Chapter 15 Chapter Fourteen

Della was waiting for Mason when he arrived at the office. "You never come home?" Mason asked. "Do you know what time it is?" "I know," she said. "Ever eaten?" "No." "How can this work!" Della said, "There's someone waiting for you in the office outside." "Who?" Mason asked. "I thought you'd want to see him, that's why I told him to wait. He's Jason Blair." "Rosanna Andrews' fiancé?" She nodded. "Della, what kind of man is he?" "A very decent man, clean and a little reserved—a very nice young man, who exudes noble breeding . . . in short, a promising young man."

"You have a good impression of him!" said Mason. "Yes," Della said. "You'll think he's nice too." "Let's just meet him!" Mason said. "What is his purpose?" "He said it was a purely personal matter, and I didn't pursue it." "Bring him in," Mason said. "Let me follow up, and then we'll get something to eat." Not long after Della went out, she led Jason Blair in.He was tall, with black curly hair, deep features, focused eyes, and an athletic build. "Mr. Blair, this is Mr. Mason," she said.

Blair and Mason shook hands. "What can I do for you?" Mason asked. "It's getting late..." "I know," Blair cut him off. "However, I have been waiting for a while. Sorry, the timing and method of my visit may be very special, because of the unusual relationship between my purpose." Mason nodded. "Sit down, please," he said. "Speak slowly and clearly." "I have come to a firm conclusion from various leads," Blair said. "Go on," Mason said. "That ransom note was meant for Roseanne," Blair said. "This is the first time the gangsters have blackmailed, because they have information that can embarrass Roseanne."

"What message?" Mason asked. "I believe my brother Charlton is alive and involved in something that would embarrass the Blair family, although it could have been worse." "And then?" Mason said. "So when I read in the papers about someone picking up a coffee can in the lake near Bancroft's house, I just put together a synopsis myself." "Go on," Mason said. "Tell me, what doubts do you have?" "Just a little bit," Blair said. "That's what I love about Roseanne, and I'm sure she's looking for it too. If the Blairs do have a black sheep, let's face it, spending money to fix the disaster won't solve the problem. I don't want anyone trying to make my family feel bad , and go to compromise with the gangsters. If the Bancrofts feel unable to face such a scandal, they can postpone the wedding or even cancel the engagement. Conversely, as long as they can face the reality, I can face it too."

"What does your family think?" Mason asked. "I believe my family thinks the same as I do, that surrendering to the gangsters is not going to solve anything." "Has anyone ever blackmailed you?" Mason asked. "I really don't know," Jason Blair said, thinking back. "I got a phone call and the guy asked me what would happen if I knew my brother was alive? The guy was very mysterious, so of course I didn't pay much attention to him." "Didn't he ask for a sum of money to keep the news out?" Mason asked. "Not at all. It was a weird call, and the other party hung up all of a sudden."

"But what he said bothered you a little." "yes." "Have you mentioned this to Roseanne?" Mason asked. "No, I want to see you before I see her. I'm going to tell you that I'm willing to face reality no matter what." "Why did you come to me?" Mason asked. "Because I know from Roseanne that you're doing something for their family." "Why don't you discuss this at length with Roseanne?" "I tried to look for her last night, but I couldn't find it." "did not find?" "yes."

"Where did you find her?" "Their home in the city and the villa by the lake." "Is she not on either side?" "yes." "Did she tell you that she would go out?" "No." "Don't you know where she went last night?" "I called her today and she said something serious happened and she didn't want to speak to me at the moment," Blair said. "That's right," Mason said. "You said you wanted to find her last night, where were you then?" "I called first," Blair said. "I then drove to her home by the lake and downtown."

"Did you go to the yacht club?" Mason asked. Blair hesitated for a while before looking squarely at Mason and saying, "Yes." "See something?" Blair hesitated for a moment. "Go ahead!" said Mason. "I saw Mrs Bancroft's car parked outside the yacht club but not Mrs Bancroft and their yacht. I thought she might be out on the yacht and Roseanne might be with her mum. So I asked people, and they told me that Mrs. Bancroft had been to the Yacht Club with a young man. I drove around the harbor again, and when I came back, Mrs. Bancroft's car was gone. By then the fog had turned It's so thick you can't see anything."

"Was anyone with you at that time?" Mason asked. "No, it's just me." "What time did you get home?" "so late." "During this time, have you been looking for Roseanne?" "yes." Mason sighed and said wearily, "The police may ask you for questioning. Don't hide anything, but don't add your guesses, just tell the truth." "The police?" Blair said. "What does this have to do with the police? Are they going to ask me about blackmail?" "They'll ask you where you were last night, what you know, where you've been, and whether the Bancrofts have said anything to you."

"How do I answer that?" Blair asked. "Honestly!" said Mason. "But you don't need to state your inferences, just tell them the facts, and they will infer." "Are the police looking into this extortion case?" Blair asked. Mason said, "No, they're looking into another case." "Another case? You mean, another blackmail case?" Mason stared at Blair and said, "It's a murder." Blair froze for a while, and then his face became paler and paler. "Murder?" he said. "Yes," Mason said. "Who is it? How could..."

"Someone stole the Bancroft family's yacht last night. Apparently after floating for a while, the yacht ran aground somewhere in the sand at the front of the harbour. When the sheriff came on board this morning, a body was found." "Corpse!" Blair exclaimed. "My God! Isn't it from the Bancrofts? It's not..." "No," Mason said. "It's a young man who probably has a criminal record." "Could it be... Charlton?" "No," Mason said. "It's someone else." "How did the body end up on the boat?" "That's where nobody knows," Mason said. "You've told me all you wanted to say, and I've told you all I can say." Mason stood up and held out his hand. "Good-bye, Mr. Blair, and thank you for making this trip." Blair hesitated for a long time before reaching out to shake hands. His hands are cold. "Goodbye, Mr. Mason." After he finished speaking, he walked out through the door Della opened for him, looking like a prisoner about to be executed.