Read Online The Case of the Sleepwalker's Niece by Erle Stanley Gardner - Free Book Online
Authors: Erle Stanley Gardner
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his balance, pushed through the door, saying, "You saw what he did, Maddox. Let's get at the bottom of this."
Mason, raising his voice, called to Dr. Kelton. "I think you'd better come back, Jim, we'll want a medical man, and I want some witness to see that these two buzzards don't frame anything."
Duncan protested, "Upon behalf of my client, I resent… Oh, my God… Oh, my good God, the man's been murdered!"
Dr. Kelton, walking to the bed, looked down at the blood-stained bedclothes, at the greenish-gray features which stared with glassy eyes half open. He placed his fingers on the sides of the neck, turned to Mason and said, "It's a job for the coroner – and the police."
"We're all getting out of this room," Perry Mason ordered, raising his voice. "A murder's been committed. The Homicide Squad will want things left exactly as they are. Everybody leave the room, please, and don't touch anything."
Duncan, glowering suspiciously, said, "And that applies to you as well as to us."
"Certainly it does."
"Go ahead and get out, then, don't think you can herd me around like a sheep. I don't know what authority you have to take charge of things."
"I suggested," Mason told him, "that we'd all leave the room. If you want to stay, that's quite all right."
He pushed past the paunchy lawyer, said, "Come on, Jim, we've given them warning. If they want to stay in here, they can explain it to the Homicide Squad."
Duncan, suddenly suspicious, grabbed Maddox by the arm. "Come out, Frank," he said, "come on out. He's trying to trap us."
"They knew someone had been murdered. They thought I was the one," Maddox said.
"Come out, come out," Duncan insisted. "We'll talk outside. I have some information, but I'll only give it to the police. Don't let that man Mason frame anything on you, Frank." They scrambled from the room.
"I demand," Duncan said, in the corridor, "that the police be called in immediately."
Perry Mason was moving toward the telephone. "You're not demanding any louder than I am," he retorted. He reached the telephone and called police headquarters, said to the desk sergeant, "There's been a murder committed at the residence of Peter B. Kent. It's in Hollywood at 3824 Lakeview Terrace… This is Perry Mason, the lawyer, talking… I'll explain that when you get here. I've closed up the room. Very well, I'll lock it, if I can find the key."
As Mason turned from the telephone, Dr. Kelton drew him to one side. "There's one angle of this you want to consider, Perry."
"What's that?"
"If," Dr. Kelton pointed out, "your client, Peter Kent, had intended to commit a deliberate murder, he's laid a swell foundation by building up this sleepwalking business."
"What makes you think he planned anything like that, Jim?"
"That shaking act he put on."
Mason suddenly faced Dr. Kelton. "Look here, Jim," he said, "if you don't want to miss all your morning appointments, you'd better get out of here. I'll have to stick around. There's no reason for you to." Dr. Kelton nodded. His face showed relief. "You can," Mason said, "take my car."
CHAPTER X
MASON gave Edna Hammer low-voiced instructions in a corner of the patio. "No matter what happens," he said, "no one must know anything about this Santa Barbara angle of the case." He looked at his watch and went on, "We've got to hold your Uncle Peter absolutely in the clear for at least two hours and a half."
"You mean they'll want to bring him back?"
"They'll want to question him."
"Will they want to bring him back?"
"Probably."
"What will I tell them?"
"Tell them that you don't know where he is."
"I'm going to tell them that I spent the night in Santa Barbara and came back on the bus."
Mason squinted his eyes, and said, "I wouldn't advise you to do it."
"But I'm going to do it."
"They'll check up on you."
"They won't have any reason to check up on me. But what will you tell them about Uncle Pete?"
"I," Mason said, "won't tell them a damn thing."
"Won't they make trouble
Mason, raising his voice, called to Dr. Kelton. "I think you'd better come back, Jim, we'll want a medical man, and I want some witness to see that these two buzzards don't frame anything."
Duncan protested, "Upon behalf of my client, I resent… Oh, my God… Oh, my good God, the man's been murdered!"
Dr. Kelton, walking to the bed, looked down at the blood-stained bedclothes, at the greenish-gray features which stared with glassy eyes half open. He placed his fingers on the sides of the neck, turned to Mason and said, "It's a job for the coroner – and the police."
"We're all getting out of this room," Perry Mason ordered, raising his voice. "A murder's been committed. The Homicide Squad will want things left exactly as they are. Everybody leave the room, please, and don't touch anything."
Duncan, glowering suspiciously, said, "And that applies to you as well as to us."
"Certainly it does."
"Go ahead and get out, then, don't think you can herd me around like a sheep. I don't know what authority you have to take charge of things."
"I suggested," Mason told him, "that we'd all leave the room. If you want to stay, that's quite all right."
He pushed past the paunchy lawyer, said, "Come on, Jim, we've given them warning. If they want to stay in here, they can explain it to the Homicide Squad."
Duncan, suddenly suspicious, grabbed Maddox by the arm. "Come out, Frank," he said, "come on out. He's trying to trap us."
"They knew someone had been murdered. They thought I was the one," Maddox said.
"Come out, come out," Duncan insisted. "We'll talk outside. I have some information, but I'll only give it to the police. Don't let that man Mason frame anything on you, Frank." They scrambled from the room.
"I demand," Duncan said, in the corridor, "that the police be called in immediately."
Perry Mason was moving toward the telephone. "You're not demanding any louder than I am," he retorted. He reached the telephone and called police headquarters, said to the desk sergeant, "There's been a murder committed at the residence of Peter B. Kent. It's in Hollywood at 3824 Lakeview Terrace… This is Perry Mason, the lawyer, talking… I'll explain that when you get here. I've closed up the room. Very well, I'll lock it, if I can find the key."
As Mason turned from the telephone, Dr. Kelton drew him to one side. "There's one angle of this you want to consider, Perry."
"What's that?"
"If," Dr. Kelton pointed out, "your client, Peter Kent, had intended to commit a deliberate murder, he's laid a swell foundation by building up this sleepwalking business."
"What makes you think he planned anything like that, Jim?"
"That shaking act he put on."
Mason suddenly faced Dr. Kelton. "Look here, Jim," he said, "if you don't want to miss all your morning appointments, you'd better get out of here. I'll have to stick around. There's no reason for you to." Dr. Kelton nodded. His face showed relief. "You can," Mason said, "take my car."
CHAPTER X
MASON gave Edna Hammer low-voiced instructions in a corner of the patio. "No matter what happens," he said, "no one must know anything about this Santa Barbara angle of the case." He looked at his watch and went on, "We've got to hold your Uncle Peter absolutely in the clear for at least two hours and a half."
"You mean they'll want to bring him back?"
"They'll want to question him."
"Will they want to bring him back?"
"Probably."
"What will I tell them?"
"Tell them that you don't know where he is."
"I'm going to tell them that I spent the night in Santa Barbara and came back on the bus."
Mason squinted his eyes, and said, "I wouldn't advise you to do it."
"But I'm going to do it."
"They'll check up on you."
"They won't have any reason to check up on me. But what will you tell them about Uncle Pete?"
"I," Mason said, "won't tell them a damn thing."
"Won't they make trouble
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