The Case of the Rolling Bones (Perry Mason Series Book 15) by Erle Stanley Gardner

Author:Erle Stanley Gardner [Gardner, Erle Stanley]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Della Street Press
Published: 2014-03-03T05:00:00+00:00

DELLA STREET

Mason folded the message, and pushed it down into his coat pocket. He turned back to face the two in the room. “All right,” he said quietly, “we’re going to have company. You two do exactly as I say. Miss Milicant, here’s a key to a room in the hotel. You’re registered in that room as Mrs. George L. Manchester. Go to that room. Lock yourself in. Stay there until after the police think you’ve slipped through their fingers, and have quit watching the place. Then get out, keep under cover, and write me at my office where you are and what name you’re using.

“Leeds, I could help you escape. I don’t think it’s wise. When you’re arrested, waive extradition, but don’t be in a hurry to do it. Tell the police that you’re in love with Emily Milicant, that you hope she does you the honor of marrying you, that you had no idea the man you knew as John Milicant was going under the name of Louie Conway until yesterday afternoon. Admit that you called on him, claim that you don’t know what time it was; that you had a business matter to discuss; that you left him alive and well; that you won’t discuss anything else until after you’ve talked with Emily. Don’t tell the police what you were talking about, what the check was for, or how you found out Conway and Milicant were one and the same.

“Now then, after you left the sanitarium, you wrote out another twenty thousand dollar check also payable to Conway, but endorsed so as to make it payable to bearer. The description of the woman who cashed that check makes me think it was Emily Milicant. How about it?”

They exchanged glances. “It was I,” Emily admitted.

“What’s the idea?”

“Alden wanted to have plenty of cash to do what he wanted to do. He knew he couldn’t draw twenty thousand in cash without making it look as though he were running away. He figured that if he made that second check to Conway and had me cash it, he could get the twenty thousand, and no one would figure he was checking out. It sounded like a good idea at the time.”

“It looks like hell now,” Mason said. “Twenty grand is too much cash for a pleasure trip. It looks as though you were running away and didn’t intend to come back.”

“I know it,” she admitted.

Leeds said, “Look here, Mason, I can’t be arrested. I’ve got to get back to the Tanana country.”

“Why?”

“Don’t you see? To square up that old killing.”

“You mean John Milicant was blackmailing you over that?”

“Yes.”

“Just what did you expect to do?” Mason asked.

“I expected to go back and clear the thing up.”

“How did you expect to square it?” Mason asked.

“I thought I could tell the truth. I thought Emily could back me up.”

Mason said, “Don’t be foolish. Emily can’t back you up. Her story would furnish motivation—that’s all. After all this time, the facts are obscured. John had the evidence against you.

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