“Did you talk with Mrs. Bedford?” Mason asked.
“No. The shop foreman did.”
“What did he tell her?”
“Told her Uncle George was out at the time, but he’d have him call as soon as he came in.”
“Well,” Mason said, “you might get in touch with police headquarters and find out if your aunt has suffered any relapses. That spell may well have been her heart. She may have had another and been taken to the emergency hospital. Or...” He broke off as the door from the outer office opened, and the girl from the information desk tiptoed quietly into the room, to stand just within the doorway. “What is it?” Mason asked.
“A Mr. Cullens is in the outer office,” she said. “He seems to be very much excited and says he must see Miss Trent immediately.”
Virginia Trent gave an exclamation of dismay. “You’ll have to hide me somewhere,” she said to Mason, and then to the girl, “Tell him I’m not here. Tell him I’ve left. Tell him...”
“Tell him nothing of the sort,” Mason interrupted. “Let’s get this thing straight. How did he know you were here, Miss Trent?”
“I left word at the office that if Aunty came in she was to call me here. I guess Mr. Cullens went to the office and the foreman told him.”
“And Cullens was the one who brought your uncle the Bedford business?” She nodded. “You’ve got to see him sooner or later,” Mason told her. “You’d better make it sooner. After all, he’s entitled to some sort of a break. I presume he vouched for your uncle to Mrs. Bedford.”