"## [theme]" "What the devil's going on here, Bryce?" "Why aren't you ripping out these trees?" "What's the hold-up?" "Hold-up's the right word for it, Mr. Thornton." "Take a look over there." "Old gaffer said he'd ventilate both me and the machine if I so much as touch one of those trees." "We'll see about that." "Mr. Keller!" "[barking, growling]" "That's fur enough, Mr. Thornton." "This is still my property, and you is trespassing!" "You and that infernal, snortin' contraption of yours." "We're not trespassing, Mr. Keller." "Your granddaughter agreed to let us take possession today." "Trouble is, my grandfather seems to have changed his mind." "You're darn tootin' I have." "I decided I'd sooner lose an arm than one of my trees." "What you are about to lose is $10,000, unless you're out of here in five minutes." "Then just try and get me out." "Now look, Mr. Keller." "Your granddaughter agreed-- [barking]" "Stop it, Hardtack!" "Stop it!" "Your granddaughter, acting as your agent, accepted a check for $10,000 yesterday-- and agreed to let us take possession today." "Don't you realize, I could use the law to move you out?" "The lawyer I talked to said this is still my land." "Your land?" "Two years' taxes owing, and mortgaged to the hilt." "If I wanted to, I could grab it simply by assuming the obligations." " Git." " Not until you answer me." "All right, then here's your answer." "[shotgun blast]" "Now, Mr. Thornton, you got any more questions you want answered?" "You really shouldn't have done that, grandpa." "I got a right to pick my oranges anyway I want to, haven't I?" "[Grandpa chuckling]" "Stand this gun here handy, in case he come back." "Sure routed them this time, though, didn't we, boy?" "Just like at San Juan Hill." "What's the matter?" "Somethin' wrong?" "Grandpa, why didn't you tell me you decided not to go after all?" "What made you change your mind, after it was all decided?" "Well, all of a sudden, a whole bunch of things got to me." "Them orange trees, for one." "For 40 years, we been old friends, you could almost say." "But what kind of a friend could I call myself to stand by and let them trees that had supported me all these years be chawed to death by one of them iron contraptions?" "[sighs] We've talked about the trees, Grandpa." "Well, I got to thinking about the Memorial Day parade, too." "Grand Marshal this year." "The only surviving veteran of the Spanish-American War hereabouts." "Medal of Honor holder." "How's it gonna look if they have to come for me at an old folks' home?" "I'd be even too ashamed to ride in a parade." "Oh, that's nonsense!" "Nobody would think anything about it." "Well, Hardtack would." "I just learned yesterday, they don't allow no dogs at the home." "Jim knows how we feel." "He agreed yesterday me and Hardtack ought to stay on here just as long as we could." "And you've been saying all along that you agreed with me" "Grandpa should sell!" "Well, instead of just being Mr. Thornton's tract architect," "I was being his loyal little stooge." "Actually, I did think it was the right thing until your grandfather talked with me yesterday." " Now I'm 100% on his side." " He even took me to see a lawyer." "A fellow named Mason who's gonna try to help." "And what do you think's gonna happen to you, when Mr. Thornton finds out what you've done?" "Hardtack." "Come here!" "Good boy." "Good dog." "No, it definitely is not convenient." "Well, of course I'll come." "What else can I do with you holding the purse strings?" " Who's he talkin' to?" " Yes." " It's old Scrooge at the bank" " Osgood." " Bob Coyle." "Sounds like he's out after his pound of flesh." "All right." "I'll be there in 30 minutes." "Good-bye." "Doyle, did you say anything to Osgood about the Keller hold-up?" "Now why would I do that?" "Well, somebody did, and I'd certainly like to know who." "Janis, get out." "We've got to talk." "Get out, Janis." "All right." "What's this all about?" "Well, I thought I'd better relay what Wheeler told me this morning." "He's the one that put old Mr. Keller up to balking." "Wheeler?" "He's working for me." " Why would he do that?" " He says he's an architect." "Not an industrial spy." "Well, how do you like that?" "Take him away from a $90-a-week job as a draftsman, give him more money, give him a chance to design, to create" "Fire him, Doyle." "Tell him he can sue me for his back pay." "He says the models are all he wants." "The models?" "They're mine, every one of them." "Do you realize that this Wheeler has us in a serious bind-- perhaps a fatal bind if we can't get the Keller land?" "Fatal for you, maybe." "I'm just the project engineer." "I seem to remember you have $10,000 invested, and Grace the same." "Wouldn't it be near $60,000 she's given you, Thornton?" "Why don't you ask her?" "She's your wife, not mine." "Maybe I