The Case of the Innocent Cat Burglar

Chapter 15

1

Tommy Brace took the elevator to the floor where Perry Mason's office was located. He didn't know if Mason would be able to see him; he didn't have an appointment. Nevertheless, he had to try. It was important Mason know about the latest development regarding his father. He walked down the hall until he reached the door that read "Perry Mason, Attorney at Law."

Tommy opened the door. Gertie was sitting at her desk. She looked up as the young man entered. "Can I help you?"

"I would like to see Mister Mason. I don't have an appointment, but it is very important that I see him."

Giving the boy a sympathetic look, she said, "I'm sorry. Mister Mason doesn't see anyone without an appointment. He is in very big demand, and an appointment is essential to see him."

Tommy looked down in disappointment. "Well, then can I talk to Miss Street?"

"I can see if she is not busy with Mister Mason if you are willing to wait."

He brightened up a bit. "Yes, I can wait. I'll wait all day if necessary. Tommy walked over and sat down in one of the chairs in the lobby.

"Who shall I say is calling?" Gertie asked.

"Tommy Brace," he answered.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I should have recognized you." Gertie picked up the phone and when it was answered, said, "Miss Street, Tommy Brace would like to see Mister Mason, but will talk to you if he can't see him."

A moment later, the door opened and Della Street came into the lobby. With a warm smile, she addressed the boy. "Hello, Tommy. What is it you want to see Mister Mason about?"

"About a phone call I received, a threatening one."

Della immediately invited Tommy into her office. She picked up the phone, buzzed the intercom, and told Perry what had transpired. After hanging up the phone, she smiled. "Mister Mason will see you immediately."

A grin appeared on Tommy's face. He was afraid he would not be able to see Mason, and it was important that he did.

Della opened the door to Mason's office and led the boy inside. Perry Mason stood as Tommy came in. "Hello, Tommy. What can I do for you?" With a wave of his hand, Mason indicated for the young man to sit in the chair across from his desk.

After sitting down, Tommy said, "Mister Mason, I am concerned for my mother's safety."

"Why? Has something happened?"

"Well, yes. I received a phone call. It was a man, but I didn't recognize the voice. He said I was to convince my father to plead guilty to killing Steve Edwards or my mother would pay the price."

"When did you receive this phone call?" Mason asked.

"Yesterday. I'm worried about my mom."

"I'll take care of it. We'll put a man outside your house to keep an eye on your mother, and to follow her if she leaves the house. And Tommy . . . "

"Yes."

"I don't want you to tell your father about the phone call. He has already fired me once; I don't want to give him any reason to do it again. You leave it to me to see that your mother is protected. You did the right thing coming here and telling me."

"I knew you would protect her. Well, I won't take up any more of your time. Thanks, Mister Mason." Tommy stood up and headed for the door.

"Tommy," Mason said.

The boy turned around. "Yes, Mister Mason."

"If you receive any more calls like that, I want to know."

Tommy smiled. "You'll be the first to know." He turned and left his office.

"Well, who do you think called and made that threat. The murderer?" Della asked her boss.

"Could be," Mason said as he sat back down, "or it could just be someone who has been purchasing stolen paintings or jewelry, and doesn't want it to come out in the trial. Della, get on the phone. Call Paul's office and tell him to get a man over to the Brace's house. I want Mrs. Brace covered 24/7. Tell Paul to cover Tommy as well."

Della left the office to carry out Mason's orders.

2

The street in front of Steve Edwards' office building was empty. Paul Drake sat in his vehicle surveying the area. Perry asked him to investigate Edwards. Getting into his office was a priority. He was unsure of what he would find there since Lieutenant Tragg and his men already searched the office thoroughly, and Tragg was good. He rarely missed anything. Drake had to play this just right. He couldn't claim he was from the police. However, quite often when he flashed his private detective badge, many made the mistake thinking he was the police. It got him into more than one place he never would have been able if they realized he was a private detective. He certainly couldn't break in or pick the lot. Only private eyes on television got away with that.

Drake got out of his car, looked both ways, and crossed the street. He opened the door of the building and entered. Edwards' office was on the right, but the building manager was on the left. He would try Edwards' office first. There wasn't any reason to get the building manager involved unless he had to. The private eye reached for the knob and turned it. It surprised him that the door was not locked. He opened and went in. A cleaning lady was just about to start her work. She turned and looked at Drake.

