“But,” Mason protested, “I don’t see why you came to me in the first place. Was there something?...”
“No,” she interrupted, “please don’t ask me any more questions. I see that I’d better handle the interview myself if I’m going to get anywhere. Now, I’ll say, ‘Is Mother trying to keep something from me, Mr. Mason?’ and you’ll say, ‘What do you think there is to conceal from you, Belle?’ and I’ll say, ‘Something about Dad,’ and you’ll say ‘But what could there be about your father which should be concealed from you?’ and I’ll say, ‘Well, after all, Mr. Mason, he has done some rather peculiar things during the last two months. That is, they look peculiar if you don’t know Dad,’ and you’ll say ‘What things?’ and I’d say, ‘Hasn’t Mother told you?’ and you’d... No, don’t interrupt me now, Mr. Mason, because I’m driving you into a comer by relentless cross-examination. And you’d say, ‘Don’t you think you should ask your mother rather than me?’ and then that, Mr. Perry Mason, would give me just the opening I’m looking for and I’d say, ‘Mr. Mason, don’t you think that, in justice to all concerned, you should hear Dad’s side of the story?’ and before you could ask me another question I’d say, ‘Well, I do, and I’m going to arrange for you to have a talk with Dad. Personally, I think Moms is all wet. Dad is peculiar and he’s eccentric, but he’s done nothing to be ashamed of, and there’s no need of Moms getting herself all worked up thinking that he has.’ So, Mr. Perry Mason, I’m going to ask you to talk with Dad and hear his side of it before you form any opinion or agree to do anything for Mother.”
“Don’t you think your father might be rather prejudiced against me?” Mason asked.
“Absolutely not,” she said. “He has about the sanest perspective of any man I’ve ever known. He knows you’ve been talking a lot with Mom and...”
“And your father,” Mason interrupted, “has rather studiously avoided me. I’ve gathered from what your mother has said that he’s prejudiced against lawyers.”
“Now that shows all Mom knows about it,” Belle exclaimed indignantly. “Dad used to be prejudiced against what he called criminal lawyers, but that was before he served as a juror when a man was being tried for murder. The man was innocent. Dad says, but his lawyer, a man named Van Densie, seemed to have sold him out. But they couldn’t fool Dad. Dad held out for an acquittal, even when the other eleven were against him. And Dad finally managed to convince those other eleven jurors that the man really was innocent. It made quite an impression on Dad. He said anyone might be accused of crime and circumstantial evidence might look black against him. He said the lawyers who defended men should be more able. He thought Van Densie was incompetent, as well as being a crook. Dad was all worked up about it. He said some day he might be accused of crime, and he’d want a good lawyer to represent him.”
Mason said, “Apparently your father has a mind of his own.”
“Then you’ll see him,” she asked, “and hear what he has to say?”
Mason said, “Look here, Belle, I’m going to be frank with you. I don’t want to see your father and don’t want to talk with him.”
“Why?”