Chapter 8
"You are a dirty lawyer, I hadn't heard that about you," Maynard said. The confident sneering creature Della had described was a frightened mess.
"Did you kill Delray?" Mason asked, waving the photos threateningly.
"I wish I had, dirty little punk, blackmailing me he was. And now your presence here speaks for itself. I won't make the same mistake I made with him," he pulled a gun out of his jacket, "you shouldn't have come here Mason, shouldn't have come here," Maynard said, his voice cracking.
"I am not here to blackmail you," Mason said firmly.
Maynard laugh had a hysterical edge,"Just protecting your 'innocent' client are you? Or is this how you plan to get me to give into Gabriel's demands for getting out of his Contract." He pointed to the photos, "Or perhaps you are just protecting that pretty little secretary of yours that Gabriel can't keep his hands off?"
"Is this all that Delray had on you? " Mason did not react to the other accusations.
"Delray, delray, delray, he never made a decision in his life, killing him would have been as effective as chopping of the tail of a drop tail lizard. You hold in your hands an at fault divorce, at my fault."
"If you didn't kill him,why won't you tell me who killed Delray?." Mason's voice was firm but he had dropped the threatening edge.
Maynard laughed manically and waved the gun, "I don't have to tell you anything, my only hope is to protect him."
"You should talk to the police, the authorities have means of dealing with extortion." Mason told him, Maynard laughed,
"Yes, the incorruptible police, that place leaks like a sieve I'd be fool to put my trust in them. I can't let you leave here Mason." his voice took on a nasty turn. "You see my wife is just as good at extortion as anyone else, she controls all my money."
"Murder, its not something you will get away with."
"Really, I have Pengallys gun, even his fingerprints, you were in his house you found out he was a blackmailer you were going to turn him in."
"Its not too late Maynard, I can help you."
"It was too late as soon as I helped him get out of the Archane Club."
"We can prove you were there. Let me help you."
"I'm sorry Mr Mason." he said,"But my skin is more valuable to me than yours."
"Drop the gun," a low husky female voice demanded, Perry felt his stomach tighten in fear. He saw Maynard spin in terror, his eyes widened, he backed back so he could swing between them both, Perry didn't move, afraid if he did, Della would draw the fire, "the police are going to be here any minute," she said. Perry saw the gun waver slightly, but her eyes were determined."Drop your gun." Her voice was impossibly low.
"Pengally may as well go down for two as for one," Maynard said in a resigned but determined tone, cocking the gun.
"Do as she says Maynard," a third voice came from the sliding door. It was Faulkner, looking red in the face and sweating, but his hand was steady and the gun was pointed directly at Maynard, just then a siren sounded, Maynard fired at Faulkner, Della and Faulkner both fired at Maynard, both aiming at his legs, he collapsed, Perry rushed over and kicked the gun away from Maynard, Faulkner picked it up and emptied out the bullets before putting it in his pocket, and holding his gun pointed at the injured Maynard. Della was still standing pointing the smoking gun, Perry rushed to her, gingerly he removed it from her fingers, she was still pointing it at Maynard as if frozen.
"What the hell were you thinking?" he demanded fear giving way to an anger so fierce that she fell back in the face of it.
"Perry, he was going to kill you." she whispered, her voice no longer steady,
"Are you alright?" he asked only a fraction more gently, stepping closer to her, tipping her chin up to look into her eyes, "Why didn't you stay at your aunts." he asked her, trying not to show the anger that still bubbled there now that the danger was over, "you could have been killed."
"I couldn't get onto Paul, I went over all our notes, and then after what Butler said today, I..."
"That was completely reckless." he scolded her.
"But she probably did save your life,"Faulkner said, he handed Perry some photos of Maynard and a woman, "I don't think he was ready to let you walk out with these."
"That's not his wife," Faulkner pointed out, Maynard groaned in pain. Faulkner bent over him, "See if you can find me some bandages, I'll bind this up, we wouldn't want him to bleed to death." He glanced up at Della, "Fast runner and a good shot." he commented pressing his handkerchief and holding the wound. She blushed and then disappeared to find some bandages.
"You want me to hang on to those?" Faulkner asked.
"No, I will, how is he?"
"He'll survive, lucky she wasn't aiming at his head."
