The Case of the Mystery Writer
Chapter 13
1
After Bill Harrison left the stand, Judge Jack Riley addressed Hamilton Burger. "Mr Burger, call your next witness."
"That concludes the prosecution's case, Your Honor. Having proven that the defendant had motive and opportunity, we ask that he be bound over for trial for murder in the first degree."
"Mr Mason, do you intend to put on a defense?" Riley questioned Mason.
"I do indeed, Your Honor." Mason stood up as he spoke.
"Then call your first witness."
"Your Honor, it is my understanding that Alicia Clay is now in the courtroom. She was brought in by the police. I would like to call her to the stand at this time."
One of Drake's operatives took Alicia Clay by the arm and forced her to stand up. She jerked her arm away from him and walked to the front of the courtroom. Mason opened the gate for her. His chivalry was greeted with a look that could kill.
Clay took the stand. The judge looked down at the witness. He had to hide his disdain for a witness who would lie under oath and then attempt to flee the court. "Miss Clay, you are still under oath. I suggest that you tell the truth this time. You are in enough trouble as it is."
She sat down in the witness stand and waited for the onslaught from Perry Mason.
Still standing behind the defense table, Mason began. "Miss Clay, under oath you testified to the prosecuting attorney that you rewrote Nick Perino's first novel, is that correct?"
"You were in the room, so you know it's correct. Why are you asking me?"
Before Mason could say anything, Judge Riley intervened in a stern voice. "Miss Clay, you are to answer Mr Mason's questions and not add any commentary. Is that clear?"
"Yeah."
"That is yes, Your Honor. You will use proper decorum in this courtroom, or you will be held in contempt of court. Is that clear?"
Red-faced with anger, she held it within. "Yes, Your Honor," she said tensely.
"Continue, Mr Mason."
"The truth is you didn't rewrite the manuscript at all, did you?"
"What difference does it make? He deserved what he got."
"This is your last warning. The next time you answer a question in that manner, you will be held in contempt of court," the judge said.
"Big deal, I've already been told I'm going to jail for perjury."
"And you can add contempt of court to that. Now, you are definitely going to jail."
She turned away from the judge. She stared at Mason with a murderous look. This was all his fault. Why didn't he just leave her alone? She and Deana Jarrett were doing just fine collecting their share. Deana Jarrett taught the jerk everything he knew about writing and he screwed her over.
Mason couldn't help but wonder why she was so protective of Deana Jarrett. Why did she lie in court? She should have known that he would find out the truth. What was her connection to Jarrett? Then it hit him! Could it be true? He was about to find out.
"Miss Clay, how did you become associated with Deana Jarrett?"
"I know her, that's all."
"It's actually more than that, isn't it?" Mason thundered.
She stared at him. Did he know, or was he bluffing? She wasn't about to tell him anything he didn't know. She wouldn't hurt Deana. The creep, Perino, had already done plenty of that.
"I have no idea what you are talking about."
"Well, let me enlighten you as to what I'm talking about. Are you any related to Deana Jarrett?"
"I don't have to answer that. She has nothing to do with what I said on the stand."
"Oh I think she does. Now I would like an answer to my question." Mason stared straight at her causing her to drop her eyes from his. "Is Deana Jarrett any related to you?"
Alicia Clay said nothing. How in the world did he ever find out? No one knew the answer to that question.
Mason looked up at the judge who knew exactly why. "Miss Clay, you will answer Mr Mason's question."
Hamilton Burger stood up. "Your Honor, I must object. Whether or not the witness is related to Deana Jarrett has nothing whatsoever to do with this case. It's incompetent, irrelevant, and immaterial."
"Is it?" Mason asked. "Both of them were picked up today and they were together. When the police arrived, they tried to run."
"That still has nothing to do with whether or not the defendant murdered Leo Dobbs," Burger insisted.
Judge Jack Riley rubbed the bridge of his nose. How many times did he have to tell these two to direct their remarks to the bench. "Gentleman, if you don't mind," he said sarcastically, "I'll rule on the objection without your arguments. Under the circumstances, they obviously are connected. Therefore, I'm going to allow this line of questioning. You may continue, Mr Mason."
Mason directed his attention back to his witness. "I ask you again, are you related to Deana Jarrett?"
Still Clay didn't answer. Mason looked up at the judge. "You are already in contempt of court. Do not make matters any worse. Answer Mr Mason's question."
She turned quickly toward Mason, her face contorted in anger. "All right, she is my half-sister. Are you satisfied, Mason?"
"Whose idea was it for you to claim to have rewritten Mr Perino's first novel?"
As much as she didn't want to answer, she didn't have any choice. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt her sister. She had been good to her. Yet, she knew she didn't have a choice. She hoped her sister would understand.
