TCOT Loveless Lothario Chapter 7

Della did not sleep well during the scant hours she had been in bed. After leaving the diner, she and Perry found a motel that looked fairly questionable, which likely accounted for all the vacancies, but the rooms were clean. Perry seemed to settle into sleep easily. As she lay, wrapped in his warm embrace, she thought back to her conversation with Laura and hoped that Laura had nothing more to do with the current mess than what she had originally confessed to her at the hospital.

She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. 7:OO A.M. She slipped out of Perry's arms and quietly made her way to the shower. He would be up soon and it took him nowhere near as long to get ready for the day as it took her. She managed not to disturb him until she began to dry and style her hair. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. " You should have woken me up. I could have joined you." He planted soft kisses on her moist shoulder then brought his hands down to unwrap the towel from around her.

She smiled at him through the reflection and brought her hands down to stop him. "No time this morning, Counselor. Paul will be waiting for us."

"Let him wait." Perry turned her around and pulled her into him ...his mouth hot on her neck...his hands roving downward to rest on her hips pulling her even closer into him.

She pulled away and took a step back. "I'll make it up to you when we get back to Los Angeles."

"Why have anything to make up at all?" He pulled her to him again and she let out a soft laugh. "Shower, Sir. Now."

He grumbled and gave her one more kiss before stepping into the bathroom and closing the door. She finished her hair then her makeup and quickly dressed so that she could lay out Perry's shaver and clothes. She wanted to meet Paul and check out as soon as possible. The faster she and Perry were ready, the faster they could get Gertie and head home. Despite Perry's thoughts, they didn't need to be in San Diego, afterall, to unravel this mystery. They could do it from Los Angeles and, if Gertie was in any real danger, they could keep her safer there.

An hour later, Perry Mason and Della Street emerged from their motel room and walked down the long sidewalk to the breakfast room in the main building. Paul Drake was already there...surrounded by eggs, bacon, toast, coffee, and a large black phone brought to him courtesy of the motel owner.

"Hiya Beautiful...Perry… how'd you sleep? I slept like a log."

Della laughed as Perry pulled out a chair for her. "How do you sleep like a log on a hospital cot?"

Paul smiled broadly. "Well, it was all the personal service checks from a Nurse Veronica that made all the difference."

Della laughed. "Well, I wouldn't use the phrase, 'like a log.' I think I was in and out for a couple of hours but finally gave up."

"Perry?" Paul took a gulping bite of eggs.

"Like a log works for me," He smiled at Paul then winked at Della. She rolled her eyes just as the waitress came to the table.

"Just coffee, please," Della told her with a smile.

"Just coffee?" Perry was genuinely surprised and a little worried by her reply. Della rarely skipped meals.

Reading his expression, she gave his hand a squeeze. "I'm fine, Perry. Just not very hungry. We did eat a rather large meal not long ago."

"Hmmmp," Mason responded then turned to the waitress. "Please make that two coffees then and a couple of eggs sunny side up, a side of bacon, and…" Pausing, his eyes met Della's, "And two orders of toast."

Della shook her head and laughed as Paul smiled and took another large bite of eggs.

"Got any new information?" Perry asked as the waitress walked off to turn in their order and bring back a couple of black coffees.

Paul slid a folder across to Della. "Would you like to do the honors, Doll Face?"

Della opened the file folder and looked at the paperwork. "What am I looking at, Paul? This looks no different than what I read last night on Ms. Meurtriere."

"Uh uh uh," he responded back with a shake of the head. "Look at what I wrote on the bottom."

"Account 00055341… last five weekly deposits…$95.41, $90.47, $91.99, $95.89, $94.34. Balance $762.12." Della let out a slow whistle as she handed the file to Perry and stirred some sugar and creamer into the coffee.

"I must not be paying you enough, Della." Perry noted as he ran the numbers through his head. "And this is her take home pay after taxes, too."

"That's why I wanted Della to do the honors," Paul replied. "After all, she's the one who gave us the idea to check further into the secretary."

"You think she shot him?" Della asked.

"No idea...but I wouldn't be surprised if she weren't mixed up in it somehow. That's a lot of money each week. She's either seeing him romantically or she's getting paid to cover up for his indiscretions…."

