Mason said, “I don’t know yet exactly what the reason was. However, I’m commencing to have an idea. Notice, moreover, Paul, that lately Casanova says, ‘Put down that gun, Helen... don’t shoot... My God, you’ve shot me.’ ”
“Meaning that Casanova must have been the parrot which was present when the shots were fired?” Drake asked. “And that whoever committed the murder took Casanova away, and subsequently substituted another parrot?”
“Why,” Mason asked, “would a murderer do that?”
“To tell you the truth, Perry, I don’t know. That parrot angle sounds goofy to me.”
“Well,” Mason said, “any explanation which has been offered to me so far sounds goofy; but my best hunch is that that parrot offers the key to the situation. Now, Helen Monteith isn’t home. The sheriff and the district attorney of San Molinas County are wandering around here trying to chase down developments at this end, with the help of Sergeant Holcomb. It should be an excellent time to raid San Molinas.”
“If they catch you cutting corners in that county, you’re going to jail,” Drake warned.
“I know it,” Mason admitted, grinning, “and that’s why I don’t want to be caught cutting corners. If you have your car here, let’s go.”
“You going to lift cage and all?” Drake asked.
“Uh-huh,” Mason said, “and I’m going to put another parrot in place of the one that’s there.”
He picked up his telephone, dialed a number, and after a moment said, “Hello, Helmold, this is Perry Mason, the lawyer. I’d like to get you to run down to your pet store and open the place up. I want to buy a parrot.”