Mason nodded, said after a moment, “Well, the money was taken over under a Court order and it’s out of the bank.”

  “That is true,” Paxton said. “It might have been better if Finchley had handled it in the ordinary way and simply taken over everything in Shelby’s account at the bank and served us with an order that only the signature of the conservator was to be recognized.”

  “What do you mean?” Mason asked.

  “Simply this,” Paxton said. “Yesterday afternoon a deposit of fifty thousand dollars was made to the credit of Horace Shelby.”

  “What?” Mason exclaimed.

  Paxton nodded. “It was a payment due under a contract of purchase,” he said, “and the contract provided that the money could be paid by depositing it to the credit of Horace Shelby in our bank. A grant deed had already been executed by Horace Shelby and placed in escrow with a title company with instructions that whenever the purchaser showed a deposit slip showing that the final fifty thousand dollars had been paid to the account of Horace Shelby at our bank, the deed was to be delivered.

  “The purchaser knew nothing of the appointment of a conservator and insisted on depositing the money to the account of Horace Shelby and receiving a duplicate deposit slip, which he took to the escrow company.”

  Mason pursed his lips.

  “Now then,” Paxton went on, “we are in a peculiar situation. If we notify Borden Finchley of this extra fifty thousand dollars, he will simply have another order prepared and have that account transferred to his name. But do we need to notify him?”

  “Certainly,” Mason said. “I think it’s your duty to notify him.”

  Paxton’s face showed his disappointment.

  “You should write him a letter immediately,” Mason said, “and explain the circumstances to him.”

  Paxton got to his feet. “Well,” he said, his manner showing disappointment, “I was hoping that perhaps you could suggest some other means of handling it.”

  Mason shook his head. “That’s the only ethical thing to do,” he said. “Go to the bank and write a letter. In fact, I’ll walk down to the bank with you. I have some business in that direction. We can walk together.”

  “If Horace Shelby knew about this money,” Paxton said, “I think he’d contrive in some way to take care of Daphne.”

  “There’s nothing he can do,” Mason said. “Your attorney would advise you that you couldn’t take chances.”

  “Yes, I suppose so,” Paxton said, with a sigh. “But you have the reputation of being very ingenious, Mr. Mason, and I thought I’d let you know.”

  “I’m glad you did,” Mason said. “The bank”s only a few doors down the street, I’ll go on down with you.”

  “And you feel I should write Borden Finchley a letter?”

  “Immediately,” Mason said.

  They walked down to the elevator, then strolled down the street. Paxton seemed to be dragging his feet.

  “Of course,” Paxton pointed out, “you can see what Shelby was trying to do. He was trying to take care of Daphne financially. That’s what he wanted. If he hadn’t been so anxious to take care of her, the Court might have been more hesitant about appointing a conservator.”

  “I suppose so,” Mason said.

  “How”s my credit at your bank, by the way?”

  “Your credit?”

  Paxton asked in surprise. “Why, absolutely A-l.”

  “I’d like to borrow seventy five thousand dollars,” Mason said.

  “Why, I think that can be arranged. You have some security?”

  “No security,” Mason said. “I would give my note.”

  Paxton started to shake his head, then frowned. “How long would you want the money, Mr. Mason?”

  “About ten minutes,” Mason said.

  Paxton looked at him incredulously. “Seventy five thousand dollars for ten minutes?”

  “Yes,” Mason said.

  “Good heavens, what do you intend to do with it?”

  Mason grinned. “I thought I would deposit it to the account of Horace Shelby.”

  “Are you crazy?” Paxton asked. “Are you …” Suddenly he stopped dead in his tracks, regarded Mason in a bewildered manner, then broke out laughing. “Come on,” he said, “let’s get to the bank just as fast as we can.”

  He started walking more rapidly, and Mason lengthened his strides to keep up with the banker.

