Mattern nodded.
“I’m representing a person,” Mason said, “who is going to be accused of the murder of Albert Tidings.”
“And you mean you’d try to pin it on me in order to get that person off?”
Mason struck a match to his cigarette, blew out the flame, and smiled affably at Mattern. “Exactly,” he said.
“Do you mean to say you’d frame an innocent man…”
“Wait a moment, Carl,” Mason interrupted, stopping him with an upraised hand. “Let’s leave the innocent man out of it.”
“But I am innocent.”
“That,” Mason said, “is nothing for me to decide. That’s up to the jury.”
“But you have no reason to believe I killed him.”
Mason said, “Frankly, Carl, I don’t think you did.”