The Case of the Lazy Lover by Erle Stanley Gardner Read Free Book Online

could have been a ringer and it could all be a beautiful red herring. I also have something on the telegram. The telegram was sent from Springfield by a woman who telephoned in from a pay station. She was advised that the charge for the telegram would be forty cents, and dropped the forty cents into the coin slot of the pay station telephone. That's all Western Union knows about it."
    Mason laughed and said, `The bank unhesitatingly accepts the telegram as confirming the check and it now appears the telegram has no greater authenticity than a voice saying it belonged to Lola Faxon Allred."
    "That's right," Drake said. "I couldn't get anything more on the man. The only time anyone saw him was in the car when they arrived."
    "That's a hell of a way for a man who's running away with a married woman to act," Mason said. "He didn't show any interest in the accommodations?"
    "No, while the woman made all the arrangements, he just sat there, slumped down in the seat."
    Mason said, "All right Keep plugging on this car rental business. I want to get this girl located. I have a hunch the car was rented this morning, probably around nine o'clock, and there's just a chance it hasn't been turned in yet. Sprinkle enough operatives around so that when she returns the car, you can put a shadow on her."
    "Okay, Perry. I'll get some men on the job."
    "And start covering hotels, tourist camps, motels and all the rest of it to try and find a trace of this couple," Mason said.
    Drake said irritably, "What the hell do you think we're doing, Perry?"
    "Probably thinking up some new way to pad expense accounts," Mason said, and hung up.

Chapter 6
    It was three-thirty when Mason's unlisted telephone rang sharply. This unlisted telephone was on Mason's desk. Only Della Street and Paul Drake held that number, and the lawyer, scooping up the telephone, said, "Yes, Paul. What is it?"
    Drake's voice, sharp with urgency, said, "We've located the girl who rented the car from the drive-yourself agency, Perry!"
    "Great stuff!" Mason said. "What about her?"
    "She took it out about nine o'clock this morning, giving the name of Jane Smith, and a phony address in Denver," Drake said. "She put up a large cash deposit and said she'd return the car about two this afternoon. We had that much uncovered about an hour after my men started work. I didn't notify you because there wasn't anything particular to go on at that time. I simply put operatives around to tail her when she drove back."
    "Go ahead," Mason said.
    "She came back a little over an hour ago," Drake said, "and wanted to make a deal by which she could rent a car by the week. She said she was going to be living in one of the suburbs, and there wouldn't be any great amount of mileage run up on the car, that she wanted to use it just for running back and forth. The drive-yourself agency worked out the deal with her and, of course, my men picked up her trail as soon as she left."
    "Did she have any idea she was being tailed?"
    "I don't think so."
    "Where did she go?"
    "I don't know yet, Perry. My men are shadowing her. I've got a couple of damn good men on the job and they'll run her to earth. I just wanted to be sure you'd be standing by."
    "The same woman?"
    "No question about it. The description fits to a T. It's the only Chrysler that's been rented to a woman who comes anywhere near answering your description. It looks like pay dirt to me."
    "It does to me too," Mason said.
    "Okay, I'll have something most any minute now."
    The lawyer hung up and Della Street said, "Gertie says George Jerome is in the office waiting."
    "Jerome?"' Mason asked, frowning.
    "Mr. Allred's partner in some mining deals. He wants to see you, but won't say what it's about. He says it's highly confidential."
    Mason said, "All right. Hold everything open for that call that's coming in from Paul Drake. As soon as we get that woman in the Chrysler located, I want to get in touch with her. Send Jerome in."
    Della Street went out to the