"Somebody stood in here,"the officer said. "You can see the imprint of his rubber heels. They'dbeen in oil somewhere and they left a print here."
"That doesn't mean athing," Hamilton Burger said. "You can't tell when the heel printswere made. They could have been made a month ago, or," he addedsignificantly, "they could have been made last night."
"Nevertheless," Mason,said, "they were made. It's evidence. Let's take the packing case intocustody"
"All right," Tragg saidwearily, "take it along."
"And I want it dusted forfingerprints."
"You can't get fingerprintsfrom paper – Oh, well, let him have his way. Leave it here long enough for atechnical man to come down and dust for fingerprints. What else do you want,Mason?"
"I don't know," Masonsaid, moving slowly around, prowling into the various nooks and comers of theplace. Suddenly Mason said, "Hey, wait a minute, this window has beenforced."
"I should have guessed that along while ago," Hamilton Burger said. "That's how the man got in tofire the bullet into that beam."
"This window has been openedfrom the inside," Mason said. "You see, the cobwebs have been brushedaway and the window was opened, then lowered. It's unlocked."
"An inside-outside job,"Hamilton Burger said. "Same old razzle-dazzle."
Tragg studied the pane thoughtfully
"Now, wait a minute,"Mason said. "What's this?"
"What?" Tragg asked.
Mason pointed over to a comer."I got a glint of reflected light from blued steel."
Tragg moved over, said, "Oh,oh, it's a gun!"
Hamilton Burger started to saysomething, then checked himself and said, "All right, it's a gun. Take itinto custody, Lieutenant, and we'll have it examined carefully in court. We'llsee whose fingerprints we find on it – although the person who planted it therewas probably shrewd enough to wear gloves."
Mason said. "Be careful withit, Lieutenant, and I want some test bullets fired from it. You will note thatthat also is a thirty-eight-calibre Smith and Wesson."
"It would be," HamiltonBurger said.
"Meaning," Mason saidcasually, "that in your opinion it was planted."
"It was planted," HamiltonBurger said angrily. "And at two-thirty this afternoon I hope to be ableto show who did the planting."
"You wouldn't want to make anyaccusations before then, would you?" Mason asked.
"I have my opinion,"Burger said, turning away.
"You have everything youwant?" Tragg asked.
"I don't know," Masonsaid. "I want this place sealed up put an officer in charge and leave himhere until we can evaluate this evidence we have at the present time."
"Okay, okay," Tragg said."I want to see if there are any fingerprints on that gun but ordinarily wedon't get fingerprints on guns. Sometimes you get a thumbprint at the base of acartridge clip, but it's not once in a hundred that you get a fingerprint off agun."
"All right, we've got thegun," Mason said. "I want Redfield to fire test bullets through it.I'd like to have him bring his comparison microscope into court so we can maketests right there in court."
"The good old drama,"Hamilton Burger said. "Never forget the dramatic approach. That'sshowmanship. I'm getting damned sick and tired of all this. Every case we have,it's the same old razzle-dazzle, the same old seven and six."
Mason looked at his watch and said,"If you'd hurry, Hamilton, you might be able to get some lunch at least acup of coffee, and I think it's possible that would change your outlook."
Chapter 21
At two-thirty, Judge Saxton, who hadconceivably heard some rumours of what had happened, took the bench with aglance of puzzled respect at Perry Mason.
"Search of the premises hasbeen completed in the case of People versus Warren?" he asked.
"No, Your Honour," Masonsaid, "but a search has been made and that search has uncovered certainthings. I believe Lieutenant Tragg was on the stand and he can probably testifyas to what was discovered."
"Very well, Lieutenant Tragg tothe stand," Judge Saxton said.
Mason said, "I believe I wascross-examining Lieutenant Tragg, but I don't know that it makes muchdifference who brings this out… Lieutenant, you found certain things in thestoreroom at Clovina and Hendersell?"
"We did," Tragg said, dryly.
"What did you find?"
"When the lights were turnedon, we found that a beam over the door between the storeroom and the warehousehad a bullet which had lodged in it. We took that bullet out without destroyingany of the striations or leaving any tool marks on it. I have that bullethere."
"Will you mark it foridentification, please, as Defendant's Exhibit Number la?"
"It will be so marked foridentification," Judge Saxton said. "What else did you find?"
"We found a Smith and Wessonthirty-eight-calibre revolver containing five live shells and one explodedcartridge."
"Have you tested thatgun?"
"I understand that AlexanderRedfield has fired a test bullet through it. To that extent the gun has beentested."
"And," Mason asked,"didn't Alexander Redfield compare the test bullet from that gun with thefatal bullet in this case?"
"I believe he did, yes,sir."
"That test was in yourpresence?"
"Yes, sir."
"And did Alexander Redfieldstate to you what he had found?"
"Objected to as hearsay,"Hamilton Burger said.
"Sustained," Judge Saxtonsaid. "You can put Mr Redfield on the stand. In fact you can put him onfor further cross-examination if you wish."
"Now, then," Mason said,"during all of the time that you were at the scene of the murder and whileyou were finding these things, was Hamilton Burger, the district attorney,present?"
"Why, yes, he was."
"And did he keep up a runningfire of remarks indicating that I had planted this evidence?"
Til stipulate that I did,"Hamilton Burger said angrily.
"There you are," Masonsaid, turning to Judge Saxton. "Lieutenant Tragg is a witness in thiscase, and during the entire course of our search, the district attorney wasbelittling the objects we found, was implanting in the mind of this witness theidea that I had been responsible for having those objects at the scene of thecrime, that the evidence was without proper evidentiary value and had beenplanted.
"If the Court please, if I amto be cited to show cause for contempt of court for seeking to influence thetestimony of a witness, I insist that the district attorney also be cited atthe same time for seeking to influence the testimony of this witness."
Judge Saxton looked at the angrydistrict attorney, at Lt Tragg and then tried to fight back a smile!
"Very well, Mr Mason," hesaid, "the Court will note your motion. However, that doesn't mean theCourt will act on it. Let's proceed with the evidence in this case."
"I want my motion to show thatthe district attorney was there in his official capacity, that his remarkscarried all the weight of an elected official of this county who conceivablyhad influence over the police department, that they represented a continualrunning fire of accusation."
"Very well, we will take thatup at the proper time," Judge Saxton said. "I presume now you wouldlike to call Mr Redfield to the stand."
"I would, Your Honour."
"I note Mr Redfield is incourt," Judge Saxton said. "You may take the stand, MrRedfield."
Mason said, "If the Courtplease, this comes under the heading of further cross-examination.
"Mr Redfield, you stated that,taking all the facts into consideration and in all human probability, the gun,People's Exhibit B, was the weapon from which the fatal bullet had been fired.I'm now going to ask you if, since the time you gave your testimony, subsequentfacts have been disclosed which change your opinion?"
"They have."
"Now, then, taking intoconsideration all the facts, are you still willing to swear that in all humanprobability, the fatal bullet was fired from the gun, People's Exhibit B?"
"No, I am not," Redfieldsaid. "In fact, I am now prepared to swear positively that the gun whichwas discovered this noon at the scene of the murder and which is now labeledfor identification as Defendant's Exhibit Number la was the gun from which thefatal bullet was fired."