"I didn't claim to write his novel, I rewrote it. It was Deana's idea to blackmail him. Nick used her in high school. She taught him everything he knew, and when they got caught together, he just dumped her. He owes her."
"So the two of you decided to blackmail him. How were you able to do that when Leo Dobbs was his agent?"
"Leo hated Nick as much as we do."
"Objection, Your Honor! The witness can't possibly know what Leo Dobbs was thinking."
"The objection is sustained."
Mason was unphased by the objection or the judge's ruling. He continued his questioning. "Just tell the court how Leo Dobbs became involved."
"I went to him with the idea of him convincing Nick that I rewrote the book. Once he did that, it was easy to force him to pay monthly."
"On my advice, he told you he wasn't paying you any more money, isn't that right?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"Were you upset by that?"
"You bet I was! Deana should have received half of everything he made. If it wasn't for her, he never would have been able to become a writer. She is the one responsible for his novels."
"She didn't write his novels, Miss Clay. He did. You and your sister blackmailed him for 10 years making him believe that they were rewritten by you. You hate Nick Perino, don't you?"
"Objection!" shouted Burger. "Her feelings for the defendant are incompetent, irrelevant, and immaterial."
"On the contrary, Mr Burger," Mason argued, "the defense has the right to show that someone other than the defendant had the motive to kill Leo Dobbs. Furthermore, it goes to bias of the witness."
Judge Riley thought for a moment and then overruled the prosecutor's objection.
"You hate Nick Perino, do you not?"
"You're damn right I hate him. He ruined my sister's life. She has been working in a dentist office, for cripes sake. She's a far better writer than he'll ever be, yet no one will even give her a chance."
"Have you ever been to Leo Dobbs's house?" Mason asked.
"Many times. I know what you're getting at, Mason. I may not have an alibi for the night he was murdered, but nor can you prove that I was there that night," she said smugly.
"And you can't prove you weren't there," Mason said.
"Objection! It is the responsibility of the defense attorney to prove she was there, not the other way around." Hamilton Burger already knew what the ruling would be.
"Sustained."
Alicia Clay waited for the next onslaught of Mason's questions.
2
Paul Drake shifted his sports car into fourth gear as he raced to the edge of the city where Leo Dobbs was living at the time of his death. He wasn't actually going to Dobb's house. He wanted to speak with his next door neighbor, Bill Harrison.
If the nosy neighbor saw Perino go in Leo Dobbs's home, then possibly he saw someone else. Since no one asked him about it, Paul definitely was going to check on the possibility.
He simply wanted to do more to help Perry solve the case. Someone had to have gone into Dobbs's home after Nick Perino left. That of course depended on whether Perino was telling the truth, and Perry believed he was. Therefore, Paul had to go on the assumption that he was correct.
He pulled up in front of Dobbs's home. After parking his sports car, Paul got out and headed for the next door neighbor's house. As he walked up to the door, Bill Harrison was just pulling into the driveway. Then Paul remembered that he was a witness for Burger today. He figured he must just be returning from the courthouse.
"Can I help you?" Harrison asked him.
"My name is Paul Drake. I'm a private investigator for Perry Mason."
"Ah yes, the attorney who is defending the writer who killed Leo Dobbs."
"Mason doesn't believe he did it."
Harrison chuckled. "Do defense attorneys ever believe their client did the murder?"
"Actually, it might surprise you that many defense attorneys defend guilty clients whom they know are guilty. Mason will only plead those cases. He won't plead them not guilty when they are. Therefore, very few guilty people will call upon him as their attorney."
"But one could slip by him, couldn't he? After all, what's the best way to convince Mason you're innocent then insisting he handled the case. I think that is what has happened this time. Nick Perino is guilty. Mason's going to lose this one."
"Just what makes you so sure of that?" Drake asked.
"If anyone went into that house after Perino, I would have seen him. I didn't, so logic says Perino is the only one that went in that house."
Drake glanced over at the home. There weren't any windows on that side. "If you don't mind me asking, how could you possibly see anyone when there are no windows on that side of your house?"
"I don't mind you asking. It's simple. I look out the front window. I can still see the house next door with no trouble at all. My television is on the wall where there are no windows. I have a recliner across the room, and I can see out that front window. As you can see, Dobbs's house sets further out than mine, so it's closer to the street. It makes it easy for me to see the front of his house."
"And you saw no one go in that house after Nick Perino?"
"Sorry, Drake. Not a soul went in that house after Perino left."
Drake looked at both houses. Harrison was indeed right regarding Dobbs's house sitting forward of his and closer to the street. Then he studied Harrison's home. It had a huge picture window in the front of the house. Without going inside, it looked like he could possibly see the front of the house. Still, he wanted to make sure."
