Perry Mason and the Case of the Innocent Mom

by susan cousineau

This is the ongoing story of Perry Mason and Della Street and their life in and out of the court room.

Della Street and Perry Mason were finally on their way to San Diego. Their trip had been cancelled twice

so far. The first time being the charges against Mike, Lori's now fiancée and then on the murder charges

brought against their friend the clock maker. But, now they were on their way to a much needed relaxing

three day holiday.

They would be staying at one of the nicest hotels that San Diego had to offer Perry had seen to that. The

ride was long and pleasant with much to see along the way. More than once Perry pulled over to let Della

take some photos. He was glad that she was not in the mood for walking on the beach at this time. "I

will have plenty of time at the beach once we get to San Diego" Della had said with a laugh. She knew that

Perry did not like to get his feet full of sand.

Della looked up at Perry, who was whistling as they drove along the highway that hugged the huge green

sparkling water of the pacific ocean. She smiled and sat closer to the man she loved and took a deep

breath. The combination of Perry's cologne and the ocean air was magnificent.

The ride was relatively short only taking a little over two hours and they had arrived at the hotel right

as their rooms were ready. Perry had gotten them two rooms that were adjoining, so that they would not

have to keep on going into the hallway. He wanted the privacy that the adjoining rooms would allow

them. Each of their rooms had balconies overlooking the ocean and there were to be fireworks tonight

for them to watch together.

Della walked into her room and was impressed. It was a large room with a desk and a table for eating

when they called room service. She was hoping that they could eat in their rooms tonight and then go

out onto the balcony and watch the fireworks. It was then that she saw the five dozen roses that had

been left on her table from Perry she was sure. She wanted to be alone with Perry, and this would be a

great time for it. She was unpacking her bags when there was a knock on the adjoining door. She

opened the door and smiled at Perry who was standing there tall in the doorway.

"My dear, this is a full service hotel, you do not need to unpack your bags. They will unpack and put all

of your clothes away for you. It is time for us to have a good time. " Perry told her with a smile. He

took her in his arms and kissed her tenderly.

"Oh thank you for the roses. They are just delightful. I know that this is a full service hotel, but I still

like to take care of my own things. It will just take a minute." Della told him as she looked at her things

spread out on the bed.

"Come on young lady, we are on vacation and I am hungry. They say that this hotel has one of the best

restaurants in the city. When we are done we will go over to the zoo and go see all of these animals that

you have been talking about. We will spend the day and then come back here for the fireworks and a

private dinner? Perhaps?" Perry told her as he kissed her hair.

"That sounds great to me Perry. Let me just freshen up a little and we will be on our way." Della told him

with a smile.

Perry had chosen a wonderful hotel and the food was delicious. The view of the water and the service was

great. After they had eaten Della needed a nap, but they were on vacation and it was off to the zoo. The

zoo was huge and they took one of the package deals. As they walked around and watched each of the

animals in their own domain Della thought that some of them appeared to be sad. 'People were right we

should not force animals to live in cages.' she was glad to see that most of the animals had a large separate

enclosures for them to feel free.

When the afternoon was over and they headed back to the hotel Della smiled at Perry. She knew that he was

as tired as she was, but he smiled at her and talked about tonight . "If you don't mind I would like to take

a short nap before dinner." Della asked him.

"Of course, I am a little tired too. I will have dinner brought to my room for seven . That way we can take our

time eating and enjoying our meal, and then at nine the fireworks will start. The weather is wonderful and I

hope that we can enjoy our dinner out on the balcony." Perry told her as he gave her a kiss.

Della walked into her room and saw that everything she had left was indeed put away and then laid down on

the bed and fell asleep with a few moments. She barely remembered her head hitting the pillow. When she

woke up it was after six. She wanted to dress for dinner, as she had chosen a new outfit and so Della had to

hurry. She had just gotten ready when there was a soft knock on the door. It was Perry. He was standing

there in his tuxedo, and smiled at what he saw. Della was beautiful, with a deep blue gown on with the pearl

necklace that he had given her on. Her make up was perfect and he could have grabbed and loved her right

there, but it was time for dinner.

Perry had gone all outdoors for the dinner that evening. With a twenty dollar tip Perry had been able to get

one of the orderlies to set the table up on the balcony that night. The sun was still shining brightly in the

sky but Perry knew that the evening sky would soon show up. He started the meal with caviar and then it went

uphill from there. The shrimp cocktail consisted of large tender shrimp and the best cocktail sauce that Della

had ever tasted. Then the main meal consisted of a fourteen ounce steak cooked to perfection with petite

potatoes and candied carrots. For desert there was a chocolate mouse that melted in their mouths. When

dinner was done it was eight thirty and a perfect time for them to get ready to watch the fireworks that

evening.

The waiter removed the table from the balcony and put the chairs back the way that they had once been and

Perry took a seat next to Della. The lights were coming on and they appeared to make her eyes shine. "Oh

Perry the dinner was wonderful and the view from the balcony is just unbelievable." Della told him as she

leaned over to give him a kiss.

Perry took both of her arms and returned the kiss. "I wish that we could have more times like this. You deserve

to be treated like a queen, and I am going to do my best for you to feel that way." and with that he squeezed

her hands.

The fireworks were long and beautiful. They were always a treat to Della. Since she was a little girl she had

been to many shows and had loved to watch them with her mom and dad and Lori. She smiled at Perry as

he sat there and watched the show with a big smile on his face also.

Perry remembered the fireworks that he had seen when he was a child and the times that he and his brother

Dave had set the fireworks off by themselves. They had nearly burned the treehouse that they had built

once and had not set off anymore fireworks on their own afterwards. He laughed to himself thinking of Dave

and him running back and forth with buckets of water, because the tree kept smoldering.

When the fireworks were over Della and Perry stayed out on the balcony for a long time afterward. Neither

one of them wanted the night to end. Perry held her hand and they sat there enjoying the quiet of the evening

and watched as the people left the fireworks show headed for their homes.

When everything quieted down they just sat there and watched the ocean waves and listened to the bustling

of the people on the street. The two of them sat outside for a while, and then it did start to get a little chilly

and Perry said "Let's go in."

Della wanted to stay with Perry, but she was tired and they said their good nights. They were going to be going

to see a lighthouse in the morning. They would be taking the ferry out and spending the day on the island.

Their day would be starting early.

Della had asked for a call at seven that morning to make sure that she would be awake for breakfast, but

had found herself wide awake at six, her normal wake up time. She had gotten up and showered and dressed

when the familiar knock came on the door and Perry came in. He was so handsome, that Della did not want

to leave the room. She wanted to devour him. 'Bad Della' she thought to herself.

Perry looked at Della who looked good no matter what time of day it was and smiled. He had something

that he had wanted to ask her, but had not gotten up the nerve the night before. He leaned down and

gave her a kiss good morning. "Della, would you like to have breakfast out on the balcony?" he asked her.

"That sounds great to me. I love the privacy and the view." Della told him with a smile.

The same waiter who had come up to Perry's room the night before came up this morning. He gladly took

the table and moved it to the balcony. Breakfast was good and hot and the view was great. Della watched

as Perry buttered his toast and thought that he had something on his mind. "Something on your mind today

counselor" she asked.

Perry cleared his throat and told her "I have been thinking about you and me for the past few months, and

it just seems to me that you are more than my secretary. I feel that you are my partner, not only at work

but in my private life. I would like to take another step toward making you more than just a female friend.

I would like to offer you a full partnership. We cannot go further if you are not my equal, I feel." he asked

her with a genuine smile.

'A full partnership, omg he is serious.' Della thought to herself. "Oh Perry what a wonderful offer, but I

am not a lawyer." Della told him.

"You have your part in this partnership. If it was not for your work, I would be a good attorney, but with

your work we have become known as a team. I want the woman I love to be my partner in life and

business. I do not want anyone to be have the upper arm in this relationship, I want us to both be equals."

Perry told her with a smile.

'He wanted a full partnership. This was a big honor and there were not very many secretaries that had

ever been offered this. Della hoped that this was the next step as he said it was. Perry was so thorough

on everything, he probably would not marry me until I am his equal.' Della smiled at him and told him

"I just do not know what to say, this is such an honor. Thank you, I accept. Does it come with a raise?"

she smiled.

"Ah Della always the logical person. Of course it comes with a raise. But your job will stay the same more

or less. I have just changed the wordings so that you will be able to sign more things for me. I hope that

this will be our next step in our relationship. I love you." he told her.

Della leaned over and gave his a passionate kiss. When they came up for some air. she whispered "I love

you very much Perry Mason." and they held each other in their arms for several minutes there on the balcony

overlooking the beautiful city.

There are times when you don't want a moment to end and this was one of those moments for both Della and

Perry. Here they were in one of the nicest hotels in the beautiful city of San Diego and they would have been

the envy of anyone who knew who they were and what had just been decided between the two of them. This

was a big step in their relationship and they both were well aware of it.

As they drove towards the ferry with the top down on the mustang, the two of them were quiet. It was a

beautiful city and the smell of the ocean air was wonderful. Della loved to go to see lighthouses and she and

Perry had been on many visits to lighthouses all up and down the California coastline. The ride on the ferry

was going to take about a half an hour so they got out of their car to watch the ocean and surf as they rode

towards the lighthouse.

As the rocks of the island and the large unused lighthouse came into view Della took some pictures. The view

was wonderful. The lighthouse had been totally restored and they would soon be able to go up to the top

and watch the view from there. Della and Perry stood against the rail arm in arm laughing as the ocean water

splashed up and got them wet. It was late in the year but the water was still pretty warm. Della jumped back

and Perry caught her. They embraced and decided to go back to the car. They would be getting off of the

ferry shortly.

