The Case of the Phantom Fortune

Chapter 11

It had started to cloud up thatmorning and by noon a cold,sullen rain was falling. At one o'clock Drake called to report Mrs Warren had goneout in her car, and his men had lost her.

"Was she trying to shake loosefrom them?" Mason asked.

"I don't think so, Perry. Mymen don't think she even knew she was wearing a tail. She just made a suddenleft turn from a right-hand lane, and my men were boxed in where they couldn'tget over in time to follow They tried the next intersection, but they didn'tpick her up again.

"Those things sometimes happento even the best shadows in the business. She'll be back and the men at thehouse will pick her up again."

"I know," Mason said,"but what mischief will she get into in the meantime?"

"Oh, she's just goneshopping," Drake said.

"Let's hope so," Masontold him. "Keep me posted, Paul."

The lawyer hung up.

At two o'clock Mason's phone rang again.

Della Street answered the phone, frowned, put her handover the transmitter and said to Perry Mason, "This is Gideon."

Mason's face broke into a grin."The shoe is beginning to pinch," he said. "Put him on."

Mason picked up the telephone."Yes, what is it, Gideon?"

Gideon's voice was as smooth as thepurring of a contented cat. "Mr Mason," he said, "I hadn'tintended to bother you again, but a matter has come up which leaves me noalternative."

"Go ahead," Mason said.

"I am taking the precaution ofusing a telephone booth," Gideon said, "although I hardly think thatis necessary. I'm quite certain that I have ditched not only the rough shadowsand the smooth shadows of the government, but the two men that your detectiveagency had on me."

"Go ahead," Mason said."What do you want?"

"To be perfectly crude, andcome to the point rather quickly, which I am forced to do because I don't wantyou to try to trace this call, I want ten thousand dollars."

"I thought perhaps it wouldcome to this," Mason said.

"I'm sorry," Gideon said,"but I have an opportunity to leave the country and engage in business onforeign soil. I need some operating capital to get there. Now, of course, MrMason, I don't expect you to furnish this capital, but you have a client I amquite certain would be only too glad to have me completely out of the United States."

"All right," Mason said,"where are you?"

"Not where I am," Gideonsaid, "but where I am going to be. What time do you have?"

"A little after two o'clock," Mason said, "I -"

"Never mind that 'little after'business. I want the exact time. What time do you have?"

"Six minutes past two."

"Congratulations on your watch.You are within thirty seconds df complete accuracy.

"Here is what you do,"Gideon said. "You get ten thousand dollars in bills, none of which aremore than fifty dollars in denomination. Mostly I want twenties."

"You can save yourbreath," Mason said. "I don't do business with blackmailers and I'mnot going to any bank."

Gideon kept on as though there hadbeen no interruption. "Put these bills in a bag, preferably a rather smallbag – one that will just hold them. You had better take a pencil to jot downthis address because I'm going to make this phone call very short and I'm notgoing to repeat. At the corner of Clovina and Hendersell there's a vacant storebuilding with a warehouse in back. It has signs For Lease in the front. Thefront door is closed. The alley turns off of Hendersell and the back doorleading to the alley is open. The building has been vacant for some time. It'sinvolved in litigation. It's rather a disreputable neighbourhood and you'llprobably hesitate about turning into the alley. You had better come armed,since you are carrying a large sum of money, and you may be traced from thebank."

"I'm not going to come and I'mnot going to carry any large sum of money," Mason said.

"If," Gideon went on,heedless of the interruption, "you would like to have someone with you asa bodyguard, that's all right provided he does not get out of the car. You andyou alone are to enter the back door of that storeroom at precisely twentyminutes past three. That will give you time to look up the location on the map,go to the bank, and get the money You'll probably need an authorization fromyour client in order to get it, although I think you have blanket instructionsto do anything that's necessary."

Mason said, "Look, Gideon, as Itold you, there are three ways of dealing with a blackmailer. One, you pay off.Two, you go to the police. Three, you see that the blackmailer is no longeraround."

"I'm not going to be around. Itold you that."

"That wasn't what Imeant," Mason said. "I meant exactly what I said. You see theblackmailer is no longer around."

"Thinking of killing me?"Gideon asked in a bantering tone of voice.

"Exactly," Mason said.

"What form of weapon would youuse?"

"The law."

"The law? Are youkidding?"

