"( noirish jazz theme playing )" "( pleasant theme playing )" "( pleasant theme playing )" "Hello, Kathi." "( closes door )" "You didn't even meet me at the bus stop." "What did you... come back for?" "You." "No, Phil." "I wrote you." "One letter, right at the beginning, when I first got to jail." "It" " It was fresh in your mind." "I don't want to go over it all." "All right." "But I'll tell you again for the last time, that Aggie Norris ne" " Never meant anything in my life." "Not after you and I got married." "I love you, Kathi." "I never stopped loving you through all the horror of those last 10 months." "Now, I don't care what the town thinks or says." "They say that-- That you got off easy." "A year in jail for killing Aggie." "I didn't kill her." "The car skidded." "I only had one drink." "You know that." "Uh, I was wrong having an argument with you in the restaurant." "And I was wrong offering to drive Aggie back to town, but that's between you and me." "And I've waited 10 months to come and ask you to please forgive me, Kathi." "( softly ):" "No." "( normal voice ):" "No." "We only had four months together, Kathi." "Four months." "W-- We hardly had time to get to know each other." "( phone ringing )" "Hello." "( man speaking indistinctly )" "Yes." "He's here." "Oh, no." "What?" "No." "( man hangs up )" "Ward Lewis?" "He said" "He said somebody saw you getting off the bus." "He said...to tell you to get out of town." "He said he hasn't forgotten that you killed Aggie, and neither has anyone else." "( sobbing ):" "You can't stay here, they all hate you." "I'm not leaving without you, Kathi." "( dramatic theme playing )" "( unsettling theme playing )" "It's Room 11, upstairs." "Happen to have a reservation--?" "( door closes ) MAN:" "Beecher." "We don't want any drunken murderers in this town." "Why" "Stop it." "Stop it!" "You ought to have more sense, Ward Lewis." "WARD:" "I ought to?" "He should, comin' back here." "What he did is past now." "He paid for what he did." "The law said he's finished with it, and I say let's be finished with it too." "Not me." "I'm not finished." "Get out." "All of you." "Seems kind of funny, you defending me, Charlotte." "Hating you won't bring my sister back." "Good luck, Phil." "I really wish you luck." "I know what you must be going through." "If there's anything I can do," "I'm working over at the mill office." "If my father comes in, will you tell him I'm working tonight, Willie?" "Sure, Miss Charlotte." "( door opens ) Charlotte?" "Charlotte Norris." "( door closes )" "Hey, aren't you Mr. Perry Mason?" "Mm, yes." "This is the first time I've seen Charlotte." "She's been back East." "Of course." "I knew her sister." "That's right." "Uh... you and the sheriff go hunting together." "Mm-hm." "Aggie's accident was about a year ago." "That's what all the ruckus was about." "That Phil Beecher took her driving when he was drunk, smashed his car up, killed her, never got a scratch on him." "Sometimes there's a scar you can't see." "That Charlotte must be quite a girl." "With Aggie her sister, and her understanding and forgiving like that, you bet." "But I ain't forgot Phil Beecher so easy." "Well, let's see, Mr. Mason." "Your room's upstairs." "Sheriff will sure be glad to see you." "He's back." "On schedule." "You saw him?" "He has a room at the lodge." "It couldn't have worked out better." "I had to pull him and Ward Lewis apart." "How I wanted to see Ward smash his face in." "Beecher doesn't suspect anything?" "Look, I tell you, I even stuck up for him." "Everything else is all set." "The payroll money, the ledgers." "Everything." "Forty-thousand dollars, Charlotte." "We've waited a long time for this, honey." "I'm ready." "I-I'm laying myself wide open for you." "Got regrets?" "Not so far." "There's nothing but good things for us in the future." "It's time." "( dialing )" "Hello." "Phil Beecher, please." "Phil?" "Charlotte." "Oh." "Yes, Charlotte." "I was just going over the company books, and I noticed a notation from the main office." "They used one of my suggestions?" "It did?" "How much?" "Oh, about $225." "It's marked unpaid on the books." "I don't see any reason why you shouldn't have it." "After all, that's what the company's employee suggestion system is for." "Well, that's mighty nice of you, Charlotte." "And I sure can use the money." "Look, I'm working on the payroll this evening with Mr. Thurston, the manager." "We should be finished about 9." "Why don't