"## [theme]" "Come on, come on." "What are you worrying about?" "Nobody will find out, and nobody will know." "The contract's in the bag, I guarantee you." "If anybody's got trouble, it's me." "This partnership thing is like trying to ride a dying horse." "I need that money." "You, my friend, owe me $50,000." "I never guarantee who would get the contract." "I only said our report would fix it so that Universal wouldn't." "Well, now you're talking sense." "Suppose I meet you at" " Yes, Terri." "Universal Aviation, Mr. Pearce." "What?" "Right outside and mad." "Wait till I buzz and then send him in." "Did you hear that?" "Well, we knew we'd have to face some of the music, but he can't know, and it won't make any difference." "Just stay on the line." "I'll get back to you." "[buzzer sounds]" " Mr. Pearce" " Sit down." " Oh, but, Mr. Pearce" " Sit down, Lloyd, and listen." "Universal Aviation is company with net assets of more than a 100 million dollars." "On behalf of the board of directors and stockholders, I run that company." "You, Lloyd, may know the right time of day." "More than that, I wouldn't swear to." "Mr. Pearce, I protest." "Sit down." "You're a fast-talking promoter who latched on to a bright young scientist and formed a two-bit independent reliability testing outfit." "Whatever that is." "Why, I don't know." "But my engineering department saw fit to employ your company to test some designs for the DIMOS project." "A project with a total potential value in excess of one half a billion dollars." "Less than a day before the bid is due, we discover by some strange fluke that our bid is going to be so high, we haven't a chance to win that contract." "Mr. Pearce, that's the way things happen." "The fortunes of war." "I'm terribly sorry that you lost that contract." "But I haven't lost it." "Well, you just said" "I asked for and was given a one week's extension in which to submit our bid." "But that means" "An investigation, Mr. Lloyd." "Mr. Pearce, are you accusing me?" "Yes, I am." "If one of my departments is found to be at fault," "I'll fire the whole kit and caboodle of them." "But if, as I'm led to believe, it's this outfit of yours" "Look out." "Now, start that genius partner of yours double-checking the report he wrote." "He may have to explain it in court." "Universal's held up their bid and gotten an extension." "How do I know why?" "It could be anything." "Some fluke, Pearce said." "Maybe somebody smelled something in the report." "If they question too closely and double-check, you and I may go to jail." "Don't give me that, friend." "If I go to jail, you're going with me." "Over here, Mr. Lloyd." "I'm almost finished." "All right, thank you, Joe." "That'll be $5.38, sir." "Personal check for $25." "Cash it." "May I see your driver's license, please?" "Everything all right, Mr. Lloyd?" "You're looking a little peaked." "I feel it." "Don't think I've ever seen you buy a bottle before." "What are you gonna do, drown the trouble?" " Why not?" " Here you are." "Thank you." "Station 3706, cash back King-- 213769." "Brown 14." "That's right." "Yeah, sure, I'll hold on." "Sir, would you be good enough to fill out this credit application for me, please?" "What for?" "Oh, just routine for our records." "Your name and your address." " You stalling me?" " Excuse me?" "Who are you talking to?" "Look, Telecredit is just a routine" "Oh, forget it." "That's him, Officer!" "That's the guy with the phony license and the bad check-- him!" "Terrific, isn't it?" "You spot a phony license or a bad check in five seconds." "Yeah." "Can I help you with your problem, Mr. Lloyd?" "Thanks, Joe." "You already have." "[ring]" "Miss Clover." "Oh, yes." "Yes, Mr. Garrett, I'll tell him right away." "And that's how it works." "Well, that's wonderful." " Excuse me, Mr. Lloyd." " Yes, Terri." "Mr. Garrett would like to see you in his office." "I think he has his lawyer with him." "He said it was important." "Of course." "Well, thank you, Mr. Fordney." "Thanks for your time and trouble." "I'll be seeing you soon." " Thank you, Mr. Lloyd." " Right." "What's electronic check approval?" "And who is Mr. Fordney?" "Oh, he's a fellow I met at the club." "He's selling something." "I guess, I'll see Dwight." "Austin, after you see him, will I still be working here?" "Everybody's wondering, huh?" "Well, we haven't been setting the world on fire." "Our boy Dwight is a walking brain." "Real smart, sure." "But he's not the only one around here who can figure things out." "Don't ever sell Austin Lloyd short." "[buzzer rings]" "Hello, Dwight." "Well." "Our private little war seems to be turning into a public exposition." "I'm sorry, Austin." "You gave him no choice, Mr. Lloyd." "Oh, Mason." "I know you called, but you'll have to understand the press of business." "Dodging is the word." "You deliberately avoided my calls." "Assume the offensive, it's a good