The detective twisted his forehead into a frown. “Gosh, Perry, if that was the case, then Eves would be bound to Moar by a debt of gratitude, and if Evelyn Whiting had been going with Moar for some time, she must have... Why? dammit, Perry, as soon as she found out Moar was on the jury, trying the man she loved, she’d have brought all sorts of pressure to bear to get an acquittal.”
Mason grinned and said, “You’re doing fine, Paul. Go ahead and put through that call. And in the meantime, I’m on my way to the morgue where I will loudly proclaim that the body is not that of Carl Moar.”
“You mean to say they’ve identified the wrong body?” Drake asked.
“I mean to say,” Mason replied, “that I am going to give an interview to the press in which I will positively deny that the body is that of Carl Moar.”
“There’ll be newspaper reporters there?” Della Street asked.
“There will be before I get through talking,” Mason said grimly.
Drake, reaching for the telephone, said, “Gosh, Perry, if you’d only stayed in Bali!”
Chapter 18
Donaldson P. Scudder entered the courtroom with the air of a crusader, armed in the cause of righteousness and intent on routing the forces of evil. He faded to speak to Perry Mason. Judge Romley took the bench. The bailiff intoned the usual formula for opening court.
Scudder arose as soon as court had been convened, cleared his throat and said with the distinct articulation of one who is carefully weighing his words, “Your Honor, it has reached my knowledge within the last few hours that there is another eyewitness to the murder who was within a few feet of the defendant when she fired the first shot. I have endeavored to locate this eyewitness and have failed. While I can make no promises, I sincerely hope to be able to have this witness in court within forty-eight hours. I can assure your Honor that the circumstances necessitating the making of this motion are most unusual. I therefore ask that the case be continued for two days.”