"Or other illegal activity." Perry added. "Did your men find anything in Buffalo's business affairs to suggest he was involved in anything he shouldn't be...gambling, narcotics, or maybe she's cooking the books for him to avoid taxes?"

"Not really," Paull replied through a bite of bacon and toast. "He's making a pretty little penny on this business and looks like he pays himself and Ms. Meurtriere handsomely from it. Everyone else makes a little over minimum wage. Overall, his take is a little high...22%...most talent agents or publishers take a 15% cut...with his expenses lower than average on the building and some of the deals he's cut on his outsourcing, he's financially in great shape...nice home...yacht...plus his wife's income."

"And the rest of the staff...how many are there again?" The waitress returned with his order and he slid the toast over towards Della. She let out a sigh, picked up a piece and began buttering it.

" The overall office staff is 8 including Meurtriere," Paul answered while motioning for the waitress to freshen up his coffee.

"Any alarm bells go off when your men investigated the rest of the office staff?" Perry slid the plate of bacon towards Della.

"Oh, Perry, really … one...one piece," She told him with a sigh. He smiled as he cut up his eggs and used a piece of toast to soak up the runny yolk.

Paul chuckled at their banter. "I don't have all of them yet, Perry. We've been on the case less than 24 hours afterall."

"Okay...okay. I guess it can wait until we get back to L.A. Anything we find out, though, needs to be turned in to the San Diego County D.A. The goal is to make sure Gertie is safe ...that no one will be coming after her once we get back home."

"Gotcha, Perry. You want me to head up with you and Della or keep digging with my men?" Paul asked.

"Keep digging… I really want to know if the wife has an alibi and if Laura's story pans out. Della and I have an errand to run before heading to the hospital."

"We do?" Della questioned. She finished her last bite of toast and washed it down with coffee.

"We do," Perry replied chipperly, "so eat up. You're gonna need your energy."

Paul started laughing and choked on a bite of toast. He grabbed his coffee and took a sip. "Come on now Perry. Have a heart! That sounds either awfully suspicious or awfully like too much insight into your relationship."

Della raised an eyebrow. "It certainly does...tell me, Counselor...is this errand on the up and up, legally questionable or...quite personal? You can whisper it in my ear, if necessary. No need to further scandalize poor Paul?"

"Hey...I am not easily scandalized, Della, and I'm thrilled you two are together but, come on now, you're like family and we don't have to share everything in the family."

"I would say it falls somewhere in between... depending on who you ask." Perry chuckled and continued eating his breakfast.

"Something tells me Hamilton Burger would be using words like conspirator...confederate...or even accomplice to describe what you have in mind." Paul added with a laugh. "What do you think, Della?"

Her answer came with a little extra twinkle in her eye. "I think I'll have another cup of coffee. Looks like I'll be needing it." This was the part she loved about her job and life with Perry...adventure, romance, danger, excitement.

"Indeed," Perry added with a wink and a smile.

Mid- morning traffic was relatively light with Perry and Della reaching their destination quickly. "B & S Publishing?" Della exclaimed. "What exactly are we looking for, Perry?"

"Like I said before...everything about this is just too pat. I'd like to do some poking around and see if there's anything that will give us a clue as to what really happened." Perry looked out his side of the convertible and then around the other side and back... checking to see if anyone was outside or around them. There was a slow, steady breeze with just enough warmth to pick up the scent of some nearby lemon trees. Della felt the delicate fragrance tickle her senses. Overall, the scene outside the building was quite tranquil and gave almost no hint of the bedlam which had occurred the night before, except for the yellow police tape across the front.

"How are we going to get in? We can't just waltz past the police tape, " Della paused a split second and studied his expression. "Can we?"

"No waltzing, my Dear. However, we are going to slip around to the back of the building using that opening in the fence that is not encompassed by any tape. Perry pointed to an opening in a chain link fence.

"Kinda of a nice hidden area, don't you think?" She earnestly asked him.

"It certainly is," Perry answered. "Makes you wonder if someone parked out of sight on that lot by the trees so their vehicle wouldn't be seen in front of the building and quietly slipped through it and into the back of the building then exited the same way they came using the trees to mask them as they made their way back to their car."

