The Case of the Mystery Writer Chapter 2, a perry mason fanfic

The Case of the Mystery Writer

Chapter 2

Della Street put a pod in Keurig coffee machine. She ordered it online. Trying to convince Perry the coffee would be just as good as coffee with grounds was not easy. He was still skeptical. Della purchased different flavors. Hopefully one of them would suit him. She was sure she go through to him that the grounds were in the pod, there would be less mess, and the coffee would be even better. After pouring the water into the machine, she waited until the cup below was filled with fresh coffee. She then repeated the process for herself.

Della took both cups into Mason's office. Setting the cup down, she looked at the expression on his face. "Try it, Perry. I think you will like it."

"I doubt it," Mason said. Picking up the coffee mug, he took a sip of the brew. Actually, he couldn't complain. It was very good. "What kind is this?"

"I thought we would start out with a dark roast. We can experiment with other kinds to find out what we both like," Della answered.

"This is fine. I'll stick with think. Now, what time is Nick Perino coming in? 1:00, wasn't t?"

"One of your appointments cancelled. I called him and moved up his appointment. He will be in . . .," she glanced at her watch, "shortly."

"Okay, fine. What do you know about the man, other than he is a mystery novel writer?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "No much. Probably no more than you do. I know he writes very good books. He was a very good football player in college, and was the number one pick in the NFA."

Mason looked up and grinned. "NFL, Della. It stands for the National Football League."

She could see he was amused. "I don't follow football."

"You should. It's a great game."

"And just when would I have time to watch it?" She said, her hands on her hips.

"I understand you can watch games on your phone these days. Although, I don't know why anyone would want to watch it on such a tiny screen." Mason picked up the copy of Nick Perino's new book. "A Murder of Convenience." Mason frowned.

"What's the matter? Don't you like the title?" Della asked.

Looking up at his secretary, Mason said, "Tell me, when is murder convenient? Murders are more out of rage or desperation. Dumb title. I hope the book is better than the title."

Della reached into the left top drawer of Mason's desk. She pulled out a pad of paper she kept there for recording Mason's conversations with his clients. Nick Perino was due for his appointment very shortly. Della Street was efficient. She was always prepared to record the conversations of Perry's client. She chuckled at the thought of recording the conversations on a pad of paper. She was always teasing Perry because he didn't seem to want to used the technology of today. Yet, here she was still using a pad of paper and a pen to record conversations instead of a recorder. She just didn't see the advantage of using a recorder. She would have to listen to it later and record it on the computer or paper anyway, so what was the sense in using a recorder?

The phone on Mason's desk rang. He glanced over. It was the intercom. He could tell by the light that lit up it was Gertie. Mason ignored it as he knew Della would answer it. He never answered the phone during the day; only at night when he knew it would be Paul or one of his operatives. Mason didn't want to talk to client without them going through Della first. She would weed out the ones that didn't need to speak with him directly and make appointments for those who did.

As he anticipated, Della walked over to the phone, pressed the lighted line and said, "Yes, Gertie." After listening for a moment, she said, "Tell Mr Perino to have a seat. I'll be out in a moment." She hung up the phone. "Your appointment is here, Perry."

Mason sighed. He still was not on board with seeing Nick Perino. He supposed he should get past the way the writer treated him. After all, most men didn't notice him when Della was with him. He really should be use to it by now. He wondered if his ego was getting better of him. He always prided himself for keeping his ego in check. Maybe, just maybe, this time he failed to do so. "Show him in, Della."

His ever efficient secretary disappeared from his office, only to return a moment later with Nick Perino. He immediately noticed Perino had a briefcase in his hands. Mason stood up with his entrance as he always did when a client entered his office.

"Mr Perino, this is Mr Mason," Della said.

"I know. We met yesterday, not that I expect Mr Mason to remember. I want to apologize for my behavior, Mr Mason. I was rude to you. I really didn't mean to be, but your secretary was a very big distraction. You, of all people, should understand why."

Mason offered his hand. "Forget it, Mr Perino. Won't you have a seat." The lawyer gestured to the chair in front of his desk.

Perino sat down. "First of all, I would like to thank you for seeing me. I will admit when it asked to see you, it was for anterior motives."

Mason smiled. "I understand. Please tell me what you really wanted to see me about."

"Well, when I said I thought my agent was stealing from me, I had no basis for the claim at the time. Actually, I decided to take a look at my financial records, which I haven't done in 10 years. You see, my agent, whose name is Leo Dobbs, has handled everything for me." Perino set his briefcase on his lap. After opening it, he pulled out the papers he ran off the night before. "I have now found out that Dobbs is actually stealing from me and has been for years." He set the paperwork down in front of Mason.