will." "Oh, and Thornton!" "I'm glad you finally realized Grace is my wife." "Not yours." "[door slams]" "Only one thing interests me." "If Gerald Thornton's deal with old Mr. Keller, or rather his daughter, doesn't stand up, what happens to my $60,000?" "First, let's find out about the deal, Mrs. Doyle." "And then we can go on fr" "Is this Perry Mason?" "Courtney Osgood, at the Pacific National Bank." "Mr. Mason, this is undoubtedly erroneous, but, uh, it's been reported to us that you're representing a certain indigent orange grower named Amos Keller." "The report is perfectly true, Mr. Osgood." "I agreed yesterday to represent Mr. Keller." "And, I might add, in return for a very handsome retainer." "Oh, in my opinion, Gerald Thornton hasn't a leg to stand on." "Yes, the granddaughter did represent herself as his agent." "And in good faith, I'm sure." "But he gave her no power of attorney." "Oh, the check has no bearing." "And it's being returned." "Mr. Osgood, if you wish legal advice," "I suggest you consult with the bank's attorneys." "Good day, sir." "No deal, huh?" "What's the answer to my $60,000 question now?" "Quite possibly a row of ciphers, Mrs. Doyle." "Cyphers?" "You mean, I won't get anything back?" "Well I'm doing my best to make an arrangement whereby the investors will be at least partially protected." "Partially?" "I don't like the sound of that, either." "What is so important about the Keller grove?" " It's only a few acres." " Unfortunately, without it," "Gerald Thornton can't provide adequate parking" " for the proposed shopping center." " So?" "No parking means no commercial lease commitments." "And no commercial lease commitments mean no further loans from the bank." " [buzzing]" " Yes?" "[Woman] Mr. Grimsby is here, and Mr. Thornton's on his way up from downstairs." " I see." "Thank you." " Why didn't you tell me Gerald was coming?" "That door leads to the rear corridor, Mrs. Doyle." "If you'd like to use it." "You bankers think of everything, don't you, Mr. Osgood?" " Come in, Mr. Grimsby." " Osgood." "You've got yourself a deal." "Yes sir, a deal." "Then you'll take over Sunrise Hills." " Take over the bank's interest." " Well, that's fine." "But, uh, what about the investors, Mr. Grimsby?" " Thornton himself." " Not a dime." "Bank off the hook, and that's just about the size of it." "But some of these people have put in their life's savings." " Now, isn't there some way" " Osgood, who are you representing?" " The investors, or the bank?" " Why, the bank, of course." "And what does the bank say?" "Yes or no?" "Let's have it." "Well, well." "Look who's here." "I might have guessed the vultures would be circling." "Only your sense of smell's a little off, Grimsby." " I'm a long way from dead yet." " Well, I'm glad, Gerald." "Very glad." "You know why?" "Because I'm going to enjoy watching you die here, the way you enjoyed watching me die with the Fresno Land Company." "How much time did the finance committee give me?" "One week to produce the leases." "[sighs] You didn't let any grass grow, did you?" "Cooking up an alternate deal behind my back?" "Not behind your back." "I asked you in here to hear Mr. Grimsby's offer." "I know what that is, without even hearing it." "Easy money, with a little revenge thrown in, huh?" "Not a chance." "I'd send this project down the drain before I'd let you grab so much as a five-cent postage stamp out of it." "You better remember that too, Osgood." "[dog barking]" "Aren't you sort of playing with fire, Jimmy-boy?" "Mrs. Doyle." "I was expecting Mr. Thornton." "What are you doing here this hour of night?" "Not what you seem to be doing." "Tell me, didn't I hear that you're no longer associated with Sunrise Hills?" "These things belong to me, Mrs. Doyle." "I made them on my own time." "I'm taking them with me." "Well, bully for you." "[barking]" "I wonder just how far you're going to get with them." "[Man's voice] Pete!" "Get out of here!" "Git!" "[barking continues]" "Blasted dog ought to be tied up-- [chuckles] Well, what have we here?" "Mr. Wheeler tells me he's repossessing some of his little trinkets." "Is that so?" "It's funny, I thought that they were my little trinkets." "What's the idea?" "We'll talk about this later, Mr. Thornton." "Don't you worry, we will." "Good night, Mrs. Doyle." "Good-bye, Jimmy-boy." "[dog barking]" "Put that ugly thing away." "It makes me nervous." "No wine?" "Grace, I'm not in the mood for drinks or anything else." "I told you that on the phone." "Yes, I remember." "Think it's just been a couple of weeks since you were phoning me for drinks." "[sighs] Is it me?" "Or that sultry secretary, Janis?" "Is it because I'm fresh out of money?" "Grace, it's none of those things." "I've been working!" "Worrying." "Now this Keller mess." "Grace." "I'm still crazy about you." "You know