"( noirish jazz theme playing )" "GRANGER:" "Well, the pot's right." "WALLACE:" "You call these cards, Granger?" "GRANGER:" "Can't win every hand." "Can't do it with these cards." "Oh, stop crying, boys." "Thanks, honey." "Anybody else?" "How about you, Mr. Wallace?" "No, thank you." "How many, Clay?" "I'll take one." "He flushing, Doris?" "Well, I've had enough for one night." "Here's my stack." "I'm exactly even." "I'm glad you could join us, Mr. Earnshaw." "I'll try you again the next time I'm in town." "That's all right, I'll get the door." "Good night, everybody." "ALL:" "Night." "Night." "You all right if we go on with the game?" "Wallace?" "I'm out!" "Now let's see who's got all the power." "What do you say, Benton?" "LARRY:" "I'll take two." "GRANGER:" "Dealer takes three." "All right, Clay." "It's your bet." "I'll check." "That case, I'll bet two blues." "Your two, two better." "I'll fold." "You drew three cards?" "That's right." "I ought to raise you back." "What--?" "What you got?" "GRANGER:" "Read 'em and weep." "I discarded the seven of diamonds." "Ah, you're crazy." "Wallace, you saw my hand." "Oh." "I" " I don't remember." "Well, I do." "You calling me a cheat?" "Take it easy, Granger." "He didn't mean to put" "Stay out of this, Clay." "This is between myself and Benton." "I figure you owe me an apology." "WALLACE:" "Now, come on fellas, let's break this up." "Somebody could get hurt." "What do you say, Mr. Benton?" "I'm getting out of here." "( dramatic theme playing )" "( gunshot )" "( gun drops on floor )" "Is he...?" "I-I" " I didn't mean it, Johnny." "Y-you saw it was his own fault." "I know it." "Well, what should we do, Johnny?" "Let me think." "I know what we should do." "We should call the cops." "Oh, no, Johnny, we can't." "Yeah." "It'd be a rat race." "They'd be asking a lot of embarrassing questions." "Well, then what, Johnny?" "I'm in an awful spot." "There are other things you don't know about." "Wait a minute." "Granger hasn't got any family." "Nobody will miss him, and nobody will ask questions if he just disappears." "Disappears?" "How?" "There's a lot of beach around this house." "Look, Larry...you get lost." "The less you know, the better." "Doris, get his coat." "( dramatic theme playing )" "( suspenseful theme playing )" "( knock on door )" "I'm sorry to bother you, Mr. Larry, but you have a visitor." "Who?" "He wouldn't give me his name, just his card." "He said you'd understand." "Hi, Larry." "What's the idea, Wallace?" "Hey, this is a nice place you got here." "Oh, I hope you don't mind me helping myself." "See, I'm a sucker for flowers." "What do you want, Wallace?" "Well, I don't know exactly how to put this kid, but, uh, last night when that trouble started between you and Mike Granger-- You left in a hurry." "Yeah." "Heh-heh." "You see, I'm the sort of a guy that, well, likes to stay clear of the cops." "How about you?" "You can let that go until later, Mickey." "Yes, sir." "All right, Wallace." "What is it?" "Well, about five minutes after you left last night," "Johnny Clay come out carrying Mike Granger." "He looked awful dead to me, kid." "You're out of your mind." "So why do you suppose he buried him in back of his beach house?" "Look, Wallace, it was an accident." "Oh, sure it was." "You didn't know the gun was loaded." "It wasn't even my gun." "You know that yourself." "So you could've taken it away from Granger and then shot him." "No." "He was holding it when it went off." "Ask Johnny and Doris." "Look, kid, let me tell you something about Johnny and Doris." "Do you think they'd have covered for you if they could afford the cops snooping into their lives?" "So do you think they're gonna protect you from the police?" "Y-you don't understand." "No." "No, I don't." "Well, maybe you'll have better luck with a jury." "Personally, I wouldn't give odds." "Wallace." "What do you want?" "Money." "You know me, Larry." "I'm not a pig." "I'll take 5 grand, forget the whole thing." "Where would I get that kind of money?" "You kidding?" "Well, this place belongs to my brother." "So?" "I'll have to think it over." "No, sure, Larry." "I'm not gonna rush you." "I'll be back tomorrow." "That doesn't give me much time." "I got confidence in you, boy." "( slow, dramatic theme playing )" "Lots of confidence." "( suspenseful theme playing )" "Johnny." "I'm scared." "Come here." "Now, listen, honey." "There's absolutely nothing to" "( phone ringing )" "Hello?" "That you, Johnny?" "JOHNNY:" "Yeah?" "Ben