The island was a large one and had been heavily commercialized. There were many shops with different types

of things to buy. . As they walked the beach and the town they tried out some salt water taffy and then headed

out to the lighthouse. The lighthouse stood up on top of some rocks very near a short pier that people used for

fishing. As they walked up to the top of the lighthouse Della could not help but notice how narrow and steep

the stairs were. When they reached the top the view was spectacular. There was a walkway that went around the

entire lighthouse and the two of them stood there for several minutes watching the boats and the view. It was

well worth the trip and Della bought Lori a postcard that was to be mailed right from there that day.

It was late when they got back to the hotel room and Perry wanted to eat someplace different that night. He

had reservations at a club just three miles from there, where he and Della could eat and dance. He knew that

she enjoyed going to the clubs and he enjoyed it too. "Give me an hour and I will be ready." Della had told him

with a smile and a quick kiss.

As Della knocked on Perry's door to let him know that she was ready, she smiled when he answered the door. He

was so handsome standing there in his suit and tie and his spit shined shoes. He kissed her as he took her arm

and headed out the door towards the restaurant. The club was a very famous place, but with Perry at her side

they were allowed right in.

The night was wonderful as they both could have expected. The music and the dancing was wonderful and

they both had a great time. They only had one more night together and it would be time to go home. Della

did not want the weekend to end, and either did Perry.

As the arrived back at the hotel Della went into Perry's room. His room was a little larger and had the huge

balcony where they had shared their meals in privacy. They wanted to have some more private time together

on this night. For they would be leaving for their own homes tomorrow evening and this was to be their last

night where what happened there would stay there. Once they were back at home people would know what

they were doing and where they were most of the time. They wanted to make this time special and so

Perry pulled the sofa towards the sliding doors going to the balcony and patted the seat for Della to take a

seat next to him.

Della took the seat willingly and smiled as Perry put his arm around her shoulders. The view was absolutely

magnificent and she leaned on his arm to enjoy the quiet of the moment. They sat there in the peace of the

room and savored the privacy of the moment.

"So what would my partner like to do when we get back to LA?" Perry asked Della with a smile.

"This partner is going to wait and see what the new responsibilities are." Della laughed.

"You have been doing all of these things all along. I have just taken you for granted. It will not happen to

you anymore. I want you and I to be partners for life." Perry leaned and kissed Della very passionately and

did not pull away until he really needed to breathe. He saw that she was like him and he wanted to enjoy

the moment.

"I wanted this time to be special and as it is the last day before we go back to our homes, I wanted to spend

some time with you in private." Perry told her.

"Well as your full partner, I concur. This is so peaceful. I do not want this moment to end." Della told him.

Della was not ready for Perry's next more. He got off of the couch and got down on his knees. He held out

a small box for her and opened it. Inside was a huge diamond ring. It had a large diamond in the center and

several diamonds surrounding it. "Will you marry me?" he asked her.

Della looked at him with a big smile and told him "I do." The two of them held each other in their arms and

kissed once more. As Della put her head on his shoulder she was way up on cloud nine. This was the day

that she had hoped for. 'He wanted to marry her.'

Perry leaned back very thrilled with her answer. He had been so nervous that something would go wrong,

but the ring had fit like a glove and she had said yes . Life was good. He had wanted to make sure that

Della had known that he wanted her to be hiss full partner in life. He did not want to be the boss, he

wanted her to be his equal and she had accepted both.

As Della went to bed that night, she looked at the ring. It was way too fancy for her , but she knew that Perry

would not have settled for anything but the best. She could not wait until the morning when he and she would

be together again. Soon she would be living with this man too. Oh so many changes, and the changes were all

going to be happy ones, of that she was sure.

The next morning they had to leave by eleven, and so they enjoyed their breakfast together one more time

on the balcony. But this time they were engaged, their first full day of an engagement. Della could not help

but look at the ring. "Perry, the ring is beautiful. I love it and you." she told him as she grabbed his hand that

was resting on the table.

Perry took her hand in his and smiled. " I have been carrying that ring around in my pocket ever since we first

made our plans to go to San Diego. But, I am glad that I waited. We have gotten even closer since that time

and I am now ready totally for my devotion to you."

"I am glad that we had this time together also, Perry. Sometimes I don't think that you and I have enough time

for ourselves. But, I know that what we are doing is for the good of others, and I am proud to be your partner

both in business and in life. I will make your life a good one I promise." Della told him tenderly.

"I have decided to dedicate my life to you also. There was a time that I thought that all I would have was my law

practice. You have shown me that I can have a life outside of the office, and I am glad that you will be spending

that time with you." Perry told her with a smile.

Della smiled at him and off they headed back to their homes. It had been a wonderful weekend and she could

not wait to show Lori her ring. It was going to be quite a day. She settled into the car and nestled as close to

Perry as she could and they were off.

As they approached Della's house, Della and Perry could not help but notice all of the police cars in the yard just

three houses down. It was the home of the Davis family. Della could not help but wondering what was going

on. Mrs. Davis was a nurse at a local hospital and her husband worked for the railroad. They had five well

behaved children also. Della clutched Perry's arm as they pulled into the driveway.

Della was sure that Lori would know what was going on and so as she and Perry entered her home. she was

expecting to find Lori there waiting to talk to Perry and her. She was Lori was standing in the living room next

to the window and looked up at the two of them with worry on her face.

Perry took all the bags and went to bring them into Della's room, as Della asked Lori what was going on. Lori

looked at her and told her "Dottie Davis is going to need an attorney. She came by last night to see you Della

but left without telling me anything when she found out that you weren't home. She seemed so worried and

then today I saw her taken out of the house in handcuffs." Lori told her in a worried tone.

Dottie Davis was the proud mother of five children ranging in age from three to eighteen. She had always lived

a quiet life on a quiet street and had always minded her own business. When she had been offered a job for

extra money as a private nurse, she had taken the job willingly. The lady had fallen and broken her leg and

would be bedridden for the next six weeks, so she would need someone there while her husband was at work.

The job had not been a difficult one and she was welcome to bring her children with her.

Everything had gone well, and she had been alone in the house when she had heard a noise in the bedroom. It

was then that she had found Mrs. Hall lying half way on the bed and half way on the floor. She was non responsive

and Dottie had called 911 immediately. But, they had been unable to revive her and she had been pronounced

dead at the hospital a little while later.

Denise Hall had been a woman in her mid forties, with some money. She lived in a large home in the hill section

of the community and her husband owned a small business. Other than the broken leg Dottie had found that she

was a healthy pleasant woman. She was not the type of person that one would think could be murdered because

of her attitude. Her husband seemed nice also.

After Dottie had found that Denise had passed on, she was very upset. She was the nurse in charge of her care and

should have seen something wrong, but she had not. The last time she had seen her Denise had been sleeping.

There were no signs of trouble and she had been downstairs getting her meds ready. She had only left her alone

in the room for about ten minutes, and had heard nothing in the house during the time. As soon as she had seen

the police coming to her house, she had known she was in trouble, but arrested for murder? She needed to get

hold of a lawyer. Lori had said that Della would be back that day, and she was glad to see Mr. Mason's car in

the driveway as she had been driven to the police station. She hoped that he would take her case, as she knew

that he was the best criminal attorney in the city maybe the state or country.

Clint Davis watched in horror as his wife was taken to the police station. Dottie had never hurt a soul in her life,

as a matter of fact she had dedicated her life to helping others. She was a good nurse and a good mother and

wife to him. His whole world was turning inside out. He daughter said that she would stay with the young ones

and he headed over to the Street home. He had seen Perry Mason's car in the driveway and he hoped beyond

hope that Mr. Mason would be willing to help them.

As Clint Davis walked up the walkway to the Street home the front door opened. It was Perry Mason himself

standing there. He had met him only once at a barb q that they had at the Street home one time last summer.

He shook the man's hand and apologized for coming over. "I need a lawyer, a good one for my wife. Can you

help me ? " he asked.

"I am always available to help the innocent Clint. If you wish I can go to the police station and represent your

wife while she is being interrogated. There will be a bail hearing in the morning I will see to it. But, for now

I need to get to the police station and make sure she doesn't talk to the police until I talk to your wife. Is that

all right with you?" he asked

Clint Davis smiled and thanked the man. "Anything you can do to help us would be greatly appreciated. Thank

you for taking the time." he said and with that Perry walked out of the house with a nod to Della and Lori.

Della watched as Perry left to once more save someone from trouble and she smiled with pride. He was to be

her husband someday.

It was as Della turned to watch Perry that Lori noticed the ring, and omg what a rock. It gleamed in the sunlight

and must have been weighing down Della's hand. The diamond was huge. "Della omg, Perry asked you to marry

him this weekend? I can't believe it." she grabbed Della and gave her a big hug.

Della smiled at her sister "Yes, he did, but first he made me his full partner. He wants me to be equal in this and

he wanted me to know that before he asked me to marry him. He caught me by surprise. I thought that all he

wanted me to be was his full partner." Della told her excitedly.

"He made you his full partner? That is the best thing next to engagement that I could imagine. The two of you

deserve the best. Why look you just get back from three days off and Perry is already on another case. The two

of you never have any free time I love you both." Lori told her.

Perry arrived at the police station downtown and went to the interrogation room where Dottie Davis was about

to be questioned. "I would like to take a few minutes alone with my client." he told Lt Tragg.

Perry took a seat across from Dottie and smiled. "Do not worry, I know that it is hard to believe at this time,

but things can only get better from here. Please tell me everything that happened yesterday. Did anyone

come to the house? Were there any deliveries or phone calls at all?" Perry asked her.

"There was just the delivery man that delivered Denise's medicine. He works for the local pharmacy and has

worked there for years. I know him from the hospital. The only other thing that happened was I got a phone

call but the person hung up when I answered the phone. I heard or saw nothing that morning at all. But

my youngest Kelly was being a little noisy. I had to keep on telling her to be quiet because Mrs. Hall was

upstairs sleeping." she told him.