"Mr Harrison, I am not questioning what you saw, but I hope you understand that I have to verify it. Would it be possible to let me into your house so that I could look over from your picture window?"
Harrison smiled. "Of course, that is no problem at all. I understand you have to be positive. Follow me."
Harrison led him to the front door. He put the key in the lock and unlocked it. Opening it, he gestured for Drake to enter in front of him. The private detective did so.
They entered a rather large living room. Drake could tell that it was not decorated by a woman. The recliner was directly across from the television with both of them hugging the wall on that side. The couch was on the opposite side of the room. Most people would place the television in the middle of the wall rather than the far left side. He looked out the very large front picture window. There wasn't any doubt, William Harrison could see Leo Dobbs's front door from this window.
Drake took notice of the carpeting. It was a plush carpet. He walked over to the middle of the wall. There was an indentation in the carpeting. Glancing at the television, he was pretty sure that it had been placed in the middle of the room previously.
When Harrison noticed what he was looking at, he said, "That is where the television usually sits. However, I had the carpeting cleaned. The television was moved over to clean that section. It hasn't been moved back. Same with the recliner."
"Can you tell me the name of the cleaning company that cleaned the carpet?" Drake asked.
Harrison was beginning to show a bit of irritation with the detective. "No, I can't. That's because I cleaned it myself. I have one of those cleaning machines."
"Would you mind showing it to me?"
He gave Drake an incredulous look. "You must be kidding! Are you calling me a liar?"
"No, I'm not. I am simply asking you to show me the cleaning machine that you clean the carpet with. No offense, Mr Harrison, but the carpet doesn't look very clean."
"I'm not very good at it. I did the best I could. And no, I am not going to show you the carpet cleaning machine. This is getting ridiculous. I was more than happy to cooperate with you, but you are being just plain nasty. Besides, I'm a witness for the prosecution. You can't even ask me any questions."
"You have already testified for the prosecution. My questions could hardly be considered tampering with a witness. However, I have seen what I wanted to see. I want to thank you for your cooperation." Drake pulled a subpoena out of his pocket. Handing it to Harrison, he said, "Mr Mason would like you to be a witness for the defense."
"What? You can't do this. I already testified in court about what I saw."
"You testified for the prosecution. Now, Mr Mason would like you to testify for the defense."
"This is harassment! I am going to complain to the district attorney!"
"You are welcome to do so. However, it will not do any good. Mr Mason has the right to call you as a witness for the defense." Drake left him and headed for the front door. He turned back and looked at Harrison. "I will remind you, that is a subpoena. You cannot ignore it, and you do have to show up in court. Otherwise, Mr Mason will ask for a bench warrant for your arrest."
"I have no intention of ignoring the subpoena, Mr Drake. I can tell you with all certainty that Mr Mason is wasting his time. I know nothing other than what I already testified on the stand."
The detective smiled. "Don't underestimate Mr Mason's ability to bring things out of a witness on examination." Without giving Harrison time to respond, Drake opened the door and left. He really didn't believe that Harrison had anything to do with the murder, but like Perry always said, we leave no stone left unturned. He would check further into him to be sure.
3
Deana Jarrett sat in the courtroom listening to her sister's testimony. On each side of her was one of Paul Drake's operatives. They had been entrusted to make sure that she stayed in the courtroom. Both operatives knew that if she got the chance, she would once again disappear. They weren't about to allow that to happen as they knew what Drake's reaction would be.
When Mason took just a little bit too long to ask his next question, the judge said, "Mr Mason, continue your cross-examination."
Mason stood up. "Yes, Your Honor."
Perry Mason approached the witness. "While you were fleeing, Neil Leonard provided the proof we needed that the manuscript Nick Perino turned into the publishing company was indeed the original."
"I don't care what he provided. I rewrote the book, and that's all there is to it."
Mason walked over and picked up the manuscript given to him by Neil Leonard. He went back to Alicia Clay and set the manuscript down in front of her. Her face turned pale when she noticed the notary stamp and signature on the front of the manuscript. She never thought Nick was smart enough to have his copy of his book notarized. She realized she had now been caught in another lie. Alicia had to try and talk her way out of it.
"I have no idea what you're getting at, Mason."
"Isn't that the original manuscript of Mr Perino's first book?"
Mason had her now. He would think she would have backed off on her lies, but instead she only dug in and continued to lie. He walked back over and picked up the second manuscript. He returned to Alicia Clay and placed that one in front of her as well.
"Can you identify that manuscript?"
Oh God! The date on the manuscript that Leo turned in was dated after Nick Perino's copy. That could only mean one thing. The court would take Nick's copy as the original. She had to think fast!
