"(theme song playing)" "(waves crashing)" "*" "Well, like I said, I'm walking my dog, when I see the man get out of this parked convertible." "All of a sudden, the guy walks right out into the ocean, with all his clothes on." "Strikes me as kind of funny, but then we get all sorts of oddballs coming to the beach." "Well, anyway," "I take the dog in the house and I'm getting ready for bed, when I look out the window." "The car's still here, but the guy ain't nowhere in sight." "I don't see nobody swimming, either." "So, I came down to look at the car." "This, this note was stuck on the steering wheel." "It says he was going to commit suicide." "*" "Did it go okay, Jack?" "Did anybody see you?" "Where's the sauce?" "Relax." "Relax, Austin." "It went off like a dream." "I even left a note for my widow." "Here's health to the late Jack Culross." "Let's get in the car." "Sketches." "Unfinished work." "Nothing, I'm afraid, of any particular value." "What a shame." "Your husband had an amazing potential, Mrs. Culross." "And an equally amazing talent for letting it go to waste." "My sister tells me that Jack's paintings were beginning to sell, at pretty respectable prices, too." "Yes, thanks to Vincent Kenyon and the newspaper articles he did on Jack's work." "If Jack had only applied himself to painting with the same passion he had for high living-- just a couple of months of intensive work." "Look, sketches that never grew up." "Really fine oils started-- never finished." "Mr. Durrant, as I told you on the phone," "I'm closing up the cottage here and moving to my place in Panama permanently." "Now, you handled my husband's work." "You called to say that you were interested in purchasing whatever might be left in the studio." "Do you see anything that you want?" "Jack's Three Witches canvas." "He told me when he started it a year ago, it would be his most important work." "Look at it." "Waste, unforgivable waste." "When do you plan to move out of the country, Mrs. Culross?" "By the end of the week." "I'm sure you must be hard-pressed for cash." "None of this stuff has more than curiosity value." "If it would help, Mrs. Culross, I'll give you $5,000 for the contents of the studio, as is." "As I understand it, all of the tangibles are already in your name." "If you'll give me a title to the pictures here, there would be no need of administrative proceedings." "You wouldn't have to bother with probating the estate." "How soon can you clear out the studio?" "I'll put the seats down in my station wagon and, of course, send you a check after lunch." "I..." "Thank you, Mr. Durrant." "Yes." "He was sick." "Jack Culross was a sick man." "Somewhere I failed him, Clint." "I wish I knew how or why." "Beautiful." "It's brilliant." "Oh, shut up, little man." "Oh, I was only admiring." "Your admiration revolts me." "Art dealers are percentage parasites fattening off other men's talent." "How'd it go with my widow?" "She sold." "And she'll be on her way to Panama and out of our way by the end of the week." "Now that you're..." "you're dead, your work will triple in value." "Couple of months, we can exhibit and clean up a fortune." "If you could just paint a little faster." "Don't push too far, little man." "Oh, Dr. Kenyon, you were so right." "Everything you said in your column was the truth." "Culross is so, so chic." "I've already bought his Moodscape and Tenement Shadows." "Can you suggest a third?" "You see, the wall will hold three if the frames are small." "Well, I think his Perspective in Black might be just the thing." "Over there, before anyone else gets it." "Oh, yes." "Thank you." "Thank you, Dr. Kenyon." "Mr. Durrant." "Well, Austin, this must be a proud and profitable moment." "That it is, Vincent-- very profitable." "Better than 50 percent sellout, isn't it, Miss Burnside?" "Yes." "Look at them." "You'd think we were discounting Rembrandts in the bargain basement." "What is it, Mr. Durrant?" "Excuse me." "Mrs. Culross, Mr. Miller, I, uh..." "I thought you were in Panama." "Well, how, how delightful you could make the showing." "This particular painting marked "sold" with a, uh, $3,000 price tag on it..." "Since the last time we saw you, talent must've risen in price." "Uh, there's some champagne over there, and, uh, and, uh, Dr. Kenyon." "All the more amazing, since the last time we saw that painting, it was unfinished." "(sighs)" "Um, please, please, Mrs. Culross!" "If you'll-- oh, fine." "Mrs. Cul..." "There's no question of it, Mr. Mason, at least half of that picture was painted afterJack killed himself." "It's a blatant forgery." "I knew it when I saw the photo of the painting