you drop by then?" "I'll be there with bells on." "I'll leave the side door open." "You know which one it is." "Just walk in." "Fine, Phil." "See you then." "( sighs )" "( sniffles )" "Ah." "( blows nose )" "( woman speaking indistinctly )" "Hello." "This is Mrs. Thurston." "I didn't know you were working late tonight too, Charlotte." "Your wife." "Beecher will be here soon." "Yes, Judith." "What is it?" "You didn't tell me Charlotte Norris is working with you." "But, honey, you know she always works with me on payrolls." "Yes, dear." "I-I'll pick them up at Tepper's." "Tissues and, uh... nose drops, yes." "Yes, dear." "Yes." "Oh, no time." "You've got to go now." "W" " We haven't overlooked anything?" "Everything is all set?" "All set." "All ready for him." "Go on, Norman." "All we have to do is do it." "We get the $40,000 payroll, and Beecher gets the blame." "Good luck." "Well, if it's too early, Perry, make it 5:00 in the morning." "I'm not worried about getting up so early." "It's going to bed so early." "It's only 20 minutes after 9." "May I have the key, please?" "Come 20 minutes after 9 tomorrow evening, after a long day out in the open with a gun, you'll be more willing." "Thanks for the dinner, Perry." "Oh, it was my pleasure, Gene." "Thank you." "You'll call me at 4, then, huh?" "Yeah." "Good night, Gene." "Yeah." "Oh, sheriff." "Hello, Mr. Thurston." "Closed up already?" "Charlotte asked me to tell you she'll be, uh, a little late." "Isn't she making up the payroll?" "That's right." "Alone?" "Oh, she'll be all right." "Beecher's stopping by to" "CLERK:" "Beecher?" "Beecher walked out of here just a little while ago, sheriff." "Don't like the idea of her being alone with Beecher and all that money." "( line clicks ) Hello." "Hello?" "Hello, Charlotte." "( gunshot ) ( ominous theme playing )" "W-what was that?" "Sounded like a shot." "A pistol shot." "Hello." "Hello!" "( siren wailing )" "( siren wailing )" "Charlotte?" "Is she dead?" "I've outlived my children." "The safe is open." "Beecher." "Anybody see Beecher?" "Was supposed to be here." "Maybe he was here." "Killed Charlotte and took off with our payroll money." "NORRIS:" "Ward." "I want you to stay here." "Nobody's to go in or out of this office." "Nothing's to be touched." "( phone rings )" "Okay, Gene, I'm up." "Seems as though I just hit the bed." "All right" " Huh?" "( woman speaking indistinctly )" "Who is this?" "This is Katherine Beecher, Mr. Mason." "And I'm very sorry to disturb you like th" " What?" "It's" " It's quarter after 11." "Mr. Mason, something dreadful has happened... and..." "I heard that you were in town, and I don't have anyone to turn to." "Take it easy, Mrs. Beecher." "What's happened?" "What can I do for you?" "Well, it's" "I-it's my fault, Mr. Mason." "I" " I sent him away." "If" " If I'd told him to stay home, he wouldn't have gone out." "M" " My husband didn't kill" "Charlotte Norris, Mr. Mason." "He didn't." "Uh, I'll be right down." "( somber theme playing )" "Sure, it was a frame-up." "She had it planned all along." "She just wanted to get back at me for Aggie." "All this time it's been festering in her." "Tell me what happened." "Well, the side door was open, just like she said it would be." "I went in." "She was working on some books." "She gave you the suggestion money?" "The $225?" "Yes, she did." "Then what?" "Well, I" "I thanked her." "We had a few words." "I" "I told her how sorry I was about Aggie again." "Go on." "Well, I said goodbye and started to leave." "And the next thing I knew, there was a roar of a gun, and... felt as if someone had hit my arm with a sledgehammer." "And what happened then?" "The shot staggered me." "I turned." "She was aiming again." "I knew if I tried to run, that bullet would hit me right in the back." "So I just jumped over the desk right into her, and... she went over backward, and everything went flying" "There was only one shot?" "( breathing raggedly )" "Yes." "And the bullet went right through your arm?" "Yes." "And she was alone when you left?" "Yes, sir." "She was unconscious." "She'd hit her head." "But she was alive, all right." "What time was this?" "I don't know." "A" " Little after 9, I guess." "Do you have the $225?" "Yeah, all but $20 of it." "I gave Kathi a bill to get some bandages and things." "All right, let's go." "Where?" "Well, you are gonna turn yourself in, aren't you, Mr. Beecher?" "Look, this town's got me pegged for robbery and murder." "They're