The lawyer looked down the list of expenses. "It looks to me like he has been paying your house payment for years. What is the problem with that?" Mason asked.

"The problem with that, Mr Mason, is I bought the mansion with cash 10 years ago after the success of my first novel. I could have brought it several time over with the money I made on that one."

"I see. And, these other expenses, what is the problem with them?"

"I rarely eat out. I am recognized these days. Eating out means never being able to eat a hot meal. I am constantly interrupted by fans. Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate those that have bought and read my books. That is why I do the book signings. I have enough of a name that I don't have to do them anymore. I do them for the fans. What I don't appreciate is being interrupted every time I go out in public. I am sure you understand. You are a famous lawyer who has successfully defended the President of the United States. I doubt you can go anywhere without being recognized either."

"It can be problem now and then. However, you know it goes hand in hand with fame. You must realize that," Mason said.

"Of course, I do. That is why I rarely eat out. Yet, if you look at the ledger, you will see it appears I eat all of my meals out every single day. Believe me, I don't. Leo is paying his house payments and eating at my expense. If you look further, he is also purchasing clothes at my expense. All you have to do is look at the sizes he is buying. He is a much smaller man than I am. I couldn't get into clothes that size. They would never fit me."

"How much do you pay him a year?" Mason asked.

"$50,000.00 dollars. As you can see, he was paying a house payment of $15,000.00 per month. I have no doubt you know that a payment that high could be an extremely nice home. At the very least, even if it is a modest home, he is paying it off in a short of period as he can." Perino pointed to another line. "Look here, Leo purchased a Chevrolet Camaro. Now, compared to the cars I can afford to buy, that is modest, except he paid for it in full. Mr Mason, I didn't purchase a Camaro, and wouldn't. Right now, I drive a Corvette. I have been considering moving up to a more expensive sports car, but haven't done so yet."

Mason continued to look down the list of expenses. "The ones marked with a yellow marker, I assume are the ones you didn't do yourself?"

"That is right."

The lawyer handed the ledger to his secretary. "Della, take this in the other room and add up all of the yellow lined items for the past 10 years, and come back to me with a figure." Street immediately left the Mason's office.

"What do suggest I do?" Perino said.

"First of all, I will take your case if you would like me to be your attorney."

Perino nodded. "That is why I am here. I certainly do."

"Secondly, I will need a retainer of $10,000.00."

Perino didn't bat an eye. He reached into his suitcoat pocket, pulled out his checkbook and wrote a check for $20,000.00. He handed it to Mason. "I would like to keep you on retainer as my lawyer from now on, so I have doubled your requested amount. When that runs low, just have your secretary let me know and I will send you another check."

"Next, I want to know the balances in all your accounts." Mason handed him the phone. "Call your bank. Let's find out if this ledger accurately reflexes the what you have in the bank."

Nick dialed the number for the Wells Fargo Bank. When the receptionist answered, he said, "This is Nick Perino. I would like to talk to the bank manager." The Wells Fargo Bank had many very wealthy customers. None of them had to wait, or be told they would receive a call back. They were immediately referred to the CEO of the Bank.

"Mr Perino, this Jack Biggs. "What can I do for you?"

"Hi, Jack, I would like you to give my lawyer, Mr Perry Mason, the balances on my accounts." After giving Biggs the identifying information to the CEO's satisfaction, Nick handed the phone to his new lawyer.

"Hi, Jack, Perry Mason here."

"Well, hello, Perry. I would ask you how you are doing, but I read about it in the papers all the time. Here are balances in Mr Perino's accounts."

Mason wrote them down. Perino has seven accounts used for different purposes. By the end of the conversation, he knew exactly how much was in each account. "Jack, I am going to give you back to Mr Perino. He will be removing Leo Dobbs from all authority on his accounts." Mason handed the phone back to Nick.

"Mr Perino, is that what you want, to have Leo Dobbs removed from all of your accounts?"

"Absolutely, and from now on whatever Mr Mason says goes. I will sign a statement that he has all authority over my affairs, and it includes my money."

"All right. Mr Dobbs will be removed immediately. Fax over the statement, signed and dated, and Mr Mason will have control over your affairs."

"It will be done immediately," Nick said and hung up the phone.

"I'll have Della type it up as soon as she comes back."

