Read Online The Case of the Troubled Trustee by Erle Stanley Gardner - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Erle Stanley Gardner
Tags: Fiction, General, Mystery & Detective, Crime, Trials (Murder), Perry (Fictitious Character), Mason
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us out. Let's call Lieutenant Tragg. Then Pinky can take us in to the Los Angeles Airport, and Tragg can meet us."
Drake said, "We'll have cars scattered all over the country. Your car in Ensenada; mine here at Tn-City."
"We can rent cars if we need them," Mason said, "but we're fighting against time. Della will drive your car to Los Angeles."
"What does your client tell you?" Drake asked.
"Nothing," Mason said.
Drake said, "The only defense that's going to be open to you in the long run is trying to prove self-defense. Your client went out there to meet this guy. Whoever it was, the man was blackmailing Dutton. The party got rough. Your client had to shoot to kill in order to get away. The police found five thousand dollars in fiftydollar bills in your client's possession when he was arrested at the border. They think this was money for a blackmail payoff."
"That's what they think," Mason said. "How do they know it wasn't getaway money?"
"They believe it was a blackmail payoff. They know things we don't know."
"I suppose so," Mason said. "There's so much about this that I don't know that it bothers me. The best defense is the truth, but in this case I don't know what the truth is, and I'm not at all certain my client is going to tell me.'' "Why not?"
"There's just a chance he's protecting someone, or trying to."
"That would mean a woman, wouldn't it?" Drake asked.
Mason said, "Come on, let's get hold of a telephone."
Mason went to a telephone, called the Los Angeles Police Department, got Lt. Tragg at Homicide on the line.
"I see you're investigating a death at the Barclay Country Club," Mason said.
"You saw that in the papers?"
"I heard it was in the papers."
"Yes. Yes," Tragg said, "and I suppose you have some information in connection with it that you've been sitting on for several hours, and now that you've decided it's too dangerous to hold out any longer, you've decided to be co-operative."
"You do me an injustice," Mason said, grinning.
"I know. I always do," Tragg said dryly.
"As a matter of fact," Mason told him, "I have just this minute arrived by plane from Mexico. I have been talking with Paul Drake, and Paul Drake tells me that from the picture of the murdered man that was published in the paper he has an idea he may have seen the individual in question sometime last night."
"Where? When?" Lt. Tragg asked, snapping the questions like the crack of a whip.
"Not so fast," Mason said. "We don't know as yet that it's the sameperson."
"Well, you'd better find out, and find out pretty damn quick," Lt. Tragg said. "If Paul Drake has any information that's going to help us clear up a murder case, he'd better get it in our hands fast."
"That's what we want to do," Mason said. "We're even going to charter a plane and fly in to the airport. We'll meet you there in about half an hour. We'll go to the morgue with you. If it turns out it's the same man, Drake will be only too glad to give you all the information you want."
Tragg said, "We're bringing a suspect in for questioning on that murder. Do you suppose there's any chance-of course, I know it's only a one-in-a-million shot- but is there any chance, Mason, that this man is a client of yours?"
"The victim?"
"No, the one we're bringing in."
"Well, that would depend," Mason said, "on the identity of the man you're bringing in."
"His name," Lt. Tragg said, "is Kerry Dutton. He's a young man who's had quite a spectacular success as an investment counselor."
"What connects him with the murder?" Mason asked.
Tragg said, "I had my question in first. Is he, by any chance, a client of yours?"
"He's a client of mine," Mason said.
"That," Tragg said, "explains a lot. Where are you now?"
Mason told him.
"You think you can get here within twenty-five or thirty minutes?"
"Yes. We have a twin-motored plane all ready to go."
"Get in it, and get started," Tragg said. "I'll meet you personally with a radio car at the airport, and I want
Drake said, "We'll have cars scattered all over the country. Your car in Ensenada; mine here at Tn-City."
"We can rent cars if we need them," Mason said, "but we're fighting against time. Della will drive your car to Los Angeles."
"What does your client tell you?" Drake asked.
"Nothing," Mason said.
Drake said, "The only defense that's going to be open to you in the long run is trying to prove self-defense. Your client went out there to meet this guy. Whoever it was, the man was blackmailing Dutton. The party got rough. Your client had to shoot to kill in order to get away. The police found five thousand dollars in fiftydollar bills in your client's possession when he was arrested at the border. They think this was money for a blackmail payoff."
"That's what they think," Mason said. "How do they know it wasn't getaway money?"
"They believe it was a blackmail payoff. They know things we don't know."
"I suppose so," Mason said. "There's so much about this that I don't know that it bothers me. The best defense is the truth, but in this case I don't know what the truth is, and I'm not at all certain my client is going to tell me.'' "Why not?"
"There's just a chance he's protecting someone, or trying to."
"That would mean a woman, wouldn't it?" Drake asked.
Mason said, "Come on, let's get hold of a telephone."
Mason went to a telephone, called the Los Angeles Police Department, got Lt. Tragg at Homicide on the line.
"I see you're investigating a death at the Barclay Country Club," Mason said.
"You saw that in the papers?"
"I heard it was in the papers."
"Yes. Yes," Tragg said, "and I suppose you have some information in connection with it that you've been sitting on for several hours, and now that you've decided it's too dangerous to hold out any longer, you've decided to be co-operative."
"You do me an injustice," Mason said, grinning.
"I know. I always do," Tragg said dryly.
"As a matter of fact," Mason told him, "I have just this minute arrived by plane from Mexico. I have been talking with Paul Drake, and Paul Drake tells me that from the picture of the murdered man that was published in the paper he has an idea he may have seen the individual in question sometime last night."
"Where? When?" Lt. Tragg asked, snapping the questions like the crack of a whip.
"Not so fast," Mason said. "We don't know as yet that it's the sameperson."
"Well, you'd better find out, and find out pretty damn quick," Lt. Tragg said. "If Paul Drake has any information that's going to help us clear up a murder case, he'd better get it in our hands fast."
"That's what we want to do," Mason said. "We're even going to charter a plane and fly in to the airport. We'll meet you there in about half an hour. We'll go to the morgue with you. If it turns out it's the same man, Drake will be only too glad to give you all the information you want."
Tragg said, "We're bringing a suspect in for questioning on that murder. Do you suppose there's any chance-of course, I know it's only a one-in-a-million shot- but is there any chance, Mason, that this man is a client of yours?"
"The victim?"
"No, the one we're bringing in."
"Well, that would depend," Mason said, "on the identity of the man you're bringing in."
"His name," Lt. Tragg said, "is Kerry Dutton. He's a young man who's had quite a spectacular success as an investment counselor."
"What connects him with the murder?" Mason asked.
Tragg said, "I had my question in first. Is he, by any chance, a client of yours?"
"He's a client of mine," Mason said.
"That," Tragg said, "explains a lot. Where are you now?"
Mason told him.
"You think you can get here within twenty-five or thirty minutes?"
"Yes. We have a twin-motored plane all ready to go."
"Get in it, and get started," Tragg said. "I'll meet you personally with a radio car at the airport, and I want
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