"I'm deadly serious,"Mason said. "A supermarket was entered last night. A watchman surprisedthe thief and was shot. He may die. The burglar, still brandishing a gun, ranfrom the store and was seen by a reputable witness. I happen to have in mypossession a composite sketch which was made by a police artist, and you'd besurprised at the resemblance to your face. I don't think there's any questionbut that the witnesses will identify you."

"Why you … you – !"

"Once you are arrested formurder," Mason went on, "you have to take the stand to proclaim yourinnocence. Then the district attorney asks you if, as a matter of fact, youhaven't been convicted of a felony and you have to admit that you have been soconvicted. The jury takes one good long look at you and that's all that isneeded."

"Now, you look here,"Gideon said, "you can't do this. I'll tell everything I know. I'll get onthe stand, relate this telephone conversation and -"

"And it will be sofantastic," Mason interrupted, "that no one will believe you. But theeffect of it will be that you'll have to claim that I tried to frame a murderon you because you were blackmailing a client of mine. Think that over."

"I-You-"

"And on second thought,"Mason said, "since you have given me a place to meet you, I'll be there atexactly twenty minutes past three. I won't be bringing any money and I willhave a gun."

Mason hung up the telephone.

Della Street, who had been monitoring the conversation,looked at Perry Mason with wide eyes. "Do you, by any chance, want to goto the bank and get some money, just in case -"

"No, thanks," Mason said.

"Are you going alone?" sheasked apprehensively.

Mason said, "A blackmailerdoesn't want a witness and when I'm dealing with a blackmailer I don't wantone. I'm rather good at making threats myself… Where's the reproduction ofthat composite sketch Paul Drake had the police artist make? Here's where I jara blackmailer right back on his heels and start him running so far and so fasthe won't ever come back."

Mason pushed back his chair, stoodat the desk, his clenched fists pressing down on the blotter, his chin juttingforward with grim determination.

"Della," he said,"ring Horace Warren's office, tell his secretary you're a reporter withone of the wire services, that you'd like a brief interview in connection withsome matter that originated in the east and your editor has instructed you toget an immediate interview."

Della Street put through the call, listened, said,"Thank you," hung up, turned to Mason and said, "Out on animportant appointment. Won't be back until after four this afternoon."

Mason said, "Now call for yourfriend, Judson Olney. Tell whoever answers that you're his friend, Della Street, and that he left word for you tocall."

Again Della put through the call.Again she said, "Thank you," and turned to Mason. "He's outuntil three-thirty I think that was the secretary. Her tone was acid."Mason stood in frowning contemplation.

"Damn Paul Drake's men forlosing Mrs Warren," he said at length, "but it doesn't make anydifference. We know now where she's going – and there isn't time to head heroff."

Della Street's face showed dismay. "Do you thinkshe's heading for a rendezvous with Gideon?"

"Where else?" Mason asked."If Gideon tried putting the bite on me, it's almost certain he's tryingMrs Warren. He's worked out a schedule. Probably Mrs Warren at two-thirty,Horace Warren at two-forty-five, Olney at three, me at three-twenty – a planeat four-thirty. And I can't stop him. There isn't time. That place is at theother end of town."

"Couldn't Paul Drake get somemen there and -"

"There isn't time," Masonsaid. "We're dealing with a super-intelligent crook and so far he's hadall the breaks."

"Don't you think you jolted himwith what you said about the witnesses in that murder case?"

"Of course I jolted him,"Mason said, "but I could tell from his manner that it doesn't make as muchdifference as I'd hoped. He's cleaning up. He's putting the bite on everybody.He's going to get the most he can and then clear out."

"And you can't stop him?"

"I can't stop him," Masonsaid, "because I don't dare to let him be picked up by the police and heknows it. Nevertheless, I don't want to sit idly by and have him put hisblackmail scheme into operation."

"Will you wait untilthree-twenty to -"

"No," Mason interrupted."That's where I have him. His split-second timing shows that he's workingout a very carefully engineered schedule for getting his victims on the spotone at a time and – Della, ring up the fire department. Put in a fire alarm forthe store at the corner of Clovina and Hendersell. Tell them there's a big firein the back room."

Della Street's eyes were wide. "That's a crime.That – "

"Sure, it's a crime,"Mason said. "It's also a crime to exceed the speed limit and that's whatI'm going to do getting there. I defy any blackmailer to carry on a successfulblackmail approach in the midst of a fire alarm."

"Then get Paul Drake to sendtwo operatives down to Clovina and Hendersell just as fast as he can!"

"I'm on my way"

Mason grabbed his hat and shot outof the door.