“Tell me about the man who bought it.”
“Well, he wore spectacles and had sort of tired eyes. His clothes didn’t look any too good, and he looked... sort of discouraged... no, not discouraged either. Ever since I talked with Mr. Drake about him, I’ve been trying to think more clearly so I can describe him. He didn’t look unhappy... In fact, he seemed to be a man who knew what he was doing and was living his own life in his own way and getting some happiness out of it. He certainly didn’t seem to have much money. His suit was shiny, and his elbows were worn almost through, but I will say this for him — he was clean.”
“How old?” Mason asked.
“Around fifty-seven or fifty-eight, somewhere around in there.”
“Clean-shaven?”
“Yes, he had wide cheekbones and pretty straight lips. He was about as tall as you are, but he didn’t weigh quite as much.”
“What was his complexion? Pale or ruddy?” Mason asked.
“He looked like some sort of a rancher,” the man said. “He’d been out of doors quite a bit, I think.”
“Did he seem nervous or excited?”
“No, he didn’t seem as though he’d ever get excited over anything, just calm and quiet. Said he wanted to buy a parrot, and he gave me a description of the sort of bird he wanted to buy.”