Free The Case of the Lazy Lover by Erle Stanley Gardner Page B

mean getting a divorce?"
    "It might suit him better to be a widower. I understand he has quite a lot of his wife's money invested in mining properties."
    "I guess Allred does all right for himself," Drake said. "He seems to have lots of dough."
    Mason said, "I'll bet you even money that Allred forged that check for twenty-five hundred bucks that was sent to me."
    "Why?"
    "That," Mason said, grimly, "is one of the things I intend to ask him."
    "You think he's up there in this Snug-Rest Motel?"
    "Uh huh," Mason said, and then gave his attention to his driving.

Chapter 9
    "Know the numbers of the cabins, Paul?"
    "Yes. Cabins number four and five. There'll be two entrances. Take it easy. We should be almost there."
    A sign flashed up in the headlights, gleaming whitely at them out of a cold drizzle, etching its dazzling message on their tired eyes, "Snug-Rest Auto Court One Mile."
    As Mason eased the speed of the car, the windshield wipers gathered speed, pulsed hysterically. Drake, straightening up in the seat, heaved a sigh of relief. He watched the figures on the speedometer, said, "You'll have to slow down, Perry'. You've gone eight-tenths of a mile since that sign. The place may be hard to see… It's a cinch the cabins have all been rented, the lights turned off, and the people who run the place have goes to bed. Here it is, right ahead, Perry."
    Mason slammed on the brakes. The car started to skid on the wet road, then righted itself, and Mason turner into the unpretentious little tourist court.
    "Take it easy," Drake cautioned. "Cut off your motor as soon as you can locate the numbers. We'll try to do it as quietly as possible. There it is, Perry. There's the cabin, the one over there on the right. Thank heavens, it's off by itself so we won't have an audience."
    Mason swung his car to a stop in front of the two-cabin unit that had been erected slightly apart firm the other cabins, uniform in their somewhat shabby austerity.
    The lawyer switched off the ignition, then the headlights.
    Drake opened the car door.
    Mason got out on his side, and they stood for a moment in front of the car.
    The rain was a localized mountain rain, a cold, cloud-shrouded drizzle. In the background somewhere a stream tumbling over rocks made noisy gossip with the night. Aside from these noises there was nothing for the ears. The auto court was wrapped in silence.
    "They've gone to bed," Drake said in a low voice.
    Mason said, "I guess we're in time, Paul. That's a break." He climbed the steps and knocked on the door.
    There was no answer. He knocked again.
    Paul Drake, who had made a quick circle around the cabins on a tour of inspection, came to stand beside Mason. "It's a red herring," he said.
    "What's the matter?"
    "They aren't here."
    "You mean someone else is…"
    "No. I don't think the cabin's rented at all. There isn't any car under the cabin shed."
    Mason tentatively turned the knob on the cabin door. The door was unlocked. The latch clicked and the door swung open, disclosing a dark interior.
    Paul Drake said cautiously, "Take it easy, Perry. Someone's in here. That's fresh tobacco smoke. The curtains are all drawn."
    "Anyone home?" Mason called.
    He was greeted by silence, the dark oblong of the open doorway seeming sinister in its black mystery.
    "Someone's here all right," Mason said, as warm air came eddying out from the dark interior of the cabin. "A heater of some sort has been on in here, and that certainly is fresh tobacco smoke."
    "Okay, let's back out," Drake whispered, "and go to the office. Let's check the registrations."
    "Anyone home?" Mason called again.
    Again there was that wall of black, sinister silence.
    Mason groped inside the door, running his fingers along the wall searching for a light switch.
    "Don't, Perry," Drake begged. "Let's go to the office first and…"
    Mason clicked on the lights.
    The room was empty.
    "Come on in," Mason said.
    Drake hung back, but finally followed the lawyer into the room.
    Mason