The Case of the Missing Chihuahua
Chapter 07
7.1
Perry and Della entered the outer office. Gertie greeted them with a smile. They could hear the little fellow barking from Perry's office. "How can you work with that racket going on?" Perry asked.
"He was perfectly quiet until you walked in. I think he knows you are here. Chico kind of thinks of you as Mom and Dad."
When Della saw the expression on Perry's face, she began laughing. "Cheer up, Perry, Chico loves you."
Mason rolled his eyes and then turned his attention back to Gertie. "Have you heard from Florence yet?"
"Sorry, Mr. Mason, she has not called. I heard the barking at the office door and when I went out there, little Chico was sitting there. Boy! Was he happy to be back!"
"And we are happy to have him back, aren't we?" Della looked at Perry with a twinkle in her eyes.
"Just delirious," he replied, shaking his head, which brought out laughter from Della and Gertie. Mason left the two amused women and went into his office. There on the floor he could see paper that had obviously been torn to pieces by the Chihuahua who proudly stood over several sheets that were still intack. "Della! Would you come in here please?" he shouted over the dog's barking. Chico's tail was wagging wildly. He was happy to see Perry but he wasn't about to give up his prize.
Della walked into the office. After she surveyed the ripped-up paper, she began laughing. "Let this be a lesson to you, counselor."
"Lesson? That was the Stevens brief that the little mutt just chewed up," he said in exasperation.
"Perry, if you had read, signed and returned it to me when I asked you to, he could not have chewed it up."
"You find this amusing?"
Della chuckled again. "Yes, quite frankly I do." She could not resist the pout on Perry's face. She began laughing again.
Perry walked over to the dog with the intent of salvaging as much of the brief as possible. He pushed Chico back in an attempt to pick it up. "It doesn't look like he destroyed all of it." Chico ran back to Perry, lifted his leg and urinated on the remaining stack of papers. Mason jumped back, his hand just missing the stream of fluid. "I don't believe it!"
Della was laughing uncontrollably. Perry walked over to the phone, picked it up and dialed. "Who are you calling?" she asked.
"Immigration, the dog pound, PETA, anybody who will pick up this mutt!" he said.
Della was still chuckling when she took the phone out of his hand and hung it up. Mason looked into her face and could not resist. He began laughing as well. After both of them got themselves under control, Perry said, "I don't know why you are laughing. You are going to have to retype that brief."
"Perry, Perry, when are you going to join the rest of us in this century? All I will have to do is run off another copy. It is saved on the computer. This time I suggest you read it and sign it immediately."
"Computers… it won't be long and they won't need people to do anything. A computer will run our brains."
Della patted his chest. "You have nothing to worry about. You would put any computer on overload! Five minutes after you booted it up, it would quit in frustration."
Perry put his arms around Della. He lowered his lips and brushed them against hers, teasing her. "You have worked for me for a lot longer than five minutes and you have not quit." She could feel his hand on her hip.
"That's because unlike the computer, I get fringe benefits in my contract." Della smiled.
"I put that in the contract?" Perry feigned bewilderment.
Della laughed. "Unwritten, my dear." Della teased his lips with her own and Perry responded by pulling her body tight against his. He covered her mouth with his and began exploring it with his tongue.
The door opened and Gertie walked in. Della and Perry parted immediately. A bit embarrassed, Gertie all but whispered, "Ummm, I think you will want to take this phone call, Mr. Mason."
Returning to business mode, Mason asked, "Who is it?"
"Florence Monroe," she replied.
Perry looked at Della and then back at Gertie. "Put the call through."
"Right away, Mr. Mason." Gertie disappeared out the door.
"We agreed not to do this in the office."
"You agreed, not me. Besides, Gertie figured it out a long time ago. And you started it, Miss Street."
"I started it? I seem to remember that you put your arms around me, not the other way around."
"Of course you pulled away from me immediately, right? And… you started it just by being here! How is any red-blooded man supposed to resist you?" Perry grinned at her showing the dimpled lines in his face, which made her melt.
The phone rang. Della went immediately to it, picked it up and said, "Mr. Mason's office." After listening for a moment, Della replied, "He is right here, Ms. Monroe. One moment." Della handed the phone to Perry.
"Florence, where the hell are you?" Mason said. He hit the speaker button on the phone so Della could hear the conversation.
