The Case of the Long-Legged Models

“Seems Stephanie Falkner, the attractive young woman whose father was murdered some time back in a case which so far has never been solved, received some threats which caused Perry Mason considerable concern. Homer Garvin, the high-powered used car salesman, and Stephanie had at one time been quite ga-ga. It is to be presumed that Garvin’s recent marriage terminated the romance, but apparently not the friendship.

“When the noted lawyer called to Homer Garvin’s attention the fact that Stephanie might be in danger, Garvin promptly produced a gun and suggested that Miss Falkner be given an adequate means of protection.

“Perry Mason was all in favor of the deal, and picked up the gun to test the balance, and decide whether the mechanism functioned perfectly.

“It functioned.

“The result was considerable excitement in the offices of the used car dealer, a long deep furrow, ploughed in the veneered desk, and a rather red face on the noted attorney.

“Inasmuch as Mason’s face rarely becomes red, the occasion was considered unique by an interested but somewhat apprehensive audience. However, all’s well that ends well, and, since police have been wondering whether the gun which they found in Stephanie Falkner’s apartment with one exploded shell in the mechanism had been used in connection with a homicide, it gives this column great pleasure to point out that they need look no farther than Homer Garvin’s desk to find the bullet that is missing.

“It was reported that the used car dealer had been planning on having a new desk installed immediately, but as salesmen piloted in a procession of potential customers to view the damages, and the customers somehow affixed their signatures on dotted lines before leaving the place, Garvin has decided to feature the ‘wounded’ desk as his main attraction — sort of a corpus deskus.”