legal tactic." "Well, even the reinforcements are here." "Mr. Baker of Baker Avionics." "Mr. Ned Chase, his chief reliability engineer." "I don't know how this concerns you gentlemen, but welcome to the battle." "Austin, I" " I've been offered a vice presidency at Baker Avionics." "Genius recognized." "Genius rewarded." "Good for you, Dwight." "Look, I want out, Austin." "I'll dissolve our partnership." "You want to dissolve my marriage, too." "Accusations like that are one reason your partnership needs dissolution." "A Solomon come to render judgment." "Tell me, Mason, do you know all the answers?" "Let's say enough of them to recognize lack of equity." "Dwight's contribution to this joint venture of yours has become increasingly disproportionate." "Bitter antagonism is grounds for dissolution of a partnership by the courts." "Oh, now we're gonna wave subpoenas at one another." "The company has assets." "Dwight agrees they're yours to keep." "[Lloyd] Oh, fine." "Just enough money in the bank to meet the payroll and the current bills, period." "Dwight Garrett isn't the only reliability engineer in the field." "No?" "Well, one even half as good wouldn't dream of associating with me unless I could offer him a substantial bonus." "The kind of money I don't have, Dwight doesn't have, and the company doesn't have." "Oh, come off it, Austin." "There must be somebody you can associate with." "Tell me, Mr. Myron Baker, with just a somebody, not a Dwight Garrett, would your company use us?" "Well, I" " I don't handle that end of the business." "Isn't that beautifully evasive?" "Mr. Ned Chase, as Mr. Baker's chief reliability engineer, and under those circumstances, would you use us?" "No." "Well, look, Perry, maybe I" "No, Dwight." "You made him your partner out of misguided sympathy." "Don't repeat the mistake." "All right, Mr. Lloyd, in regard to the dissolution of partnership and as a matter of record, I'd like your answer." "As a matter of record, you'll have it in 24 hours." "Oh, Dwight, minds like yours sometimes frighten me." "You punch magic holes into a piece of cardboard, and you feed it into a computer, and out comes an answer telling you how to fly to the stars." "I wish life's problems were as easily solved as that." "Dwight, I'm Austin's wife." "I'm not a chattel." "You can't trade him half a partnership for me." "Oh, we both made a mistake." "You when you married him and me when I made him my partner." "He's no good, Bonnie." "Look, I know he's been lying and cheating and stealing from the company." "Well, then you should have asked him to leave a long time ago." "Just as I know he's been lying and cheating and he's stolen every chance for happiness you'll ever have." "Have I ever led you to believe that I thought you and I were anything but just good friends?" "I'm letting him go." "You, Bonnie." "You let him go." "My kind of partnership is different." "I'm in my for life." "You love Austin?" "Look at me." "Can't lie can you?" "Oh, Bonnie." "I love you." "Deny" " Deny you love me." "Dwight." "Oh, Dwight." "[buzzer sounds]" "Dwight, we're both grown men." "Can't we talk our troubles out?" "There's nothing we can say that's gonna change the facts." "The partnership has to end." "Well, I thought a lot about it, and I think I know way out for both us." "If Aerospace Reliability was something more than just an empty name, a new contract, time and money enough to get somebody in here in your place." "What kind of a contract?" "Well, there's a Mexican company, a top Latin American outfit in electronics." "They're expanding." "They're looking for a United States company to do their reliability and test design work." "You think you can land the contract?" "Well, if you'll meet their top man and look over the specs on the project, yes." "And, uh, if I do?" "I'll sign any papers that Mason prepares." "When and where do I see this man?" "Well, I'm expecting a telephone call at my house at 4:00." "You go home and pack a bag, say, for a two-day trip." "Come over to my house after 4:00, and I'll make all arrangements." "Where do I go to see him?" "Mexico, Acapulco." "All right." "I'll go home and pack." "To Mexico?" "That's right, honey." "Just think of this." "Just the two of us, one week in Acapulco." "All things are looking up, Bonnie." "Money's coming in." "It'll be a second honeymoon." "A second chance to prove to you, that I can be a good husband." "That I love you." "To leave today-- Well, I don't have any clothes." "We'll get them when you get there." "Anything you want, another trousseau." "Don't say no, honey." "Please, I beg of you." "Oh, Austin, I" "I don't know." "I just" "Things will change, honey." "You won't be sorry." "Do you have the airplane tickets?" "Oh, that reminds me." "I'm gonna be tied up right to flight time." "But, honey, you can run some errands for me, huh?" "Go to the Beverly Hills airline office and pick