"Mr. Mason, did you find Chico? Is he alright?" she asked in a panic.
"Of course, I found him. You dropped him off, didn't you?"
"Oh thank God! No, I did not drop him off! I couldn't find him!"
"Florence, the police are looking for you," Perry told her.
"Oh dear… what in the world for?" she inquired.
"Did you kill Alex Burke?" Mason asked point blank.
"Kill him? Why, of course not! Why would you even ask such a question?" she inquired indignantly.
"Because Alex Burke was murdered."
"Oh my God… oh my god… oh my…"
"Florence, listen to me. I need to meet with you."
"I'll come to your office right away," she responded.
"No!" Mason almost shouted. "The police will be watching my office. I have to talk with you before the police do."
"Alright, Mr. Mason. Where did you want to meet?"
"There is an all-night diner on the corner of Thirty-second Street, called…"
"Oh yes, I know the one. I'll be there in ten minutes."
"If the police spot you and pick you up before I get there, you are to say nothing. Is that clear? You tell them to talk to me. You refuse to talk to them no matter what they threaten you with. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, I understand. I did not kill Alex, Mr. Mason. I saw him but I did not kill him. After the shot went off…"
"We will talk about that when we get to the diner. Remember, say nothing." Mason pressed the speaker button and cut off the phone call.
"Della, call Paul's office. Tell them to send an operative that is my height and build. Della picked up the phone and did as Perry asked. A few minutes later, there was a knock at the private office door. Della walked over and let the man in.
Perry handed him his overcoat. "Put this on, George." George took Perry's coat and slipped into it.
"Okay, Mr. Mason. What would you like me to do?"
"Take Miss Street to dinner."
"Perry, that won't work. We already had dinner and Sgt. Holcomb showed up. He would see through that." Della reminded her boss.
"Then take her for an hour-long drive. I don't care where. Just make sure you give me at least an hour."
"Yes, sir. Anything else?" George asked.
"Yes, you will take my car. I will need your car."
George reached into his pocket and flipped his car keys over to Mason. "You know which one is mine?"
"Yes, I know. Drop Miss Street off at my apartment when you have given me the time I need. I will take her home as soon as I have updated her."
George smiled a knowing smile. He knew there would be no dropping her off but said nothing. Their involvement was none of his business. "Are you ready, Miss Street?
Della grabbed her purse and coat. "Chief, what about Chico? He can't stay here."
"Take him with you but make sure I don't have any legal papers lying around that he can chew up."
Della chuckled. "I'll have Gertie clean up this office as well."
7.2
"I have told you all I know, Tragg," Paul Drake insisted. "Now can I go?"
"I will tell you when you can go. I want to know where Florence Monroe is. She is wanted for murder, Drake. If you are helping Mason keep her out of circulation, I will make sure you lose that license."
"I have no idea where she is! I already told you that. Perry asked me to find her. I had not had a chance before this goon picked me up." Paul pointed at Holcomb.
"Why, you son of a…" Holcomb stood up and took a step toward Drake. Paul braced himself for the attack but Tragg stepped in between them.
"Calm down, Holcomb!" Tragg shouted at his subordinate. "Sit down! I'll handle this!" Holcomb stared at Drake for a moment and then sat down in the chair.
"You are telling me that Perry doesn't know where she is either?"
"I have been trying to tell you that for almost two hours now. He wants her found as much as you do. It is easier to defend a client when you know where they are and you can talk to them to get the details." Paul looked at Tragg. How much longer was he going to hold him? He had to let Perry know that Holcomb put a tail on him the minute they left Clay's.
"Come on, Lieutenant, you can't possibly believe him. He's as crooked as Mason."
"Look who's talking, the cop that runs around bullying witnesses. Now that is really within the law," Drake drawled.
Holcomb was on his feet again but Tragg shot him a look that sent him back in his chair.
The door to the office opened and Lt. Andy Anderson walked in. "Lieutenant, Mason and his secretary left the Brent building."
"Where did they go?" Tragg asked.
"They drove around for a while and then went to Mason's apartment."
Holcomb snickered. "Strictly business, I suppose, Drake. Sounds like monkey business. What a looker like Della Street sees in that shyster is beyond me."
"She likes big men, Holcomb… just not gorillas like you."
