The Case of the Grinning Gorilla

“Give me physical possession of something that’s locked behind iron bars in a cage, and give me a bill of sale to it, and you can have all your moral responsibilities. I’ll take legal title as far as I’m concerned.”

“You wanted to see me about something?” Mason asked.

“I did, but I don’t now.”

“What changed your mind?”

“You did. You were offered three thousand dollars for those diaries. You turned the offer down. Okay, if that’s the way you want it, that’s the way we’ll play. The offer is withdrawn. The price has gone back to five dollars. Is that clear?”

“That’s clear,” Mason said. “The money is yours, the diaries are mine.”

“Let’s understand each other, Mason. You’re a smart lawyer. I’m a mean fighter. You give those diaries to the press and start stirring up things about Helen’s death, and I’ll break you.”

Mason got to his feet. “Talk big if you like to impress your employees,” he said. “It doesn’t tell me anything except that you’re scared. Come on, Della. Let’s go.” They left the room, followed by the three men.

In the hallway, Mason said to Della, “Can you give me a hand for a moment, Della?”

“What do you want now?” Addicks said.

“I want to see what’s in that stone urn.”

“What makes you think anything’s in it?” Addicks asked.

Mason smiled coldly. “The diaries. My diaries.”

“Nathan, you and Mort lift that urn down. Turn it up. Show Mason there’s nothing in it.”

They lifted down the big stone urn, deposited it gently on the floor.

Nathan Fallon turned a pocket flashlight down into the dark interior. Immediately it seemed as though the interior of the urn had been illuminated with a thousand scintillating reflections.

“Good heavens!” Fallon said. “That’s a big diamond in there, Benny.”

“Get it out,” Addicks said curtly.

Fallon reached down into the urn, but his arm wouldn’t quite get to the bottom. “I’ll have to take off my coat,” he said, “and I don’t know whether I can reach it even then.”

“We can turn the urn upside down,” Addicks said. “Get hold of it, you fellows. Turn it up. Let’s see what the devil’s in there.”

They grasped the upper edge and bottom of the urn, tilted it over to its side, then slowly lifted. The first thing that came rolling out was a huge diamond ring.

“My solitaire!” Addicks exclaimed.

A platinum watch came slithering down the smooth side of the urn.

Fallon grabbed it.

“Tilt it up a little more,” Mason said.

A whole collection of jewelry, coins, a wallet, a card case, a girl’s compact, rolled out to the floor.

“Well, I’ll be damned!” Addicks said.

Mason said dryly, “The diary indicated that the monkey, Pete, was rather mischievous at times and had developed a tendency to pick up objects, particularly objects which he thought Helen Cadmus prized, and conceal them in this Grecian urn.”

“So that explains it!” Addicks said.

Mason looked him squarely in the eye. “I believe there is a trial coming up day after tomorrow, the case of Josephine Kempton, who is suing you for defamation of character.”

“Oh, that!” Addicks said.

“Ah-hah!” Fallon exclaimed. “Now the thing becomes apparent. Now we see why the great Perry Mason interested himself in the dairies of Helen Cadmus. Now we begin to get the whole picture, Benny.”

Addicks looked at him for a moment, then said, “Shut up.”

He turned to Perry Mason. “You’re clever. I like clever men. What’s your position?”

“I haven’t any,” Mason said.

Nathan Fallon said, “Don’t you get it Benny?”

Addicks picked up the watch, turned it over and over in his hand. “No, I don’t get it, and I doubt like hell if you do.”

“This is the thing that Mason has been planning all along. He set an elaborate trap for us,” Fallon went on.

“Keep talking,” Mason said. “You’re doing fine, Fallon. Just watch what you say.”

“I don’t have to watch what I say,” Fallon said angrily. “When you went through this hall the first time you tossed those objects into the stone urn, then you made up a story about a monkey having hidden them.”

“I didn’t go near the stone urn,” Mason said.

“You walked right by it.”

“You were standing right here with me at the time.”

“I had my back turned. I was leading the way into the other room.”

Mason said, “Fallon, I want you to look at me, look me right in the eyes.”

Fallon looked at him.

“You’re a damn liar,” Mason said.

Fallon doubled up his fist, then thought better of it.

“Now wait a minute,” Addicks said. “This thing is moving pretty fast. I want to get some more information about this business. Hershey, I have confidence in you. Were you standing where you could see Mason when he walked past this urn?”

“He didn’t go near the urn,” Hershey said. “He looked at it, but he didn’t go near it, and he couldn’t have tossed anything in it. You can see for yourself there’s dust all over these things. They’ve been there a long time.”

“That’s the trouble with you, Fallon,” Addicks said. “You’re always putting two and two together and making six, and then trying to sell me on the idea that that’s the answer. Dammit, you’re going to get us all into trouble. Now sit down and shut up.”