"No, I cannot. How do I know if this is my rewrite?"
"Neil Leonard has already testified that no manuscript other than the one he was given by Nick Perino was received."
"I can't be held responsible for what Leo Dobbs did. All I know is I gave the manuscript that I rewrote to Leo." That would fix Mason! He couldn't prove otherwise.
"And you kept a copy of that manuscript, is that right?"
"Well, of course I did. I wanted to make sure that Nick didn't take credit for my work."
"And the copy that you gave to Mr Burger, is the copy of your rewrite?" Mason asked.
Damn him! He walked her right into another lie. "It is as far as I know. I gave my copy to Leo. He was to copy it and give me back mine. That is the one he gave me." There, she fixed it. He couldn't prove that it didn't happen.
"Miss Clay, the copy you gave Mr Burger was given to Neil Leonard at the publishing company. He had that copy compared to the manuscript that Mr Perino turned in. Do you know what the result of that scrutiny was?"
"Now just how am I supposed to know that?"
"You would know, if you had been in the courtroom instead of fleeing."
"Objection!" Hamilton Burger called out.
"On what grounds, Mr Burger?" the judge demanded.
"I object to the use of the word fleeing."
"Oh really?" Judge Riley said sarcastically. "She didn't show up in this courtroom when she was supposed to, and she ran away from the police when she spotted them. What would you call that if you don't consider it fleeing? Your objection is overruled. Continue, Mr Mason."
"Since you weren't in the courtroom, I will enlighten you," Mason told her. "The result was that both manuscripts were exactly the same. Furthermore, when compared to the book, it was printed exactly as Mr Perino's notarized copy. The truth of the matter is you never rewrote his novel. You conspired with Deana Jarrett and Leo Dobbs to convince Mr Perino that you had rewritten the novel and it was published as your rewrite. Isn't that a correct summation, Miss Clay?"
She sat there without answering his question. The more questions he asked, the deeper she got into trouble. She wasn't answering any more questions from Mason. The son of a bitch put her in a terrible position. "I am not answering any more questions. I want a lawyer."
"I don't have any more questions for you, Miss Clay, and you're going to need a lawyer." Mason turned around and went back to the defense table.
"Mr Burger, do you have any questions for this witness?" Judge Riley asked.
"No, Your Honor."
"The witness is excused. Bailiff, take Miss Clay into custody. Mr Burger, I suggest you charge this witness with perjury."
"Yes, Your Honor," Burger responded. "We have every intention of it."
"Mr Mason, call your next witness," Judge Riley ordered.
"The defense calls Deana Jarrett to the stand."
Jarrett walked to the front of the room and passed the gate. Her demeanor struck Mason as defiant. Then again, that is exactly what he was expecting. He waited for her to be sworn in, and then walked to the stand.
"Miss Jarrett, you are familiar with the defendant, are you not?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
Immediately, Judge Riley warned the witness. "Miss Jarrett, you will answer Mr Mason's questions and do so respectfully. I will not tolerate sarcasm or disrespectful answers. Do I make myself clear?"
Her attitude had not toned down one bit. "Yes, you've made it clear." The judge noted her tone.
"You knew him when he was a high school student, is that correct?"
"Yes, I knew him. He was in my creative writing class."
"Then you were a teacher at the school he attended?"
"That's right."
"Did you consider him to have creative writing talent?"
"He had some."
"Some? Didn't you spend a lot of time with him cultivating that talent?" Mason asked.
"I wouldn't say a lot of time."
"Really? Didn't he spend time at your house as well as in your classroom at the end of the day?"
Jarrett squirmed in her seat. She had a feeling she knew where Mason was headed with these questions. "I tried to help him. Whether it be after school or at my home when it was inconvenient to do it at school."
"Why would it be inconvenient to do it after school? There really wasn't any reason to do it in your home, now was there?"
She could feel her anger rising. Mason was going to smear her in front of an entire courtroom. Considering his notoriety, it would also hit the papers. She would go through that humiliation all over again.
"The school is not open on the weekend, Mr Mason. I worked with Nick on the weekends as well."
"In your home?"
"I already said that, yes, in my home." She tried to control her tone of voice. Deana couldn't afford to lose her composure.
"Isn't it true that you began a sexual relationship with Mr Perino while he was a student in high school?"
Hamilton Burger shot out of his chair. "Objection! Mr Mason is attempting to smear his own witness. May I remind him that Miss Jarrett is not the one on trial here."
"Mr Burger, I believe what Mr Mason is trying to get at is showing the bias of the witness. Your objection is overruled."
"Miss Jarrett?" Mason asked again.
She turned to the judge. "Do I have to answer that question?"
"Yes, you do," was all the judge said.
