"( noirish jazz theme playing )" "( upbeat themeplaying )" "( door shuts )" "Mr. Albright?" "Yes." "Where's my wife?" "She's in the office here waiting for you." "How much did you lose this time?" "Five thousand." "Five." "Oh, Ida, for heaven's sake, you know I couldn't possibly raise that much." "Well, I'm afraid you'll have to, darling." "I've been writing checks to cover my losses." "As you can imagine, they've, uh... all bounced rather briskly." "I'm sorry, there's no money left." "You'll have to get out of this by yourself." "You can't be serious." "Why, you'd lose your precious little office boy's job if they sent me to prison." "And of course, I'd have to divorce you." "You know, I think I'd appreciate that." "I suppose she would too." "Miss, uh" " Miss Purity." "Oh, excuse me, "Miss Debutante."" "Pride of the Caffrey-Enix Advertising Agency." "I suppose we all have our compulsions, don't we, Herman?" "What are you talking about?" "I'm in charge of certain elements of the Miss Debutante advertising campaign, so naturally" "I've worked with Grace Halley." "Oh, is that what you were doing on all those trips together?" ""Work?" Oh, Ida, you know very well that promotional advertising" ""My dearest Grace," ""how can I tell you my true feelings?" ""The true meaning of these past days, past weeks, past months together?"" "What are you saying?" "( giggles )" "You really ought to be more careful of what you leave in your pockets, darling." "What sort of an answer did she send?" "Or didn't you ever get up the courage to mail that letter?" "Well, never mind." "I'm sure when Mr. Caffrey hears how you've been behaving that" "Well, sir?" "We'd appreciate having that 5000 in cash, if you don't mind." "I-I don't have that much right now, but if you'll wait a day or two..." "Yes, yes, I'll make good my wife's loss." "Then we'd appreciate your signing an I.O.U., Mr. Albright." "Payable, oh, by Friday, shall we say?" "No." "No, I believe you have some of my wife's checks." "When you give me those checks and when she agrees to a quiet, decent divorce, then I'll give you your $5000." "Now, look here, friend" "There." "Didn't I tell you what a dear he'd be?" "( dramatic theme playing )" "( dramatic theme playing )" "Take five, honey." "Something's not right." "Look, I'm in too close to get the effect of a ski slope." "Give me about two more feet of snow and we'll shoot it lower and from back here." "Oh, Grace." "Mr. Albright." "What are you doing here?" "Grace, I've got to talk to you... about, uh, well, this evening." "Oh, no, not more work tonight." "I'd made plans." "No, no, no, it has nothing to do with work." "It's just that I thought, well, perhaps" "Well, maybe you and I could go out somewhere this evening, just the two of us?" "Mr. Albright, is something wrong?" "It's my wife." "I told you about her." "She's in debt again." "Grace, I'm going to leave Ida." "Oh, I'm awfully sorry." "No, no, no, don't say that." "It's what I was going to talk to you about tonight." "Grace, I've wanted to say this a thousand times." "I even started to write it in a letter to you." "What?" "I just haven't had the right to say it before, but now that I'm free, well, almost" "Well, you must know how I feel about you." "Now, just a minute." "No, no, don't say anything." "Darling, we can talk tonight." "But I never realized" "DIRECTOR:" "Okay, let's try it again." "No, Mr. Albright, please." "You've got to understand." "Grace, Grace, I love you." "I can say it now." "We can face it now." "That's all I want you to understand." "Until tonight, darling," "I'll phone you before I pick you up." "Mr. Albright." "( door opens )" "( door closes )" "I've agreed to talk it over." "Let's just leave it at that until we meet." "Besides, this is a very bad connection." "( knocking )" "Just a moment, please." "Look" " Yes." "I've agreed to all that." "I just can't talk now." "Goodbye." "Excuse me, sir?" "Yes, Albright, what is it?" "I wanted to speak to you about a personal matter, Mr. Caffrey." "It's a little difficult, but, you see, Ida has" "Now, if it's about your wife's gambling," "I told you before, Albright," "I think the woman's sick and needs a psychiatrist." "It's gone beyond that." "She's got herself deeply in debt and I" "I've got to raise $5000 immediately." "That's a lot of money." "I-I know it's not a very pretty situation, Mr. Caffrey." "And I know it's a terrible time to approach you with Mr. Enix in trouble up in San Francisco." "He's not in trouble, he's in jail." "If he'd been a little more careful with his finances he wouldn't be in this mess with the Tax Bureau." "But that's beside the point." "Just how serious is your situation?" "Well, I'm afraid the gambling people could cause a good deal of trouble." "I'm sorry, of course, Albright, but you must realize that there are times when the wind blows the flag in the wrong direction." "Then again, I'm" " I'm not certain that this agency could afford to have anybody else connected with it in prison." "Five thousand, eh?" "Albright, you're a very important member of our team here, but no one is irreplaceable, you realize that, of course." "Yes, sir." "Even with Larry Enix on the sidelines nobody has scored on us." "Then, on the other hand, the quarterback can only throw the passes." "He's gotta have somebody else to catch the ball." "Now, wait a minute." "There just might be something you could do for