Wallace." "I just saw our boy." "We're in." "The first bite's 5 grand." "He give you trouble?" "No, not a bit." "I told him I'd be back tomorrow for the dough." "Nice going, Wallace." "We play this pigeon right, we'll make a fortune." "Right." "What did I tell you, sweetie?" "There's not a thing to worry about." "( phone ringing )" "Hello?" "Yeah, Johnny?" "( dramatic theme playing )" "It is?" "JOHNNY:" "So all you have to do is stay out of circulation, and we'll milk this for all it's worth." "You got enough magazines and things to keep you from getting bored?" "Who's bored?" "I got dreams." "What?" "Don't worry." "Nobody will ever find me where I'm holed up." "And Johnny, just keep in touch." "I want a running account of how the money's coming in." "Okay." "( slow, suspenseful theme playing )" "Would you please ask my brother to step in here?" "You wanted to see me?" "Yes, I did." "Sit down." "Want you to take a look at these." "They're all alike, and all signed by me." "So naturally the bank accepted them without question." "Well...?" "Well, what?" "You know that's not my signature." "You've had enough practice copying it." "That's right." "Throw it up to me." "All right, so I made a mistake." "Mistake?" "!" "You've made hundreds of them." "Sure." "And my biggest mistake was to be your brother." "But you can't really hold that against me." "I'm sorry, kid." "Sure you are." "Look, I've always tried to do my best for you." "Let's not start that." "Everybody knows how much you did for me, and how I'm the ungrateful kid brother." "But then, look at the paragon of virtue" "I'm being compared with." "Well, I'm sick and tired of competing." "I just want to know what kind of a jam you're in." "Now, who's Ben Wallace?" "I know he's got some sort of connection with Johnny Clay." "And you've been seeing a lot of Mr. Clay lately." "Where did you pick that up?" "A detective named Paul Drake." "So you've been checking on me again." "Look, I just don't want you to get into trouble." "Now, what's this Clay got on you?" "Why don't you ask this Paul Drake?" "He seems to know all the answers." "Larry!" "Larry!" "STEVE:" "After I spoke to Mr. Drake, he suggested I have a talk with you." "I'd say a talk with Mr. Clay would be more profitable." "I tried it, but I didn't get very far." "He said he wasn't my brother's keeper." "What makes you think your brother needs a lawyer?" "I'm a hunch player, Mr. Mason." "Many's a time I've drilled a well where there was no indication of oil for 50 miles." "Now you have a hunch that your brother's being blackmailed." "It can't be anything else." "How big are those poker games?" "Two-dollar limit." "Oh, your brother could lose a few hundred dollars in a game like that, but hardly 20,000." "That's the way I figure." "Mr. Mason, he's in trouble, and I've gotta help him." "Isn't it about time he learned to help himself?" "I just want him to have the things that I missed out on." "All right, Mr. Benton." "I'll look into it." "Good." "Goodbye, Miss Street." "Goodbye." "Thanks." "( door closes )" "Well, what do you think?" "I like him." "What else?" "Oh, he's a good, solid citizen." "Not overly imaginative, but... if he thinks his brother is headed for trouble," "I'll bet he is." "( slow jazz playing on speakers )" "Gin." "Oh, no, honey." "Not again." "( doorbell buzzes )" "Hi, Johnny, Doris." "Well, what happened to you?" "What the devil are you doing here?" "I had to talk to you." "What is it?" "Granger getting restless?" "Yeah, but he's all right." "He's complaining about not getting any dough yet." "And that fleabag he's in makes him feel like he's back in stir." "But he's behaving." "So, what are you doing here?" "Larry got that money by forging checks." "So what?" "I don't like it, Johnny." "Maybe we ought to cut out." "Are you kidding?" "We got a career in this thing." "( sighs )" "Now, look...while I'm running this operation, we do it my way." "We're clean so far, and we can keep it clean." "And profitable." "Until I blow the whistle." "Now you take care of your end and I'll take care of mine." "Okay." "If that's the way you want it, Johnny." "That's the way it's gonna be." "( suspenseful theme playing )" "Mrs. Bradley?" "My name's Paul Drake." "I told Mr. Phillips I'd have the rent on Friday." "My baby's been sick, and I haven't been able to work." "You don't understand, Mrs. Bradley." "I'm not a bill collector." "I'm a detective." "I'd like to ask you a few questions." "May I come in?" "Thank