up the tickets." "Pay with this check for both of them." "One way." "One way?" "We're coming back by boat." "Our own boat." "Two weeks of easy sailing up the coast to L.A." "You're going to buy a boat?" "A fantastic buy. $7,500 for a thing of beauty worth three times that." "The owner's in trouble, he needs cash." "$10,000." "Go and cash this at the bank." "Get $100 bills." "He insists on being paid that way." "We'll need the rest for expenses up the coast." "Oh, that's-- that's so much money to carry." "Oh, put in your purse and forget it." "Oh, one more thing." "A radio receiver for the boat." "I ordered one at Hillman's." "Will you pick it up for me?" "Where will I meet you?" "At the airport." "I'll pick up my ticket if I'm late and you've already boarded." "This is happening so fast, I" "Not fast enough if you don't get to the bank before it closes." "See you in a couple of hours." "Uh" "Thank you." "Yes, we can cash this company check for you, Mrs. Lloyd." "Just a matter of confirming your identification, that's all." "Oh, here's my driver's license." "Thank you." "Here, you can be endorsing it." "All right." "Station 77425." "Zebra, 359653." "Brown 3." "That's a company check for $400." "Your tickets are $290." "There'll be cash back to you, so I have to get clearance, but that's all." "Take just a minute." "Uh, Station 261587." "Cash back." "Zebra, 359-- 653." "Brown, 3." "Mr. Rodriguez will be waiting for you when you land." "Now, these papers are for him, some confidential material on financing he wanted." "What about my ticket?" "You can pick it up at the airport." "Rodriguez will have your hotel accommodations all set." "You'll be thoroughly briefed when you get there." "Well, I guess that's it." "I hope I can swing it for you." "Oh, Dwight, before you go, will you get me that glass of water and bottle of pills from the table there, please?" "Thank you." "Will you be all right?" "Oh, don't worry." "I've had these ulcer attacks before." "Bonnie will be back from shopping soon." "I'll give her your regards." "[coughs]" "Operator, this is an emergency." "Get me the police fast." "This is Austin Lloyd." "3506 Vista Haven." "Send the ambulance fast." "He poisoned me." "Dwight Garrett poisoned me." "Station 4673872." "Uh, cash back." "Zebra, 359653." "Uh, Brown." "I'm in such a hurry." "Couldn't I just" "It's a regular routine." "Uh, yes." "That was Brown 3." "Aerospace Reliability Associates." "[Woman] Station 4673872, stand by for Code 2." "Yes." "Yes, I'm standing by." "I'll wait." "Um, look, I'll pay you in cash." "I'm" " I'm already late." "Um, just one moment, ma'am." "I'll" "This is Sergeant Parnell, Special Agent." "[sighs] No." "I'm sorry." "Madam?" "[Woman over intercom] Flight 411 now arriving at Gate 2." "Thank you." "Passengers for Flight 330, please board immediately at Gate 5." "Bonnie." "Dwight, what are you doing here?" "I'm going to Acapulco, but" "One-way tickets?" "What the" "Dwight Garrett?" "Lieutenant Anderson, Los Angeles Police." "Are you Mrs. Austin Lloyd?" "Well, yes I am." "What's wrong?" "I'll have to ask both of you to come downtown with me." "Well, if it's about this money, don't ask me, ask Austin Lloyd." "Well, that's impossible, Mr. Garrett." "Austin Lloyd has been murdered." "Austin called the police and said I tried to poison him?" "He identified you specifically by name." "And then the police called your office." "They were told you were on your way flying to Mexico." "Andy" " Lieutenant Anderson just happened to be at the airport." "When the squad car boys found Lloyd's body, the police radioed Andy, and he picked you up." "Well, this Mr. Anderson, he was looking for me, too." "Well, what's amazing." "The way the bunco squad picked you up is almost as if they knew in advance exactly where to find you and the fact you'd have all that money on you." "It's more than amazing, Paul." "It's as though it had been carefully planned." "However, regardless of how or why, the fact remains you're both being held on suspicion of murder." "Well, all right, me." "Maybe they think they have some sort of a case against me, but why Bonnie?" "10,000 in cash in her purse." "His wife." "7,000 in cash in an envelope in your pocket." "His partner." "Plus reservations for two and a flight out of the country." "Your computer mind should be able to add that up." "To one answer for both of you, premeditated murder." "[Mason] Well, how do I plead you?" "Guilty or not guilty." "[sobs]" "Dwight?" "He was smarter and a lot more devious than I ever suspected, but he won't get away with it, Perry." "Who won't get away with what?" "Austin." "He planned all this." "Every step of the way." "The money, the trip to Mexico, tying Bonnie and me together." "[Mason] And his death?" "[Garrett] He planned that, too." "Don't you see?" "He deliberately had me hand him the poison he took to kill himself, and then he called the