in the Panama paper." "I came back to find out and now I'm sure." "What explanation did Durrant offer for the painting being completed?" "Well, he's called Edna a couple of times, but she won't talk to him." "She insisted on bringing the matter directly to you." "Mr. Mason, I don't know anything about this art business." "I just took my sister to Panama to help her get set and then, all this happens." "Well, the quicker you clear this up, the happier I'll be." "What about the other paintings hanging in the gallery?" "I just don't know, Mr. Mason." "Jack painted in fits and starts." "He never liked to be watched." "So, you really don't know which of the paintings were genuine and which were forgeries." "No." "But there's no question about The Three Witches." "It's a forgery." "I want this fraudulent sale stopped, Mr. Mason." "Now." "When you called, my associate," "Mr. Gideon, had an idea as regards to Three Witches." "Mrs. Culross, was there much depth of texture to your husband's paintings?" "Well, uh, thickness of paint-- is that what you mean by "depth of texture"?" "Yes." "Yes, there was considerable thickness." "All right." "Thank you, Mrs. Culross." "We'll, uh, look into the matter." "Thank you, Mr. Mason." "As soon as we find something, we'll call you." "DELLA:" "All right, now, the Atomic Age hasn't changed the curriculum of law school that much." "Or have you been sneaking in a special course on six ways to forge a Rembrandt?" "Neither-- pre-law college physics." "I'm talking about a thermocouple, of course." "Of course." "Perry, I, uh, suppose you understand what he means?" "Of course." "A thermocouple is a delicate heat-measuring device." "(chuckles)" "That explains everything." "A divining rod to locate hot paintings." "No, Della, no." "You see, the older paint gets, the drier it becomes." "The drier it becomes, the more heat it reflects." "Now, by measuring heat from different parts of the painting's surface, we can determine for sure and legally if somebody else finished the painting of The Three Witches after Culross died." "You got it?" "Got it." "How soon can you, uh, locate a thermocouple, David?" "Inside half an hour, Mr. Mason." "Good." "Let's go." "Durrant!" "Hey, what are you doing?" "Stop!" "Stop!" "Stop him!" "Oh, never mind." "You'll never find him in those crowds." "Should I call the police, Mr. Durrant?" "Yes, please do, right away." "Excuse me, gentlemen." "I'd better call the insurance people." "Yes, yes!" "Miss Burnside, please call the..." "Call the police right away." "Uh, I'll be right with you gentlemen." "What was that all about?" "Obviously, some sort of a crank." "Just look around, gentlemen." "Take your time." "The, uh, "sold" pictures are marked." "Uh, Mr. Durrant," "I'm attorney for Mrs. Edna Culross." "My name is Mason." "Then... then this is a professional visit." "Could be." "I'm interested in buying a certain painting." "That is, if you can certify as to its authenticity." "I'd be glad to." "Do you still have the painting called" "The Three Witches by Culross?" "That sold and delivered, I'm afraid." "A Dr. Vincent Kenyon bought her for the Hessler collection." "But I'd be most happy to sell and authenticate any picture you see." "If you're interested only in The Three Witches, you'll have to talk to Dr. Kenyon at the museum." "I tell you, Jack, the man was insane." "He ripped into that canvas as if it were human." "To him, maybe it was." "Uh, tall, thin features, shabby clothes?" "You know him then?" "You've seen him before?" "When's the exhibition closing?" "Friday." "First, my wife comes back, then this lawyer shows, and now..." "Close it tonight." "Cash out my share." "All of that cash for tonight?" "Oh, I can't, Jack." "I have to be in San Diego tonight." "Durrant, do what I tell you." "GIDEON:" "I like it." "But I'm afraid I don't know very much about art." "Good art is like music." "It should be enjoyed, not dissected." "(chuckling)" "An excellent sentiment, Mr. Mason, but a bit basic, perhaps." "You wanted to see me?" "I'm Vincent Kenyon." "Oh, Dr. Kenyon." "I'm interested in a painting called The Three Witches." "I was told you'd bought it." "Yes, you... you passed it as you came in." "It's the best of the Culross collection." "It has been suggested that the painting was completed by another artist after Culross' death." "Are you Mrs. Culross' attorney?" "(chuckles)" "A very emotional woman, Mr. Mason." "Totally ignorant of art." "This canvas is genuine, from first stroke to last." "You seem to be an expert on Culross, Dr. Kenyon." "Oh, I should be." "I was the first to recognize his talent." "You'd have no objection to