The Case of the Phantom Fortune Author:Erle Stanley Gardner " 'I want your man Drake to find out who made that fingerprint.' — 'You think the person who made that fingerprint will be at the dinner tonight?' Mason asked. Horace Warren nodded. — 'And you want me to find out who that person is and then protect your wife against that person?' — Warren nodded again. — 'How much expense do I incur?' — 'Any expense... more » within reason.'
'Up to what limit?'
'There is no limit.'
'Usually,' Perry Mason explained, 'legitimate, law-abiding citizens are not subject to blackmail unless there is something in their past that would leave them vulnerable. I take it that in the case of your wife...'
'Take what?' Warren asked irascibly.
'That there would hardly be such a past.
'Why not?' Warren rasped. 'I married Lorna because I loved her. I didn't inquire into her past.'
'In other words, her past is something of a mystery?'
'Her past is a closed book. Just protect her against the person who made that fingerprint. Here is my check. I'll see you at dinner tonight.'"« less