"I can't even tell you whethermy presence at that party was purely social or business," Mason said."I can only assure you that Judson Olney came to this office to see Della Street, and told me the same story about thevacation trip, et cetera, that he subsequently told the others."
"Then there was no businessconnection, no significance connected with -"
"Now, just a minute,"Mason said. "I don't want you to put words in my mouth. I told you thatOlney came to this office to see Miss Street. That subsequently he told me this samestory."
"All right, all right. I guesssomebody has been trying to make trouble."
"Any idea who it couldbe?" Mason asked.
"Well," Barrington said, "I think it was a woman. I thinkthe attempt at disguising the voice was rather crude."
"Any idea what woman?"
"Oh, a person always hasideas," Barrington said, making a gesture with his hand, "but those ideas don'tnecessarily mean anything. As you attorneys say, it takes evidence, and Iwouldn't want to make any accusation, not even an intimation, withoutevidence."
"In other words," Masonsaid, "it's now your turn to be cagey"
Barrington got to his feet. "Thank you very muchfor seeing me, Mr Mason. I am sorry that I got all worked up about this."
"Not at all," Mason said.
"And you will regard my visitas confidential?"
Mason said, "From a socialstandpoint, what you have told me is confidential. From a business standpoint,I am representing clients. I have to represent those clients, and from time totime i have to give them whatever information I have uncovered."
"Now, wait a minute," Barrington said. "I didn't tell you this with theidea that you'd pass it on to any of your clients."
"Then you shouldn't have toldme," Mason said. "An attorney is the representative of his clients.He is their agent. He has to play fair with them."
"Well – Oh, all right," Barrington said. "I've come to you and put mycards on the table and I'm going to leave it that way I trust your discretionand … well, somehow I have an idea that you won't betray my confidence unlessit's necessary. Good afternoon, Mr Mason."
"Good afternoon," Masontold him gravely. Mason looked in the outer reception room, found that Gertiehad gone home. He closed up the office and stopped by Paul Drake's office onthe way to the elevator.
"Paul Drake in?" Masonasked the receptionist, who was busy at the telephone.
She nodded, gestured toward thewooden gate which led to a corridor and kept talking on the telephone.
Mason worked the concealed latch onthe wooden gate, walked down the long corridor with the rows of littlecubbyhole offices on each side where operatives could interview clients orwitnesses, and came to Paul Drake's office at the end of the corridor.
The office was barely large enoughfor Drake's desk and chair, two clients' chairs and a wastebasket. There werefour telephones on Drake's desk and he was talking on one of them.
He nodded to Mason, motioned for himto sit down, and said into the telephone, "All right, see what you canfind out but don't tip your hand any more than you have to. Handle it in relaysand see if you can find who else is on the job … I know it's difficult but dothe best you can."
Drake hung up and said to Mason,"I presume you want to know if we learned anything about the man who wasin your office."
"That's right," Masonsaid.
Drake grinned. "That guy iswearing tails like Halley's Comet."
"What do you mean?" Masonasked.
"Well," Drake said,"in the first place he was wearing a rough shadow. And on a job of anyreal importance that means at least two smooth shadows and sometimes as many asfive."
"Did your man spot the smoothshadows?"
"My men" Drake said."I put two on, with instructions to relay and telephone in information soI could be advised … I can tell you this, Perry. He knows he's beingshadowed, and I think he knows that my men joined in the procession, although Ican't be sure because we just have to guess at those things. But he sure ashell knows there's a rough shadow on the job."
"Yes, I know he does,"Mason said. "He's staying at a little hotel here, the Exman Hotel. That'sa little building they haven't got around to tearing down yet. It's sandwichedin between a couple of old-timers and the whole place is just waiting forsomeone to come along with a modem office building and tear the whole blockdown. In the meantime this Exman Hotel makes a specialty of cheap rooms."
"How's he registered?"Mason asked.
"Under the name of Newton, which I doubt very much is his realname."
"He went directly there from myoffice?"
"Led the whole procession ofshadows directly there," Drake said. "He knows of at least one shadowbut he isn't trying to ditch anybody."
Mason said, "Paul, when itcomes to dealing with a blackmailer, I'm ruthless."
"Who isn't?" Drake asked.
Mason said, "I would do thingsthat might be considered unethical if one looked at them in the cold light ofbusiness ethics."
"In dealing with a blackmailerone has to be unethical," Drake said.
Mason said, "For yourinformation, this man's name is Collister Damon Gideon, he's a blackmailer andhe's clever. Since he's just out of federal prison, he's in a vulnerableposition. If it weren't for that, he'd have me crucified. I've got to run abluff on him, but I have to play my cards as if I were holding four aces."
"Who's he blackmailing?"
"Me."
"You!" Drake said insurprise.
"That's right."
"What in the world does he haveon you, Perry?"
"He doesn't have anything onme," Mason said, "but he could make an embarrassing situation bycontinuing to come to my office."
"Oh-oh," Drake said."That accounts for it. The government detectives will think some client ofyours will lead them to the hidden money."
"Exactly," Mason said."They are naturally quite interested in all the people on whom Gideoncalls."
"So he has called on you, andnow you're a focal point of government interest."
"Perhaps not yet," Masonsaid, "but if he makes repeated calls I certainly will be. It's quitepossible the government will feel that I am acting as the go-between."
Drake frowned. "He's in aposition to put you in one hell of a spot, Perry."
Mason nodded.
"And," Drake went on,"there's not one damned thing you can do about it. If he just wants tokeep calling at your office, you can't very well stop him unless you want tomake a complaint that he's attempting blackmail, and you're not in a positionto do that – not if you want to protect your clients."
"That's why I said, Paul, thatin dealing with a blackmailer one uses any weapon one can."
"You have some weapon inmind?" Drake asked. Mason nodded. "You can get the original mug shotson Gideon?"
"Sure. They're in the policefiles."
"And you can get anartist," Mason said.
"An artist?" Drake asked.
"A police artist," Masonsaid. "Then get some of these police forms that they use in makingcomposite sketches of criminals. I want a couple of real good sketches ofGideon which look pretty much like him, but I want them made in the relativelycrude manner that characterizes the sketches made from the descriptions ofeyewitnesses. You know how these police composite pictures are put together.Get a police artist to sketch a picture of Gideon from his mug shot so it willunmistakably be Gideon, or that is, have an unmistakable resemblance toGideon."
"And then what?" Drakeasked.
"Then," Mason said,"I'm going to give him an opportunity to get away from his shadows – boththe rough shadows and the smooth shadows, so he'll be on his own."
"How are you going to dothat?"
"It'll take money," Masonsaid. "I'm going to give him money."
"Once you start giving himmoney it's a one-way street," Drake said. "It's like pouring it downa rat hole."
Mason shook his head and smiled."Then when Gideon has shaken the shadows he's automatically removed anypossible alibi he may have."
"And then?"
"Then," Mason said,"I'm going to flash this sketch on him and tell him that's a sketch madeby a police artist from the description of an eyewitness to a hold-up or murderor some crime that he will have read about in the papers."