that, don't ya?" "Do I?" "All right, darling." "You convinced me." "How would you like it if I helped you get the Keller property?" "I'd like it fine, but the old man won't sell." "[chuckles] I think he will!" "I did some checking today, and I think I found a couple of weaknesses." "One is that Medal of Honor he's so proud of." "That's a weakness?" "You'll see." "And there's another." " Hardtack?" "Hardtack!" " [barking]" "[Amos] I told you he'd be here." " This the one?" " Yes." "Hardtack, you silly dog!" "Got picked up once before, two or three years ago." "Afternoon, though." "How come you started dog-catching so early in the morning?" "Oh, we haven't." "The deputy sheriff brought him in." "Oh, deputy, eh?" "That mean the fine'll be bigger than it was the last time?" "There's no fine." "You mean, we can just take him home?" "Well, if I was you folks, I'd get a lawyer." "A lawyer?" "That is, if you want to keep that dog from being put to death." "Put to death?" "Hardtack?" ""As district attorney, I realized that only the complete cooperation" ""of all the various law enforcement agencies" ""can crime be checked, and eventually suppressed" ""in this great metropolitan area." ""Therefore, I call upon the chief of police and the sheriff's office to join with me--"" "[intercom buzzes]" "Yes, Mabel?" "The City Attorney?" "Oh, that's all right." "Put him through." "Hello, Tom." "What can I" "A dog bite case?" "Why would I be interested in that?" "Who" " Who is defending the dog?" "Your Honor, the defense moves the complaint be dismissed on the ground that it fails to state facts sufficient to constitute a public offense." "The defendant, Amos Keller, is charged with criminal responsibility in connection with an assault allegedly committed by his dog Hardtack, upon the person of one Gerald Thornton." "Yet, in support of that charge, the complaint fails to allege science or knowledge on the part of the defendant that his dog was vicious, or even that he was present at the time." "[Prosecutor] Present or not, a man is still responsible for what his dog does." "Not criminally, Mr. Rice." "That depends upon a number of things." "Perhaps the proper criminal procedure would have been an indictment of the dog." " Counsel is joking, of course." " Not at all." "A variety of animals have been accused, legally indicted and tried in the past." "Nearly 100 in France, for instance, the last being a cow in 1740." "In Switzerland, in 1474, a rooster was tried and sentenced to death for the crime of laying an egg." "And at Ottonne, in the same century, the city's rats were charged with being a public nuisance, and won their case." "It isn't often when we're honored with a visit from the district attorney." "Are you here on business, Mr. Burger?" "No, Your Honor, I just heard a familiar voice, and thought I'd drop in." "But Counselor, please, go on about the rats." "I'm sure we'd all be fascinated, Mr. Mason." "But since this is the 20th, and not the 15th century," "I'm going to rule that the complaint is sufficient." "If you gentlemen are ready, we'll proceed." "About 7:00 in the morning, I got out of my car, when out of the blue, this dog jumped up and attacked me." "That's him over there." "He bit me on the leg and on the arm, when I tried to beat him off." "What happened then, Mr. Thornton?" "Well, Janis-- uh, Miss Carr, my secretary, saw what happened from the trailer." "She phoned the sheriff's substation, and two deputies came and took the dog away." "Your witness, Mr. Mason." "Mr. Thornton." "After this alleged attack on you by this, um, fearsome beast, did you contact, or cause to be contacted, any member of the Keller family?" "No, I did not." "Wasn't it at your instigation that Courtney Osgood, representing the bank that has been financing your real estate development, called Miss Sandra Keller and told her you'd go easy on the dog if Mr. Keller would change his mind about selling his orange grove?" "I know of no such call." "How much is involved in your Sunrise Hills project, Mr. Thornton?" "Several million dollars." "Isn't it true you're likely to lose your interest without possession of the Keller grove?" "That has absolutely nothing to do with this." "Nothing!" "Are you sure, Mr. Thornton?" "Are you sure you didn't invent the story of the dog's attack as a lever to force Mr. Keller to sell-- in order to save his pet's life?" "Well, that's ridiculous." "How could I invent the tears in my clothes and the wounds on my leg and arm?" "Oh, yes, uh, there were bruises, abrasions, and lacerations on Mr. Thornton's leg and arm, and I treated them that morning, as I have previously stated." "Bruises, abrasions, lacerations caused by a dog's teeth?" "Mr. Thornton told me a dog had bitten him, and I saw no reason to doubt him." "But they could have been caused by something other than a dog." "An