She looked at Mason with disdain. She couldn't believe he brought this up in court. Unfortunately, she would have to answer whether she wanted to or not. "Yes."
"Isn't it also true that when the two of you were caught kissing in the classroom, the school board terminated your employment?"
"Yes," she snapped at the lawyer.
"And didn't Mr Perino end the relationship shortly after that?"
"He did."
"Furthermore, since Mr Perino became a successful writer, you felt betrayed, didn't you?"
"All right, I admit it. He took advantage of me and then walked away. I taught him everything
he knows about creative writing. I was left with nothing and he went on to make millions. He destroyed my life. Is that what you want to hear, Mason?"
"So, you would like to see Mr Perino's life destroyed, wouldn't you?" Mason raised his voice to a near thunder."
Mason had gotten under her skin and she knew it. The problem was she no longer cared. Nick destroyed her life and she would like nothing more than to pay him back. "You bet I would like to see his life destroyed! Then he would have some idea of what I have gone through over the years, taking a huge pay cut and working in a dentist office. Now, I don't even have that job. I hope he's convicted of murder! I don't care whether he did it or not!"
Burger shook his head. He didn't understand why Mason called her to the stand and then totally destroyed her. It made no sense.
Mason walked back over to the defense table. As he did, he saw Paul Drake enter the courtroom with a large manila envelope in his hand. Turning to the judge, Mason requested a moment to confer with Drake. His request was granted.
"Perry, I have been doing a lot of checking on a couple of people. I think we have hit pay dirt!"
Mason checked the contents and smiled. "Paul, I think you're right."
"Mr Mason, your moment is up," the judge said.
Mason walked back to his witness. "Miss Jarrett, did you and Leo Dobbs enter into an agreement?"
"No, we did not."
The lawyer walked back to the defense table. He picked up a contract that was contained in the envelope that Drake had given him. He turned and headed back to the witness stand. Setting the contract down in front of Jarrett, Mason stood there and stared at her.
She looked down and saw what Mason had just placed in front of her. She couldn't believe it. How could he possibly get his hands on that contract? She said nothing.
"Tell the court what that is," Mason demanded.
"It's a contract."
"A contract between you and Leo Dobbs, isn't that right?"
In a voice that was barely above a whisper, she said, "You had no right."
"The court order gave me the right, Miss Jarrett. You admitted that you wanted to see Nick Perino destroyed. Tell the court what that contract says, Mason insisted.
"I will not. You had no right."
Before Mason could appeal to the bench, Judge Riley glared down at the witness. "You will answer Mr Mason's question, or you will be held in contempt of court."
Without looking at the lawyer, she said, "It's a contract between Leo Dobbs and myself." Damn Mason! She never thought he would ever get his hands on that contract.
"Tell the court what that contract says."
Tears appeared in her eyes. "I was to write five novels, and Leo was to pay me for those novels. He would then get them published. If they sold, he would drop Nick as a client."
"When was the contract signed?" Mason then asked.
"It was signed at the time he became Nick's agent."
"But not all your books were ever published, were they?"
"When Nick's first novel sold, Leo had three of my novels published, but refused to promote them. He told me he wasn't going to drop Nick as a client. He said he had a potential of making a lot of money off of him."
"Did he return the manuscripts of those novels to you?"
"No, he did not. He said he destroyed them."
"But you had a copy of the manuscripts, didn't you?"
"No, I trusted Leo. I didn't know at the time that he was a crook."
"Did Leo Dobbs know that you were the half-sister of Alicia Clay?" Mason asked.
"No, he had no idea."
"Did he have any idea that you were splitting the blackmail money with Alicia Clay?"
"I don't know how, but he did find out. All of the money was supposed to go to Alicia."
"What was his reaction?" Mason asked.
"He was upset. He said if she could afford to give half the money away, then he was paying her too much."
"But the money was going directly to her from Mr Perino," Mason said.
"Leo threatened to go to Nick and tell him he found out we were blackmailing him and that he had no reason to pay us because the manuscript was never changed."
"So you would have lost all of the money he was paying you."
"Yes," she said meekly.
"Did he tell Mr Perino?"
"Objection! There is no way the witness could know that," Burger said.
"Sustained."
Mason walked around to the other side of the witness stand. Placing his hands on it, he stared at his witness. "You have been struggling to make ends meet, haven't you?"
"Objection, incompetent, irrelevant, and immaterial," Burger called out.
"Mr Burger, I believe I know where Mr Mason is going with this. Your objection is overruled," Riley ruled.
"Miss Jarrett?" Mason said loudly, startling the witness.
"Alright, I have. He cut both Alicia and I off."
"He also said he would no longer be your agent, didn't he?"
"Your Honor, I have been patient, but Mr Mason is leading this witness," Hamilton Burger complained.
