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

house."
    "Carson didn't turn all the keys over to you when the house was completed?" Mason asked.
    "I thought he did," Eden said somewhat irritably. "He turned over two complete sets of keys, but there must have been a third set which he retained."
    "You had no idea he was going to be here in the house?"
    "Of course not."
    "Where were you?"
    "I went to your office this morning to sign the verification to the complaint. You were out somewhere. I read the complaint and signed the verification. Miss Street acted as notary public. She said I was to meet you here at one o'clock and that I wasn't to let any reporters inside the house until you arrived."
    "Then what did you do?"
    "I went back to my office."
    "And what happened after you reached your office?"
    "There were lots of calls from newsmen asking about the suit you'd filed. I told everyone I would be at the house at one; that you'd be there then and that I'd give them a statement at that time and let them take photographs. I said that in the meantime I had nothing to say."
    "You had no idea Carson's body was in the house?"
    "Of course not."
    "How long since you've seen him?"
    "Some time."
    Mason said, "Carson was in my office. He tried a lot of bluster, but as nearly as I could gather the main purpose of his visit was to try and keep me from filing any action on your behalf. He told me that he was engaged in some rather delicate negotiations and that having a lawsuit filed against him at this time would put him in a most embarrassing position."
    Eden frowned. "I had an idea that he was negotiating some sort of a deal and wanted to avoid publicity until the deal was consummated."
    "Any idea what sort of a deal it was?" Mason asked.
    Eden shook his head.
    Mason said, "The man had a breezy informality about him. I assume that was his natural manner. Knowing that I was about to file suit against him for fraud, I didn't want to discuss anything with him. I kept telling him to get an attorney. He told me he didn't need one, that he could talk with me, and chided me for being something of a stuffed shirt as far as legal ethics were concerned. Frankly he made me feel just a little embarrassed. He had a friendly manner of wanting to talk and get things settled on a man – to – man basis, and I had to adopt the position that I couldn't discuss things with him unless his attorney was present."
    Eden said, "That was Carson's way. He'd put on the pressure and keep putting on the pressure. When he wanted something, he just kept boring right in."
    "How did he get out to the house here?" Mason asked. "Did he come by car?"
    "I don't know. There was no car parked here when I arrived except a couple that the newspapermen came in. Then two more press cars followed just behind me."
    Mason said, "One thing is certain, he didn't walk out here. He either came in a taxicab or someone brought him. If he had someone with him, that person could have driven his car away. Did you come right out here from your office?"
    "Actually I didn't," Eden said. "A woman phoned me and said she had some information on a piece of property I wanted to buy. She said that if I'd meet her out there in half an hour she'd show me how I could save ten thousand dollars on the deal and if I did that she'd want one thousand dollars as her cut."
    "What did you do?"
    "Told her I'd meet her there and listen to what she had to say."
    "Who was she?"
    "Wouldn't give her name, said she was a stranger to me but that she'd be wearing a dark green outfit with a white carnation corsage."
    "Dark green," Mason said musingly. "That's where the original mix – up between Vivian Carson and Nadine Palmer took place. They were both wearing dark green. All right, you went out there. Did you meet the woman?"
    "No. I waited half an hour. She never did show up."
    Mason frowned. "That delayed you?"
    "You might say.. although your secretary told me you had one person you had to see before you arrived and I didn't need to hurry-just so I got here at