almost infinite number of things, from tigers to claw-hammers." "Tigers and claw-hammers nothing." "It was that dog over there that bit him." "I saw the whole thing out the trailer window." "Wouldn't you say it was rather convenient, Miss Carr, your being there at exactly the right time to look out and witness the so-called attack?" "No." "We work lots of odd hours." "Mr. Thornton and I" "All right, Miss Carr." "No further questions." "That's our last witness, Your Honor." "You haven't got it quite right, Mr. Mason." "I did telephone Miss Keller, but not at Mr. Thornton's request." "And I merely suggested to her that I might be able to persuade Mr. Thornton to go easy if her grandfather would sell him the grove." "Why did you do that?" "You're not a business associate of Mr. Thornton's, are you?" "Well, in a way, yes, through the bank." "We have in excess of half a million dollars loaned to Mr. Thornton, and rather than be forced to make other arrangements, we'd prefer to have him complete the project." "Which he will be unable to do without the Keller property?" "Which he will be unable to do without the Keller property." "Thank you, Mr. Osgood." "That'll be all." "Mr. Keller, would you give us your full name, address, and occupation, please?" "Amos Kenesaw Mountain Keller," "Kenesaw Mountain being' the name of a Civil War battle my pappy fit in." "Second Indiana, he was with." " He fit there and" " Your address and occupation, Mr. Keller." "11231 Citrus Avenue." "Orange grower now, but I guess I've been a little of everything, skunk raiser to bee herder." "Ahem." "Bee herder?" "Back in '96, drove the biggest herd of bees ever, Montana to California." "Started out with the queen in a bottle for the others to follow." "Crossin' the Rockies, a big cold snap froze the whole herd." "Had to load 'em onto wagons and freight 'em till the sun thawed 'em out and then" "Thank you, Mr. Keller." "Thank you." "Now, sir, you are also an army veteran, are you not?" "Yep." "Cuba in '98-- Teddy and his Rough Riders." "Teddy being' Teddy Roosevelt." "And you rode with Teddy Roosevelt at San Juan Hill and won a decoration?" "People is always sayin' San Juan." "Kettle Hill's where the real shooting' was." "A San Juan outpost." "And we didn't ride." "Crawled, mostly." "Jungle and slime." "But you did win a decoration?" "Well" " Oh, that." "Yep." "I guess so." "The Medal of Honor, wasn't it?" "Yep." "My congratulations, Mr. Keller." "Now, in regard to the dog, Hardtack, how long have you owned him?" "Well, let's see." "I got him about the time I was working on crossing a skunk with a wild cat." "How long, uh, have you owned him, Mr. Keller?" "Well, ever since he was a pup-- about nine or ten years." "And in those nine or ten years, has Hardtack, to the best of your knowledge, ever bitten anyone?" "No, sir." "Never." "You may have the witness, Mr. Rice." "No questions." "That's all, Mr. Keller." "That concludes the defense's case, Your Honor." "You've no character witnesses for the dog except the owner, Mr. Mason?" "If the court pleases, none is needed." "The word of a man of Mr. Keller's attainments is not to be doubted" "Attainments such as a bee herder, Mr. Mason, huh?" "I was thinking more as a Medal of Honor holder." "The defense holds that his word is the essence of the matter." "Since Mr. Keller believed his dog to be friendly, harmless to humans, and I must say the animal's demeanor seems to bear him out , how this dog or this man could be charged with lethal intent or even criminal negligence for an attack which, if it occurred," "must have been deliberately provoked by the complainant" "I don't need to hear any arguments, Mr. Mason, because, unless there's more convincing evidence" "No, Your Honor." "I'm going to find the defendant not guilty." "However, the dog, Hardtack, is ordered remanded to his owner's custody, with the proviso that he be kept secured at all times in the future." "Court adjourned." "Hardtack." "Hardtack." "Come on, boy." "Come on, Hardtack." "Atta boy." "Hardtack, how you doing there, son?" "Well, Perry, is business really as bad as that." "I mean, chickens and rats and dogs and cats, or did I detect an undercurrent here of something else?" "There are always undercurrents when large sums of money are involved, Hamilton." "In this case, let's just hope that nobody gets drowned." "[footsteps]" " [growling]" " Shh." " Shh." " [growling]" "Shh." "[barking]" "[barking] [yelping]" "Hardtack?" "Grandpa." "Grandpa!" "Hmm." "I figured you'd be here bright and early, knowing the old gent in the grove was a former client of your pal Perry Mason." "We just heard about it on the radio." "Oh, sure, sure." "Well, I'll make you a deal." "I'll tell you everything I know up to now if you'll tell Mason to find that old man for us in a hurry." "He's disappeared, and we