Before the judge could make a ruling, Mason smiled and said, "I will rephrase my question." He nodded at Hamilton. "Did Mr Dobbs tell you he would no longer be your agent?"
"Agent?" Deana Jarrett acted as if she didn't have any idea what Mason was suggesting.
"Were you not writing for him under the pen name of Danielle Murphy?"
With the shocked look on her face, if it wasn't required in the courtroom, she wouldn't have even needed to answer Mason. "I don't understand, how did you find that out? He promised he would never allow it to be known that Danielle Murphy was the name I was using."
Mason walked back to the defense table. Della handed him a contract. He pretended to flip through the pages despite the fact that he knew exactly which section he was looking for. Taking his time, he strolled back to the witness.
"Miss Jarrett, this is a copy of Nick Perino's contract with the publishing company." Setting down the contract in front of her and opening it to the desired page, Mason continued. "Please tell the court what section 3.5 says."
She read it in disbelief. "It stipulates the only way Nick would sign with the publisher would be that they agreed to publish novels written by an author under the pen name of Danielle Murphy, AKA Deana Jarrett."
"You weren't aware of that were you?"
She continued to stare at the section in the contract. She finally looked up at Mason and said, "I had no idea."
"I can recall Neil Leonard to tell you why. However, if the district attorney would allow me to tell the court, we can save some time."
This was a revelation that Hamilton Burger was unaware of. He was just as curious as Mason must have been when he read the contract. "I have no objection, Your Honor."
"Since there is no objection, Mr Mason, you may go ahead," Judge Riley ordered.
"Mr Perino felt bad about the way he treated you after you were terminated at the high school for your involvement with him. He knew all along that you wanted to be a writer yourself. So, he told Leo Dobbs and Mr Leonard that he would only sign on if you were allowed to publish novels with the publishing company as well."
"You mean he knew all along that I was writing as Danielle Murphy?"
"Yes, Miss Jarrett, he did. However, he didn't tell me that. He kept it to himself in order to protect you."
She looked over at Nick Perino sitting at the defense table. "Oh my God, I am so sorry, Nick. I had no idea. I thought you just took advantage of me and didn't care what happened to me." She burst out in tears.
Mason gave her a moment. He hoped this revelation would then lead to the resolution of the case. Then he asked the question he knew the answer to. "Did you kill Leo Dobbs?"
"No, I didn't, and neither did Alicia. I admit we both went to Leo's house to really have it out with him. We were going to let him know that we would tell Nick what he had been up to, but we never got into the house."
"Why not?"
"Because when we arrived, his next door neighbor was just going into the house."
Mason smiled, "I have no further questions for this witness."
"Mr Burger?"
Burger stood up. "I have no questions, Your Honor."
After Deana Jarrett left the stand, Mason called out, "The defense calls William Harrison to the stand."
Harrison walked to the front of the room, past the gates and took his place on the witness stand.
"I remind you, Mr Harrison, you are still under oath," Judge Riley told him.
Mason approached the witness. "Mr Harrison, you heard what Deana Jarrett said. "Did you go into the home of Leo Dobbs at the time of the murder?"
"Of course not. I already testified that I saw the defendant go into the house."
"One question that was not asked before that I would like an answer to is — Did you see the defendant come out of the house?"
"Yes, I did."
"How long was that after he went in?"
"Just a matter of a few minutes. I would think no more than 5 minutes."
"Did you see Leo Dobbs open the door?"
"Well, I can't say that I did."
"Then how do you know the defendant went in?"
"Because he didn't come back for several minutes. Nobody stands at somebody's door that long if they're not home."
"Let's assume that you're telling the truth."
"Objection!"
"Sustained."
"When he left, did you see him drop something?"
"No, I can't say that I did."
"You didn't go over and investigate what he dropped?"
"Why would I go over to see a dropped item that I never saw dropped to begin with?"
"Oh, I believe you did."
Mason walked back to the defense table. Della handed him the papers Paul Drake had given him earlier. Mason then headed directly back to the witness stand. He handed some of the papers to Harrison.
"Tell the court what that is."
Harrison's jaw tightened when he saw what Mason had given him. "It's a copy of my bank account."
"There is a withdrawal of $300,000. Do you see that?"
Bill Harrison was quiet for a moment before answering. "Yes, I see it."
"Where did those funds go?"
Burger was on his feet. "Your Honor, I must object to this entire line of questioning. I don't see where Mr Harrison's financial records have any bearing on this case."
Before the judge could rule, Mason spoke up. "If the district attorney will be patient, all of this will explain why Mr Harrison's financial records are definitely germane to this case."
"I will allow this line of questioning with Mr Mason's assurance that he will tie it into the case. Continue, Mr Mason."
