“I called to pick up the pictures for Mrs. Morgan Eves,” Mason said. “They may be under the name of Evelyn Whiting.
“But she wanted them mailed to her,” the woman said.
“I know,” Mason said casually, “but that was before she knew I was coming in. She asked me to pick them up.”
The woman opened the drawer and selected two flat yellow envelopes. “There’s six dollars and seventy-five cents due, ” she said.
Mason produced a ten-dollar bill, glanced at the back of the envelopes. The name, “Mrs. Eves,” had been scrawled on the envelopes in pencil. There was no address.
“Wait a minute,” Mason said. “She told me they wouldn’t be over five dollars.”
“I’m sorry,” the woman said, “my prices are cheaper than she could get them done downtown. Six dollars and seventy-five cents is the lowest I can make it.”
Mason said, “I can’t understand it... How were you to receive your money if you’d mailed them out?”
“I was going to send them collect. I was just getting ready to mail them.”
“Tell you what you do,” Mason said. “I don’t want to take the responsibility of paying six dollars and seventy-five cents, but you get them ready and mail them right away because Mrs. Eves is in a hurry for them. You can mail them collect and I’ll tell her they’re on the way.”