The Case of the Golddigger’s Purse

“I didn’t say that she said she did,” Mason observed, his eyes twinkling.

“Well, you didn’t need to say so for me to draw my own conclusions,” Drake observed dryly. “She got that money from that satchel, and there’s another twenty-three thousand dollars salted away somewhere.”

Mason said, “While we’re looking at discrepancies, let’s look at some of the other discrepancies. I can’t imagine why Mrs. Jane Faulkner waited in her automobile for Sally Madison and me to show up unless she had been tipped off that we were coming. And no one could have tipped her off we were coming except Staunton. As a matter of fact, Paul, I’m well pleased with the way things are going. Medford played right into my hands. He’s fixed it now so that I can put Staunton or any of these other hostile witnesses on the stand as my witnesses, and ask them leading questions, and Judge Summerville will permit it. That’s going to give me a chance to examine Staunton about that phone call.”

Drake said, “Well, even if you could prove that Jane Faulkner had been in the house before, discovered the body, and then had gone out and sat in her automobile and waited for you to come, so that she could go through all the motions of being surprised and hysterical, I still don’t see that you’re going to get anywhere.”

Mason said, “If I get the opportunity to crucify her, I’m going to do it. You know as well as I do she’s lying about having spent the evening with Adele Fairbanks. She pulled the wool over Sergeant Dorset’s eyes there. She pretended to be ill and suffering so greatly from shock and she simply had to have a girl friend come down to stay with her. She summoned the girl friend whom she knew she could depend upon to back her up in anything she said. And while Dorset was chasing around to Staunton’s place with Sally Madison, Jane Faulkner and Adele Fairbanks were hatching up their cute little alibi about having been together and having gone to a movie. Lieutenant Tragg would certainly never have let Mrs. Faulkner slip one over on him like that.”

“I’ll say he wouldn’t,” Drake said. “That certainly was a raw deal.”

Mason said, “Of course, Paul, someone must have been in that room with that corpse at least two or three hours after the murder was committed.”

“On account of the one live goldfish?” Drake asked.

“On account of the one live goldfish,” Mason said.

“It might have been one that happened to light in a low place in the bathroom floor where the water would collect in a little puddle and give him an opportunity to get just a little oxygen out of the water — just enough to keep him alive.”

“It could have been,” Mason said, and then added, “I consider the chances of that about one thousand to one.”

“So do I.”

“You take the fact that someone must have been in that room, coupled with the fact that we know Jane Faulkner was waiting around the corner where she could see us drive up to the house, and there’s only one answer.”

“I don’t see what good it’s going to do if you could prove that she was lying about having been in the room with the body,” Drake said. “In any event, her husband must have been dead at that time.”

Mason said, “They’re pinning a murder on my client simply because she told a few fibs. I’d like to prove someone else was telling lies as well. It all gets back to Staunton and the fact that he must have telephoned Mrs. Faulkner we were coming.”

Drake said, “I’ve got someone working on that, Perry. I won’t burden you with details, but it occurred to me there was only one way to check Staunton’s phone call.”

“How was that?”

“Through his wife. And in doing that I found out a few incidental facts.”

“Go ahead,” Mason said. “What did you find and how did you do it?”

“There was only one way of going at it,” Drake said. “That was to plant some good operative in the house who would take the part of a servant and who could pump Mrs. Staunton. I’ve got an operative right there in the house who’s checking up on things. Mrs. Staunton is tickled to death. She thinks this girl is the best all around maid she ever had.” Drake grinned and went on, “What Mrs. Staunton doesn’t realize is that she’s getting maid service from a twelve-dollar-a-day detective and that the minute this girl gets the information she wants, she’ll dust out of there, leaving Mrs. Staunton with a sink full of dirty dishes.”

“Any reports on the phone call?” Mason asked.

“Nothing on that as yet,” Drake said.

“Keep after it,” Mason told him. “That’s an important angle in the case.”

Drake looked at his watch, said, “I think I’ll give her a ring right now, Perry. I’m supposed to be her boy friend. Naturally, Mrs. Staunton is so tickled with the service she’s getting, she makes no objection whatever when the maid’s boy friend rings up. Of course, this girl may not be able to talk with me, but I have an idea she may be there all alone today. Staunton is hanging around, waiting to be a witness in this case, and there’s a pretty good chance Mrs. Staunton is out. Let me give her a ring.”