"I thought you were watching her." Mason demanded, his anger still overtaking the after effects of the fear.
"As I said, fast runner." Faulkner said, "And apparently knows how to trick a gumshoe."
She returned with the bandages, and helped Faulkner when the police barged in, Tragg leading, guns drawn. He assessed the scene "Are you alright?" this to Della who was kneeling next to Faulkner handing him the bandages, she nodded, and he turned to Mason, "Maynard?" he asked him.
"Yes."
Tragg lifted his hat and scratched his head, "Call an ambulance," he directed his sergeant, He looked back down at the moaning man, "You lot want to hand over your guns." this to Mason and Faulkner, "This was his." Faulkner said handing over two guns.
"You two through here." Tragg directed Perry and Della and let them lead him through into the dining room. "Take a seat." he directed them. Perry sat next to Della and held her hand which had only just started to shake. He couldn't look at her he didn't know whether he should be shaking sense into her or enveloping her in an embrace so tight she could never escape.
"Can't you two stay out of trouble ever?" he demanded exasperated, then "You'd better tell me what you were doing here?"
"Following a lead," Perry said unhelpfully. He was almost as angry at Tragg wasting time prosecuting an innocent man on circumstantial evidence and leaving the real killer to threaten everyone else including his Della.
"Right, that will help, keep a lid on the before then and tell me what happened tonight."Tragg waved his hand at him.
Perry recounted what happened. Tragg watched Della as Perry told the story.
"You should have left this to the Police, young lady."
"I didn't have time to convince you Lt," she responded
"Who did call you Tragg?"Mason asked curiously.
"Oh apparently a friend of yours and Miss Street, some fellow calling himself Mr Gabriel, he seemed to have the notion that you had run off after someone who was particularly dangerous, but it was when Miss Street decided to follow you that he thought he should let us know."
Della blushed again and looked down at Perry's hand covering both of hers.
"Lucky for you Mason, sounds like you would have been dead if back up hadn't shown up. Well I'll go and see this lot sorted out, you'll come in and give me statements in the morning."
"Of course Lieutenant. I think Maynard was acting out of desperation, I don't think he has killed before."
"What makes you think that?"
"He hesitated before he pulled the trigger, I was not under the impression that Maynard hesitated very often."
"What else?"
"I think that whoever else is involved is getting nervous, people are willing to kill to protect him and .." he glanced at Della.
"You know the DA already believes he has the killer," Tragg said.
"I don't care if you don't believe me, but I can't have Della in any more danger."
"You mean more danger than running around pointing guns at a desperate men, already backed into a corner?" Tragg asked him pointedly.
"I need to find out who was behind Delray."
"Why couldn't he have done himself, he had the means and the opportunity"
"Because by all accounts he just wasn't smart enough to run this many scams at the one time." Mason said, "Maynard, Pengally ... and close enough to drop Billings in it."
"I'll keep an eye on her." Tragg promised, "If you tell her to behave."
"I'll tell her."
"I'm right here." Della protested. Tragg grunted and left them. Mason stood up and held out his hand to her, she took it and he pulled her into his arms, "Now you." he said looking down in to her eyes, trying to sort through all the emotions he had just felt in the last twenty minutes, "I want you to go back to your aunts and stay there until Paul comes and gets you tomorrow. And then I want you to return until you hear from me. Do you hear?"
"I hear you Chief." she said petulantly.
"Will you do that for me?" he insisted. She hesitated, and he shook her slightly, "I want a promise."
"The killer is still out there Perry," she said.
"I know, but that is not a promise," he pointed out.
"I promise." she said with a sulky pout.
He pinched her chin, "good girl," he said, he gave her a brief fierce hug that took her breath away. "Now go with Faulkner."
"And what about you?"
"I need to check on some things. "
"Perry, Butler wanted me to go and see him tomorrow," she glanced at her watch, "Today I should say."
"After you see Tragg, but keep Faulkner with you."
"You know what he is going to tell me," she observed.
"I think he found out about the blackmail, about Delray and was going to confront him," He met her eyes, she wondered if their had been photos, that would explain Butlers behavior, his thumbs rubbed the back of her hands, she knew it was meant to be comforting, but it was just straight out arousing. She closed her eyes. He kissed her forehead."Remember you promised." he whispered.