"I want you to think hard and if you think of anything else please tell me. I have a private investigator Paul

Drake who helps me out on cases like this. I will call him when I leave." Perry told him.

Unfortunately for Dottie Davis, she was booked and pictured and photographed that day. She would have to

spend the night in jail, but Perry would get her out tomorrow she knew it.

Perry started to go home, but wanted to talk to Della. It was getting late, though, and he knew that she would

be tired. So he decided to give her a call. "Hi Della . I talked to Dottie Davis and although, she will need to

stay in jail overnight, she will get a hearing tomorrow afternoon. I hate to ask, but we are going to need to

have most of the paperwork done tonight. Are you available?" he asked.

"Of course, where do you want to work? We can work here Lori just went out with Mike and will be gone most

of the evening." Della offered

"I'm sorry Della but I wanted nothing to bother us this weekend and I am afraid that I am going to have to stop

by the office for the papers I need. I will be at your home in half an hour. Is that all right with you?" he asked

her.

"That is fine. I will be waiting." Della told him.

Sometimes working with a lawyer is like working with a doctor The hours can be long and tiring and Perry and

Della worked until past midnight getting the papers ready for the courthouse the next morning. The hearing

would not be until late of that Perry was sure, but the briefs would need to be filed as soon as possible, so

that the district attorney would get the information in time for the hearing.

It was back to work for Perry and Della once again and the morning would come soon, too soon. Della kissed

her fiancée good night and headed to bed herself.

That morning there was more time to be spent in the courthouse, and congratulations were offered by both

Lt Tragg and Hamilton Burger on the engagement and that Della had been made a full partner in the firm. "You

deserve this Della and congrats again." Burger had told them.

Lt Tragg smiled and said "I knew that someday this would happen. I hope that the two of you have the type

of life that my wife and I had forty years and I would not give up a moment of that time."

The bail hearing went as expected and as soon as bail was paid Dottie Davis would be free. As her husband went

to go and see the bail bondsman Paul Drake came into the courtroom. He had gotten Perry's message and had

come right over as soon as he had heard the news.

Perry and Della let him know what had happened and what he needed to do. "You need to please do all the checking

on the Hall family and their finances and personal life. I also want you to look into Clint Davis his small company

and his and his family finances. That will keep you busy for while. Thanks." Perry asked him.

Paul smiled as he noticed the ring that was on Della's finger. It was not just a ring it was a huge rock and he was

sure that there was a wedding in the air. His wife Sue, was going to be very excited. She loved Perry and Della

and was always talking about how someday they might get together. He took Della's hand and looked from her

to Perry "What is this?" he smiled.

Della beamed and said "Perry asked me to marry him and become his full partner."

Paul hugged Della congratulations and shook hands with his best friend Perry Mason. "Have you told Sue?' She

will want to know." he smiled.

"Not yet. But I will call her. Don't tell her I want to be the one to tell her." Della told him.

"Then do it fast. I might be the private eye at the house, but I cannot keep a secret from her. She will know that

something is amiss as soon as I walk in the door." Paul told her.

"I will call her. I promise. Thanks Paul." Della told him with a smile.

Della and Perry walked out of the courthouse arm in arm. It was now official they were partners and would be

partners for life. It was a great day and as Della got into the car she smiled.

Life at the office was quite loud and joyous as the news of Della's promotion and engagement. Everyone in the

office congratulated them and there were hugs and more hugs for each of them. It was always a busy office, but

today there was something for them to celebrate and everyone was excited. When Della and Perry got back from

their lunch that day, there were flowers and candy on her desk from the girls in the office.

When Perry went in his office there was a box of cigars and a card signed by everyone that worked in the office,

with a gift card for their favorite restaurant the Kavanough.

As the day wore on Della did not see that much difference in her new role at the office. Other than Perry introducing

her to their clients as his associate instead of secretary she did the same thing that she had always done. She was

busy looking into her neighbor and their home life. Della never remembered seeing anything happen over at the

house that indicated that there was a problem. There were five kids though, and sometimes the house would get

loud, but that was all. But, she kept looking into anything that would give her a hint as to what was going on at

the house that could have been a reason for someone to make it look like Dottie had murdered someone. That was

the place that she always started at.

Perry found himself once more going over the law books and trying to find any court examples that would give

him a hint of what might have happened or how to handle the situation from the legal sand point. He would

have Della work with him that night once the office had closed. It had been a very busy day with the work that

had accumulated over the three day weekend and with the announcement of their engagement and Della's

promotion. The office had been very loud all day and little had been done.

Della was glad to see the office close. She enjoyed the people that she worked with, but it had been too much of

a personal thing for her that day. Everyone wanted to see her ring and were all making goo goo sounds things

that Della found childish. 'Oh you are a prude' Della thought to herself.

Once the office had closed Della went in with Perry and the two of them went to real work. They both were

busy finding answers to the questions of the murder mystery of Denise Hall. They had their supper brought

into the office. Life was back to normal for the two of them.

Meantime Dottie Davis had to face life as a murder suspect. She found herself suspended from her job that

she had held for over ten years and shunned no matter where she went. When she went to the market everyone

stopped talking and watched her the whole time she was there. People she had known her whole life would not

even speak to her. It was a horrible day in her life.

But Dottie had thought she had a bad day. It wasn't until her two middle children came home from school that

day that she understood what they had gone through. The other students had called their mother a killer and

had laughed at them at recess. Neither one of them ever wanted to go back to that school again.

Clint had always run a small painting company and had woken up to three cancellations of the jobs that he had

been hired to do. He had gone to the house that he had been painting and found another painting company

there doing the work. He had come home that day depressed but wanted to be supportive of his wife who he

knew was innocent. With all of their money and assets put into the bail money he was afraid that they were

going to lose everything they had.

Paul had been following some leads as to who would have something to gain by the death of Denise Hall. Denise

was married to a self made contractor, who was having some financial trouble. So far he had been able to hide

the fact that his company was losing money, but he had made some bad deals and the creditors were starting

to catch up with him. He had mortgaged his house and all his valuables, and was in trouble. There was a sub-

stantial life insurance policy out on his wife and he was the sole recipient.

Mr. Hall had a partner in his business named James Conroy who had taken on a lot of the business of late and had

attempted to purchase the entire business outright. Mr. Conroy had more assets and was at a better financial

situation than Mr. Hall had. People like Clint Davis had taken some of the business away from his firm. As a

matter of fact Mr. Hall had tried to hire Clint and had been refused.

Denise Hall had an ex husband who had threatened her on numerous occasions. She had left him with two children

and had not paid any child support even though she had the money. Ed Styles was known for his rough antics and

had been accused of abusing her during their marriage. She had tried to have gotten custody of her children but he

had fought hard and had convinced the judge that she had abandoned them. She had claimed that she had been

thrown out of the house and was not allowed back in. The court had sided with him though, because she had not

followed their orders and had not seen her children in the last few months. It was a tough time and Paul was not

absolutely sure who was telling the truth.

Perry thought that it would be a good time to keep an eye on the Hall house. He wanted to watch who came and

went from there. It would be a long night. "Della, you feel up to keeping me company while I watch, and you

the Hall home?" he asked

"As always yes. What kind of partner would I be if I said no?"

With that the two of them went down the familiar hall to the elevator and off to Perry's car. It was a little chilly

that night as it was now the winter months. There were no winters in LA and it rarely if every snowed, but it

could get chilly to someone who was used to the hot weather. Perry and Della would keep the top up and run

the car every once in a while for a little heat. Della would snuggle out of need tonight.

The street was a nice street and most of the homes had brand new cars, expensive cars. But, the Hall's house

needed a paint job and the cars in the driveway were older. You could see that the people in the house were

having financial difficulties just by looking. As Perry and Della sat in the car and watched, nothing happened

for the first couple of hours. Then to their surprise James Conroy came in. The words between the two people

were loud and could be heard but not understood from the car that held Perry and Della. He left the house a

few minutes later and left.

The rest of the night was quiet and all the lights were shut off at just after eleven. Della and Perry sat outside

for a half an hour more and when nothing happened they left. It had been an uneventful night except for the

words that were spoken loudly between the two business partners.

Mr. Mason would get permission to go into the murder scene and he would do his own investigation from then.

It was his experience that Lt Tragg knew his job well and there would not be much for Perry to find but he still

wanted to look over the scene.

The next day Perry and Della got permission to go the Hall home and check out the place where Denise Hall had

been found by their client Dottie Davis. It was a nice house with a long stairway that led directly to Denise Hall's

bedroom. They looked for any place that someone might have hidden that day and found several doors into which

someone might have slipped quietly into. Dottie did have a three year old with her and she had said that the

baby was misbehaving.

Even though both Perry Mason and Della Street had permission to go inside the home, it was clear to the both

of them that they were not welcome by Mr. Hall. "I am only allowing you into my home because of the police. If

I had my way you would not come in. Dottie Davis murdered my wife and you and I both know it. Come with me"

he had said and had stood at the doorway while they were in the room.

Other than making a thorough picture in his head of what the room was like neither Perry or Della found anything

to help their clients' case. The room and everything in it was the same as the night or the murder. But, whoever

did this crime must have known the house well, because they were able to slip in and out with ease. Della also

did not see anything but thought that Denise's husband was a little too angry.

"Thank you for your time Mr. Hall " Perry told him and Della smiled as they walked out the door. As they walked

to their car, Della noticed the two boys bicycles that were hanging in the garage. 'So she did want her boys back'

she had thought to herself. When she got into the car she mentioned it to Perry. "Someone bought those bikes

they look brand new. The father was lying she did want to see her boys" Della told him.

Perry thought about it for a moment and told her: "I want to look further into her ex husband. He might have felt

that she could get custody of the children and given her the overdose. Perhaps Mr Styles has some skeletons in

his closet too."

