The Case of the Mischievous Doll

Chapter Thirteen

Back in his office Mason paced the floor while Della Street watched him with anxious eyes.

“Can you tell me what’s worrying you, Chief?” she asked.

Mason said, “It’s a tricky situation, Della. I’ve got to handle it in just the right way. If I do exactly the right thing and say exactly the right thing at exactly the right time, that’s one thing. If I misplay my cards, it’s another.”

Abruptly Mason stopped in his pacing. “Della,” he said, “get Paul Drake on the line, tell him I want to know every circumstance connected with the holdup of the bank at Santa Maria.”

“Is that pertinent?” Della Street asked.

“That’s pertinent,” Mason said. “Tell Paul I want a complete report listing every circumstance, every bit of evidence. Nothing is too minute, nothing is to be discarded.

“Have him charter a plane, fly an operative up there. Get busy. Work with witnesses.”

“You want the report by morning?” Della Street asked.

“I want the operative who makes the investigation to be back here by morning,” Mason said. “I want him in the courtroom where I can talk with him. Tell Paul to spare no expense, to charter a plane.

“Also tell Paul I want a complete report of all unsolved stick-ups between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the fifth, sixth and seventh of September. He can start collecting those by long distance telephone.

“Have him call police chiefs at the various cities. I want everything I can get.”

“But, look here,” Della Street said, “you can’t get around Jasper’s testimony about the gun, the conversations and the place where the body was found unless you—”

“All that testimony isn’t going to hurt the defendant,” Mason said.

“What!” she exclaimed.

“The murder of Dorrie Ambler doesn’t mean anything in this case,” Mason said, “unless the jury believes Minerva told them to murder her. If I can open up a doubt on that one point, then I can blast Jasper’s testimony. The death of Dorrie Ambler doesn’t mean a thing unless Minerva Minden told them to kill her.

“Even if Minerva Minden had an argument with Dorrie Ambler and killed her in the heat of passion, it wouldn’t have anything to do with this case unless it corroborated Jasper’s testimony, and if he is lying about being told to murder Dorrie Ambler, then he could be lying about the murder of Billings.”

Della Street shook her head. “You could never get a jury to believe that. They’d convict Minerva anyway.”

“If I play this right,” Mason said, “the judge is going to have to instruct the jury to return a verdict of not guilty.”

“He’d never dare to do that on a technicality,” Della Street said.

“Want to bet?” Mason asked.