me, Albright." "You know, I might be able to let you have the money at that." "If so, I'll give you a call at 7:30 this evening." "How's that?" "Oh, thank you, Mr. Caffrey." "Sally, this appears to be a fairly good contract." ""Our commission is Miss Debutante" ""for one year, you receive a very healthy salary, plus all the clothes you model." Next to a movie contract," "I should think something like this would be every girl's dream." "But, uh, can the contract be broken, Mr. Mason?" "On what grounds, Miss Halley?" "I don't know, any grounds." "I mean, if anybody wanted to." "Well, as an advertizing symbol of a cosmetics line for young ladies, the only breach contractually would be something that would damage or destroy that symbol." "I don't understand." "In other words, if you were, or if you became something other than the beautiful, unmarried, and uninvolved image they hire." "Mr. Mason, the man in charge of the campaign... well, he's interested in me." "Much too interested." "I see." "I feel simply terrible about it, being so stupid, not realizing, but I just can't let him get the wrong idea." "Go on, Miss Halley." "Well, there might be all sorts of trouble." "In that case, I might want to break the contract myself so people wouldn't be hurt." "Could I break it?" "No, but if you became involved, they could break it." "They could break it if they could prove you were charged with, uh, moral turpitude, you've been married, if you joined a subversive group, or committed a criminal act, but, of course, none of these things apply to you." "No, no, of course not." "Well, I guess that's all I wanted to know." "Thank you, Mr. Mason." "Goodbye, Miss Street." "Goodbye" "( phone ringing )" "Hello?" "Hello?" "Oh, thank heaven it's you." "Yes, I'm listening, sir." "All right, sir." "I'll be there." "Right away, sir." "Thank you, Mr. Caffrey." "Thank you, sir." "Thank you for what?" "Five thousand dollars." "I'm getting the money for you, Ida." "Every bit of it." "Well, that's wonderful." "You know, Herman, you're really quite a clever man when you put your mind to it." "I'll have a check tonight." "That's my part of the bargain, so you'd better be thinking about yours, Ida." "You mean you still think you want a divorce?" "Mm-hm." "A quiet one." "No unpleasantness, no scandal." "When you agree to that in writing then the money is yours." "Goodnight, Ida." "All right, darling, all right." "But since you're being so firm about everything," "I think you'd better bring me 8000." "I'd what?" "Oh, Herman, don't look so surprised." "You know I have other debts to settle." "You never said one word." "Didn't I tell you about Las Vegas?" "No." "They wrote me a rather nasty letter this morning, I'm afraid." "Yes, I'll-- I'll need 3000 more." "( drawer opens )" "And while we're on the subject, there are several bills here you may not know about." "What are you trying to do to me?" "Ida, I can't possibly raise one penny more than 5000" "Then I can't possibly divorce you, Herman." "( ominous theme playing )" "ALBRIGHT ( on phone ):" "Hello, Grace?" "This is Herman Albright." "I'm sorry, it's so noisy, I can't hear what you're saying." "Where are you?" "I'm at the Trinidad Bar." "I just wanted you to know that I won't be around this evening to take you out the way we planned." "Well, I wasn't expecting" "Grace, listen to me." "I will be at your apartment though, the first thing in the morning." "The very first thing." "You see, I've been able to raise the money, but it wasn't enough, so I'm just not going to give my wife any of it." "Do you understand?" "No." "I mean, why not?" "If your wife owes the money." "Grace, I'm not even going to wait for a divorce." "In Mexico, it's easy for a man to get rid of his wife, even if I've changed my name by then." "Mexico?" "Oh, I know I shouldn't be talking like this on the telephone, but I just wanted you to know that, well, maybe by this time tomorrow night we can be out of town." "Mr. Albright, I can't go to Mexico or anywhere, will you please listen to me?" "Don't say anything yet, darling." "Until you hear me out." "Oh, we'll be happy together." "You know we will." "I promise." "And remember:" "the first thing in the morning." "Mr. Albright." "Wait-- ( hangs up )" "Well, that does it." "Buddy, every time I try to tell him, he won't listen to me." "He just won't believe I don't care for him that way." "Grace, I've had just about as much as I can take." "Sneaking in back doors, looking the other way every time a roving Romeo starts reading you with his X-ray eyes." "Well, you knew this sort of thing might happen when you submitted my picture to the agency." "All right." "I made a mistake." "They didn't know about you and I took a chance, but I'll tell you something now." "Now I'm sorry I ever heard of Miss Debutante and Mr. Albright." "Don't worry about Mr. Albright." "I'll make him understand." "Oh, no, you won't." "I will." "You're my wife and we're married." "And I'm sick and tired of being a backstairs husband." "Call me an old-fashioned guy, but I'm going to set that guy straight once and for all right now." "Buddy." "Bartender, freshen that, please." "Right." "Do you mind?" "What?" "Anybody have a lien on this stool?" "No, no, go ahead and lean on it." "I'll bet you've got a million of those." "No, no." "I'm afraid that one came out of a bottle." "Point your finger at that bottle." "Oh, it's rude to point." "Why