Tragg didn't lay any charges once he got the full story, the next day, she only saw Perry briefly at Headquarters before he and Paul headed off again, he phoned her every couple of hours but wouldn't say what he'd found. Maynard was under police guard in hospital. He wasn't talking. He didn't explain what he was doing in Pengally's house.
"Della." Butler stood up, tears were in his eyes,
"Miss Street?" the guard asked, he hesitated before he left her alone.
"Its fine, really." she told the guard, Butler took her hands and they sat down across the table."
"Are you alright Della, I didn't understand why they were going after you yesterday." He said, she shook her head, yesterday already felt like a million years ago.
"The DA believes I tampered with evidence." she said.
"Oh, will you get in trouble?"
"I didn't tamper with it, and he hasn't proved I did."
"But he was trying to ..."
"He was trying to discredit me."
"Oh. You didn't get rattled, why didn't you get rattled." he asked.
"What did you want to tell me that you wouldn't tell Mr Mason?"
"I wanted to tell you,"he looked down at his hands, "I'd taken some photos, good photos, I was getting them framed, for Aston, for his penthouse, but I couldn't take them to any old developer. Delray is ...was an amateur photographer."
"You found out he sold them."
"I didn't believe it, he was my best..., we grew up together,"
"But he had."
"He had, he I told him he needed to give them back."
"Thats why you went back there to get the photos." she commented, he nodded, "Did he tell you who he had given them to?
"No , but Della." he sounded like a frightened teenage boy.
"Yes."
"I took a photo of you and Aston, when you didn't know, he was kissing you."
"Oh." she said a soft flush coming to her face. She realised how Perry already knew and felt her stomach clench.
"I am so sorry Della, I wanted you to know, so if,if you want to tell Mr Mason not to represent me I will understand." she looked at him, trying to push her personal feelings aside, trying to not think about what Perry would think of those photos, what he would think of her, she shut her eyes to close out that thought.
"Mr Mason believes you are innocent Butler." she said, opening her eyes to look at him, "I want you to stop feeling sorry for yourself and start fighting for yourself, you have so many people who are supporting you and who are helping you and you reward them with lies and fear you need to grow up. You need to start fighting for yourself, and you need to tell Mr Mason everything you know about you, Delray, and Pengally,"
"Della I will tell him, I'll tell him everything. But the photos of you and Aston."
"You need to tell him everything,"
"But I can tell how he feels..." she cut him off with a wave of her hand.
"Mr Mason is trying to help you. We are all trying to help you. He shouldn't have to fight blind." she told him a firmness in her tone that made his eyes go wide.
She smiled encouragingly pretending she wasn't suddenly feeling sick, he had just shored up a much better motive for himself than Burger had come up with.
Neither Paul or Perry returned to her Aunt Mae's that night, Paul showed up about lunchtime Sunday, he looked beat, Mae feed him and then he went and had a sleep. Perry called her every couple of hours, told her he had been to see Butler, when she went to speak he told her they would talk about it when he got back. He didn't sound angry just tired.
She curled up in the chair on the verandah looking out into the darkness, her eyes were adjusting to the dim light of the moon, but it was the smoke she smelled first before she saw a dark figure.
"Who is there?" she demanded, not a trace of fear in her voice.
"Someone who thinks you shouldn't be sitting exposed out on the verandah," came the terse reply of a voice she loved beyond all reason.
"Perry," she jumped up, throwing off her blanket but he was up the stairs before she could reach him, "You should be inside," he admonished her.
"What with the ring of men you, Paul and Burger have around here? who is likely to get through." she mocked him.
"I got through." he pointed out.
"I am glad of that." she replied and then she was in his arms and he was holding her as if he would never let her go, after the initial reaction, and the heat that built up between them, she tried to pull away,"Perry the police will be watching."
"Let them watch," he growled holding her tighter and burying his face in the curve of her neck, breathing her scent in. She hugged him with renewed vigor as they pressed their cheeks against each other.
"Perry," she whispered into his ear, her low voice so husky he felt a shiver shoot down his back.
"Mhmm," he responded, content for the moment, just to ensure himself that she was alive and unhurt and in his arms.
"I lied on the stand, on Friday." she confessed in a low voice that only just reached his ears.
He pulled back from her, looking down at her knowing she didn't have any shoes on because she was shorter than normal.
