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"There was only one thing for Ma
"Naturally, when you came aboard, the first person you looked for was Ma
"It didn't take you very long to find out what that something was. Ma
"You were most anxious to get rid of us, so you accused me of having taken something from the room, persuaded Perkins to take me to your cabin to be searched, turned on the signal for Ma
Duncan laughed and said, "That's one of the greatest pipe dreams I've ever heard. I always knew you were an ingenious attorney, but I never thought you'd break out with such a wild story as that in order to save a guilty client."
The Federal District Attorney nodded. "Yes, Mr. Mason, I'm afraid your desperate attempt to free Mrs. Oxman will act as a boomerang and leave you convicted of complicity in the crime by your own statements, without…"
"Wait a minute," Mason said, "I'm not talking through my hat. I have proof."
"What proof?" Duncan asked.
"Simply this," Mason said. "Belgrade was watching the entrances to the office. He didn't see Ma
"You had your backs turned to me," Ma
"Then why didn't Belgrade see you?" Mason asked.
Ma
The Federal District Attorney frowningly inspected Belgrade. "Did you see Mr. Ma
Belgrade shook his head, his puzzled expression indicating his sincerity. "No," he said. "By God, I didn't!"
The Federal District Attorney thoughtfully regarded Duncan, Ma
Matilda Benson interrupted him to say, "Well, I may as well confess."
"You may as well what?" the district attorney demanded.
"Confess," she said. "You don't mind if I smoke, do you, Mr. Wilson?"
"No," he said. Duncan and Ma
Matilda Benson calmly pulled a cigar from her leather cigar case, cut off the end, and lit the cigar before the astonished eyes of the district attorney. "This shorthand reporter is going to take down everything I say?" she asked.
"Yes. He's taking down everything," the district attorney said.
"Very well," Mrs. Benson remarked, in a voice of complete resignation. "I don't know what the punishment will be for what I've done. Whatever it is, I'm willing to take my medicine. I'm not afraid to die. My life-expectancy is short, anyway. Sylvia and her daughter mean a lot more to me than my own life. Grieb and Duncan were blackmailing Sylvia. I felt they were both a couple of rats. I didn't think they deserved to live. I went aboard the ship with the deliberate intention of killing both Grieb and Duncan."
"Were you armed?" the district attorney asked.
"Certainly I was armed," she said. "I carried a.38 automatic in my handbag. What did you think I expected to kill them with, my hands?"
"Go ahead," the district attorney said hastily.
"I watched for a chance, waiting. I saw Sylvia go into the office. I waited. I saw Frank Oxman go into the office. I opened my bag and slipped the automatic down the front of my dress. I saw Oxman come out. I saw Mason go in, and Sylvia come out. I saw Duncan and Perkins go in. Then I saw Perkins and Mr. Mason come out. I said to myself, 'Now is my time. Both the men I want to kill are in there.' I gripped my gun in my right hand and tiptoed cautiously down the corridor. I slipped silently into the outer office. I could see the door of the vault in the i
"You're willing to swear to this?" the district attorney interrupted, his voice excited. "You're willing to swear that you actually saw Duncan open the vault and Ma
Slowly, impressively, Matilda Benson got to her feet and held up her right hand. "You show me the grand jury room, young man," she said, her eyes snapping, "and I'll go in and swear to it right now. I'm telling the truth and nothing but the truth."
Duncan met the district attorney's accusing eyes. His own eyes were slightly squinted as though he were making a rapid mental readjustment. Suddenly he said, "They're all wet. I wasn't Ma