And again, I might not, Tragg said. Im quite certain the district attorney wont.
You might call it that, Mason said.
And again, I might not, Tragg said. Im quite certain the district attorney wont.
All right, Mason said. You want to pick up the car. I take it youll give me a receipt, well check the mileage on the speedometer at the present time and Ill ring up the We Rent M Car Company and you can tell them that the police department is taking over and give them the mileage reading. Id certainly hate to pay ten cents a mile for a lot of running around being done by the police department.
Oh, certainly, Tragg said. Were always glad to cooperate with you, Perry.
Thank you.
Now then, Tragg went on, if we process this car for latent fingerprints and find that all of the fingerprints have been wiped from the car, it will be a very suspicious circumstance, Counselor. I think you can realize just how significant it will be and how suspicious.
I wouldnt say that was a suspicious circumstance, Mason said, but I am quite certain that by the time the prosecution gets done with it it will be made to appear highly significant.
And it might leave you in a very embarrassing position, Tragg pointed out.
It might, Mason agreed.
You dont seem to think it will?
Im hoping it wont, because Im hoping that you wont find that the car has been wiped free of fingerprints.
Well, Tragg said, weve located it down in the parking lot and we have a couple of fingerprint experts going over it. If you dont mind corning down to the parking lot and checking the speedometer well give you a receipt for the car and then take over.
Mason sighed. Well, I suppose Ill have to. How long have you been working on the car?
Ever since you drove it in, Tragg said, grinning. You know, Mason, Im willing to make you a bet.
What?
That the men report there isnt a single fingerprint on that car except perhaps one or two of yours by the door... and do you know whats going to happen if that is the case? Im going to take you down to Headquarters for questioning, to find out whether you know anything about the fingerprints having been obliterated. I just thought Id let you know so you could ask your highly competent secretary here to take care of canceling appointments in the event you dont return to the office.
Mason sighed and reached for his hat. I always deplore these high-handed methods on the part of the police, he said.
I know, I know, Tragg told him, but the district attorney takes a very dim view of lawyers who go around obliterating evidence.
Evidence of what? Mason asked.
Evidence of murder.
What sort of evidence?
Well, for instance, Tragg said, I wouldnt be too surprised if at one time Ken Lowry hadnt been in that car and that his fingerprints might have been found in the car if they hadnt been tampered with. For your information, Counselor, these fingerprint men are rather expert and if a car has been wiped free of fingerprints they can determine that fact and, of course, since the car is in your possession, and since you would be the one who would have a strong motive to protect your client, the answer is more or less obvious.
I would say rather less than more, Mason said. Lets go down and take a look at the car, by all means. Perhaps youd better come along as a witness, Della, so you can check the mileage.
The more the merrier, Tragg said. Lets go.
Tragg led the way out of the office and escorted Mason and Della Street down the elevator, out through the side entrance of the building and into the parking lot.
Two men were working feverishly over the automobile Mason had parked. Another man with a fingerprint camera was busily engaged in taking photographs.
Well? Tragg asked, as they approached the car. You found that it had been wiped clean?
One of the men turned to Tragg. His face contained an expression of complete exasperation. In all of my experience, Lieutenant, he said, Ive never found a car with more fingerprints on it than this. The thing is fairly plastered. Theyre just all over the car front, back, windshield, windows, steering wheel, rearview mirror the thing is plastered with prints.
For a moment the smile faded from Lt. Traggs face. Then he drew a deep breath and bowed to Perry Mason. One has no respect for an adversary who is unworthy, he said. Its going to give me a great deal of pleasure to return to the prosecutor and tell him that there was no reason to bring you in for questioning.
You expected to find fingerprints on the car? Mason asked.
Well, Tragg said, I didnt think that theyd find the car had been wiped free of all fingerprints. I was instructed to tell you that I was certain such would be the case, but somehow I had an idea it wouldnt be quite that easy. However, I hardly expected to find the car fairly crawling with fingerprints. Would you mind explaining how that happened?
Mason shrugged his shoulders. I guess quite a few people must have touched the car, he said. Perhaps the police were looking it over before I brought it in.
Dont be silly, Tragg said.
One of the fingerprint men who had been standing nearby said to Tragg, It looks as though one of the national political parties had been holding a convention in the damn car. Its nothing but prints.
Tragg bowed, raised his hat in a gesture which might have been one of farewell to Della Street or might have been a gesture of respect to Perry Mason. Under the circumstances, he said, there is no reason to interfere with your activities of the day, Counselor. Good morning.