No sooner than finishing the statement, Della Street re-entered the lawyer's office. She handed the journal back to Nick Perino and gave Mason a tablet with a dollar figure on it.

Mason shook his head. "This is not good, Mr Perino. Leo Dobbs has stolen over $5,000,000.00 from you in the past ten years."

"Oh my God! Why did I ever trust that man?" Nick said.

"I think you better leave the ledger with me. I will have a qualified accountant check it out thoroughly."

"What can be done about it?" Nick asked.

"Unfortunately, he probably has spent most of the money. He likely will never be able to pay it back. But, what we can do is sue him to take the house he purchased with your money, as well as the car, and anything of value brought with your money. It probably will not come close to the amount he has taken from you. We can also have him arrested, that is after I take a look at the contract you have with him. It will depend on just exactly what you authorized him to do in that contract."

"I meant to bring that with me, Mr Mason, but I forgot it. You'll have it in this office later to day. I'll need your email address so I can send it to you as soon as I get back to the house."

"Della can give that to you. In the meantime, I am going to put my private detective on this. He will be able to find out what Leo Dobbs has been up to."

"You do whatever you think is needed. You have a free reign. Spare no expense, as you can see from what I have in the bank, I can afford it."

"Good. Now, I also want to turn your business over to a reputable agent. I know several in the business. You also will need a new accountant. If whoever is doing your taxes didn't catch what Dobbs has been doing, he could very well be in on it with him."

"Go ahead. Whatever you think necessary. You have complete control. I'll sign anything you come up with. I have no doubt you will look after my interest."

Mason stood up. "Get that contact over to me as soon as possible."

Nick Perino just stood there for a moment.

"Is something wrong, Mr Perino?" Mason asked.

"Yes, it just occurred to me. I don't have any kind of contract with Leo. Basically, years ago, all I signed was a handwritten paper, stating he would be in complete control. There was never any formal contract. Although, I do think there were some restrictions, but I don't remember what they were."

Mason didn't like the sound of this. "Do you still have that written document?"

"I believe so. I will have to find it, though."

"One other thing. I will have a statement of termination of his services, and it will be delivered to him through the courts. If he has an office in your home, you are to change the locks immediately. I want to get a look at what he has on the computer. He does use a computer?"

"Yes, he does, and he maintains an office in my home."

"Is there anything in writing regarding the office?" Mason asked.

"Nothing. I have allowed him to use it for purpose of running my affairs only."

"All right then. Change the locks on that office and your house as well, and do it immediately. And have a security alarm installed, if you haven't already."

"Yes, sir, and thank you."

He was led out of Mason's office by Della Street. When she returned, Mason handed her the phone. "Call Paul. See if he can come down to the office."

Della's fingers flew with efficiency across the buttons on the phone. A minute later she reported to Mason that Paul would be down in a few minutes.

When his code knock sounded on the door, Della walked over and opened it. A smiling Paul Drake greeted her. "Hello, Beautiful, I hear Perry wants to see me."

Della returned the smile. "Come right in, Paul."

Drake entered the office and sat down in the chair Nick Perino had just vacated. "I haven't read about any murders lately, so what is this all about?"

"Have you ever heard of Nick Perino?" Mason asked.

"Of course. He writes damn good murder mysteries. I just got a hold of his latest book. I even had a chance to start it, but I suppose it will have to wait now," he sighed.

Mason laughed. "Am I the only one who never heard of this guy?"

"Face it, Perry. You would rather solve a murder than read about one," Paul said. "So what's this got to do with why you called me in here?"

"Nick Perino is Perry's new client," Della answered.

Drake whistled. "I hear he is worth millions."

"About 80 million to be exact," Mason said. "But, he is shy about 5 million. His agent has been stealing from him."

"You don't say."

"I want you to find out all you can about an agent by the name of Leo Dobbs. He paid for his house with Perino's money. Della determined he has embezzled at least 5 million, and that is what we know about. Also, he hired the accountant that does Perino's taxes. Find out if he is taking a cut of his money as well."

Drake recorded Dobb's name in his small note book. "What's the accountant's name?"

"We don't know. Perino let Dobb's handle it. He has allowed Dobb's free reign for the last ten years."

"He's lucky 5 million is all the guy has siphoned off of him. Ten years of no scrutiny by Perino or a lawyer is a long time for him to steal from him."

"Paul, I am betting the figure is a lot higher than 5 million. I want an amount. We are going to go after this guy and possibly the accountant," Mason said.

"Okay, I'll get started. Is that all?" Drake stood up.

