Part 7.3 – A Crying Shame
True to his word, Tragg released Paul Drake immediately after being presented with the signed writ typed by Margo as Perry dictated. Once liberated, Paul accompanied Perry back to the Brent Building, where they spent nearly two hours searching through boxes in the storage room for documents from that time. It was Paul who finally unearthed the slightly crushed, purposely unlabeled box, and both men heaved sighs of relief. Perry immediately went to his office and made an appointment with a senior family law judge, and another appointment with a family law attorney named Suzette Norris he and Della had met at a bar association function and become friendly with.
He also called the house in Carmel, but was disappointed that Della was napping, even though he realized she must be tired from all the activity the night before. He still couldn't believe she had seduced him like that just three days out of the hospital, but once she made up her mind about something, she was not easily deterred. And Lord knew he wanted her, had missed her softness and their often heart-stopping intimacy. Her illness had frightened him like nothing ever had, and he knew that fright, along with the new knowledge of Gregg Martin and the presence of her family, caused him to treat her differently. Della didn't like it, didn't like that he wouldn't talk about it, and especially didn't like that he was hesitant to touch her, so had taken matters into her capable hands, as it were. After extracting a promise from Alice that she would tell Della he called and that he would call later, he hung up the phone and laid his head down on his desk. Facing dinner and a night alone in his apartment didn't appeal to him, but neither did going out to dinner with Paul and Linda, or any of his other friends and colleagues, not when he had so much to do and to think about.
He called the Balfour estate four times and was stalled by the housekeeper from speaking with 'Master Theodore' each time. By the fifth call 'Master Theodore' consented to speak with him only long enough to agree to a meeting at the estate the next morning. Perry hung up satisfied with the appointment and that he had an excuse to dine and retire early, in case Paul tried to talk him into going out to dinner or someone else got wind that he was back in town and insisted that he couldn't be alone. Because he certainly could be, and he preferred to be.
The next morning he rang the doorbell of the stately Balfour house and stood on the porch for six minutes until the door was finally opened. The tight-lipped, uniformed housekeeper who answered the door eyed him suspiciously as she showed him to the library and wordlessly indicated a chair in which he should sit. She then turned and exited the room still without uttering a single word. After what seemed an inordinate amount of time to keep an appointment waiting, the door opened and not young Balfour, but his father, walked into the room. It had been nearly twelve years since Perry had seen Edgar Balfour and was quick to note the completely grey hair and heavy reliance on a cane. For a man not much older than himself, the elder Mr. Balfour had not aged well. The men exchanged a perfunctory greeting, then the lawyer stated the reason for his visit.
Edgar Balfour stood rigidly in the middle of the floor, both hands grasping the cane. "I know why you're here, Mr. Mason," the older gentleman remarked snidely. "It won't do any good, however. My son's mind is made up, and he is very a very determined young man. He wants access to his child that you denied him, and nothing will stand in his way of getting what he wants."
Perry merely smiled, and spoke quietly but firmly. "Mr. Balfour, I've already conferred with a family law judge and an attorney who specializes in private adoptions, and a meeting has been set for tomorrow morning at ten o'clock in my office. If your son is so determined to see his daughter, I highly recommend that he attend. He's welcome to retain his own counsel, and I will be forthcoming with any and all documentation pertaining to the case. And Mr. Balfour, nothing will stand in my way of guaranteeing that your son doesn't get what he wants, but it will be handled in a peaceful, civilized manner." He reached into his suit coat and produced two summons – one for Theodore Edgar Balfour and another for Edgar Robinson Balfour. "If you do not care to proceed as I have stated, I would advise you and your son not to ignore the summons, Mr. Balfour, because it specifically deals with the disappearance of certain legal and properly filed adoption papers. Papers that Paul Drake and I had the foresight to have prepared in triplicate, papers which are now in the hands of Judge Samuel Walker, who just so happens to be the person who advised me on how to handle the situation twelve years ago. It's your choice, Mr. Balfour, a civilized meeting in my office with all the involved parties or a more formal hearing in Judge Walker's courtroom."
At that moment the door was flung open, and Ted Balfour stalked into the library. He looked first at his father, then at Perry Mason. "I have no objections to a private meeting in your office, Mr. Mason," he said with a smooth, even voice that belied the coldness in his grey eyes. "I will be there." He tossed a withering look at his father and abruptly turned on his heel, exiting the library with an undignified bang of the heavy door.
On the drive back to his office, Perry went over the short but telling meeting at the Balfour home. Nothing seemed to have changed. Edgar Balfour obviously still ruled with the clichéd iron fist, and he was undoubtedly the engine driving his son's sudden desire to see his daughter. Perry laughed to himself. Ted Balfour had no desire to see his daughter. It was Edgar Balfour who wanted to see her.