after blood." "Please, Phil." "I'll stand by you." "Don't you know what they're gonna say, Kathi?" "Everything was fine up here while I was in jail... but the day I get out" "The day I get out, the payroll is stolen and Charlotte is killed." "Well, Mr. Beecher?" "( tender theme playing ) Please?" "All right, Mr. Mason." "My life's in your hands." "( dramatic theme playing )" "( ominous theme playing )" "Morning, Perry." "Gene." "Beecher killed my girl." "Why'd he kill her, Gene?" "For money." "For $43,267." "What the bimonthly payroll added up to." "Did you find the money?" "Enough." "A $20 bill." "How do you know it came from the payroll?" "The serial numbers were recorded." "Beecher said that Charlotte called him and told him she had some bonus money for him." "That's why he came here last night." "Thurston." "Tell him." "Why did Beecher come here last night?" "Charlotte said he wanted to talk to her." "NORRIS:" "Did she have any money for him?" "No." "W-why should she?" "For an employee- suggestion bonus." "Is that what Beecher says?" "Who listed the serial numbers on the payroll money?" "Well, actually, only the 20s are listed." "Our bank in Comstock City does that." "NORRIS:" "Okay." "Thanks, Norman." "You're not letting circumstances build up something in your mind, are you, Gene?" "Sure, circumstances that make up evidence." "Facts that add in." "His fingerprints are all over the place." "The wound in his arm-- How many shots were fired?" "Two." "He killed her while I listened on the phone." "He wanted that payroll money, and she resisted." "She took the gun out of her desk, fired at him and wounded him." "While the phone was ringing-- my phone call" "as she managed to pick up the receiver, he grabbed the gun away from her and shot her." "Couldn't it have been someone else who shot her?" "Who else has a bullet in his arm?" "Who else resorted to flight?" "Who else has been found with the payroll money?" "He killed both of my children, Perry." "He's a mad dog." "There are people in town who are saying he ought to be treated like one." "Put out of the way..." "right now." "Do you have enough protection at the jail?" "Ward." "He's there." "Leave us alone, Mrs. Beecher." "Why?" "Mr. Norris said I could stay here." "Okay." "Look, Beecher, you got over $40,000 stashed away somewhere." "And you want out of here so it'll do you some good." "Well, you just can't have both." "So make up your mind which." "I don't get you." "Tell me where the money is, and I'll fix it so you can escape." "Get a real good head start." "I don't know where the money is." "I haven't got it." "Talk it over." "The only way out of here is through there." "There's no way out through the courtroom." "Beecher, you're not gonna get away with murder twice." "He really believes that you killed Charlotte and took the payroll money." "Or that's what he wants me to think." "What do you mean, Phil?" "He hates me." "Lewis?" "!" "WARD:" "Yeah, Beecher?" "You left the door unlocked." "I'm not gonna try to escape, Lewis." "You're not gonna put a bullet in my back." "Of course, there's one other thing you can do." "You can tell Norris where the money is and tell him I tried to buy my way out." "Only that'll cost you the money, won't it, Lewis?" "That is... if you stole it and killed Charlotte." "( locking door )" "Goodbye, Beecher." "( dramatic theme playing )" "( somber theme playing )" "( bell over door rings )" "Yes?" "Good morning, Mr. Tepper." "My name is Mason." "I know it is." "Could you tell me something about that $20 bill that you said Mrs. Beecher gave you?" "Oh, I told everything there was to tell to the sheriff." "Did you tell him what she bought?" "Iodine, gauze, adhesive." "What time was this?" "About a quarter to 10." "It weren't more than ten minutes later" "I learned about the killing." "Do you usually stay open that late at night?" "I got a night bell." "I sleep in the back." "Well, what time do you usually close?" "Eight o'clock." "Except Saturdays I close at 10." "Everybody knows I'm in the back if I ain't out front." "Store's open practically 24 hours." "( door opens, bell over door rings )" "Morning, Mrs. Thurston." "I need some tissues, Mr. Tepper." "Mm." "And some nose drops." "My husband was supposed to bring them home last night, but it went right out of his head as soon as he left the mill." "TEPPER:" "This here is Mr. Perry Mason of Los Angeles." "You're going to defend Philip Beecher, aren't you?" "That's