"Who are you and what are you doing in here?" she demanded.

Drake pulled out his detective badge and waved it at the woman. "What are you doing in here? This office is supposed to be left untouched. The man who rented it was murdered."

"No one told me not to clean it," she said.

"Well, I'm telling you. You don't clean an office that could hold clues to who murdered the man," Drake told her.

"What clues? According to the papers, his partner killed him."

"He may have or he may not have. Now stop what you are doing and leave this office at once!" Drake mustered all the authority in his voice he could.

The woman stood there and stared at him. He thought she was going to stand her ground. Finally, she pushed her sweeper out of the office, moving on to the next. Drake wasted no time. If the woman went to the manager of the building, there wasn't any doubt he would be dealing with her.

He walked over to the desk and began opening drawers. Searching for something that could help Perry defend his client, Drake went through every piece of paper he could find. By the time he was done, he had not located a single thing that was of any use to Jack Brace's case. Either Lieutenant Tragg had already removed everything, or there was nothing to find in the first place. He went over to the file cabinet. Opening the top drawer, he began reading the names on the files. None of the names matched the people Drake was looking for. He opened a few files, but none of them were of any help. After taking pictures of some of the files, Drake closed the drawers. Maybe Perry could make some sense of them. He sure couldn't.

Tragg had obviously done a very thorough job. Paul couldn't see anything that could help Perry with the case. He looked around the room for anything he might have missed. Then he noticed the carpet was not secured to the wall behind the filing cabinet. It was probably nothing, but he was going to check anyway. What did he have to lose? He walked back to the cabinet, squatted down and reached behind it. Feeling along the way, he didn't feel anything. The carpet appeared flat. Still, it bothered him that it was not attached to the wall like the rest of the wall-to-wall carpet. He raised it and felt below it.

"Bingo!" he said, as he pulled a flash drive out from under the carpet. Tragg's men didn't do quite the thorough job Paul thought. He wanted to put the flash drive into a computer right away, but the police had confiscated Edwards' computer. Taking the drive without authorization could cost him his private eye license. Yet, how could he leave it behind without looking at it? He sighed and put the drive in his pocket. What he wouldn't do for Perry Mason. He would check the drive on the computer in his office and return it later. How he would return it, he didn't know. He would probably not be so lucky next time to find the office door open. Drake was taking a chance and he knew it. If there was anything on that drive that would hurt Perry's client, it would be evidence and the lawyer would be legally bound to turn it over to Hamilton Burger.

He made a decision. He would take it back to his office and take a look at the drive. If there was anything that would hurt Perry and his client, he would never mention it to him. That way Perry would not be legally bound to turn it over to Burger. Oh boy, he couldn't believe he was doing this! Concealing evidence would be a crime. Could he really do it? No, he knew he couldn't. He might as well head for Perry's office. His friend would never want him to put himself out on a limb this way.

Drake left the office, closed the door, and headed back to his car. As he pulled away, he spotted Lieutenant Tragg coming down the street. Drake quickly turned the corner and then again at the next corner. He hoped Tragg hadn't seen him. If he had, he would be looking for him right now. The lieutenant would want to know what he was doing in the same neighborhood as Steve Edwards' office building.

The private eye kept looking in his rear-view mirror expecting Tragg to put on his flashers behind him, and pull him over, but he never did. He drove all the way to the Brent building and turned his car over to the valet to park it for him. Drake entered the building and took the elevator to the floor his and Mason's offices were located. He went around the back of Mason's office. He didn't want to be seen entering the front in case Tragg had followed him discreetly. Paul had not spotted him, but that didn't mean he hadn't followed him.

When he arrived at Mason's private entrance, he knocked his code knock on the door with his knuckles. The door opened almost immediately. Della Street smiled at him.

"Hello, Paul. We were about to call you."

He returned the smile. "Hello, beautiful." Passing her, he headed for the overstuffed chair, threw his legs over one arm, and rested his back on the other.

Mason looked over at his friend and smiled. "Why do I get the feeling you are about to tell me you have been up to something you shouldn't have been?"