you." "You'll have to excuse the way the place looks." "That's, uh, perfectly all right." "You said you were a policeman?" "No, I'm a private detective." "But I thought-- Mrs. Bradley... do you know this man?" "( exhales )" "Where did you get this?" "Then you do know him?" "He's my husband." "Where did you get it?" "One of my operatives took it this morning." "( slow, dramatic theme playing )" "You mean Johnny's here?" "In Los Angeles?" "Yes, but... he calls himself Johnny Clay now." "His name's John Bradley." "He" "He left me two years ago." "I never knew why." "I" "I just came home one day, and" "And he was gone." "Where is he, Mr. Drake?" "Please tell me." "Please." "Once I found out his real name was Bradley, it was strictly routine." "How did you find out his name was Bradley?" "Checked the set of prints I lifted off his car." "He'd done time." "Also, I spoke to his wife." "She's in a bad way." "Did you tell Mrs. Bradley where she could find her husband?" "No, I didn't." "I thought you ought to hear about it first." "Does he have any close friends?" "( scoffs ) Well, I don't know if you'd call 'em friends, but he used to play poker every week, and there were always two regulars." "A Ben Wallace and a guy by the name of, uh," "Mike Granger." "This Granger served time for assault." "Anything on Wallace?" "Nope." "Where can we find this Granger?" "We can't." "He had a room at the Byrnes Hotel." "A week ago, on August 15th, he told the clerk he was gonna play a little cards." "He hasn't been back since." "And 24 hours later, Larry Benton forged his first check for $5,000." "Hm, like the man says, lots of bits and pieces, but they just don't add up." "Hm." "Have to keep after this Granger, Paul." "You know, what this thing needs is a catalyst." "Did Clay have a girlfriend?" "Yeah." "Girl by the name of Doris Shackley." "I got the impression she's crazy about him." "I wonder what would happen if she suddenly heard that he was married and had deserted his wife?" "She may know it already." "Let's find out." "( slow, suspenseful theme playing )" "( doorbell buzzes )" "( doorbell buzzes )" "Pardon me." "Is Mr. Bradley at home?" "Well, you've got the wrong house, mister." "There's no Bradley here." "Isn't this 1417 Ocean Drive?" "Yes." "Maybe you know him better as Johnny Clay." "Who are you?" "My name is Mason." "Perry Mason." "Oh." "You're that lawyer, aren't you?" "Well, I don't know if I'm "that" lawyer, but I am an attorney." "What do you want with Johnny?" "I'd like to talk to him... about several things." "Such as?" "His wife, for one." "Heh." "You don't know what you're talking about." "Johnny isn't married." "Yes, he is." "His wife's name is Nora Bradley." "He deserted her and their child two years ago." "That's a lie." "She's living, if you can call it that, at 217 Sinclair Avenue." "No." "You're lying." "You're lying." "I am sorry, Miss Shackley." "I wish I were." "And you have no idea where my brother went?" "I asked him, but you know Mr. Larry." "He just drove off." "So you've been checking on me again." "All right, Mickey." "You can serve dinner whenever you're ready." "Yes, sir." "Where have you been?" "What's the matter?" "Did you call your detectives off?" "I just talked to Perry Mason." "He might be able to help us." "I don't need any help." "You sign my name to $20,000 worth of checks and you have" "I knew your money was all you cared about." "Well, here." "( dramatic theme playing )" "How did you get this from Clay?" "I just walked up to him and said:" ""Johnny, my brother is unhappy with me." "Will you please give me $20,000?"" "Very funny." "You stole it." "You got your money." "What are you griping about?" "You idiot." "Do you want to go to jail for robbery?" "What are you gonna do?" "I'm gonna get to the bottom of this thing right now." "( dramatic theme playing )" "Hold it." "Just stay right where you are." "You know, I wouldn't be surprised if maybe the cops will wanna talk to you." "Operator, get me the police." "I told you all of it." "The truth." "All I know." "Did you?" "Did you tell me why you first went to see Clay?" "What made you suspect that your brother killed him?" "I didn't." "Then why'd you wipe the murder weapon clean?" "Don't you realize you destroyed any chance the police might have of finding the real killer?" "Or would that be you, Steve?" "No." "I was only there for a minute." "He was dead when I walked in." "Then the question is, was he dead when your brother walked in?" "My brother wasn't