Perry Mason sighed with relief as he divested himself of his business suit, shirt and tie. The day had been hot and sticky and he wanted nothing more than a refreshing shower before he settled down to review the paperwork he had brought home from the office in preparation for an upcoming court case. As he headed for the shower, his door bell rang. Grabbing a towelling robe, he went to open the door, hoping against hope that it was Della. She had been off work that day pleading an unspecified ailment and he had not wanted to enquire too deeply in case it was "women's troubles". He had intended to phone her later to see how she was, but if she had come to him, that would be even better. Cautiously he opened the door, only to be thunderstruck by the figure standing there.

"Laura!" he exclaimed at the sight of his former girlfriend. It was six months since they had split up when she left to take up a new job with a legal firm in Denver. He had realised even before the question of the move came up that their affair was over, and although he would always be fond of her, his affections now centred on his lovely secretary. He wasn't sure when he realised that he was in love with Della, but he was elated to find that she returned his feelings. They had become lovers almost immediately and never had he felt such joy with a woman, though over the past two or three weeks he felt she had been somewhat preoccupied and withdrawn. He had tried to find out tactfully what was bothering her, but she had always brushed aside his concerns.

"Hello, Perry," said Laura. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"Yes, of course," he replied as he stood aside to let her enter his apartment. He noticed she had a suitcase beside her.

"What brings you back to LA?'" he asked as he picked up her luggage and deposited it in the hallway of his spacious apartment, leaving the front door slightly ajar behind him.

"I've a massive favour to ask of you, darling," she said giving him her most seductive smile. "Can I stay here for a few days?"

"Laura, we're finished. I thought you had accepted that when you moved to Denver."

"Yes, I know, darling. It's just that I want to lie low for a little while. I'm trying to avoid someone. He'll be searching the hotels for me. He'll never think of looking for me here. He thinks that you and I are through."

"I don't understand," said the lawyer

"It's just that I've been involved with someone in Denver and he's pressuring me to get married. I want time away from him. Time to think. Time to see if there's still a chance for you and me."

"Laura, it's over. I'm seriously involved with someone else. I don't think it would be a good idea for you to stay here."
"Oh, I'll sleep in the spare room if you insist, though it would be nice if we could snuggle up and renew old memories." Seductively she ran her hands over his chest beneath the towelling robe and pressed her lips to his. Like a conditioned reflex he returned her kiss. Neither of them saw the front door being pushed open to reveal a beautiful brunette, until they heard her gasp at the sight of the pair engaged in a passionate kiss with the woman's hands running over Perry's exposed chest.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed.

The pair broke apart and the lawyer stared open-mouthed at his secretary. "Della! I wasn't expecting you."

"Obviously not," she murmured. Her face was pale and Perry noticed she was trembling slightly. "I, er, just came to see if you wanted to go over the documents for the Thomson case, but obviously you are otherwise engaged. I'm so sorry to have interrupted. Good night, Mr Mason," and so saying she turned on her heel and fled towards the elevator.

"Della, wait!" cried Perry, but she ignored him and he could hardly follow her wearing only a bathrobe.

Angrily he turned to Laura. "I think you had better leave now," he announced.

"Oh Perry, can't I stay just one night? I promise I'll be good and sleep in the spare room. I'll find a hotel in the morning, but I'm exhausted tonight. Please, Perry, for old times' sake."

"Oh I suppose so," he said. "I'll go and take a shower and get dressed."

When he emerged twenty minutes later, he intended to head over to Della's apartment to explain, but he found Laura sitting in the living room. "I took the liberty of calling and booking us a table at Samson's," she said. "I presume you have no objection to taking me to dinner. For old times' sake."

"For old times' sake only," he replied.

Despite his reservations, he actually enjoyed the meal and Laura's company as they reminisced over their good times together. He fully intended to phone Della when they got home, but by then it was past midnight and he knew she would be in bed. "I'll sort things out with her in the morning," he told himself.

XXXXXXXXX

He arrived at his office a little later than usual the next morning having driven Laura to a hotel. Clutching a bunch of roses which he hoped would help make amends, he entered his office and stopped in surprise at the sight of a young woman he had never seen before.

"Mr Mason?" She smiled at him. "My name is Amy Fraser. The agency sent me to fill in as your temporary secretary. I believe Miss Street called the emergency service last night to make the arrangement."

He regarded her with a puzzled frown. "I don't understand," he said. "Is Miss Street unwell?"

"I believe she left you a letter on your desk," said the young woman. Perry looked down and saw an envelope addressed to him in Della's neat handwriting. He tore it open.