don't want him harbored from questioning." " Okay?" " Okay." "All right." "Here are the highlights." "Body was found lying here by Edward Doyle, the field superintendent, and his wife when she dropped him off for work a little before 8 this morning." "Close up blast from a shotgun in the abdomen." "Best estimate up to now is that it happened around 1 a.m." "You've found the shotgun?" "No." "Not yet." "Anything that might tell you who used it?" "A footprint or two" "[Woman] Search completed, Lieutenant." "As far as I can see, not a thing's been touched inside." "Including the safe, Miss Carr?" "Score yourself zero there, Lieutenant." "There isn't any safe." "We paid by check." "And that's what you and Mr. Thornton were doing here last night, writing checks?" "What makes you think I was with him?" "Lipstick on one of the highball glasses." "Zero again." "I can prove I wasn't here last night." "Don't think I can't." "May I go now?" "I guess." "You know, if cops were all this good-looking, I might take up crime myself." "Bye." "Wow." "Double wow." "Thornton's secretary." "You want her full name?" "No." "Just her phone number." "Oh, those footprints you mentioned." "Who do they belong to?" "Men, women, and a dog." "A dog?" "No, I didn't hear a shot or anything, Mr. Mason." "Did your grandfather?" "I" " I don't know." "I haven't seen him since last evening." "He apparently drove off somewhere, very early." "Where's your grandfather's shotgun, Sandra?" "Perry." "Trouble." "Apparently, Thornton was bitten by a dog last night." "Are you sure Hardtack was on the porch all of last night?" "Why, yes." "He was still tied up there this morning." "I wonder if he could have slipped his collar [whimpering]" "What's the matter with him?" "What are you doing with that dog?" "What's the matter, Lieutenant?" "The dog your chief suspect?" "Never mind the jokes." "You're going to produce the suspect, Mr. Mason." "Hardtack, come back here." "You're supposed to be tied up anyway." "No, wait." "Wait." "Let him be" "What's all this?" "Oh, they're just some culls, waiting to be trucked to the juice processing plant." "Be interesting to see what the police processing plant does with this cull, eh, Mr. Mason?" "Where in the world have you been?" "I've been trying to reach you for almost two hours." "With Sandra, trying to find Mr. Keller." "What's up?" "Well, young Mr. Wheeler's been calling frantically every ten minutes or so." " He said he has to see you." " Where?" "In Hollywood, at Las Dugas and Sunset, in a parking lot." "Let's go." "Am I glad to see you." "I've got Mr. Keller." "You've what?" "He's at my place, a little bungalow across the street." "I've had him there since 9:00 this morning." "The minute I heard the flash about Mr. Thornton this morning," "I knew the police would be after Mr. Keller because of his trouble with the grove." "I knew where he'd be, so I intercepted him." "Why on earth did you do that?" "So I could get him to you before he could really cook himself with the police, telling them he used to shoot Indians that way or something." "You know how he is." "Mr. Wheeler, why didn't you bring him to my office?" "Because I was afraid the police would be there, knowing that he was one of your clients." "Look." "Let me check to see that no one's hanging around here, and I'll take you to him." "I'm Paul Drake." "I'll check with you." "I wonder if Grandpa really did it." "Kill Thornton?" "You think he did, don't you?" "Otherwise you wouldn't have hidden that shotgun." "Do you want to tell me about it?" "Everything's clear in back." "Okay." "I'll go get Perry." "...so after I hid the shotgun, Hardtack came back, so I tied him on the porch again, and I went to bed." "And you didn't speak of any of this to your grandfather?" "How could I without seeming to accuse him or suspect him?" "What I mean is, I wanted to, but then I heard his car driving off very early, and" "All right, but tell me, why did you hide the shotgun?" "Why didn't you simply take out the empty shell and put the gun back on the porch?" "Surely you've heard of ballistic tests, Mr. Mason?" "Ballistic tests work with rifles and small arms, Sandra, but not with shotguns." "Besides breaking the law, you probably did your grandfather a grave disservice, and maybe Mr. Wheeler has done the same thing." "I don't care about the law" "Okay." "All right." "Let's see what your grandfather has to say." "Humble, but home." "I told your grandfather if he got tired, he could bunk in the bedroom, which is where he probably is." "Welcome." "What kept you?" "Mr. Keller and I were beginning to worry." "Are you all right, Grandpa?" "Of course I'm all right." "Told my story to the lieutenant, and then he challenged me to some checkers." "Be a right good player with a little practice." "[Mason] How'd you find him?" "Leg work, door-knocking." "And