“And did you communicate your reluctance to Mr. Mason?”
“I did. I told him that I couldn’t do it.”
“And what did Mason say?”
“Mason pointed out to me that Tidings was dead, and there was nothing I could do that would restore him to life, that it would be much better for all concerned, particularly his clients…”
“And he used the word in that connection and in the plural?” Berger asked.
“That’s right, he did. Yes, sir.”
“Go ahead.”
“… that it would be much better for his clients if it was made to appear that Mr. Tidings had met his death after noon of that day. He asked me if it wasn’t true that Mr. Tidings had secured a cashier’s check in an amount of fifty thousand dollars which was to be delivered for the purchase price of the stock. I told him that this was true. So then Mr. Mason suggested that he would call me later on, on the telephone, that I was to tell his secretary that Mr. Tidings was available and would talk with Mr. Mason. Mason said that he’d come on the line, and I could carry on a conversation, and he would pretend that it was Tidings on the other end of the line, that I was also to advise any other person who called that Mr. Tidings was in his office but was engaged in a conference and couldn’t be disturbed, that I was to go ahead with the stock purchase just as though Tidings were there, and that I was to swear that Tidings had accompanied me down in the elevator; and then, to clinch matters after the purchase had been completed, I was to swear that Tidings had called up and asked me if everything had gone through according to schedule.”
“And he promised you ten thousand dollars for this?” Berger asked.
“Yes, sir.”