"Where did those funds go?" Mason asked again.
Harrison squirmed in his seat. "You're talking about 8 years ago. I don't remember."
"Come now, no one spends $300,000 without knowing where it went. Tell the court what you did with the money."
Harrison remained quiet.
Rather than ask the judge to force him to answer, Mason walked back to the defense table and took more papers from Della Street. He returned to the witness and handed Harrison those papers. "What you now have in your hands is a copy of Leo Dobbs's banking records from 8 years ago. I point out line 9 to you. It is a deposit for $300,000. That money came from you, didn't it?"
Still Harrison said nothing.
"Mr Harrison, I can call the bank manager who provided my private detective with this information with a court order. He will state, unequivocally, that those funds were transferred from your account to Leo Dobbs's account. Now tell the court why you transferred that money to Dobbs."
Harrison knew Mason had figured it all out. There wasn't any reason to deny it anymore. "After two of Nick Perino's novels were published and successful, I showed him a manuscript of a book that I had written. He took it and read it. He came back to me very excited and told me that it was worth publishing. Unfortunately, he said he wouldn't be able to help me because I was an unknown and did not have the money to put up front in case the novel was not successful. He asked me if I had any money in the bank to back it up. I told him I did. I told him I had $300,000 in the bank. Leo said that that was about what it would cost to get it published and to set up a book tour."
"So, you gave him the money to do it, is that correct?"
"Yes, I did."
"Did he publish your book?"
"Obviously not."
"Was your money refunded?"
"No. He refused to give me back my money."
"Why didn't you take him to court?"
"With what, Mr Mason? He took every dime I had."
Mason handed him a copy of the newspaper. "What is on the page of this newspaper?"
"The foreclosures in the city."
"Line 83, whose address is listed there?"
"Mine."
"So the bank is foreclosing on your house?
"Yes," he said quietly.
"You really didn't see Nick Perino enter Leo Dobbs's house, did you?" Mason said, his tone of voice considerably softer.
"No."
"Tell the court what really happened?"
"I think you already know, Mr Mason."
"Didn't you see Mr Perino walk away from the house?"
"Yes."
"And didn't you see him drop something?"
"Yes."
"Did you go out to see what it was?"
"Yes, I did. It was a gun."
"Was that gun loaded?"
"Yes."
"Fully loaded?"
"Yes. It had not been fired, if that's what you're asking?"
"You picked it up, didn't you?"
"I did. I decided to have it out with Leo. I didn't intend to use the gun, only threaten him with it. I went up to the house and rang the doorbell. Leo opened it and let me in. He didn't see that I was carrying a gun. We went into his study. I told him I wanted my money back. He just laughed at me. He said I was an idiot for giving him the money without a contract. He said he already had a story made up in case I tried to take him to court in any way. He told me that the money was his and he was not giving it back."
"What did you do then?"
Harrison hung his head. "I showed him the gun and told him I would kill him if he didn't give me my money back. I told him to pick up the phone and transfer my money back to my account.
"He kept telling me to calm down. He walked over to the phone and picked up the receiver. Instead of dialing the bank's number, he used the receiver and swung it at my hand. The gun went off. He was shot. He fell to the floor. When I checked him, he was dead. I panicked. I ran out of the house, wiped my fingerprints off of the handle of the gun, and dropped it where I found it."
Hamilton Burger slowly stood up as he watched Perry Mason destroy another of his cases. Despite knowing he had just lost to him again, Burger never wanted to send an innocent person to prison, or worse - their death. "Your honor, due to this witness's testimony, I motion that all charges be dropped against the defendant."
"The defense certainly concurs," Mason said.
"Motion granted. The defendant is released from custody. Bailiff, take Mr Harrison into custody. Court is adjourned."
Nick Perino stood up and faced his attorney. "I don't know how I can ever thank you, Mr Mason. You have given me back my life. Send me a bill and it will be paid promptly. Furthermore, you and your secretary have just gotten lifetime copies of every book that I write."
Mason laughed. "This trial should give you an idea about your next book."
Perino smiled. "Actually, it is giving me an idea about writing a series of books about an attorney. I am hoping that you will be my legal advisor."
"I would love to," Mason told him. "Nick, you didn't make this easy for me. You are not forthcoming with information. You told me there wasn't any formal contract, only a handwritten one. Nor did you tell me of the manner in which you protected Deana Jarrett."
"I'm sorry, Mr Mason. You are absolutely right. I wasn't completely honest with you. I wasn't honest with you either when I said I didn't threaten to kill Alicia Clay to her face. I was afraid you might not continue to believe that I was innocent. I know, I know. My only excuse is that I have been really scared that I would be convicted of a murder I did not commit."