there." "Look, Mason... if you involve Larry in this," "I'll get another attorney, so help me." "That's your privilege." "But at no time while I'm representing you will I work in a straitjacket." "Mason." "Go ahead." "Do what you think best." "Well, counselor." "Been in to see your client?" "That's right, lieutenant." "I hope you advised him to change his story." "What story?" "That he'd only been in Clay's living room for a minute when Wallace walked in." "Well, what's wrong with that?" "Well, if he never left the living room, how come I found his fingerprints all over the bathroom?" "Gives you something to think about, doesn't it?" "( suspenseful theme playing )" "( doorbell rings )" "We'd like to see Larry Benton." "You're Mr. Mason, aren't you?" "That's right." "Come in, please." "He asked me to say he wasn't home." "Oh?" "But where is he?" "In the study." "Who the devil are you?" "My name is Mason." "This is Miss Street." "She called you this afternoon and asked you to drop by my office." "I was busy." "I can see that." "Hey, what's the idea?" "The idea is I want to talk to you, and I don't want any muddy answers." "Now, I suggest you sit down." "Della?" "Do you realize your brother is faced with a first-degree murder charge?" "Why don't you ask me how much sleep I've gotten since they arrested him?" "I'd rather know why Steve went to Clay's beach house." "What reason did Steve give?" "I'm asking you." "He went there to have it out with him about the money." "The 20,000 the police found in that briefcase?" "I'd brought it here to give him." "How'd you get it?" "Just walked in and took it." "Oh, it wasn't that simple." "Didn't Clay try to stop you?" "He wasn't home." "That's the truth." "How'd you get in?" "Where'd you get this?" "There's no point in involving an innocent party." "Now, listen, young fellow, you're in no position to decide who's innocent." "Now, where'd you get it?" "I got a phone call from Doris Shackley last night." "She told me Clay masterminded the plot to shake me down." "Why was Clay blackmailing you?" "They made me think I'd killed a man." "Mike Granger?" "How did you know?" "He hasn't returned to his hotel since that night." "Sure." "He's holing up somewhere." "It was all a frame." "Granger wasn't hurt at all." "Clay and Ben Wallace cooked up the whole thing." "That still doesn't explain how you got this." "Doris told me if I wanted to see Clay," "I'd find the key under the mat." "He wasn't there." "I swear." "I only stayed a couple of minutes." "I left around 7:00." "It must've taken you more than a couple of minutes to find that money." "No." "She said it was in a briefcase in the closet." "Doris was certainly obliging, wasn't she?" "You told Paul you wanted a catalyst." "Well, you really got one." "Let's go." "Mr. Mason." "Steve didn't kill him." "He'll appreciate the vote of confidence." "( slow, suspenseful theme playing )" "Paul, you have to find Mike Granger." "I've tried." "Well, try again." "He must be around somewhere." "He was part of this badger game," "Clay double-crossed him, and" "( intercom buzzes )" "Yes, Della?" "DELLA ( on intercom ):" "Mrs. Bradley's here." "Oh, send her in." "I'll get the door." "Come in, Ms. Bradley." "Mrs. Bradley, this is Perry Mason." "How do you do?" "Won't you sit down?" "I must tell you how much I appreciate your coming down at a time like this." "Well, Mr. Drake was very kind to me." "I, uh, hope the baby's feeling better." "Would you like some coffee?" "No, thank you." "Tell me, uh... when was the last time you saw Mr. Clay?" "( scoffs ) His name is Bradley." "John Nelson Bradley." "Yes, I'm sorry." "It was about two years ago when he left me and the baby." "And you never saw him after that?" "H-how could I?" "I didn't know where he was." "But Mr. Drake told you he was living in Los Angeles under the name of Johnny Clay." "He didn't tell me where." "But you could've looked him up in the phone book." "He had an unlisted number." "Then you did try to find him?" "Well, of course I did." "Is there anything wrong with that?" "I've been searching for my husband for two years." "I wanted him back." "You're very tolerant." "I loved Johnny." "No matter what he did, I wanted him back." "Then you must've been very grateful to Doris Shackley." "Who?" "Doris Shackley." "Didn't she tell you where you could locate your husband?" "I don't know what you're trying to do, Mr. Mason." "I only came here because Mr. Drake asked me to." "I hope you understand my