our verifying your observation scientifically?" "Well, inexpert handling of a valuable canvas is really quite out of the question." "That's reasonable, Doctor." "But we will in no way touch the painting." "Ah." "Well, very well." "Well, Mr. Mason, are you satisfied?" "Completely." "My thanks for your cooperation." "Well, if you'd accepted my opinion, you could have saved yourself trouble." "Anyone, even with the remotest familiarity with Culross' work, would never begin to doubt the authenticity of this canvas." "Obviously, you are wasting your time." "You could be right, Dr. Kenyon." "Good day." "Good day, Mr. Mason." "Mr. Mason?" "According to our Mr. Expert inside, there's no question that the canvas was a genuine Culross." "I suppose the thermocouple confirmed that." "No." "It confirmed that at least a third of it was painted six days after Culross died." "Feeling any better, Mr. Durrant?" "Oh, yes, thanks." "Good." "Where's the package?" "I don't have it." "You what?" "The man at the bank said it wouldn't be ready until 6:00." "6:00?" "That's impossible." "I have to be in San Diego at 6:00." "It's absolutely imperative." "I should've left half an hour ago." "I know and I told him that, and he still said it wouldn't be ready until 6:00." "Of all the stupid...!" "So, I finally told him that I'd pick it up for you then." "No, no, I don't want you making the trip out here to the beach again." "That won't be necessary, Mr. Durrant." "I can put the package on your desk at the gallery and then you can pick it up on your way back from San Diego, can't you?" "Yes, I suppose you..." "Well, actually, there's no need for you to go back to the gallery, either, Miss Burnside." "Oh, well, I have to do that anyway." "Oh, Mr. Durrant, I just love your view." "You know, Mrs. Ronker called from Pasadena about the figurine that she ordered." "She wants it tonight instead of tomorrow." "Well, now, I'll pick up the package at the bank, put it on your desk at the gallery, pick up the figurine and bring it out to Pasadena." "Will there be anything else, Mr. Durrant?" "Well, I..." "No, that'll be fine, Linda." "And thank you, very much." "Well, good luck in San Diego." "Yes." "Thank you." "My secretary is very reliable." "And, of course, she doesn't know that your share of the money is in that package." "You see, the bank..." "I heard." "The office is much closer than the bank." "I'll get your share of the money and bring it back to you here before I leave." "What's waiting for you in San Diego?" "Bankruptcy sale, I, uh..." "Well, I have a, sort of a private arrangement with a receiver on a few art pieces." "There are buyers waiting and I could..." "Bribe?" "Chisel?" "Misrepresent?" "Steal?" "Anything to turn an honest profit." "Isn't that right, little man?" "Now, listen, Jack." "If you don't..." "All right, all right, Austin." "Don't feed your ulcers." "I won't keep you." "I'll stop in at your office on my way into town and pick up the money myself." "Oh, uh, uh, give me a key to the gallery back door." "Take it easy, Jack." "They won't let you on the plane if you're drunk." "I'm not going by plane." "I'm driving." "What?" "Or rather, my, uh, my widow will be driving." "Edna?" "Edna, this is your dead husband, Jack." "(laughing)" "*" "Jack?" "Jack, are you here?" "(Jack laughing)" "Oh, Jack, stop playing games." "Welcome home to the prodigal husband, lover." "(exclaims) Oh." "You're early." "I didn't expect you for a half hour yet." "Are you alone?" "Yes, I'm alone." "Good." "Oh, you look cute in black." "Cute and sexy." "Is that all you can say, Jack, after weeks of letting me think you were dead?" "Is that all you can say?" "But why?" "Why did you do this?" "Money." "What else?" "And the chance for the two of us to start all over again." "You'd like that, wouldn't you, Edna?" "Then... the suicide was just another one of your tricks?" "Hmm, a profitable one, lover-- an $80,000 profit." "Tax free." "Aw, look, you need a drink." "No." "I just need to be rid of the sight and sound of you." "You know, I was confused and upset when you called." "But I'm not confused anymore." "Start all over again with you, Jack?" "Never." "I'd rather die first." "Edna." "Look, I know our marriage went sour." "But it's not the end of the world." "We can still make it." "Uh, a new start, a new home." "Your place in Panama maybe." "Panama?" "Edna, please come with me." "Tonight." "Now." "Oh, yes." "You're a fugitive now, aren't you?" "A fugitive looking for a place to hide." "And I have a place-- a big, expensive place in Panama." "No, Jack." "You've fooled and tricked me for the last time." "Where are you