The Case of the Baited Hook Read Free Page B

connection, it would it would it would be absolutely ruinous to all concerned. I must keep her out of that at any cost-no matter what it costs. Do you understand?"
    "I can't understand the necessity for all this hodge – podge," Mason said. "After all, you could afford to be frank with me. I don't betray the secrets of my clients. I respect them. If this young woman wants to take off her mask and…"
    "That's impossible," Peltham snapped. "I've worked out the only scheme which will give us all protection."
    "You don't trust me?" Mason asked.
    "Suppose," Peltham countered, "that you happened to have information which the police considered vital evidence. Would you be justified in withholding it?"
    "I'd protect the interests of a client," Mason said. "I'm a lawyer. A client's communications are confidential."
    Peltham's voice was determined. "No," he said shortly. "This is the only way."
    Mason looked at him curiously. "You evidently have made elaborate preparations for this interview."
    "What do you mean?"
    "The elevator for instance."
    Peltham dismissed the matter with a gesture. "Whenever I do anything," he said, "I lay my plans carefully and well in advance. I have watched your career with interest. Months ago I decided that if I ever needed a lawyer, I'd call on you. It may interest you to know, Mr. Mason, that I drew the plans for this building when it was constructed-and that at the present time, I own a controlling stock interest in it. Come, dear."
    She arose and silently started for the exit door.
    Mason, thinking perhaps he could surprise her into letting him hear her voice, called banteringly, "Good night, Miss Mysterious."
    She turned. He saw her lips tremble in a nervous smile. She made him a slight curtsy, and wordlessly left me office.
    Mason pocketed the two one – thousand – dollar bills. He looked at the fragment of the ten – thousand – dollar bill, and chuckled. Walking over to the safe, he spun the combination, opened the door, unlocked the drawer, opened it, held his hand over it for a moment, and then noisily closed the drawer and clanged the door of the safe shut. He snapped the bolt home, and twisted the combination.
    But the fragment of the ten – thousand – dollar bill had not been dropped into the drawer of the safe. Instead he had unobtrusively slipped it into his trousers pocket.
    He walked over to the hat tree, put on his wet hat, got into his raincoat, looked out into the outer office, and made certain that the bottle of whiskey he had placed on the desk was no longer there. He locked the door of the reception room and switched out the lights. He returned to his private office, and went to the exit door. As he had surmised, Peltham had left this door unlocked, the spring lock being held back with a catch.
    Mason dropped the catch, releasing the lock, switched out the lights, and went out into the echoing corridor. He noticed that the locked, dark elevator was still on the seventh floor. He rang the elevator bell, and after a few moments, the janitor came shooting upward in the cage.
    Mason indicated the dark elevator. "One of your elevators stalled on this floor?" he asked.
    The janitor stepped out of the cage to stare at the elevator. "Ay be a son of a gun," he said in an astounded voice which seemed to Mason to be thoroughly genuine.
    Mason entered the lighted elevator. "Okay, Ole," he said. "Let's go."

2
    DELLA STREET WAS OPENING THE MORNING MAIL WHEN Mason came sauntering into the office.
    "You're early," she said. "Didn't you remember that the Case of People vs. Smithers was dismissed by the district attorney?"
    "Uh huh. I came down to study the newspaper."
    She stared at him with her brows arched, laughter trembling at the corners of her lips, but her eyes grew puzzled as she saw the expression on bis face. "Going in for contemporary history?" she asked.
    He scaled his hat to the hat tree, pushed the mail on his blotter aside without so much as glancing through it, and spread out