Disclaimer: The characters in this story don't belong to me, they are owned by Erle Stanley Gardner's pen. I don't receive any economic good for them. I only write for the pleasure of doing it.

Many thanks to the incredible to tengland2 for helping correct this story and for staying by my side helping me.

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All the errors are only mine.

Chapter Thirty Seven

"The beginning of the storm."

In the Mason and Drake households there was a bit more than of excitement for over the upcoming holidays and parties that were all wrapped together. But there was a bit of sadness as well, as at the end of the end of year parties, the girls and Dee would be moving from their family homes, into one they would be sharing.

For Della and Perry just thinking about this fact caused a huge emptiness in their heart. Because, they had become accustom to the happy sounds coming from their granddaughter's bedroom every morning. Perry had dreams of having Dee grow up closer to the house her mother had been raised in. To be able to see her before and after work daily, to have dinner together on a regular basis. More than once he had blamed himself for his initial reaction to his daughter's pregnancy and her choices made in raising her child alone. Accepting her decision, he was glad that his daughter never considered the adoption or the abortion had as an options in thinking. Perry was finding it hard to think about his granddaughter, his sweet little girl, his Miss Dee not being in his life daily.

Della and Margaret had most of the Christmas shopping done. But they were planning a final shopping trip with Mae and Dee. Although Perry and Paul had mocked their wives that the shopping trip was more to show off their precious granddaughter. They would also have to do still one more trip to the grocery store for the last minute needs for the festivities.

The Spicy Bits magazine had continued to publish some articles about Lizzie and her decisions of becoming a single mother and not naming the father of her daughter, since returning to LA. But the interest of the public that read the magazine, it was declined slowly, so the magazine seemed to have forgotten as well.

Several other magazines, including a law magazine did interviews with Perry and his family. Pictures had been taken of Perry and his women, another of just Della, Lizzie and Dee. Della's favorite for the law magazine, the one it would use as a cover photo was Perry sitting in his rocker, holding Dee and she laughing with her grandfather. Finally, Perry had sent a press release to the LA Times society page that he and Della were happy with the arrival of their granddaughter to their family and they were supportive of her daughter's, offering all their support to her and their granddaughter. The family were also happy about Elizabeth and Andrea's return to LA to start their own law careers in the help of the neediest.

This particular law magazine was sold in Denver, where Mrs. Robertson had been given one. Laura was nothing happy, her eyes reflected an uncontainable anger, when she saw the cover photo and the demonstration of how happiness the Mason Family was. After Laura had read the article of the magazine, she let out a little shout of frustration and in an attack of anger she tossed the magazine into the fireplace, where she watched it start to burn. Then she walking to her liquor cabinet, she poured herself a large glass whisky with ice, turning her attention back to the fireplace briefly. Walking back to her desk, putting down her drink, picking up the phone, she dialed a number she had called several times in the past few days.

After several rings a raspy voice answered, "Yes."

"It's me," said Laura, avoiding using her name. She had to make sure that nothing would connect her with what was soon to happen in LA. "I hope you have all ready, it's time for you to go to work, to fulfill with what you have been commissioned. I don't want the slightest mistake. Do you understand?"

"Right, ma'am, don't worry, everything is ready. When everything starts, we will let you know. We have been watching the entire family, especially the target. We've managed to intervene all the phone calls and no one suspects anything. We know the movement of each family member," the voice said dryly on the other side of the line.

"Very well, I trust in you so that everything goes as planned. I hope that there will be no mistakes and none of the suspicion will fall on me. The suspicions have to fall elsewhere, the investigations has to take another course, and it has to appear that way. You do understand this just has to be a simple common crime that could happen to anyone." Laura pauses smiling, "I can only hope this will prove that detective Paul Drake, isn't as smart or as skilled as Perry Mason suspects he is. He paid several of his detectives he sent to watch me, then they were bought by me. So that they would only inform him what I only wanted them to know. Now, they think I'm living a very happy life here, waiting for the arrival of my grandchild. I will be very happy to have the lives of Perry Mason and Della Street in my hands, they will pay dearly, they won't know what hit them or when." Laura laughs, then continues. "You know how everything is to be done and from now on, there will be no more contact with me. You and the personnel you have hired know who to contact and he will pass any information on to me. You do understand this?"

"Yes, of course ma´am." Came the voice. Then the line went dead.

Laura draw a smile of satisfaction her face, hanging up the phone. Laura's face now had an evil gaze, as she thought of Perry and his family.

"Perry honey, I think you're going to like it a lot, this Christmas gift, that I have reserved for you and your family." Letting out an evil laugh, as she turned the glass around in her hands, causing the ice to make noise.