Drake shook his head. "It's a wonder I even still have a private detective license."

"What did you do?" Mason asked.

"I went over to Steve Edwards' office building. There was a woman in there about to clean the place."

"And you flashed your private detective badge, not letting her see it fully. She thought you were a police detective and let you stay," Mason said.

"That's right. If Tragg finds out and I'm sure he will since he was pulling up as I left . . . "

"You didn't tell the woman you were a police detective?" Della interrupted.

"Of course not," Paul said.

"Well, did you come up with anything that will help us?"

"I am not sure. There was nothing in the desk or the filing cabinets that would help, at least not that I could tell. I took some pictures for you in case you spot something."

"Let's see them," Mason said.

"Just a minute, Perry. That's not all. I found this." Drake reached into his pocket and pulled out the flash drive."

Mason looked at it. "What's on it?"

"I don't know. If I looked at it and found evidence that would help Burger convict him, I would have no choice but to turn it over to him. So, I thought I would let you make that decision." Paul stood up, walked over to Mason's desk and set the flash drive down in front of him. "If you don't want to look at it, then I suggest you give it back to me and I will return it to its hiding place."

Mason grinned. "Della, boot up the computer."

Drake shook his head. "I was afraid you would say that. I should have left it where I found it. One of these days, I am going to get myself in big trouble with Tragg."

"Don't worry about it. You have a very good lawyer," Perry said with a grin. "He'll make sure your cell is very comfortable."

Della booted the computer up while Mason and Drake waited. When it was ready, the lawyer slipped the flash drive into the USB port and pulled up the contents. He began reading it. The silence got to both Della and Paul.

"Well?" they said at the same time.

"Steve Edwards has been very busy. Apparently, Jack Brace is not the only person he has been blackmailing. Politicians . . . why are they always at the center of corruptions?"

"Not all politicians are corrupt, Perry. We know several that have helped us in the past, and they are not corrupt," Della said.

Mason ran his hand down his face. "That can't be said for some of our city council members. Take a look."

Della and Paul crowded around the computer. Drake whistled. "Looks like more than one person had a reason for wanting Edwards dead."

"Paul, I want all of these men checked out. I am going to get subpoenas for them to testify in court. I don't want you to deliver them just yet. Find out everything you can about their connection with Steven Edwards."

"Okay, you got it," Drake responded.

"I need to know where you found that flash drive," Mason said.

"Under the lining of the carpet behind the file cabinet."

"All right, you get started on our city councilmen."

"Perry, I need to return that flash drive to where I found it," Drake insisted.

"I'll return the flash drive just as soon as I get a friendly judge to allow me to get a look in Steve Edwards' office."

Drake sighed. "I was afraid you were going to say that." He got up and headed to the private office entrance. Opening the door, he turned back to Mason. "You are not going to do something that is going to get both of us in trouble, are you?"

Mason grinned. "You worry too much. Just check out those councilmen along with Steve Edwards."

Drake shook his head and left the office.

Della looked over at her boss and lover. "What exactly are you going to do, Perry?"

"I am going to return the flash drive to where it was found." He grinned. "Just after I make a copy of it."

"That's what I thought. That's not all you are going to do, is it?"

"Della, get a friendly judge on the phone, for me."

She sighed and reached for the phone.

3

Mason pulled his vehicle up in front of the building that housed Steve Edwards' office. He looked around. He smiled when he didn't see any police in sight. It made his plan that much easier. Paul stated that he saw Tragg coming down the street as he pulled away from the building. Mason hoped Tragg had not spotted the loose carpeting behind the cabinet. If he did, the lawyer knew he would be accused of planting the flash drive.

"Della, call Paul and tell him to have one of his men call Tragg and give him a tip that I am here at the office looking for something the police missed. Then join me inside." Della Street removed her cellphone from her purse and dialed Drake's office. She watched Mason as he got out of the car and entered the building.

Mason immediately went looking for the office manager. As it turned out, she found him instead.

"Aren't you Perry Mason, the lawyer?" she asked.

"One and the same," Mason said with a smile, turning on the charm.

"You are defending the man that killed Steve, aren't you?" Her eyebrows lowered and her demeanor turned hostile.