The next day was busy at the office and Della had not too much luck finding out any information that would help

Dottie fight the charges. She so wanted to help her friend. Someone had murdered Denise and Perry and her

needed to find out who. It was a Friday and Perry had invited her out to the Kavanough for a night of dinner

and dance. The dinner was going to be free because they had received a gift card of one hundred and fifty

dollars from the people who worked at the office as a present for their engagement.

Della went home and got dressed for the night out. Mike and Lori were there getting ready to go to a nightclub,

the one that they usually went to. They had wanted Perry and Della to join them but Perry and Della already had

plans. Mike was going to be with all of Lori's friends and two of the girls would not have a date. Della felt a little

sorry for him, but once they were married things would be different of that she was sure.

Perry picked her up at eight and they were off to dinner and dancing. The dinner and dance went well and

neither one of them wanted the night to end, but at midnight it was time to call it a night. As they walked into

Della's house, they were both relieved to find that no one was at home. They would be out until the club

closed Della was sure, so they took a seat on their favorite couch. Della poured Perry a drink and they sat down

to relax. They had barely had a chance to be together since they had gotten home, and Perry wanted to kiss

his fiancée. He cupped her chin in his hand and kissed her gently . She responded and the next thing they

knew Lori and Mike were coming in. This time they had the time to put themselves together a little and thought

that they looked a little more respectable.

Mike and Lori came in and smiled at the couple on the couch. "You don't have to be embarrassed we are your

future sister and brother in law after all. We love you both." Lori told them.

Perry stood up and smiled "It is all right, Della and I were just kissing, nothing to be embarrassed about. We

are sure that you would not want us to walk in on you. Pardon me for my actions." he told them.

Lori took Perry by the hand, knowing that he was a private person and told him "You have given my sister so

much happiness and love, I would never tell anyone of what I have seen or heard. But, it makes me love you

more and more as a brother every time." and she gave him a kiss.

Lori melted Perry's heart and he was so glad that she had been so open. He just thought that it was very dis-

respectful to do anything like kissing and hugging in front of others, but Lori and Mike thought of him and

Della as family, and he would not be embarrassed again. He was not shy but he liked his private life private,

but Lori and Mike were their best friends and best friends shared some things. But it was decided right then

and there that if he and Della were ever to make out again it would be at his house, with the door locked at

the time. He wanted what they did private period.,

Della looked at Perry and smiled he did like to be private about his feelings. That was ok by her because she

too was quiet about her feelings. Going to Perry's house wasn't that bad an idea anyways. It was quiet and

nice there and to get inside you needed to be allowed in. He also had the library of law books for them to use

at their disposal there in his study.

The four of them Perry Della Mike and Lori sat around the table and talked about the murder. Lori had heard

from a neighbor that Dottie Davis and her husband Clint had been having some arguments about their daughter

and her new boyfriend. He was eighteen like their daughter and was a trouble maker. He was always in court

for something or another and had spent time in juvenile hall. His name was Blake Shepherd and he was from

the city. Perry would have Paul look into him, and Della said that she would talk to Dottie about him in private

when her husband was not around. She felt that Dottie might open up to her easier than Paul or Perry and that

it would be better if she spoke to her alone. "I need to start earning my new standing at the office Perry. I have

known Dottie for years and she will talk to me. I will be careful Della promised."

Perry looked at his fiancée and smiled, she was right Della was the person that might be able to get Dottie

Davis to open up about things. She would talk to her in the morning . He would come over to her house

and wait for her and Dottie to meet and then they would take things from there. He kissed Della good

night and went home for the night once again.

Della had thought that the next morning would be a good time for her to go and talk to Dottie. She had seen

Clint and their older daughter leave earlier and she knew that Dottie would be at home alone. She walked down the

street and walked up the walk to the Davis house. She only knocked twice when Dottie answered the door. She smiled

when she saw Della and asked her in.

Della took a seat at her couch and smiled at her friend. "I am sorry that I have to come here under such poor

circumstances, but I have a couple of questions that I need to ask you. We have heard that your daughter Chris

has a boyfriend that you and your husband does not approve of. Is that true?" she asked.

Dottie looked down at her hands and looked at Della with tears in her eyes. "I do not know what has gotten into

her lately. Chris was always a good kid and she started to go out with this guy Blake and she started to change. At

first we thought that it was because she had just turned eighteen and was spreading her wings, but now I am not

so sure. Blake has been in trouble with the law. It has been mostly minor infractions, but still he did not graduate

from high school and works at a gas station. He has no interest in bettering himself either. We just do not know what

to do about him." Dottie told her.

"Did Blake know about your job as a private nurse?" Della asked her.

"Yes I am sure that he did. We did not try to hide the fact. Why?" Dottie asked her.

"We like to look into everything and all possibilities. Again I am sorry to have to ask you these questions." Della told

her and put her hands on Dottie's lap.

"I saw him that morning as I was leaving the house. He was driving toward my house. I don't think that he saw me,

but he might have." Dottie told her.

"Now you said that your baby was misbehaving that morning. Does Kelly like or know Blake at all ? And would she

respond to him?" Della asked.

"Oh Kelly loves him and squeaks and plays with Blake all of the time. That is one of the things that I like about him,

and believe me I don't have a lot of things that I can say positive about Blake." Dottie told her.

"Well thank you for your time Dottie. I will let you know if we have any information for you. Hold your head up

high, things will be all right" Della promised her.

Della walked back to her house and met with Perry. She told him what Dottie had told her. "I think that perhaps

the baby Kelly was not behaving was because Blake was playing with her. He could have been there in the house

the whole time without her knowledge. It is a large house." she told him.

"It is a large house and anyone could have been inside when she arrived that day to go to work. Dottie said that

Clint had left half an hour before she had arrived and the door key was left under the mat. Just about anyone

knows that if you want to find a key look under the mat. I don't like it." Perry told her.

"I am very worried." Della told him.

"Let's go back to my apartment and work on this. Paul will call if he gets anything new and we can work from

there without anyone coming in." Perry told her with a smile. He opened the door and out the two headed once

again.

It was going to be a long day of work for both Della and Perry. Perry spent the entire day going over his law books

while Della worked on the notes about the different suspects in the area. It was two thirty in the afternoon when

Perry came out from the study. "I am hungry. How about you Della?" he asked with a stretch of his arms and a

big yawn.

"I am ready for anything. I have been reading all day and it is now two thirty in the afternoon. Why don't we order

from the deli downstairs? We can work for a few more hours and then get something more significant to eat." Della

offered Perry with a smile and a stretch of her own.

"That sounds good to me" and with that he picked up the phone and ordered them both a roast beef sandwich with a

cup of soup.. By the time he went to the deli their food would be ready. Della offered to go but Perry would not hear

of it.

The lunch or the meal that is sometimes made between the lunch and dinner hour was needed and delicious. Della

wanted to get back to work. She had found some interesting things on line about the business that Mr. Hall now

owned and wanted to look into it a little further.

Perry had found himself buried in the law books and had found some examples of murders such as this and was working

hard on trying to figure out what was going on. At about three thirty Paul called and said that he had some news for

the two of them. He said that he would be up in about twenty minutes.

When the bell rang and Paul came in he found Della and Perry deep into their work. There was no romance going

on there that day. Della was buried in several papers and kept checking her computer. Perry was in his study

reading some of his many law books and welcomed his friend in.

Paul took a seat next to the couch and Perry and Della sat on the couch ready to listen to what their friend had to

say. Paul took his trusted notebook out of his pocket and started to read it. "It seems that Hall and Davis had been

at odds before. Clint Davis was not just a painter. He has a contractor license and has slowly been building his

business up. Yes, he has hit some rough spots but I think that he can ride it out. His wife has a good job as a

nurse and his daughter now works to help with the family bills. It does turn out though that Davis and Hall are

fierce competitors. I don't know why he hired Mrs. Davis to work for him. I have been working on that the last

few days. Now I have canvassed all of the neighbors looking for someone who might have seen someone else

enter the Hall home on the day of the murder but so far I have had no luck. The police have been working on that

also. So far the medical examiner says that Denise Hall was given an overdose of sleeping pills and that she may

have not taken them willingly. There are signs that there might have been a struggle when the pills were given

to her. The medical examiner has not finished his findings yet, though." Paul told them.

"Good job Paul. I do think that we need to find someone who might have noticed someone else entering the yard

or home that day. We also must look a little further into the competition between Hall and Davos. Why did

Hall hire Dottie Davis? There are many private nurses out there that could have done the same job. It is strange

that if they are competitors that he would hire her to work in his home. Also he was very nice to her letting her

bring her youngest child to work with her and everything." Perry told him.

Della looked at the two and reminded them of the boyfriend. She was sure that he would fit in the mystery

someplace. She looked at Paul and he agreed.

"I will look into that also." Paul looked at his watch and saw that it was now after seven in the evening.

"I am ready for a real meal. How about you two?" he asked

Della smiled "Well as for me I am always hungry by this time even with the late lunch. How about you Paul. Would you

like to join us?"

"No thank you. I am going to go home. Sue wants me to come home every once in a while, you know. You two go

ahead and have a nice dinner." Paul told them.

Della smiled. She knew that Paul wanted Perry and her to have privacy and that Paul loved his wife and son very much.

Someday she might find herself in the same ways. "All right Paul keep in touch with us, though" Della told him

and she and Perry started to get ready to go out.

'Oh my hair. It is just a mess.' Della thought to herself as she stared into the mirror. She saw Perry's face in the

mirror and smiled. " I look terrible. Perhaps I should go back home first."

"Trust me you look fine. I would go with you even if you were wearing a bandanna and a flannel shirt. You always

look like a lady no matter how you dress." Perry told her with a smile and a soft kiss to her hair.

Della smiled and leaned against his hard body. It felt wonderful to lean against him and feel his chest as it breathed

in and out and hear his heartbeat at the same time. She took his hands and put them around her waist and just

stood there enjoying the moment.