going?" "To the police." "To see that you get exactly what's coming to you." "Edna, listen!" "Get out." "Out!" "Either you go with me, or you sign the place over to me." "Don't you understand?" "I've got to have a place to go to." "(gun clatters)" "No." "No." "Don't be a fool." "Couldn't have been badly hurt, Mr. Mason." "All I could think of was getting away from him." "I ran out into the street and kept running." "You didn't return for your purse?" "No, I, I just kept going until I found a cab." "You say he'd been drinking, huh?" "Yes." "Oh, Mr. Mason, it was such a shock finding him alive." "And the fight..." "I mean... what if he was badly hurt?" "In a way, I'm still responsible." "He's... he's really sick." "You know, I have a hunch that somewhere we'll find a drunken painter with a very sore head." "Now, you stay with Della, Mrs. Culross." "We'll try and locate your husband." "Della, we'll be back in an hour." "All right." "Well, drive 20 miles, trade a steak for a hamburger and not even a drunk." "Looks like he left in her car." "Let's get back to Los Angeles." "Your client's purse, Mr. Mason." "DRAKE:" "Perry?" "Small caliber and, uh, recently fired." "All right, Paul, see if you can locate someone to find that car of hers." "(siren wailing)" "May I see your driver's license, please?" "Okay, thanks." "Perry, your client's car was picked up for speeding just past Malibu." "Who was driving it?" "Clint Miller, your client's brother." "And, Perry, he's being held on suspicion of murder." "Murder?" "Well, they found Jack Culross in the back of the car." "Dead." "Mr. Mason..." "Mr. Miller, I'm here as your sister's attorney." "I want to help her." "Help Edna?" "Well, they've arrested me." "You were driving her car." "I borrowed the car." "Edna had nothing to do with it." "Mr. Miller, don't underestimate the police." "Durrant's secretary, Linda Burnside, was picked up in Pasadena." "She was at the gallery tonight." "Delivering some package." "So?" "So, when the police locate Durrant in San Diego, they'll know what was in that package and its connection with the woman who entered the gallery to meet Jack Culross." "Woman?" "The police have a witness who saw a woman there at about the time Culross must've been killed." "Your sister Edna." "Now, that's impossible." "I told you that Edna had nothing to do with it." "So far you've told me nothing but lies." "Oh, yes, you were driving Edna's car." "The car she left in the parking lot after her visit with Culross." "Well, how do you know..." "Edna came to my office." "I know she was in the gallery tonight." "Now, if that witness sees her, he'll identify her." "Your sister's in trouble, Mr. Miller, serious trouble." "If you really want to help her, you must tell me the truth." "Well, I took a cab to the gallery, and went around to the back door off the parking lot." "Go on." "I saw her car and Culross." "Well, I was panicky." "I didn't know how badly hurt he was." "First I shoved him in the car, figuring I'd take him to a doctor afterwards." "Then I realized he was already dead." "So then you tried to cover?" "You were going to get rid of the body?" "No." "But I didn't think it should be found until I knew what Edna had done." "I guess I didn't really know what to do." "I just... just kept on driving, scared mostly." "Mr. Miller, why did you go to the gallery?" "Well, when I came home late last night, there was a-- there was a note from Edna, telling me that Culross had called her." "He was alive and she was meeting him at the gallery." "Do you have that note?" "Why... no." "As far as the police are concerned, that note would be as good as a confession of murder from Edna." "They have a search warrant." "They're on their way now to search the place you shared with your sister." "Now, think carefully." "Did you destroy that note?" "Why...?" "No." "No, I left it right there on the table." "But I didn't fire the gun, Mr. Mason." "Believe me, I didn't even touch it." "Edna when your husband phoned you, why didn't you contact either the police or myself?" "I-I was confused and frightened." "(sighs)" "I just didn't think, that's all." "Now, you ran from the gallery and got into your car." "Yes." "You were trying to start the car when your husband jerked open the door." "When you bit him, he dropped the gun from his hand." "Now, tell me, why didn't you shoot him?" "You make a very good prosecutor, Mr. Mason, but I need a lawyer who can help me, one who believes I'm not lying." "That may be hard to find, Mrs. Culross." "You see, we located the note you wrote your brother." "I'm Lieutenant Anderson, Homicide." "You're under arrest for the