when you knocked here, Lieutenant, Mr. Keller asked you in?" "Oh, I have a warrant, if that's what you're worried about." "One charging first degree murder, in fact." "Sorry I waited to tell you that, Mr. Keller, but" "Andy, before you take Mr. Keller in, I'd like to talk with him." "Talk all you want." "The person this warrant names is..." "Sandra Keller." "...and the state will show that Sandra Keller killed in part to extricate herself from a financial agreement she had made with the deceased, in part to save the family pet from being killed for twice attacking the deceased," "and finally to save her grandfather from disgrace and perhaps prosecution" "A skein of tangled motives growing out of a conflict over the possession of a grove so valuable that its oranges can literally be described as golden." "Now, Doctor, before you performed the autopsy on the decedent, the results of which you have described, did you examine the clothes on the body?" "Yes." "We always do that before turning them over to the police technicians." "And what was their condition?" "Naturally, shirt and undershirt were shredded, practically obliterated in the area struck by the shotgun pellets." "And did you note anything else unusual?" "Yes." "There was a jagged tear on the trousers, just above the left knee." "Was that also caused by the shotgun?" "No." "By some other agent." "A dog's teeth, perhaps?" "Perhaps." "Mr. Mason?" "Perhaps, but also perhaps not, Doctor?" "I don't quite follow." "Tiger's teeth or a claw hammer, couldn't they have torn the trousers?" "I see what you mean." "Yes, it could have been caused by any object with sharp, jagged edges." "Thank you." "Now, after the family pet had so obligingly showed you where this gun was hidden," "Lieutenant Anderson, what did you do with it?" "I took it down to the crime lab and ran a series of tests on it." " And what did you find?" " That it had been fired quite recently, that the expended shell in it called for the size and type of pellets found in the body, and on the metal parts of the gun, several fingerprints which we subsequently established as those of the defendant, Sandra Keller." "Now, these slippers have already been identified as having been found in the defendant's bedroom." "Did you subject them to tests in the police lab?" "Yes." "There were stains on the slippers." "Our tests determined them to be bloodstains of Type AB, according to our absorption test." "You also typed the deceased's blood, of course?" "Yes, it was the same type as on the slippers, type AB." "And what did your lab examination reveal about this lipstick-stained highball glass from the Sunrise Hills trailer?" "There were a number of well-defined fingerprints, all belonging to the defendant." "I'm positive of it." "That and all the other glasses were clean when I left that night." "I always make sure before I go." "Then the lipstick and the fingerprints, the defendant's fingerprints, must have been placed on the glass after you left?" "Objection." "The question is argumentative and calls for a conclusion on the part of the witness." "Objection sustained." "All right." "What time was it when you left that night after making sure the glasses were all clean?" "8:00." "I saw there was somebody in the trailer with him, so I waited in the car." "It was about 10:00." "And your business with Thornton was private?" "Very private." "I was going to give him the needle the way he gave it to me when I was broke in Fresno, and I didn't want any kibitzers." "And the visitor finally left?" "In about ten minutes." "A woman, mad as a hornet." "I didn't see her, but I sure heard her." "She yelled, "If you do a despicable thing like that to my grandfather, Mr. Thornton, he'll take his shotgun to you." "And if he doesn't, I will."" "And then she headed off toward the Keller place." "If I had you in the Rough Riders, you young whipper-snapper, you wouldn't dare speak to me like that." "Your Honor!" "Mr. Keller, the prosecutor is only doing his duty." "You must answer his questions, no matter how they strike you." "Well, Sandra did come to me about 10:30, sore as all get-out on account of what Thornton had told her he was going to do to me if I didn't let him have my grove." "And what did she say Thornton told her he was going to do to you?" "Uh, judge, a defendant don't have to answer things he don't want to, does he?" "Well, a defendant can't be forced to incriminate himself." "All right." "Then I ain't a-gonna answer him because I'm the real defendant here on account I'm the one that killed Gerald Thornton." "Grandpa!" "[judge pounds gavel]" "Really, Mr. Keller?" "Why don't you tell us about it?" "Well, Hardtack woke me, leaving the porch, so I went down and saw he was heading for the trailer, and I picked up the shotgun and followed, knowing that if he bit Thornton