"I'm defending the man accused of killing Steve Edwards. I don't believe he is guilty. I'm here to look over his office."

She shook her head back and forth. "No way, Mason. Lieutenant Tragg said you were not allowed in that office. He was very upset when your private detective said he was a cop and got inside."

"My private detective would never say he was a cop. He simply says he is a detective, which is correct. He is a private detective."

"Well, he didn't say he was a private detective," she complained.

"That is not against the law," Mason said. "He is not responsible if your people mistake him for a police detective."

"Maybe not, but I know you are not the police and you are not getting into that office. So, you can just turn around and leave."

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that." Mason pulled out the proper legal papers. "This says I can go into Edwards' office and look around. The police have done so, and the defense has the right to do the same." Mason handed her the legal document. She looked it over at looked up at the attorney.

"All right, I guess I can't stop you then." She unlocked the office and walked away.

Noticing that she kept looking back at him, Mason waited until she was out of sight. He hurried into the office and headed directly for the cabinet where Paul Drake said he had found the flash drive. The big attorney reached down, pulled the carpet back and put the flash drive back in its hiding place. He then hurried back out into the hall. If Della called Tragg, he would be along momentarily. Mason didn't have long to wait.

He watched the door to the building. The apartment manager came out of her office. "Are you done looking around in there? I want to lock it back up. Lieutenant Tragg said to keep it locked until the police were done with it."

"I haven't even begun to look around," Mason said truthfully.

Lieutenant Arthur Tragg walked into the building and hurried over to Mason and the apartment manager. "Well, hello, Counselor. What brings you here?"

Mason knew Tragg knew fully well what he was doing in the building. Bless Della for being so efficient. "I am here to take a look around Steve Edwards' office."

Tragg smiled. "This is not the crime scene, Perry. You can't go looking around his office without the proper legal papers."

"He gave me this," the apartment manager said as she handed the legal document to the lieutenant.

Tragg looked it over knowing fully well Mason would've had everything in order. He just couldn't help playing mind games with the attorney. "Okay, Counselor, I suppose I will have to let you take a look around." Tragg pushed open the door, and with an exaggerated sweeping wave of his hand, invited the attorney to enter the office in front of him. Mason smiled and went in.

Looking back at Tragg, Mason said, "You don't have to hang around, Lieutenant. I wouldn't want to keep you from your important work."

"I'm doing important work right now, Mister Mason. I am here to assist the defense attorney any way I can." He grinned broadly. Mason just smiled back at him, knowing Tragg wanted to make sure he didn't find the flash drive.

Tragg watched closely as Mason began with the filing cabinet. Pulling out nearly every file in the cabinet, the lawyer scanned as much of the paper as possible. When Della entered the office, he put her to work checking files as well. After an hour and a half, he and Della had completed everything in the file. Neither one of them could find anything out of order. Edwards had been very careful to make sure nothing illegal would be located in the files. That information had been reserved for the flash drive.

Mason spent another half hour checking everything in the desk and looking around the room. Edwards had covered his tracks. There wasn't anything in the office except the flash drive that could help his client.

"I guess that is about it," Mason said. He took Della's elbow and headed for the door.

"Sorry," Tragg said with a sly grin.

Mason turned around to face him. "Sorry about what?"

"Sorry you didn't find anything that would help your client."

The lawyer simply smiled and said, "Good day, Lieutenant."

Still grinning, Tragg responded, "Good day, Counselor."Neither Mason nor Street said anything until they got to the car. Della was the first to speak up. "That certainly was a bust. There was absolutely nothing that can help us."

A grin spread across the lawyer's face. "Quite the opposite, Della."

With a look of confusion, she asked, "What do you mean?"

"Tragg will find that flash drive. When he does, he will tell Burger about it, but neither of them is going to tell me about it."

"How in the world is that going to help?" Della asked in bewilderment.

"It's simple, Della. We could not have used the flash drive in court because Paul obtained it illegally. By putting it back and tipping off Tragg that it was there, we will now be able to force Burger to bring it out in court, and I'll be able to question the city councilman about it."

Della chuckled. "I should know there is always a method to your madness, and Arthur played right into it."

"That was the plan," Mason said, still grinning.