"Perjury? And how is that Miss Street?" he asked, she knew from his amused tone, that his eyebrow was raised in disbelief. She could only see the outline of his perfect face in the moonlight.
"When Burger asked me if I would do something you asked me to do, whether it was legal or not, and I said I wouldn't, that was a lie."
"How so?" still the amused tone.
She reached up to touch his cheek, in a voice that was impossibly husky."Because I would do anything you asked me to." he stopped her by pressing the pad of his finger to her lips,
"Except stay put when you're told,"he teased gently, "You know I might hold you to that statement in the future Miss Street" he added softly."But for now your secrets are safe with me."
"All my secrets?" she asked in tones so soft he had to lean forward to hear her,
"All your secrets." he confirmed and leaned forward his eyes closed... the door banged and then opened and Mae peered out, "Well are you two going to stay out here making love all night or are you going to come and eat some of these scones I've just made," she demanded imperiously.
Della felt the vibrations of his chuckle and "We're coming Aunt Mae," he called out the promise.
He pressed his forehead to Della's trying to see her eyes in the darkness, "Not that the first suggestion isn't inviting but I need some food and some sleep, we've got a big day tomorrow." She chuckled at him, and took his arm as he took her into the house squeezing him tight. Everything was going to be alright, she could feel it, feel his confidence. Before dawn she had crept down the hall into the guest room where he was staying, slipped under his covers and held him while he slept, he murmured her name and rolled to hold her. He looked exhausted, but his arms felt good around her, she'd fallen back to sleep . When she woke he wasn't beside her, she sat up, he was sitting by the window, reading the notes she had typed up, he looked at her a mix of adoration and amusement on his face. She rubbed her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair, stretching out the sleep, it was 6.00am.
"Now Miss Street I'm not sure that there was any point in you rescuing me from Maynard to put me directly in the line of fire of your aunt." She swung out of bed and came over to kiss him, "You never know it might have been worth it, not that I could wake you."
"It certainly explains why I had such pleasant dreams," he teased her. She kissed him again then patted his cheek, "I noticed," she said with a wicked grin, he groaned but she left him but had distracted him sufficiently that he had to reread the last three pages.
He hadn't told her he was going to call her back to the stand. But she went without hesitation.
"Miss Street, do you recall the night of the murder, how many drinks you had that evening?"
She stilled her face from reacting, "I had two champagnes at the Arcane club, and two later at the Penelope's, "
"Over a five hour period? Did you drink anything else?" he asked, he had told her that she had been drinking alone in her apartment but she didn't remember that, she thought about it, trying to remember,
"Mr Pengally gave me a drink of water at the Archane club just before Lt Tragg took me home." He wasn't looking at her, he was in fact looking directly at Lurid, Pengally and Delray's silent business partner.
"And after that after you locked the door, you don't remember anything until you woke up the next morning is that true Miss Street." again he was looking directly at Lurid, his eyes booring into him,"You remember I picked you up at ten o'clock,"
"Yes sir."
"Where did I take you?"
"To Doctor Morales."
"And he took some blood."
"Objection,"Burger stood up, "Miss Streets health, while of concern, is of no relevance to this case." he was less obtrusive than he had been on the previous Friday.
"If your honour will allow me, I believe I can show a connection."
"I'll allow it, answer the question Miss Street
"Yes."
"And what did he find?" he pressed her.
"Their were traces of fenxal purathane."
"Did he explain to you what that was?"
"Objection, hearsay."
"Your honour, the witness was prescribed an antidote, it was provided in writing and I have it here." Perry waved a piece of paper that Della knew to be some of her notes.
"Overruled, I'll allow it."
"Its a knockout sedative."
At that point Paul came in waving some papers at Perry, and behind him one of his men ushered in the man they referred to as 'Penguin." Delrays business manager, the elusive Pengally.
"No further questions." he finished off.
The judge looked up in annoyance at the disturbance,"May I have a moment your honour?"Perry begged him,
"Recross?" the judge asked Burger, but Burger shook his head glancing at Tragg who shrugged his shoulders, he didn't know what tricks Mason was about to pull. Perry turned to help Della down from the stand, his face giving nothing away. He had a quick word to Paul, his eyes watching the Penguin all the while, Paul nodded and exited the room.
"Defence calls Mr Albert Pengally to the stand."
