The Case of the Daring Divorcee (15 page)

"That's rather unusual," Mason said.

"Hastings is rather unusual in matters of that sort. He has a banker's way of looking at things. He feels your first mistake is your best mistake and that, in the long run, if you have to pay you had better pay and pay cheerfully."

"All right," Mason said, "we'll look at it this way. Someone who is very ingenious, very vindictive, very ruthless, has a key to the Hastings house-or was able to get a key to the Hastings house.

"Since Adelle is my client and your friend, we'll leave her out of it for the moment. Therefore the key was probably the key that is kept in the office. Now then, if Adelle's gun was not the murder weapon, but you took that gun up to the office and somebody knew where you had put it, switched guns and put the fatal gun where you left Adelle's gun, you can see what the situation would be."

Beason frowned; there was a trace of panic in his eyes, but he said, "I'm afraid, Mr. Mason, that you're doing a lot of negative thinking, if you don't mind my saying so. After all, I put that gun in a sealed package. Nobody can tamper with it without having it appear that the package was tampered with, and I took particular pains to conceal it where no one would ever look for it."

"All right," Mason said, "we'll-"

The telephone rang a quick, short ring.

Mason picked up the receiver, said, "You still out there at the board, Della?"

"I am," she said. "Gertie should be back any minute. You now have a call from Mr. Huntley Banner, who says it's very important. Do you want to take it?"

"I'll take it," Mason said. "Put him on."

Della Street switched the call onto Mason's line."Hello, Banner," Mason said. "What's on your mind?"

Banner said, "I wanted you to know that I rather resented the way you took advantage of me on that phone call."

"How did I take advantage of you?"

"You knew that I would react by telling you I'd been in touch with my client."

Mason said, "1 had no idea you would make a false statement."

"I'm not particularly keen about the way you handled it," Banner said, "but I certainly did walk into a trap."

"You called me up simply to tell me you didn't like it?" Mason asked.

"No, I called you up on another matter, but I think you'd better understand I don't like to have people play games with me."

"What's the other matter?" Mason asked.

"I am assuming," Banner said, "that Adelle Hastings will be your client and that you will be representing her."

"And so?" Mason asked.

"She hates the ground I walk on," Banner said. "Now, there's very definitely a big estate to be probated. I'm fully familiar with all of Hastings' affairs, and I'd logically be the attorney to take charge of the estate. But of course under the circumstances I know that I don't stand a ghost of a chance if Adelle Hastings is in the saddle.

"I've just received a call from Minerva Hastings. In case you don't know it, that's Garvin Hastings' divorced wife. She wants me to represent her, and I'm going to do it. I just wanted you to know."

"Represent her in what?" Mason asked.

"In all matters in connection with the estate."

"Wasn't there a property settlement and a divorce?" Mason asked.

"I'm not tipping my hand right at the moment," Banner said, "but as an attorney you are doubtless familiar with the provisions of our law that when a man has been murdered, the murderer cannot inherit from the victim regardless of what legal claim that person might have on the estate."

"I see," Mason said. "So now you're going to prove that Adelle Hastings is guilty of murder, is that it?"

"I'm going to sit back and let the police do the proving," Banner said. "I'm representing Minerva Hastings. There's no law against it, it's not unethical, and I'm going to take all steps which may be necessary to protect her interests. I'm just doing you the courtesy of letting you know."

"All right," Mason said, "you've let me know."

"And for your information," Banner said, "the more I think of it the less I like that trick you played on me."

Mason said, "I wanted to find out just how honest you were."

"All right," Banner snapped. "I hope you're satisfied."

"I am. I found out."

"I didn't mean it quite that way," Banner said.

"I did," Mason told him, and hung up.

He turned to Beason and said, "That was Mr. Huntley L. Banner, telling me that he was going to represent Minerva Hastings. Apparently Minerva got on the job rather rapidly, all things considered."

"And he's going to represent her?" Beason asked.

"That's what he says."

"I wouldn't doubt that he's been representing her all along."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well… I guess-Well, I guess I haven't any solid, substantial proof that I could rely on so I'd better not say anything."

"You did, however, have some reason for making that statement," Mason said.

"I've never trusted Banner," Beason said.

"He doesn't seem to inspire confidence," Mason observed dryly, "yet Hastings seemed to turn over everything to him."

"I don't think it was Hastings' fault entirely. It was Gonnely Maynard who is responsible for that. He's the one who consulted Banner when Hastings was out of town and a legal matter came up and then gradually Banner moved in on the whole deal."

"Perhaps you'd better tell me a little more about Connely Maynard," Mason said, "and just what makes you so suspicious of Huntley Banner."

"I shouldn't be talking to you like this," Beason said. "You're managing to turn me inside out."

"You want to help Adelle, don't you?"

"Yes."

"I'll tell you this much," Mason said, "she's in a spot. I can't help her unless I have the information I need, and right at the moment I don't know anybody who's better qualified to give me information than you. Now, what about Maynard?"

