The Case of the Fenced-In Woman Read Free

"Did she actually do that?" he asked.
    "She did just that," Mason said. "And, what's more, she's living in her side of the house and Morley Eden is living in his side of the house."
    "An opportunity to be real neighborly," Judge Goodwin said.
    "Except for the barbed – wire fence," Mason pointed out.
    Judge Goodwin ground out the cigarette in an ashtray and pursed his lips thoughtfully.
    "Knowing your ideas of doing substantial justice, and your impatience with the technicalities of the law which at times tend to thwart real justice," Mason went on, "I was interested to find out just what caused the decision and to see if it wouldn't be possible to modify it."
    "To modify it in what way?" Judge Goodwin asked.
    "So that Loring Carson could be awarded the entire property and the rights of Vivian Carson could be protected by disposition of some other property."
    Judge Goodwin said, "Mason, you know my feeling about the law. You know my feeling about the responsibility of being a judge called upon to determine the right and wrong in human disputes.
    "Now, I'm going to tell you something in confidence. I knew all about the situation when I signed that restraining order. Morley Eden is, as you know, a wealthy man and an impulsive man. He's a square shooter but impulsive.
    "Now then, when Eden first dealt with Carson on that property, I'm satisfied that Loring Carson made some false representations about the evidence of his wife's infidelity.
    "If Eden had been a poor man, I might have felt differently about it. But as for Loring Carson, Carson felt-to use a popular expression-that he had this court over a barrel, that the court didn't dare do anything except affirm the transaction.
    "Loring Carson has proven himself to be a thoroughgoing heel. He hired a detective who may or may not have been acting in good faith, but in any event he shadowed the wrong individual. However, before that became clear, his wife's good name was blasted to shreds. The charges against her made headlines, were bandied about by gossipmongers and unquestionably did a lot to embarrass Vivian Carson.
    "The husband has absolutely no regrets about this at all. He simply says it was the detective's mistake and washes his hands of the whole matter.
    "I'm satisfied Eden has a cause of action against Loring Carson for willful fraud. I'm hoping that the situation reaches the point where Eden is forced into filing an action of fraud against Carson. Frankly, I'd like to see Carson pay through the nose."
    "It isn't that simple," Mason said. "My client had that house designed to his own specifications. The building site was one that he wanted above all others. He might sue Carson for fraud, but he'd want to continue to live there."
    "Then let him live there."
    "But that brings up an embarrassing situation with Vivian Carson."
    "Then let him buy her out."
    "Apparently," Mason said, "Vivian Carson is downright good and mad. She doesn't want to sell to anyone. She doesn't want to do anything that is going to get her husband off the spot or help her husband's purchaser in any way."
    "And I don't blame her in the least," Judge Goodwin said. "Of course, Mason, you know and I know that when a marriage breaks up it quite frequently is six of one and half a dozen of the other. The man may be the one who commits the first sin, but as the relationship deteriorates the woman has a tendency to retaliate.
    "Or, on the other hand, if the woman starts nagging, the man quite speedily loses interest and begins stepping out with someone who meets him on an amorous plane.
    "I'm not dumb enough or naive enough to believe that in all these marriage failures the fault is entirely on one side, because I've seen enough of human nature to know that it isn't. But I do know that in this case Loring Carson was a heel. I know that he is a fast – talking, sharpshooting individual who's after a quick buck, and that whenever he gets in a corner he starts pulling a razzle – dazzle.
    "He not only