Pauls man tapped the Penguin on the shoulder and the Penguin shrugged it off as if he were a bug, he was sworn in and then sat down in the witness chair, his disapproval evident.
"Mr Pengally can you tell us your relationship to Mr Delray, the deceased."
"I was his business manager."
"But you didn't always get along."
"That was no secret Mr Mason, we argued all the time, "
"Argued, violently?"
"Aggressively, not violently, there were never any personal attacks."
"But items would get thrown?"
"Mr Delray was a very passionate man, but he sometimes confused his head for business with... well" the Penguin looked at the judge, "I had to keep a tight rein on things or he would have blown it all. That was what he paid me for , not to kowtow to him."
"And what did you argue about on the night of the fifteenth?" Perry grilled him,
"Business matters, terribly pedestrian in the light of what has happened."
"Didn't you infact argue over Mr Billings."
"Well Mr Billings may have come up,"
"Didn't you accuse Mr Delray of using information Mr Billings had provided him about to blackmail a third party?"
"Well I had no proof that it was blackmail, otherwise I would have gone to the police." the Penguin hedged, glancing nervously at the DA, not quite as sure of himself as when he had first walked into the court room.
"But that was what you were trying to find out from him wasn't it, that was what you were screaming at each other about? Or we you the one doing the blackmailing?"
Anger flashed onto the Penguins face, "Now look here Mason, I work in a dirty business at times, there is opportunity to blackmail any number of tommies, but that is not how I run my business."
"Nor will you let your business be used for that endeavor," Mason turned to glare at him, "So when you found out that Mr Delray had an accomplice in the blackmail scam you threatened him to take it to the police, this was not something you could just cover up for him, not now that Billings knew he had been double crossed by his friend, not now that there was a third person involved. You found that evidence didn't you, you were going back to confront Delray with it, you and your gun and then you walked in and shot him didn't you Mr Pengally."
"No, no."Pengally screamed, rising out of his chair, the judge banged the gavel,
"Resume your seat Mr Pengally."
"Objection your honour. Defence can't just cast accusations on such slim foundation." Burger protested, but his heart didn't seem to be in the objection.
"But I do have a foundation your honour, I submit that Mr Pengally was being blackmailed and that is why he didn't come forward."
"I didn't kill him, its true, I went there I was going to threaten him, he'd never gone this far before, but he was already dead. I knew I'd been heard, I knew that I was the most likely to be sprung for his murder, that was why I set it up, set Billings up, that's why I rang you Mr Mason, I knew you would defend him, I knew you would notice the missing papers because Billings had already spoken to your Miss Street about them."
"So you set Billings up, called him to the club, and Miss Streets presence was a bonus."
"Yes, with the crime scene, and with ... I knew you would make sure she was alright before you saw to Billings."
"Giving you time to replace the papers with forgeries."
"Yes sir."
"That's why you drugged Miss Street"
"Yes sir."
Paul came into the court room. "A moment your honour?" Perry asked,
"Make it quick." the judge ordered.
Paul gave him a nod and handed him a file, he looked in it and looked back to Paul who gave him a canister of film he took it and put it on the table, he returned his attention to the file and pulled out a photo,"Now Mr Pengally, I have here a set of photographs. " he looked at him with just a tinge of sympathy, "You were being blackmailed, because of a series of photographs taken of you that you believed would be extremely damaging. Isn't that true?"
Pengally was shaking, but at the sight of the file he seemed to loose all arrogance. He stared at it like it was a serpent poised to strike him before collapsing his face into his hands.
"Yes," he admitted.
"Who was the blackmailer, who was the man who you had told Delray he was not to have in the club, who was the man, who was using Delray as part of the blackmailing and when Delray confessed to you. he killed Delray, then blackmailed you into helping him." Mason's voiced boomed, Pengally was sweating but Masons ferocious glare was directed at Lurid. "Who is the man you caught on camera killing Delray, and whom you have protected from the moment you walked in on him standing over Delrays body?"
"I destroyed the film, I should have kept it, I should have kept it, how did you get it?"
"You burnt it, in the canister, but the canister, its fire proof, the film was not destroyed, you had the evidence to clear him all along."
"He would have... You've got him."
