“Why five-twenty in particular?” Mason asked.
“Well,” Mattern said, “it was… well, it just happened to be the time that I mentioned, that’s all.”
“Wasn’t that rather early for a dinner date?”
“Yes, perhaps. But I wanted to get in to the show in time for the first picture.”
“This young woman works?”
“No, she doesn’t.”
Mason said, “Well, let’s go back to Tuesday morning.”
“I came to the office at nine o’clock,” Mattern said. “Mr. Tidings came in about nine-fifteen. We handled some correspondence until ten-thirty, then we discussed details in connection with the closing of the Western Prospecting deal, and you called up. That started Tidings sputtering about what a busybody Mrs. Tump was, and we discussed that for several minutes. Then Tidings went out, and I went over to close that Western Prospecting deal.”
“See anyone except Tidings on Tuesday morning?” Mason asked.
“The brokers. Then there was Mrs. Tump shortly after eleven.”