What time, Paul?
Six-thirty.
That figures, Mason said.
What does?
She had an appointment with me at seven-thirty and shes very punctual. She could have figured on getting back by seven-thirty.
Thats right. She did. She made arrangements with this chap who operates the freight elevator so that he would be standing by in the alley, near the freight entrance, at exactly seven-twenty so he could pick her up and take her back up to her floor and she could get into her room.
Thats right. The fellow was there for all of ten minutes. She didnt show up.
And she left at six-thirty?
Right about that time. It could have been a few minutes earlier. The man says it could have been six twenty-five.
Has he told his story to the police?
The police havent asked him yet. They dont seem at all concerned as yet. Our men saw no sign of police interest. Miss Cornings sister seems to be holding down the fort and clamping a lid on any undue interest in Amelias comings and goings.
Thats good, Mason said. Were evidently one jump ahead of the police. See what you can do about checking with taxicabs who usually stand there at the Arthenium Hotel and
Thats already been done, Drake said. All of the taxicabs that stand there come in and take their position in line. They pull in to the rear of the line and then the fellow in front answers the doormans signal. If the doorman isnt there, theyll pick up a passenger at the hotel and of course if the passenger walks up to the head of the line and gets in a cab, the cabby has no alternative but to take him. Ordinarily, however, they work with the doorman. In that way the doorman gets a tip for calling the cab and hes nice to the cab drivers and everything works out okay.
And how about a cab being called around to the alleyway?
It would have had to have been on a telephone call, Drake said. Ive checked all the cab companies and there wasnt any call to have a cab there at that time. Therefore, it must have been a private car.
It could hardly have been a private car, Mason said.
It must have been.
All right, the lawyer told him. Ill come down there. I want this car checked for fingerprints and I want it checked for any and all kinds of evidence: a regular police check.
Thats going to take time.
Weve got time.
I was afraid of that, Drake said, and yawned into the telephone.
Get your man up out of bed, Mason said. Ill be there, and be sure youre wearing gloves when I pick you up.
The lawyer drove the rented car around to his office building, picked up Paul Drake, who was standing on the curb. Drake gave directions and they drove out to the residential section, turned into a driveway and into an open garage.
Meet Myrton Abert, Drake said. Hes an expert connected with the police laboratory.
I want a check on this car, Mason said, and I dont want anybody to know about it.
You dont want anybody not to know about it any more than I do, Abert said. It isnt hot, is it?
Not in the sense you mean. Its a rented car. I just want to know whos been driving it before all of the fingerprints are erased.
Now suppose the police want the same thing? Abert asked.
Then you give them the information, Mason said.
If I do that, Ill have to use Scotch tape and lift the fingerprints.
Go ahead and lift them, but be sure you dont leave any indication prints have been lifted from the car.
I dont see what youre gaining by this, Abert said.
Mason said, Sometimes the police dont share information with me. If I share information with them, Ill at least be abreast of the police.
Abert thought it over, grinned, said, Okay, Ive got a fellow corning to assist me. He ought to be here any minute now. I had to get him up out of bed.
Abert closed the garage door, turned on bright lights, and went to work.
It was breaking daylight when Abert said, All right, Mr. Mason, there arent any bloodstains in the car. There are quite a few smudged fingerprints. There are twenty-three legible fingerprints on the doors, the back of the rearview mirror and the side mirror. Ive lifted those with Scotch tape. Now what do we do?
How are you on comparing fingerprints? Mason asked.
Pretty good.
Mason said, I want duplicates of those prints.
Then Ill have to photograph the lifted prints.
How long will that take?
Not too long to make the photographs, but to get them developed and printed is going to be something else.
All right, Mason said. You want to protect yourself. You take the photographs and give me the original lifts. You can develop the photographs at your leisure. Theyll give you protection.
Abert thought it over for a while, then said, That would be worth a little more money, Mr. Mason. Its a little more work than Id figured on.
Mason handed him a twenty-dollar bill.
Will that cover the added costs?
That will cover it.
Lets go, Mason said.
Abert walked over to a locker, took out a fingerprint camera, put the lifts on a dark surface, fitted the fingerprint camera over the lifts and within a few minutes had all of the prints photographed.
Thats all there is to it? Mason asked.
Thats all.
Okay, the lawyer told him. Im on my way.