right, Mrs. Thurston." "It's always been a mystery to me how a reputable attorney can defend a man everybody knows is guilty." "A guilty man is still entitled to representation." "Well, you won't get Phil Beecher off." "Charge it, Mr. Tepper." "Yeah, okay." "( door opens, bell rings )" "( door closes )" "Guess Mr. Thurston must be quite forgetful." "( mysterious theme playing ) Huh?" "I guess he forgot to stop by... for the things Mrs. Thurston wanted him to pick up." "I guess so." "Must have been around 9:00." "Or shortly after 9." "Just about the time Charlotte Norris was killed." "But maybe he did stop by, but you weren't here." "Must've been one or the other, mustn't it?" "( slow, dramatic theme playing )" "Uh, Mr. Mason." "Telephone call, Los Angeles." "Thank you." "Hello." "Perry, what's going on up there?" "The afternoon papers have a story about a robbery and murder in Fawnskin." "And "town feeling running high."" "Afternoon papers are right, Della." "I'll keep in touch." "Bye." "Oh, um, thinking back to last night... can you tell me whether Charlotte Norris called Philip Beecher, or whether he called her?" "( door opens )" "I don't remember." "( door closes )" "MASON:" "Hello, Gene." "Hello, Perry." "I understand Mr. Ransome is here." "He's right over there, sheriff." "Eugene Norris." "Sheriff Norris?" "That's right." "Nice to see you, Mr. Ransome." "Well, I've been talking to your deputy, Ward Lewis." "And I've been going over some of the elements of the case." "Now, this is Perry Mason." "He's representing the defendant." "How do you do?" "Ah, yes." "I recognize Mr. Mason." "Everett Ransome, Perry." "He's a special prosecutor sent up by the attorney general." "This will be neutral ground, Mr. Mason." "What do you mean, Mr. Ransome?" "Oh, for you and for me." "That's true." "I've always considered a courtroom neutral ground." "Oh." "Yeah , well, I also mean that Fawnskin isn't exactly my stamping grounds, neither is it yours." "And since this is relatively a small community, tricks, gags, courtroom dramatics which work miracles in the big city, simply won't work here." "What are you implying?" "Oh." "I'm warning you, Mr. Mason." "You see, I've studied this case pretty thoroughly." "The man Beecher is guilty." "And... what is your warning?" "He's going to pay." "He's not going to get away with it." "Even though he has a high-powered, high-priced, big city attorney with a hundred tricks up his sleeve." "( slow, tense theme playing )" "I'm looking forward to some of that... courtroom neutrality, Mr. Ransome." "Gene." "Phil and Aggie went steady for a year in high school." "MASON:" "That as serious as it got?" "Yes." "I see." "How long has Mr. Thurston worked at the mill?" "Oh, a long time, Mr. Mason." "As long as I can remember." "He's always been a" "Well, you know, a... staunch pillar of society." "And Ward Lewis?" "Ward was in love with Aggie." "He used to work at the mill before he became your deputy sheriff." "He and Phil always sort of, um... clashed." "Hm." "This, um..." "Robert Tepper, Kathi, what about him?" "He's a funny one." "He, uh" "He's got a finger in almost everything in town." "He's got a lot of money, but he doesn't trust banks." "A lot of people think that he buries his money but...if he does, nobody's ever been able to find out where or" " Or how much he really has." "He dabbles in real estate." "All right." "You've been a great help." "To me and to your husband." "( tense theme playing )" "( people chattering )" "WARD:" "Let us in, please." "I arrived at the mill at 9:25." "Fingerprints of the defendant, Philip Beecher... were on the...desk, on the desk chair... on the paneling on the front door... and on the doorknob of the side door." "Sheriff... what brought you to the mill?" "I had called Charlotte." "The phone had been picked up." "I heard what sounded like a shot." "Why did you make the call to Charlotte?" "I had just found out... from Mr. Thurston at the lodge... she was there alone in the mill offices expecting Philip Beecher." "I suppose you know he already killed one daughter." "Sheriff... do you recognize this automatic?" "Yes." "I tagged it." "It's the murder weapon." "Killed Charlotte." "It killed my daughter." "Your Honor... defense realizes the strain under which the sheriff is testifying." "If the court will allow, this testimony could be given by another member of the sheriff's office." "I was gonna suggest deferring" "Mr. Norris' testimony... but if Mr. Ransome