"I hope this is a lesson to you. Never lie to your attorney or your doctor. It can end up fatal if you do. You got lucky this time. If it wasn't for the excellent work of my private detective, and my ability to put it all together, you could very well have been convicted of murder."
"Yes, sir. I realize that now."
Deana Jarrett approached them. "Nick, can I have a word with you." As Mason and Della Street turned to give them privacy, Jarrett placed her hand on the attorney's arm. "Please stay, Mr Mason."
"Nick, I really don't know what to say to you other than I am so sorry for the past 10 years for what I did. I will see to it that you're paid back every penny that Alicia and I took from you over that period of time. I don't know how I'll do it because I know I am going to have to serve time for blackmail, but I promise you when I get out, I will make sure that you get every penny back."
"Oh Deana! With all the time you spent with me, you really don't know me. I don't want the money back. I gladly paid you that money. The one thing I didn't tell Mr Mason was that I suspected that Alicia didn't rewrite my books at all. I have never read a single one of my books after they've been published. Why would I? I wrote them. I suppose I could have checked to see if they were published as I had written them, but I really didn't care. Believe me, I understand that I owed you a lot for everything you taught me.
"I felt terrible about the way I treated you after you were fired from your job. It was my fault. I should have not allowed any kind of relationship between us except a business one. When I found out that you were writing under the name of Danielle Murphy, I insisted that Leo help you. That's why it was put in the contract. I didn't know that he refused to promote the books or set up book signings. How could I? I trusted Leo as did you. He just said your books weren't selling. I did what I did to try to make up for the way things ended. My only excuse is I was young and didn't know how to handle it."
"I wish I had known. A lot of things could have been different. Anyway, when I get out of prison, I will make sure you get your money back."
Perino smiled. "You're not going to prison. I am not going to press charges. I will do nothing further to hurt you in any way. In fact, I will talk to Neil Leonard and my new agent to see if we can't get your books published the right way."
Deana Jarrett began to cry. "I really don't deserve this, but thank you anyway."
"Hey, maybe we can even collaborate on a book," Nick said.
"I'd like that, Nick."
"I'll be in touch."
She stepped forward and gave Perino a hug before leaving him with Mason and Street.
Della couldn't help but smile. She had tears in her eyes. "After all she did to you, you still could show her compassion."
"She deserved it, Miss Street. I really was responsible for destroying her life. Now, I want to rebuild it for her."
Della gave him a kiss on the cheek, and Nick shook Mason's hand before leaving the courtroom.
Paul Drake walked over to them. "Can you believe that?"
"Yes, Paul, I can. It makes you believe there's still hope for this world. Anyway, I'm hungry."
"So am I. Where are we having dinner?"
"We aren't. Della and I are going back to my apartment to cook a couple of steaks, baked potatoes, and corn. We're going to open a bottle of champagne and celebrate. Then we are going to spend a romantic evening together. Sorry, Paul, but tonight three's a crowd."
Drake laughed. "All right, if you insist, I will go eat by myself, but it's going to be on your bill." Drake turned and left the courtroom with a smile on his face.
"Well, Mr Mason, you just promised me a steak dinner and a romantic evening."
"I did, didn't I?"
"Before we start that romantic evening, I have a question for you."
"Shoot."
"You served subpoenas on Roy Foster and Manuel Sanchez, but you never called them to the stand. Why not?"
"I fully intended to. It would have shown there were two more people who had the motive to kill Leo Dobbs. But when Paul brought in that envelope with the material on William Harrison, it all fell into place. I suspected Dobbs swindled Harrison out of the money promising him that he would get his books published. Dobbs was a despicable character who took advantage of everybody he dealt with. Harrison admitted that he saw Nick come from Dobbs's house. If that were true, then he could also have seen him drop that gun. $300,000 is a lot of money to someone like William Harrison. Although, I don't think he intended to kill Dobbs, he did take the gun there to threaten him. I doubt Burger will charge him with first degree murder. It more than likely will be second degree murder, or manslaughter. It is too bad he didn't consult an attorney when it happened. He could have saved himself a prison term. Now, enough of this case. I'm in the mood for steak and romance."
"Then steak and romance you will get!" The two of them gathered up his papers, stuffed them in his briefcase, and left the courtroom.
The End
Sorry for the long delay. Unfortunately, real life keeps getting in the way of fanfiction life. Once again, I remind everybody that the Perry Mason characters are the creation of Erle Stanley Gardner. All other characters were created in my mind to tell this story. I have no legal training, so please accept this fan fiction for what it is intended, pure entertainment for Perry Mason fans.
Thank you to my readers and supporters. Without you, this would be a lot less fun.
Kathleen
Kaleen1212