"That is enough both of you!" Tragg growled at Holcomb and Paul. "Drake, you can go."
Holcomb jumped on his feet. "You can't be serious, Tragg! He knows where Mason is hiding her!"
Paul sighed. "How did you ever get past traffic cop?"
Once again, Tragg had to step between the two men. "Get out of here, Drake!" Paul did not wait for the lieutenant to change his mind. He was up and out of Tragg's office as fast as his legs would carry him.
"Andy, get a unit over to the Brent Building. Find out which one of Drake's operatives are Mason's size and build. Then find out if Mason left that building alone a few minutes after Della left with the operative."
"But our man said she left with Mason, Lieutenant," Andy protested.
"Someone of Mason's size and build left with Della Street. I doubt that it was Mason. He has pulled this trick more than once." He turned toward Holcomb. "Sergeant, get over to Mason's apartment. I want to know if she is with Mason or one of Drake's operatives. If it is an operative, put out an APB on the man's car. Now, move, both of you."
7.3
Mason pulled the Ford to a stop in front of the diner and got out. Through the window, he could see Florence in one of the back booths. Walking to the door, he opened it and entered the building. Florence raised a hand to get his attention. He walked over to her and slid into the booth. A waiter was at the table in no time asking for their order. "Coffee, black." He noticed that Florence had already ordered and received coffee for herself.
After the waiter came back and set his coffee in front of him, Mason waited until he had gone again. "Alright, start from the beginning. What happened after the shot went off? And don't leave anything out."
"I ran into the house. I keep a .22 caliber pistol in the utility drawer in the kitchen. I took out the gun and ran out of the house. You were just helping Miss Street to her feet. I went after Alex and Chico. It took me a few minutes to find him. He had that poor little dog in his arms. Chico was growling and squirming. He did not hear me come up on him." She paused.
Mason took a sip of his coffee and then spoke words of encouragement. "Then what?"
"I caught him off guard. I pointed the gun at him and demanded he give me the dog but he refused. I shot one warning shot and told him the next one would be at him. He set Chico down on the ground. I called to him but he ran off into the woods. Then I did something stupid. I ran by him to go after Chico. He grabbed my arm… the one I was holding the gun with. He beat it against a tree until I dropped it. I did not wait to see what he would do to me. I kicked him in the groin and ran into the woods in the direction Chico had gone. I searched for the longest time. I could not find him."
"Why did you not come back to the house?" Mason asked.
She put her head down. "I was ashamed. I put you and Miss Street in the line of fire and as a result, you were hurt. I did not mean to do that, Mr. Mason. I was just trying to protect Chico. Either one of you could have been killed and it would have been my fault. I am so sorry, Mr. Mason. You have been so kind to me and you took Chico for me. It is obvious you have taken good care of him." She started to cry.
Mason patted her hand. "We don't have time for that now. Lt. Tragg is going to track me down. Florence, if it was your gun that killed Burke, they have enough evidence to arrest you for his murder. We need to find out what happened if I am to save you from this murder charge. Do you understand me?"
She pulled out a tissue and wiped her eyes. "I don't know what else I can tell you."
"Where have you been all day?"
"I was in the woods until about six o'clock. Then I was picked up by a man in a pickup truck. What an animal he was. He tried… well, it doesn't matter. Anyway, he drove me into the city. I got a cab and went to Alex's apartment."
"Why in the world would you go there?" Mason asked as he sat back in the booth.
"I thought he might have found Chico and took him back to his apartment. The door was unlocked. So…"
"You went in," Mason surmised, shaking his head. "What did you do when you went in there?"
"Alex was not there. I thought I would look around and see if there was something that I could hold over his head so he would leave Chico alone."
"Were you wearing gloves?"
"No, I did not see any reason for gloves. I was not going to steal anything."
"What did you touch in the apartment?"
She looked at Mason and seeing the look on his face knew immediately that she had made a very big mistake. "I searched the entire apartment. I must have touched everything in there."
Mason groaned and then turned his attention back to her. "Did you find anything?"
"Yes!" she said excitedly. "I found money and lots of it, Mr. Mason. Thousands of dollars! He had it hidden in the floor of the closet!"
"Did you take the money?"
"Yes," she said quietly. "I thought I could get him to promise to leave Chico alone if he wanted to see that money again."