police." "All right." "I'll have Paul start checking out your stories." "But there's one thing I think you ought to know." "According to the preliminary autopsy report, Austin Lloyd was strangled to death." "I still don't see the point of comparing these, Mason." "I have experts working on this report." "But now the district attorney's asking about it, too." "But Dwight Garrett said there was some sort of mix-up on the report." "Mix-up?" "Ha." "Well, I just want every answer I can get, that's all." "Now, exactly what is the DIMOS project, Mr. Pearce?" "Delta Interplanetary Manned Orbiting Satellite." "A 10-year-long range space project." "See, look here, Mason." "This is my copy of the DIMOS report, all right." "But are you sure this is Garrett's own file copy?" "Well, he gave me the combination to his safe." "Miss Clover was right here with me when I removed it a few moments ago." "Why?" "They're not the same." "Look, I" " I think this one small paragraph here is different." "Same reference paragraph on three pages." "Summary, the detail, and the conclusion sections." "[Mason] Does those paragraphs effect the amount of your recommended bid?" "Well, that's for the experts to say." "I'm willing to bet that those paragraphs would keep us from getting that contract." "Wonder how those pages could've been substituted." "Who typed this report, Miss Clover?" "Mr. Mason, absolutely no one was permitted to so much as touch those final reliability reports except Mr. Garrett himself." "He even did the typing?" "Right here in this office on his own typewriter." "I noticed technical symbols there." "Did he also put those in?" "Oh, yes, sir." "He had a special printing element for that." "See the symbols are on it." "Mr. Mason, these three substitute pages were typed on the same machine as the original pages." "Look." "On both, the n's are chipped." "Miss Clover, would you type a few lines for me on Mr. Garrett's machine?" "Certainly." "Now, there it is." "No doubt of it, the "n"." "Well?" "[Mason] Well, what?" "You've sure got your answer, all right." "So have I." "Dwight Garrett originally worked out those DIMOS reliability factors properly." "His copy of the report proves that." "This typewriter also proves that it was the same Dwight Garrett who added those three substitute pages." "He deliberately altered those factors." "I'm sorry, Mr. Drake, but I have it right here on this memo." "The man who called in for the two reservations, side by side, on the flight to Acapulco identified himself as" " As Dwight Garrett." "A lot of nerve she had, I'll tell you that." "In the middle of getting her check approved, she ups and vamooses out of here, leaving me with the radio all wrapped up." "I know." "But the man who phone earlier and ordered the radio." "That was the woman's husband, wasn't it?" "Mr. Austin Lloyd?" "Oh, no." "The guy who called me was named Garrett" " Dwight Garrett." "[sighs]" "Money, whatever it takes, you just name it, Perry." "We'll do anything we can to help Dwight Garrett." "You've heard both reports." "What do you think, Myron?" "Oh, doesn't matter much what I think." "I'm not an engineer, just an administrator." "That report could be Greek for all I know." "Ned?" "I just can't believe it." "Can't believe that it was done or that Dwight Garrett did it?" "Both." "Universal Aviation was almost fooled into basing their bid on it." "Almost." "But the substitution was not good enough." "Is that why you can't believe that Dwight was responsible for it?" "I'd be willing to swear he had nothing to do with it." "Why not?" "Dwight Garrett, as an engineer, a mathematician, as a scientist, he's tops in his field." "In a class by himself." "Oh, maybe his socks don't always match, but that brain of his" "He's done work for you?" "On six different projects." "And each report was a thing of beauty, not a single error." "Dwight just doesn't make mistakes." "Not even deliberately?" "What could he possible hope to gain?" "According to the district attorney, he's partner's wife for one thing." "By altering a report?" "By profiting by the altering of that report as Baker Avionics did to profit." "But not Dwight?" "Yes, Dwight." "What?" "Baker Avionics needed Dwight Garrett's brain desperately." "He agreed to accept the job of vice-president in charge of planning." "As a bonus, the deal included 5,000 shares of Baker stock." "[Mason] Worth about $10 a share now." "Yes." "If your company instead of Universal received the DIMOS contract, how much would that Baker stock be worth?" "Five times its present value." "At least $50 a share." "Well, that's ridiculous." "I never even considered what that stock would or wouldn't be worth to me." "The district attorney will claim otherwise." "But let's get back to those checks." "Well, I told you." "Austin called me to make sure I'd leave the house in time to get to the bank before it closed." "I'm trying to