Why the service station?
Della Streets there.
All right. Go that far, no farther. Stay there.
Tragg said to the officer, Take him back to the car. See he gets in the car and drives down to the service station. Keep him out in the brush, to one side of the road so he doesnt leave any tracks.
One of the men bending over the body said, Lieutenant, this man hasnt been dead any time at all.
But hes dead? Tragg asked.
Hes dead.
Okay, Tragg said. Set up your photographic outfit and start getting some pictures. All right, Mason, this is where you came in.
The officer, holding Masons arm, led the way through the brush, keeping well to one side of the road. When the lawyer had returned to his car the officer said, Now, youre driving down to the service station.
Thats right.
Ill follow you that far, the officer said.
Okay, Mason told him.
The lawyer started his car, swung out on to Mulholland Drive, drove back to the service station. The police car followed behind him. After Mason had swung in at the service station, the police car made a U-turn and went back.
Della Street smiled at Mason, opened her purse and took out some ragged bits of cloth.
Whats that? Mason asked.
One beautiful pair of nylon stockings cut all to pieces by brush. Is that a legitimate expense?
Thats a legitimate expense for you and deductible for me, Mason said.
Itll look nice on the expense account, she said. One pair of nylon hose for secretary.
Mason grinned. It wont appear on the expense account in exactly those words, Della. Lets get Paul Drake.
The service station attendant came crowding forward eagerly. Say, whats this all about? he asked.
A murder down the road, Mason said.
Gosh, how did it all happen?
No one knows exactly, Mason said. Theres a gasoline can down there. You didnt sell anybody a gallon can of gasoline recently, did you?
Say, I sure did, the man said, about an hour and a half ago, and Ive been wondering what the heck happened.
To whom did you sell it?
A young woman who was wearing a mans hat with a long raincoat. She kept the hat pulled down over her eyes.
Blonde? Mason asked, glancing significantly at Della Street.
I dont know.
A blonde, blue eyes, about five feet two and a half, about twenty-seven years old?
I thought she was younger.
How much younger?
Well, I dont know. She may have been twenty-seven.
Blue eyes, Mason said positively.
The attendant frowned. Well, I dont know, he said. Im not entirely certain as to that.
Then you didnt get a very good look at her?
No, I didnt get a very good look at her. She came in and wanted a gallon of gas. I remember wondering why she was wearing a mans hat and... well, I wondered just what was going on down there. A girl being out alone that way, running out of gasoline I wanted to drive her back down to her car, but I was here all alone.
Rather a brassy individual? Mason asked. The kind who would be wandering around at night dressed in mens clothes?
Im not so certain she was dressed in mens clothes. She had this raincoat and the hat.
It was a mans hat.
It was a mans hat, all right.
Rather wide brim?
Wide-brimmed and she kept the brim sort of pulled down.
But you could see her eyes were blue?
Now wait a minute. Im not so certain about her eyes.
You cant swear they were blue?
The attendant hesitated and said, No, I cant swear they were blue.
Then you cant swear what color they were?
I... no, I guess I couldnt.
Okay, Mason said. Della, you talk with him, will you, and make notes on what he says? Try and get a description of this young woman.
Okay, Mason said. Della, you talk with him, will you, and make notes on what he says? Try and get a description of this young woman.
Mason lowered his right eye in a swift wink. Im going to use the phone, he said to the attendant.
The attendant seemed only too willing to talk with Della Street.
Mason went over to the telephone, called Paul Drakes office. When he had the detective on the line, he said, Whats new with Endicott Campbell, Paul?
I think youre locking the stable after the horse has been stolen, Drake said. We havent been able to pick up his trail. He isnt at home and we cant find him.
Keep trying, Mason said. When you do find him, dont let him out of your sight thats important. Now, heres something else, Paul.
What?
Weve simply got to find Carleton Campbell thats the seven-year-old boy whos in the custody of this English governess, Elizabeth Dow.
Have a heart, Drake said. Were doing all we can on that, Perry.
Do even better than that, Mason said. Theres been a murder. Ken Lowry, the manager of the Mojave Monarch, has been killed. I was talking with him this afternoon. He must have got to thinking things over after we left and decided perhaps hed told me too much, or else he put two and two together from things I had told him.
Now, he may have started for Los Angeles to see Endicott Campbell or he may have started for Los Angeles to see Amelia Corning at the Arthenium Hotel. My best guess is that he went to see Miss Corning. He could have found out she was in town in some way; she might have telephoned him for all we know.