Immediately upon entering his office he called Julie Williams, who had recently retired from playing violin professionally and was now married, the mother of twins, and living in Seattle with her conductor husband. Julie was saddened by the trouble being stirred up about the daughter she freely, gladly gave to the Becker's to love and raise because at sixteen she couldn't have given her the life she deserved. She agreed to do anything she could to support what had transpired with the Beckers so that they and Barbara Ann could be spared as much hurt as possible.
He then called Marv and Judy Becker and agreed to drive to Temecula to meet with them in their home while Barbara was in school. The couple greeted him warmly and with genuine pleasure, despite the circumstances of his visit. He spent as pleasant an afternoon as possible with them, going over every angle, every possibility of what might come of the meeting the next morning. At four o'clock the back door banged and Barbara herself clattered into the house, her on-the-brink of teenager voice vibrant and cheerful as she called out to her mother that she was home and where the heck was her after school snack? Her parents introduced her to Perry, and he was instantly charmed by her pleasant and sociable manner. She would grow up to be beautiful like Julie Williams, with laughing blue eyes and enviable golden hair framing her heart-shaped face. Perry could see she was a happy, secure child that had been raised in a loving, giving home and the thought of Edgar Balfour forcing his son to turn this family's life upside down and bring them nothing but confusion, turmoil, and heartache angered him.
The Becker's had vehemently opposed any contact between Barbara and her birth father, but Perry argued gently that cooperating would not only be in their best interest, but more importantly, their daughter's. Marv and Judy finally agreed that Barbara was mature and stable enough to deal with the situation head-on and would be at the meeting with her in tow. They were still understandably jittery about exposing their daughter to her biological father, but they realized that this could be the only way to keep what transpired all those years ago under wraps.
After declining the Becker's invitation to stay for dinner, Perry drove back to L.A. and his empty apartment. He had entertained the thought of spending the night at Della's homier apartment, but decided it would just make him even lonelier for her. After taking off his suit coat, loosening his tie and kicking off his shoes, he poured a rather large amount of bourbon in a tumbler, added two ice cubes, and settled into the leather easy chair next to the phone table. Alice picked up the phone at the house in Carmel on the second ring and hollered loudly for Della to come to the phone. He smiled to himself. Had to love those Street women.
"Hello, darling." Her voice came over the wire, music to his ears, slightly congested but still shiveringly throaty and familiar. "How goes the fight today?" Last night he had filled her in on the high points of the case, told her about Tragg's concern for her, about how Ted Balfour was suddenly concerned about exercising his parental rights.
"I wish you were here," he said quietly. "I need you. I tried to meet with Ted Balfour today and wound up getting an earful from his father. I think it's the old man who wants contact with the baby. Only she's not a baby. She's a lovely, happy young lady now."
"I wish I was there, too, honey," she replied sympathetically. She knew he needed her, especially at times like this when the situation meandered outside his ken. He would want to pace, using her as a sounding board, or to simply sit with her in his arms as his sharp mind silently mulled over jumbled facts.
"What did you do today? Did you eat all your lunch and take your nap?"
She laughed, and it sounded so much better than just a day ago. "Are you kidding? I've been a meek and obedient patient. Aunt Mae heard us."
"What?" He felt his face flush, even though he was completely alone.
"Mom and Aunt Mae came home while we were…ah, during…well, let's just say Aunt Mae is holding our little romp over my head to keep me quiet while Mom plays the role of the hovering nurse. I'm suffocating, Mae is busting with laughter, and Mom is in her glory. She tried to wash my hair today in the bathtub. I can't stand it."
"I wash your hair all the time in the tub," he pointed out, purposely obtuse. "You seem to enjoy it."
"For an intelligent man, Perry Mason, you are exceptionally dense. My mother hasn't washed my hair since I was eight. You can't even imagine how embarrassed I was."
Perry laughed. "You don't really think she would have let me wash your hair."
"You are still missing the point. I don't need anyone to wash my hair. I'm a grown woman. I can drive. I have a key to my apartment. I let you wash my hair for grown up, purely hedonistic reasons."
He was grinning into the phone now. "Do you think Mae will rat us out to your mother?"
Della sighed. "She's having entirely too much fun torturing me with what she heard and watching me squirm while Mom treats me like a baby. Beware of her when you come back."
"I'm duly forewarned. If Mae heard us, why didn't your mother?"
"Because Aunt Mae insisted they go back into town for the ice cream sundae she absolutely had to have."
"Remind me to bring Mae a present," he said solemnly. "What kind of ice cream does she like?"
"Don't reward her for what she's doing! She'll hold this over our heads the rest of our lives."
"Would you rather endure having your mother oblivious and happily trying to wash your hair or to give you silent, reproving looks every waking moment?"
"Neither option thrills me. Please come home tomorrow."
