“So Jimmy left the house?”
“Yes. But Mrs. Snoops must have telephoned for the police when the accident happened, because when Jimmy walked out of the house, he walked right into the arms of a couple of officers who’d driven up in a radio car. They asked questions about the accident and took Jimmy’s name and address. They made him show them his driving license so he had to give them his right name.”
“What time was this?” Mason asked.
“It must have been two or three hours ago. I think it was right about noon when the accident happened.”
“What time did Rosalind call you?”
“Around ten or eleven o’clock, I think— I can’t tell exactly.”
“Well,” Mason said, “if you want me to represent your sister in the divorce action, you’d better have her come in and talk with me.”
Rita Swaine nodded, leaned across the arm of the chair and spoke rapidly. “Yes, that’s all right, Mr. Mason, I’ll have her do that, but don’t you think it would be a good plan to fix things so we could keep Walter from ever finding out that Jimmy was there at the house? You see, Rosalind left this morning and Walter might make it appear that Jimmy had something to do with her leaving.”
“But Jimmy is in love with you,” Mason said.
She nodded.