murder of Jack Culross." "Too bad she couldn't convince you, Mr. Mason." "She'll need a good lawyer." "But you're wrong, Lieutenant." "I'm more than convinced." "I'm certain she's not guilty." "Sure you have the right place?" "(grunts)" "Walter Hutchings, apartment 33." "Well, let's go, David." "We can come back later." "Yeah." "That's the same guy who slashed the painting in Durrant's gallery when Mr. Mason and I were there." "Are you sure?" "Yes." "Walter Hutchings?" "(grunts)" "I'd like to talk to you." "I understand you're the witness..." "Look, I've told you people everything I know." "I was outside the gallery." "I saw the woman drive up, pull into the alley into the parking lot." "There's nothing more I know, nothing more I can tell you." "What were you doing at the gallery?" "I thought it might be open." "I wanted to see the exhibit." "A friend of Culross?" "Friend?" "Like a rattlesnake is your friend." "Well, feeling that way, you mean you just wanted to see the paintings?" "You're not from the police?" "Private detective, but I happen to know that you're the man who slashed the painting the afternoon of the murder." "Now, go away." "Go away, I've got nothing more to tell you or anybody else." "There's no question of it, Mr. Mason." "The witness who saw Edna Culross drive up to the gallery is the same man we saw destroying a Culross painting." "I got more than his name and address from my police contact." "Walter Hutchings is on parole from the Huntsville Penitentiary in Texas." "Della, would you come in, please?" "Did you get a rundown on Hutchings' record, Paul?" "Yep, he was curator of the university art gallery in Dallas until he was sent up." "(door opens and closes) Sent up for what?" "Five-year term for art bunco." "Uh, no need for notes, Della." "Just get me a seat on the next flight..." "Uh, Mr. Mason, could...?" "Get me two seats on the next flight for Dallas, and have a rental car meet us at the airport." "There's something else I want you to investigate, Paul." "All right, what is it?" "(door opens)" "Do you remember that package the secretary delivered" "(door closes) to Durrant's place on the night of the murder?" "Well, Durrant says that there was" "$80,000 in it for Culross-- his share of the swindle-- but there was no money found on Culross' body." "Hutchings never should have been sent to jail, Mr. Mason." "An error in judgment, yes, but there never was any criminal intent." "Where was the error, Dr. Shelby?" "He bought a Matisse, which turned out to be a fake-- and a brilliant fake." "I think it would have fooled most anybody." "Bought it from a young fellow named Peters, and like a fool, he paid cash before it was authenticated." "And?" "When they found it to be a phony, they started looking for young Peters, but he had skipped, leaving Wally holding the bag." "Do you recognize that face?" "Yes, it's Peters." "If you still have the fake painting, may we see it?" "Yes, of course." "It's the, uh, Blue Waters." "The original used to be part of the Rob Wade collection." "We saw this painting in Los Angeles." "No, David, we saw its twin in Los Angeles." "You're right, it's a dead ringer, Mr. Mason." "Which one do you think is the fake?" "That's something we have to find out, David." "The answer could be a motive for murder." "You've heard it testified, Lieutenant, that death was caused by a massive hemorrhage as the result of multiple bullet wounds, which caused a rupture of the aorta, the spleen, and the liver." "There were two small caliber bullets recovered from the body." "They were marked for identification." "I ask you if these are the bullets." "Yes, sir." "People's exhibit one, if it please the court." "Now, Lieutenant Anderson, I show you this note and ask if you can identify it." "Yes, sir, this is a note signed by the defendant and addressed to her brother." "And where was the note found?" "We found the note in Clint Miller's apartment." "BURGER:" "Thank you, Lieutenant." "Your name is Clint Robert Miller?" "Yes." "You are the brother of the defendant?" "Yes." "And you reside with your sister?" "Yes." "BURGER:" "Mr. Miller, when you returned home on the evening of June 3, did you find a note from your sister which caused you to go to the Durrant Art Galleries?" "I must respectfully decline to answer that question on the ground that such answer would tend to incriminate me." "Really?" "Your Honor, the state, having foreseen that this witness might invoke the Fifth Amendment for fear of being named an accessory in this murder..." "A petition for a waiver of immunity under section 1324 of the penal code was made in superior court and granted." "At