  They entered the bank. Paxton called in a secretary. He said, “If you don’t mind, Mr. Mason, I’ll dictate a letter to Borden Finchley telling him—”

  “I think,” Mason interrupted, “the better procedure would be to make the letter to Horace Shelby, care of Borden Finchley, Conservator.”

  Paxton grinned. “I get the point,” he said. “It’s a legal distinction, but an important one.”

  Paxton turned to the secretary. “Take a letter to Horace Shelby, care of Borden Finchley, Conservator.

  “Dear Mr. Shelby. The $50,000 final payment on the purchase of the Broadway property was deposited to your account by the purchaser, who took a duplicate deposit slip to deliver to the escrow department. Paragraph. That money is now on deposit in your name. Very truly yours, etc.”

  Mason nodded. “Now,” he said, “could we visit the Loan Department?”

  “Right away,” Paxton said.

  Paxton went on, “I think, Mr. Mason, under the circumstances, I’ll okay this loan myself. You want seventy five thousand dollars?”

  Mason nodded.

  “I’ll make it for thirty days,” Paxton said.

  “Any time you like,” Mason said. “I won’t want it that long but if you”d like to have your records so show, why, it will be for that period.”

  Paxton made out the note. Mason signed it.

  “How do you want this?” Paxton asked.

  Mason said, “I think, under the circumstances, cash would be preferable—seventy five one thousand dollar bills.”

  Paxton went to the vault and returned with the seventy five one thousand dollar bills.

  “I think,” he said to Mason, “that from here on you had better handle this through regular channels.”

  “Exactly,” Mason said, and shook hands.

  Mason put the money in his pocket, walked out to the window of a teller, made out duplicate deposit slips, and shuffled his way along in the line of customers.

  When he reached the window, he pulled out the seventy five one thousand dollar bills and the duplicate deposit slip.

  “Please deposit this to the account of Horace Shelby,” he said.

  The teller looked at the seventy five thousand dollars in surprise. “A cash deposit for seventy five thousand dollars?” he asked.

  “Exactly,” Mason said.

  “I think that account has been transferred,” the teller said. “I’m sorry but—”

  “Can’t the bank take a deposit?”

  “Yes, I guess we could.”

  “Then, please deposit this to the account of Horace Shelby.”

  The teller said, “Just a moment. I’m going to have to ask someone about this.”

  He was gone a few minutes, then returned and said, “If you insist on making the deposit, Mr. Mason, we have no alternative but to accept it.”

  “Very well,” Mason said. “I want to make the deposit.”

  The teller stamped and signed the duplicate deposit slips.

  “Now then,” Mason said, taking the endorsed check of Daphne Shelby from his pocket, “I have a check here that I would like to cash. A check for a hundred and twenty five thousand dollars.”

  “You want to cash a check for one hundred and twenty five thousand dollars?” the teller asked.

  “That’s right,” Mason said, and handed the check through the window.

  The teller looked at the check in frowning incredulity then, suddenly, a light dawned on his face. “Just a minute,” he said. “I’ll also have to check on this.” He left the window and was back in a few moments. “It happens,” he said, “that there is just enough money in the account to pay this check.”

  “I’m not interested in the amount of the account,” Mason said. “I only want to cash the check.”

  The teller said, “This is a most unusual situation, Mr. Mason.”

  Mason yawned. “Perhaps it’s unusual for you,” he said, and glanced significantly at his wrist watch.

  The teller said, “How do you want this, Mr. Mason?”

  “In thousand dollar bills,” Mason said.

  The teller opened his drawer, carefully counted out the seventy five thousand that Mason had deposited, then counted out twenty thousand more bills, summoned the messenger to go to the vault, said, “Just moment, please,” and, a few minutes later, handed Mason the balance of the money in thousand dollar bills.

  “Thank you,” Mason said.

  He put the money in his pocket, walked over to the enclosure in which Stanley Paxton had his desk and said, “Mr. Paxton, I borrowed seventy five thousand dollars from the bank a short time ago.”

  “Yes, indeed,” Paxton said. “It was a short term thirty day note on your personal security, Mr. Mason.”