"I'll do my darndest, baby" he promised. "I hope Ted Balfour will see Barbara Becker and realize what his father is telling him to do isn't in her best interest."
"If anyone can convince him, it's you, darling. How is Paul?"
"Concerned but confident. Finding our copies of the documents went a long way toward setting his mind at ease. Tragg has tabled the threat of revoking his license for the time being, and I think by tomorrow afternoon I'll have that completely quashed, as well as any disbarment proceedings Hamilton Burger may be contemplating."
"All of this because you did a good thing for Paul's cousin," she commented sadly.
She would never know how much he appreciated her, how much her belief in him kept him afloat when all he wanted to do was sink. There were no words that properly conveyed it. "I love you," he said quietly.
"I love you, too, darling. Call me as soon as you can tomorrow."
"I will. Try to keep on Mae's good side."
He slipped the receiver back onto the cradle before she could retort.
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The Beckers arrived twenty minutes early for the meeting, nervous and pale, their faces showing evidence of a sleepless night. Barbara was subdued, dressed in her best dress, her hair brushed within an inch of its shiny life, clutching a patent leather purse that matched kitten-heeled Mary Jane's. Perry and her parents had tried their best to prepare her for what most likely would happen, and she had taken it all in with big-eyed solemnity.
Perry, Paul Drake and the Beckers waited in his office while Gertie entertained Barbara in the law library, the connecting door to Della's office left open, as well as the door from Della's office to the reception area so they could hear when Ted Balfour arrived. Perry heard the outer door close, he jumped to his feet, cutting off Marv Becker in mid-sentence, and hurried through Della's office to the reception area. He was surprised to find Ted Balfour completely alone, a bit sullen, and demanding to see Barbara immediately. Perry ushered him into his private office, crossed to the law library door and motioned for Gertie to bring Barbara out.
After a few moments of middling pleasantries, the girl, serious and unassuming, regarded the man who was her biological father with frank curiosity. Ted Balfour was clearly taken aback by her, and Perry surmised he had possibly expected a younger child, or a child not so poised and well-mannered. His father would have told him any number of untruths to coerce him into pursuing his parental rights, even though he had been eighteen and of age when he'd signed away all rights to the child of Julie Williams.
Following a short, quiet conversation with Barbara, Ted turned to her parents and studied them. Gertie tactfully withdrew from the room with Barbara, who obviously wished to stay, but obediently followed the receptionist. When the door closed behind them, Theodore Balfour sat down almost weakly in the overstuffed leather client's chair.
"I'm sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Becker," he said in a voice that quavered slightly. "I'm sorry to have put you through this. I should have called Mr. Mason last night and cancelled, but after everything my father said, I felt I needed to see my…your daughter just once." He looked up at Perry Mason. "I suspect you figured out it was my father who engineered this travesty. He bribed a records clerk to steal the sealed adoption papers and had several bogus documents produced that would substantiate a story that I never gave up my rights to my daughter. He's a difficult man, my father. I'm his only son and my only child is Barbara. I will never have more children, and my father desperately wants an heir, any heir. You see, I'm terminally ill, and my father will have no heir. He sees that as a great failure in my life and insisted that by taking Barbara from you I would honor him and my life wouldn't have been wasted." He tried to smile, but it emerged as more of a grimace.
"Mr. Balfour…" Mrs. Becker began, but Theodore Balfour waved away whatever words of sympathy she might utter.
"Don't say you're sorry, Mrs. Becker. It's a sad fact of life that some people don't live to an old age, and although I have a fortune at my disposal, there is no treatment that will save me. I want to leave that fortune to research, but my father is dead set against it." He managed a smile at his own choice of words. "He wants the money to stay in the family, the great Balfour family. The only problem is, the great Balfour family has dwindled to just me and my father through a series of marriages that thinned the bloodline and resulted in a succession of weak and unhealthy children. My father has lived longer than his brothers and cousins, and at my relatively young age I've already outlived the few cousins I had. Barbara was my father's last hope."
He stood and faced the Beckers. "I'm going to tell my father it is my dying wish that he stay as far away from you and your daughter as possible. I will leave my money to research as I planned, and if he truly wants the Balfour name to mean anything, he'll do the same. I'm sorry if this has caused you or Barbara emotional pain or anxiety, but…"
"But in light of the facts," Marv Becker continued for him, "you did what you had to do."
Theodore Balfour nodded. "She's a lovely girl. It's obvious she's happy and loved and I couldn't be more pleased that Mr. Mason and Mr. Drake chose you to raise my child. It is my greatest accomplishment in life to have loved Julie Williams and been able to give you what you so dearly wanted." With that, Theodore Balfour bowed slightly and walked from the office, his back straight, his gait steady.
After the outer closed behind him, Judy Becker burst into tears.
Perry Mason very nearly did the same thing.