“Having reasoned that far, Lieutenant Tragg would then doubtless say to himself, Franklin Shore is in existence. For some reason, he doesn’t want to make himself known. He doesn’t care to go directly to his house. He wants to communicate with some of his relatives. He avoids his own brother and communicates instead with his niece, a very attractive young woman to be certain, but a young woman who must have been only thirteen or fourteen years of age when he disappeared. Gerald Shore, whom the brother has ignored upon his return, immediately steps into the picture and insists that he is going to go along with the niece. Henry Leech is the connecting link between Franklin, who is either unable or unwilling to come directly to the house and his relatives. Henry Leech goes to a lonely spot and is killed. There is a typewritten letter indicating that Leech has gone to this place of his own volition, but there is nothing to indicate that Leech himself wrote that letter. In fact, there is every reason to believe that he didn’t write it. Of course, a great deal will depend upon what Lieutenant Tragg finds as to the time of death from a post-mortem examination. However, from certain bits of evidence which I saw when I was at the scene of the crime, I’m inclined to believe the time of death will be fixed perhaps about four hours prior to the time we arrived on the scene.
“Having reasoned that far, if Lieutenant Tragg finds any evidence indicating that you tried to get in touch with Leech earlier in the evening or actually did get in touch with him, it would be only natural for him to consider you as a very logical suspect.”
Mason ceased talking, took a cigarette from his cigarette case, lit it, and settled back in the seat.
Gerald Shore drove silently for some ten blocks, then said, “I guess it’s about time I retained you to act as my attorney.”
Mason took the cigarette from his mouth long enough to observe, quite casually, “Perhaps it is.”
“How about your secretary?” Gerald Shore asked, indicating Della Street who was sitting silently in the back seat.
“The soul of discretion,” Mason assured him. “You may speak freely — and it may be the last opportunity you’ll have to speak freely.”
“You’ll represent me?”
“That will depend,” Mason said.
“Upon what?”
“Upon the circumstances, and upon whether I think you’re innocent.”
“I am innocent,” Shore said with feeling, “entirely innocent. I’m either the victim of the damnedest set of circumstances fortune could conjure up, or of a deliberate conspiracy.”
Mason continued smoking in silence.
Shore slowed the car so driving it would not require quite so much attention on his part, and said, “I was the one who called on my brother the night he disappeared.”
“You denied it afterwards?” Mason inquired.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“For various reasons. One of them was that too much of my conversation had been overheard, and made public. You’ll remember that the person who was with Franklin immediately prior to his disappearance had been heard to ask for money and had intimated that his own financial affairs were in desperate straits.”
Mason nodded.
“I was engaged in carrying out some promotional transactions at the time. These could have shown a very considerable profit if I carried them through to completion, and could have shown a staggering, ruinous loss if I failed. The only thing which was enabling me to keep my head above water was the fact that the other parties in the transaction never for a moment suspected the possibility that I didn’t have ample capital back of me.”
“Your brother?” Mason asked.
“Well, my brother’s connections perhaps had something to do with it. They didn’t think he was directly interested. They did think that I had plenty of capital, and that if anything happened and I found myself in need of more than I had available, my brother was always ready to stand back of me.”
“So,” Mason said, “you didn’t dare to admit that you had been the one who had been with your brother because so much of that conversation had been published in the newspapers.”
“That’s exactly it.”
“Didn’t your brother’s disappearance have a bad effect upon the transaction?”
“I’ll say it did,” Shore said with feeling, “but I was able to find and interest a man who furnished me the necessary capital — taking, as it happened, the lion’s share of the profits. The fact that the affairs of the Shore National were so promptly investigated, the fact that my brother left so large a cash balance — those all helped.”
“You didn’t confide to Mrs. Shore perhaps that you were the one who had been with Franklin?”
“I didn’t confide in anyone. I didn’t dare to at the time.”
“And after the necessity for the secrecy was removed?” Mason prompted.
“I stuck with my story. Put yourself in my position, and you’ll realize I had to.”
“Go ahead.”
“Tonight when Helen told me that Franklin had telephoned her, I was sick with apprehension. I felt that I had to see Franklin before anyone else did.”
“So while Helen returned to the hospital to see how Amber Eyes was getting along, you were out trying to get in touch with your brother. Is that right?”
“Yes. Helen went to the hospital directly after dinner to pick up the kitten. She then took the kitten down to the place where our gardener maintains a little bachelor shack, and then went up to keep her appointment with you.”
“And during that interval of time, you went to the Castle Gate Hotel?”
“Yes. That was why I didn’t come up with Helen to see you.”
“You were trying to see Leech?”
“Yes.”
“Any success?”
“No. I inquired first over the telephone, and was told that Leech had gone out with a man, but would be back soon. That left me in something of a spot. I thought the man might well have been my brother, Franklin. So I went to the hotel and waited. I didn’t know Leech, but I felt certain he was with Franklin and that he’d be back within an hour.”
“You waited?” Mason asked.
“Yes. I sat there waiting until it came time to go and meet you.”
“He didn’t come in?”
“No. At any rate, I don’t think so. I do know Franklin didn’t come in.”
“And the clerk noticed you?”
“Yes. He spotted me as not being one of the regulars. I sat there by the door, and he kept looking at me. He may have thought I was a detective. As I gather from what Lieutenant Tragg said, the hotel apparently caters to men who have somewhat shady backgrounds, and that must make them suspicious of strangers. At first I intended to park my car near the door and wait in the car; but I couldn’t find a parking place within half a block, so I decided I’d go inside and wait.”
“And the fact that you were afraid the clerk might identify you as being the man who had been waiting around earlier in the evening made it absolutely essential that you shouldn’t be seen in the hotel.”
“Yes — that, of course, is in the strictest professional confidence.”
Mason said, “I think you can rest assured Tragg will reason all this out for himself.”