"The mouth is the thing thatdoesn't click," he said. "The eyes aren't so bad, but this fellow hada mouth that was – I don't know what was wrong with it. Maybe he was holdingsomething in his mouth, but the upper part of this sketch could be – Well, it'ssomething like the guy … That's what keeps bothering me. I have a feelingI've seen this bird somewhere before but…" He broke off and shook hishead. "Anyhow, I can't identify this sketch as being that of theman."
"All right," Mason toldhim. "That's as far as we can go. Thanks a lot for coming in."
"Who is this fellow? Where didyou get the picture?" Kearny asked.
Mason said, "We're interestedin certain aspects of crime. That is, of course, the Drake Detective Agency is.And in the course of its investigations it – Well, of course, they run intolots of peculiar things."
Mason smiled and extended his hand."Nice to have met you, Mr Kearny."
Kearny grinned and said, "Okay, don't tell meif you don't want to. That's the best piece of double-talk I've heard in a longwhile. Thanks a lot, Mr Drake. You have my address. Goodbye, everyone."
Kearny went out.
Drake mopped his forehead."What a hell of a mess we're in. The watchman told the police we had asketch of the burglar."
"Can't you get to that watchmanand throw cold water on his identification?"
"It wasn't anidentification," Drake said. "He said there was a strong resemblanceand let it go at that."
"Well, can't you get him toback up a little bit in view of what Kearny says?"
"I probably could," Drakesaid, "but it's too hot right now. The police are wondering what in hellwe're trying to do."
"Well, let the police worryabout their end of the business," Mason said, "and we'll worry aboutours."
"Suppose they call on me andwant to see the sketch?"
"Show it to them."
"Then they'll ask where I gotit."
"Tell them an artist drewit."
"They'll want to know theartist."
"Refer them to me."
"That darned watchman,"Drake said moodily. "He's really got us in a spot."
Mason said, "Don't overlook thefact that this plays right into our hands. It gives us a beautiful club. We'lllet the police take this sketch, and if the Watchman does keep insisting itlooks like the man, the police will publish it, Gideon will take one agonizedlook at the newspaper and be on his way out of the country just as fast as hecan go."
"What'll he use forfunds?" Drake asked.
"Whatever he can scrapeup," Mason said thoughtfully. "And that raises a point I'd betterthink about."
Chapter 11
It had started to cloud up thatmorning and by noon a cold,sullen rain was falling. At one o'clock Drake called to report Mrs Warren had goneout in her car, and his men had lost her.
"Was she trying to shake loosefrom them?" Mason asked.
"I don't think so, Perry. Mymen don't think she even knew she was wearing a tail. She just made a suddenleft turn from a right-hand lane, and my men were boxed in where they couldn'tget over in time to follow They tried the next intersection, but they didn'tpick her up again.
"Those things sometimes happento even the best shadows in the business. She'll be back and the men at thehouse will pick her up again."
"I know," Mason said,"but what mischief will she get into in the meantime?"
"Oh, she's just goneshopping," Drake said.
"Let's hope so," Masontold him. "Keep me posted, Paul."
The lawyer hung up.
At two o'clock Mason's phone rang again.
Della Street answered the phone, frowned, put her handover the transmitter and said to Perry Mason, "This is Gideon."
Mason's face broke into a grin."The shoe is beginning to pinch," he said. "Put him on."
Mason picked up the telephone."Yes, what is it, Gideon?"
Gideon's voice was as smooth as thepurring of a contented cat. "Mr Mason," he said, "I hadn'tintended to bother you again, but a matter has come up which leaves me noalternative."
"Go ahead," Mason said.
"I am taking the precaution ofusing a telephone booth," Gideon said, "although I hardly think thatis necessary. I'm quite certain that I have ditched not only the rough shadowsand the smooth shadows of the government, but the two men that your detectiveagency had on me."
"Go ahead," Mason said."What do you want?"
"To be perfectly crude, andcome to the point rather quickly, which I am forced to do because I don't wantyou to try to trace this call, I want ten thousand dollars."
"I thought perhaps it wouldcome to this," Mason said.
"I'm sorry," Gideon said,"but I have an opportunity to leave the country and engage in business onforeign soil. I need some operating capital to get there. Now, of course, MrMason, I don't expect you to furnish this capital, but you have a client I amquite certain would be only too glad to have me completely out of the United States."
"All right," Mason said,"where are you?"
"Not where I am," Gideonsaid, "but where I am going to be. What time do you have?"
"A little after two o'clock," Mason said, "I -"
"Never mind that 'little after'business. I want the exact time. What time do you have?"
"Six minutes past two."
"Congratulations on your watch.You are within thirty seconds df complete accuracy.
"Here is what you do,"Gideon said. "You get ten thousand dollars in bills, none of which aremore than fifty dollars in denomination. Mostly I want twenties."
"You can save yourbreath," Mason said. "I don't do business with blackmailers and I'mnot going to any bank."
Gideon kept on as though there hadbeen no interruption. "Put these bills in a bag, preferably a rather smallbag – one that will just hold them. You had better take a pencil to jot downthis address because I'm going to make this phone call very short and I'm notgoing to repeat. At the corner of Clovina and Hendersell there's a vacant storebuilding with a warehouse in back. It has signs For Lease in the front. Thefront door is closed. The alley turns off of Hendersell and the back doorleading to the alley is open. The building has been vacant for some time. It'sinvolved in litigation. It's rather a disreputable neighbourhood and you'llprobably hesitate about turning into the alley. You had better come armed,since you are carrying a large sum of money, and you may be traced from thebank."
"I'm not going to come and I'mnot going to carry any large sum of money," Mason said.
"If," Gideon went on,heedless of the interruption, "you would like to have someone with you asa bodyguard, that's all right provided he does not get out of the car. You andyou alone are to enter the back door of that storeroom at precisely twentyminutes past three. That will give you time to look up the location on the map,go to the bank, and get the money You'll probably need an authorization fromyour client in order to get it, although I think you have blanket instructionsto do anything that's necessary."
Mason said, "Look, Gideon, as Itold you, there are three ways of dealing with a blackmailer. One, you pay off.Two, you go to the police. Three, you see that the blackmailer is no longeraround."
"I'm not going to be around. Itold you that."
"That wasn't what Imeant," Mason said. "I meant exactly what I said. You see theblackmailer is no longer around."
"Thinking of killing me?"Gideon asked in a bantering tone of voice.
"Exactly," Mason said.
"What form of weapon would youuse?"
"The law."
"The law? Are youkidding?"
"I'm deadly serious,"Mason said. "A supermarket was entered last night. A watchman surprisedthe thief and was shot. He may die. The burglar, still brandishing a gun, ranfrom the store and was seen by a reputable witness. I happen to have in mypossession a composite sketch which was made by a police artist, and you'd besurprised at the resemblance to your face. I don't think there's any questionbut that the witnesses will identify you."
"Why you … you – !"
"Once you are arrested formurder," Mason went on, "you have to take the stand to proclaim yourinnocence. Then the district attorney asks you if, as a matter of fact, youhaven't been convicted of a felony and you have to admit that you have been soconvicted. The jury takes one good long look at you and that's all that isneeded."