The Case of the Phantom Fortune

Chapter 8

When Mason entered his officeshortly before nine o'clockthe next morning Della Street said, "How did you get along with Mr Barrington last night? Did hecross-examine you about me?"

"No," Mason said,grinning. "I beat him to the punch and cross-examined him about him, andby the time he got done telling his story he was in such a predicament that hedidn't feel like asking questions."

"Paul Drake phoned in a momentago and said he had the sketch you wanted. What was that?"

"We'll take a look," Masonsaid, "and see if you recognize it. Give Paul a ring and tell him to comein."

A few moments later when PaulDrake's code knock sounded on the door, Della Street opened it.

"You've got it?" Masonasked.

"I've got it," Drake said,and handed Mason a sketch together with several photostatic copies.

Mason looked at it, smiled, andpassed the sketch over to Della Street. "Who is it, Della?"

"Why good heavens, it's thatman, Gideon!"

"A darned good likeness, Paul,and the nice thing is it's handled in such a way that it looks as though it hadbeen done by a police artist."

"It was," Drake said."I have this friend who does this work for the police and I gave himGideon's rap sheet. He knocked off a sketch for me from the old flier they usedsome time ago.

"You're dealing with a prettyhard man to bluff," Drake warned. "This fellow is above the averagein intelligence, and by the time a man does time in a federal prison he soaksup enough criminal knowledge to be a match for anyone."

"Meaning me?" Mason asked.

"Well, I didn't say that,"Drake said. "But don't think the guy's going to be easy, Perry."

"I don't."

The telephone rang, and Della,picking up the extension, said, "Yes, Gertie … Who's calling?"

Della Street's face registered extreme annoyance."Well, you just tell him – Wait a minute."

She placed her hand over thetransmitter, said to Mason, "This man, Gideon, is on the telephone. ShallI tell Gertie to cut him off, and that we don't ever want to talk with him or -"

"Not at all," Mason said,"tell Gertie to put him on the line, and you listen in, Della."

Mason picked up the phone on hisdesk, said, "Hello, Mason speaking."

"Gideon," the voice at theother end of the line said. "How are you this morning, Mr Mason?"

"Very fine, thank you."

"Well, I thought I'd drop inand see you for a little while."

"I have nothing to say toyou."

"So I gathered and I presumeyou won't see me personally. In fact, I'm somewhat surprised that you took thistelephone call. But I'll just drop in and sit in the outer office a half anhour or so and then go out again. You see, my rough shadow is still on the joband I want him to earn his money."

"By all means," Masonsaid.

"And," Gideon went on,"I intend to call at your office at least once a day until I find some wayof shaking my shadows."

"And just how will thatbe?" Mason asked.

"Well," Gideon said,"as I explained to you, Mr Mason, all effective tactics are founded ontaking the initiative and doing the unexpected. If I had, say, five hundreddollars, I'd ditch all my shadows and fade out of the picture, but don't expectme to discuss my affairs on the phone. The fact that you're talking with meshows there's a recording of the conversation being made, and the fact I'mkeeping on talking shows I have nothing to conceal. I want you to act for me ina certain matter and I'm coming to your office in the hope you'll see me."

Mason said, "Where are younow?"

"You know," Gideon said."You had your private detectives pick me up at the office and follow melast night. I came to my hotel, the Exman Hotel. I have a room here. Not muchof a room but, after all, I'm not in a position at the moment to ask for theluxuries of life. I expect to be better off within the next few months. Give mean opportunity to exercise my ingenuity on the outside and I'll find somethingthat will put me out on top, Mr Mason. I have confidence in my ownability."

"So I see," Mason said."And you noticed more shadows last night?"

"Oh, Mr Mason!" Gideonsaid, reproachfully, "I was loaded with them. Of course, the shadows thatyou had were pretty clever. They weren't like the rough shadow, but, alter all,I rather expected them and that enabled me to spot them. And I even spotted acouple of the government smooth shadows. That made five people tailing me lastnight that I know of."

"They're waiting around outsideyour hotel now?" Mason asked.

"I don't find your twomen," Gideon said, "and the smooth shadows are out of sight, but, ofcourse, the rough shadow is on the job."

Mason said, "I've been thinkingthings over during the night."

"I was hoping you would."

"And," Mason said, "Ibelieve you should have a chance to rehabilitate yourself. I'm sending fivehundred dollars over to your hotel by messenger."

"In cash?"

"In cash."

"And," Mason told him,"I don't expect you to come near the office again. I don't want to hearfrom you again."

"That's right, Mr Mason, youhave my word – my word of honour."

"Thank you," Mason said."Wait there for an hour and I'll have the money delivered."

Mason hung up the phone. "Go tothe safe where we keep the emergency currency, Della. Get five hundred dollarsput it in an envelope, call a messenger and send it to Mr Gideon at the ExmanHotel."

Drake sighed. "I hope you knowwhat you're doing."

"What do you mean?"

"Once you give in to this guy,once he knows he can tap you for dough once he knows that he's got somethingthat makes you afraid of him, you'll have him on your back for the rest of yourlife. A blackmailer never gives up until he has bled a sucker completelywhite."

Mason grinned and said, "Iknow, but you see this five hundred dollars doesn't come out of my pocket. I amcharging it to expenses and this is what I call bait. You don't catch fish byputting out a bare hook. You have to put on bait, and when you put on bait ithas to be something that the fish likes. Even then you have to put in onartistically so the hook is completely covered … When you come right down toit, Paul, there's really quite a science to baiting a hook."

"Go on," Drake said.

"And then, after you have thehook baited, you wait until the fish takes the bait and starts off with it, andthen you give a sudden jerk and your fish is hooked. If you jerk too soon, youpull the hook out of his mouth, and if you don't jerk at the right time, thefish steals the bait and leaves you with a bare hook. One has to have a senseof timing in such matters, and there is a certain amount of skill in connectionwith putting on the bait and hooking the fish."

"Well, you've certainly put onthe bait," Drake said. "But I'll warn you, five hundred dollars willjust be an entering wedge in Gideon's mind."

"He's promised me that he won'tcome back, or call me or get in touch with me in any way if I send over thefive hundred dollars," Mason said.

Drake snorted his skepticaldisbelief.

"He has," Mason said,"given me his word of honour."

Drake groaned, got to his feet,said, "Kid yourself all you want to, Perry, but don't try kiddingme."

"Incidentally" Mason said,"your friend Gideon seems to be rather expert at picking up shadows. Hehad no difficulty whatever in picking up the two shadows you put on his tailwhen he left the office."

Drake made an exclamation ofannoyance. "Those were pretty smooth guys," he said. "In view ofthe fact that a rough shadow is on the job, I didn't think Gideon would spotthem."

"He spotted them," Masonsaid.

After a moment, Drake said, "Itold you that these fellows get pretty smart while they are in stir,Perry"

"I know," Mason said,"and Gideon, I think, was rather smart to start with. Let's hope hedoesn't outwit himself."

"You're really going to sendthat money?" Drake asked.

"I'm going to send it,"Mason said. "I believe Della is putting the money in an envelope rightnow."

Drake said something about a fooland his money being soon parted, and left the office.

Mason looked reassuringly at Della Street as she returned with a fat envelope in herhand.

"Everything okay, Della?"

"Everything okay. The messengeris on his way up here."

"Tell him to take this envelopeto Gideon at the Exman Hotel and not to bother about a receipt," Masonsaid.

"No receipt?" she asked."Not even for the envelope?"

"Nothing," Mason said,grinning. "We're gentlemen, dealing with each other as such. After all, Ihave Mr Gideon's word of honour."