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〃All right；〃 Paul Drake said； 〃give。 What about the fifty thousand？〃
Mason said； 〃I want a search made for that handbag。 I want the officers to make the search。 I think they'll do it now。
〃Now then； Paul； here's where you go to work。 I should have thought of this before。〃
Drake pulled out his notebook。
Mason said； 〃Lauretta Trent was intending to have Eagan turn the car to the left and drive up to the Saint's Rest Motel。 She had a reason for going there。
〃When Virginia told me that Lauretta Trent had telephoned her and told her to go to the Saint's Rest Motel and wait there for her； I felt that perhaps Virginia had been victimized by the old trick of having some third party identify himself or herself over the telephone and； since the telephone doesn't transmit the personal appearance of the person talking； it's a very easy matter to deceive someone in a case of that sort。
〃However； the fact that Lauretta Trent did intend to turn to the left and go up that road is strongly indicative of the fact that she had telephoned Virginia Baxter。
〃Now； why had she telephoned her？〃
Drake shrugged his shoulders； and Mason went on。
〃It was either because she wanted to give Virginia some information； on the one hand； or get some information from Virginia； on the other。 The strong probabilities are she wanted to get some information from Virginia。
〃Now； someone must have overheard that telephone conversation。 There's not much chance that the telephone line could have been tapped。 Therefore； someone must have heard the conversation at one end of the line or the other。 Either someone was listening in Virginia Baxter's apartment； which isn't likely； or someone was listening at the place where Lauretta Trent telephoned。〃
Drake nodded。
〃That person； knowing that Virginia Baxter was going to drive her car to the Saint's Rest； went up to the Saint's Rest； waited until Virginia had parked her car and was inside the motel room。 Then that person took Virginia's car； drove it down to the coast highway and waited for Lauretta Trent to e along to keep her appointment。
〃That person was a very skillful driver。 He hit the Trent car just hard enough to throw it to one side of the road and then speeded up； threw the rear of the Baxter car into a skid which knocked the Trent car pletely out of control。
〃Then that person drove the crippled Baxter car up to the Saint's Rest Motel and parked it。
〃Because other tenants had moved in in the meantime； the parking space where Virginia had parked her car was filled up； so he had to select another parking space。〃
〃Well？〃 Drake asked。
〃Then；〃 Mason said； 〃he presumably picked up his own car； drove it back down to the highway and into oblivion。〃
Drake nodded； 〃That； of course； is obvious。〃
〃But is it？〃 Mason said。 〃He couldn't tell about the timing element。 He couldn't tell whether someone riding along behind got the plete license number of Virginia Baxter's car instead of just the last two numbers。 He had to have a second string to his bow。〃
〃I don't get it；〃 Drake said。
Mason said； 〃He had to have it so he could conceal himself in the event he didn't have time to get back down to the highway。 Now； how would he do that？〃
〃That's simple；〃 Drake said。 〃He'd rent a unit at the Saint's Rest Motel。〃
〃That；〃 Mason said； 〃is where you e in。 I want you to go to the Saint's Rest Motel； check the registrations； get the license numbers of each automobile and run down the owners。 See if you can get a line on anyone who checked in and then left without sleeping in the bed。 If so； get a description。〃
Drake snapped his notebook shut。 〃All right；〃 he said； 〃that's a job； but we'll get on it。 I'll put a bunch of men on it and…〃
〃Wait a minute；〃 Mason said。 〃You're not finished yet。〃
〃No？〃 Drake asked。
Mason said； 〃Let's look at what happened after the car was crowded off the road； Paul。〃
〃There were big rocks there；〃 Drake said。 〃The chauffeur fought for control and lost out。 The car toppled over into the ocean…you couldn't have picked a more perfect spot for it。 I've checked it carefully。 The road makes a left…hand curve there。 As soon as you get off the shoulder； there are rocks…some of them eighteen inches in diameter…just regular rough boulders。 There's only about ten feet between the road and the sheer drop straight down to the ocean。
〃At that point there's an almost perpendicular cliff。 The highway construction crews had to blast a road out of that cliff。 It rises two hundred feet above the road on the left and it drops straight into the ocean on the right。〃
〃Presumably；〃 Mason said； 〃that's why this particular spot was chosen。 It would be a perfect place to crowd a car off the road。〃
〃That； of course；〃 Drake said； grinning； 〃is elemental； my dear Holmes。〃
〃Exactly； my dear Watson；〃 Mason said。 〃But what happened to Lauretta Trent？ The chauffeur told her to jump。 Presumably she tried to get out of the car。 The door on the left rear was unlatched。 There was no body in the car； therefore； she must have been thrown clear。〃
〃Well；〃 Drake asked； 〃what does that buy us？〃
〃Her missing handbag；〃 Mason said。 〃When a woman jumps from an automobile； she hardly bothers to take her handbag with her unless it contains a very； very large amount of money or something that is very； very valuable。
〃That was why I had to find out from Eagan whether or not she was carrying something of great value。 If she had a large sum of money or something of great value in her handbag； it's quite natural that she'd have told the chauffeur to be alert。
〃Yet Eagan's surprise was too natural to be feigned。 We're forced to the conclusion that； if there was anything of value in her purse or handbag； he knew nothing about it。
〃Yet； when Lauretta Trent was faced with that moment of supreme emergency； that moment of great danger； she either grabbed up her handbag from the seat before trying to jump； or it was washed out of the car…otherwise it would be in the car。
〃Now； my questioning about fifty thousand dollars being in the handbag will spur the police to go back and make a desperate search for that handbag with divers and submarine illumination。 If the handbag is lying there among the rocks on the floor of the ocean； they'll find it。 A body would be carried away by the ocean currents； a handbag would be trapped in the rocks。〃
Drake gave a low whistle。
〃Then； of course；〃 Mason said； 〃we e to the peculiar conduct of the heirs。 Someone was trying to get Virginia to furnish a forged will which could be planted in the office copies of Bannock's wills。〃
〃That is the thing that gets me；〃 Drake said。 〃With a perfectly good will in their possession； why should anyone want to plant a forged will？〃
〃That；〃 Mason said； 〃is what we are going to have to find out…and find out before ten o'clock tomorrow morning。〃
〃And why the second spurious will？〃 Drake asked。
〃That；〃 Mason said； 〃is good practice in will forgeries； Paul。 If in some way forged will number two is knocked out； then forged will number one has to be faced。
〃Heirs are much more willing to promise when they have two difficult hurdles to jump。〃
〃Well；〃 Drake said； 〃it's too much for me。 I not only don't think we have the right answer； b