CHAPTER TWELVE
Since I had so much trouble posting yesterday I am posting twice today.
His legs feeling like lead, Paul Drake, walked slowly toward his best friend's hospital room. He dreaded facing Perry with the news Della had disappeared. Beautiful Della, so full of life, the sister he never had. Nothing could happen to her.
Pushing open the door he was glad to see the lawyer sitting in a chair. Mason looked at him and asked, "where's Della.? I thought she would be with you."
"There has been a slight problem Perry," he began.
The attorney was up out of his chair completely oblivious to the pain in his side, "where is she?" He had hold of Drake's lapels.
Choosing his words carefully. "Mildreth Faulkner, is missing also and Tragg has people out looking for them now."
Holding tight to his friend's jacket Perry Mason asked through clenched teeth, "what happened to Della."
It was as awful as he thought it would be, "I don't know."
Pounding on his bedside table Mason said angrily, "I thought she was with you and then safely at home. I tried calling this morning and when there was no answer I figured you two went to breakfast. I had planned to call her last night, but they gave me a damn pain shot in my IV. So, what do you know?"
Hanging his head Paul said, "She didn't go home with me."
"What!" the lawyer exclaimed. "I told you not to let her out of your sight until she was safely behind the apartment door!"
"Now calm down, Perry. You know what she can be like when she makes up her mind. She was determined to stay here with Mildreth. She told me if she had to stay all night they would do that. Tragg was still in recovery when I left. I really tried to talk her out of staying, but she can be as stubborn as you can."
Mason looked at him as if to say you couldn't handle her? Sounding completely frustrated he finally asked, "what do you know?"
"Unfortunately, not a lot at this point. One disquieting revelation is that red-haired nurse does not work here."
Holding onto his side the counselor looked amazed, "she didn't work here? Why didn't anyone notice?
"According to the head nurse they were short-handed and had asked for extra help. When this woman showed up in a nurse's uniform they just assumed she was the fill-in. It wasn't until this morning when the night nurse reported to the supervisor that the fill-in walked off the job last night they found out that the girl who was supposed to be the replacement never showed up."
Mason was frowning as he paced the room. "Do they have any idea how they got out of here?"
"They have gotten their night elevator operator out of bed trying to get an answer. It seems he was away from the elevator for a few minutes when he went to the bathroom. When he got back his elevator was on the ground floor. He figured someone was trying to fool him." Drake revealed.
"Hand me a cigarette." Mason asked his friend. "I need to think."
Paul felt awful as he watched his best friend pace nervously, puffing rapidly on the smoke betraying his nervousness. "What are Tragg's men doing?" The lawyer wanted to know.
"Of course, the lieutenant is also a wreck and wants to get up out of bed, but the doctor is adamant. The detective revealed. "So, he has the men questioning everyone who might have seen anything, and they are looking at all the security cameras that were in the parking garage."
Feeling absolutely frustrated and impotent Perry exclaimed, "they couldn't have just vanished in thin air!"
Paul patted Perry on the shoulder, "take it easy buddy we are looking into every avenue. We will find them, I promise."
As he dropped his head to his chest the attorney whispered, "but will we be in time? Will they still be alive?" He whispered.
The tall broad- shouldered Mason grabbed his robe and said, "I can't just sit here Paul I have to go see Tragg, and find out what is happening." He headed for the door.
Rubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray the detective yelled, "wait for me."
They hurried to the elevator ignoring the nurse who told him, "Mr. Mason you need to stay in your room." Boy she didn't know what she was asking. This was typical Perry Mason, nothing and no one holds him back when he sets his mind to anything; not to mention the love of his life.
Drake led the way to the policeman's room. Tragg was sitting up in bed a phone receiver glued to his ear. "I want more action and I want it now. You tell the technician to get in here and start looking at those tapes." He motioned to the two men to sit down.
"I've seen you look better," Mason acknowledged.
Trying not to grin the police detective said, "You don't look so great yourself."
"Enough of this mutual admiration society," the lawyer said gruffly. "What do you know?"
It was evident the policeman was still in pain as he struggled to sit upright. "This damn wound is driving me crazy," he said. "I should be out there looking for the two women I care about most."
"Take it easy Arthur," the lawyer cautioned. "you have good men working for you."
He asked, "even Holcomb?"
