"( noirish jazz theme playing )" "( mellow theme playing )" "Since we are currently planning investment in the new field, you may anticipate hearing from my partner or myself at the earliest possible date." "I can finish the rest of this myself, Mr. Gorman." "No, no, we've got all the way to the airport." "Just take me a minute to pick up my suitcase." "Oh, but I know your wife's home." "And I could take a taxi back to the office." "Wouldn't she like to drive you to the airport herself?" "If she's going to be gone by the time you get back." "Don't try to interfere, Betty." "You wait here." "I know best." "( suspenseful theme playing )" "When will I see you again?" "Next weekend?" "The next?" "You'll at least bring Harold Ames up to the cabin to talk about business, won't you?" "Alice, you know very well how important this summer period is." "The liquidation, our whole reinvestment." "Our company 'tis of thee, sweet corporate entity." "Honey, I'm sorry I have to run off like this, our last night together, but you'll be happier up in the mountains for a while, you know that." "Okay?" "What about Jim?" "Who?" "You weren't even listening, were you?" "Your nephew Jim is in town." "Didn't your secretary tell you?" "No." "You mean he phoned here, at the house?" "What kind of trouble is he in this time?" "Oh, never mind, don't tell me." "And don't tell me how much money he needs either." "You mean there's no time for any member of your family?" "Alice, I don't want to see him." "No, and I don't want you talking to him, either." "We've no time for irresponsible, useless..." "You believe me, dear, I know best." "Carl, what do we have time for?" "When this summer period is over, what's going to happen then?" "Alice, for heavens' sake." "Don't ask me to explain my plans for a new factory in a time like this." "New factory." "( door closes )" "( scoffs ) ( vehicle departs )" "( chuckles )" "For a guy who knows best about everything, wow." "Yes." "Wow." "Sorry, Jim." "Why?" "I've come to Carl for the last time." "Alice, we're going to teach him a lesson he'll never forget." "( dramatic theme playing )" "Well?" "Aren't we?" "( suspenseful theme playing )" "( jazz music playing)" "Jim." "Now, you'd better get used to that." "Oh, a dozen martinis, please." "I'll just feel easier when we're away from Los Angeles, that's all." "Away from California, you mean." "Away from the United States." "Did you get to the bank before it closed?" "There, that's the savings account." "It's joint, so I could make a full withdrawal." "That's all my tycoon uncle keeps around?" "A measly 11,000?" "Most of Carl's money is tied up in the company, you know that." "Yes." "Yes, of course." "I still own one-millionth of it myself, remember?" "Ten cents worth." "Darling, this is all the money we really need." "We can travel for months, if we like." "That's not the point." "I have obligations right now." "What sort of obligations?" "Jim, you haven't been gambling again, have you?" "Now, now, the important thing is that you deserve more than this." "If you sued Carl for divorce you'd get five times as much." "Oh, no, I couldn't." "He'd fight me, I couldn't stand that." "All right." "Did you look in the safe deposit box?" "He has the audit of his father's paper company." "I copied the only figures there were." "They're debts of his father's he hoped he could repay sometime." "But now he's going into a business his father was dishonest in." "He could be ruined and he knows it." "Disgraced." "But I don't want him to be disgraced." "I want a fair share of the money" "Carl and I struggled so hard to get, but..." "Don't worry, nobody's really going to be hurt." "I promise." "Look, do you have a key to Carl's office?" "Jim, there's nothing in Carl's office worth our taking." "Now, let me decide these things." "There's a guy I know who used to work for the company." "He can look around, tell me what's available." "But, darling..." "What's the matter, don't you trust me?" "Are you getting cold feet?" "Jim." "What's the matter, wrong flavor?" "I've been thinking." "They've been selling their assets left and right." "That means they're converting to cash, doesn't it, Stan?" "What I wanna know is how much and where it is." "Say, I know a guy that handles explosives." "Are you crazy?" "It wouldn't be in there." "Now, just wait a minute." "Here's some correspondence." "Well?" "Well, there's at least $80,000 they've just deposited from one big sale." "Let me take a look at that." "( vehicle approaching )" "Wait, there's somebody outside." "It's Mr. Ames." "Listen, Jim, I just got fired from this outfit." "He can't find me here." "Wait a minute, you want a thousand dollars for helping me or not?" "All right, you stay here." "Don't make any noise." "In the name of..." "Hey, wake up." "Oh, it's you." "What are you doing here?" "Oh, the janitor let me in." "I thought it might be all right if I slept here to wait for Carl." "He's out of town till tomorrow noon." "Didn't you