Perry was smiling as he stood there at the bathroom mirror peering into the mirror for the signs of love that Della

would show him in her face. She looked so happy and he could have just squeezed her hard. But instead he

turned her face to him and gave her a warm and passionate kiss. He then told her "Come on Della we need to

eat something before it is too late."

With that Della put on her best face and brushed her hair once more. She straightened her dress and finally found

that she had done the best that she could with the little that she had to work with here at Perry's penthouse. There,

she had thought about it for a moment. Where were they to live and what about Lori and Mike? Where were they

to live once they were both married. She loved Lori and Mike but Perry and her were going to need their own house

and privacy. She had seen what had happened when the two of them had a boyfriend. It was embarrassing for

her when Lori and them had walked in on them. Once they were married Della wanted her private life separate. She

was sure that Lori felt the same way also.

Perry took Della to one of their favorite spots for a good old fashioned Italian dinner. Della had a large slice of

lasagna with garlic bread and Perry had a spaghetti dinner with garlic also. They each enjoyed a large slice of

chocolate cake for desert. Once they had eaten it was now nine o'clock and Della was wondering where she was

going to be going. Of course she wanted to go and be with Perry, but it was late and she did not want to have him

drive her home. Her car was at her house, though.

Perry looked at Della and smiled. "Young lady why don't we call it a day? It is Saturday and we have worked another

twelve hour day. You look tired. I will take you home, allright?" he told her.

"I am tired. Yes I guess it would be better if I go home now. Lori probably is gone by now and you can come in for a

few minutes." Della told him with a smile.

As they approached the house both Della and Perry could see that there was not going to be even a small chance

for them to get any rest. There were five cars in the driveway all friends of Lori's and you could hear the music

all the way into the street. Della waved Perry by. She did not want to have words with her sister, but she would

not be able to rest there either. So Della and Perry headed back to his house.

Just as Della was getting out of the car her phone rang. It was then that Della noticed that Lori was calling her. Della

picked up the phone and said "Hello."

"Della we saw you and Perry go by. I don't want you to think that you are not welcome here. This is your house you

know." Lori told her with a worry in her voice.

"It is all right Lori. I am just tired and am too tired for a party right now. I will stay at Perry's until later. I am not

mad at all. You and your friends have fun." Della told her.

"Are you sure?" Lori asked her.

"Yes I am sure. You and Mike have fun." Della told her. Della hung up the phone and looked at Perry. "I am so sorry

about this. Lori and Mike will be getting married in six weeks and then things will be different. For now, do you

mind having my company?"

"Oh my dear you are always welcome in my house. I miss you even when we have been apart but a few moments."

he told her with a smile.

Della smiled and took his arm as they headed up to his penthouse. Della had been working once again on some of

the papers that she had been working on and sometime during the many pages of reading she must have fallen

asleep. For when she woke up all of the lights but the night light were off and she had a blanket covering her up

there on the couch. 'Oh what an idiot I am. I fell asleep. Perry must wonder what kind of person he is thinking

of marrying.' She thought for a moment and then rolled over and went back to sleep. 'What would Lori think' was

her last thought as she slept into sleep once again.

When Della woke up the next morning she could smell bacon and coffee and knew that Perry must have woken up

before her. She sat up on the couch and wiped her eyes. Perry was standing at the stove cooking her breakfast

and had not seen her. She smiled at the man that she loved and watched him for a few minutes.

Della needed to go home after breakfast. She needed to brush her teeth and hair and take a shower. She felt

dirty and guilty about spending the night there. Lori would never believe that she had slept on the couch, but it

did not matter to her at all really. She knew that nothing had happened.

Perry turned around and saw that Della had woken up. "Good morning Della. I know that you probably wanted

to go home, but you did not even move when I put the blanket on you. I work you too hard and I decided to let

you sleep." he said as he walked over to her and gave her a kiss.

"Oh Perry, my breath must be terrible." Della told him with disgust.

"Then maybe you should bring a toothbrush here. We are engaged, you might as well start to move some of your

things over here." he told her.

"Oh Perry, this will not happen often, but you are right. Where will we live once we are married? What about Lori

and Mike? They must be getting ready to move into their own place soon. I am sure that they don't want to live

with me once they are married." Della told him.

"That is something that you and I have to decide before we do get married. We both have our own homes, perhaps

it would be best for us to move to a totally different home. Your home is nice, and it is set up for a family, but

I would need one room for my study. That would only leave one room for any little Masons that come along" he

told her with a smile.

"Oh Perry. Do you want children?" Della asked.

"Very much. If it is not meant to be I will be all right with it. But I would be thrilled to have a child at some time

during our marriage." Perry told her.

"I want to have children too. You are right my house would be small if we have a family. But your penthouse, is

not any larger, and has no yard." she told him. "Oh Perry there are so many things for us to talk about before we

take the big plunge." Della told him with a worried tone.

Perry took her in his arms and told her. "It is all things that we can work out slowly. We can figure out where to

live and everything once Lori and Mike get married. Perhaps they would like to buy your house, and then we

could find something for the two of us." he thought.

"You think that they might want to buy my house? It is a nice little home that I have been very happy at. But,

Lori has lived there almost as long as I have. I am sure that she loves the house too. Oh, so many things to

worry about and they get married in less than two months." Della said and then started to concentrate on her

breakfast.

'But where would Della stay until they go married' Perry thought. 'It would not work having her stay with them

and she could not live here. That would not be right.' he thought to himself.

Della could tell that Perry was thinking. She was sure that he was thinking the same thing. She wanted to get

Lori and Mike's wedding over before she even started to think about her and Perry's wedding. They were both

young and had time to do things right. She was in no hurry to get married and hoped that Perry was not in

a hurry either. This had to be done one thing at a time.

Breakfast was good very good. Della knew that Perry was a great cook, but she ate a big breakfast that day and

then she noticed that her phone had been shut off . She would not have noticed it if the phone had not rang

though. Perry answered the phone and it was Lori. He handed the phone to Della "Oh Della I woke up this

morning and saw that you had not come home last night, and then you were not answering your phone. I have

been so worried about you. " she told her sister.

"I am sorry I forgot that I shut off my phone last night. Perry and I worked so late last night that I spent the

night. I am all right." Della told her.

"Are you coming home this morning Della? Can you bring Perry with you? Mike is here and we want to talk to

the two of you about the wedding and things." Lori asked.

"We will be there sometime this morning. I am sorry again . We can talk then. I love you." and with that Della

hung up the phone.

While Perry was getting dressed Della put the dishes in the dishwasher and cleaned up the kitchen for him. She

loved the kitchen. His was a larger kitchen with a large amount of cupboard space. She had just finished

cleaning it when Perry came out of the bedroom ready for a day of leisure.

When they arrived back at Della's they both noticed that Mike's car had been there all night. Della had suspected

that he had spent the night before, but had never told Perry. Perry looked at the car and then at Della with a

thought so look on his face. They walked into the kitchen and found Mike and Lori sitting at the table going over

their wedding plans. It reminded Della of her mess when she was trying to solve a murder, she smiled at the

two of them and said she would be back in a few, that she needed to get dressed.

Mike and Lori indeed did have things that they wanted to go over with Della and Perry. There were the floral

arrangements, the tuxedos the matching of the ushers with the bridesmaids. There was the reception with the

private horse and buggy ride. Oh there were so many things and all of this was going to have to be settled

within the next week.

The four of them spent most of the morning going over everything and making sure that it was all settled. There

was going to be a final fitting of the gowns that next Monday. They had decided on the menu for the night before

the wedding dinner, and Lori thought that they were just about set.

It was then that Mike approached the subject of where the two of them were going to live once they were married. He

still lived with his roommate Steve and Lori still lived with Della. They were going to want to have their own place

once they were married. However, "I was thinking that this house is perfect for what Lori and I need, and I was

wondering if you two were going to live here or at your house Perry once you were married. If you had thought about

living at your place Lori and I were thinking about buying this house from Della and letting her stay with us until you

two get married."

Della looked at Perry. It would be the solution to their problem. Della did not want to live with Perry before they were

married, but she did not want to intrude on Lori and Mike's privacy either. If she and Perry had a date planned perhaps

what Mike said would work. "What you have said has been mentioned between Perry and me. Let us talk it over and

we will get back to you I promise." Della told Lori and Mike with a smile.

As usual dinner was going to be late that day also. Lori looked up the clock on the wall and saw that it was already

past one o'clock. "Well, for now I am hungry, I will make some sandwiches for everyone."

Within just a few minutes Della and Lori had lunch on the table. Mike and Perry had cleaned up the mess that had

been piled up on the kitchen table and they sat down to a friendly chat and lunch. They were all good friends and

for once the four of them had time to be just friends. They went outside and played a game of volleyball and Lori

and Mike crushed Della and Perry. But, they had a lot of laughs. The sunshine was bright and even though it was

a little chilly they had a great day. Spring was coming and LA was going to be nice and warm soon once more.

Perry and Mike left that evening around nine and Lori and her sister found themselves at home by themselves. It

had not happened enough lately, and they were both happy to have some time together alone. Della took a seat

at the kitchen table and Lori took a seat across from her. They smiled at each other, things were going well with

their lives. Della had a bridal shower in the works for her sister on the next Saturday and Lori had no idea about

it. She had about seventy-five people who had sent notices to her saying that they would be attending. All of the

mail had been sent to the office so Lori had not seen anything. Fortunately the Kavanough was handling the

shower for Lori also. They had been great to work with. She would need to disappear on Friday, though. Perry

already knew and was looking forward to the Jack and Jill shower. He had not said a word about what he was

giving Lori and Mike. She knew about the vase, but knew that there was going to be something else for them

at the shower also. She had heard him on the phone and when she had come into the room he had hung the

phone up quickly.