position, Mrs. Bradley." "My client is charged with first-degree murder." "Mrs. Bradley..." "I wish you'd accept this in the spirit in which it's offered." "I know you must have had some expenses." "I don't want your money." "( slow, dramatic theme playing )" "( door opens )" "I knew she wouldn't take it." "( door closes )" "Why?" "Mm." "She just didn't impress me as that kind." "Did she impress you as the kind who would file a claim for her husband's insurance less than 24 hours after he was murdered?" "She do that?" "Yes, she did." "( doorbell buzzes )" "( sedate theme playing )" "Good morning." "What do you want?" "Well, inasmuch as you refused an invitation to drop by" "I've got nothing to say to you." "But I might have something to say to the district attorney." "Mr. Burger takes a very dim view of a witness disappearing 24 hours before a hearing." "May we come in?" "I understand you followed through on Nora Bradley." "Well, didn't you look into" "Johnny's marital status with Nora?" "I couldn't be bothered." "I thought you were in love with Johnny." "I've been in love a hundred times." "Someday I might even write a book about it." "I'll send you a copy." "All right." "Anything else you wanna know?" "Where can I find Mike Granger?" "Try the Byrnes Hotel." "That the best you can do?" "Sorry." "Do you think Mr. Wallace might be more helpful?" "I wouldn't know." "Come on out, join the party." "Next time you go calling, park more than a block away." "Anyone can read a registration slip." "Thanks." "I'll remember it." "You got anything more to say to these two, Doris?" "Then why don't you both clear out?" "I'd still like to find out how to locate Mr. Granger." "Well, why don't you ask Larry Benton." "( grunts ) DORIS:" "Ben!" "Allow me." "Weren't you ever taught not to point these things?" "Let's go, Paul." "Oh, uh... try ice packs." "It'll reduce the swelling in no time." "Well, don't just stand there." "Get some ice." "( knock on door )" "Sorry to disturb you, Perry, but... uh, you have company." "I hope you forgive this intrusion." "I'm always glad to see you, lieutenant." "Well, let's say sometimes you're... gladder than others." "I hate to interrupt your homework, but, uh, Mr. Burger wonders if you're familiar with that section of the penal code which covers intimidating a witness, for the state." "What did Mr. Wallace say?" "That you and Paul Drake manhandled him." "Well, I'm sure I don't have to tell you that Wallace is lying." "Unfortunately, he has a witness to substantiate the charge." "Doris Shackley?" "Moreover, you removed from his person and against his will a valuable weapon." "A .38 caliber Smith  Wesson revolver that he is duly licensed to carry." "Mr. Burger knew that you were discouraged about Benton's chances... but he didn't think you were this desperate." "Well... see you in court." "( slow, suspenseful theme playing )" "( door closes )" "( dramatic theme playing )" "DR. VICTOR:" "On examination we found that the deceased had been struck four times on the head with a blunt instrument." "And any one of the blows might've proved fatal." "The examination disclosed death was instantaneous." "Now, Dr. Victor... would you say that this was such a blunt instrument?" "In my opinion, yes." "And is this poker the one that was found at the scene of the crime, and subsequently examined by you?" "Yes, sir, it is." "If it please the court," "I should like this poker marked for identification." "Mr. Mason?" "No objections." "Now, Dr. Victor... were you able to establish the time of death?" "I would say the victim died between 7 and 8:30 p.m." "on the evening of September 12th." "Thank you, sir." "That'll be all." "Your witness." "No questions." "TRAGG:" "In accordance with our usual procedure, we subjected this to a precipitin test." "And on this end, we found traces of blood." "I see." "Now, lieutenant, can you identify this object for us?" "Oh, yes, sir." "That has my mark." "Where and how did you find it?" "Well, I removed it from the defendant's coat when I searched him at the scene of the crime." "And would you tell us please what these spots are?" "They're bloodstains." "The same blood type as the deceased." "Thank you, lieutenant." "Think that'll be all." "Cross-examine." "Lieutenant, you testified you saw the body at the scene of the crime." "Yes, sir." "Would you say there was a great amount of bleeding?" "Well, there always is in cases of this kind." "Was the defendant splattered with blood?" "Well, his handkerchief was." "What