He glared at Lurid who was on his feet, shouting at the Penguin "You fool, couldn't leave enough alone, Yes I killed him, he told me he had told you, I would have made you rich, I would have cut you in, I had insurance on you and you cave in to protect a two bit..."
Perry interjected at that point.
"Your honour given Mr Lurids confession I request all charges against my client be dropped and the case be dismissed."
"Granted Baliff take that man into custody, and Mr District Attorney see to the procuring of appropriate charges. You may leave the witness stand Mr Pengally."
Billings hugged Della, and shook hands with Paul, Vaughan was clapping him on the back, and Aston disguised as an old man, shook his hand. Aston turned to Della and grinned at her, "Thank you." he said, holding her hand, In a tone that only reached her ears, "Are you sure you prefer the life of crime to a life behind the silverscreen?" he asked, but his smile told her he already knew the answer.
She glanced at Perry who had gone over to the last witness. "Very sure." she confirmed returning the squeeze of his hand.
"Thought so," he said.
Perry approached Pengally, "Mr Pengally."
"I suppose you will show them to the press now." he said, "After what I did to your Miss Street."
"You were scared and you acted foolishly, you would have been better off asking me for my help." Perry admonished him, "but these are not the photos, we couldn't find Lurids, stash, hopefully the police will establish that."
"They are not the photos?"
"No, All I said to you was 'I have some photos here."'My detective is following the trail of the photos,"
"And the film."
"That is the one you tried to destroy, of course I haven't had time to examine it."
"He, Delray, he was like my brother, he just... I let him down, I didn't protect him."
"He was a man, he made his own decisions." Perry said not without sympathy.
Tragg interrupted, "Mr Pengally do you mind coming along , I have some questions for you?" he said, with a sly look at Mason.
"Wait a minute Tragg, I am sure there is no need to remind you to advise Mr Pengally that he does not need to say anything that will incriminate himself."
"We'll make sure he gets lawyered up."
"Why Lieutenant, that is not necessary, Mr Pengally already has a lawyer."
Tragg shook his head, the Penguin looked at Perry Mason and put his hand out, "You are one decent man, in this town of snakes." Pengally said, "I ought to know."
"Come on you." Tragg dragged him off, Perry let his eyes wander over to Della, she was packing up all their stuff, fading into the background, she must have felt his eyes on her, because she looked up and gave him the shyiest smile, he grinned at her.
"How did you know, ... were you so sure Pengally didn't kill him." Della asked him , she was toying with her food,
"It was easy." Paul said, "Once that cigarette girl, confirmed she'd seen Pengally come out of the office after nine, and then later saw him make a phone call at 11.15, I tracked that to Perry's, it couldn't have been Lurid so it had to be Pengally."
"Why?" she demanded to know, not understanding that leap in logic.
"Well because." Paul looked at Perry, "I dunna know, how did you leap to that conclusion?"
"The killer had no reason to stop me going to the club, nor to warn me that Della was in trouble, only Pengally had the motive for that. He hadn't intended to kill Della, but you can never know how a person can react, and the presence of those blackmail papers meant that wasn't the reason for the murder, and he gave Della the water, why would he do that, you heard Billings say he wouldn't be seen dead pouring a drink for anyone. The killer wouldn't have cared about Della's safety."
"And if it the blackmailee wasn't the killer." Paul said, rolling his hand around in the air.
"It was the blackmailer." Della concluded.
"Right." Perry said smiling at them both, "Now what say we leave this joint and take a week off?" he said.
"You want me to drop those other two cases you have me working on?" Paul asked hopefully.
"Two I thought you had three?"Perry queried him.
"Oh didn't I tell you, I got a line on Phillip Maskie, he's in a hospital in San Francisco, he went into a bare knuckle, well he lost, and lost his memory,face busted up un recognisable anyway, he'll be back here next Tuesday."
"And the other two cases?"
"Still running down leads." Paul admitted, Perry rubbed his hands together thoughtful and then looked up his eyebrows arched as if he had just had a supreme idea.
"Hmmm Well why don't you you keep working on those leads and until you do Della and I are going to take some time off." He stood up and held out his hand for her, she grinned at Paul before following him.
"I keep telling everyone that expense aside you're simply the best detective in town." she told him with a cheeky grin.
"Nuts, thats just nuts, I must be nuts." he muttered shaking his head as they walked off, but a slight grin played on his mouth.