talk to Alice?" "Uh-uh." "No, I didn't want to get anybody else involved." "Oh, I could have gone to a hotel," "I guess, but, uh" "Well, I was afraid I might be followed." "Followed?" "Yeah, some guys are tailing me, gamblers." "Claim we owe them some money." "Harold, you don't suppose you" "If you're in some kind of trouble, Jim, you better wait and talk to Carl about it." "Oh, yeah?" "You remember some snapshots" "I took at that certain office party?" "There's nothing I can do about it, Jim." "Now, please, wait for Carl." "Oh, I'm sorry, I-I'm just upset." "How much money do you need?" "Oh, $80,000." "Eighty what?" "( indistinct speech )" "Well" " Well, it's not that I really think they'd kill me if I didn't pay." "Well, at least I can get you a room at my club." "They won't bother you there." "Come on." "Thanks." "Oh, wait." "I'll get the lights, my coat's in there." "The janitor." "I wanted to leave him 10 bucks." "I haven't any change." "I'll be back in a second." "Just find out how they got that dough deposited." "See if it's where old Carl can dig it out for us in a hurry." "Jim, I don't want no part of this." "If you've got gamblers chasing you." "Oh, will you relax?" "There are no gamblers." "Nobody's gonna cut in on this deal but you, buddy, sure for 5,000." "Just you." "( dramatic theme playing )" "( door closes )" "( dramatic theme swells )" "Jim took that $10, sir." "And then down at the club, he conned my gullible partner out of a cool hundred for tips and drinks, he said." "Plus another hundred for breakfast and emergencies." "It's typical, he's done it a million times." "This noon he upset my secretary with the same wild story." "What about your wife?" "Did he talk to her?" "No, no." "She'd have nothing to do with him." "Anyway, Alice is up in the mountains." "Left first thing this morning." "This business of Jim's being in danger from gamblers would be fairly easy to verify." "I have an investigator who..." "Mr. Mason, my nephew has been a liar and a troublemaker since he was 5 years old." "Nothing he says is true." "I only want you to understand" "I'm doing the right thing in calling a halt to Jim, that's all." "You want me to arrange the dummy purchase of a small piece of your company which he still seems to own." "I don't care if you pay him a thousand dollars, just him out of here." "I want his name taken out of my will too." "I want my nephew crossed out of my life." "If it were possible, I'd have him restrained and enjoined from coming into my house." "Hold on a minute, Mr. Gorman." "Della, read back those figures, will you, please?" "The money Jim received from Mr. Ames." ""Jim took that $10," ""then down at the club a cool hundred." "Plus another hundred for breakfast and emergencies."" "Two hundred and ten dollars." "More than petty larceny." "What are you talking about?" "In California law, getting money under false pretenses comes under the definition of theft." "Theft?" "You mean we might bring criminal charges against him?" "Mr. Gorman," "I wasn't seriously suggesting such action." "Why are you so anxious to get something on your nephew?" "Well, I don't understand you." "I was just wondering why you waited so long to rid yourself of such a person, that's all." "Mr. Mason, he is my nephew, but everything has to come to an end sometime." "I'm fed up." "Has he ever blackmailed you, Mr. Gorman?" "Blackmail?" "Over what?" "Mason, I'd kill anyone who ever tried such a thing." "Just that I'm going into new ventures now." "It's true I thought that what you suggested could somehow be used to get him out of my hair." "But see here, if you're not interested..." "No, no." "I'll look into it." "Thank you, Mr. Mason." "Thank you." "Good day, Miss Street." "Good day." "( door closes )" "I wonder what hold his nephew has over Mr. Gorman." "( dramatic theme playing )" "Thank you." "Ah, Mr. Gorman." "What is it, Betty?" "In here, please." "Mr. Gorman, those men your nephew told you about before, those gamblers or whatever they are." "Jim?" "What phone is he on?" "I'll fix that useless-- No, no." "It's long-distance, it's your wife." "Those men were at the cabin waiting for her." "Alice?" "Hello, Alice?" "Are you all right?" "Do you want me to call the police?" "They want to make a business deal, Carl." "To sell you these things." "Oh, I'm perfectly all right." "So far." "What?" "Well, there's all this material on your background, about your father's company." "( indistinct speech )" "Well, yes, I" " I suppose they did get it from Jim." "I don't know how, but they did." "I told him, I wouldn't pay him one red penny." "Carl, listen to me." "These men work for gamblers, they're criminals." "They" " They won't stop at anything." "Oh, no, uh, they say don't you come." "Send somebody else." "( mouthed speech )" "Yes, send Betty, alone." "She'd be all right." "With $80,000." "That's blackmail and extortion." "And how do you know they'll give you anything?" "Carl, they say they're only doing this to collect