"That's it for now. I'll have more later on. Right now, we just need to find out what Dobbs has been up to for the last 10 years."

Drake nodded and left the office.

"Now, aren't you glad I made the appointment for Nick Perino?" Della said, smiling at the lawyer.

"All right, it looks like he is a very good client to have, but it is not the same as a murder case, Della."

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, Perry. A murder case will come up soon enough. This makes for a nice distraction."

"I still prefer the murder cases," Mason said.

What a life! Leo Dobbs worked for the dumbest writer in the world. Nick Perino turned out to be the cash cow he was looking for. Ten years, count 'em, ten years he had been acquiring worldly goods at Perino's expense. The writer was so damn rich, he didn't even realize he was being ripped off. Leo would continue for another year or two. By then, he would have everything he wanted in life. His bank account was sizable, amount 10 million in it right now. He would increase the amount he was taking for the next two years. 5 million a year was a nice round figure. Then he would up and quit. Of course, he wouldn't give Perino any notice. He would just disappear. He could live quite comfortably in some foreign country where American money was worth much more than in America itself. It needed to be a country with a beach. Dobbs wanted to sit in the sun and drink tequilas.

He sat in a restaurant eating another meal . . . on Nick Perino as always. Leo quit cooking a long time ago. All he had to do was enter a restaurant and hand them a credit card that would charge the meal to Perino. Three squares a day, and not one penny out of his pocket! What a life!

After finishing his lunch, Dobbs wiped his mouth with a napkin. The meal was filling, and he wouldn't need to eat again until late in the evening. Leo put his hand up to get the waitress's attention. She came immediately over to his table.

"Yes, sir. Would you like some pie or cake to finish off your meal." She smiled at him, not that she really wanted to. She remembered the man. He came into the restaurant quite often, and when he did, he always gave her a big tip; much bigger than any of the other girls. She was certain that was because she allowed him to pinch her bottom. The other girls refused to put up with it. She really didn't care if it meant a larger tip. She needed the money. Living on what a waitress was paid was impossible. The tips were what made the job worth it. If she had to tolerate a little sexism from the men who came into the restaurant, then so be it. To her, it was a small price to pay for the extra tip money she would receive.

"No, thanks, baby, I'm full. Don't have any room for anything else." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. Selecting one of the credit cards for Nick Perino's accounts, he gave it to her. "Give yourself a 30% tip, doll." He reached around her and pinch her rear, then ran his hand across it.

The waitress noted it was the first time he took the liberty of actually caressing his butt. The tips better get even bigger if she was going to have to put up with that.

Leo finished off the glass of beer he ordered with his meal and waited for the waitress to return. It was taking longer than he expected. Where the hell was she? He had work to do. Leo didn't have time to sit there all afternoon. Finally, she returned. He notice she didn't have a bill for him to sign. What the hell? She took all that time and no bill?

"Mr Dobbs, I am sorry but your credit card has been declined," she told him.

"That's ridiculous. There is no way it should be declined. It has a limit of $100 thousand dollars. Run it through again. You must have keyed the number in wrong."

"No sir, I did it 4 times. It was declined all four times. The last time, the machine said the card has been cancelled."

Leo couldn't believe it. It had to be a glitch in their system. Well, it didn't really matter. He had several credit cards Nick Perino provided to him. Pulling out a different one, Dobbs handed it to the waitress. "This one has a half-million limit on it."

She took the card and disappeared once again. Several minutes later, she return. "Sorry, Mr Dobbs, but this one has also been cancelled."

"What the hell is the problem? Do you realized these cards are Nick Perino's credit cards. I am an authorized user. Your system must be shit. Try them again?" he demanded.

"Sir, we have already tried them several times. They are cancelled."

"I have three more," he said handing her all three cards. "One of them must work with your system."

The waitress shook her head, but accepted the cards. Once again, she left his table only to return several minutes later with the same result. "All of these cards are cancelled. Mr Dobbs, the manager said not to accept any more cards. You will have to pay with cash."

"I'll give you a check. You do accept checks, don't you?"

"Yes, from select customers," she replied.

Leo pulled out his checkbook, or rather Nick Perino's checkbook with Leo's name on the account. "How much was the bill?"

"$162.60," she informed him.

"That is ridiculous! I couldn't possibly run the bill that high!"

"This is a first class restaurant, Mr Dobbs. Only the very wealthy come in here. You should know that by now."

Disgusted with the turn of events, Leo wrote the check, but this time didn't put anything on it in the way of a tip, then handed it to the waitress. She went straight to the manger of the restaurant and returned with him to the table.