this time," "I should like it entered in the record." "Let it be entered." "Mr. Miller, by order of the waiver, you have been granted immunity of prosecution in the event your testimony may incriminate you." "You will therefore answer all questions or be held in contempt." "Now, Mr. Miller, on the night of June 3, when you arrived home, did you find a note from your sister?" "Yes." "And is this the note?" "Yes." "Mr. Hutchings, in addition to your visit there on the afternoon of June 3, on which occasion you destroyed property, for which action you still face charges, were you, on the evening of June 3," "in the vicinity of the Durrant Art Galleries?" "I was." "At approximately 8:00 p.m.?" "Yes." "Did you see an automobile driven by a woman drive onto the gallery parking lot?" "Yes." "And is the woman who was driving that automobile in this courtroom today?" "She is." "It's the defendant Mrs. Culross." "Mr. Durrant never said what was in the package... just that it was valuable and that he needed it." "So, not knowing that you were carrying" "$80,000 in used bills in that package, you went from the bank to the Durrant Gallery and left the package on Durrant's desk." "Now, what else did you do and whom did you see while you were at the gallery, Miss Burnside?" "I didn't see anyone while I was there." "Now, Miss Burnside, the defendant apparently arrived at the gallery at a time very close to the one set by the coroner's office as the time of death." "That's approximately 8:00." "What time was it when you left the gallery?" "BURNSIDE:" "7:15, certainly no later than 7:30." "So, although the police reported that they found no money on the decedent's body, in the defendant's car, or on the person of the brother of the defendant, or anywhere in the gallery, you can testify that the money was there" "when the defendant and the murdered man met." "Objection, Your Honor." "The question calls for a conclusion on the part of the witness." "I'll withdraw the question, Your Honor." "No further questions." "Thank you." "Your witness." "Miss Burnside, to date the money in question has not been found." "It was not found in the possession of the defendant." "Now, are you asking this court to believe that you casually placed $80,000 in cash on Mr. Durrant's desk, then just left the gallery without concern for the safety of that money?" "No, sir." "I put a package on the desk." "I didn't know there was money in it." "Oh, come now, Miss Burnside." "You were Durrant's confidential secretary." "Didn't you open the package to see what it contained?" "No, Mr. Mason, I did not." "Your Honor, I object to Mr. Mason badgering this witness." "When the police located Miss Burnside in Pasadena, she was searched as a matter of routine before she was questioned." "And may I remind Mr. Mason that in the statement made by the defendant herself to the police, she admitted that her husband had that money in his possession when she arrived." "I'm sure he intended to leave the country by plane." "Sure, Mr. Durrant?" "Well, I offered to get his ticket for him." "He told me not to bother." "His ticket and some sort of phony passport were taken care of." "Then, what made you think that he'd changed his mind about flying out of the country?" "Culross told me." "He said he wasn't going to fly, he was going by car, and that his wife was going to drive him." "BURGER:" "His wife was going to drive him?" "Mr. Durrant, did you have any reason to believe that the decedent's wife knew he had not committed suicide?" "I don't know for sure." "I only know I heard him call her and arrange to meet her in the gallery at 8:00." "No further questions." "Your witness." "Did the decedent say that he had personally arranged for his, uh, plane ticket and passport?" "No, no." "He said it was taken care of." "I'm sure of that." "Now, aside from Culross' share of the proceeds of your joint conspiracy to defraud-- aside from that $80,000-- was there anything else missing from your gallery?" "Missing?" "No, just the coffin figurine Miss Burnside delivered." "Then, why, on the day following the murder, did you inventory the contents of your gallery?" "Oh, that." "Well, uh," "Culross and his wife must have had a dilly of a fight." "There were even some tapestries knocked off the walls." "These, uh, tapestries that were knocked from the walls-- they were scattered around on the floor where they'd fallen?" "No." "Matter of fact, no." "The tapestries were sort of folded and stacked as if..." "As if someone planned to take them?" "Steal them?" "Then either changed his mind, or was killed?" "If you're trying to say that I..." "I'm not trying