about Mr. Benton himself?" "Well, there were a few bloodstains on, uh, the cuffs of his pants." "Anywhere else?" "His hands, for example?" "No." "No, sir." "Well, in your experience, wouldn't you say that was unusual?" "Yes." "Yes, sir." "Thank you, lieutenant." "That's all." "You may stand down, lieutenant." "Just a minute, lieutenant." "I have one or two questions on redirect." "Let's see if we can't clear up a point that Mr. Mason seems to consider a contradiction." "You testified that the defendant said he was only in the living room." "Is that correct?" "That's right." "Did you find his fingerprints in the living room?" "Yes, sir." "Were his fingerprints found anywhere else in the house?" "In the bathroom." "Whereabouts in the bathroom?" "Near the washbowl." "I think that may help Mr. Mason." "Thank you, lieutenant." "Hm." "Have you any questions on re-cross?" "Yes, Your Honor." "Lieutenant, isn't it true that there's no possible way for an expert to tell when a set of fingerprints were left?" "Yes, sir." "Did you ask Mr. Benton if he'd ever paid a visit to the deceased before?" "He didn't claim he had." "But you did not ask him that specific question?" "( clears throat ) No, sir." "Thank you." "BURGER:" "I call Lawrence Benton to the stand, please." "I don't know." "I may have seen it." "I'm not sure." "It has the name "John Clay"" "stamped in the middle of it." "Doesn't that help at all?" "No, sir." "The sum of $20,000 was found in that briefcase, Mr. Benton." "Isn't it true that the deceased originally got that money from you?" "MASON:" "Objection." "The district attorney is leading the witness." "If Your Honor please, it seems to me the court has seen enough of this witness to be convinced of his hostility." "You may ask your leading question." "Thank you, Your Honor." "Your Honor..." "I further object on the ground that the question calls for a conclusion of the witness." "So far there's been nothing in the testimony to show that this particular money can be identified in any way." "The witness can testify as to whether he was being blackmailed, but he cannot testify as to this particular money unless he has a list of the numbers on the bills, or can otherwise identify it." "I think the point is well-taken." "Your Honor-- Objection is sustained." "Mr. Benton... why was Johnny Clay blackmailing you?" "Because I wouldn't listen to my brother." "He was always trying to protect me, and like a fool, I hated him for it." "And in order to protect you from Clay, he had to kill him." "That's a lie." "Johnny was dead when Steve walked in." "Were you there, Mr. Benton?" "Your witness." "( slow, suspenseful theme playing )" "No questions." "( slow, suspenseful theme playing )" "Then, a couple of days before Johnny was murdered, the defendant dropped by to see him." "He showed Johnny some canceled checks." "Did you have a chance to see those checks?" "Yes." "There were four of them." "For $5,000 each." "Made out to cash." "Are these the checks?" "Yes." "( inhales )" "He claimed Johnny wound up with the money." "Johnny told him he was crazy." "What did the defendant do then?" "He hit Johnny... and then he told him if he didn't lay off his kid brother, he'd be back and take care of him." "Are you certain those were his exact words?" "Quote, "I'll take care of you," unquote?" "Yes, sir." "Thank you, Miss Shackley." "That'll be all." "Your witness." "Miss Shackley, you testified that two days before Mr. Clay's murder, you witnessed an altercation between him and the defendant." "That's right." "And the defendant struck the deceased at that time?" "He certainly did." "Johnny had a nosebleed that looked like it would never stop." "There was blood all over the place." "I suppose it also splattered on the defendant." "Yes." "Uh, where did Mr. Benton wash up before he left?" "Did he wash in the bathroom at that time?" "I don't remember." "You're under oath, Miss Shackley." "I said I don't remember." "Would you remember a call you made to Nora Bradley on the night of the murder?" "I didn't call her." "Then you believed me when I told you the deceased was married?" "It didn't make any difference to me." "Then why did you call Larry Benton and tell him that Mr. Clay was behind a blackmail scheme to shake him down?" "Wasn't that an act of a jealous woman?" "I was only kidding." "How was I to know Larry would take me seriously?" "I'd say you had an oddly developed sense of humor, Miss Shackley." "That'll be all." "You may stand down." "And