agrees...?" "Deputy Sheriff Ward Lewis can handle it just as well." "Sheriff." "It's the murder weapon." "Ballistics checked it out with the lethal bullet." "I show you now...this bullet, and I ask you to identify it." "Yeah, this bullet was taken out of the wall." "Your Honor, I'd like this to be marked as State's Exhibit D, please." "No objection." "Now, deputy, I ask you to describe other points of interest found at the... scene of the murder." "Well, some blood was found on the floor... and a trail leading to the front door." "Was it classified as a type?" "Type AB." "It was not Charlotte's blood." "When Beecher was examined by the doc, he was found to be wounded through the fleshy part of the upper arm, the bullet going right through and into the wall." "His blood was tested for type." "Same as the blood on the floor:" "AB." "A relatively rare type of blood." "What else was found at the... murder scene?" "Well, in the wastebasket uh, next to the desk, a torn wrapper." "You know, the kind of wrapper used by the bank to, uh, put their money into." "Mm-hm." "Go on, deputy." "It had two of the defendant's fingerprints on it." "Thank you." "You may cross, Mr. Mason." "Deputy Lewis... were any of the defendant's fingerprints found anyplace on the open safe?" "Nope." "How many shots were fired from the murder gun?" "Two, apparently." "Why do you say "apparently"?" "We only found two bullets." "The one that killed Charlotte and the other one in the wall." "How many bullets were found remaining in the magazine?" "Five." "A load is eight, then... three shots might have been fired?" "Well, there's no way of telling whether there was exactly eight bullets to start with." "We only found two bullets." "How diligently did you search?" "We found all we had to find!" "The one that killed Charlotte and the one went through his arm into the wall." "Oh." "Then the bullet that went through the defendant's arm... must've entered the wall at a flat position." "A "tumbling entrance," I believe it's called, caused by a deflection through the flesh." "The Comstock City lab men, th-- They didn't examine for that." "It was perfectly clear-- Now, just a minute." "Then it is possible that the bullet you found in the wall... did not go through the defendant's arm, and that a third bullet did." "I" " I don't get the point of all this, Your Honor." "If there was a third bullet, it wasn't found." "And neither was the missing cartridge shell." "And if a third bullet was fired, it could have been fired at the defendant too." "Uh, nevertheless, Your Honor," "I would like the bullet, State's Exhibit D, made available to a defense expert for microscopic examination." "Very well, Mr. Mason." "Now, Deputy Lewis... what else beside the money wrapper was found in the wastebasket?" "As I recall, nothing but some crumpled papers" "And, oh, yes, one or two soiled cleaning tissues." "And that's all?" "That's all." "Now, on the day following the murder... did you engage the defendant in a conversation at the jail?" "Object." "Immaterial, incompetent and irrelevant." "And improper in that it takes up matters not part of the direct examination." "Objection sustained." "Deputy Lewis, isn't it true that on the same day, you deliberately left the defendant's cell door open?" "Object." "Same reason." "Sustained." "Mr. Mason." "Seems to the court that you are aware that your questions are improper." "If the court please," "I'm trying to show bias and prejudice." "And I can assure Your Honor that the conversations" "I'm calling for do so indicate bias and prejudice." "In that case... objection overruled." "Now, Deputy Lewis-- Look, I don't know what they told you and what they said, but I didn't say anything." "And I didn't leave that cell door open." "Not knowingly, anyway." "No more questions." "Call Mr. Norman Thurston to the stand, please." "Mr. Thurston... what time did you leave the mill on November 13th, the night of the murder?" "A few minutes before 9:00." "Was Charlotte Norris there when you left?" "She had called Phil Beecher to tell him that she knew there had been nothing going on between him and Aggie before the accident." "Now, Mr. Thurston... what was the reason that, uh, you have the listings of the serial numbers of the payroll money?" "Since the robbery in Comstock, we asked the bank to list the serial numbers on all $20 bills in each payroll." "Now, I'm going to show you these listings... and I'd like you to identify them for us." "These are