Chapter 22
He gently ran his finger across an impossibly high cheekbone then up and over a perfectly arched brow and down the slope of a pert, upturned nose. Eyelashes fluttered but the eyes didn't open. He repeated the course of his finger on the other side of her face and again the response was a flirty fluttering of eyelashes.
He leaned over and placed his mouth close to the delicate shell of her ear. "I know you're awake."
Her mouth curved into a contented smile. "No I'm not. I'm asleep and having a wonderful dream."
"If you're not awake, then I can't very well give you your present."
Her eyes popped open immediately and she propped herself up on her elbow, regarding him suspiciously beneath drawn-together brows. "I thought I wasn't getting a present because there are too many ears in the house and it seems I have a tendency to be loud. That's why we slept all by our lonesomes in rooms far, far apart."
Perry stifled his mirth and lightly swatted her backside. "That would be my present," he told her. "You present is right here." He held out his hand, from which a copper link chain dangled. Three large slices of beautifully banded red and white agate were attached to the chain with copper wire intricately woven through the links.
"Oh!" she exclaimed in delight. "It's gorgeous."
"It's Lake Superior agate and copper gleaned from a closed mine. Mr. Velting found the agate, mined the copper, cut and polished the agate, smelted the copper and made the chain. He even edged each slice of agate with molten copper. If you look carefully, there are bits of copper suspended in the agate as well. This is what your jar of pretty stones brought out in Mr. Velting. I thought you should know about it."
Della clambered to her knees and took the necklace from him, turning it over and over carefully in her hands in silent admiration. "This is one of the best anniversary presents you've ever given me," she said, struck once more by how he had managed to find the perfect gift and present it to her in the perfect way.
Perry thought fleetingly about the little velvet box tucked far down into the toe of a shoe and smiled wistfully at her. "I thought you would like it. Here's the rest of your present." He opened his other hand and showed her a pair of earrings fashioned from clustered chips of red agate and copper wire.
Della plucked them from his palm and clipped them to her ear lobes. "Who would have thought a man like Oliver Velting could create something this lovely? The artistic vision he has is astounding."
"And the world would never have known about his talent if a little girl hadn't given him a jar of pretty stones."
She made a face at him, nose crinkled, mouth pursed. "Don't get all maudlin on me. I'm glad he appreciated my gift, but I didn't give him his talent." She climbed over him and slid off the bed. "This will go perfectly with at least two of my new dresses. Thank you, darling, I love it."
"You are more than welcome. At least two? Exactly how many dresses did you buy?"
"Only four." She opened the closet door, reached in and withdrew a multi-color striped dress with a bateau neckline, drop waist and very full skirt. She held it up to herself and twisted her hips. The voluminous skirt swished from side to side and she grinned.
Perry shook his head. "Four dresses…what about shoes?"
"Well of course I bought shoes. Two pairs of espadrilles and a pair of flats…don't look at me like that, Perry. I have money."
Good grief, he had forgotten the seven thousand dollars! They talked so little about her inheritance he had to remind himself of the newest complication in their life. "I suppose you can afford your little shopping spree at that. It is a nice dress."
She stood in the middle of the room, studying him intently for a few seconds before nodding. "The high school girls make them to raise money for charity. The workmanship is lovely. I thought I could leave them at the lake house."
He arranged a pile of pillows against the headboard of the bed and settled into their softness. "Did you ever make a dress for charity?"
She laughed and dove back into the closet, emerging presently with a small Skogmo's shopping bag. "Heaven's no. There was no time for sewing. I had ballet three days a week and piano lessons two days a week. Grandmother taught me to hem and sew on buttons, and tried to teach me needlepoint, but I was hopeless at it." She approached the bed and held out the bag to him. "For you."
Perry took the bag and blinked in surprise. "For me?"
"Yes, for you. Open it." She clasped her hands together beneath her chin in sparkly-eyed anticipation.
He did as bidden and couldn't believe what the bag contained. ""Are you kidding?" He turned the bag upside down and the contents tumbled onto the bed. "Chuck Taylor All Star Low-Tops?" He burst out laughing. "I haven't had a pair of Converse sneakers since I was twelve or thirteen."
"I expect you to wear them," she said sternly, hands now on hips. "You can leave them at the lake house, but you'll wear them whenever we are there. Your wardrobe is entirely too uptight, as evidenced by the fact we were headed to a remote lake and you packed clothes appropriate for meetings with million-dollar lawyers and I have to wear a dress that cost $11.98."