  “Exactly,” Mason said.

  “I find that I have no further use for the money,” Mason said, “and would like to pay off the note.”

  “Why, that’s most unusual!” Paxton said.

  “I know it is,” Mason said. “As I figure the interest for one day, it amounts to about twelve dollars and thirty two cents.”

  The lawyer gravely put seventy-five thousand dollar bills, a ten dollar bill, two one dollar bills, and thirty two cents on the banker’s desk.

  “Well, this is most unusual!” Paxton said. “However, if you insist on paying off the note, I guess we have no alternative but to accept it. Just a moment, please.” Paxton took the money, put it in the drawer of his desk, picked up an inter-office telephone and said, “Send me in the Perry Mason note for seventy five thousand dollars, please. Mark it “Paid”. … That’s right, I know it just came in. … That’s right. Mark it ‘Paid’!”

  After some three minutes, a young man approached the desk with the promissory note.

  “Here you are,” Paxton said. “I’m sorry you didn’t have further use for the money. We like to put our money out at interest on a good security.”

  “Oh, I understand,” Mason said. “Now, I have one other request. I have fifty thousand dollars in cash. I would like to buy ten cashier’s checks for five thousand dollars each, payable to Daphne Shelby. I believe you are acquainted with Miss Shelby.”

  “Oh, yes,” Paxton said, “we know her quite well. She does all the business for her uncle. You wanted ten cashier’s checks of five thousand dollars each?”

  “That’s right.”

  “If you can wait for just a few more minutes,” Paxton said.

  He took the fifty thousand dollars, left his desk and within a matter of fifteen minutes returned with the ten cashier’s checks.

  “Thank you very much,” Mason said. The banker stood up.

  “I’ve shaken hands with you once, Mr. Mason,” he said. “I’m going to shake hands with you again, and I hope you’ll forgive me for my momentary doubts as to your ingenuity. When I really violated a confidence to give you information in your office, I was hoping against hope that you’d find some way of handling the matter, and then I felt my hopes dashed to the ground. I realize now that I should have had more confidence.”

  The banker gripped the lawyer’s hand firmly, then patted him on the shoulder. “Good luck, Mr. Mason,” he said.

  “Thanks very much,” Mason said. “And thanks to the Investors National Bank for the interest it takes in its clients. I can assure you that this action will eventually rebound to your benefit.”

  “Thank you. Thank you very much,” Paxton said.

  The lawyer, with the ten cashier’s checks in his inside pocket, left the bank, went to Daphne Shelby’s hotel.

  “Daphne,” he said when he confronted the young woman, “you’re no longer a beautiful beggar.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  Mason took the ten cashier’s checks from his pocket.

  She looked at each one incredulously. “What in the world!” she asked.

  Mason said, “Just endorse this one check “Pay to the order of Perry Mason.” ”

  “That’s your fee?” she asked.

  “We’re not talking about a fee yet,” Mason said. “I’m having you endorse this so I can get five thousand dollars in cash and send it over to you. That’s all you should have on your person at the present time. In fact, you’d better get traveler’s checks for about forty five hundred dollars with it. The other checks you should hold against a rainy day.”

  Chapter 6

  Mason had been back in his office less than an hour when Paul Drake’s code knock sounded on the door.

  Della Street admitted the detective and Drake said, “Well, I’ve got Ralph Exeter pegged.”

  “What about him?” Mason asked.

  Drake said, “Exeter’s real name is Cameron. His first name is a queer one—Bosley, B-O-S-L-E-Y. He’s from Las Vegas. He’s a gambler, and he’s holding Borden Finchley’s lOUs for over a hundred and fifty thousand bucks.”

  “So that explains a lot,” Mason said.

  “There’s more to it than that,” Drake went on. “Cameron became involved himself and, until he can get the money on those lOUs of Finchley, Cameron can’t get back in good standing with his own crowd. So Cameron is hiding out. That’s why he has taken the name of Ralph Exeter of Boston, Massachusetts.”