the listings." "We get them, uh, with the money every second Friday." "This time, November 13th." "Who makes up this list?" "Uh, the cashier at the bank." "Here on the front page is his signature and the date." "This time, November 13th." "And here on the last page is his signature and the date." "The, uh, pages in between are only initialed." "RANSOME:" "Hm." "Thank you." "I offer these lists to be marked as evidence, please." "No objection." "Uh, you may have this witness." "Mr. Thurston..." "how long does it take to walk from the mill to the lodge?" "Well, that depends." "It's less than a half mile." "It can take five minutes or 15 minutes." "How long did it take you on the night of November 13th?" "About average." "Average." "That would be about ten minutes." "Didn't you arrive at 9:20?" "Well, then it took me a little longer." "Perhaps during your walk you... stopped somewhere." "Yes, I may have." "Where?" "Object, Your Honor." "The question is irrelevant, incompetent and immaterial." "And improper, since it was not part of the direct examination." "Your Honor, we're dealing with events close to the time of the murder." "Well, he's seeking to cross-examine this man on the possibility of his own guilt." "Well, now, on this... objection overruled." "The court is inclined to permit the defense a measure of latitude in its cross-examination, especially in this delicate area." "However, Mr. Mason, I will not rule out objections if you wander too far afield." "Your Honor." "Now, let me state this in another way, Mr. Thurston." "During that walk... did you stop at Tepper's market to pick up some things for your wife?" "Yes." "Did you pick them up?" "No." "Why not?" "I couldn't wake Bob Tepper up." "How did you know he was asleep?" "THURSTON:" "Well, heh-heh, if he's not in the store, he's either out on his property somewhere burying his money, or he's sleeping." "Since it was after 9:00 at night," "I guess he was sleeping." "No further questions." "RANSOME:" "Call Robert Tepper to the stand." "Kathi, I want you to do me a favor." "BAILIFF:" "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?" "TEPPER:" "I do." "BAILIFF:" "State your name." "TEPPER:" "Robert Tepper." "JUDGE:" "Be seated." "Here's a signed check." "I want you to make it out for $1,000, cash it at the Comstock City bank." "A thousand dollars?" "( men chattering )" "Get a $1,000 bill, if they have one." "Otherwise, the largest they have." "I'm trying a little experiment in human nature." "Now, hurry." "RANSOME:" "Katherine Beecher come into your store?" "Oh, about a quarter to 10." "What did she want?" "Bandages, gauze and iodine." "Did she pay cash for her purchases?" "Oh, yes." "She give me a $20 bill." "And I gave her her change." "I show you this bill, Mr. Tepper, and ask you to identify it for us." "Yes." "That's the bill she give me." "I put my initials on it." "Hm." "I offer this bill in evidence, Your Honor." "And you will note that the serial number here corresponds...to the sixth entry here on the first page of the list of $20 bills made up by the bank cashier..." "Mm-hm." "...and marked State's Exhibit H." "Mr. Mason?" "Defense has no objection." "Your witness." "Now, Mr. Tepper... you were in your store at 9:45 when you served Mrs. Beecher... but you were not in your store at 9:10 or 9:15 when Mr. Thurston rang the bell in your rear quarters." "Now, where were you at that time?" "Object, Your Honor." "Irrelevant, incompetent, immaterial... and improper cross-examination." "Let Mr. Mason put the witness on as his own witness if he wishes to inquire to this point." "Sustained." "Your Honor... at this time I would like to ask for a recess to check on a point." "JUDGE:" "Very well." "This court is adjourned until 2:30 this afternoon." "( slow, dramatic theme playing )" "Now..." "I don't want any misunderstanding, Mr. Mason." "I own this parcel of land, 5-and-a-half acres, situated north of the highway, adjacent to Willow Creek, exactly according to this title deed." "Now, you agree to pay me the sum of $5,500 for it." "If I pick up the option." "I have four weeks to do that." "Oh, we haven't decided how much that option gonna cost you." "You name it, Mr. Tepper." "Uh...