to say a thing, Mr. Durrant." "Are you?" "As curator of the Hessler Museum, then, you bought a number of paintings at this exhibition?" "Yes, Mr. Burger, I did." "Dr. Kenyon, could you explain to this court exactly how the death of an artist can relate to the sale of his work?" "In an artist of Culross' caliber, it's the inevitable law of supply and demand." "When the source of the supply is dead, prices rise, if the paintings have merit." "Then, in effect, Dr. Kenyon, you were the victim of a fraud." "A fraud perpetrated by Durrant, the art dealer, by the artist himself, and by anyone else who knew that Culross was alive, or who participated in setting up his mock suicide, or his posthumous exhibition." "Unfortunately, I was the victim of just such a fraud." "BURGER:" "Thank you, Dr. Kenyon." "That'll be all." "Your witness." "Uh, in view of the hour, Mr. Mason, might I suggest reserving your examination until tomorrow?" "Of course, Your Honor." "Then court will adjourn until 10:00 tomorrow morning." "That cable arrived from London about an hour ago." "So, Kenyon's Blue Waters is another Culross forgery." "Do you think he knows?" "I'm sure of it." "Then for Pete's sake, why did Dr. Kenyon promote Culross?" "The payoff for blackmail isn't always money, David." "The thing I can't figure out, Perry, is not just who killed Culross." "But where on earth did the killer hide the $80,000?" "The killer must have seen Edna running away." "There was a chance the police would arrive any moment." "And possession of that money would have been a confession of murder." "You know, I have a pretty good hunch where that money was hidden." "Della, see if you can reach one of the judges of the Ninth Federal Circuit Court right away." "I must see him tonight." "Dr. Kenyon, you are an expert on fine arts?" "It has been said so." "Uh, when you purchased the painting titled Three Witches for the Hessler collection, it was in the belief that Jack Culross was dead?" "Yes." "As you previously stated, you were the unwitting victim of a fraud." "Well, obviously." "MASON:" "As you were when you bought a forged Matisse from Culross?" "Your Honor, we protest." "The witness will answer the question." "Well, I..." "Dr. Kenyon, did you not buy from Jack Culross an alleged Matisse called Blue Waters?" "Yes, I did." "Are you aware that the genuine Blue Waters is in a private collection in London?" "KENYON:" "But I found that out later." "Your Honor, we protest this irrelevant attempt to degrade a witness for the state." "Since this is related to the probity of an expert witness," "I find it most relevant and illuminating." "Continue, Mr. Mason." "Was Culross blackmailing you in order to promote his career, Dr. Kenyon?" "I won't answer." "I won't." "Very well." "If granted latitude, Your Honor, we will prove the identity of the murderer." "I should like to recall Miss Linda Burnside to the stand." "Uh, Miss Burnside, as secretary-bookkeeper for the Durrant Galleries, you know Dr. Kenyon?" "Certainly." "He's one of our best customers." "At the last Culross exhibition, did Dr. Kenyon bring other art collectors to the preview?" "Well, he gave me a list of possible buyers to be sent preview invitations." "MASON:" "In short, he helped to promote that showing." "Very much so." "Now, this is important." "As long as you have worked for Mr. Durrant, can you remember any other artist who received the help Dr. Kenyon gave" "Jack Culross?" "No, I can't remember any." "Miss Burnside, there's a specific pattern to this case." "One I should like the court to consider." "Now, I wonder if you would help me present that pattern." "If I can, Mr. Mason, certainly." "The murderer knew that Culross hadn't committed suicide." "Knew of the money Culross was to receive." "Killed Culross for that money." "Now, Mr. Durrant knew this." "The prosecution claims that the defendant and possibly her brother knew it." "Now, let us assume for the moment," "Miss Burnside, that someone else also knew it." "Your Honor, I object." "Mr. Mason is using these tactics in an obvious and uncalled for attempt to implicate and vilify a distinguished citizen." "Would the court please remind Mr. Mason that Dr. Kenyon is not the defendant in this case?" "Mr. Burger, I did not mention Dr. Kenyon's name." "Well, you said that..." "MASON:" "I said, let's assume someone else knew." "If, because of Dr. Kenyon's relationship to the decedent, you assume the good doctor was implicated, then, it's you the court should admonish." "I think your objection is technically well-taken, Mr. Prosecutor, but I'm going to overrule it, because the court is very much interested