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The Case of the Shoplifters Shoe

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It starts raining, so Perry Mason and Della Street enter a department store for lunch. Della notices a white-haired woman standing by a window. Perry says she is a shoplifter, and the man following her is a store detective! A younger woman joins her at a table. Perry walks over to help resolve this problem. The younger woman, Virginia Trent, pays for the goods picked up by her aunt Sarah Breel. It seems like just one of life's adventures (Chapter 1). Later Virginia Trent shows up at Perry's office to tell about a real problem. Uncle George Trent, Sarah's brother, has disappeared on a bender, and the diamonds entrusted to him on consignment have also disappeared! Austin Cullens returned for these diamonds and they discovered the loss. Ione Bedford shows up, she is the owner of these antique diamonds. Cullens says George Trent pawned the diamonds to cover his gambling losses. This is a complex case by Chapter 2.

Cullens says a gambling joint was given the jewels by George Trent. Sarah Breel has also disappeared. They learn that Sarah was hit by a car and taken to a hospital. The police found diamonds in Sarah's bag, and a gun. Austin Cullens lives right where the accident happened (Chapter 3). When Perry and Paul Drake got to visit Cullens, they find him shot dead in a darkened house! They call the police (Chapter 4). Sarah Breel is now the prime suspect in Cullens' murder. When Perry visits George Trent's office he finds red stains on a packing case. George Trent is no longer missing, but can't tell any tales. Sergeant Holcomb shows up, he is investigating George Trent. There is quite a lot of action in the first few chapters.

Sarah is well enough to ask for Perry Mason as her lawyer after suffering from a concussion that prevents her from remembering anything from around the time of the accident. Perry and Paul Drake continue their investigation into the people involved with George Trent and Austin Cullens. They find suspicious people and activities, some of which have a bearing on this case. Those diamonds may have been stolen, which places a new light on Cullens' activities and his associates. Perry explains the law about self-defense in a man's house (Chapter 13). Chapter 15 has an example where a prosecutor prepares a witness for trial testimony. The trial begins in Chapter 16. The strategy of the defense and the prosecution is explained. The ballistic expert testifies about the examination of the bullet found in each body. Perry notices a discrepancy in the testimony; could there be a problem in matching a bullet to the gun? Is there a conflict between estimated time of death and the alibi of one person? The investigators return to Cullens' house and find new evidence (Chapter 17). The jury returns a 'not guilty' verdict (Chapter 18).

Perry visits the rural hotel where Della and Virginia Trent are staying. Virginia tells what really happened, and what Aunt Sarah couldn't remember. The police are looking for Cullens' associates. There will be no further legal problems for Sarah Trent Breel of Virginia Trent. This is a very fast moving and complex story, one of Gardner's best even if the murder goes unsolved.