She raised her eyebrows.
«I wasn't looking for an agreement made with Smith and relating to the sale of a machine shop,» he said. «I was looking for something else.»
«Can you tell me what?» she asked.
«Some years ago,» he said, «Mr. Bannock made at least one will for Lauretta Trent. I'm under the impression he made two wills.
«Now then, for reasons that I don't want to take the time to go into at the present time, it is highly important that we find those wills. At least, the latest one.»
Virginia let her face show surprise. «But-but I don't understand… Why, we only had the carbon copies. Mrs. Trent would have the original wills in her safety deposit box or somewhere.»
«Not necessarily,» he said.
«But what good would a copy do?»
«There are other people who are interested.»
She raised her eyebrows.
«There is one person in particular who is willing to do anything to get his hands on a copy of the will. Now, I would like to lay a trap for that individual.»
«How?»
«I believe you purchased the typewriter that you had used in the office?»
«Yes. That is, Mr. Bannock's brother gave it to me.»
He indicated the typewriter on the desk. «It's an older model?»
«Yes. We had it in the office for years. It's an exceedingly durable make and this model is pretty well dated. When the appraiser appraised the office furniture he put a very low value on this typewriter because it was so old, and Mr. Bannock's brother told me to just keep it and forget about it.»
«Then you could prepare a carbon copy of a will and date it back three or four years and we could mix that carbon copy in with the old papers that went to Mr. Bannock's brother and if anyone should happen to be snooping around through those papers looking for a copy of Lauretta Trent's will, we could fool him into relying on that copy and perhaps get him to betray himself.»
«Would that do any good?» she asked.
«It might do a great deal of good… I take it you'd like to help a person who was a client of Mr. Bannock's?»
Her face lit up. «Then you mean Lauretta Trent would ask me to do this herself?»
«No, there are certain reasons why Lauretta Trent couldn't request you to do it, but I can tell you it would be very much to her advantage.»
«You're connected with her then in some way?»
«I am speaking for her.»
«Would it be all right for me to ask the nature of the association or of your representation?»
He smiled and shook his head. «Under some circumstances,» he said, «money talks.»
He took a wallet from his pocket and extracted a hundred-dollar bill. He paused for a moment; then extracted another hundred-dollar bill. Then, significantly, another hundred-dollar bill and kept on until there were five one-hundred-dollar bills lying on the table.
She eyed the money thoughtfully, «We'd have to be rather careful,» she said. «You know Mr. Bannock used stationery that had his name printed in the lower left-hand corner.»
«I hadn't realized that,» the man said.
«Fortunately, I have some of that stationery-Of course, we'd have to destroy the original and leave this as a carbon copy.»
«I think you could make a good job of it,» he said.
She said, «I'd have to have your assurance that it was all right, that there wasn't going to be anything fradulent connected with it.»
«Oh, certainly,» he said. «It's simply to trap someone who is trying to make trouble with Mrs. Trent's relatives.»
She hesitated for a moment. «Could I have some time to think this over?»
«I'm afraid not, Mrs. Baxter. We're working against time and if you're going to go ahead with this we'd have to do it immediately.»
«What do you mean by 'immediately'?»
«Right now,» he said, indicating the typewriter.
«What do you want in this will?»
He said, «You make the usual statements about the testatrix being of sound and disposing mind and memory and state that she is a widow; that she has no children; that she has two sisters who are married; that one is Dianne, the wife of Boring Briggs; that the other is Maxine who is the wife of Gordon Kelvin.
«Then go on and state that you have recently become convinced that your relatives are actuated by selfish interests and that, therefore, you leave your sister, Dianne, a hundred thousand dollars; that you leave your sister, Maxine, one hundred thousand dollars; that you leave your brother-in-law, Boring Briggs, ten thousand dollars; that you leave your brother-in-law, Gordon Kelvin, ten thousand dollars; that you leave your faithful and devoted chauffeur, George Eagan, who has been loyal to you throughout the years, all of the rest, residue and remainder of your estate.»
Virginia Baxter said, «But I don't see what good that is going to do.»
«Then,» her visitor went on firmly, «you make another will which purports to have been executed just a few weeks before the date of Mr. Bannock's death. In that will you state that you leave Maxine and Gordon Kelvin one thousand dollars apiece; that you leave Boring Briggs and his wife, Dianne, one thousand dollars apiece, being satisfied that these people are actuated purely by selfish interests and have no real affection for you, and you leave all the rest, residue and remainder of the estate to your faithful and devoted chauffeur, George Eagan.»
She started to say something, but he held up his hand and stopped her.
«We will plant those copies of the spurious wills in with Mr. Bannock's papers.
«I can assure you that they will be discovered by persons who are trying to find out in advance the terms of Lauretta Trent's will.
«These two documents will show that some years ago she began to doubt the sincerity of her sisters and particularly her brothers-in-law; that more recently she uncovered proof that they were simply trying to get what they could get their hands on and were actuated by purely selfish motives.»
«But, don't you understand,» she said, «that neither of these wills would be any good at all if-Well, I always signed and witnessed wills that were executed in the office. Mr. Bannock signed, and I signed.