They reached her apartment door, having lapsed into a comfortable silence since leaving the restaurant.
"Perry."
"Yes." he took the key from her and unlocked the door, holding it open for her.
"Something has been bothering me. Something you said."
"Yes?" he encouraged her, feeling her hesitation, seeing the slight blush creep onto her cheeks. She turned to face him as he closed the door.
"The night of the murder when you came to my apartment, and we talked, which I don't remember ... you told me later some of it, but Perry I don't own a black negligee," she said. He smiled at her, that cheeky smile that told her she had caught him out.
"You should, you look good in one." he grinned.
"Did I kiss you, or was that in your imagination as well?"
"You kissed me on the cheek. My imagination did the rest."
"so you just put me to bed and left?"
"I checked your temperature,and then I left."
"Then I didn't tell you who ... who my lover was."
He liked how she said 'was', there was a definite finality in that, his silence confirmed her suspicions "Then why did you ...?"
"I didn't want us to have secrets but I couldn't stand it if you had of said it besides Della a man does not hold a salsa party at $500 a head for someone just to help his friend get lucky."
"He held it for me, how do you know?"
"He had been watching us dance the first night we met him so I know because he asked me if I had enjoyed the music and I told him I did except I didn't salsa."
"He asked you that?"
"Apparently you made quite an impression on him from the moment he laid eyes on you." He touched her chin, "That I can understand," she blushed again, not meeting his gaze. He let her go and as if the words sunk in she declared.
"So you lied to me." she pointed out, turning to look at him, her eyes soft and a smile toying on her lips,
"It was for a good cause," he said softly.
"He wasn't my lover Perry," she knew she didn't have to say it but she wanted him to know, "That night, at the Archane Club, I had told him that I could only ever have feelings for one man."
"And who might that be Miss Street?"
"If you let me into my apartment I might let you in on the secret," she said turning to walk into her apartment, on the table in the kitchen, there was the hugest bunch of flowers in a solid crystal vase, on the table were a number of boxes.
"Mr Mason, that key is only for emergencies, you told me we had sorted that out," she admonished him, but a smile was teasing her lips upwards.
"This was an emergency," he said, "I couldn't let one more hour go by without you knowing that you are the most important person in my world."
"You shouldn't have." she said, her fingers running along the packages, he came up behind her and kissed the top of her head, he bent down and rubbed his cheek against hers, "I should have a long time ago, open them," he said. She lifted the the lid on the largest box, white wrapping with pink satin ribbons, "Oh Perry, oh perry," she purred, she lifted the black negligee out of the box, it was beautiful, the satin was the smoothest she had ever felt and the lace trim, she rubbed it against her cheek."This must have cost an arm and a leg." she protested, but what ever other wicked thoughts she was having she hid behind a devilish laugh and a rewarded him with only the briefest chaste kiss on the cheek. The second box brought tears to her eyes, a set of pearls with matching earrings fit for a princess, she couldn't speak, but with the waving of her hands, indicated for him to put it on her. "These are more for me than you." he told her, "I don't like you wearing pearls someone else has given you" he added kissing her neck where the pearls touched her skin."But the sight of you in pearls does something to me." His voice was low and gentle and she turned back to face him, "I love them." she whispered, kissing him and there was nothing chaste about that kiss, it left him trembling and wanting more.
"They are beautiful," she tried with little success to put a business like tone on, "Why don't you go and make us some drinks and put on some music, I've got something for you too," her voice was so husky that all he could do was hold her and kiss her until she pushed him away. "Music." she demanded, "I have to fix my face, now you've made me cry."
He held her hand to stop her from leaving, he wanted to give her an out. "Della I don't have to stay, if .. if you think this is part of the 'benefits'" his expression was so naked and fearful, she had not realised how much that statement had hurt him.
"Perry, I... I was so scared of loosing you I got too scared to try. I convinced myself that to have part of you was better than none."
"And now?"
"When you told me that you didn't care about Aston, that it didn't change anything between us, I guess I started to understand that you and I have something that connects us, its not just because we work so well together but it is deeper and not so fragile to be shattered by my fear or your pride." Tears filled her eyes, "And when I saw Maynard pointing his gun at you, you could have been killed Perry, he was going to shoot you, and nothing else mattered except that I would lose the person I would give the world for, everything seemed so insignificant compared to that." She kissed his fingertips.