Dear Perry,

As you can imagine, I was somewhat upset at the scene I witnessed at your apartment last night. I always felt that you and Laura had unfinished business and I was right. I love you so much, Perry, but I will not play second fiddle to your old love.

I have decided that I need to get away. I have arranged for a reliable replacement until you can make a permanent appointment. Please don't try to find me. I hope that you and Laura will be happy.

Yours ever,

Della.

With a groan he crumpled the letter in his hand and tossed it into the waste basket. He then dashed into Della's office and looked around. All her personal belongings were gone. She must have come in very early to leave the letter and collect her things. He glared at her hapless replacement.

"Miss…."

"Fraser."

"Miss Fraser, please cancel all my appointments for today. I don't know when I'll be back in the office," and grabbing the roses he headed for the elevator to the parking garage.

It took him only twenty minutes to reach Della's apartment block. He parked his car and headed frantically for the elevator. He rang her doorbell repeatedly, but when he got no answer, he fished out the set of keys she had given him and pushed open the door. The place was empty. "Della!" he called in the vain hope that she might be in the bathroom, but there was silence. In her bedroom he found closet doors lying open with half-filled rails and drawers left open and empty. With a shock it dawned on him that she had hurriedly grabbed some clothes and gone. But where? He thought for a moment then reached for the phone to call her aunt in Bolero Beach. Of course, that's where she would head if she was upset.

"Hello, Mae," he said quietly when the phone was answered. "It's Perry Mason here. I was wondering if Della was with you.

He heard the note of concern in the older woman's voice. "No, Perry, she's not here. Is something wrong?"

"I don't know, Mae," he responded. "We had a bit of a misunderstanding last night. Della was upset. She says she's quit her job and she's not at her apartment. Will you let me know if she gets in touch? Tell her I love her and we can sort this out."

"If you've hurt that girl, I'll never forgive you," said her aunt. "But if I hear from her, I'll give her the message. It's up to her what she does about it."

For the next few days, Perry lived in hope every time the telephone rang, but it was never her. He was at a total loss to understand her reaction to what she had seen in his apartment. It was not like Della to run from a problem. The Della he knew would have had it out with him, no matter how painful the conversation might be. About a week later, Mae Kirby telephoned him.

"Perry, I've heard from Della. She has asked me to go over and clear her apartment. She's asked me to put all her belongings into storage and she's given me the authority to terminate her lease."

"Thank God she's been in touch," said the attorney. "Is she all right? How did she sound? Did she say where she was?"
"She sounded…strained. I begged her to tell me what was wrong, but she said she was fine. She refused to tell me where she was and said in no uncertain terms that she didn't want you trying to find her. What did you do to her, Perry?"

As briefly as he could, Perry described what had happened in his apartment with Laura. "I know it looked bad, Mae, but honestly, it meant nothing. I would never cheat on her. She must know that."

"Perry, let me tell you something," said her aunt. "Della fell in love with you almost as soon as she came to work for you. She stood by and watched while that Laura woman played games with you. She reckoned she never stood a chance until one night you told her you loved her. Then you seduced her. She always felt second-best, that you took up with her on the rebound. What she saw that night must have convinced her she was right. You were just using her till Laura came back."

"But that's not the case, Mae. You must believe me. I love Della as I have never loved any other woman. I know what she saw looked bad, but I would NEVER hurt her like that. NEVER. I can't believe she has over-reacted like this. She's usually so rational."

Over the next few days, Perry helped Della's aunt clear her apartment of her remaining belongings and pack them away for storage. It broke his heart as he contemplated the empty space around him. "Oh my love," he sighed. "Where are you? Please come back so we can sort this out." He had set Paul Drake the task of tracking her down. Even if she did not want to see him, he had to know she was safe. But despite the best efforts of the Drake Detective Agency, Paul could find no trace of her. "She's disappeared into thin air, Perry," he said. "She sure doesn't want to be found. She's learned a lot from you and your clients about how to lie low."

XXXXXXXXXX

For weeks Paul Drake's men worked tirelessly looking for clues to her whereabouts. Their only help in narrowing down the search were monthly postcards received by her aunt and postmarked New York to say she was well and not to worry. It was almost three months after her disappearance when Paul Drake burst triumphantly into the lawyer's office. "We've found her, Perry. She's in New York. She's going by the name of Della Lane and she's been working in a small store selling groceries."
"What!" Perry looked incredulously at his friend. "Della working in a grocery store?"
"I know, but any high-powered job would have required references from her former employer. She sure didn't want you to know where she was. She's living in a grotty little apartment in a not very nice neighbourhood."
"What's this all about, Paul? I just don't understand. Does she know you've tracked her down?"
"No. I told my operatives not to approach her. If she's so determined to hide from you, she might up and away before you get to her."

