The Case of the Fenced-In Woman by Erle Stanley Gardner Read Free Book Online Page B

publicity. Later on, the fact that it was all a mistake rates no publicity at all."
    "Are you talking about my case now?" she asked.
    "In reverse," Mason said. "Judge Goodwin is thinking about Vivian Carson. He would like to have Carson's mistake publicized. So he has placed my client in such a position that we have to take action. I think Judge Goodwin was very shrewd in his reasoning, but I think he overlooked one thing."
    "What's that?"
    "The effect on you."
    "And what about the effect on me?"
    "The step I am taking," Mason said, "is going to result in the newspapers giving great publicity to the comedy of errors, to the fact that you were pointed out to Carson's detective in place of Vivian Carson."
    "I think that was all done deliberately," she said.
    "That's not the point," Mason said. "The point is that the whole thing is going to be rehashed at great length in the press."
    She started to say something, then suddenly the full impact of the lawyer's words dawned on her. Her eyes widened. "You mean they're going to bring it all up again about the weekend trips?"
    "Exactly."
    "Oh, Lord," she moaned.
    Mason said, "Therefore, I felt that you might care to make some plans in advance. If you want to meet the press, you might care to hand out a written statement so that you wouldn't be misquoted. If, on the other hand, you don't want to meet the press, this might be a good time for you to be hard to find."
    She hesitated only a moment, said, "I'm going to be hard to find. When is all this going to break?"
    "Probably within the next hour."
    She got to her feet, said, "Look here, Mr. Mason, do you have any objection to being quoted?"
    "What do you mean?"
    "That you advised me to make myself hard to find."
    Mason thought for a moment, shook his head. "I'm not in a position to advise you. You're not my client. I already have one client in the case. I'm simply trying to give you a friendly tip."
    "All right. Will you remember that you gave me a friendly tip and told me to make myself scarce?"
    "That was one of the alternatives I suggested might be wise."
    "It's the alternative I want to take," she said. "You wait there just a moment. I'm going to crawl in a hole and pull the hole in after me. What's more, I'm going out with you. You can drive me downtown."
    She hurried across the apartment, opened a door, and just before she slammed it shut behind her called over her shoulder, "Wait there until I can get dressed and throw some things in a bag. I'm getting out of here."
    The lawyer seated himself, consulted his wristwatch, frowned thoughtfully, reached for the cigarette case in his pocket and found that he was out of cigarettes. He waited another minute, then called out through the door, "Are there any cigarettes in here, Mrs. Palmer?"
    Her voice sounded startlingly clear through the thin door. "In my purse there's a pack. The purse is on the table."
    The lawyer moved over to the open purse, noticed a pack of cigarettes, took one out, snapped his lighter into flame and suddenly paused as he realized the cigarette was limp with moisture.
    Abruptly the door from the bedroom flew open. Nadine Palmer, trailing an almost transparent negligee through which could be seen her figure in the scantiest of lingerie, came hurrying into the room.
    "I hope you found it all right," she said.
    She grabbed up her purse, fumbled inside of it for a moment, then produced a pack of cigarettes and extended it to the lawyer.
    Mason shifted his position.
    "Now wait a minute, that's not fair," she said, laughing. "You're jockeying me between you and the light. I'm not dressed to be silhouetted right at the moment. I'm just trying to be hospitable. Here."
    Mason took one of the cigarettes from the package she handed him, surreptitiously dropping the first cigarette into the side pocket of his coat.
    "Thanks," he said.
    "I should have put you on your honor to close your eyes," she said. "Now just be patient for a minute. I'm going to let you drive me to the