remember from the notes I took." "Was it then he told you the name of the man who would meet you, the man who wanted to sell you his boat?" "Yes." "Rudolpho Aragon." "There was no Rudolpho Aragon." "There was no boat for sale." " And?" " You guessed it." "No Rodriguez to meet you and no Mexican electronics company to confer with." "The checks that Bonnie cashed, did you sign them?" "Well, I suppose so." "You don't know?" "Sometimes Miss Clover handed me a stack papers and checks to sign, and sometimes Austin gave me checks to sign." "They took both our signatures." "I usually just signed them." "The checks that Bonnie cashed, Austin Lloyd did not sign." "Well, that's impossible." "Austin Lloyd signature on those checks was a forgery." "You mean my signature was valid, and his was forged." "Oh, come on, that doesn't make sense." "Yes, it does if you consider the district attorney." "I suppose he'll try to pin that on me, too." "Don't you understand?" "Forging those checks will be added proof that you altered the report, the basis for your alleged motive." "He'll do more than try." "An altered report that could bring you a personal profit of a quarter of a million dollars." "Death was the result of asphyxia brought on, unquestionably, by manual strangulation." "With the victim dazed, as decedent was in this case, from the ingestion of a massive dose of barbiturates, the murderer must have pressed against the victim's larynx until he was dead." "A massive dose of barbiturates, Doctor." "Was the dose large enough to have caused death if no strangulation had occurred?" "I would say so, yes." "Now, let's suppose, then, that the murderer discovered his victim attempting to call for help and tried to subdue him physically." "What effect would such a struggle have had on the victim?" "If the murderer's arm was across the victim's throat, it would cut off the oxygen." "The retention of carbon dioxide in the respiratory system would, strangely enough, act as a powerful stimulant." "[Burger] And murderer would have had to use still more force?" "[Surgeon] That's right." "[Burger] And causing him to strangle the victim he had intended to kill with the overdose of drugs." "Thank you, Doctor." "That'll be all." "Cross-examine." "This ingestion of barbiturates to which you referred, Doctor." "Was it any one particular barbiturate?" "Yes." "Barbital." "Barbital is a slow-acting barbiturate causing in what is known as toxic dosage, dizziness, headache, nausea, ataxia, inarticulate speech, mental confusion, and finally coma." "A fatal coma, doctor?" "Generally, where there is death, it occurs in from two to seven days." "Obviously, much can happen in that time." "Obviously." "Thank you, Doctor." "No further questions." "I have no re-direct, Your Honor." "Then witness is excused." "[Burger] I call Roscoe Pearce to the stand, please." "Yes, I warned Austin Lloyd that I was having that report carefully double-checked." "I told him that if sabotage was determined, I'd personally file charges." "[Burger] Did you see Dwight Garrett in his office that day?" "[Pearce] No, not in the office, but I did see him the next night in a restaurant." "Alone, sir?" "No he was" " He was with Mrs. Lloyd." "[Burger] The co-defendants were together." "Was Mr. Lloyd there?" "No." "Nobody asked or suggested that Dwight Garrett alter that report on DIMOS, nobody!" "I didn't suggest anybody had, Mr. Baker." "Now as to that working agreement between Dwight Garrett and your company ." "Though later committed to paper, at the time it was agreed to, it consisted essentially of an oral agreement between you and Mr. Garrett, bound by a handshake," " right?" " That's right." "And it was arrived, that of course, while he was still working on that DIMOS" "No, Mr. Burger." "Not while he was still working on the report." "It was a day, maybe two days afterwards." "[Burger] But surely the terms you ultimately shook hands on must at least been discussed while he was working on the report?" "That's possible." "I'm not sure." "[Burger] Well, then let's move on to something you can be sure about, Mr. Baker." "Now, assuming that your company received that DIMOS contract, would you estimate for the court what the 5,000 shares of stock" "Dwight Garrett was to have receive would have been worth at the end six months?" "About a quarter of a million dollars." "Yes." "Mr. Lloyd, the decedent, asked Dwight, Mr. Garrett, if was Mr. Garrett's intention to dissolve their partnership." "[Burger] And what did the co-defendant answer?" "[Chase] Yes." "[Burger] What happened then, Mr. Chase?" "Well, then the decedent, Mr. Lloyd, asked Dwight another question." "And what was that other question?" "Whether Dwight was also trying to break up Lloyd's marriage." "Miss Clover, who had keys to Dwight Garrett's office?" "Only Mr. Garrett himself." "That was part of the security arrangements." "What about the safe