The Case of the Blonde Bonanza by Erle Stanley Gardner Page B
Authors: Erle Stanley Gardner
Tags: Fiction, General, LEGAL, Mystery & Detective, Crime, Detective and Mystery Stories, Lawyers, Perry (Fictitious Character), Mason
Ads: Link
seeing too many movies. Now quit worrying about Boring. Leave him to me."
The telephone rang.
Mason nodded to Della Street, again turned to Dianne. "Look, Dianne, you're shaking like a leaf. What's the trouble?"
She started to cry.
Della Street, on the telephone, said, "I'll get him right away, Sid."
She nodded to Mason. "Sid Nye. Says it's important."
Mason hurried across to the telephone, picked up the instrument, said, "Yes, Sid. What is it?"
"I don't know," Nye said, "but I've had a call from Moose Dillard. It was a peculiar call."
"What was it?"
"He said, "Sid, do you know who is talking?" and I recognized his voice and said yes, and he said, "Hey Rube" and hung up."
"Just that?" Mason asked.
"Just that. Just Hey Rube. He worked for a circus at one time. You can figure what that means."
"Where are you now?"
"At the Tri-Counties."
"How long will it take you to get down to the front of the Mission Inn?"
"About two minutes."
"I'll be there," Mason said.
The lawyer hung up the telephone, turned to Della Street. "Della," he said, "tell Dianne the story. Break it to her easy, one woman to another. When the food comes up, give her some food and put a piece of steak aside for me. I may be back in time to get it. I may not."
"Two Martinis for Dianne?" Della Street asked.
Mason shifted his eyes to Dianne.
She met his gaze for a moment, then lowered her eyes.
Mason whirled to Della Street. "Not a damn one," he said, "and she's not to talk with anyone until I get back. Understand? Not anyone!"
Mason made a dash for the door.
CHAPTER TEN
Sid Nye picked Mason up in front of the Mission Inn.
"What do you make of it, Sid?"
"It's a jam of some sort. Moose isn't one to lose his head in a situation of that kind. Evidently something's happened and he didn't dare say anything over the phone because the call probably went through the switchboard at the motel. He evidently wanted to use something that I'd understand and other people wouldn't. Moose is quite a character. He had a circus background and he knew I'd understand Hey Rube."
"That means a free-for-all fight?" Mason asked.
"Not exactly. It means that all the carnival people gather together against the outsiders. It may or may not mean a clem, but it means you start knocking anything or anybody out of your way and-well, it's just a good old rallying battle cry."
Nye was piloting the car with deft skill through the traffic.
"Then Dillard needs help?"
"He sure as hell does," Nye said. "It could be almost anything. It means he's in a hell of a jam and wants us to get there."
"Well," Mason said, "it suits me all right. I'm due to have a little talk with Harrison T. Boring as of now."
"It's a talk he'll like?" Nye asked, grinning.
Mason said, "It's a talk which will, I hope, give Mr. Boring an entirely new series of ideas and perhaps a complete change of environment."
Nye swung the car down a side street, suddenly slowed, said, "That's a police car in front of the place, Perry."
"What number is Dillard in?" Mason asked.
"Number 5."
"All right," Mason said, "drive right up to Number 5. if Dillard is in trouble, we'll be right there. If the police car is there for someone else, we'll pay no attention but go into Dillard's place."
Nye swung into the entrance of the motel, found a parking place, switched off headlights and ignition, looked to Mason for instructions.
"Right into Number 5," Mason said.
The lawyer and Nye converged on the door of Number5.
"Try the knob," Mason said in an undertone.
Nye was reaching for the knob when the door opened.
There were no lights on inside the unit. The big lumbering individual who hulked in the doorway said in a husky voice, "Come on in."
"No lights?" Nye asked.
"No lights," Dillard said, and closed the door behind them. "Don't stumble over anything. Your eyes'll get accustomed to the darkness in a minute. I'm sitting here at the window with the curtains parted so I can get a line on what's happening."
"What is
The telephone rang.
Mason nodded to Della Street, again turned to Dianne. "Look, Dianne, you're shaking like a leaf. What's the trouble?"
She started to cry.
Della Street, on the telephone, said, "I'll get him right away, Sid."
She nodded to Mason. "Sid Nye. Says it's important."
Mason hurried across to the telephone, picked up the instrument, said, "Yes, Sid. What is it?"
"I don't know," Nye said, "but I've had a call from Moose Dillard. It was a peculiar call."
"What was it?"
"He said, "Sid, do you know who is talking?" and I recognized his voice and said yes, and he said, "Hey Rube" and hung up."
"Just that?" Mason asked.
"Just that. Just Hey Rube. He worked for a circus at one time. You can figure what that means."
"Where are you now?"
"At the Tri-Counties."
"How long will it take you to get down to the front of the Mission Inn?"
"About two minutes."
"I'll be there," Mason said.
The lawyer hung up the telephone, turned to Della Street. "Della," he said, "tell Dianne the story. Break it to her easy, one woman to another. When the food comes up, give her some food and put a piece of steak aside for me. I may be back in time to get it. I may not."
"Two Martinis for Dianne?" Della Street asked.
Mason shifted his eyes to Dianne.
She met his gaze for a moment, then lowered her eyes.
Mason whirled to Della Street. "Not a damn one," he said, "and she's not to talk with anyone until I get back. Understand? Not anyone!"
Mason made a dash for the door.
CHAPTER TEN
Sid Nye picked Mason up in front of the Mission Inn.
"What do you make of it, Sid?"
"It's a jam of some sort. Moose isn't one to lose his head in a situation of that kind. Evidently something's happened and he didn't dare say anything over the phone because the call probably went through the switchboard at the motel. He evidently wanted to use something that I'd understand and other people wouldn't. Moose is quite a character. He had a circus background and he knew I'd understand Hey Rube."
"That means a free-for-all fight?" Mason asked.
"Not exactly. It means that all the carnival people gather together against the outsiders. It may or may not mean a clem, but it means you start knocking anything or anybody out of your way and-well, it's just a good old rallying battle cry."
Nye was piloting the car with deft skill through the traffic.
"Then Dillard needs help?"
"He sure as hell does," Nye said. "It could be almost anything. It means he's in a hell of a jam and wants us to get there."
"Well," Mason said, "it suits me all right. I'm due to have a little talk with Harrison T. Boring as of now."
"It's a talk he'll like?" Nye asked, grinning.
Mason said, "It's a talk which will, I hope, give Mr. Boring an entirely new series of ideas and perhaps a complete change of environment."
Nye swung the car down a side street, suddenly slowed, said, "That's a police car in front of the place, Perry."
"What number is Dillard in?" Mason asked.
"Number 5."
"All right," Mason said, "drive right up to Number 5. if Dillard is in trouble, we'll be right there. If the police car is there for someone else, we'll pay no attention but go into Dillard's place."
Nye swung into the entrance of the motel, found a parking place, switched off headlights and ignition, looked to Mason for instructions.
"Right into Number 5," Mason said.
The lawyer and Nye converged on the door of Number5.
"Try the knob," Mason said in an undertone.
Nye was reaching for the knob when the door opened.
There were no lights on inside the unit. The big lumbering individual who hulked in the doorway said in a husky voice, "Come on in."
"No lights?" Nye asked.
"No lights," Dillard said, and closed the door behind them. "Don't stumble over anything. Your eyes'll get accustomed to the darkness in a minute. I'm sitting here at the window with the curtains parted so I can get a line on what's happening."
"What is
Similar Books