"OR ...maybe they were already in the building because they worked here and their car wouldn't stand out anyway." Della raised her eyebrow as she offered the alternative and smiled causing him to place a soft kiss on her lips.

"Ready to find out who's right?" He challenged playfully.

"You bet," She replied in response with a soft laugh.

Perry hopped out and offered a helping hand to Della. They looked around then quickly walked over to the opening in the fence.

"Be careful, Della. Step over that." Perry pointed to a footprint indentation and crushed flowers on the ground. Della nodded and delicately stepped over the spot while using Perry's hands to steady herself as she climbed through the opening and stood behind him.

"How do you know it hasn't been like that for a while?" She asked.

"Look at the flowers. They're barely withering from the weight of being stepped on and broken off the plant. I would bet this happened last night."

"I wonder if the police noticed it?" Della asked him as he took her arm and led her around towards the back of the building.

"I don't know. Maybe. One thing's for sure...if we were back home, Lieutenant Tragg wouldn't have missed it. He'd already have a cast made of the footprint and pictures of the flowers… Burger might even throw some flower expert at me who can measure the decomposition rate of the petals once they are severed from the plant." Della laughed quietly at the ridiculousness of Perry's statement but also nodding her head in agreement because it sounded so very Hamilton Burger.

Perry checked a door on the back of the building. It was locked. He motioned for Della to follow him to a door further down at the opposite end of the building. He turned the knob and it opened allowing the two to slip inside, undetected, out of the beginning humidity of the day. The cool air felt refreshing as Della gently dabbed her forehead with a handkerchief from her purse.

"Where to, Chief?" She asked...looking around the dimly lit hallway. Perry smiled at the use of the term from their earliest days together.

"This way, Miss Street," he responded playfully as he led her down the hallway...stopping to read the name plates on each of the doors. When they reached the end of the hallway, they found B & S Publishing. The door was locked but a noise from around the corner caught Perry's attention. Swiftly, he pulled Della into a passionate kiss, spinning her around and dipping her slightly as if they were on a dance floor.

Hearing laughter, Perry and Della split apart and turned to see an elderly gentleman in a tan jumpsuit smiling back at them. "I ain't ever seen you two around here before. Is there something I can help you with?"

Perry started to speak but Della interrupted him. "Oh thank goodness! I was hoping someone out here would help me. I don't know what's going on. Yesterday was my first day of work for Mr. Buffalo here at B & S and now the place is all locked up from the front and the back." She motioned at the door behind she and Perry. "Can you let me in? I don't wanna be caught being late for work but...well... we're newlyweds, and all, and being late just sort of happened." At the word, newlywed, Perry turned his head in a genuine smile of adoration for Della that was a mix of pride and feeling lucky to have her as his own.

"Well ...I'm not supposed to unlock doors for folks. I'm just supposed to do the cleaning and maintenance and...heck...you ain't gonna get in trouble, M'am. The place is closed down indefinitely...had a big ruckus here last night and your boss ended up shot. Scared everyone half to death when the shots rang out. You must have already been gone when it happened, but that other girl almost knocked me down trying to run out the building."

"Oh no! That's terrible!" Della exclaimed as Perry placed a protective arm around her shoulders. This was not the first time they had played this role in the search for clues and the truth about a crime.

"Yes...yes...terrible. Course, he was a complete ass, if you ask me. Always bragging about being a Marine...like there wasn't no other branch of the service. I'm an Army man, myself."

"Thank you for your service." Perry replied warmly.

"Did you say another girl almost knocked you down?" Della asked, a knowing glance passing between she and Perry. "Some of the other workers were here when it happened?"

"Sure, she pushed past me in an awful hurry. Guess it really scared the life out of her." The man took out his keys and fiddled around until he found the one that opened the back door to B & S Publishing.

"Did you know who she was?" Perry asked.

"Sure...it was Buffalo's secretary. Stuck up little thing."

A knowing glance passed between Perry and Della. So, Jillian Meutriere was in the building when Buffalo was shot.

"See anyone else?" Della asked.

"Uh-huh...caught the tail end of another woman running out the opposite direction...she must be new, too...what'nt dressed like an office girl though," the man answered."Try not to be too long, M'am. I don't want to get in trouble either, you know." He winked at the couple then returned to his cleaning cart.

