The Case of the Rolling Bones

The Case of the Rolling Bones, by Erle Stanley Gardner One morning Perry Mason is visited by three people. Phyllis Leeds is the niece and secretary of Alden Leeds. Emily Milicant is the girlfriend of Alden Leeds. Ned Barkler is a friend and fellow Klondike prospector. Phyllis Leeds thinks Uncle Alden wrote out a big check, and this could be used to have Alden declared incompetent by the other relatives who want to get their hands on his fortune. They want Perry Mason to investigate this financial transaction. Paul Drake found the name of the girl who cashed that check, but she left town in a hurry. Drake traced Maria Whittaker to L. C. Conway, who also moved away. But Phyllis Leeds calls with a crisis: one relative has taken Uncle Alden for a ride and put him in a sanitarium! Perry will serve a writ of habeas corpus on Jason Carrel, the nephew. Perry and Drake talk to Marcia Whittaker, who was used to cash that big check. Chapter 4 has the habeas corpus hearing. The other side of the family has their lawyer. Alden Leeds was hospitalized against his will. Judge Treadwell goes to make a personal examination, but they find Alden Leeds has fled! When Perry is stopped for speeding, he tells the cops he's going to a fire - in his office! It's true (Chapter 5). They learn that Emily Milicant had been a Klondike dance hall girl 30 years earlier. Alden Leeds isn't at home, but knows how to take care of himself. In Chapter 7 Drake's operatives are watching L. C. Conway's apartment, and they note who showed up, and the time they left. Perry gets a call from Marcia Whittaker, and the identity of L. C. Conway is revealed. Her boyfriend, John Milicant, will never be angry again. Chapter 8 presents the facts and clues behind the murder. [I noticed the innocuous statement that seemed to point to the guilty person here.] Other facts are given about the backgrounds of the people involved. A handwriting expert gives his opinion about two samples. Perry's conversation with Guy T. Serle brings out facts about L. C. Conway and the events of that night (Chapter 9). Chapter 10 has the Klondike history of Alden Leeds, and Bill Hogarty. Perry moves fast to guard his client and obtain more information. Chapter 11 has the preliminary hearing, where all the witnesses testify and are examined. This is where Perry Mason demonstrates his knowledge, and where his client is usually freed after the testimony and evidence point to the guilty person. There is a recess, and Perry Mason gathers more information about the murder, and the events that occurred decades earlier in the Klondike. But the police quickly find the missing witnesses, as they are wire-tapping Paul Drake's telephone as well as Perry Mason's! When court resumes the next morning, Perry cross-examines a prosecution witness to reveal the truth. Perry says any iron-clad alibi in a murder case should be inspected closely since they should never be taken at their face value (Chapter 14). The loose ends of this story

You may be able to guess the truth (what really happened and who the real murderer is) without much difficulty. However, guessing is one thing, proving it is another,especially when the one-track-minded authorities (police and prosecution) firmly believe that they are absolutely right. Mason uses a risky, but very splendid court tactics to prove the truth. It is one of THE MOST SPLENDID tactics in all Mason stories. Highly recommended.