when I walked into the beach house, he was wiping his fingerprints off the poker." "Now, Mr. Wallace, when you say "he,"" "to whom are you referring?" "Him." "Steve Benton." "BURGER:" "Did you recognize him at once?" "Yes." "I played, uh, cards every week with his brother, Larry." "He showed me a picture of the two of 'em together once." "I see." "Now, when you recognized Mr. Benton, what did you say and what did you do?" "I told him to stay where he was and I called the police." "I think that's all, Mr. Wallace." "Thank you." "Your witness." "Mr. Wallace... you would have us believe that you had cornered a dangerous killer, and that he obeyed your command to stay where he was while you summoned the police?" "Oh, uh, I forgot to mention I had a gun." "Now, I'd like to pursue the matter of those weekly card games, Mr. Wallace." "BURGER:" "I object to that, Your Honor." "That question is improper cross-examination." "Nothing was asked this witness about any weekly card games." "If the court please... the district attorney asked Mr. Wallace how he recognized the defendant." "The witness responded that he had seen a picture of him at one of the weekly card games." "I think Mr. Burger opened the door." "You may proceed." "MASON:" "Thank you, Your Honor." "Now, Mr. Wallace... who were the regulars at those games?" "Oh, me, Johnny Clay and Larry Benton." "What about Mike Granger?" "Oh, he played once in a while." "I believe the last card game in which Mr. Granger participated was on August 15th." "It's possible." "I don't remember." "Perhaps I can refresh your memory." "There was an argument that night between Mr. Granger and Larry Benton." "Mr. Benton accused Granger of cheating." "Do you remember that?" "Yes." "Well, what happened?" "I don't know." "I left right after that." "Yet you showed up the next morning at the Benton residence and demanded $5,000 of the defendant's brother." "That's a lie." "You did not appear at the Benton residence the next morning?" "No!" "Will Mickey Fong please stand?" "Do you want to change your testimony now, Mr. Wallace?" "( sighs )" "All right, I was there." "And for the purpose of blackmail." "I wouldn't call it blackmail." "What else would you call it?" "Isn't it true that you blackmailed Larry Benton when, in fact, he had done nothing at all?" "( aggressively ):" "Why don't you ask him?" "I'm asking you." "Wasn't this just a clumsy blackmail scheme based on a trumped-up killing?" "That's what you say." "That's what Doris Shackley said." "She was just trying to get Johnny in trouble." "Granger's dead." "You can't call that trumped-up." "And Larry Benton killed him?" "Yes, I saw Johnny bury the body." "Well, if you saw Granger being buried, then you should have no difficulty in showing us where he was buried." "Well, it was pretty dark that night." "I can't be sure just where." "The...general area will be sufficient." "If it please the court..." "Your Honor, in view of this witness' testimony..." "I'd like at this time to ask for a recess." "I certainly think it is in order." "Court stands adjourned until 10:00 tomorrow morning." "( slow, suspenseful theme playing )" "Any more ideas, Mr. Wallace?" "It was around here somewhere." "I told you, it was dark that night." "But light enough for you to see Johnny Clay bury a body." "Yes!" "Why don't we take a look over there?" "BRICE:" "Lieutenant!" "Told you I wasn't lying." "No, you weren't." "Nice family you represent." "( crowd murmuring )" "( tapping )" "Your Honor." "Mr. Burger." "May we approach the bench?" "You may." "If the court please, at this time, we should like to introduce evidence of the murder of Mike Granger." "If Your Honor please," "I think the introduction of such evidence is improper." "Your Honor, the state contends that this prior murder of Mike Granger provides the basic motive for the murder of the deceased in this case." "While the introduction of evidence of another crime is ordinarily improper... nevertheless, when it is an inseparable part of the motivation of the crime being tried, the law is that the evidence can be admitted... but purely for the purpose of proving motivation." "That's our sole purpose, Your Honor." "Very well." "You may proceed." "I recall Lieutenant Arthur Tragg." "And apparently, nothing was removed from the body." "We found his wallet in this coat." "And what caused this hole?" "The fatal bullet." "Thank you, lieutenant." "Re-cross, Mr. Mason?" "Mr. Burger." "Lieutenant, how can you be sure that the