Perry Mason wasted no time and was on a flight to New York later that afternoon. Not even stopping to check into a hotel, he went straight to the address Paul had given him. He shivered at the thought of his precious Della living in this insalubrious dump. The plaster was peeling off the walls of the communal hallways and an odour of damp permeated the air. With trembling hands he pressed the doorbell and waited for what seemed an eternity. At long last he heard soft footsteps approach the door which opened a fraction as a pair of hazel eyes he knew so well peeked out round the door.

"Perry!"

"Hello, Della," he said calmly.

"How did you find me?"

"It has taken Paul Drake's finest three months. Why, Della? Why did you run away? You know we could have worked things out. I love you."

"Do you?" she asked. Her face was ashen and she had dark circles under her beautiful eyes.

"Please, Della. Can I come in and we can talk?"

He saw she was hesitating. "I'm not going away till you let me in," he said. "I'm quite prepared to make a scene that will keep your neighbours in gossip for months. Now let me in."

Wordlessly she drew the door open and he stepped inside. As she turned to face him, he gasped in stunned shock. She was very obviously pregnant.

For what seemed like ages they just stood and looked at each other. Then he took a step towards her and held out his arms. "Della, sweetheart. Why didn't you tell me?"

She looked frail and drawn as she answered him. "I came to tell you that night. I had a doctor's appointment that day and it confirmed what I had been suspecting for weeks. I wasn't sure how you would react. Then I saw you kissing her, and I knew that I wasn't the most important thing in your life. How could I tell you I was having your child and make you choose between your love for her and any obligation you might feel towards me?"

He looked stunned. "Della, you've got this all wrong. What you saw, it wasn't what you thought. She had just walked in on me as I was going for a shower. Nothing happened apart from us going to dinner. I swear to you on my life. It's you I love. How could you think I would ever walk away from you and our child?"

"That's just it, Perry. You would have felt obliged to make an 'honest woman' of me. I didn't want that if you truly loved her. I didn't want to always be second best. To feel I had somehow trapped you when you really wanted her." She began to tremble and tears fell silently down her cheeks. With a swift movement he pulled her into his arms.

"Della, what will it take to convince you that I love you? She means nothing to me. I haven't seen her since that night." She wept silently in his arms as he continued. "I can't believe you went to all these lengths to avoid me. Living like this. Cut off from your friends and family. "

"I thought I could manage, Perry, but it's been so hard and so lonely," she sniffed.
"Oh my poor love! Did it never occur to you that perhaps I had a right to know about my child? An obligation to support you both?"

"I don't want anything from you, Perry, especially not charity."

"Della, look at me!" Almost roughly he cupped her chin and forced her to look him in the eye. "I've been out of my mind with worry over the past few months. I imagined all sorts of scenarios. I couldn't bear the thought that I caused you so much pain. Now let me put it right. Marry me! Marry me as soon as we can arrange it. I want you to come back to Los Angeles with me as my wife."

"No, Perry. I don't want you to marry me out of pity or a sense of obligation."
"For God's sake, woman," he said almost angrily. "Will you get it into your head that I love you more than anyone or anything on this earth. I would want you as my wife whether you were carrying my child or not. The baby is a bonus I never dreamed of."

"But you said you didn't want children."
"I said that because I thought that's what you wanted to hear. You were so adamant that you didn't want domesticity; that you wanted to be a career girl. I've always dreamt of being a father, Della. I'm thrilled."
She looked up at him. "When I found out I was pregnant I was in shock. You know how careful we tried to be. But once I got over the shock, I was elated. I really wanted the baby. And that's what's kept me going through all these months. But I've felt so alone. I didn't want to tell Aunt Mae where I was because I knew she would tell you, especially if she knew I was pregnant. But I want this baby so much, because it's part of you. The only part I had left."

"Oh my darling!" He held her tight. "Sometimes you can be too damned independent for your own good. Please say you'll marry me, not because of the baby but because you love me."

She was silent for a long moment and he began to fear that she would turn him down. Then she said, "Look at me and tell me the truth, Perry. Do you love me?"
Tenderly he looked into the eyes he loved so much. "Della, I love you more than I ever thought it possible to love anyone."
"Then yes, I'll marry you."

He brought his lips down to hers. Yes, they would set tongues wagging when he returned to Los Angeles with a very pregnant wife. Yes, the gossip-mongers would have a field day. But he didn't care. It would be a nine days' wonder. He would love and cherish his precious Della and their child for the rest of his life. He needed nothing and no-one else. His world was complete.