"Have a nice day and thank you!" Perry called after him. The old man waved his hand and ambled away.

After about half an hour of looking around the office, Perry and Della left empty handed with no more information than they had before. Della had paid particular attention to Ms. Meurtriere's desk but could find nothing that would link her romantically to Andy Buffalo. Afterall, they thought the secretary had returned and found Buffalo shot from what was in the police reports but who was the other woman? Furthermore, the maintenance man said the mystery woman didn't look like an office girl? Who was she? Ms. Meurtriere had given no indication she was in the building when the attempted murder actually occurred, nor did she mention this mystery woman, making Perry and Della wonder one of two things: had Ms. Meurtriere actually attempted murder or was she a witness and knew the identity of the real killer? As they made their way back to the car, Perry stopped and took another look at the footprint indentation.

"It doesn't look like it would have been made by a woman's heel, does it?" Perry asked Della.

"I don't know, Perry. It's really hard to tell." Della replied. "It almost looks like it was made by a flatter shoe to the front with a thicker raised heel to the back. I don't know who might wear a shoe like that and not fit the role of a secretary. I thought maybe Laura was lying to me about her involvement but you see how she dresses. She would never wear something with such a dowdy heel. It's certainly not the style right now and certainly not a shoe likely worn by Ms. Meurtriere, either. And, for the record, I don't care that we didn't find anything linking her romantically to Buffalo. The money trail does not lie."

" I agree with you completely," Perry replied.

"On which part do you agree?" Della asked.

"Both parts, Della. I think Meurtriere was definitely having an affair with her boss and this is not a stylish shoe," Perry gave her a playful smile and she laughed aloud. Then, he knelt down and muttered unintelligible words under his breath as he stared at the print then glanced at Della's own shoes with the delicate heel. A broad grin spread across his face. "Della? What would I do without you?" He stood up and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Let's go."

"Perry, I don't understand." Della picked up her pace to match his step.

"I'll explain in the car. We need to get to the hospital." With that, Perry placed a steadying hand on Della's elbow and quickly guided her to the car.

Andy Buffalo's wife was a beautiful woman… blonde, blue eyes, tan, with a very slim, yet athletic build. She had suspected her husband's infidelities for years but chose to turn a blind eye...until now. She was tired of wondering if the next tryst would be the one that would cause him to leave her for good. After all, he had left his first, second, and third wives. Why should she be any different? Yes … she knew he was sleeping with his secretary and she found it to be a tad bit cliche. His secretary was much younger than she and the young woman was certainly very well paid given she could barely type and had only one other job prior to Andy hiring her to work for him at the publishing business...that was the first major clue that caused Mrs. Buffalo to hire a Private Detective to follow her husband. Imagine how surprised she was to learn that another Private Detective was also following her husband and gathering information for a law firm out of Denver. When her Private Investigator reported that the other P.I. was supposed to be gathering intel on her husband's relationship with a certain Ms. Gertie Lade, it had all been too much. She had not known about his involvement with Gertie Lade, receptionist to the famous Los Angeles defense attorney, Perry Mason. Slowly, she learned about the other women, too. She learned one had even committed suicide. Sick to her stomach, she had planned to confront Andy at his office, but she heard him fighting with another woman. At first, she thought it was his secretary but she quickly realized it was Gertie Lade and Andy was threatening her. No, she couldn't let another innocent woman be hurt by this monster she had married after a whirlwind romance. It looked liked a war zone when she opened the door. Gertie was holding a letter opener and trying to fend Andy off. She fired her gun, tears blinding her eyes then she turned to see JIllian staring at her in horror. She aimed the gun at Jillian but the girl fled. She heard Gertie groaning behind her and saw blood soaking through her clothing from where Andy's weight had knocked her to the ground and she landed on the letter opener. Denise grabbed the letter opener, shoved it in her purse and rushed out to her hidden car. Quickly, she fled back to work, slipping in to make it look like she had never left at all. She kept the knife in the hopes of planting it and the gun in Jillian's car, but Jillian was laying low somewhere and Denise couldn't find her. It was time to be rid of Jillian...and rid of this marriage and rid of Andy Buffalo, when the moment was right. With a flourish of the pen, she exercised her rights as, not only her husband's durable power of attorney, but also as half owner of the publishing business he'd started during their , she just had to wait for that lawyer lady from Denver and collect her check.

