I pick my own partners, Lowry said, and I pick em carefully.
No, you dont, Della Street said. Endicott Campbell picked you as a partner and hes sold you a bill of goods. Youre his partner in this thing right now, just the same as though you were partners in a mining enterprise.
He isnt any partner of mine, Lowry said.
Thats what you think, Mason said. Campbell came out here. He handed you a razzle-dazzle and told you not to talk and now youre refusing to give out pertinent information information that were entitled to, information that you should give out in order to protect yourself, to say nothing of this young woman.
Now wait a minute, wait a minute, Lowry said. This thing sort of gets me when you put it that way. I tell you, the guy isnt my partner.
And I tell you he is, Mason said. Hes hypnotized you into a partnership. Youre playing right along with him. Youre following his instructions and doing exactly what hes told you to do. Youre not his partner in a mine, youre his partner in something that may be a criminal enterprise and the partnership may leave you in a lot of trouble.
For the first time Lowry turned, took his eyes off his visitors, looked out through the windshield, down the long street.
Why should I tell you anything? he asked.
Why shouldnt you? Mason said. Unless you have something to conceal. Ill put it another way. Why should you go into partnership with Campbell just because he comes out and tells you what he wants you to do?
For the first time Lowry turned, took his eyes off his visitors, looked out through the windshield, down the long street.
Why should I tell you anything? he asked.
Why shouldnt you? Mason said. Unless you have something to conceal. Ill put it another way. Why should you go into partnership with Campbell just because he comes out and tells you what he wants you to do?
Because in a way Im working for Campbell.
Following Campbells instructions?
Well, following instructions from headquarters.
And do you think Endicott Campbell is representing headquarters?
He said he was.
Masons smile was enigmatic.
Lowry narrowed his eyes, took a deep breath. All right, he said, I want to talk. I want to explain my position in this matter. But I promised Campbell Id not tell you anything.
Then you did take Campbell as a partner, Della Street said.
For heavens sake, quit harping on that, Lowry said irritably. I tell you, the man isnt my partner.
Mason looked at Della Street, smiled and shook his head tolerantly.
Della Street said, Im sorry you cant see it, Mr. Lowry.
Lowry thought things over for a moment, then said, All right, Im going to tell you this much. I did some peculiar things but everything I did was the result of orders I received directly from Miss Corning.
Personally? Mason asked.
Over the long-distance telephone.
How many conversations?
Two.
From South America?
No. She called me up from Miami. She made two business trips up to the States and she called me personally.
You know her personally? Mason asked.
Ive never met her.
In other words, Mason said, you listened to a voice on the telephone. The voice on the telephone told you to do certain things. Those things were highly irregular. Then a man whom youve never seen before comes out here and tells you not to discuss those things... It seems to me youre rather a credulous individual, Mr. Lowry.
You mean that wasnt Amelia Corning who was talking with me on the telephone?
I dont know, Mason said. Furthermore, you dont know. Let me ask you this: did Endicott Campbell tell you that a woman showed up yesterday who impersonated Amelia Corning?
Heavens, no! Lowry said.
Well, she did. If anyone is desperate enough to impersonate Amelia Corning in a personal interview, it certainly wouldnt be hard to do it over long-distance telephone.
Lowry thought things over.
All right, he said at length. Im not going to buy Endicott Campbell as my partner. I dont like the guy. Hes a little too smooth and a little too slick. I guess you opened my eyes, Miss Street, when you asked me if Id like to camp out in the desert with him. I wouldnt share blankets with that guy on a bet. I dont think Id trust him.
Mason said, Now is a good time to get the situation clarified.
Ill tell you this much, Lowry said. I was hired by a letter from Amelia Corning. She had taken over the Mojave Monarch. Shed bought all the mine lock, stock, and barrel. She told me to go ahead and run it in accordance with her instructions.
What about the Corning Mining, Smelting & Investment Company?
Thats an affiliated enterprise, Lowry said, but I was working directly under Miss Corning and I was making reports to her... Well, we ran into trouble. The vein faulted on us and I didnt know what to do. I wrote to her and she told me that shed let the Los Angeles company give me instructions. Then the next day she called me up and said shed changed her mind. She asked me what I thought about closing the mine up and I told her that I thought it was the only thing to do; that we might spend a fortune trying to find that vein.
All right, she told me shed let me know. Then she called me up a little later and told me that for tax purposes she couldnt afford to have the mine closed. She told me shed turned the thing over to the Corning Mining, Smelting & Investment Company with headquarters in Los Angeles; that I would write every month and send them figures on what the payroll would have been if the mine was going full blast; that as far as the books were concerned Id be having twelve men on each of three eight-hour shifts working here, which would make a total of thirty-six employees. I was to tell the Los Angeles office how much money I wanted for this payroll, and theyd send me a check which I was to cash in one-hundred-dollar bills, deduct my salary, and then mail those hundred-dollar bills in to Los Angeles. In that way, she said, it was just a cash transaction and all shed be out would be the employers liability insurance and incidental expenses, but as far as the books were concerned, for tax purposes it would show that the mine was still being operated... Now then, was that crooked?