that's the case, how did it happen you…'
'Wait a minute,' Mason interrupted, without taking his eyes from Belgrade's face, 'let me handle this, Paul.'
Drake started to say something, then checked himself, and settled back in his chair.
'Then what happened?' Mason asked.
'Well,' Belgrade said, 'by the time the speed boat got back to the ship, the landing-stage had been pulled up and they told us they were making some repairs to it, that it would only be for a few minutes, and for us to stand by. We stuck around there for some little time, and then a launch came out with officers aboard, and we heard there'd been a murder. They told us to turn around and put back to the wharf, that no one could come aboard, and there'd be no more gambling.
'That started me thinking. I was doing a lot of thinking all the way back to the wharf. When we arrived, a bunch of newspaper men who'd been rushed down were questioning everyone who came off the speed boats. Now, one of the reporters knew me and knew what I did for a living. He started asking me questions, and found out from what I told him that I could give him a story if I wanted to, so he took me in and telephoned his city editor and the city editor sent another man down to cover the story on the boat and had my friend take me into Los Angeles.
'They made me a proposition and it just meant so much to me I couldn't afford to turn it down. I didn't figure it made any great amount of difference to you fellows. They told me that Mr. Mason was aboard and had been arrested; that the whole story was bound to come out within the next twenty-four hours, but they wanted an exclusive on it. They said I didn't have anything to gain by keeping quiet, and that I was going to lose a lot of money if I didn't tell them. It sounded reasonable to me, so I told them what I knew. Then the editor got the idea he could string it out for a couple of follow-ups and wanted to keep me sewed up where no one could get at me. But one of the other reporters had seen what happened, and somehow the Federal District Attorney got tipped off to where I was. The newspaper tried to keep me under cover, and the United States Marshal's office kept trying to serve a subpoena. The marshal's office won out, and just as soon as they served that subpoena on me, the newspaper dropped me like a hot potato. They figured I couldn't be any good to them any more. I got a piece of change for the first story and that's all.'
'How about that report you telephoned me?' Drake asked.
'What do you mean, how about it?' Belgrade asked.
'I want to know whether it was accurate.'
Belgrade flushed. 'Of course it was accurate. I told you the absolute truth. Just because I saw an opportunity to make a piece of change on the side without hurting anyone, doesn't mean that I'm a crook.'
'Have you,' Mason asked, 'reported everything which happened out on the gambling ship?'
'Why, yes, of course-that is, I reported it to Mr. Drake over the telephone.'
'You followed Sylvia Oxman out to the ship?'
'Yes.'
'Now, how long was she aboard before she went down to the offices?'
'Not very long. I didn't keep an accurate count of the minutes. She went in and had a drink, checked her coat, and then went down to the offices.'
'How long after that before I showed up?'
