Drake said, “I always get suspicious when you throw it in high and don’t tell me what you’re doing, Perry. You and Della take more chances than any airplane stunters in the world.”
Mason took Drake’s arm, led him into the rear of the drug store where there was a telephone booth. Della dropped a nickel, dialed a number with swiftly competent fingers and said, “Hello... Hello... Let me talk with Mr. Scudder, please, at once... This is very important... Tell him I have some information for him... It’s about a case he’s trying tomorrow.”
She glanced up from the transmitter and nodded to Perry Mason. A moment later she said into the telephone, “Hello, Mr. Scudder. This is Mrs. Morgan Eves talking. I’m the real Mrs. Eves; but I don’t want you to ever tell anyone that I called you. My husband’s a crook. You’ll find his record under the name of James Whitly or James Clerke... Now, wait a minute, don’t interrupt me, please. This is something about the case you’re trying... My husband’s now going under the name of Morgan Eves. He’s divorcing me, but he only has an interlocutory decree. The final decree hasn’t been entered yet. But that hasn’t stopped him any. He’s gone through a marriage ceremony with a nurse. Her name’s Evelyn Whiting. They have a flat at 3618 Stockton Boulevard. Evelyn Whiting is the nurse who came over on the ship on which Carl Moar was murdered. She was nursing a man named Roger Cartman who had a broken neck, and he saw the whole murder... Yes, I say he saw it. The nurse had to give him some treatment. She took him up to the hospital quarters and he was sitting there in the wheel chair when Carl Moar was killed. He saw the whole thing.
“Roger Cartman paid Evelyn Whiting to take care of him. He didn’t know she was married. She took him to the flat on Stockton Boulevard and told him she was renting it for him. She and Morgan Eves were just planning to knock down a little money on the side. Then they found out he was a witness, and they got in touch with Perry Mason, and Perry Mason paid them five thousand dollars to get the witness out of the country.... Cartman wanted to testify, but he’s helpless. Yes, I know what I’m talking about. Mr. Mason and Mr. Drake, the detective, were up there and they moved Cartman out. He has a broken neck and can’t do anything by himself... In case you want an eyewitness who can testify to exactly what happened, all you have to do is to get Mr. Cartman and if it’s against the law for Mr. Mason to pay money to have a witness put into hiding, you can get Mr. Mason, too... But don’t you ever mention my name or they’d kill me.”
She slammed the receiver back on the hook and said, “How did I do, Chief?”
“You did swell,” Mason said. Drake shook his head mournfully. “My God!” he said. “I always lead with my chin.”
“What’s next on the program?” Della Street asked.
Mason said, “We have a couple of hours to kill. How about a picture show?”
“Suits me,” Della Street said.
“How would you like a good mystery play, Paul?” Mason asked.