"Where is the money now?" Perry asked.
"I mailed it," she told him.
"To whom?"
"To you. I mailed it to your office. You are the only one I trust."
7.4
Sgt. Holcomb pulled his car up in the garage of Perry Mason's apartment building. He walked over to the door. He found it locked. He could buzz Mason's apartment but then he would alert whoever was with Della Street that the police was here. No, that would not do at all. He stood there pondering what to do next when a woman got out of her car and walked over to the door. Using a key, she unlocked it. Holcomb quickly grabbed the door. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his badge. "LAPD, lady. I have to see someone in the building."
"You are supposed to call the front desk, Officer, and announce yourself. Those are the rules here."
"That is Sergeant, lady, and I don't want to announce myself," he said in a very belligerent tone. "I suggest you move out of my way or you will be interfering with an officer in performance of his duty for which I will arrest you."
"I thought you said you were a sergeant. You were very nasty when I called you an officer. Now you are an office in performance of your duty?"
"Just step aside. I don't have time for this." Holcomb roughly pushed his way past the woman. He could hear her shout behind him.
"I am going to report you, Officer!"
"Sergeant!" he snarled over his shoulder. Holcomb got on the elevator and pushed the button to Mason's floor. When he arrived, he rang the doorbell.
Meanwhile, inside the apartment…
Della turned at the sound of the ringing. "Who could that be?"
"Probably, Mr. Mason. He said he would come back here," George pointed out.
Della shook her head in disagreement. "Perry has a key. He would not ring his own apartment." The ringing continued. Then they both heard a familiar voice on the other side of the door.
"Open up, Mason. Police!"
Della walked over to the door and opened it. Sgt. Holcomb all but pushed her out of the way. "Where's Mason?"
"He's not here," Della answered with more politeness than she was feeling at the moment.
Holcomb looked at the coat that was lying over a chair. He then looked at George. "You are just about the same size as Mason… and the two of you came here in his car. How cozy? Does Mason know you are entertaining a man in his apartment, Miss Street?"
Della knew the best thing to do was to remain calm but Sgt. Holcomb had the ability to raise anyone's temper. He had it in for Perry and this made Della dislike him even more.
"That's enough, Holcomb," George growled. "Just state your business and be on your way."
"Did you come here in Mason's car?"
"Yes, we did," Della said before George could speak. She knew he would be loyal to Perry and she did not want him lying to the sergeant or misleading him.
"Why didn't Mason just bring you here himself? Could it be that he figured out he was being followed and he did not want us to know where he was going?"
Neither Della nor George said anything. "So you are helping him hide his client. You are both under arrest for harboring a criminal."
"I thought one must be tried in a court of law and convicted before they are classified as a criminal," Della said with an edge to her voice.
"No one is harboring anyone, Sergeant," George said. "Mr. Mason has an army of detectives out looking for Ms. Monroe. He will have her turn herself in as soon as we find her."
"And I am betting we will find her with Mason," he growled back at George. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his cell phone and called Tragg. "Lieutenant, your hunch was right on. Street is here with George Jex. You can put an APB out on his car."
7.5
"Is there anything that you are leaving out?" Mason asked Florence.
"Not that I can think of, Mr. Mason. Can you help me?"
"I am going to try, Florence, but you have not made it easy," he replied.
The door to the diner opened and Lt. Arthur Tragg walked in and headed right for Mason's table. "Hello, counselor. Fancy seeing you here with Ms. Monroe."
"I came here to advise her to turn herself in, Lieutenant."
"Sure you did, Perry."
"Oh, but he did," Florence spoke up. "I did not kill Alex Burke. Mr. Mason is going to help me prove it."
"Funny, but Andy tells me that you sent Della out of the Brent building with George Jex, one of Drake's operatives and in your overcoat. He was also driving your car. Sergeant Holcomb called and said they were both at your apartment."
"I had to talk to my client, Tragg."
"So you could advise her to clam up," Tragg complained.
"You are about to charge her with murder. She has a right to counsel."
"I have not charged her with anything yet. Miss Monroe, we would like to talk to you about Alex Burke."
Florence looked at Mason who shook his head, hoping the message had gotten through.
"I am sorry, Lieutenant, on the advice of my lawyer, I have nothing to say."
"In that case you are under arrest for the murder of Alex Burke."