But for now Della and Lori were to have some time with each other alone. They both knew that their life was

changing and that their kitchen table chats were going to be a very rare thing soon. Lori looked at Della and

smiled. "I was so worried about you last night. It did cross my mind that you might have been with Perry

but I worried just the same. " Della had never spent the entire night with Perry except when she went

away for trips with him.

"I am sorry the next time I will give you a call." she told her with a smile. "I know I worry about you when you

are out with Mike too. It is just part of being an adult with a serious relationship ."

"Perry and I have never done anything other than make out. He has never even touched me inappropriately,

unfortunately for me. He is a gentleman through and through. I fell asleep on his couch and he put a blanket

on me and let me sleep. We went away for three days and did nothing for crying out loud." Della told her.

Lori smiled at her sister and thought about the time that she had caught them together on the couch. Della

was right they were both dressed and just kissing. They were nothing like Mike and her , they had been

sleeping together for the past couple of months and were ready for their marriage. She hoped that Della was

not in for a disappointment.

"I cannot believe that Mike and I are getting married in a month. We want you to stay here even if we do buy

the house honest Della. We know that you would not want to be homeless because of us and you certainly

don't want to move in with Perry before your marriage. Once you and Perry talk to each other about our

proposal you can talk to us. It is just that we will need to find a place for us to live soon, if we do not buy this

house. I want to have my own home once Mike and I are married and so doesn't he." Lori told her with a big

genuine smile.

The next morning Della got to the office at the normal time and had just said good morning to Perry when the

familiar knock came on the back door. Della opened the door and Paul came in. "Good morning Beautiful." he

said as he went over and took a seat in his favorite chair. "I have just found out some more information for

you. It would seem that Chris's boyfriend Blake has been doing some work for Mr. Hall in the way of sabotage

possibly if not he is doing some dirty deeds to Hall's competitors. He is no good Perry."

Della looked at Paul and Perry and said "I think that he needs to be followed around for a while"

"I will do that right away and get back to you with any information." Paul told her with a smile.

Perry turned to Della and asked her about the shower. "With everything that went on this weekend, I never

got around to asking you. Is there anything that you need help with? I know that Lori's friends are going

to help you, but they can be a job in itself" he told her with a smile.

"No everything is all right and the Kavanough is taking care of everything for me. I do with that they could

serve a larger crowd, that would be a great place to have a reception." Della told him.

That thought crossed my mind for us, but we cannot fit the two hundred guests that I am sure you and I will

be inviting into there. It only serves one hundred and ten." he told her.

"What are you giving them for a present?" she asked him.

"I was thinking about the vase and a check. If they are to buy your home, I can give them my services for no

charge." he told her with a smile.

"I know that the money is needed. The wedding is expensive, I saw some of the bills. Lori and Mike are paying

over 25.00 a plate for the reception alone. The hall the flowers the cake, oh let's elope." Della said as she thought

of all the things that they were going to have to plan to do.

What Della said brought Perry's head up from his law book "What did you say? If we eloped my parents and your

parents would never forgive us. My mother is so excited, she has already made plans for us to go to about

ten different countries as of now. She keeps changing her mind and my dad is going crazy." Perry told her with

a laugh.

"Honest Perry I saw what has to be done, and it has taken Lori and Mike hours to set everything up. This week

is the shower next week we have another fitting and then there's the flowers the decorations the cake the

carriage, the limos for the rest of the family, oh and then the hotels for the out of town guests. The lists go on

and on, it's darn crazy." Della told him as she sorted some more papers.

"We will manage. So, you agree with the proposal that Mike and Lori made? Do you think that it is a good idea

that they buy my house? I don't mind living with them until we marry, but then that puts you and me out there

looking at homes. We have never discussed what we want, where we want to live, so many things. I think that

we should sell both of our properties and then buy a home that we can call ours." Della told her thinking hard about

the subject.

"It is fine that you sell your house to Lori. What I want you to do first is get a realtor out to your home to do

an estimated value on the home and then we can offer them the house at whatever price you feel is appropriate

for your sister." Perry told her.

"I know that I have to charge her at least what I owe on the house, but I want to offer her a good deal. After all

it has been her home for the past seven years, and she has been giving me help toward the mortgage all that

time." Della told him.

"I can call a friend of mine that does real estate and see what he says. Is that all right?" he asked her.

"Yes, go ahead and we will go from there." Della told him.

That night Lori and Della cleaned the house top to bottom. The realtor would be over around four to look the

house over. Della looked at the house the next morning and smiled. She did not want to sell it when it looked

this good. She smiled Lori and Mike would be happy there she knew it.

Nothing too much happened that day with the investigation of the murder. Della worked on the articles and

the pictures that Paul had taken and Perry worked on the law books. Della left at three thirty for her house.

Perry had promised that he would go with her to speak to the realtor. When they got home Lori and Mike

were there, too.

Della knew that she had a mortgage of over one hundred and fifty thousand dollars left on the house, but

knew that the house was worth a lot more than that. The original price had been two hundred and thirty five

thousand dollars. She had put down payment had been thirty five thousand dollars and so around fifty

thousand dollars had been paid on the house so far. Allowing for Lori's fifty percent Lori had now paid a total

of about twenty-five thousand dollars on the house so far. The realtor walked around the whole house and

the yard and looked everywhere. He told them that he would get back to them by the morning and let each

one of them know what a good price should be for the house.

Perry had decided to make it a day. It was now five o'clock when the realtor left, so he suggested that they

go out for some dinner. The four of them headed out to the local restaurant and were seated at a table next

to a window. It was one of their favorite places to eat and the dinner and conversation was good. They were

done by eight and headed back to Della and Lori's to watch a basketball game.

Della and Lori brought out some chips and beer for the game. It was a good game and Perry wished that they

had gone there in person. It was a home game and he had the night off. The four of them sat at their normal

places and had a great night. When the game was over Perry and Mike said good night and after a long kiss

left for home.

Della went to the work thinking about Dottie Davis. She knew that her trial was coming up and she and Perry

needed to find out who the murderer was. She had not heard from Paul in a couple of days, perhaps he would

have news for them soon.

Each day work was a busy day at the office, and yet still no answer from Paul. Perry had been at court nearly

all morning that day when the familiar knock came on the back door. Della answered the door and was glad

to see Paul standing there. "Hi beautiful. Where is Perry?" he asked.

"Perry is at the courthouse. What did you find out?" Della asked him

"I have the information that you wanted on Blake. He is a crook and will do anything for a buck. He is not

only seeing Chris Davis. He has another girl friend named Nancy Buckster She is the daughter of another

contractor here in the city. I have a man following her around and suspect that she might have something

else in mind. She is a friend of Dale Conroy the son of James Conroy. I am going to be checking into that myself

today and should have some news for you. Can you tell Perry for me?" Paul asked.

"Yes I will take care of that for you" Della told him..

When Perry finally got back to the office Della told him the news. Perry thought about it for a while and said

"I think that it is time that I look a little harder into this James Conroy. Would you like to some observation with

me tonight?"

"Yes I would." and with that Della and Perry made the plans for that evening. They had a small dinner at

Della's house and then headed over to the Conroy home.

As Della and Perry arrived at the Conroy home, they could see that the house was in bad repair and there were

signs that there were children in the house. The car in the driveway was old and had been being repaired in the

driveway. They could see the car ramps and the tarp still on the driveway around the car. It was now dark and

the work had stopped, but it looked as though it had been worked on recently.

They parked a few cars down the street and sat back for a night of observation. As they sat there for a while,

they observed Mr. Conroy leave with a couple of children in the back seat of his car. They were in the car that

had been worked on in the driveway and did not notice them. Mr. Conroy and the children had not been gone

long when Mr. Hall came and was let in right away. The house was quiet except that it was noted by Della and

Perry that immediately afterwards an upstairs bedroom light came on. The light was on for about three to four

minutes and then shut off. About a half an hour later the light came back on and a man's shadow walked past

the window. Within five minutes Mr. Hall left. About ten minutes later Mr. Conroy came home with the two

children

The rest of the night was slow with nothing happening and at around eleven the house was all quiet. Della and

Perry sat out in their car until around midnight and left for home. It had been a great stake out and there was

little doubt about the fact that something was going on between Mr. Hall and Mrs. Conroy. Mr. Conroy was a

family man and might be willing to do anything to protect his family.

Perry brought Della home and gave her a quiet kiss and hug and nestled his mouth in her hair. "I will see you in

the morning and miss you until then."

Della just looked at him and buried her face into his chest and hugged him for a second and headed back into her

house once more.

The next morning as Della pulled into the parking garage of the office her cell phone rang. It was the realtor,

he had the information on what her house was worth and what a fair asking price would be. It was then

that she received the shocking news that the house was worth over three hundred and fifty thousand dollars and

that a fair price would be in the middle three hundreds. Della knew that this was sway above what her sister

could afford even with the allowances that she had made. But, on the other hand she was going to need to buy

a house for her and Perry and the house was going to be expensive. Perry had steered her right when he had

told her that it was a good time to buy a house some seven years ago.

Della wanted to talk to Perry before she talked to Lori and Mike. This was to be one of their many decisions

that were going to have to made over the next few months. It was going to be a good test of their ability to work

together in their private life. Della had just started to make coffee when Perry came in.

As Perry took a seat at his desk he could see that Della had something on his mind. He took his coffee and looked

at her. She was beautiful, even when she had a worried look on her face. He smiled and said "What is on your

mind Miss Street? You look as though you might burst."

Della took her seat next to him and watched his face as she told him the news. He cleared his throat and took a

serious look at her. "I am not surprised. Last night I thought that I would take a look at some homes in our

area that perhaps you and I would like to purchase and I was floored. Most of the homes approach the price

of three quarters of a million dollars, if we get what we want. I have not had someone check into the price that

I can get for the penthouse, but it will be a good price of that I am sure."

