“What happened up at Karr’s place?” Della Street asked curiously. “Did the girl make a good impression?”
“Apparently so. At least, on everyone except the Chinese houseboy.”
“What about him?”
“I don’t know,” Mason said. “You can’t exactly place him. Chinese are rather inscrutable at times.”
“Did you find out anything of what it was all about?”
Mason said, “Evidently this man who was going under the name of Dow Tucker and Elston Karr had a partnership sometime in 1920 and 1921. In the latter part of 1920 a third partner was taken in. He betrayed the outfit. Tucker was evidently captured, either executed or murdered. Karr managed to escape, and evidently he had a portion of the partnership funds with him.”
“Who was the third partner?” she asked. “Anyone important?”
“Robindale E. Hocksley.”
Della Street stared at Mason in surprise. “Surely Karr didn’t admit that, did he?”
“Yes.”