don't you let me buy you a drink?" "Well, that" " That is, if your escort doesn't mind." "Oh, he's the strong, silent, absent type." "Why are you staring at me?" "Well, I'm trying to decide whether you're a man of distinction." "That's the only kind I let buy me drinks." "( chuckles )" "Is that a tattersall vest?" "Hm?" "Why, yes." "Yes, as a matter of fact, it is." "The young lady will have the same." "You heard the man, Joe." "My name isn't Joe." "Don't be a nonconformist." "All bartenders are named Joe." "You'll have to prove you're old enough to be served." "Let me see your driver's license." "You know, there's a very nice bar just down the street." "Well, they might ask you the same question there." "WOMAN:" "I'd like a Gibson, please." "Joy Lebaron, Oakland, California." "Age: 23." "One Gibson coming up." "( chuckles )" "Thanks a lot, Joe." "Oh, I'm doing great tonight." "Where'd everybody go?" "Which everybody?" "Well, the character with the jazzy vest, for one." "Look, you take pictures without orders, what do you expect?" "People should wait all night?" "I only asked you a question." "So who knows?" "Maybe the little brunette got too expensive." "Anyway, that guy isn't going to buy any pictures from you, he pulled out five minutes ago." "( ominous theme playing )" "( door shuts, locks )" "( vehicle departs )" "Look, I told you, you can't park here all night." "Will you move it?" "( dramatic theme swells )" "( dramatic them playing )" "Sorry, Mrs. Albright." "We had to get an identification." "If you're all right, you can go now." "Lieutenant, my I have another look?" "Aren't you positive?" "Oh, yes, yes, it's Herman all right." "Where did he get that coat?" "And that vest." "What on earth?" "That's just the way he was found." "Don't be ridiculous." "Herman never wore clothes like that in his life." "You sure about those clothes, Mrs. Albright?" "Lieutenant, we were married for 11 years," "Herman never wore anything but Oxford gray suits and black ties." "And as for that ghastly vest, he wouldn't be caught dead in" "When was the last time you saw him?" "About 7:30 last night." "Then he changed some time between 7:30, maybe, 9:30." "And since he owned a wardrobe which you'd never seen before, he must have had a place to keep it." "Yes, I'm-- I'm sure he must have." "Perry, could you step out just a moment?" "Lieutenant Tragg is here." "No, no, he didn't say." "Right, I'll tell him." "He's with a client, but he said he'd be right out." "Oh, that's very nice of him." "Well, I wish you'd let me know you were coming, lieutenant." "I have rather a full day." "Maybe I can lighten your load, Perry." "You have a client named, uh, Grace Halley?" "Now, lieutenant, this is a law office, not an information center." "If you have business with someone named Grace Halley," "I suggest you have your own facilities for finding her." "You're quite right, Perry." "In fact, I have already found where the young lady lives, where she works, and now I've tracked her over here." "Well, that's a remarkable piece of tracking." "Oh, I had something going for me." "There's not too many beautiful girls on the street in the middle of an August heat wave wearing a ski suit." "That, uh, would be rather conspicuous." "Now, what's that client of yours in there wearing?" "I'll have to take a look." "Oh, and, um, in case she is wearing a ski suit, why would you want her?" "For questioning." "In connection with the murder of Herman Albright." "Hm." "Excuse me, lieutenant." "I'm afraid we haven't much time." "The police?" "They want to question you." "Now, what time was that call from Albright last night?" "About 10:00." "That's when he said all those things about running off to Mexico." "Where did he call from?" "The Trinidad Bar, he said." "Now, did you leave your apartment after the phone call?" "No, I didn't." "All right, Grace." "Mr. Mason, if they just want to question me, that doesn't mean I'll be arrested, does it?" "Certainly not on the basis of what you just told me." "But all the same, you'd better take your cues from me on what to say." "Would you, uh, care to join us, lieutenant?" "Oh, thanks, Perry." "Oh, and why don't I just introduce myself?" "Go right ahead." "You're not going to leave him in there alone with her." "Get a hold of Paul." "Tell him I have to know exactly what evidence the police have against Grace Halley." "Then he's to go to the Trinidad Bar and try to find someone who saw Albright last night." "If he has anything important in, oh, say, an hour or so, he can reach me at the Caffrey-Enix advertising agency." "I suppose Grace is worried that we might invoke the morals clause to cancel her contract?" "Is there any danger of that, Mr. Caffrey?" "It's hard to tell yet." "We can absorb a certain amount of unfavorable publicity, but the agency does have a responsibility to the client." "It was a member of the agency who wanted to get Grace into trouble." "Well, now, I wouldn't be too sure which shoe was on which foot there." "I've known Herman Albright a great many years." "Any girl who could inspire a mash note like he wrote her, must have used a few sparks on the old punk." "I take it you've been talking to Mrs. Albright." "No, Mr. Mason, but apparently Mrs. Albright has been talking to the newspapers." "Did anybody else know about the $5000 that Albright borrowed from you?" "I'd prefer not to discuss any further details, Mr. Mason." "I understand your San Francisco partner, Larry Enix, is in prison now for evading income taxes?" "Well, that's hardly a secret, but what does that have to do with my loaning money to Albright?" "I wouldn't know, unless you could point out some connection, Mr. Caffrey?" "( phone ringing ) Oh, excuse me." "Yes?" "Phone call for you." "You can take it out there, if you don't mind." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Hello?" "This is Mason speaking." "Perry, I'm at the Trinidad Bar and I think I've got something for you." "Also, the police dope." "That is, all they'd give me." "Well, here's the rundown, Perry, and I'm afraid it doesn't look too good." "All the evidence in the car points to the fact that Albright was killed by a woman." "Also, when Mrs. Albright identified his body," "Albright was wearing some jazzy clothes she'd never seen before." "And they weren't new clothes." "Apparently, he'd been wearing them for some time." "I suppose Tragg would like to prove he kept them in Grace's apartment." "You ready for a shock?" "One of her neighbors saw her rush out of her apartment around midnight carrying an armload of men's clothing." "She just tossed 'em in to her car and drove off." "Someday I'm going to get a client who'll tell me the truth." "I have got one more goody for you." "A bartender who remembers seeing Albright in here last night with a girl." "Grace Halley?" "I didn't ask him that." "I thought you'd better talk to him." "Uh, Walter?" "Walter Clemens, Perry Mason." "Uh, please, sit down, Mr. Clemens." "I'd appreciate it if you'd tell me about the girl who was with Mr. Albright last night." "Oh, yeah." "I been fishing around, trying to remember." "I think it was, um, "Lebaron."" "Joy Lebaron." "How did you get her name?" "Off her driver's license." "I thought she was hustling this guy Albright for drinks, so I was looking for an excuse to toss her out." "She was old enough." "They didn't come in together?" "I just told you, she picked him up." "He bought her a drink, then he left." "Could she have followed him out?" "Could be." "Maybe they had a date." "Maybe he ditched her." "Heh." "You figure it." "Me, I don't know anything but what happened in here." "That's all I can tell you." "All right, Walter." "Thanks a lot." "Look, Mr. Mason, I'm not running to the cops, but if they come around..." "You tell them what you told us." "That's fair enough." "All right." "Well, I sure hope your client isn't using a phony name." "No." "I'm sure it's a different girl." "Even so." "I've never heard of a B-girl shooting a sucker for buying her a drink." "Maybe Albright had money on him." "At least it was supposedly given to him earlier in the evening." "How much?" "Five thousand dollars." "That's enough, I'll find her." "Perry." "There's a young lady waiting to see you." "Her name is Vicky Dolan." "What does she want?" "She said to tell you that she works at the Trinidad Bar." "Oh." "That's recommendation enough, Della, show her in." "Miss Dolan, come in, won't you?" "Thank you." "Mr. Mason?" "Yes?" "Won't you sit down?" "( door shuts )" "I understand that you're looking for the girl who was with the guy who got knocked off last night." "Do you know where she is?" "No." "But I got something that will make her a lot easier to find." "What would that be?" "A picture." "See, I take lots of extra pictures, both in the bar and in the lounge." "I show them to people, maybe they buy, maybe they don't." "But with this one, both the guy and the girl were gone." "So now it's on sale to the highest bidder." "What are you asking?" "Two hundred dollars." "That's quite a mark-up, isn't it?" "Supply and demand, Mr. Mason." "Walter said you were plenty eager to find the girl." "You realize, of course, the police will pay you nothing for it?" "That's why I'm giving you first crack at it." "( phone ringing )" "Excuse me." "Yes?" "Yes, put him on, Della." "Hello?" "Yes?" "Good work, Paul." "Right, I'll see you there." "I'm afraid you're out of luck, Miss Dolan." "You mean you don't want the picture?" "If your price had been a little more reasonable, you might have sold it to me, but now I don't need it." "You see, the young woman has just been found." "( dramatic theme playing )" "Oh, this is the wildest." "I heard L.A. was a wacky town, but I never thought it could be this crazy." "I just read about this in the newspaper." "This your first trip to Los Angeles, Miss Lebaron?" "And the last." "Do you mind telling me just what happened last night?" "Well, he bought me a drink." "Is that a crime?" "Not at all, but shortly afterwards he was murdered." "Look, it was the first time I was ever in the Trinidad." "I never laid eyes on the guy before." "I've got some bad habits, but shooting strangers isn't one of them." "Suppose the, uh, stranger had some money on him." "Say, uh, $5000." "( door opens ) What?" "Perry." "Hello, lieutenant." "Well, well, you trying to make my job easier for me, Perry?" "I was afraid you were going in the wrong direction." "Did you know that Albright was in the Trinidad Bar just before he was murdered?" "No, no, I didn't." "That is, uh, not until about 20 minutes ago." "I was just on my way out of the office." "I gather a certain photographer by the name of Miss Dolan came to see you." "Yes, as a matter of fact, she gave me a picture of Albright." "Like, uh, any good citizen would do." "Naturally." "And