in Mr. Garrett's office?" "The same thing." "Only Mr. Garrett himself could open it." "And, now, referring to the typewriter in Mr. Garrett's office, did anyone other than Mr. Garrett ever use that machine?" "No, sir." "In his office once, I started to type something on it." "He shouted at me." "He told me he never have and never would allow anyone else to touch that machine." "[Burger] About a week before Austin Lloyd was murdered, did you inadvertently witness to an altercation in which Austin Lloyd was involved?" "Oh, yes." "I was in my office, and the door to his must have accidentally been left open." "Anyway, Mrs. Lloyd was in there with him." "They got into an argument-- a pretty nasty one from the tone of their voices." "Anyway, Mrs. Lloyd finally said to her husband," ""I just don't love you." "I don't even respect you."" "[Burger] And what did the decedent answer to that?" "[Terri] Well, he got pretty upset." "He shouted at her, "Sure." "But I bet you respect Dwight Garrett and love him, too!"" "Well, just at that moment," "Mr. Garrett himself came in the room." "He was on his way to see Mr. Lloyd." "That was just when Mrs. Lloyd was answering her husband?" "Yes." "She said," ""I do respect Dwight Garrett, as a matter of fact." ""And what's more, I never thought about it before, but maybe you're right." "Maybe I love him, too!"" "Well, there we were, the two of us," "Mr. Garrett and me, seeing and hearing everything through that open door." "Just when Mr. Lloyd reached across the desk and slapped his wife hard across the face." "The electronic computer has already recorded on it information from every driver's license in the state." "Now, where a license is used to cash a check, electronic check approval can establish whether a check is good or bad before it is cashed." "An especially built computer can generate an electronic answer in just four seconds." "So it was your company that notified the police about Mrs. Lloyd?" "Oh, yes." "For a $10,000 check is cashed and immediately after two more had call for cash back over the purchase price, bells start ringing, so to speak." "And our security department lost no time in notifying the police." "What a frame-up." "Lloyd deliberately sent his wife out with a batch of phony checks, each one made out to a place using your system, and each one with cash back." "Especially knowing that one of them was for an airline ticket which would tell the police she was going to be at the airport at a particular time." "He wanted her stopped and arrested." "Mm-hmm." "Also Dwight, both of them loaded with money." "The secret lovers waiting for a phony report to earn themselves a fortune, robbing the company, poisoning the husband, making it look like accidental death or suicide, and then taking off together." "That sounds like a pretty grim picture to me, unless you can prove that it was Austin Lloyd and not Dwight Garrett who forged the checks." "Oh, Mr. Mason can prove that." "Can't you, Perry?" "Maybe I can, Della." "It's a long shot, but maybe I can." ""I am a little world made cunningly of elements."" "I gather you've found a cunning element?" "An elusive element." "Now, Lieutenant, setting aside for a moment the matter of fingerprints, of airline seats, of hotel reservations," "I show you this exhibit... which is an authenticated blow-up of two checks-- the first, the top one, is the check for $10,000 which was cashed on the day of the murder by Mrs. Bonnie Lloyd, the co-defendant." "The second check, the bottom one, is a routine business check of Aerospace Reliability Associates." "Now, Lieutenant, can you tell this court if the signatures on these two checks are genuine?" "Objection, Your Honor." "The question calls for the opinion of a witness who has not been qualified to testify as an expert on handwriting." "If it please the court, I'm trying to establish a prima-facie case." "I realize that for a trial or before a jury, it might be necessary to produce a handwriting expert, but I think for our purposes this witness is perfectly competent to answer those questions." "Two lives are at stake, Mr. Burger." "I'm in no hurry to short-cut the fullest measure of justice for their protection." "Neither am I, Mr. Mason, and I resent your implication that I am." "If the district attorney assures this court that Lieutenant Anderson is a competent expert in the whole field of homicide investigation, we will stipulate for the purposes of this hearing only, and subject to cross-examination, that such are his qualifications." "I so assure the court." "So stipulated." "Objection withdrawn." "Well, Lieutenant?" "On the routine business check, both signatures are genuine." "The $10,000 check has Dwight Garret's authentic signature, but the name of Austin Lloyd is forged." "I see." "Now, Lieutenant, did you also examine the other two checks that Bonnie Lloyd tried to cash that day?" "Yes, sir." "Austin