$500?" "Why don't we make it a thousand?" "Thousand." "All right." "Now...a check will be perfectly all right." "( slow, tense theme playing )" "Thousand-dollar bill?" "I just got it from the bank." "Mr. Mason, what makes you so anxious to buy this land?" "Why, I have faith in this part of the country, Mr. Tepper." "Don't you?" "( bell dings )" "( door closes )" "( slow, ominous theme playing )" "( dog barking )" "( blows )" "( blows )" "( clicks )" "( slow, dramatic theme playing )" "All right, let's have it, Mr. Tepper." "It's mine." "It's my money!" "If it is, you'll get it back." "L, seven, seven, oh, three, three, four, nine, six." "That makes the..." "fifth $20 bill that checks out on that list, right?" "Yes, sir." "Thank you." "Mr. Tepper... where did you get these bills?" "Well, I haven't been to that safe for a week." "I wouldn't even have gone today if I hadn't got that $1,000 bill, to put it away for safekeeping." "Now, please answer the question." "Where did you get these bills?" "TEPPER:" "Well, you know I run a store." "From my customers." "But these bills were part of the November 13th payroll." "The payroll that was stolen, not distributed." "I don't understand that." "You know, I think I do." "Your Honor, I would like to recall" "Norman Thurston to the stand." "I object, Your Honor." "This is just the type of shenanigans" "Perry Mason is noted for." "Well, now, just what is your definition of the word "shenanigan," Mr. Prosecutor?" "Uh, I think Mr. Mason's request is both reasonable and logical." "Objection overruled." "Mr. Thurston, you will take the stand, please." "Step down, please." "You are still under oath, Mr. Thurston." "Mr. Thurston... what about these bills being in circulation?" "Yes, I" " I guess I'd better explain that." "Yes, I should guess so." "I planned to steal the November 13th payroll money." "I took one of the old lists and substituted the inside pages for the November 13th pages." "The initialed pages only?" "Yes, I" "The front and back pages were dated." "I" " I couldn't use them, so I used the front and back pages of the real November 13th payroll list and inserted inside pages from the...previous payroll list." "Mr. Thurston, in this plan, didn't you and Charlotte Norris conspire to put blame on the defendant?" "And... in this plan, didn't she call the defendant and tell him she had some bonus money for him?" "Yes." "And in this plan, didn't she tell the defendant to come to the mill at 9:00 that night?" "Yes." "What was the complete plan, Mr. Thurston?" "I left the mill a few minutes before 9." "I was to go to the hotel and tell Charlotte's father sh" " She'd be a little late." "Then, uh, she was to call and accuse Beecher of overpowering her, and stealing the payroll money." "But i-it didn't work out that way." "You and Charlotte were to share the money?" "Yes." "MASON:" "Isn't it true that you stayed at the mill until Beecher left?" "And that you then killed Charlotte Norris?" "No, I didn't!" "There was the shot Sheriff Norris heard over the telephone." "And you were in the hotel at the time." "Uh, no more questions." "Your Honor, I hadn't anticipated... this turn in the case." "I thought that the defendant could be bound over with a minimum of trouble." "But it appears I'll have to present evidence that I'd... hoped to save for the jury trial." "I call Mrs. Judith Thurston to the stand, please." "JUDGE:" "You may step down." "( sighs )" "Uh, well..." "I thought I would drive to the mill and give Norman a lift home." "I figured he'd worked hard all day, and he hadn't taken the car." "And I wanted to save him the long uphill walk at that time of the night." "RANSOME:" "What time did you arrive at the mill, Mrs. Thurston?" "Well, I'm not positive of the exact time, but it must have been close to 20 or 25 minutes after 9." "I pulled up in front of the offices." "There were lights on." "But you can't see all the way in, you know." "The front door was locked." "I was just getting ready to knock... when I heard the shot inside." "The shot?" "Yes." "One shot." "Then I heard somebody running toward the door." "I stepped back into the shadows... and he dashed out." "Then what did you do?" "Well, after he had gone, I went inside." "I was worried about Norman." "I called, but there wasn't any answer." "Then I saw Charlotte... and I ran out." "Did you recognize this man who ran out of the offices after you heard the shot?" "Yes." "Phil Beecher... the defendant." "Thank you, Mrs. Thurston." "Cross-examine." "Now, you say you heard the single shot while you were outside the mill offices?" "Yes." "How much later was it before the defendant ran to the front door?" "Well, practically immediately." "Uh, how fast was he running?" "Very fast." "Did