"Maynard," Beason said, "is the second in the chain of command. He's above me. He'll probably be the one who takes charge of things now that Hastings is dead-That is, until you can get the necessary papers so that Adelle can move in."

"The business is a corporation?" Mason asked.

"No, it's a one-man concern."

"Then nobody can step in and take charge until there's a court order," Mason said.

"I suppose so," Beason said dubiously, "but Maynard is the thrusting, pushing type, the aggressive sort, and he has a lot of very detailed information."

"You have a lot of detailed information yourself, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Do you know as much as he does, as many of the detail?"

"I don't think so, no. I have a pretty good grasp of the details of the business, however."

"All right," Mason said, "let's get back to Banner. What's your feeling about him?"

Beason hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Have you ever met Elvina Mitchell, Banner's secretary?"

Mason's eyes snapped into hard focus. "Yes," he said. "What about her?"

"She is a close friend of Connely Maynard. She's been friendly with him for some time."

"I thought perhaps she was palsy-walsy with her boss," Mason ventured.

"She may be, but I don't think so. I think she's all wrapped up in Gonnely Maynard."

"Go ahead," Mason said. "Do some more talking."

"Well, she naturally wanted to have Banner handle Hastings' business. Hastings shopped around with two or three different lawyers when certain matters came up, but usually Hastings liked to handle things himself and he didn't have very much legal business.

"Then a deal came up when Hastings was out of town and Maynard got Hastings on the phone and told him he thought he'd better see an attorney, and Hastings told him all right, to go ahead. So Maynard went right to Banner and from that time on Banner has been moving into the legal end of the business, pushing himself in in every way possible, telling Hastings that he mustn't do this, that, or the other without consulting an attorney, that he could get in serious difficulties if he acted without legal advice. Finally he changed Hastings' method of doing business. In place of doing what he thought was right, and then making settlements when he had to, Hastings got so he was going to Banner more and more."

Mason said thoughtfully, "That makes a very interesting situation. And now Banner is going to be representing Minerva. I wish you had left that gun in my desk drawer."

"It's just the same as in your desk drawer. It's all wrapped up and sealed and my name is written across the seal and I can go into court and swear that it's the same gun and that it hasn't been tampered with."

Mason said, "Let's hope it hasn't been tampered with,"

Della Street came in from the outer office and said, "Gertie's back."

Mason said, "Della, get papers together for a petition for letters of administration on the estate of Garvin S. Hastings. We'll have Adelle Hastings file the petition."

"Wasn't there a will?" Della asked.

"I don't know," Mason said. "If there was one Huntley Banner has it, and Huntley Banner is now representing Minerva Hastings. So the situation is getting complicated. Let's get the papers all ready for Adelle Hastings' signature right now, Della, because events may start moving rather swiftly. We'd also better get a petition for Adelle as a special administratrix in order to conserve the estate."

"Isn't that action rather abrupt?" Beason asked. "Don't they usually wait until after the funeral?"

"This isn't a usual case," Mason said. "I have an idea we're going to have to work fast. – . – Della, just as soon as Adelle lets us know where she's staying, get her signature on those petitions."

"I know where she'll be staying," Beason said. "At the Freestone Hotel Apartments."

"That's her usual place to stay when she's in town?"

"Yes."

"Night before last she stayed at the Hastings residence," Mason said.

"That's right. Garvin insisted that she do it. To tell you the truth, Mr. Mason, I think Garvin Hastings was lonely and had begun to realize what a tragic mistake he had made in asking Adelle to terminate the marriage. I think he wanted to make up."

"And were you simply going to sit back on the sidelines?" Mason asked.

Beason said, "I've been sitting on the sidelines for many months, Mr. Mason. I guess that's my trouble. But I wanted Adelle to do what was best for her… I would have felt diffident about competing with five million dollars."

Mason regarded him thoughtfully. "You feel diffident, period," he said. "Perhaps you'd better get over that and start fighting for what you want. Diffidence is a virtue women fail to appreciate."

Beason lowered his eyes. "I love her so much I wanted her to do what was to her best interests. Hastings could give her things I couldn't."

Chapter Eight

Gertie rang the phone and said, "A Mrs. Blackburn is here with a package for Mr. Beason."

"Just a minute," Mason said. He turned to Beason. "Mrs. Blackburn is out there," he said, "with a package for you. Shall I have her come in or do you want to talk with her privately?"

"No, no, have her come in."

"I gathered she was unmarried from the way you talked. She gave the name of Mrs. Blackburn."

"No, she's been married. It's rather a tragic history."

"A widow?" Mason asked.

"Divorced. Her husband just failed to come home one night and she never saw him after that."

"So she went to Nevada?"

"That's right."

"Las Vegas?" Mason asked.

"Carson City."

"How long ago?"Shortly before she came to work for us, about a year, I think."

Mason said, "Tell her to come in, Gertie. Della will meet her at the door."