The Case of the Golddigger’s Purse

The elevator was an automatic. Mason noticed there were seven floors in the hotel. As a precaution, in case the doubtful scrutiny on the part of the clerk below should have ripened into skepticism, Mason punched the button which took the elevator to the fifth floor, and then, walking down the corridor, wasted precious seconds locating the stairway. During that time he heard the automatic mechanism of the elevator whirr into activity as the cage was summoned back to the lobby.

Mason ran up the uncarpeted stairs, located the room he wanted on the sixth floor and gently tried the knob of the door. The door was unlocked. He swung it open noiselessly.

Della Street, attired in a house coat and slippers, held a warning finger to her lips and motioned toward the room behind her, then pointed to the twin bed near the window.

Sally Madison lay on her back, one arm flung out from under the covers, her fingers limp and relaxed. The girl’s glossy dark hair streamed out over the pillow. The absence of shoulder straps and the curving contours which were visible indicated that she was sleeping nude. Her alligator-skin purse, which had evidently been placed under the pillow, had fallen to the floor, and, in the fall had opened and partially spilled its contents on the rug.

Della Street’s insistent finger pointed to the purse.

Mason bent over to get a look at the articles which were illuminated by a bedside lamp which had apparently been lowered from its normal position on a small table between the two beds to a point on the floor, where the light would not shine in Sally Madison’s eyes.

He saw a roll of bills fastened together with an elastic band. The denomination of the outer bill was visible and showed that it was for fifty dollars. Back of the roll of bills there was the dull gleam of blued steel, where the barrel of a revolver caught and reflected the rays of the electric light.

Della Street glanced inquiringly at Mason. When she saw that the lawyer had fully appreciated the significance of the contents of the purse, she raised her eyebrows in silent inquiry.

Mason looked around the room, searching for some place where he could talk.

Della Street beckoned him around the foot of the bed and opened the door of the bathroom. She switched on the light, and, when Mason had entered, closed the door behind him.

The lawyer seated himself on the edge of the bathtub, and Della Street started talking in a whisper. “She clung to that purse like grim death. I wanted to get her some night things but she said she’d sleep in the raw. She got out of her clothes in nothing flat, was careful to put the purse under her pillow and then lay there watching me while I undressed. I switched out the lights and got into bed. Apparently she couldn’t sleep at first. I heard her twisting and turning.”

“Any sobs?” Mason asked.

Della shook her head.

“When did she get to sleep?”

“I don’t know. I went to sleep first, although I had intended to stay awake and make sure she was asleep and all right before I closed my eyes.”

“When did you see the purse?”

“About five minutes before I telephoned you. Before she went to sleep she must have squirmed around so that the purse had worked over to a position near the edge of the bed — then when she turned in her sleep the purse fell out, lit on one edge of the steel frame and the weight of the gun caused the clasps to come open. I heard the jar when the purse hit the floor, and I was nervous enough so that I wakened suddenly and almost jumped out of my skin.”

“Did you know what had wakened you?”

“Not right away, but I turned on the light. Sally was lying there sound asleep, just about as you see her now, but she was twitching restlessly and her lips were moving. The words she was uttering were all mumbled together so you couldn’t distinguish anything. I could only hear some confused sounds.

“As soon as I turned on the light, I realized what had happened, and, without thinking, reached down to pick up the purse. First, I saw the roll of bills and started to put them back in the purse. Then the tips of my fingers touched something cold and metallic. I immediately lowered the light to the floor so I could see what it was all about. At that time the purse was lying just as you see it now, and I left the light right there on the floor by the purse.

“Chief, I was just sick. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t dare to leave her alone and go down to the lobby. Finally I took a chance on telephoning you because I knew that was all there was for me to do.”

“Just what did you do?” Mason asked. “I mean how did you place the call?”