Laura waited impatiently for her morning meeting with Mrs. Buffalo. She wanted to secure the sales contract then leave quickly. Perry had not come to her, as she had hoped, and she felt the sting of both betrayal and embarrassment. Furthermore, she did not want to see any smug expression upon the face of Della Street. She was sure she would simply slap it off if they came into contact with one another again. Della may have temporarily won this battle but she was convinced she would win the war and Perry would be hers forever. She knew, deep down, he still loved her and longed to be in her arms.

She saw Mrs. Buffalo pulled into the parking lot. Why wasn't she getting out of the car? She was so focused on Mrs. Buffalo that she did not hear Perry Mason or Della Street walk up be hind her.

"Laura…" Before Perry Mason could continue, his ex-lover turned and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Perry? Perry Darling, you came...you really came." She pulled away from him when she opened her eyes, looked over his shoulder and saw Della Street standing behind him.

"Laura...where is Andy Buffalo's wife? Have you met with her yet?" Perry took her by the shoulders and looked her squarely in the eyes.

"Not yet," she replied. "Why? Is something wrong? Perry Darling, how can I help?"

Della crossed her arms and looked from Perry to Laura then Perry again trying to keep her composure. 'Has she no shame?' Della thought silently, but her thoughts were interrupted at the sound of another woman's voice.

"Yes, Mr. Perry Mason. Is something wrong?

Everyone turned to see Mrs. Denise Buffalo slowly transcending the concrete steps of the hospital.

"I think you already know." Perry responded.

"Already know?" Laura exclaimed. "Already know what? Will someone explain to me what …."

"Will you shut up, you fool," Della admonished her.

Swirling around, her aggravation turning to anger, Laura could feel a flushed heat spreading across her cheeks. "How dare you," she hissed. Perry raised his hand to signal for her to stop and keep quiet. He never broke eye contact with Denise Buffalo.

"You shot your husband." Perry stated

Tears filled Mrs. Buffalo's eyes. "I only meant to confront him. I was hoping to catch he and Ms. Meurtriere together. I'd had enough, you see. He was no good, Mr. Mason. He was a cheat and a womanizer and he has left a trail of destruction and broken lives wherever he goes. And...you know what? He doesn't even care. It's all about him...what he wants...what he needs...and to hell with everyone else."

As she was speaking, Paul, seeing the unfolding scene from inside, made his way through a side door and slowly began to walk up the steps behind Mrs. Buffalo.

"What happened next?" Perry asked.

"I overheard him arguing with a woman. I didn't recognize her voice. It wasn't Jillian. I gently opened the office door. He was saying such hateful things to her and she was upset. I saw him lunge towards her. She picked up a letter opener and they struggled and I just sort of had this tunnel vision feeling and all I could see was him, the letter opener, the reports from my Private Investigator...the woman who committed suicide and I just shot, Mr. Mason. I raised my gun and I shot him. He grabbed this woman that I understand is your receptionist, Gertie Lade, and took her down with him. I checked to make sure she was alive but …."

Jillian Meutriere walked out the doors of the hospital as Mrs. Buffalo was speaking and stopped a few feet away from Della. "You monster!" she screamed. You tried to kill him...to take him from me.

Mrs. Buffalo laughed this wicked, crazed cackle. "Take him from you?! He's not yours! He is my husband. You think you're any different than all these other women he has toyed with over the years? You!? You're nothing!"

Mrs. Buffalo dropped the paperwork she had just signed in her vehicle. A gentle breeze caught the documents and took them tumbling down the steps...almost in slow motion. Laura tried to rush forward to stop them from blowing away ...as usual, the deal on her mind, not the danger of the situation. Perry swung his right arm out and blocked her from moving forward. When she again looked at Mrs. Buffalo, a hand gun was pointed at them both. Paul took a slow yet small step towards Mrs. Buffalo from the rear...never taking his eyes from the weapon.

