For three days he searched every text on property laws that he had, in vain. The agreement that Mr. Street and William Clark had drawn up was very simple, and very clear. Perry Mason sorely missed the usual pages and pages of legal wording, for it was in these that attorneys regularly found loopholes. But the half-page of print gave him very little room to maneuver.
It was also clear that he was not the first one who had researched such a document recently. In multiple volumes which he knew that he had not touched for years, he found bookmarks, some of them pages from Miss Street's stationary. Della – brilliant girl! – had not gone quietly to her bitter fate without trying to mount a legal fight. But it was obvious that she had failed, and now it appeared that he would follow in her footsteps.
In despair, and despite Paul Drake's assurances that it would be fruitless, he dispatched Jackson, one of his employees, to Baskerville to offer Miles Warner a hundred thousand dollars 'from an anonymous donor' in exchange for Della's freedom and the farm. Jackson had been laughed at and sent back to Los Angeles.
On Saturday afternoon, Perry Mason buried his head in his hands. As an attorney, he had no way forward. His heart whispered that as a lover, he had another option. He took a deep breath, and surrendered. He had not wanted to go to her, like this – he had hoped that he could break Miles Warner's hold on her, and then speak. She had already been coerced so much; he could not bear it if she saw him as another man who was taking advantage of her during a time of great vulnerability. But there was no help for it. If Della was determined to save her family, at least he would give her a choice. He could scarcely hope that she loved him as passionately as he did her, but perhaps he could persuade her to consider the offer of a life with him – she could continue her career as his secretary instead of cleaning up after Miles Warner's chickens, and she could have steak instead of tomato-onion mash.
It would not be easy, he knew, to win an interview with Della. Paul Drake's operatives reported that her fiancé was with her almost every moment of the day. But he knew that he would find a way. He had to.
He quickly freshened up in his office's bathroom. Paul Drake found him fixing his tie.
"Going somewhere, Perry?"
"Yes. I am going to see Della."
"Does this mean that you found a legal loophole in that document?"
"Unfortunately, no."
"Then what are you planning to do?"
"I will let you know what I did if it works out," his friend said with a strange look on his face. "In the meantime, if I call you and tell you that my car has stopped and ask you whether you know where I could get a tow truck, you are to answer accordingly and not to act on my instructions unless I say 'I am serious' during our conversation."
Brow furrowing, Paul Drake only said,
"Alright, Perry."
The lawyer walked to his desk, turned on his intercom, asked Gertie to have the garage send his car around, and bid his friend farewell.
…..
During his drive, Perry had every anxious thought that a man who is madly in love with a woman and yet on the verge of losing her to another would be expected to have. Lack of sleep and his poor appetite all week did not have a positive impact on his mental state, and his thoughts jumped erratically from one fear to another. Would Della be happy to see him? It was clear that she had wanted to have her resignation letter delivered to him after the wedding was past. Would she be angry at his opening it early? What would she think of his interference? He had thought that he had known all there was to know about Della – never in a million years would he have thought that she was embroiled in a family feud and was staying in Los Angeles to escape an unwanted suitor. What if, for some reason unknown to him, she preferred to be wed to Miles Warner and live out the rest of her days in Baskerville, amidst her family, rather than continue the life she had been leading as his secretary?
The trip took several hours and he was required to ask for directions several times as he guided his automobile through the winding roads. At long last, he pulled his luxurious convertible to a stop and turned off the engine. Below him, he could see a beautiful valley, and Della's childhood home surrounded by fields. He took a deep breath and strove to collect himself. The sun had set during his drive, and he was painfully aware that when it rose again, it would be Della's birthday, and wedding day.
Gazing up at the sky, which was studded by thousands of stars and crowned with a full moon, he convulsively gripped his steering wheel and sent the most earnest prayer he had ever prayed up to their Maker.
"O Lord…help me make the right moves in there. I don't deserve Della…I never have, and never will…but she deserves more than the likes of Miles Warner. Please give her back to me!"
He got out of the car and began to walk towards the house.
Next up: it is Perry Mason verses Miles Warner! It is a longer chapter and I'm still writing it, so please be patient! In the meantime, I am enjoying all the reviews and looking forward to more!
