She lowered her eyes and hesitated.
“About the canary?” Mason asked.
“No,” she said hastily, “not about the canary.”
“Do you usually carry a canary with you?”
She laughed nervously and said, “Of course not. I don’t understand why you attach so much importance to the canary.”
“Because,” he told her, “so few of my clients bring canaries to the office.”
She started to say something, then checked herself. Mason glanced significantly at his wrist watch and his action started her talking. “I want you to help my sister, Rossy,” she said. “That’s short for Rosalind. About six months ago she married Walter Prescott. He’s an insurance adjuster, and he married her for her money. He manipulated things so he got most of it and— and now he’s trying to make trouble for Rossy.”
“What sort of trouble?” Mason asked as she hesitated.
“Trouble over Jimmy.”
“Who’s Jimmy?”