The Case of the Daring Divorcee by Erle Stanley Gardner

gun and get out-all within ten minutes.
    "Now, of course he may have reasoned the way Paul did, that the gun would be somewhere in my desk. But the way the thing was planned this man had to know where the gun was."
    "I don't follow you on that," Della Street said.
    "If he had anticipated a long search," Mason explained, "he'd have told the cleaning woman he had some work to do and didn't want to be disturbed.
    "He didn't do that. He told her he was catching a plane and had stopped in to get some papers. That meant he had committed himself to quick action, a hurried in-andout affair."
    "Gosh, yes!" she exclaimed. "That means he must have known no long search was going to be necessary."
    "Exactly," Mason said.
    "Oh-oh," Della Street said, "I am now beginning to get the full implications."
    Mason said, "Call Hastings' office, Della. Let's see if we can get Simley Beason before he goes to lunch."
    She put through the call and a moment later said, "Mr. Simley Beason, please… – Tell him it's Mr. Mason's office calling-Mr. Perry Mason, the attorney."
    She held the phone for a moment, then nodded to Perry Mason and said, "They're calling him. He's coming to he phone."
    Into the instrument she said, "Hello, Mr. Beason? This is Della Street, Mr. Mason's secretary. Mr. Mason wants to talk with you. Just a moment, please."
    Mason picked up his telephone, said, "Hello, Mr. Beason. I want to have a talk with you as soon as possible. I realize this has been rather a devastating morning as far as you're concerned, but a very embarrassing situation has developed and I feel that you can be of some help to Mrs. Hastings, or perhaps I should say, to the cause of justice and perhaps prevent an injustice being done."
    Beason said, "If there's anything I can do, Mr. Mason, I'll be glad to do it. I was very close to Mr. Hastings in his lifetime and of course I saw a good deal of the present Mrs. Hastings while she was employed here, and I'd certainly like to do anything I can to help."
    "Could you come up here during the noon hour?" Mason asked.
    "Let's see, I was just getting ready to leave for lunch. I-Yes, I could eat later all right. I'll be there."
    "Good," Mason said. "I'll wait for you. Thank you very much, Mr. Beason."
    The lawyer hung up the telephone and looked at Della Street.
    "Well?" she asked.
    "It's rather significant," Mason said, "that at no time did he ask me where my office was."
    "Of course," Della Street said, "he could look up the address in the phone book."
    "And that would take time," Mason pointed out. "He's in a hurry. It would have been very simple to have said, 'Where's your office, Mason?' He didn't ask. I think that means he knew.
    "Get Paul Drake on the line, tell him to get Mrs. Grump and ask her to come up here right away. Tell her she may not have to wait over a very few minutes.
    "Tell Gertie she can take her lunch hour now, Della, and you can sit out there and watch the outer office. If Beason comes in before Mrs. Grump, bring him right into the office and then go back and wait for Mrs. Grump. Let me know as soon as she comes in."
    Della Street nodded. "Sandwiches?" she asked.
    Mason grinned. "We're on a Paul Drake diet. Order a couple of hamburgers sent up from the restaurant downstairs."
    "With everything?" Della Street asked.
    "Everything," Mason said. "Every little bit helps."

Chapter Seven
    Mason's office phone rang and the lawyer, picking up the receiver, heard Della Street's voice saying, "Mr. Simley Beason in the office. He says you're expecting him."
    "Show him in," Mason said.
    A moment later Della Street opened the door and a tall man of about thirty-five with wavy, dark hair, dark intense eyes and wearing a dark suit, came forward with his hand outstretched.
    "Mr. Mason," he said, "I'm very glad to meet you."
    "It's my pleasure," Mason said, gripping the hand cordially. "Won't you be seated?"
    Beason settled himself in the overstuffed leather chair.
    Mason said, "I want some information. I need it