Della looked at Perry with sad eyes. "I don't think that my sister and Mike can afford such a high price. Even if

I allow for the twenty-five thousand dollars that she has given in rent, they would need a deposit of twenty thousand

more dollars for the down payment alone. I do not know what to do."

Perry reached over and took Della by the hand. "We can work on it. Why don't I see how much I can get for my

penthouse? We can combine what the worth of the two properties are and then figure out how much the new home

that we need is going to cost us. We can work from there."

Della did not care that this was the work environment. She reached over and kissed him tenderly on the lips and

sighed with relief. Perry would take care of it she was sure of that now. She would talk to Lori after the realtor

comes out and looks at the penthouse.

Perry and Della met the realtor one more time, this time at the penthouse. Perry had been given the penrhouse

from a client after her father had died in payment for his services. To be honest he had not checked what the

going price was for a long time. He thought that he might be able to get a home for the same price, but wanted

to know what the price was. He knew that the price for the services had skyrocketed during the last few years,

so he was curious as the realtor walked around the condo. The realtor made many notes and was smiling, Della

thought that was a good sign. He told them that he would call them that afternoon with an estimated price

that he felt that Perry could get and back to the office Perry and Della went.

Della and Perry were fast at work when the call from the realtor came in. You could have pushed Perry Mason

over with a feather, when the realtor told him that he had two clients that were interested in purchasing his

home and he had been offered six point two million dollars. Perry knew that the penthouses could go for a lot

of money, but because his building was an older building he thought that he would be lucky if he received five

hundred thousand dollars for the penthouse. He turned to Della and told her how much he had been offered

and she nearly fainted. "Are you sure?" she asked. Della was shaking. She had never thought that Perry's

penthouse was worth that much money. She knew that he had been given the penthouse in a will as a payment

for a debt when he was a young law student. He had done a lot of work on it , but nowhere near the price

tag that he had been offered.

Perry smiled at Della and said " I guess we do not have to worry about money for a while. We can offer Lori

and Mike a break on the house. It is up to you whether or not you sell it to them or give it to them, but I

think that they should pay for something. It is too big a gift, if we give them a large gift, then it will only be

right to give the same to Dave and then on and on. But, the decision is yours." he told her and gently gave

her a kiss.

Della had been thinking long and hard about what she was going to do about the house. She had thought

that if she and Perry could afford it, it would be fair to offer Mike and Lori the house at the price that she

now owed. It was obvious that she wasn't going to need the money and Lori and Mike needed a place to

live. She looked at Perry and told him "I would like to sell it to them for the one hundred and fifty thousand

dollars that I still owe on the house, if that is good for you."

"That is what I have been thinking myself. Lori has lived there since you bought the house almost and has

contributed to the upkeep, it is a fair deal. As a matter of fact she and Mike are getting a really good deal

with this sale. We will tell them tonight, all right?" Perry told her with a smile.

Meanwhile Lori and Mike were at the house worrying about how much this house was going to cost them. They

were not very good at saving money, but they did have some money set aside and were planning on getting

money from the wedding. Each of them had checked their credit scores and they were good, so now they

were going to have to talk to Della and Perry.

"Perry had a realtor look at his penthouse today. Maybe he has some news about what he can get if he sells

it. I know that they both want to buy a larger house together. Della says that they want to have children

right away and the house has to have a study for work. She wants a five bedroom house with at least three

bathrooms." Lori told Mike.

"Well, that is going to cost a pretty penny if they want to live in one of the better neighborhoods, which I am

sure they will. Let's keep our fingers crossed. They said that they would be here in about a half an hour and

then we will know what they have in mind." Lori told him nervously.

When Della arrived home with Perry they came in and found Lori and Mike sitting at the kitchen table. On the

table they had their bank statements and credit score. Perry looked over the paperwork and was pleased to

see that they had been approved for a home loan of two hundred thousand dollars. That meant that Lori

and Mike could afford to take over the mortgage. Perry handed over the papers to Della and she smiled, their

plan could work. Della looked over at Perry and then looked at Lori and Mike. "I have been thinking this over

ever since you mentioned it and have come up with a price that I would like to receive for the house. I bought

this house when the market was down and got a deal. Lori you have lived here almost the whole time that I

have owned it and without your help things would have been much harder on me. I thank you for that, so

what I am going to ask you is to pay off the one and fifty thousand dollars that is remaining on my mortgage

and I will return the twenty-five thousand dollars that you have paid me in rent." Della told her sister and Mike

with a big smile.

Lori and Mike jumped with joy. This was their dream come true. "Thank you Della. You are the most wonderful

sister that anyone could want." and then she gave Della a big hug. Lori looked at Perry and told him "I am sure

that we have to thank you for this too. It would not have happened if you two were not getting married." she

told them and then she hugged Perry.

Mike was speechless. He had never been around people that could afford such luxuries. Della and Lori and Perry

were so generous and kind. He shook Perry's hand and gave Della a big hug. " I insist that Lori and I treat the

two of you to dinner."

Mike and Lori took Perry and Della to their favorite steak restaurant, where everyone ordered a large steak

with all the fixings. They had a great time together, and Della couldn't wait for the shower. It was already

Wednesday and the shower was Saturday. Her mom and Lori's friends were going to be helping her with

decorating the Kavanough. Della was getting very excited.

Meanwhile Paul had been working the streets looking for anyone that had seen or heard anything the day

of the murder at the Hall home. He had checked everyone from as far as three streets over with no luck

at all. Mr. Hall was not very cooperative and he was beginning to think that he had something that he was

hiding.

It was not until Paul had seen Mrs. Conroy that he had come up with an idea. She was about Dottie Davis's

age and height and weight. From a distance she could easily have been confused as Dottie Davis by any

of the Hall neighbors. And Perry had told him that he and Della were sure that Mr. Hall and Mrs. Conroy

were having an affair.

Paul called Perry and asked him if he could meet him at the penthouse. Della was there working on the Davis

case and he wanted to tell them what he had found out. When he came up the elevator he saw that his two

friends were intently working and he was glad to give them the news.

It was then that Perry and Della knew that Mrs. Conroy and Mr. Hall must have worked together and been the

murderers. Perry was sure of it now. He had suspected it for a while, but now he needed concrete evidence.

It was going to be time for Della and him to go to the district attorney in the morning with the information

that they had and get the charges dropped on their client. It had been a good investigation, and for once

the crime would not have to go to trial.

"So you think the same as me? Well I can tell you that I am glad to hear that. So how is everything going

with the two of you? Have you decided on a wedding date.?" Paul asked.

"Not yet, but we have been doing some adjusting. I am putting the penthouse up for sale and Della is going

to sell her house to Lori and Mike. Now we have to go and find a house that will suit the two of us." Perry

told him.

"It is a good idea that the two of you buy a house that is new to the both of you. That is what Sue and I did,

she had a house and I had a house, and we sold both of them and then moved into our own home. Do you

remember that?" Paul asked.

"Yes we do and we think that it is the best road for us to take." Della spoke up.

"Well you can get a pretty penny for this place anyways. I have heard that these penthouses with the view

that you have can go for over a million dollars." Paul told them.

"Try nearly seven million. I could not believe it but we have two offers already." Perry told him.

Paul whistled with that one. "Well you should be able to find a nice home in a very nice section of town for that

kind of money." he told them with a smile.

"We will have to start looking pretty soon. If I sell the penthouse and Della sells her house the two of us could

find ourselves homeless or living in a hotel for a while and that would not work. Della can stay with Lori until

we marry but I will have nowhere to go. I won't stay at Della's house until we are married. It just won't work

with me." Perry told his friend.

"Well Sue and I send all our love and wish the two of you the best. Whatever the two of you decide, I am sure

it will be the best for the both of you. I will talk to you later." and with that Paul left for home.

Della was sitting on the couch thinking about all the great times she and Perry had at the penthouse. She

had eaten formal meals many times and had stood with Perry and watched the stars. It had been her place

for privacy and she had fallen deeply in love with Perry sometime during her many trips here. This was going

to be a place that she was going to miss. It was a lot to lose, she was losing her first and second home. She

cuddled next to Perry who was sitting on the couch and caught him by surprise. 'He must be thinking the

same thing that I am. He was so deep in thought that he jumped when I cuddled.

Perry was thinking about all of the changes that were coming into his life. Oh they were good changes, but

he was a man of privacy and habit when it came to his private life. He knew that he wanted to share his

life with Della, but wished that he could have kept his penthouse. But, it was a great place for a bachelor

to live not a family. His children would need a large fenced in yard and their own rooms. To top it off he

was going to get nearly seven million dollars for the place. He put his head down on Della's head and held

her hand tightly. He did not want them to separate.

But once again it was time for Della to go home. It was very late and they had solved the murder. Dottie

Davis deserved to be set free from bail and Mr. Connors and Mr. Hall needed to be punished for what they

had done. He knew that Mrs. Connors had murdered Mrs. Hall, but Mr. Hall had left the door unlocked so

that she could gain entrance to the home and wait for Dottie to go downstairs. Perhaps Mr. Hall had

been downstairs playing with the baby or the baby was just being noisy that day. But, he was sure what

had happened that day at the Hall home

The next morning came early and Perry met Della at the district attorney's office. It was there that they

explained to Hamilton Burger what they had found out. It was necessary for Burger and Perry to go

to the judges chambers and talk to the superior court judge. They both explained what they had found

out and the judge issued a warrant for Mrs. Connors and Mr. Hall's arrest.

Lt Tragg was waiting for the two suspects to arrive at the jail. The first person that he spoke to was

Mrs. Connors. "You and your lover Mr. Hall are the ones that are involved in this murder. We know

that . We have evidence of your ongoing affair and a deposit that was placed in your account of

ten thousand dollars the day after the murder. The check came from the Hall checking account. We

say that you hid in one of the rooms upstairs and when Dottie Davis went downstairs to get some

medications for Mrs. Hall, you went in and gave her the lethal dose of pills. But, she woke up and

tried to stop you. That is where you got the scratches that you were seen with." Lt Tragg stared at

her and she started to cry.