  Mason said, “That’s darned good work, Paul. You did a wonderful job.”

  Drake shook his head and said, “I didn’t really do anything. I just happened to cross the back trail of people who are trying to find Cameron.”

  “How?”

  “Well, it was just a combination of circumstances. Finchley gave a rather synthetic background of where he had been and what he had been doing, but the person that comes in to do the house cleaning noticed that there were Las Vegas stickers on his baggage when he first came there, and that Finchley was at great pains to scrub them off the second day he was there.

  “You remember Finchley said they were driving in Exeter’s car. I traced the license plates on Exeter’s car. They were Massachusetts license plates all right, but I used the long distance telephone, got some quick action, and found the person who was registered as owning that car when it left Massachusetts.

  “He went to Las Vegas, became involved in a gambling game, and this man Cameron, to whom he owed a little over a thousand dollars, offered to trade automobiles and give him the difference. The fellow had no alternative but to make the deal so they simply traded possession of the cars without going through the formality of getting registrations transferred. They felt they could do that later on when they applied for new licenses.

  “Once I had that lead, I did a little telephoning in Las Vegas and found that Cameron was one of those big-shot gamblers who will be way up in the clouds one day and way down in the depths the next.

  “He got wiped out in a poker game and had some lOUs floating around. He told friends that he had a pigeon who owed him a hundred and fifty grand and that the pigeon had it all made, but it was going to take a little while to cash in that he was going to ride herd on his pigeon until the money came in.

  “Then Cameron disappeared.

  “At first, the people who held Cameron’s paper were willing to wait but now they’re getting a little restless and they’d like very much to know where Cameron is.”

  Mason grinned, said, “Now then, Paul, we’re beginning to get someplace. This is the sort of ammunition we can shoot.”

  “It’s a shame we didn’t have it for the hearing,” Drake said.

  “We’ll have it for the next round,” Mason told him.

  The phone rang.

  Della Street answered it, then looked inquiringly at Mason. “Will you talk with Mr. Darwin Melrose?” she asked.

  “Certainly,” Mason said, and picked up the telephone. “Hello, Melrose. What can I do for you?”

  Melrose was so excited he talked with machine-gun rapidity. “What the devil have you been up to? The title company tells me that an escrow was terminated, that a man made a final payment on property to Horace Shelby—a payment of fifty thousand dollars.”

  “Yes?” Mason asked as Melrose stopped for breath.

  “So we get at the Investors National and they said there wasn’t any money in the Shelby account. We asked them about that fifty thousand dollar deposit and they said it had all been checked out, that there had been two deposits made—one of fifty thousand and one of seventy five thousand, and they had a canceled check payable to Daphne Shelby for one hundred and twenty five thousand, which had wiped the account out.”

  “Why, that’s right,” Mason said. “There’s no secret about that. We discussed that check in court. Your own client knew all about it.”

  “Knowing about the check is one thing getting it cashed is another.”

  “Well,” Mason said, “the check was left in the possession of Daphne Shelby. There was money in the bank to cover the check. The bank had a right to cash it and she had a right to present it.”

  “But the bank knew a conservator had been appointed.”

  “The bank had been advised that a conservator had been appointed for the account of Horace Shelby as the account stood at that time. Nothing was said about any future accounts or any future deposits.”

  “Well, we didn’t think it was necessary since we were cleaning out the entire account.”

  “I’m sorry if you misunderstood the situation,” Mason said. “But your order to the bank was very specific. It was ordered to turn over to the conservator the exact amount that was on deposit in Shelby’s account at the date the order was served.”

  “I don’t like this,” Melrose said. “I don’t think the Court is going to like it either. It’s sharp practice.”

  “I beg your pardon!” Mason said.

  “I said it was sharp practice.”

  “I think you misunderstood the situation,” Mason said with a grin. “It wasn’t sharp practice on my side, it was dull practice on yours. Go into court, if you want to, and see what the judge has to say about it.”