The Case of the Crimson Kiss

Chapter six

Paul Drake, head of the Drake Detective Agency, pulled a sheaf of notes from his pocket as he settled down in the client’s chair in Mason’s office.

It was ten-thirty in the morning, and the detective’s face showed signs of weariness as he assumed his favorite crosswise position in the big leather chair, with his long legs hanging over one overstuffed arm, the small of his back propped against the other.

“It’s a mess, Perry,” he said.

“Let’s have it,” Mason said.

“Fay Allison and Dane Grover were going to get married today. Last night Fay and Anita Bonsal, who shares the apartment with her, settled down in front of the fireplace for a nice gabby little hen party. They made chocolate. Both girls had been watching their figures, but this was a celebration. Fay felt she could really let loose. She had two cups of chocolate, Anita had one. Fay evidently got about twice the dose of barbiturate that Anita did. Both girls passed out.

“Next thing Anita knew, Louise Marlow, Fay’s aunt, was trying to wake her up. Fay Allison didn’t recover consciousness until after she was in the sanitarium.

“The rest of the stuff you know pretty well.

“Anyhow, Tragg went out and took Fay Allison’s fingerprints. They check absolutely with those on the glass. What the police call the murder glass is the one that slipped from Carver Clements’ fingers and rolled around the floor. It had been carefully wiped clean of all fingerprints. Police can’t even find one of Clements’ prints on it. The other glass on the table had Fay’s prints. It’s her toothbrush. The closet was filled with her clothes. She was living there with him. It’s a hell of a stink.

“Dane Grover is standing by her, but I personally don’t think he can stand the gaff much longer. When a man’s engaged to a girl and the newspapers scream the details of her affair with a wealthy playboy all over the front pages, you can’t expect the man to appear exactly nonchalant. The aunt, Louise Marlow, tells me he’s being faced with terrific pressure to repudiate the girl, publicly break the engagement, and take a trip.

“The girls insist it’s all part of some sinister overall plan to frame them, that they were drugged, and all that, but how could anyone have planned it that way? For instance, how could anyone have known they were going to take the chocolate in time to—”

“The chocolate was drugged?” Mason asked.

Drake nodded. “They’d used up most of the chocolate, but the small amount left in the package is pretty well doped with barbiturate.”

Mason began toying with a lead pencil.

“The police theory,” Drake went on, “is that Fay Allison had been playing house with Carver Clements. She wanted to get married. Clements wouldn’t let her go. She slipped him a little poison. She intended to return and get her things out of the apartment when it got late enough so she wouldn’t meet someone in the corridor if she came walking out of seven-oh-two with her arms full of clothes. Anita, who had gone out, unexpectedly returned, and that left Fay Allison trapped. She couldn’t go up and get her things out of the apartment upstairs without disturbing Anita. So she tried to drug Anita and something went wrong.”

“That’s a hell of a theory,” Mason said.

“Try and get one that fits the case any better,” Drake told him. “One thing is certain — Fay Allison was living up there in apartment seven-oh-two. As far as Dane Grover is concerned, that’s the thing that will make him throw everything overboard. He’s a sensitive chap, from a good family. He doesn’t like having his picture in the papers. Neither does his family.”

“What about Clements?”

“Successful businessman, broker, speculator, lots of dough, domestic troubles, a wife who was trying to hook him for a bigger property settlement than Clements wanted to pay. Clements has a big apartment he leases by the year, where he lives officially. This place was a playhouse. Only a few people knew he had it. His wife would have given a lot of money to have found out about it.”

“What’s the wife doing now?”

“Sitting pretty. They don’t know yet whether Clements left a will, but she has her community property rights, and Clements’ books will be open for inspection now. He’d been juggling things around pretty much, and now a lot of stuff is going to come out — safety deposit boxes and things of that sort.”

“How about the four people who met us in the hall?”

“I have all the stuff on them here. The men were Richard P. Nolin, a sort of partner in some of Clements’ business, Manley L. Ogden, an income tax specialist, Don B. Ralston, who acted as dummy for Clements in some business transactions, and Vera Payson, who is someone’s girl friend, but I’m damned if I can find out whose. Anyhow, those people knew of the hideout apartment and would go up there occasionally for a poker game. Last night as soon as the dame across the hall said Clements had company, they knew what that meant and went away. That’s the story. The newspapers are lapping it up. Dane Grover isn’t going to stay put much longer. You can’t blame him. Pressure’s getting pretty strong. All he has is Fay Allison’s tearful denial. Louise Marlow says we have to do something fast.”

Mason said, “Tragg thinks I had Carver Clements’ key.”

“Didn’t you?”

“No.”

“Where did you get it?”

Mason shook his head.

“Well,” Drake said, “Carver Clements didn’t have a key.” Mason nodded. “That is the only break we have in the case, Paul. We know Clements’ key is missing. No one else does, because Tragg won’t believe me when I tell him Clements hadn’t given me his key.”

Drake said, “It won’t take Tragg long to figure the answer to that one. If Clements didn’t give you the key, there’s only one other person who could have given it to you.”

Mason said, “We won’t speculate too much on that, Paul.”

“I gathered we wouldn’t,” Drake said dryly. “Remember this, Perry, you’re representing a girl who’s going to be faced with a murder rap. You may be able to beat that rap. It’s circumstantial evidence. But in doing it, you’ll have to think up some explanation that will satisfy an embarrassed lover who’s being pitied by his friends, laughed at by his enemies, and ridiculed by the public.”

Mason nodded.

“Whatever explanation you’re going to make has to be made fast,” Drake said. “My best guess is this Grover guy isn’t going to stand the gaff much longer.”

Mason said, “We’ll push things to a quick hearing in court on a preliminary examination. In the meantime, Paul, find out everything you can about Carver Clements’ background. Pay particular attention to Clements’ wife. See if there isn’t a man in her life. If she had known all along about that apartment...”

Drake shook his head dubiously. “I’ll give it a once over, Perry, but if she’d even known about that apartment, that would have been all she needed. If she could have raided that apartment with a photographer and had the deadwood on Carver Clements, she’d have boosted her property settlement another hundred grand and walked out smiling. She wouldn’t have needed to use any poison.”

Mason’s strong, capable fingers were drumming gently on the edge of the desk. “There has to be some explanation, Paul.”

Drake heaved himself wearily to his feet. “That’s right,” he said without enthusiasm, “and Tragg thinks he has it.”