Miss Corning has disappeared. She had an appointment with me at seven-thirty and didnt keep it. Shes a stickler for keeping appointments right on the dot. I want you to find out everything you can and I want to find it out fast.
Where are you sitting in this thing? Drake asked.
More or less in the middle, Mason said. I seem to have been playing tag with a murderer somewhere and Im not sure who the murderer is.
But you have a suspicion?
I have a suspicion, Mason said. Im going to need proof.
Now, Amelia Cornings sister and her South American business agent have moved in at the Arthenium Hotel. Apparently the sister, Sophia Elliott, wears the pants in the family, or tries to. I dont think that goes too well with Amelia Corning.
Now, heres something else that bothers me, Paul. I dont think that Amelia Corning was too anxious to have her sister and Alfredo Gomez, the business agent, show up. I think they showed up on their own initiative and there may be some friction, some adverse interest somewhere. Its just a hunch I have.
Ive given the police a tip to try and locate Amelia Corning. I told them that she was in danger of being murdered. That will spur them along.
Do you think she is in danger?
I dont know, Mason said. I just dont like the way these other people showed up, and I have a hunch Amelia Corning didnt either. When I talked with her over the phone and she told me that shed received a wire from them saying they were corning, she didnt seem too happy about it.
If you have the police working on the thing, Drake said, theres not much I can do. The police will run circles around me.
Thats right, Mason said. But you just might happen to stumble on something. Ill tell you one thing, Paul, that you can do.
What?
Be so ostentatious about looking for her and so apprehensive that you build up the background of apprehension on the part of all concerned.
All concerned?
Thats right, Mason said, all concerned.
This is going to turn into quite a job, Drake said.
It has turned into quite a job, Mason told him. Get busy on it.
The lawyer hung up the telephone, noting as he did so that Della Street, with her wide and unmistakably beautiful eyes, had hypnotized the service station attendant so that he had hardly noticed Mason had had a telephone conversation, let alone trying to eavesdrop on it.
Mason telephoned for a taxicab to come out to the service station, then joined Della Street, after a moment was able to get her off to one side where he could talk without being overheard.
Della, he said, Im under orders from the police not to leave here. No one thought to give you any such orders. Ive telephoned for a taxicab. It will wait here. You take my car and beat it.
Where do I go?
Mason said, Della, this is important. I dont want the police to get on Sue Fishers trail any sooner than they have to. On the other hand, I dont dare to have her resort to flight because that would be taken as an indication of guilt. Now, just suppose that you were told by me to go out and try and locate Miss Corning? Where would you go?
I dont know.
It is quite a question, Mason said, but we must bear in mind that she had some very involved mining interests out in the vicinity of Mojave. We must bear in mind that the murder of Ken Lowry has some rather deep significance. Now, if you should stop by Sue Fishers apartment and take her with you so that she could brief you on the various things you wanted to know about, and if you should start to Mojave well, of course youre rather tired tonight. I shouldnt ask you to work day and night. Youve been going at a high rate of speed all day. You two girls could stop somewhere along the road at a motel. Of course youd have to be careful to use your own names. And then you could go out and look around Mojave tomorrow. Theres just a chance... just a chance, that you could find something.
You want delay, is that it? Della Street asked.
Mason said, Tut-tut, Della. You mustnt jump to conclusions. I am merely asking you to get evidence. I think you could get out there in Mojave, skirmish around and do a pretty good job.
Do you want me to report to you?
From time to time, Mason said. Theres no use reporting to me tonight. Do you have plenty of money?
Not too much.
Mason reached for his billfold, took out two one-hundred-dollar bills.
All right, he said, this should keep you going for a while.
How will you get along without your car?
Oh, Ill get along, Mason said. Ill rent a car. You just take this and dont be in a hurry, Della. Telephone me from time to time.
And if the police should catch up with us?
If the police should catch up with you, Mason said, you might tell Sue Fisher that an attorney generally doesnt want his client to make any statement unless he is present, and he likes to talk with his client and know the facts before she makes any statements to the police.
I think I understand, Della said. Wish me luck.
On your way, Mason said.
Della Street went to Masons car, jumped in with a swirl of skirt and a generous flash of leg.
The service station attendant watched her as she drove away. Isnt that girl a picture actress? he asked.