"I did not want to do it, but we needed the money so bad and Denise's husband had promised me

that I would get ten thousand dollars if I gave his wife the pills. He has been blackmailing me ever

since. I do not love him, I don't even like him. but he has been threatening to turn me into the

police if I didn't do what he wanted." Mrs. Connors cried.

Mr. Hall had a different story. He was having an affair that was true. But, he had not suspected that

his partners wife might have had something to do with the murder until a few days ago. He had

nothing to do with it at all and did not understand why he was arrested. But Tragg was ready for

him, also. He told him that he knew that the front door had been left unlocked that morning and

the neighbor had seen you with Mrs. Connors the afternoon of the murder. "You are through as

a free man Mr. Hall." he told him with a sense of pride.

That afternoon Perry and Della went to the Davis home and told Dottie that all she had to do was

go to the courthouse with them and they would get her freed from all charges. "It is just a formality."

Perry had promised her.

Mr. Davis went with his wife and smiled. Their marriage had survived a murder charge, and he loved

his wife even more than he had yesterday. The courthouse, was just a formality and Dottie went home

a free woman that day.

Della was so proud to see Dottie freed. Tomorrow was going to be a great day. Her parents were going

to be coming in the morning, and she had just gotten a call from Mike's mother, they were there in LA

also ready for the shower. Lori's bridesmaids Jennie and Gretchen were going to be helping Della and

her mother with the decorations. Now that Mike's mother was in town she would invite her to come and

help them out, also. She had plenty of help and could not wait for the shower.

Della was sure that Mike would have liked to have his sister there for the shower, but she had been

unable to afford both trips. She would be there for the wedding. What she didn't know was that Perry

had paid for her air fare and hotel so that she could be there. It would indeed be a treat to everyone

there at the shower.

Thursday night was a night for celebration and Perry and Della went out for a nice steak dinner once again. This

time Paul and Sue were able to come with them. Paul was such a big help on the murder investigations that it

was nice to have him and his wife join them for the celebration. Paul Jr. was spending the night at his friends

house because he had no school the next day.

Sue was so excited to see Della's ring . It was so good that the two of them were finally getting together. She

had known that they cared for each other a great deal way back when she had worked at the office with her

husband. It had been five years now since she had done much work for her husbands firm. She enjoyed being

a wife and mother and kept busy doing that. She knew that Della had plans to keep working, but that was her

choice and things could change once they had children.

The dinner was great and the four of them had a great time. They knew that the murderers had now been

arrested and that the two of them were singing like birds. It had been a good week all in all and it was time

for the four of them to go home and get some rest. None of them ever knew when something else would

happen and their services would be needed once again.

Perry headed back to Della's house and was surprised to find no one else at home that night. Perhaps he and

Della could have some more time together. He opened the door for Della and walked up to the front door

and walked in. Della was so glad for them to have the time together and finally everything was all set

with the murder. Tomorrow she would be working getting the Kavanough ready for the shower. She turned

and gave Perry a delightful kiss. She was quite passionate and put her arms around his neck. "I love

you Perry Mason." she whispered in his ear.

Perry nestled his face into her neck and nibbled gently on her ear. He knew that it drove Della crazy, but

he liked it too. They kissed once again passionately and then they took a seat on the couch. Perry turned

to Della and told her. "I think that you and I should look into some of the local homes in the area. Do you

have any ideas on what you would like your new home to look like?" he asked her with a smile.

Della did not want him to know, but she had been thinking about the house of her dreams ever since she had

found that they would get over six million dollars for the penthouse. "I would like a home with at least

three bedrooms a study a dining room a living room and a kitchen. It should be brick perhaps, with a

large yard and a big garage for all of your cars." Della told him. "What are you looking for in your new house?"

she asked him.

"I have been thinking about what I would like. I would like at least three bedrooms and a study, a pantry

off of the kitchen and a view. I want to have a deck that we can eat off of and watch the sun rise and fall

from there. That is one of the things that I enjoyed at the penthouse. I want the house to be in a good

neighborhood and close to the office. I do not want a long commute." Perry told her.

"We should think about the time that we would like to get married, also. I would like it to be this fall. It

is when the trees are turning and the weather is not as hot." Della told him.

"Then autumn it is. Do you have any idea where you would like to have the ceremony?" Perry asked her.

Della smiled, she knew where she wanted them to get married, and she had seen that they did offer weddings

and receptions there. She wanted to get married on the Queen Mary. "I think that I would like to marry you

on the Queen Mary." she told him.

Perry had thought about getting married on the Queen Mary himself. People could stay on the ship, and perhaps

he could rent like one side of the ship for guests to sleep at. He had read that you could do that, but he knew

that they would have to get their reservations in soon if they wanted to get married in just six months. He was

sure that they booked quickly. "That sounds great to me. I think that we had better call them in the morning

and see if there are any Saturdays available at all. They might be booked months in advance, but I will check

first thing tomorrow." and with that he gave her a sweet kiss on the forehead. They sat on the couch with their

arms around each other just enjoying the time together.

The next morning after Lori went to work Della called her mother. Her mother was ready to go and decorate

the room and she had talked to Mike's mother also. They would meet Della and the two bridesmaids at the

Kavanough at one that afternoon.

That morning Della found herself busy making sure that everything was ready for the party and was surprised

when she heard a knock on the door. She opened the door and a young lady introduced herself as Betsy,

Mike's sister. Della welcomed her into her home. "This is a pleasant surprise. I did not think that you would

be able to come to the shower." she told her.

"I could not afford it, but a man named Perry Mason paid for my tickets and hotel. He is a very nice man

and told he that he is engaged to you." Betsy offered.

"Well I am glad to see you. I am just looking at houses right now. Perry and I are going to be selling this

house to Mike and Lori and he is selling his penthouse. We have just started to look at different houses

in the area." Della told her.

"Oh I love to look at homes. My husband and I have a cottage right across from the beach in Maine. The

house used to be a summer cottage, but we made it into a year round dwelling. There is a house out there

for everyone." Betsy offered.

Della was looking at many houses, and Betsy was impressed by the prices that she was looking at. All of

the homes that Della looked at were priced at over a million dollars. The two of them looked at several

houses and then headed to the Kavanough.

With six people working on the decorations and putting up the different games that would be played. They

also set up the bride's and groom's table along with a table for the gifts. Every person that was going to

be attending was going to get a small gift in appreciation. Everything was done to Della's approval by

six that evening. It was then that the six of them took a seat in the restaurant and Della treated them

to dinner. It had been a wonderful day and Mike's parents were thrilled to see their daughter Betsy there

for the shower also.

Everyone left for their homes and Della gave Perry a call. "How can I thank you for bringing Betsy here for

her brother's shower. Thank you." Della told him.

"Your welcome hon. Where are you now?" Perry asked her.

"I am just leaving the Kavanough. Why?" Della asked him

"I was thinking that I would like to see you this evening, if you are available. It was lonely at the office today

and terribly boring. If you wish you can come up to the penthouse and we can look at some homes together."

he told her.

"I am on my way." she told him. Della was happy to be able to go up to the penthouse and relax. She had

missed him that day.

Perry was a little excited and wanted to talk to Della about their wedding date. He had contacted the office

that ran the Queen Mary and they had one date available. That was on the 23rd of August. They still

had seventeen hotel rooms available for guests if they were interested. When Della came in he told her

the good news.

"That is great. We should call them and confirm the time and date. I do not want someone else to decide

that they want to get married on that day." Della told him with a smile.

"No they are holding the room until I talk to you. As long as I call by tomorrow afternoon the date is ours." he

told her with a kiss.

Their wedding date was set, now they really had to get going. They needed a home and to sell Perry's penthouse.

They also would need to chose the bridesmaids and ushers, and Perry needed a best man. Oh the list was so

long. The rest of the evening Perry and Della just sat on the couch and watched television. Della went home

at eleven to get ready for the shower the next day.

The next day came early and Della was going to have to get Lori and Mike to the shower. She had not said

one word of a hint to either of them, but she was sure that they were expecting something to happen very

soon. After all, the wedding was now just three weeks away. When Della came into the kitchen she found

Mike sitting at the table reading the paper. Della knew that he spent the night sometimes, but she wished

that Lori would say something, she was in her bathrobe. She started to turn around and get dressed, but

it was too late Mike had heard and invited her to take a seat at the table.

The two of them were having a good conversation when Lori came in and poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Good morning" she said. "I am glad that you are up Mike and I have been going over the purchase of

the home. We are going to need a lawyer to handle the transfer the deed. Does Perry do that?" she asked

her sister.

"Yes, he said that when we are ready he will take care of the legal part. Perry wanted to know if you would

like to go with us to the Kavanough for lunch? We are thinking about our wedding now and could use some

advice from someone like you who has just gone through the whole thing. But, we have two things that

you might like to know decided. We are going to get married on the Queen Mary and it is going to be on

August 23 of this year. " Della offered.

"That is so good. You will be married within three months of our marriage. I cannot wait and on the Queen

Mary. That is a good place for the two of you. I remember that he kissed you for the first time on it

and that you said that is where you first realized that you loved each other. It is good though that there are

rooms available for guests. The Queen Mary is a little far for the bridal party to drive back and forth to

especially where some people will have been drinking. We will be glad to go with you to the Kavanough.

it is one of our favorite places to go. It's just a little expensive, for us." Lori told her.

That afternoon Lori and Mike had the surprise of their life and the shower went off beautiful. Della and her

mother were excited about all of the girts and the way the guests had acted. She was even more thrilled to

have the date of Perry and Della's wedding. Life was good at the Street home and the true murderers had

been caught.