Lloyd's name is also forged on them." "Still referring to the three checks that Bonnie Lloyd had, was there anything else distinctive about them?" "Yes, sir." "They're different from the routine business checks" "Miss Clover always typed on her typewriter." "That's this typewriter." "Yes, sir, Miss Clover's typewriter." "The routine business checks, like this lower check in the blow-up were typed on Miss Clover's typewriter?" "Yes, sir." "Now what about the other checks-- the upper check in the blow-up and the two checks that Bonnie Lloyd had?" "They were typed on Dwight Garrett's machine." "That's this machine?" "Yes, sir." "Now you're sure, Lieutenant?" "This is Dwight Garrett's machine?" "Yes, sir." "And now what are the specific differences between checks typed on Dwight Garrett's typewriter and checks typed on Terri Clover's typewriter?" "There are many areas of identifiable difference between the two typewriters, but notice in particular the chipped letter "n" on Dwight Garrett's machine." "It's this typewriter, this check, the letter "n"." "All right, Lieutenant, now let's move along to this second exhibit." "This side is a blow-up of a page from the so-called DIMOS report." "This page was taken from the personal file copy in the safe of Dwight Garrett." "This side is a blow-up of the same page from the same report, only this one was taken from the copy which went to Universal Aeronautics." "These two pages are supposed to be identical, but they are not." "Now, Lieutenant, what can you tell us about these two pages?" "Both the original page and the substituted page were typed on the same typewriter." "Again, notice particularly the chipped n's." "That's Dwight Garrett's machine." "Dwight Garrett's typewriter." "So, Lieutenant, we can say that the substitute page of the DIMOS report and the three forged checks were all typed on a typewriter to which only one person had access." "Yes, sir-- the defendant Dwight Garrett." "Thank you very much, Lieutenant." "You may cross-examine, Mr. Mason." "Lieutenant Anderson, in all your homicide experience, have you ever encountered a case where the drug Barbital was used to kill a person?" "No, I don't remember any." "Were there any other barbiturates in the house?" "Why, yes, almost a full bottle of Seconal." "You heard the autopsy surgeon testify" "Barbital in fatal doses takes from two to seven days." "How fast does a lethal dose of Seconal work, do you know?" "Oh, about a half an hour." "Assuming Dwight Garrett wanted to kill Austin Lloyd, with bottles of both Barbital and Seconal available, which would he have used?" "Now wait a minute, Your Honor." "I object to that as calling for a conclusion and an opinion of the witness." "As I understand the laws of evidence, an expert may be asked to interpret facts and express opinions for the enlightenment of the court." "May I remind you, Mr. Mason, this witness is a police officer?" "He's not qualified as an expert toxicologist or psychologist." "And may I remind you, Mr. Burger, that by your own stipulation, he has been qualified to this court as an expert in the field-- the entire field-- of homicide investigation?" " Now wait a minute" " Gentlemen." "I agree the question calls for a conclusion." "Inasmuch as this man has been called as an expert," "I'd like to hear his answer." " But, Your Honor" " Just be seated, Mr. Burger." "All right, Lieutenant, answer the question." "Assuming Dwight Garrett knew the difference, no, it wouldn't make sense for him to use Barbital instead of Seconal." "All right." "Now let's reverse the coin." "Assuming Austin Lloyd wanted to make believe he was being poisoned and was deliberately trying to entrap Dwight Garrett knew he could take the drug and right after that call the police to play it safe, which drug would Austin Lloyd have tricked Garrett into giving him?" "The Barbital." "If the police were late, or for some reason he couldn't get help, he'd still have plenty of time." "With the Seconal, with such a massive dose, he couldn't be sure." "If it's possible that Austin Lloyd was responsible for the poisoning, why would he have set up so elaborate a scheme?" "I don't know, unless, for some reason, he wanted to frame Dwight Garrett." "Suppose Lloyd was in trouble and wanted to make it appear that it was his partner who was responsible for the trouble." "Couldn't this have been part of such an attempt?" "Oh, sure, but if you're trying to say it was Austin Lloyd who altered that report, you're out of line." "That had to be Garrett." "Only he could have used that typewriter." "And whoever forged the report forged those checks?" "That's right." "Suppose I prove to you, Lieutenant, that is not right but is wrong." "Now, this according to your testimony, and not this, was the typewriter used for regular business checks?" "No, no, it's the other way around." "Then this and not this was used for