The Case of the Caretaker's Cat by Erle Stanley Gardner Read Free Book Online Page B

either yesterday or today, or both."
    "How do they know what a man takes out?"
    "Ordinarily they don't, but one of the clerks saw Ashton stuffing currency into a satchel."
    Perry Mason laughed. "In most cases," he said, "we can't find out any facts at all until after we've gone through a lot of preliminary work. In this case they pour into our laps."
    "Did your client tell you about the Koltsdorf diamonds?" Drake wanted to know.
    "Gosh," Mason remarked, "I feel like the interlocutor at a minstrel show. No, Mr. Drake, Mr. Ashton did not tell me about the Koltsdorf diamonds. What about the Koltsdorf diamonds?… Now, Paul, that's your cue to tell me about the Koltsdorf diamonds."
    The detective chuckled. "The Koltsdorf diamonds are about the only jewels Peter Laxter ever fell for. Lord knows how he came by them. They were some of the stones smuggled out of Russia by the old aristocracy. Peter Laxter showed them to a few friends. They were large, brilliant diamonds."
    "What about them?"
    "Some of this other stuff," Drake said, "such as the currency, bonds, and all that, might have burnt up when the house was burned. It wouldn't have been possible to find even a trace of them. But the Koltsdorf diamonds haven't been found."
    "Diamonds in the wreckage of a burnt house could hide pretty well," Mason said dryly.
    "They've taken that wreckage to pieces with a fine-tooth comb, sifted ashes and done all sorts of things. But the diamonds can't be located. A distinctive ruby ring which Peter Laxter always wore on his left hand was found on the body, but no diamonds."
    "Tell me the rest of it," Mason demanded. "Has Ashton shown up with those diamonds?"
    "No, not that I've been able to find out. But he's done other peculiar things that are just as incriminating. For instance, shortly before the fire, Laxter had been dickering for a piece of property. He'd taken Ashton out with him to look the property over. A couple of days ago, Ashton called on the owner of that property and made an offer. The offer was for cash on the nail."
    "It was refused?"
    "Temporarily, yes, but I think the deal's still open."
    Mason, frowning thoughtfully, said, "Looks like I'm stirring up a mare's nest. Laxter might have cached his property and Ashton might have had an inside track. In that event he probably wouldn't feel obligated to hand Sam Laxter the coin on a silver platter. Guess we're due for a talk with Ashton."
    Drake said tonelessly, "The two grandchildren have been pretty wild, particularly Sam. Oafley's the quiet, unsociable sort. Sam went in for speedy automobiles, polo ponies, women, and all that sort of stuff."
    "Where'd the money come from?"
    "From the old man."
    "I thought the old man was a miser."
    "He was tighter than a knot in a shoelace except with his grandchildren; he was very liberal with them."
    "How much was he worth?"
    "No one knows. The inventory of the estate…"
    "Yes," Mason said, "I checked over the inventory of the estate. Apparently the only things that were left were the frozen assets. The other stuff hasn't been discovered yet."
    "Unless Ashton discovered it," Drake commented.
    "Let's not talk about that," Mason said. "I'm interested right now in cats."
    "The day before the fire there was a hell of a fight out at the house. I can't find out exactly what it was, but I think this nurse can tell us. I've talked with the servants. They froze up. I hadn't got around to the nurse yet… Here's her apartment."
    "What's her name – Durfey?"
    "No – DeVoe – Edith DeVoe. According to the reports I get, she isn't a bad looker. Frank Oafley was pretty much interested in her when she was taking care of the old man, and he's been seeing her off and on since."
    "Intentions honorable?" Mason asked.
    "Don't ask me; I'm just a detective – not a censor of morals. Let's go."
    Mason paid off the cab. They rang a bell, and, when a buzzer had released the door catch, entered the outer door and walked down a long corridor to a ground floor