since I was on my way to find out what you were up to, I" "And we've been watching your activity, I'm afraid." "Well, this is the young lady Albright was with." "Miss Joy Lebaron." "I located her through a cab she took later on in the evening." "We, uh, just started to ask her about Albright's money." "What is all this?" "That guy bought me a drink, that's all." "Just one drink." "And he sure never flashed any roll at me the size of $5000." "Why, of course not, young lady." "We know that." "The $5000 was still in the form of a cashier's check, Perry," "Mr. Caffrey hadn't given it to Albright yet." "There." "You see?" "Of all the nerve." "Just a moment, young lady." "I still should thank you, having you practically solve my case for me this way." "Is it solved, lieutenant?" "Well, at least I'm going to ask the D.A." "to make a formal charge of murder in the first degree against, uh, Grace Halley." "What?" "All we needed was proof that your client was near the scene of the murder last night." "( dramatic theme playing )" "TRAGG:" "That's the picture the girl tried to sell you, Perry." "Maybe I should've bought it." "Well, as a good citizen, you'd have turned it over to me anyway, wouldn't you, Perry?" "( dramatic theme playing )" "Well, that'll be the procedure." "Remember, now, this is only a preliminary hearing." "Is there anything you want to ask me or tell me before I leave?" "You mentioned a gun." "Have they found it yet?" "No." "No, it was a, uh... small caliber gun, .25 automatic, probably, held quite close to the body." "Among other things, the weapon and the way it was used would indicate that Albright was shot by a woman." "Mr. Mason" "And then there's the matter of two witnesses." "One, a photographer who took a picture of Albright and a woman inside the Trinidad Bar." "Two, a night watchman who saw a woman in Albright's car at about 10:30, then found Albright dead in that same car at midnight." "Mr. Mason." "Now, you told me you never left your apartment, so, of course, that woman couldn't be you, could it, Miss Halley?" "I lied to you." "I know." "I did go to the Trinidad Bar to see Mr. Albright." "I went to explain to him that I didn't feel anything for him." "That I wouldn't, that I couldn't go away with him." "You met Albright inside the bar?" "Yes, but he wouldn't talk to me." "He just-- He acted nervous and excited." "He rushed me out, said he'd talk to me later." "But before he rushed you out, your picture must have been taken." "There was a photographer in the lounge." "What about the night watchman who saw you in Albright's car?" "I saw his car out in the back, near the alley." "I still wanted to explain to him, to talk to him, to get it over with." "I thought I'd wait in the car until he came out of the bar." "How long were you there?" "About half an hour." "Then I left." "I never saw him again, but I didn't kill him." "Please, believe me, Mr. Mason." "( dramatic theme playing )" "I believe you, Grace." "Now, let's have the whole story." "Now, we heard the bartender testify that it was you who, shall we say, "approached" Mr. Albright, rather than vice versa." "Well, really, if anybody cares who speaks first." "I mean, some men can waste such an awful lot of time getting around to saying anything, that's all." "And me, I was thirsty." "Yes, of course, but you testified that he only bought you one drink?" "Oh, I never accept more from a stranger." "Anyway, when I came out of the ladies' lounge, just a little while later, Mr. Albright was gone." "Just disappeared." "BURGER:" "Uh-huh?" "And what did you do then?" "Well, since the bartender seemed to have some sort of attitude about me," "I got a taxi and took my business elsewhere, naturally." "Honestly, the way some people act in L.A." "Yes, naturally, Miss Lebaron, now I want you to think hard for just a moment:" "during the 15 or 20 minutes that you sat with Mr. Albright at the bar, did he mention anything about his personal life?" "Well, he did say that he had an unhappy home life and that" "I am sorry, dear." "He said that he had a wonderful outside interest and that she was about my age, but I can't remember anything more specific and he certainly didn't mention any names." "BURGER:" "Mm-hm?" "Thank you, Miss Lebaron." "That'll be all." "From the increasing number of late business meetings and the phone calls at all hours, it was quite apparent my husband had developed an outside interest." "BURGER:" "And from his statements and actions did you have any doubt as to who this interest was?" "Well, he admitted he loved Grace Halley." "I mean, if that letter wasn't admitting enough:" ""My dearest Grace, how can I tell you my true feelings--"" "Mr. Burger." "Uh, please, Mrs. Albright, not that letter." "That has just been ruled inadmissible." "Would you tell us now, please, what happened the night of the murder?" "Yes." "About 10:00 that night a Mr. Buddy Frye came to the house looking for my husband." "BURGER:" "And what reason did he give for wanting to see your husband?" "He claimed my husband was trying to talk Miss Halley into leaving for Mexico with him." "Objection." "This testimony is hearsay." "The witness had no first hand knowledge of any such proposed trip." "Sustained." "Very well." "Let's return to Mr. Frye." "Did you know who he was?" "I believe he's the photographer for the Miss Debutante advertising layouts." "I think that will be all, Mrs. Albright." "Thank