«Well,» Virginia said, «I'm going to get at those files, tie them up again and I think I'd better take some of them with me, if you have no objection.»

«Take them all if you want,» he said. «I can't be here all the time and if there's anything important in those papers, people could sneak in while I'm out in the fields someplace and get hold of them.»

She asked, «Have you ever heard of Perry Mason, the attorney?»

«I'll say I have. I've read a lot about him.»

«Well,» Virginia said, «he's my lawyer. He's advising me, and I'm going to get in touch with him and do exactly as he says.

«I was going to clean up all these files and put them in boxes, but I don't have time now. I'm just grabbing this file with these numbers-let's look around and see if there are any more of these files here that have numbers between five thousand and six thousand.»

Virginia scooped up a number of filing jackets that were all together and had numbers between five and six thousand. Then she and Julian made a hasty search for any other papers numbered within those brackets.

«They seem to have been all together in that bunch,» Julian said.

«All right,» Virginia told him. «Now, I'm going to rush these in to Mr. Mason's office. I want to get in there before lunch, if possible. Will you do the best you can to see that these others aren't disturbed while I'm gone?»

«You want me to put them in boxes?» Julian asked. «I'm sort of busy this time of year, what with irrigation and-«

«No,» she said, «just leave them the way they are, if you can. But put a lock on the door-you know, a padlock. Try to keep anyone from coming in the barn.

«If anyone should try to get in, be sure to get his license number and make him give you proof of his identity. Ask to see his driving license.»

«Will do,» Julian said, grinning. «You don't want to go in the house and change into jeans and blouse?»

«No, there isn't time. I'm on my way. I hope I didn't get too dusty. Goodbye.»

«Goodbye, ma'am,» he said, and then added, «I know how much my brother thought of you and I guess he sure was a good judge of character.»

She flashed him a smile, jumped in her car, placed the carton with the five-to-six thousand classification in the back seat, and took off.

It was shortly after noon when Virginia reached Perry Mason's office.

Gertie, the receptionist, said, «Hello, Miss Baxter, they're expecting you, but I'd better give them a buzz and let them know you're here.»

Gertie buzzed the phone, and a moment later Della Street came out and said, «Right this way, Virginia. We have some news for you.»

Virginia followed Della Street into Mason's private office to find the lawyer frowning thoughtfully, «We've traced your mysterious visitor, Virginia,» Mason said. «The one who gave you the name of George Menard. \Ve traced him through his parking at the fireplug. We went through all the parking tickets issued by the officer who patrols that district. There were three fireplug parking tickets. One of them was for a license number ODT 062. That car is registered to a man whose description is very similar to that of the man who called on you.»

«Who is he?»

«His real name is George Eagan, and he is employed as a chauffeur for Lauretta Trent. So we did a little checking and-«

«Lauretta Trent?» Virginia exclaimed.

«You know her?» Mason asked.

«Why, we did some legal work for her and-Why, yes, I'm quite certain we made at least one will for her. I have rather a vague memory that it was an unusual will. The relatives were given rather small amounts, all things considered, and there was an outsider who got the bulk of the estate. It may have been a nurse-or a doctor. Heavens! It could have been the chauffeur!»

Mason said, «We've found out some rather interesting things.»

«About the chauffeur?»

«About Lauretta Trent. She has recently had three attacks of so-called food poisoning. The hospital records describe them as gastroenteric upsets.»

Virginia said, «I've got all the old copies of wills locked in my car down in the parking lot, Mr. Mason, if it would help any…»

«It will help a lot,» Mason said. «I'm going to introduce you to Paul Drake, our detective. He handles all our investigative work; he's head of the Drake Detective Agency, which is on this floor-Give him a ring, will you please, Della?»

Della Street asked Gertie for an outside line. Her fingers flew over the dial. After a moment, she said, «Paul, Della. Perry would like to have you come to the office right away, if you can.»

Della smiled and hung up. «He'll be here within a matter of seconds.»

And it was only a matter of seconds before Paul Drake's code knock sounded on the door.

Della opened the door and let him in.

«Paul,» Mason said, «this is Virginia Baxter. You probably don't know it but she's the client whom I've been representing and is the reason you have been doing this investigative work.»

«I see,» Drake said, smiling at Virginia. «Pleased to meet you, Miss Baxter.»

Mason said, «She has some papers locked in her car down in the parking lot. Could you help her bring them up?»

«How heavy?» Drake asked. «Do I need anyone to help me?»

«Oh, no,» she said, «it's a bundle of papers probably twenty inches thick. But one man can lift them.»

«Let's go,» Drake said.

«There's one more thing I wanted to tell you, Mr. Mason,» Virginia said. «While I was away from Julian Bannock's ranch, or farm, or whatever you call it, and telephoning you and getting ready to go back and get those papers, this man showed up at the ranch.»

«What man?»

«The one who called on me. Eagan, you say he is, the chauffeur for Mrs. Trent.»

«And what did he want?»

«He wanted to look at some of the old files of Delano Bannock. Julian-that's the brother-told him to wait, that I was going to be back there within a few minutes.»

«And what happened?»

«The man jumped in his car and drove off, going fast.»

«I see,» Mason said, and nodded to Drake. «Let's get those papers, Paul.»

Drake accompanied Virginia to the parking lot. She unlocked her car. Drake picked up the files in the card- board carton, hoisted the carton to his shoulder and they returned to Mason's office.

Mason said, «Let's look at the file listed under 'T' and see what you have. Let's see, you have 'T-1,' 'T-2,' 'T-3,' 'T-4,' 'T-5'; just what do those mean?»

«That's the way I kept the wills under 'T.' 'T-1' would be the first five letters of the alphabet. In other words, 'TA,' 'T-B,' 'T-C,' 'T-D,' 'T-E'; then, 'T-2' would be the next five letters.»

«I see,» Mason said. «Well, let's look under the 'T-4' and see if we can find any papers relating to Lauretta Trent.»

Mason spread the files out on the desk and Mason, Della Street, Paul Drake and Virginia Baxter started rapidly going through the files.

«Well,» Mason said, after a few minutes' search, «apparently we have a lot of copies of wills here, but no copy of a will made for Lauretta Trent.»

«But we did her work, we made at least one will for her,» Virginia said.

«And,» Mason said, «George Eagan was making inquiries as to the location of the carbon copies of Delano Bannock's files, and George Eagan is Lauretta Trent's chauffeur.»

Mason turned to Paul Drake, «What hospital was Lauretta Trent in when she had her so-called digestive upsets?»

«Phillips Memorial Hospital,» Drake said.

Mason nodded to the phone, «Get them on the line, please, Della.»

Della Street asked for an outside line, got a number and whirled the dial. A moment later she nodded to Mason.

Mason picked up the phone, «Phillips Memorial Hospital?» he asked.

«Yes.»

«This is Perry Mason, the attorney,» the lawyer said. «I would like to get some information on one of your patients.»