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message you may wish, that the message will be recorded on the tape so it can be played back when the subscriber returns to answer the telephone personally."
    "I tried calling that number," Mason said, "and got the same message."
    "You did?"
    "Yes."
    "When?"
    "This afternoon after we had inventoried the contents of your purse."
    "But I can't understand it," she said. "I just can't understand why Garvin didn't call up Huntley Banner and tell him."
    "He was to do that this morning?"
    "Yes."
    "You weren't there this morning?"
    "No," she said. "I had other appointments."
    Mason said, "You just arrived here a short time ago. It didn't take you all day to drive from Los Angeles here."
    "I had something else to do."
    "What?"
    "I don't think I care to tell you any more, Mr. Mason."
    "All right," Mason said. "We'll start putting two and two together. You were with your husband last night."
    "Yes."
    "You reached a property settlement with him."
    "Yes."
    "He was to telephone his lawyer, Huntley Banner, and tell him to draw up the necessary papers for you to sign. He was to do that early this morning."
    "Yes."
    "Banner hasn't heard from your husband," Mason said. "Your handbag was stolen yesterday. It was left in my office around noon today. There was a thirty-eight-caliber revolver in that handbag. A woman, wearing large dark glasses which would make it exceedingly difficult to recognize her, came to my office shortly after noon, told the receptionist her name was Hastings, that she had to see me upon a matter of the greatest importance, that she was in danger, that she needed protection and a private detective.
    "Then after a few minutes she said she had to leave the office, that she'd be right back. She left and didn't come back. She left your handbag in my office. In that handbag was your gun. It had been fired twice.
    "Your husband didn't do the things he was supposed to have done today. He isn't answering the telephone.
    "Now then, Mrs. Hastings, just suppose that some woman had stolen your handbag, had gone to your husband's house shortly after you left this morning, had fired two shots and your husband is lying there very, very dead. Where do you suppose that's going to leave you?"
    Her face blanched, then suddenly her eyes became suspicious. "Now, just a minute," she said. And then after a moment added, "So that's your game."
    "What is?"
    "You're representing some client who stole my handbag and now you're going to try to make me the goat."
    "My mysterious client stole your handbag before you saw your husband?" Mason asked.
    "Yes. That's when it was stolen."
    "You told your husband about your handbag having been stolen?"
    "Yes, of course."
    "You were alone with him last night?"
    "Yes."
    "You had no money?"
    "I had no money when I arrived," she said. "My husband gave me five hundred dollars as get-by money. I bought a new handbag and coin purse."
    "And operated your automobile without a driving license?"
    "Yes."
    "You didn't make an affidavit your license had been lost?"
    "No. I was going to do that this evening. I was going to report to the police that my handbag had been stolen."
    "Were you going to tell them about the gun being listed in the contents?"
    "Certainly not. I had no idea the gun was in the handbag."
    Mason said, "I came here in a chartered plane. I'm going to fly back to Los Angeles. I wanted to get this thing straightened out. I was afraid you might be in danger. I suggest that you come back with me, that you go to your house and investigate for yourself… Does your husband have a secretary who comes in during the day?"
    "Not unless he sends for one. He has his office and goes up there for most of his work."
    "Did he have any appointments for today?"
    "I don't know."
    "You wouldn't be able to find out whether he had kept his appointments?"
    She said, "I might call Simley Beason."
    "Who's he?"
    "The office manager and general business manager. He's very close to Garvin, my husband."
    "Closer than Banner?"
    "Oh,