«If they should call me and ask me if I signed this will as a witness, I would have to tell them that this will was completely spurious; that I prepared it only recently and-«
He interrupted her, smiling. «Why don't you just leave all that to me, Mrs. Baxter?» he asked. «Just pick up the five hundred dollars and start typing.»
«I'm afraid I'd be too nervous to do anything while you were here. I'd have to work out the terms of the wills and then you could come back later.»
He shook his head firmly. «I want to take these documents with me,» he said, «and I haven't very much time.»
Virginia Baxter hesitated, then remembering Mason's instructions, went to the drawer of the desk, picked out some of the old legal paper bearing Delano Bannock's imprint, put in new carbon paper, racheted the paper into the typewriter and started typing.
Thirty minutes later when she had finished, her visitor pocketed the carbon copies of the two documents, said, «Now, destroy those originals, Virginia. In fact, I'll destroy them right now.»
He picked up all the originals and copies, folded them and put them in his pocket.
He walked to the door, paused to nod to Virginia Baxter. «You're a good girl,» he said.
She watched him until he had entered the elevator; then she slammed the door, raced for the telephone, called Mason's office and hurriedly reported what had happened.
«Do you have any copies?» Mason asked.
«Only the carbon paper,» she said. «He was smart enough to take the originals as well as the copies, but I followed your suggestion and put in a fresh sheet of carbon paper with each page and he didn't notice what I was doing. You see, I prepared all the pages with the carbon paper inserts in advance, putting out a half a dozen pages on my desk at one time and taking a fresh sheet of carbon paper from t
he box for each page. So I have a set of carbons, and by holding them up to the light, it's easy to read what was written.»
«All right,» Mason said, «bring those carbon copies up to my office just as fast as you can get here.»
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Virginia sat across the desk from Mason, who carefully examined the pages of carbon.
He turned to Della Street. «Della,» he said, «take some cardboard the size of these pages of carbon paper so the carbon paper won't get folded or wrinkled, put these in an envelope and seal the envelope.»
When Della had done this, Mason said to Virginia, «Now, write your name several times across the seal.»
«What's that for?»
«To show that it hasn't been steamed open or tampered with.»
Mason watched her while she wrote her name.
«Now then,» he said, «don't bother with your car because you won't be able to find a parking place and time is running against you.
«Take a taxicab. Rush this envelope to the post office, address it to yourself and send it by registered mail.»
«Then what?» she asked.
«Now, listen very carefully,» Mason said. «When this envelope is delivered to you by registered mail, don't open it. Leave it sealed just as it is.»
«Oh, I see,» she said, «you want to be able to show the date that I-«
«Exactly,» Mason said.
She picked up the envelope, started for the door.
«How are you fixed for provisions in your apartment?» Mason asked.
«Why, I… I have butter, bread, canned goods and some meat…»
«Enough to last you for twenty-four hours if necessary?»
«Yes, indeed!»
Mason said, «Mail that letter, go back to your apartment, stay there, keep the safety chain on the door. Don't admit anyone. If anyone calls to see you, tell him that you're entertaining a visitor and can't be disturbed. Then get his name and telephone me.»
«Why?» she asked. «Do you think I'm in.. in any danger?»
«I don't know,» Mason said. «All I know is that there's a possibility. Someone tried to frame you and discredit you. I don't want that to happen again.»
«Neither do I,» she said vehemently.
«All right,» Mason told her, «on your way to the post office. Then go back to your apartment and stay there.»
When she had left, Della Street looked at Mason with raised eyebrows. «Why should she be in any danger?»
Mason said, «Figure it out for yourself. A will is made. There are two subscribing witnesses. One of them is dead. An attempt was made to put the other in a position where her testimony would have been discredited. Now, a new plan is in operation.»
«But those spurious wills; they can't mean anything.»
«How do you know?» Mason asked. «Suppose two more people die, then what happens?»
«What two people?» she asked.
«Lauretta Trent and Virginia Baxter. Perhaps a fire destroys the home of Lauretta Trent. Presumably the will has been destroyed in the conflagration.
«People look for the carbon copies of the wills prepared by Bannock to establish the contents of the burnt will. They find two wills. The effect of those wills is to indicate that Lauretta Trent was suspicious of her relatives and the people who surrounded her.
«Now then, Delano Bannock is dead. Suppose Virginia Baxter should also die.»
Della Street blinked her eyes rapidly. «Good heavens… are you going to notify the police?»
«Not yet,» Mason said, «but probably within a matter of hours. However, there are a lot of factors involved, and an attorney can't go around making accusations of this sort unless he has something more definite on which to base them.»
«But it won't take much more?» Della Street asked.
«It will take very little more,» Mason said.
CHAPTER TWELVE
It was just before Mason was closing the office that Dr. Alton telephoned.
«Is it all right if I come up for just a few minutes?» Dr. Alton asked. «I've had a terrific work load this afternoon with an office full of patients and I'm just this minute getting free.»
«I'll wait,» Mason said.
«I'll be there within ten minutes,» Dr. Alton promised.
Mason hung up the phone, turned to Della Street, «Any particular plans for this evening, Della? Can you wait with me for Dr. Alton?»