the forged documents?" "No, Mr. Mason, you've reversed it again." "Oh?" "This, then, and not this?" "This what?" "Don't you know?" "But, Mr. Mason, you" "I didn't testify, you did." "Don't you really know which is which?" "Your Honor, I object!" "Mr. Mason is making a farce of judicial procedure, and he knows better than that." "The question has been asked, and this witness answered it." "Now what else in the name of justice can Mr. Mason possibly want?" "Only to be sure, absolutely sure, that our procedure is in the name of justice, Mr. Burger." "And what, Mr. Mason, you name it, please, can we do to make you sure, sir?" "Permit Lieutenant Anderson to type a few samples from each typewriter for comparison." "By all means." "Here, Mr. Mason, play your little games." "Lieutenant, would you be good enough, please, to type a few lines on Mr. Garrett's typewriter?" "Something wrong, Lieutenant?" "I don't understand it." "The "n," it isn't chipped." "Try the other machine." "Try Miss Clover's typewriter." "The "n" is chipped on this machine." "These machines were carefully checked out before they were brought into court." "It's obvious they've been tampered with." "Of course they have." "I tampered with them." "While you conveniently diverted the court's attention," "I exchanged the elements in the typewriter, like this." "Watch." "Now they're right." "Mr. Mason, what's the purpose of all this?" "It wasn't necessary, Your Honor, to use the defendant's typewriter in or out of his office." "The element, not the typewriter, has the chipped "n"." "With the defendant's attention diverted, as the court's just was, anyone could have exchanged elements and have used the marked element in any similar typewriter." "Tell me, Lieutenant, who else, beside Mr. Garrett, had regular access to that office and that typewriter?" "Well, the dead man, of course, and-- and Terri Clover." "I did not forge those checks." "What about the substitute pages in the reliability report?" "No, I never did any reports." "Not ever, at any time or place?" "Why, I" "Where did you work before you came to Aerospace Reliability Associates?" "I worked for..." "Myron Baker." "See, I'm not a technical man, an engineer." "I just run a company." " For profit?" " Naturally." "But your company lost money the last two years." "Well, it's this space age." "See, things change fast." "You need new ideas, new people." "That's why I contracted with Dwight Garrett." "These numbers with the "c" and the "b," they refer to types of material?" "I believe so." "And each material type is found in specifications sent by the government?" "Yes." "Had there been a recent project, one where your company and not Universal had received a "C" Spec amendment?" "Yes, I believe there was." "Whoever forged the substitution pages in the report was not aware that the "C" Spec which he chose in a desperate hurry was one that Universal didn't have and one that Aerospace Reliability didn't have." "That forger could be only one person." "All right, all right!" "I gave the wrong Spec to Austin." "He did the actual forging, not me." "Just as he forged the checks, changing his own signature after using the element from Garrett's typewriter." "Why did you conspire with Austin to alter that report?" "I knew Mr. Baker was going to replace me." "I couldn't let that happen." "I thought everything would be all right if I got the company the DIMOS project." "But Universal wasn't fooled." "Austin was in trouble." "He threatened you." "Yes." "I went along with the idea to frame Dwight and Austin's wife, make it look like Dwight had altered the report, stolen from the company, and was running away with Austin's wife." "You gave him the 50,000, then what?" "Did you hide in the next room?" "Did you hear him send Dwight away?" "Did you see him take the pills?" "Did you hear him call the police?" "I knew I'd never be safe... never have one moment free from fear." "It was all arranged, all ready for you, including someone to take the blame." "He was getting... weak... and dizzy." "And I just leaned over him... and put my arm against his throat, and pushed and pushed and pushed and pushed..." "Austin Lloyd was desperate." "He needed time, a chance to get out from under." "He faced prison all by himself." "Your partnership was on the rocks." "He knew how you felt about his wife." "He also knew that without your slide rule and your drafting board, you were a classic example of the absent-minded professor." "Oh, come on, not that bad." "Oh, the check for Mr. Mason, I assume you've given it to him?" "Oh." "Mr. Mason, I don't know how we can ever really thank you." "I do." "A nice fat fee for representing us." "You deserve it, and I can afford it." "Here you are, Miss Street." "And I don't think you'll have to telephone the electronic check-approval company." "I'm afraid that isn't so." "What's the matter?" "You forgot to sign it."