"Mrs. Buffalo … I can help you." Perry said softly. "Your husband is not dead. We can make a really good case to help you...little jail time...maybe just probation. You did say you didn't go there to kill him...that you only fired when he struggled with Ms. Lade. A jury might be sympathetic to that, given his past. Let me have the gun. I can help you."

Mrs. Buffalo aimed the gun from Perry to Laura...tears blurring her vision.

"Don't placate her, Mr. Mason. I don't care what she says. She wanted Andy dead. I came in shortly after she shot him and she turned and pointed the gun at me...said she was going to kill me, too. I will testify to that in court. I had to run away and she chased after me but she couldn't move as fast in her nurse's uniform. I will testify she wanted us all dead, " Jillian Meurtriere spewed with venom.

Mrs. Buffalo directed her aim towards Jillian. Jillian grabbed Della to try to use as a shield but Della struggled against her. Mrs. Buffalo fired a shot in their direction that missed them both. Perry leapt around, grabbing Della and taking her to the ground as Mrs. Buffalo fired off another shot, then another in the direction of the women. Paul Drake grabbed the woman from behind as she struggled and got off another shot that narrowly missed Laura. Laura looked over and saw Perry only concerned with keeping Della safely under his protection. Paul wrestled the gun from Mrs. Buffalo and tried to kick it towards Perry, but Jillian Meutriere crawled across the cement, the roughness of it ripping her stockings. She grabbed the gun, aimed and took a final shot that pierced Mrs. Buffalo in the chest...bright red blood splattered Paul and dripped on the ground around them penetrating the few remaining pages of the sales contract that had not yet blown away on the breeze. She died instantly in Paul's arms.

"Paul!" Perry shouted, "Are you okay? Are you hit?"

"I'm good, Perry. Are you and Della okay?" Paul shouted back as he gently laid Mrs. Buffalo's body on the ground.

Perry looked down into Della's eyes then smoothed her hair back from her face. "Are you okay?" he asked gently. She nodded her head yes and he kissed her hair, her forehead, cheeks, and lips quickly before embracing her. Laura, in shock, could only watch from mere feet away. She felt physically sick as she realized, in a life and death moment, Perry had chosen to protect...to save Della...not her. He chose Della. As she watched him help Della to the ground then take his jacket and wrap it around her shoulder, Laura knew it was over. Her Perry had been lost...forever.

Several hours later, Perry, Della, and Paul had all given statements to the local authorities. Laura also had given a statement to authorities but did not bother to say her goodbyes to any of the trio as she, once again, exited their lives. Jillian Meutriere had been found, less than an hour after the shooting, hiding in some dense woods near a few blocks from the hospital. She had fled there after shooting Mrs. Buffalo. Upstairs, Della embraced Gertie and helped her change into some clean clothes on loan from Della's always ready to go suitcase she kept available in the car for Perry's cases. It was agreed that Paul would drive Gertie back to Los Angeles in his car while one of his operatives would pick up Gertie's car and return it to her apartment. Perry and Della would travel back to Los Angeles together.

The drive back to Los Angeles was somewhat quiet. Perry and Della were exhausted from the day's harrowing drama.

"She gets it now, Della." Perry broke the silence.

Della didn't have to ask. She knew what he was referencing. "I think she does," Della replied.

"We won't be bothered with her anymore." Perry motioned for her to scoot across the seat towards him.

Della softly laughed, "Ohhhh I wouldn't be so sure of that. She will cross our paths here and there."

Perry pulled over into the same overlook from before they got embroiled in the sordid love affair and attempted murder ordeal surrounding their sweet, but daffy receptionist, Gertie Lade. After rolling down the windows and putting the car in park, he wrapped Della in his arms then tilted her chin up to kiss her lips softly.

"I was thinking … let's go one a trip back East. Maybe see your family ...really take a break from it all." He looked into her eyes to gauge her expression.

"I think that sounds lovely, Perry." Della smiled then kissed his lips.

"I love you, Della." Perry whispered earnestly.

"I love you, too, Perry."

After a few minutes enjoying the view of the ocean and many more soft kisses, Perry started the ignition. "Ready to go home?"

"Most definitely."

As our couple pulled out onto the highway and headed home, on the other side of the country, a serial killer, with a taste for the lips of beautiful women, was adding another victim to his dossier.