body you discovered was that of Mike Granger?" "Well, for one thing, he was positively identified by Doris Shackley and, uh, Ben Wallace, who knew him." "And for another?" "That jacket was identified by the cleaners as belonging to Mr. Granger." "It...bears his mark." "No, you can't see it that way." "Um, they use an ink that's only visible under ultraviolet light." "Oh." "Would you mind demonstrating that for the court?" "No, not at all." "TRAGG:" "The name Wilson Cleaners is self-explanatory." "MASON:" "And the number 443, I assume, refers to the customer?" "Who happened to be Mr. Granger." "Uh, what do these other numbers mean?" "Those are the dates on which the coat was cleaned." "Oh, one thing puzzles me, lieutenant." "Yes, sir?" "According to the dry cleaners, the last time this coat was serviced was on the 18th day of the eighth month." "That's correct." "August 18th." "Yet we all heard Mr. Wallace testify that Granger was murdered on the night of August 15th, three days earlier." "How would you explain that?" "I can't." "I'd like to hear, uh..." "Mr. Wallace try." "I would be very much interested myself." "Will Mr. Wallace come forward?" "Look..." "Your Honor, he's got this all wrong" "You will be quiet, sir!" "You have made a serious accusation, counselor." "Are you saying that this man is guilty of willful perjury?" "Yes, I am, Your Honor." "I further contend he's guilty of the murders of Mike Granger and Johnny Clay." "He doesn't know what he's talking about." "BURGER:" "Your Honor." "I know this is most unusual... but the district attorney's office is much more concerned with justice than it is with convictions." "I therefore have no objection to hearing Mr. Mason out." "JUDGE:" "Very well." "Thank you, Mr. Burger." "The motive for both the murder of Granger and Clay was the same." "Twenty thousand dollars in blackmail money." "Funny, I didn't wind up with a nickel." "That's why you murdered Clay." "You came to him that evening and demanded your share of the blackmail money." "But Clay couldn't produce the briefcase because Larry Benton had removed it." "I tell you, you got this all wrong." "No, you thought Clay was double-crossing you." "And after all you'd done." "You even disposed of Granger so the money would only have to be split two ways." "Your Honor, he's making this up." "He can't prove a word of it." "I think I can." "Lieutenant Tragg... has an autopsy been performed on Mr. Granger's body?" "Well, it hasn't been completed, but I can show you the cause of death." "This is a, uh, .38-caliber bullet." "Do you recall my turning over to you a .38-caliber gun?" "The gun that, uh, Wallace claimed that you forcibly took away from him?" "MASON:" "That's right." "How long will it take you to run a comparison test?" "Oh, well, with luck, I could make the test in 15 minutes, provided that I get a-- A positive match." "MASON:" "Your Honor, I would like to request a 30-minute recess." "I'm satisfied that Lieutenant Tragg can get a positive match in that time, since this fatal bullet seems to be in good condition." "Well, sir, have you anything to say for yourself?" "The district attorney will take Mr. Wallace into custody... and hold for due process, pending a court hearing." "This court stands adjourned until 2:00 this afternoon." "( dramatic theme playing )" "( dramatic theme playing )" "You know, there is one thing I don't understand." "Go on, Paul." "What made you think of Wallace in the first place?" "When I became convinced that Granger was dead." "And what convinced you of that?" "Well, I don't believe there's honor among thieves." "When that $20,000 showed up, none of it having been distributed," "I wondered what had happened to Mr. Granger." "Yeah." "Now that you mention it, doesn't seem exactly logical he'd take off without his cut." "Not in a thousand years." "You notice how much Mr. Wallace was on the scene." "The big problem was to bedevil Wallace into leading us to Granger's body." "You gotta admit you were pretty lucky." "Suppose Granger didn't believe in keeping his dry cleaner so busy." "Oh, I think the results would've been the same." "I'm sure the autopsy will show that..." "Mr. Granger died after August 15th." "( clock tower chiming )" "Any further questions?" "Nope." "Well, I have one." "Oh?" "Just once, do you suppose we could get out of here before midnight?" "( chiming continuing )" "Let's go, Cinderella." "We'd better hurry." "( sighs )" "( chiming continuing )" "( noirish jazz theme playing )"