«I'll be glad to,» she said.
«After that,» Mason told her, «we can go out for dinner.»
«Now, those words are music to a secretary's ears,» she told him, «but may I remind you, you don't as yet have any retainer in this case which would cover expenses.»
«We're casting bread on the waters,» Mason said, «and don't let the matter of expense cramp your style. Just don't look at the right side of the menu.»
«My figure,» she sighed.
«Perfect,» Mason said.
She smiled. «I'll go out in the outer office and wait for Dr. Alton.»
«Bring him right in, as soon as he comes,» Mason told her.
Della Street went to the outer office and a few minutes later returned, opening the door and saying, «Dr. Ferris Alton.»
Dr. Alton came bustling forward, radiating intense nervous energy.
He grasped Mason's hand, said, «I'm very pleased indeed to meet you, Mr. Mason. I have to discuss this case with you, personally, which is the reason I'm bothering you.
«Incidentally, I have here two sterile phials containing the material you wanted, some clippings from the fingernails and some hair that has been pulled out by the roots.
«Now, I can either have this processed or you can.»
«Better let me do it,» Mason said. «It will attract less attention that way, and I have some connections which will give me a report within a very short time.»
«Well, I'd be very glad to have you do it,» Dr. Alton said, «but now that you've planted the suspicion in my mind, I have an uneasy feeling that we're going to have positive reactions; that there will be at least two areas in the hair that will show arsenic.
«The first attack took place approximately seven and a half months ago-too long a time, I'd guess, for any traces of the poison to remain. But the second was five weeks ago, and the last one about a week ago.»
«Did you get a dietary history?» Mason asked.
«I wasn't utterly naive,» Dr. Alton said. «I wanted to find out if this was the result of an allergy or, as I suspected, contaminated food.
«On all occasions, she had eaten Mexican food.»
«Who cooked it?» Mason asked.
«She has a chauffeur, a George Eagan, who has been with her for some time. She is very much attached to him-in a business way, of course. He is young enough-Well, I believe there's quite a discrepancy in ages… oh, say fifteen years or so.
«He drives her everyplace and he is the one in charge of the outdoor cooking; whenever they have a barbecue, he does the steaks and the potatoes, does the cooking and the serving, toasts the French bread and all the rest of it. I gather he's very expert.
«He's also expert in cooking; the Mexican foods I mentioned are cooked out of doors.»
«Wait a minute,» Mason said, «she would hardly have the Mexican food cooked just for herself. There must have been others present.»
Dr. Alton said, «In getting a case history, I wasn't even suspicious of poisoning. Therefore, I asked only about what my patient had been eating. I didn't ask about others. I believe other relatives were also present. Eagan, the chauffeur, did the cooking. Apparently no one else besides Lauretta Trent had any symptoms.»
«I see,» Mason said.
«If it was poisoning, and I am now satisfied it was, it was done very expertly… Now then, Mr. Mason, I have a responsibility to my patient. I want to keep from having any recurrence.»
«I told you what to do,» Mason said sharply. «Get three nurses, put them on the job around the clock.»
Dr. Alton shook his head. «I
am afraid that won't work.»
«Why not?» Mason asked.
Dr. Alton said, «We're not dealing with a child, Mr. Mason. We're dealing with a mature woman who likes to have her own way; who is rather arbitrary and-damn it, I've got to have some sort of an excuse to put out special dishes for her.»
Mason's mouth tightened. «How many nurses are on the job now?»
«Just one… a nurse she has from time to time.»
«And how did you get the fingernails and the hair?»
Dr. Alton said, uncomfortably, «I had to use a little subterfuge. I rang up the nurse and told her that I was going to give Mrs. Trent some medicine which might cause a temporary itching of the skin; that it was highly important that she not do any scratching and that I would like to have her nails trimmed down; that I wished she'd explain to the patient what I had in mind and what I was trying to accomplish. I also told her that I'd like to test the hair to see whether her digestive upsets had been due to an allergy caused by either a shampoo or a hair dye. I explained to the nurse that I didn't want to suggest that Mrs. Trent was coloring her hair; but that I felt there might be an allergy, particularly if she had had any itching or sore spots in her scalp and had scratched and had thereby caused an abrasion in the skin that would enable the dye materials to penetrate the bloodstream. I told the nurse to put the nail clippings and the hair in sterile phials.»
Mason said, «Nurses take courses in poisons and their treatment. Do you think your nurse suspected anything?»
«Oh no, not a thing,» Dr. Alton said. «I told the nurse I'd been puzzled about Mrs. Trent's case; that I couldn't believe that the disturbance resulted entirely from food poisoning but that I thought perhaps it might be a combination of things.»
«She didn't give any indication that she thought your requests were unusual?» Mason asked.
«None whatever. She accepted them just as any good nurse would, without any comment. I told her to get a taxi and send the nail parings and the hair in their sterile phials to my office at once.»
Mason said, «I know a laboratory which specializes in forensic medicine and toxicology that will give us a quick report on these, not a quantitative analysis, but it will show whether any arsenic is present.»
The Case of the Horrified Heirs pm-75 Page 7