"Confession?" he said, she nodded.
"I was hoping that your Mr Aston Gabriel was the guilty party the whole time, and if you think I was not as jealous as hell then you are entirely mistaken."
"But you never gave up on me," she said soberly.
"I couldn't have you being disappointed in me and I was only following your advice Miss Street."
"What is that?"
"It is only those who don't try who are disappointing." he tapped his finger on her forehead.
"Butler told you I said that."
"He did, and I'm glad we've both taken your advice." He kissed her softly on the lips before letting her go to follow her early command for music.
He selected the music first and then poured them a couple of drinks. She grinned he was playing the same songs that they had listened to the first time they had kissed. Standing behind him while he knelt flicking through her records, she touched his shoulder and slipped a wrapped present, "Its not romantic." she warned him, he glanced at her, and then did a double take, she had the black negligee on, she was wearing impossibly high, high heels, black stockings that he just knew would have little clips for him to undo and the pearls, pearls around her neck, pearls in her ears, "You need to open your present," she reminded him, her voice unintentionally seductive, as her whole body reacted to the desire in his eyes.
"How could I concentrate on anything else but.." he groaned as she moved away from him, her eyes flicked to the present nodding to encourage him to open it, she took her drink with her, he ripped the wrapping off, it was a leather bound version of the Merchants of Venice, he sat down on the floor, in amazement.
She leaned on the frame of her bedroom door watching his reaction, "Its not a first edition, obviously, but the drawings are, block etchings, it was printed by ..."
"I know what it is Della, this is priceless, this is too much. Where did you find it? How did you know?"
She laughed delighted with his reaction, "Questions questions, I'll answer them tomorrow, Come on Counsellor, you can pour over that tomorrow. I've got something else for you to unwrap," she grinned and headed into her bed room, he turned back to the book and stroked its leather cover, then as if her words finally hit him, he sat bolt upright, "Oh" he put the book down and followed her.
She chuckled when he arrived, "Nice to know, occasionally I can drag your attention away from reading the dusty old writing of crusty old men." He turned the light out leaving only candles burning.
"My Love if you keep dressing like that you will make me forget that I even know how to read," he promised her.
"I like the sound of that," she purred, his hands touched the smooth satin on her hips as her fingers began removing his tie and unbuttoning his shirt, their lips met slowly at first as they tried to draw each second out but it was impossible and rapidly escalated into a clash of heat and desire and unable to form any further coherent thoughts let alone words for the rest of night as they tumbled down into a world where it was only them. Fingers, hands, lips, legs moulding together like putty as their bodies burnt and cooled bringing actions too many lingering gazes, chaste kisses, protracted touches, a hand, a shoulder, small of the back all these gone in the certainty of their touches, she felt like she was drowning in honey and each kiss prolonged her survival. Their bodies belonged together each new discover only seemed to reinforce an intimate knowledge of each other.
Around morning, the grey dusty light of dawn intruded in the bedroom, she lay entwined in his arms unwilling to risk removing a single inch of skin from his. "I love you Perry." she said, her voice smoky, he pulled back so he could see her face,
"What did you say?" he asked. She smiled affectionately he had heard her perfectly clearly.
"You heard me," she said tracing from his forehead down to his nose to his lips and tapping them gently. Her lips, she thought, her beautiful blue eyes, he was hers as surely as she was completely his.
"I want to hear you say it again."
"I love you Perry Mason."
"And?"
"And?"
"Tell me you belong to me." he ordered her, rolling on top of her and looking down into her eyes with an intensity that brought heat to all parts of her body.
"Perry." she protested, but he leant and kissed her neck trailing it down to her breast echoeing each "say it" with a kiss until she laughed and took his face in her hands.
"I love you Perry Mason and I belong to you," she said softly, seriously.
"I have waited years for you to realise that," he said, "because Miss Street, I love you completely, and I am yours completely and I still love the sound of my name on your lips."
"Oh Perry, ' she murmured, tears filling her eyes, but then he was kissing her and they got lost again in time in each other.
Epilogue to go
(not only are they not my characters but I borrowed Aunt Mae's line from TCOT blonde bonanza with a slight variation - sorry ESG - I couldn't help it)