in Mr. Mason's line of reasoning." "And in view of the facts which have been established, the court would like to have Mr. Mason follow this line of reasoning to the end." "Continue, Mr. Mason." "Very well, Your Honor." "Jack Culross was greedy." "Greedy enough to double-cross Durrant and rob him before he left." "Now, Durrant testified that a number of tapestries had been taken off the walls the night of the murder." "Think carefully." "When you delivered the package to the gallery, were the tapestries down, or were they still hanging?" "No, they were hanging." "I would have noticed if there was anything different." "The next day, you helped Durrant with his inventory." "What would you say those tapestries were worth?" "Well, between $4,000 and $5,000." "It is possible to mail tapestries out of the country, isn't it, Miss Burnside?" "Yes, of course." "Now, it's very likely that Culross, in robbing Durrant, had an accomplice." "The accomplice was to take the stolen tapestries and mail them-- uh, let us say-- to Jack Culross in Mexico City." "On the night of the murder, the accomplice was perhaps just leaving the gallery with those tapestries when the defendant arrived earlier than expected to meet her husband." "Miss Burnside, would there have been someplace where the accomplice might have quickly hidden in order to eavesdrop on the meeting between Culross and his wife?" "Well, I..." "I suppose one could hide in the storage room behind the office." "The accomplice would then have overheard that Culross meant to double-cross not only Durrant, but also the accomplice." "So, when the defendant ran away from her husband in the parking lot, the accomplice just picked up the gun and shot him, becoming not only a thief, but a murderer." "Miss Burnside, when the police located you in Pasadena, you were searched, were you not?" "Yes, I was searched." "They searched me." "They searched my apartment." "They searched my car." "Everybody was searched." "The killer, anticipating that, just tossed the tapestries back into the gallery." "But that $80,000-- where to hide that safely and for possibly a long period of time?" "Uh, tell me, Miss Burnside-- were there mailing containers and stamps in the gallery office?" "Yes." "Where was the nearest mailbox?" "Well, there's... there's one right outside the building." "Your Honor, as you know, it is illegal to use the mails to secrete stolen monies." "Last night, I put this matter before Federal Judge Noyman of the United States District Court." "Uh, Southern District of California, Federal Division." "Did he issue a court order, Mr. Mason?" "Uh, yes, Your Honor." "Uh, to the office of the postal inspector, directing that a search be made in Los Angeles general delivery for a small package postmarked the night of the murder and addressed to one of the principals in this case." "And was the package with the money found?" "Well, as Your Honor also knows, the federal mails are inviolate." "But, uh..." "Judge Noyman further ordered that if such a package were found, delivery was to be effected so that the package could be subpoenaed as evidence by this court, to be opened only in the presence of the postal inspector." "Now, Your Honor, this is Deputy Postal Inspector Johnson." "Inspector Johnson has such a package." "If it contains the $80,000, then the name on the package could only be that of one person." "The name on the package is the name of the murderer." "All right, Inspector Johnson." "You may proceed." "Linda Burnside." "I don't want it." "It's just that he didn't need me." "I don't want it!" "(sobbing)" "Linda Burnside was in love with your husband." "They planned the fake suicide and the posthumous sale of his paintings so they could run away together." "What really tipped it all, in addition to the money, was the fact that she had purchased two plane tickets for Mexico City." "Well, one thing about this case-- sure has affected a lot of people." "Linda Burnside's been indicted for murder, and Durrant's in jail." "Dr. Kenyon is no longer curator at the museum." "As a matter of fact, I guess I'm lucky" "I'm not in jail for moving the body." "I'm afraid I actually thought for a moment you had killed him." "Everybody did, except Mr. Mason." "I brought you one of Jack's paintings as a sort of memento." "I can't thank you enough for what you did, Mr. Mason." "Say, Mr. Mason, uh, what about the people who were defrauded when they bought all those paintings?" "Oh, I don't imagine there should be any trouble." "The paintings were genuine." "How ironic." "They should be more valuable now that he's gone." "Thank you, Edna." "(theme music plays)"