"Sir, we called the bank. Your authorization to write checks on Mr Perino's account has been revoked. Your check isn't any good. I must insist you pay with cash."

"Cash! Are you out of your mind? I am not paying with cash. This is a business expense. Perino has to pay for it!"

"I think you better speak with him about the cards and the checkbook. In the meantime, you owe this establishment $162.60."

"Well, I am not paying it. Send the bill to Perino!" Leo shouted, drawing the attention of the other patrons in the restaurant.

The manager whispered something to the waitress, who left him, and walked over to the police officer who was eating lunch at a table in the far corner of the room. She came back with the officer following behind her.

"Is there a problem, Mr Craig?" The officer asked.

"Yes, Officer. This man refuses to pay his bill."

The officer was the manager's son-in-law and ate in the restaurant daily at a very reduced rate. Otherwise, he would never be able to afford to do so. "I would suggest you pay your bill and leave immediately."

"I am trying to pay the bill. They won't take any of my credit cards, or even a check. I have been eating in this restaurant for years. There is no reason to refuse my cards."

The officer looked at his father-in-law. "What's the problem with the cards?"

"He works for Nick Perino . . ."

"The writer?"

"That's right. However, there seems to be a problem. Apparently, Mr Perino has cancelled his authority to access his money."

"That's a load of bullshit. I have been working for him for 10 years!" Leo shouted.

"You'll have to take that up with Mr Perino. Now, pay the man with cash and leave," the officer said. "Otherwise, I will have no choice but to arrest you for theft."

"What the hell are you talking about? I have not stolen anything!"

The police officer picked up the bill. "If you don't pay him right now, you will have stolen $162.60 from him. Now, what is it going to be? Are you going to pay him, or do I cuff you?"

Leo was livid, but he didn't have any choice. He reached in his wallet and pulled out exactly $162.00. He then reached into his pocket, removed, and counted out 62 cents. He threw it on the table. "I will never eat here again. And, I am going to tell Mr Perino what happened here."

"You do that, but since he is the owner of the account, he would have had to be the one who cancelled your authorization," the manager said.

Leo left the restaurant in a huff. He couldn't remember ever having been so enraged and embarrassed in his life. Furthermore, he had to spend his own money to pay that bill. He wasn't about to admit the money actually belonged to Nick Perino.

As soon as he got outside, he found the car he was driving gone. It was a company car. He always drove that car. Why put the miles on his cars? What the hell was going on? Why would Perino do this? He never looked at his books, and even if he did, he was too stupid to tell Leo was spending his money. None of this made any sense.

Hailing a taxi, he went back to Nick's home. Two men were at the front door. It looked to Leo like they were changing the locks on the door. "What the hell are you doing? I didn't authorize this!"

One of workmen looked up from what he was doing. "Just who are you?"

"I'm Leo Dobbs. I work for Mr Perino. I am the only one who can authorize this."

The other man finished with the locks. Leo noted they had installed keyless entry locks. Two more men came out of the mansion. "Tell Mr Perino, the alarm system has been completed per his instructions." The men left, got into their van and drove away."

"I need the code to the keyless entry, and the code to the alarm," Leo told them.

"Sorry, buddy, but Mr Perino gave instructions that the only one to be given that information is the lawyer, Perry Mason." They left Leo standing there as they left in their vehicle.

Perry Mason! What the hell? Why was he consulting Mason? Leo handled everything for him for the last 10 years. Why would he go to Mason? None of this made sense. He must have decided he needed a lawyer for some reason or another and the damn shyster must have talked him into all this. Well, he wasn't about to let that stand. He was in charge of all of Nick Perino's business, not Perry Mason. He would have a talk with the dumb son-of-a-bitch. He was so stupid, Leo was certain he could reverse all of this nonsense. He wasn't about to lose Nick Perino's business. After all, he had become use to a certain lifestyle and he wasn't about to give it up! No way! He had to get 5 million out of Perino for the next three years, so he could move to a country with a beach; where American money would last him a lifetime of luxury. Mason was not going to ruin it for him.

If all else failed, he had something on Perino. If he couldn't milk him for another three years, he would collect it now. The measly 10 million he took from the writer was not enough to live on for the rest of his life. He earn the money, putting up with the jerk. How did he expect him to live on the lousy salary he paid him? This was Los Angeles for God's sake! No one could live in Los Angeles on the money Perino paid him.