He got up off the bed and gathered her to him. "Come here, you funny kid," he said tenderly. "You bet your sweet life I'll wear them. And for your information, I won't be leaving them at the lake house." He lowered his head and kissed her quickly before setting her away from him reluctantly. "It's already almost eight-thirty. We should leave here by nine-fifteen to make our appointment with Jim's cousin."
She ducked behind him and yanked the covers up to the head of the bed, while unceremoniously dumping pillows on the floor. "Go take a shower. I took mine last night as a diversion after you summarily rejected my advances. I'll meet you downstairs. I think there are blueberry muffins left from the wake and if we're lucky Henny showed up to make coffee. I must say I appreciate everything she does around here but I truly wish she would stop mooning over Carter. He doesn't deserve to be mooned over."
"Somebody needs to knock some sense into Carter, and I'd like to be first in line to volunteer. Maybe you could talk to Henny." He paused at the door, his hand on the knob, eyebrows raised. "Kitchen, nine o'clock?
She nodded absently, absorbed in her task of making the bed while thinking about what to do with Henrietta Vander Velde.
He stood at the door watching her efficient movements, marveling at his own strength and fortitude that last night he had been able to deny not only her desire, but his own.
"Impressive building," Della said in frank admiration. The building was square and smooth, the façade appearing to have been constructed in a series of photo mattings of different sizes cut out around tall, narrow windows separated by even narrower stone dividers. Completely different than the stark, plain surrounding buildings of this fairly large city forty-five minutes from her home town, it fairly begged to be gawked at.
"The corner stone says it was built in nineteen thirty-six. You don't generally like art deco." Perry placed his hand over hers simply to feel her skin against his. She looked positively lovely in the sundress made by some anonymous high school girl, striped in muted shades of blue, green, red, and cream, the copper and agate necklace a perfect complement. Cream peep-toe espadrilles, a large straw handbag and the straw sunhat with the trailing scarf completed her outfit. He couldn't take his eyes from her, and neither could most of the men who passed by them as they walked from the parking lot to the building that housed the law firm in which Jeremy Brandis was a partner.
"I didn't say I liked it. I said it was impressive." She tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow and gave him a sideways glance. "You're slipping, Mr. Mason. Should we pop into a court session so you can re-sharpen your mental faculties?"
"That might not be a bad idea, depending upon how long it takes to determine whether or not you like Mr. Brandis, and if you do how quickly we can hammer out a plan for probating the estate."
"I'm sure I'll like him," Della said confidently, stepping over the brass threshold of the building's entrance and waiting for Perry to catch up to her. He placed his hand at the small of her back and propelled her toward the elevators, which were set in relief in the same manner as the exterior windows. The ornate floor indicator plaques above each elevator car were a marvel of angles and circles Perry found fascinating but Della barely gave them a two-second glance. "Did Jim tell you anything about his cousin?"
Perry settled her next to him toward the rear of the car as several other passengers suddenly crowded into the elevator. He shook his head and slipped his arm around her waist to steady her when the elevator lurched upward. "Not much. Just that he's highly regarded and moved out here from L.A. because of a woman."
"He moved here from California?" She frowned slightly. "That's something to consider."
Perry smiled down at her. "He sacrificed for love. That has to count for something."
"We'll see," she replied crisply. "I was half-inclined to retain him sight unseen because he's Jim's relative simply to get the process started, but the tidbit about his relocation has given me pause. I want to hand it all over to someone I can trust and not have to think about it unless absolutely necessary. I fear this bit of news brings his judgment into question."
"If you retain him all documents and correspondence will come directly to me. You won't have to think about it unless I find it necessary to involve you."
"And who pray-tell will be opening and sorting and badgering you about those documents and correspondence?" she demanded archly.
The elevator bumped to a stop at the eleventh floor and the doors opened sluggishly. Perry tapped the arm of the man in front of them and he and Della exited the car directly into the gleaming marble reception area of Brandis, Blandings, & Brocton, otherwise known as BB&B to locals.
Della whistled under her breath as she slowly spun in a circle, taking in the expansive coffered ceilings and sedate furnishings. "I only inherited seven hundred thousand dollars in liquid assets," she whispered urgently to Perry. "Can I afford this guy without hocking Grandma Esther's jewelry?"