he have to fumble when he opened the front door?" "No." "Not that I recall." "Isn't there a safety lock on that door?" "Oh, yes." "Yes, I guess there is." "And if it's locked, then you have to... hold the lock open with one hand, while you turn the knob and open the door with the other." "Uh, well, that isn't hard to do." "Oh, not if your hands are free." "And I suppose the defendant's hands were free?" "Well, yes." "Weren't they?" "Yes, I would say so." "If he wasn't carrying something." "And if he... had absconded with that payroll money, he must have, uh, stuffed it into his pockets." "I-I-I suppose so." "I-I didn't notice." "You would have, Mrs. Thurston." "Do you have any idea of the bulk of $40,000... when it's comprised of silver change and dollar bills," "5-dollar bills, 10s and 20s?" "I don't remember any of these things you're talking about." "Now, you testified that you went in and you saw Charlotte's body." "Now, how close to the body did you get?" "Close enough to tell she was dead." "Shot dead." "How long did you stay there?" "I told you, I didn't stay." "I ran out." "You had a cold at that time, did you not?" "Well, y-yes." "And how long did you remain in the mill offices?" "I didn't." "I told you." "Won't do, Mrs. Thurston." "You were there long enough to use at least two cleaning tissues." "They were found in the wastebasket at the side of Charlotte's desk." "Now, your testimony has been a mass of contradiction." "I suggest that you have fabricated a bundle of lies... and that you did not see the defendant on the night of November 13th." "I suggest that you were not concerned at all about the long uphill walk your husband had to take." "What motivated you was his working late at night with Charlotte Norris." "Why should I think anything about that?" "I suggest that you... did arrive at the mill office." "Perhaps at about... 15 minutes after 9." "But you found the front door open." "It was locked." "MASON:" "When you went in, you found Charlotte Norris, unconscious, but very much alive." "No, she was dead." "All right then... she was dead." "And what went through your mind?" "Wasn't it that your husband had committed the murder?" "And when that phone rang... you picked up the gun, you lifted the receiver, you heard the sheriff's voice... and you fired the gun." "And that was the third bullet." "No." "Oh, no." "Oh, don't say no." "Those cleaning tissues can be traced directly to you." "Oh." "Oh, I'm sorry." "Yes." "It's true." "All right then, let's get this time element straight." "You arrived at a quarter past 9... and Charlotte was dead?" "Yes." "The defendant said he left at about five minutes after 9." "That Charlotte was unconscious but still alive." "Uh, that leaves a ten-minute period during which someone killed Charlotte and made off with that money." "Could've been Deputy Lewis... could've Mr. Tepper." "Or it could have been the one you really thought it was:" "your husband, wasn't it, Mrs. Thurston?" "Were you in love with her, Norman?" "Yes." "( slow, tense theme playing )" "She hated Beecher so much, she just used me." "She was so angry about it, missing him with the gun." "She" " She was all-- All" " All twisted and" "And full of" "Of bitterness and hate." "She never cared about me or the money." "She just wanted revenge for Aggie." "I picked up the pistol..." "I shot her." "( Mrs. Thurston sobbing )" "( dramatic theme playing )" "( sedate theme playing )" "When did you know who really killed Charlotte, Mr. Mason?" "Oh, when I learned about the scheme with the serial numbers." "Someone had to be in on it, to take advantage of the payroll money." "And since only Thurston and Charlotte knew about it..." "Then it was only a question of engineering a confession." "I don't think you made a bad deal, Perry." "Someday this land is gonna be very valuable." "I think I'll put up a cabin." "Won't have to stop at the lodge." "Hm." "Well, Gene, you've had a pretty rough time." "I think of Charlotte like Thurston said." "It was her hate, got her all twisted up." "Nothing's all black or white." "Even hate." "Oh, I have a message for you from Ransome, the special prosecutor." "( chuckles )" "All he needs is to view his career with a little patience." "I think he's getting it, along with a sense of humor." "Says he has one more objection to make." "To the attorney general, next time he's appointed to run up against you." "Hm." "( dramatic theme playing )" "( noirish jazz theme playing )"