you." "Your witness." "Mrs. Albright, did you, uh, believe this trip to Mexico story?" "( chuckles )" "Your Honor, Defense Counsel is cross-examining on a subject which he has already objected to and which has been withdrawn." "He can't have it both ways." "The District Attorney is quite right, Mr. Mason." "I'll re-phrase my question." "Now, Mrs. Albright, you've indicated by your testimony that your marriage was in some trouble." "Is that correct?" "It could hardly be anything else with Miss Halley in the picture." "MASON:" "Did you ever discuss divorce with your husband?" "I may have considered it, yes." "Naming Miss Halley as correspondent?" "That would have been justifiable grounds." "Was your husband's life insured?" "He had a very small policy, it was all he could afford." "Yet you imply he was able to afford a relationship with Miss Halley?" "A lack of money never stops a man from that." "MASON:" "Mrs. Albright, isn't it true that your husband was in financial trouble to the extent that he was forced to borrow money to pay your gambling debts?" "And that failure to pay those debts might have resulted in your being charged with issuing bad checks?" "Yes." "Now, Mrs. Albright, when that young man," "Mr. Frye, discovered your husband was not at home, did he leave immediately?" "He left the house right away, but he waited out in his car in front of the house until, oh, about midnight, I guess, maybe later." "MASON:" "Do I understand from what you've just said that you were at home all evening?" "IDA:" "Yes." "And you saw Mr. Frye's car parked in front of your house from about 10:00 until midnight, the approximate time of your husband's death." "That's right." "Can you swear that he was in the car during that entire period?" "No, I" " I merely assumed he was there." "Does your house have a back door?" "( exhales heavily )" "Why, yes." "So Mr. Frye, allegedly watching your house from the front and not the back, could also only assume that you were at home from 10:00 until midnight." "Your Honor, I'll object to that." "I'll withdraw the question." "Thank you, Mrs. Albright." "That will be all." "You reside at the Tahitian Gardens Apartments," "Mrs. Diamond, the same address as that of the defendant?" "Of course it's the same address." "I've lived at the Tahitian for, oh, gee, I don't know, let me see, now." "Mrs. Diamond, please, just answer the question." "Well, what question?" "Oh, you mean the defendant." "Yeah, she lives in the apartment above me." "Is that what you mean?" "Yes, that's what I mean." "Thank you." "I call your attention now to August 11th, that's the morning after the murder, and I ask if you saw Miss Halley at any time during that day?" "Well, I'm sure I wouldn't call the middle of the night day." "Well, that was my fault," "I mean, the early hours of August 11th, did you see Miss Halley then, shortly after midnight the night of the murder?" "Yes, she was coming out of her apartment with an armload of men's clothing." "I couldn't imagine what she was doing with men's clothing." "After all, she is Miss Debutante." "Mrs. Diamond, I show you now a picture of the deceased," "Herman Albright." "I ask if you ever saw him in person." "Sure, lots of times." "Would you be more specific for the court, please?" "When and where did you see Mr. Albright?" "Well, he was always either coming in or leaving" "Miss Halley's apartment." "BURGER:" "Really?" "Thank you, Mrs. Diamond." "That will be all." "Albright was in charge of the Miss Debutante campaign for the agency." "He used his position to pester Grace." "She didn't want to have anything to do with him." "You observed the two of them together then?" "Yes, lots of times." "And I was there when he'd phone her." "She did everything she could to discourage him." "Tell me this, Mr. Frye, did you consider yourself a rival of Mr. Albright's for Miss Halley's affections?" "I'm in love with her." "Really." "I call your attention now to the testimony of Mrs. Albright concerning your visit to the Albright home on the night of the murder." "I went out there to have a showdown with him, but he never came home." "I have no further questions of this witness." "Mr. Frye, what is your relationship to Miss Halley?" "Grace Halley is my wife." "We" " We kept it a secret." "( crowd murmuring )" "MASON:" "Your marriage would have been grounds for cancellation of her contract?" "Yes." "We were both young, unknown, trying to get ahead in a tough business." "Maybe lying about being married was wrong, but that contract was important to us." "Kind of opened a door to success." "So to protect it, you maintained a separate residence?" "I had a little apartment a few blocks away." "Did you keep any of your clothes in your wife's apartment?" "Yes." "Like I said, nobody knew about us being married and she didn't want to implicate me in anything, so she got rid of my clothes." "And that's what her nosey neighbor saw her carrying away." "Very well." "Now, Mr. Frye, would you please tell the court how the decedent was bringing pressure to bare on your wife and trying to, uh, get her to go to Mexico with him?" "Specifically the telephone call he made to her." "Objection, Your Honor." "The court has specifically ruled out all testimony baring on that trip to Mexico." "As a matter of fact, it was ruled out at the specific request of Mr. Mason himself." "On the surface, that may be