A tall, thin woman with jet-black hair scraped back into a severe bun rose from behind an elevated reception desk and approached them. "Miss Street? Mr. Mason?" At Perry's nod she smiled. "I'm Ethel. Unfortunately Miss Grabinski, his secretary, called in ill, so if you'll please follow me I'll show you to Mr. Brandis' office."
Perry and Della dutifully followed Ethel down a long corridor off of which several doors opened. At the fifth door on the right at the end of the hall, Ethel paused and reached for one of a pair of enormous brass knobs mounted smack in the middle of two doors that Perry estimated to be nine feet tall. Beyond the doors was a small office that held a desk, a credenza file cabinet and a typewriter stand, as well as a leather couch and two leather wing side chairs. In the center of the small room was another set of tall doors, which Ethel approached and rapped on loudly. From within could be heard a shouted "Come in, Ethel!" Ethel smiled and twisted the brass knob, standing aside so that Della could precede Perry into the inner sanctum of Jeremy Brandis, Esquire.
"Mr. Brandis. Miss Della Street and Mr. Perry Mason," Ethel announced, and then with another smile, backed up two steps and closed the doors.
Della stepped into the decidedly masculine corner office as Jeremy Brandis, a six-foot tall, sandy-haired, green-eyed Adonis, jumped to his feet and hurried around the side of a desk that wasn't much more than a hand-hewn plank on elaborate sawhorses but had probably cost more than she made in an entire year – and she was perfectly aware that Perry unabashedly overpaid her.
"Wow!" he exclaimed, extending his hand to usher Della toward one of the leather client chairs positioned in front of his desk. "And may I say 'wow' again. Jimmy told me you were good-looking, Miss Street, not drop-dead gorgeous!"
Laughter bubbled up in Della and she thrust her hand out to shake the estate lawyer's hand. "Thank you. I'm pleased to meet you, Mr. Brandis."
Jeremy Brandis took her hand in a firm handshake. "Not nearly as pleased as I am to meet you, Miss Street. I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother. I was fortunate enough to meet her several years ago. Interesting woman." He turned abruptly to Perry and offered his hand. "And you are the famous Perry Mason. Jimmy has spoken of you often. I'm honored to meet you, Mr. Mason."
Della caught Perry's eyes behind Jeremy Brandis' back, raised one eyebrow, mouthed 'Jimmy'? and broke into a grin.
Perry accepted Jeremy's hearty handshake. "It's Della and Perry. No reason to be formal when we're going to be working together so closely."
Jeremy Brandis looked surprised. "We are? I haven't given you my twenty-four karat sure-fire why-you-should-retain-me speech yet."
Perry waved his hand toward Della, who had removed her sunhat and plunked herself down in a chair, and was pulling out a stenographic notebook and pencils. "She's already decided you're her attorney."
Jeremy Brandis grinned at Perry Mason. "Knows her mind, eh Perry?"
"And uses it, Jeremy," he agreed in a slight warning, taking a seat in the chair next to Della and setting down his brief case.
She flipped up the cover of her steno pad, and leaned forward in the chair as Jeremy Brandis took his seat behind the desk, still a bit shell-shocked by her attractiveness and her quick decision to retain him to probate her grandmother's estate.
"I have a plan outlined," she began. "I'm afraid it's mostly in shorthand so I'll have to read it to you and rewrite it…"
Jeremy held up his left hand as he reached for the intercom with his left and flipped a switch. "Gregg or Pitman?"
"Gregg," Della confirmed.
"Ethel," he said into the box, "can you send in someone to transcribe notes in Gregg?"
Perry leaned sideways, stunned that the entire notebook was filled with shorthand hieroglyphics. "When did you do that?"
She met his eyes with an innocent expression. "I had a lot of time and energy last night," she replied sweetly. "I put it to good use."
Perry opened his mouth to say something, thought better of it, and sat back with a bemused smile on his face. She must have been up until the wee hours putting her plan on paper and yet she looked alert and fresh as the proverbial daisy.
Jeremy Brandis let his eyes slide from the respected criminal attorney to his undeniably beautiful and efficient secretary and back to Perry Mason again. Jimmy hadn't properly conveyed Miss Street's appearance, but he hadn't missed the mark on the chemistry between her and her employer if the expression in Perry Mason's eyes was any indicator. "All right Della, let's take a look at your plan and see what we have looming in front of us."