“Well,” Della Street said, “he showed plenty of enthusiasm when it came to finding me.”
Mason nodded. Suddenly a twinkle appeared in his eye. “Now, Della,” he said, “you’ve given me a real idea.”
“What?” she asked.
“We’ll make Scudder think that I’m concealing Eves and Evelyn Whiting. Once he gets that idea, he’ll move heaven and earth to uncover them.”
“And just how are you going to make him think you’re concealing them?” Drake asked.
Mason looked at his watch. “Got a set of skeleton keys, Paul?” he asked.
Drake said, “Oh, my Lord! I should have known better than to have brought this up in the first place.”
Mason grinned, “Get your burglar’s outfit, Paul. We’re going to do a little high-class house breaking.”
“What are you getting at?”
“Has it ever occurred to you,” Mason asked, “that we’ve overlooked the most significant clue in this entire business?”