He would have to sell his house. He wouldn't be able to afford it with the little bit of money he had taken from Perino. Sure, it was paid off, but the expenses on the place were extremely high. He never expected to have to support it himself. Perino owed him. He was the one who made him so successful. The crap he wrote would not have sold if it weren't for Leo's marketing skills. He wasn't going to get away with it. He wasn't about to let him. Now, he would pay, and pay dearly. The 15 million he was going to take from him would now turn into $50 million. He'd fix him. He would take every cent the bastard had. He just had to enlist the help of someone, and he knew exactly who that someone would be.

Paul Drake pick up the court order that would inform Leo Dobbs he was terminated by Nick Perino. When Paul thought about it, Perry always seem to pick up the clients that could be kept on retainer for a great deal of money. Drake lived comfortably, but he knew Perry was a millionaire. One would never know it from the modest apartment he lived in. Perry always said there wasn't any sense in him owning a big house as he only returned to his apartment to sleep. Mason spent most of his time in his office. The lawyer wasn't exactly a workaholic; he liked his vacations and down time. Who wouldn't when they could take Della Street along?

By now, the changes to Perino's house would be completed. Paul would certainly like to see the look on his face when he discovered he no longer had access, not only to the house, but his office as well. He wondered exactly what was in that office. Was there anything in there that would give Perry an idea of where the money Dobbs had stolen was stashed. Drake figured the man would at least be smart enough to put it in on overseas bank where Nick Perino wouldn't have any access to it.

Drake pulled up in front of the Perino mansion. He had seen bigger, but this one was stylish and a good size. After shutting of the engine of his sports car, the big detective noticed there was a Chevrolet Camaro parked in the circular driveway. Didn't Perry mention Dobbs purchased one with Perino's money? Pretty sure he had, Drake decided Leo Dobbs just made his job serving the court papers a bit easier, he walked over to the vehicle. Years ago, all vehicle were identified with the owner and the address where it could be viewed through the window, but not anymore. The fact that it was a Camaro and parked at Perino's home was evidence enough it was Dobb's car, or rather Perino's car. After all, it was purchased with his money.

A man came around the side of the mansion. "Just who the hell are you?"

"My name is Paul Drake. I am authorized to be here. And, just who might you be? You are trespassing."

"The hell I am. I'm Nick Perino's agent and manager. I have every right to be here. Where's the confirmation you belong here. You better show me something, or I am going to call the police," Dobbs said. He didn't feel the confidence he was trying to convey. After all, he was just locked out of Nick's property. He tried to go around the back and find a way in, but the locks were changed on every door. He couldn't get in. Even the windows now had locks on them. Even if he found a way in, there was now an alarm system protecting the house. He was actually surprised they left the gates open. Otherwise, the big man who called himself Paul Drake wouldn't have been able to enter the property. Well, he didn't care who he was. Leo was not going anywhere. He was going to have it out with Nick. Either he was going to reverse all this, or he would threaten to reveal what he knew the man didn't want anyone to know.

"So you are Leo Dobbs, then?" Drake said

Leo became immediately suspicious. Why did this man know who he was? He wasn't sure he should admit his identity. Then again, if he didn't, chances were the police would become involved. He didn't want that. "Yeah, I'm Dobbs."

Paul reached into his suitcoat pocket. "Then you have no authorization to be on Perino's property." He handed the paper to Dobbs.

"What's this?"

"It's official notice. Nick Perino is terminating your services and your authority to enter his property. So, I suggest you leave immediately. That is also a restraining order. You are not to go anywhere near Mr Perino. If you do, he will have you arrested. If I were you, I would leave and right now."

"I have personal property in my office inside. I want it back!"

"You were given an office for work related activities only. You were not authorized to do any other business out of that office. If you did, it is no longer yours."

"Don't give that, Drake. There wasn't any contract between Perino and me. I want my personal property."

"There wasn't any typed contract, but apparently, you and Perino did handwrite one 10 years ago. It is in the hands of Perry Mason. If you want to argue the point, I suggest you take it up with him. One thing I know for sure is Mason knows the law better than you do. He says nothing in there is yours. You were to use it for Perino's business alone. If you did otherwise, well, whatever it was, is Perino's now. Are you going to leave or do I call the police?"

"The son-of-a-bitch can't get away with this. He doesn't know who he is dealing with!"

"He knows now. Leave or I call the police. You have been served. If you don't leave, you are in violation of that court order."

Leo Dobbs headed for his card. "You tell the bastard he hasn't heard the last from me. I know enough about him to destroy him!