right, Mr. Burger." "Why are you introducing this subject now, Mr. Mason?" "May it please the court, we're now concerned with a very different piece of evidence." "The ruling on hearsay was quite properly applied to Mrs. Albright's attempt to testify as to what she'd been told by a third party, this party having heard the statement from the defendant." "But we are now concerned with the defendant's direct statements to the witness on the stand." "Wait just a minute." "Your Honor, the witness on the stand has just testified that he's married to the defendant." "Precisely." "And so, of course, he can't be forced to testify against his wife." "However, Your Honor, I am prepared to waive any objection on her behalf, therefore I can" "Now, just another minute, Your Honor." "It seems to me quite obvious that there's more behind" "Mr. Mason's maneuver than meets the eye." "Counsel has presented the court with an interesting situation." "What would have been hearsay evidence under other circumstances is now pertinent evidence, as declarations by defendant showing her state of mind." "Under the authorities, such testimony is admissible." "Yes, Your Honor." "If it please the court, I should like to request a recess until tomorrow so that I can study this whole matter." "Perhaps that's not a bad idea." "Court is adjourned and will reconvene tomorrow morning at 10." "Perry, do you or don't you want testimony on the proposed Mexican trip?" "I certainly do." "Then why object to Hamilton introducing it?" "Burger would have used it only as further evidence that there had been an affair." "And there he would have left it." "And that's all I could have cross-examined on." "There would have been no mention of the telephone call that Albright made to Grace." "But you got it admitted anyway?" "Mm-hm." "By that time I had established that Albright couldn't afford such a trip." "So Burger has to put Caffrey on the stand to testify that Albright borrowed that $5000." "And Caffrey on the stand is what I'm really after." "But, uh, how is Caffrey involved?" "PAUL:" "Well, for what it's worth," "Enix was Caffrey's junior partner, he ran the San Francisco office, and he was young enough and green enough to be the patsy when the Internal Revenue Department spotted some, uh, discrepancies in the company books." "Was Enix the only one involved in the tax trouble?" "No, that's the funny part of it." "The government charged both Caffrey and Enix with falsifying the tax returns." "Enix went to prison for two years, and the charges against Caffrey were dropped." "The rumor is he probably made a deal to give his partner a larger share of the agency." "If that's the deal, by the time Enix gets out of prison, his half of the agency may be withered away." "Caffrey may be dissolving their partnership right now." "You know, Albright could have known about the deal and blackmailed Caffrey for that 5000." "I wonder if Caffrey and Enix have partnership insurance." "Mm-hm." "If either one dies, it gives the other the option and money to buy out the dead partner's share." "Paul, I have a very delicate job for you to do." "Okay." "I would like you to repair a television set." "( dramatic theme playing )" "( dramatic theme playing )" "Emergencies, emergencies." "Always a crisis." "Yeah, pop, ain't it the truth, but then you know how folks are about their TV sets." "Look, why don't you go down and watch your own," "I'll lock the apartment when I finish, that is, if the tenant isn't home by then." "Tenant might not be home." "Hasn't been, you know, for several days back." "Oh." "But I showed you the repair order." "Maybe that guy comes in and out to get things now and then." "Maybe he called for repairs." "What guy is that?" "Search me." "Bald-headed man." "Oh, but he's got his own key, so I guess it's all right." "Anyway, you'll find the light switch on the wall there." "Thanks a lot." "Tailored by S. Magaloff." "So far as the Mexican trip is concerned, then, the only real pressure you are aware of was your wife's possible fear that her contract as Miss Debutante would be cancelled?" "That's right." "No further questions." "The prosecution has some questions on redirect, Your Honor." "Proceed, Mr. Burger." "Mr. Frye, you stated yesterday that the men's clothing the defendant was seen taking out of her apartment on the night of the murder belonged to you, is that correct?" "They weren't Albright's, I can tell you that." "BURGER:" "How can you be so positive, Mr. Frye?" "Because he was never in her apartment." "Never?" "We have Mrs. Diamond's testimony to the contrary." "Well, maybe she made a mistake." "I was there every night." "Every night, Mr. Frye?" "From the 7th to the 15th of the month preceding the murder, every night then?" "Well" " Well, I don't remember every date." "According to these records, you were shooting a photographic layout in Palm Springs during that period." "So you can't be sure, can you, if the decedent was seeing your wife, or when he was visiting her, or how often he visited her." "I thought not." "The witness is all yours, Mr. Mason." "I have no questions." "JUDGE:" "You may step down." "Call your next witness, Mr. Burger." "BURGER:" "I call Walter Caffrey to the stand, please." "Mr. Caffrey, the deceased, Herman Albright, had been employed for a number of years by your agency, is that right?" "Yes." "Was his position a responsible one?" "He was a key man." "And