The Case of the Baited Hook Read Free

seemed to see nothing unusual in the conference. He once more took from his pocket a pin – seal wallet. From it he took a bank note. "This, Mr. Mason," he said, "is a ten – thousand – dollar bill. Perhaps you would care to examine it to see that it is genuine."
    He passed the bill across to the lawyer who looked it over and silently handed it back.
    "Have you a pair of scissors, dear?" Peltham asked.
    The woman wordlessly opened a black purse and took out a pair of curved manicure scissors. She handed these to Peltham who took them and walked over to Mason's desk. He held the bill in his left hand, the scissors in his right.
    With the careful touch of a man whose hands are trained to do exactly what he wants them to do, he cut the bill in two pieces by a series of curved segments.
    With the last snip of the small scissors, a piece of the bill representing about one – third of its area fluttered to Mason's desk.
    Peltham returned the scissors to the masked woman. He held the two sections of the ten – thousand – dollar bill so that Mason could see they fitted perfectly, then he presented the larger portion of the bill to the woman, and dropped the smaller portion on top of the two one – thousand – dollar bills, which he shoved across the desk to Mason.
    "There you are," he said. "I don't want a receipt. Your word's good. You'll never know this woman's identity unless it becomes necessary for you to know it in order to protect her interests. At that time, she'll give you the rest of this ten – thousand – dollar bill. That will be her introduction. You can paste the two halves together, take it down to your bank, and deposit it. In that way, your fee will be guaranteed, and there'll be no chance of an impostor imposing on you."
    "Suppose someone else should get that other half of the bill?"
    "No one will."
    Mason looked across at the woman. "You understand what Mr. Peltham is asking of me?" he asked.
    She nodded.
    "I take it that you knew what he had in mind when he came here?"
    Again she nodded.
    "And you're satisfied to have me accept employment under those conditions?"
    Again there was a nod.
    Mason straightened in his chair, turned to Peltham, and said, "All right. Sit down. Let's get down to brass tacks… You want me to represent this woman. I don't know who she is. Perhaps tomorrow morning someone will walk in and ask me to take a case. I'll accept the employment. Later on, this woman will announce that she's the adverse party in that case, and hand me me the rest of this ten – thousand – dollar bill. I'd then find myself retained on both sides of the same case.
    "I think that explains my position. I can't do it. What you ask is impossible. I'm interested, but I can't do it."
    Peltham raised his left hand to his head. The tips of his fingers massaged the left temple. He was silent for an interval. "All right," he said at length. "Here's how we'll get around that. You're free to take any case except one that involves matters in which I am apparently directly or indirectly interested. If such a case should come to your office, you will get my permission before you accept the employment."
    "How can I get that permission?" Mason asked. "In other words, how can I get in touch with you? Will you be instantly available?"
    Again Peltham rubbed his temple for several seconds of thoughtful deliberation. Then he said, "No."
    "All right," Mason said impatiently. "That leaves us right back where we started."
    "No, it doesn't. There's another way."
    "What is it?"
    "You can put an ad in the Contractor's Journal m the personal column. You will address it simply to P, and sign it with the single initial, M. You will ask in that ad if there is any objection to your accepting employment on behalf of the person calling on you."
    "That," Mason said, "wouldn't be fair to my other clients. Clients don't care to have their names broadcast in the personal columns of a newspaper."
    "Don't mention that person by name," Peltham