again, he was done for." "Well, he already had when I got there... so I killed Thornton to keep Hardtack from gettin' killed." "And what about these blood-stained slippers, Mr. Keller, already identified as belonging to your granddaughter?" "How do you account for these?" "Why, I wore them." "You wore these slippers?" "Aren't you stretching the truth here a little, Mr. Keller, just as you've stretched the truth all these years about this Medal of Honor you're supposed to have?" "I do have one." "Look." "Got it right here." "Always carry it with me." "Where did you buy this, Mr. Keller?" "In a pawn shop someplace?" "Pawn shop?" "I won that at Kettle Hill." "All right, Mr. Keller, only we happened to check with the War Department." "There's no record of any Amos Keller receiving any kind of a medal at the Battle of San Juan Hill, only there was an Amos Keller in the Rough Riders." "He was a company clerk, and he was sitting safe at camp when that hill was stormed." "What have you to say about that, Mr. Keller?" "That poor old man." "I felt like crawling under something." "How could Burger do such a cruel thing to him?" "He had to, Della, to set Mrs. Doyle's testimony that Thornton was threatening Mr. Keller with exposure as a fake war hero." "Why didn't Sandra tell us?" "She hoped it would never have to come out." "Perry, what was she doing drinking in Thornton's trailer with him?" "Drinking plain soda water, Della, a fact Mr. Burger carefully omitted." "She'd gone there to give Thornton back his check for $10,000-- the check he'd returned when she mailed it to him." "The fireworks started when he began threatening her grandfather." "[knock on door]" "Well, the Pentagon confirms Burger." "The only Medal of Honor Award in that particular unit at San Juan Hill was to a Private Charles Fellows of Cody, Wyoming." "When you get a chance, call Cody." "Maybe the newspaper editor there can get some details out of his files" "Now what do you have on the people who invested with Thornton?" "Funny thing." "He was real secretive about that." "The only large investor I've found so far was Edward Doyle, the field superintendent. $10,000." "Run a check on all the others, Paul." "Try every corporate record, proxy file, any lead you can find." "What about the police inventory on the contents of the trailer?" "Andy let me have a look at it." "No reports on Mr. Keller, no check for $10,000, no list of investors, no private records, nothing." "I wonder if somebody could have been there ahead of the police." "Hmm, I heard Janis Carr, the secretary, tell Andy that morning that nothing had been touched." "Janis Carr." "[door buzzer]" "Just a minute." "Well." "What do you know." "I'd begun to think you missed my message that day at the trailer." "I got it, all right." "Uh, put your clothes on." "Now just a minute." "Miss Carr, I'm asking you to come downtown with me." "So it isn't my personal charm after all." "You got a warrant?" "Then you're taking me nowhere." "If you so much as lay a finger on me, I'll scream for help." "Uh, maybe you need some help getting dressed." "You even brought the female Gestapo." "All right." "You win." "But why can't we talk here?" "We can, if you'll tell me what you did with Thornton's private records." "I never touched them." "They were gone that morning when" "All right." "So I lied to the Lieutenant." "Why?" "Young Wheeler's model houses and sketches were gone, so I figured he took the records, too." "Sure, I was going to suggest he give me something for keeping quiet, but" "What is this?" "You're Mason's secretary." "That's right." "I brought her along to take some notes." "But I thought you were a cop." "Who gave you that idea?" "I'm Mason's private detective." "[buzz] [pounding]" "What in the world is that?" "[pounding]" "[Wheeler] Let me out of here!" "[pounding]" "Somebody?" "Somebody out there?" "Who put you in there?" "I don't know." "I heard the buzzer sounded, and I looked out, and wham." "Jim, did you take your models and sketches from the trailer the night Thornton was killed?" "Uh, yes." "They're in the garage." "But Thornton was dead when I got there." "I" " I took the things anyway." "You also took Thornton's private file?" "Well, yes." "The papers exposing Mr. Keller were in it." "What else?" "Only a handwritten list of the Sunrise Hills investors." "It was a funny thing about that." "All of the small investors were listed by name." "But the biggest ones, the ones for 60,000 and 90,000, were called X and Y." "The file's gone." "Yes, I thought it might be." "Paul, I have an idea now who the killer might be, but I'll need help in proving it." "I'd like you to get hold of the best throat specialist in town." "Throat specialist?" "For you?" "No." "For Hardtack." "No, sir." "I'm not either X or Y on that list that Wheeler testified about." "I put