As the district attorney, Hamilton Burger, hurried through the door Perry commented, "even Holcomb. He is just belligerent and gets something in his mind and it leads him off track at times, but basically he is a good cop."
"I couldn't agree more," Burger agreed moving over to shake hands with his adversary. "Good to see you up and around Perry and I'm sorry about what has happened. I have put all the facilities of my office at your disposal."
Mason announced, "I am trying to find out what is being done and as soon as I see my doctor I am out of here. I appreciate what you are doing Hamilton."
"You know how we feel about Della. Patti was so upset. If I hadn't offered my help I would have had one angry wife. We also enjoyed meeting Mildreth."
Looking at Drake and Tragg the prosecutor asked, "well boys what do you know?"
Paul replied, "very little on my end so far. The problem is that we haven't seen anyone who saw them leave and where they exited the building. We are pretty sure the red-haired woman, who was posing as a nurse, is involved, but no one knows who she really is."
A nurse came into the room and looked at all the men in the room. "My patient really needs his rest…..he is….."
Burger interjected, "This is an emergency nurse. I am the district attorney, Tragg is a lieutenant on the police force, Paul Drake is a private detective, and this gentleman over here is Perry Mason, the attorney.
Her eyes were wide as she looked at all the prominent persons assembled in the room. "I'm sorry, I do have to take care of my patient, but can I do anything to make things easier for him?"
Looking at her shrewdly Burger asked, "what time did you come on duty today?"
"Actually, we are having a flu epidemic here and I was called in last night."
As he looked at the other men who nodded their heads, Burger took a deep breath. "This may be a long shot, but did you by any chance notice a tall red-haired nurse last night."
Her face lit up, "as a matter of fact, I thought it was odd, especially since we are short-, I saw an auburn haired woman in a nurse's uniform get into a dark colored van. Then I thought maybe she had been working a double shift."
"What time was that?" Tragg wanted to know."
She scrunched up her eyes, "I would say about midnight, I got here about that time."
Mason asked, "was she alone in the van?"
Again, the blond-haired nurse thought for a moment. "I won't swear to it, but it looked like a slender man was driving. I'm sorry I can't remember more."
"You have done great," the men told her.
"Where are the men who are looking at those tapes?" Mason asked impatiently.
Once again moving around carefully Tragg explained, "We should hear something anytime."
It was evident Perry Mason was getting more and more agitated, "the longer we wait and do nothing the more chance something will happen to the girls. I need to go and get dressed. There is no way I am staying here. If my doctor doesn't get here soon I am signing myself out."
Paul was visibly upset. "is that wise Perry? You aren't giving yourself time to heal. If you get worse, you can't help Della."
"I can't just sit here and do nothing. I will go crazy feeling like I'm doing nothing to try to get them back safely."
Walking over to the lawyer, Burger touched his shoulder. "Perry, we are doing everything possible to try and find them. We have fingerprint men going over that nurses' station and believe me there are plenty. We are monitoring your office phones and any calls coming in here for you or Arthur. They were getting someone to look at those garage tapes when I came in and your car is still in the parking garage as is Mildreth's. It all takes time."
The pain in his eyes was evident as he declared, "If anything happens to Della I'll hunt them down until the day I die."
"You know we all love Della and are just getting to know Mildreth.
If this were Patti I would feel the same way you do. We will leave no stone unturned I promise both of you," the district attorney said.
As he headed for the door the famous lawyer choked on his words. "I just can't sit here. She would do the same for me."
Paul Drake told them, "I have known Perry Mason for a lot of years and I have only seen him this upset once, and Della was missing then too. He is a tough fighter, stubborn as all get out, single minded when he wants something done, but what really makes him human is Della Street."
Arthur groaned, "We all knew they were close, but marriage that I did not see that coming."
"Della, while basically a private person, has confessed she didn't think Perry was the marrying kind. However, on their trip to the orient he wore her down. I have to say I haven't seen them….I think ever this settled.
Burger laughed, "Does that mean we will see a more mellow Mr. Mason from now on?"
Drake grinned, "I wouldn't count on that, but if anything happens to Della I think you will see a different Perry Mason. Who that will be is anyone's guess."
Just then Sgt. Brice came rushing through the door. "We have found something on the tapes and Miss Street has called their office. We need to get Mason up to his office as she is calling back within the hour."
Paul rushed to the door, "I'll get him there."