The Case of the Blonde Bonanza

"You're not having her tailed?" Mason asked.

"No. You didn't tell me to. As it happened, the Bolero Beach operative who was nosing around on Boring's back track happened to learn that this character with the pointed nose had been making inquiries about Boring, and so he tried to pick the guy up. He ran into him just as Foster was leaving Dia

"How long ago?"

"An hour or an hour and a half."

Mason said, "Your man, Moose Dillard, who was shadowing Boring, seems to have attracted Boring's attention. Boring detected the other tail he was wearing and then spotted Dillard when Dillard registered in the Restawhile Motel. He went over to take a look at Dillard's automobile. That car is registered in your name."

"So I understand," Drake said. "I have a report on it. What are you goi to do about Dillard?"

"I'm talking with Sid Nye now," Mason said. "Sid is in my suite here in the hotel. I told him to have Dillard stay put. We'll get some woman operative to look as though she's keeping a motel date with him, and take some sandwiches and a Thermos jug of coffee in to him. He can, of course, get a line on anyone who comes to see Boring there at the motel but his efficiency is pretty much impaired as far as we're concerned."

"How about putting another shadow on Boring?"

"I don't know," Mason said. "I don't think it's going to be necessary. I've decided to cut the Gordian knot by getting in touch with the man about whom this whole thing revolves."

"Who's that?"

"George D. Winlock."

"Winlock!" Drake said.

"Right."

"You've decided he's the one Dia

"No. I'm approaching the problem from another angle, Paul. I've come to the conclusion Winlock holds the key to the entire situation."

"Can you discuss it over the phone?"

"No," Mason said. "I'll have to quarterback it from here, Paul."

"Okay," Drake said. "You're on the ground up there and Nye is in charge of the forces up there. You just go ahead and tell Sid what you want done… Do you want my men on the job down there in Bolero Beach any more?"

"No, call them off," Mason said. "I'll tell Sid what to do."

As Mason hung up the phone, Sid said, "Well, I'll get busy and get some good-looking gal lined up who can take some di

"Where can I reach you if I should want you in a hurry?" Mason asked.

"The best way is through the office of the TriCounties Detective Agency. They're our correspondents up here and we co-operate with them down at our end of the line and they handle things up here."

"Okay," Mason said. "I'll be in touch with you."

"You're going to see this man Winlock?"

"I'm going to try to."

"He's a pretty shrewd operator," Nye said. "He plays them close to his chest."

Mason nodded to Della Street. "See if you can get him on the line, Della."

"Maybe I'd better wait here until you find out what's cooking," Nye said.

Della Street consulted the telephone book, put through the call and nodded to Perry Mason. "Mr. Winlock," she said, "this is the secretary of Mr. Perry Mason, an attorney of Los Angeles. Mr. Mason would like to talk with you. Will you hold the phone just a moment, please?"

Mason took the phone which Della Street extended to him, said, "Hello, Mr. Winlock. Perry Mason talking."

Winlock's voice was cold and cautious. "I've heard of you, Mr. Mason," he said. "And I have seen you. I was in the courthouse very briefly one time when you were trying a case up here in Riverside."

"I see," Mason said. "I would like to have a few minutes of your time, Mr. Winlock."

"When?"

"At the earliest possible moment."

"Can you tell me what it's about?"

"It's about a matter which concerns you personally, and which I think it would be unwise to discuss over the telephone even in general terms."

"Where are you now?"

"I'm at the Mission I

"I have an important meeting a little later on, Mr. Mason, but I can give you thirty minutes if you could come out right away."

"I'll be there within ten minutes," Mason promised.

"Thank you. Do you know where I live?"

"I have the address," Mason said. "I'll rely on a cabdriver to get me there."

Mason hung up the telephone, said to Della Street, "You're going to have to hold the fort, Della. Keep in touch with things and I'll let you know as soon as I leave Winlock's."

Nye said, "I'll drive you out, Perry. I know where the place is. I can drive you out and wait until you finish your interview and drive you back."

Mason hesitated a minute, then said, "Okay, do that, if you will, Sid. It will save a few minutes and those few minutes may be precious. I want all the time I can have with Winlock."

CHAPTER EIGHT

George D. Winlock's house was an imposing. structure on a scenic knoll.

Nye parked the car in front of the door and said, "I'll wait."

"Okay," Mason said. "I shouldn't be very long."

Mason ran up the steps to the porch, pressed the pearl button, heard the muted chimes in the interior of the house and almost instantly the door was opened by a young man in his late teens or early twenties who regarded Mason with insolent appraisal.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"I am Perry Mason," the lawyer said. "I have an appointment with George Winlock."

"C'mon in," the young man said.

Mason followed him into a reception hallway. The young man gestured toward a door on the right. "George," he yelled. "C'mon down."

He turned to Mason and said, "Go on in there."

Having said that, the young man turned his back, walked through a curtained doorway and disappeared.

Mason went through the door indicated and found himself in a large room which was evidently used for entertaining purposes. In addition to the arrangement of chairs around the table in the center of the room and in front of the fireplace, there were enough chairs along the sides to seat a dozen guests.

Mason was standing, looking around, when a tall, thin individual in the early fifties, wearing dark glasses entered the room. He came forward with an air of quiet dignity, extended his hand and said, "How do you do, Mr. Mason? I'm George Winlock."

Mason shook hands and said, "I'm sorry to disturb you outside of office hours but it is a matter which I considered to be of some importance."

"I would certainly trust your judgment as to the importance of the matter," Winlock said.

Mason studied the man thoughtfully. "The matter is personal and it's rather embarrassing for me to bring it up."

"Under those circumstances," Winlock said, "if you will be seated right here in this chair, Mr. Mason, I'll take this one and we'll start right in without any preliminaries. I have an appointment later on and my experience has been that those things which may prove embarrassing are best disposed of by going right to the heart of the matter and not beating around the bush."

Mason said, "Before seeking this interview, Mr. Winlock, I tried to find out something about your background."

"That," Winlock said, "would be simply a matter of good business judgment. I frequently do the same thing. If I am going to submit a proposition to someone, I like to know something about his background, his likes and dislikes."

"And," Mason went on, "I found you had enjoyed a very successful career here in Riverside over the past fourteen years."

Winlock merely inclined his head in a grave gesture of dignified assent.