Good morning, Mason said, and taking Della Streets arm, walked over to check the mileage on the speedometer.
Seventeen thousand, nine hundred and forty-eight and two-tenths. Is that right, Lieutenant?
Thats right, Tragg said.
Make a note, Della, Mason told her.
Della Street made a note.
Goodbye, Lieutenant.
Au revoir, Lt. Tragg said. I will doubtless see you later on.
Oh, doubtless, Mason told him, and escorted Della Street back to the office building.
As Mason and Della Street entered the elevator and waited for it to get a load, Paul Drake came hurrying in, signaled the elevator starter to hold the cage, and sprinted to get in just as the door closed.
Hi, Paul, Mason said.
The detective jerked to startled attention, whirled towards the back of the cage, saw Mason and Della Street, and said, Gosh, am I glad to see you.
Something? Mason asked.
Lots of somethings, Drake said. Ill walk down to your office with you and tell you the news in the corridor... He glanced significantly at the other passengers in the elevator who were watching and listening with the curiosity of people who lead humdrum lives and obtain a vicarious thrill from time to time by eavesdropping.
Mason nodded and as the cage began to empty at intervening floors, moved over to join Drake so that the three of them left the elevator together and started down the corridor.
Theyve arrested your client, Drake said.
I know that, Mason told him. They even had Della Street in custody for a while.
Okay, Drake said, Im going to tell you something, Perry. Theyve got some sort of an absolute ironclad bit of evidence that I cant find out about, but Ill tell you one thing. This is once youre defending a guilty client.
Youre sure?
Im not, Drake said, but my informant is. I got a straight tip from Headquarters to tell you to get out from under on this case.
I cant get out from under, Paul. Im in too deep. What about the rest of it?
Drake said, I have Endicott Campbell located. He came home about five oclock this morning. No one knows where he had been. He drove up in his automobile, entered the driveway to the garage, entered the house, and has been there ever since.
What else?
Police now have a bulletin on Amelia Corning. She wheeled her chair out of the freight elevator last night and thats the last anyone has seen of her.
This man who operated the freight elevator do the police know about him and his waiting in the alley?
Oh, sure, Drake said. Just as soon as they started an official search they inquired of all of the elevator operators and this fellow who runs the freight elevator told them his story.
And they have no trace of her?
Not a trace.
Thats strange, Mason said. A partially blind woman in a wheelchair could hardly vanish into thin air.
Well, she did, Drake said. And remember this is the second time within forty-eight hours. The first person, who was impersonating Amelia Corning, vanished; now Amelia Corning has vanished.
One person, Mason said, was impersonating Amelia Corning. Therefore it was a very simple matter for her to vanish. All she needed to do was to get up out of the wheelchair, take off the dark blue spectacles and be on her way. But with the real Amelia Corning its a gray horse of another color.
The lawyer unlocked the door of his private office, stood aside for Drake and Della Street to enter, said, All right, Paul. Now weve got to go to work. Weve got a bunch of fingerprints to check.
Were going to have the deuce of a time, Drake said.
How so?
Police have a lot of power, Drake pointed out. They can go to the man who runs the We Rent M Car Company and tell him they want his fingerprints. They can go to Endicott Campbell and ask if he has any objections to giving them his fingerprints. Then they compare those fingerprints with the ones in the car.
Were in a different position. Weve got a flock of lifts of fingerprints and all we can do is to eliminate certain ones gradually and then guess at the other ones. We dont have the power the police have.
What about the man who took the prints? Do you suppose he will turn in the photographs to the police?
He will if he knows the police are looking for them.
When will he know that?
Perhaps not for a day or two, Drake said. It depends on how the publicity hits the newspapers. Theres really something weird about this case, Perry, and dont underestimate Endicott Campbell. Theres one smooth, fast, clever operator.
Mason said, I made a mistake there, Paul. I should have had you keep a couple of shadows on him and find out where he went and what he was doing. Of course we had no way of knowing Amelia Corning was going to disappear.
Naturally, Drake said.
All right, Mason told him, you get busy and find out everything you can. Get every possible scrap of information. In the meantime, take these lifts of fingerprints and try to match them up. By this time the police have booked Susan Fisher, so theyll have her fingerprints. The coroner will have taken the fingerprints of Ken Lowry. Whether we can find fingerprints of Amelia Corning is another question. I think they may have taken them in connection with her passport visa or some other governmental red tape in connection with immigration. Theyre probably on file somewhere.