his salary was commensurate with his services?" "It was a very good salary." "The defense has gone to considerable lengths to suggest that the deceased could not have financed this flight to Mexico we've been hearing so much about." "Knowing his income, do you believe that?" "Objection, Your Honor." "I'll rephrase the question, Your Honor." "Mr. Caffrey, of your own personal knowledge, did the deceased have any money in his possession with which he could have financed such a trip?" "Well, it was available, yes, sir." "I had already drawn up a cashier's check for him in the amount of $5000, a personal loan." "He was to pick it up in the morning at the office." "Thank you, Mr. Caffrey." "No more questions." "Your witness." "Uh, Mr. Caffrey, do you have any valid reason to believe that Herman Albright planned to use that money to leave the country?" "Certainly not, or I wouldn't have agreed to lend him the money." "Then he gave you a different reason as to why he needed the money?" "He said it was to pay off some debts incurred by his wife." "MASON:" "Gambling debts?" "CAFFREY:" "Yes." "And he was to give you nothing in return, such as a note or collateral to secure the loan?" "His word was the only security I needed." "You weren't influenced by pressure of any kind?" "If you mean blackmail, Mr. Mason, absolutely not." "Then could the money you promised him have been in return for a service rendered by Mr. Albright?" "CAFFREY:" "I don't know what you mean." "Don't you, Mr. Caffrey?" "Isn't it true that Albright was performing a service for you at the time he was murdered?" "No." "Remember, Mr. Caffrey, you're still under oath." "No, he was not performing a service for me." "Mr. Caffrey, earlier this coat and vest were identified as having been worn by the decedent at the time of his death." "Do you remember that?" "Yes, I think so." "Now, Mr. Caffrey, does this coat and vest belong to you?" "No." "No, of course not." "I ask you to read to the court the name of the tailor on the label." ""S. Magaloff."" "Now the coat, please." ""S. Magaloff."" "Thank you, Mr. Caffrey." "Now I must first warn you that there are stringent laws on the subject of perjury." "I'll ask you once more:" "Is this coat and vest yours?" "No." "( speaks inaudibly )" "( crowd murmuring )" "( gavel tapping )" "Order, please." "Order." "MASON:" "That gentleman, Mr. Caffrey, is Sascha Magaloff," "S. Magaloff." "Now, before I put him on the stand," "I'll ask you once more:" "Is this your coat and vest?" "Yes." "MASON:" "Would you please explain why the decedent was wearing your clothes at the time of his murder?" "He was going to meet somebody who had never seen me and didn't know what I looked like." "And how was this person who had never seen you to actually know it was you?" "The tattersall vest." "MASON:" "And with the vest as a means of identification, this person met not you but Herman Albright?" "CAFFREY:" "Yes." "And in this meeting, was there some element of risk?" "Of danger?" "No, no, I wouldn't say that." "Mr. Caffrey, isn't it true that what happened that night to Herman Albright was actually intended to happen to you?" "I don't have to answer these" "Mr. Caffrey, I call your attention to another person in this courtroom." "His name is Fenton, he was formerly employed by a private detective agency, but since the day of the murder," "Mr. Fenton has been sticking quite close to you." "What is he, your private bodyguard?" "Mr. Caffrey, isn't it true that since Albright's death, you have been quite terrified because the wrong man was murdered?" "Yes." "Yes." "It's true." "And if you were the intended victim, Mr. Caffrey, then who could have killed Albright?" "Who but the person who picked him up in the bar because of the way he acted and the things he said while he was pretending to be you?" "No!" "( sobbing )" "( dramatic theme playing )" "Enix knew he was being double-crossed by his partner Caffrey, but there was nothing he could do about it in prison." "So he told all his troubles to Joy Lebaron." "Then the two of them planned the murder when she visited Enix in prison." "No, I don't think so." "Enix's idea was to try and scare Caffrey so he wouldn't pull anything." "He told his girlfriend just enough so she could come down here and threaten Caffrey to the eyebrows." "I guess little Joy had some ideas of her own, though." "With Caffrey dead, Enix would have ended up with everything." "PAUL:" "She claims that the actual murder was Albright's fault." "The funny answers he gave her, the strange way he acted when he was pretending to be Caffrey." "Anyway, she threatened him with a gun, and when he tried to grab it away from her, she panicked and that was it." "The strangest thing of all is that since Joy and Caffrey were complete strangers, the police might never have connected the two of them if" "If she hadn't killed the wrong man." "Now, that raises an interesting question, Mr. Mason." "How did you uncover that?" "By working backwards." "Albright had been murdered by a woman." "The police took certain evidence and found a suspect." "I had a suspect and dug up certain missing evidence against Joy." "But suppose Ida Albright had done it?" "No." "Albright may have seen himself in all sorts of romantic situations, but to Ida he was just a poor goose about to lay a golden egg." "A $5000 golden egg." "( dramatic theme playing )" "( noirish jazz theme playing )"