in $10,000, and that's all." "Which sum of money was it that your wife Grace put in, Mr. Doyle?" " The 60,000 or the 90?" " The 60." "That was every penny that she" "Yes, I knew, Grace." "About the money and about Thornton." "Yes, I gave him the idea of trying to put the screws on the old man through his dog and his fake decoration." "What made you suspect the decoration was a fake, Mrs. Doyle?" "I was an Army brat, and I know how many phonies go around passing themselves off as heroes." "So I checked, and I hit the jackpot." "I'd say you hit three lemons, Mrs. Doyle." "Your Honor, may I recall Amos Keller a moment?" "Not so much for the furtherance of this case as in the interest of justice." "Mr. Keller, do you remember a certain Mr. Charles Fellows of Cody, Wyoming?" "Sure." "He was in my Company in Cuba." "Big-shot politician now." "You didn't know that he died last week?" "Charley dead?" "Yes, and it seems that you were mentioned in his will, from which I now quote." ""And finally, to the finest liar I've ever known, Amos Kenesaw Mountain Keller," ""whose talents reached a peak the night he, the company clerk," ""took the place of a frightened 16-year-old boy" ""in the attack on San Juan Hill," ""and through his bravery won a medal." ""To Amos, to whom long ago I gave the medal," "I now bequeath my sword, my dress uniform," ""and my eternal thanks for keeping secret" ""something which would certainly have destroyed a boy's family as well as his future."" "That was all in Charley's will?" "That mean I can really wear this now?" "Yes, Mr. Keller." "For the rest of your life." "Mrs. Doyle, this is a medical report on Hardtack's throat and neck." "It shows bruises, external chaffing, and a certain amount of hair removed, all of which could only have been caused by his having been jerked or lifted, perhaps dragged a considerable distance by means of a choke collar." "What's that supposed to mean to me?" "Well, since you're the dog expert, since you put Gerald Thornton up to the fake bite plot with Hardtack, let me ask you this-- wouldn't it have been possible for you or someone to whom you gave the idea" "to have hauled Hardtack over to the trailer that night, pretending to further that same plot, and then to have killed Thornton with the shotgun you found on the Keller porch?" "Why would I want to kill him?" "Perhaps because of Janis Carr?" "Good enough reason, but I never dragged that dog anywhere." "I'm scared to death of dogs." "Anyone can tell you." "Why should I invest 90,000 with him when I could get the whole project for nothing?" "The same goes for killing him-- what's the point?" "Yes, the bank was prepared to deal with Mr. Grimsby in the event Gerald Thornton couldn't get the Keller land." "And the investors were also prepared to deal with Mr. Grimsby?" "Well, uh, they... they were to be frozen out, I'm afraid." "But with the life insurance the bank required that Thornton carry, they'll, uh, be protected now?" "Oh, yes." "Yes, I believe so." "Then you'll get your $90,000 back, won't you?" "Mr. Mason, officers of the bank are not permitted to invest where a conflict of interest might arise." "Oh, I see." "Your Honor, in regard to this dog" "You may step down, Mr. Osgood." "Oh, a moment, Your Honor." "I do have some withdrawal notations I'd like to go over with you." "Would you mind holding him while I get them?" "[growl, barking]" "Those withdrawal notations, Mr. Osgood, show $50,000 of your own money." "Now, where did the remaining 40 come from, the 40,000 you invested with Thornton?" " [growling continues]" " Was it embezzlement?" "Did you embezzle from the bank, Mr. Osgood?" "No, no, it was my money." "Every penny of it." "So you will get it back, with the life insurance on Thornton?" "Yes." "Now take him away." "[growling]" "Somebody please take him." "Just hold his head up." "Then he can't reach you." "That's how you held him that night, wasn't it?" "That's how you hurt his neck." "He remembers you, doesn't he, Mr. Osgood?" "[growling, barking]" "All right." "Why did you kill Thornton?" "All my life, I've invested big sums for the bank and was never allowed to invest for myself." "This time I did, secretly." "He threatened to expose me to the bank unless I get the dog, help him fake a second attack." "I saw the shotgun on the porch, saw that was the way out-- no exposure, my life's savings back." "Yes!" "Yes." "I shot Thornton." "Hurry up, Grandpa!" "The parade's about to start without you." "Oh, it's the greatest day of his life." "He's a real legitimate hero now, thanks to you, Mr. Mason." "No, Sandra." "Thanks to a certain charge up a certain hill." "I gotta rush." "The whole parade's depending on me." "Hold it, hold it, hold it." "Hardtack!" "Hardtack!" "Where are you, boy?" "Come on, Hardtack." "Come on, come on." "That's a boy." "That's a boy."