the money Jim owes them." "Please, they haven't done anything to me yet, but I'm afraid of these men." "All right." "Tell them all right." "I'll send it." "And, Alice, be brave." "I know" "Yes, of course." "( click )" "( phone clicks )" "I was about to say, "I know best."" "Great performance." "Here." "( ominous theme playing )" "Honey, he's selfish, stubborn and egotistical." "He nearly wrecked your life, he never did." "I was just wondering, what you are, that's all." "What you'll do to my life." "Honey, we've got at least four hours to wait." "Why don't I walk down the road and see if I can get the electricity turned on?" "No." "We can use the lanterns." "Jim, please don't le" "( vehicle approaching ) Shh." "A car." "( horn honks )" "Mrs. Gorman?" "Alice?" "Can you hear me?" "Alice, are you in there?" "Honey, get hold of yourself." "Go on." "BETTY:" "Alice?" "It's Betty." "I'm all right." "Just do as you were told." "Just throw out the money." "Just leave it." "But--?" "But what about you?" "Shouldn't I wait?" "( deep voice ):" "Do what she says, lady." "Make it fast." "( vehicle departing )" "Honey, look." "Just look at this." "Tomorrow we'll be in Cuernavaca, laughing through our martinis." "Eighty thousand dollars." "( muffled ):" "I'll do the counting." "Ah." "Hey." "Wait a minute, who are you?" "Never mind, buddy." "You're Jim Ferris, you got some dough, you're coming with me." "What do you mean I'm--?" "Now, hurry it up!" "Get the money!" "Get the money!" "Stand still." "Jim, grab him." "Where'd you get that thing?" "Alice." "Get away from me!" "( dramatic theme playing )" "Jim." "Lady, you killed him." "( engine starts )" "Hey, Jim." "Jim." "Jim." "( ominous theme playing )" "( ominous theme swells )" "Alice!" "Alice, where are you?" "( siren wailing )" "CARL:" "Betty's been my secretary for nearly six years." "She could no more think of hurting anyone than telling a lie about anything." "It only says she was questioned, Mr. Gorman." "She hasn't been charged with anything yet." "I should hope not." "She was only up there to deliver the money." "I had to explain that to the police, of course." "Your nephew Jim was murdered, however." ""Discovery that Mr. Ferris' death was not caused" ""by the fire came when doctors reported finding a bullet lodged in his spine."" "All right, but Betty didn't do it." "Who do you think did kill him, Mr. Gorman?" "Mason, all I know is I need your help." "Go see why they've kept Betty downtown." "If she isn't charged with anything, why she can't leave?" "Oh, I'm sure she can." "But what about your wife?" "After she got home last night, couldn't she remember what had happened?" "Alice still isn't very coherent, I'm afraid." "She's under sedation, in fact." "She's told the police all she could." "The doctor doesn't want her disturbed." "Did she mention seeing your nephew up there at the cabin?" "Oh, no, she had no idea that Jim was within miles of the place." "You see, a masked man was waiting for her, when she drove up that afternoon." "He and another masked man were all that she saw." "If they were holding Jim prisoner there, she'd no inkling of it." "And after the money was delivered, the men gave your wife some personal papers and released her?" "Alice said she drove away as fast as she could." "What was so important about those papers, Mr. Gorman?" "My father was once unfortunately prominent in this business that I'm expanding into, paper packaging." "He, uh" " Well, he went to prison for certain things he did." "I changed my name." "But see here, I'd never have paid $80,000 just to hide Jim's little collection of facts about it, if they hadn't been holding Alice." "If those men hadn't been professional criminals, gamblers' men-- Excuse me, just a moment." "Paul, tell Mr. Gorman what you found out from Tahoe and Las Vegas." "Well, your nephew's name is well-known to gamblers, all right." "Both his own and an alias he uses." "Gossip travels pretty fast in those circles." "I shouldn't wonder." "Any man who's in debt for $80,000..." "Go on." "Jim Ferris was known to be on a blacklist." "No credit." "Everyplace we checked, they'd laugh at the idea of anybody rolling dice with him, let alone ever expecting to collect more than 5 bucks." "In other words, Mr. Gorman, the police investigation will probably prove that gamblers had nothing to do with either shaking you down or murdering your nephew." "Of course, we know that the blackmail facts had to come from Jim himself." "But who else was involved?" "The responsibility for all this, Mr. Gorman, may lie a good deal closer to home than you think." "No matter how it happened," "I'll need your help." "( dramatic theme playing )" "Of course." "Thanks for bringing me home, Mr. Mason." "I'm sorry I can't tell you more, but I just didn't see anymore." "Did you recognize the man's voice from the cabin?" "The one who told you to throw the money out?" "No." "Of course not." "That's the same sort of ridiculous question the police kept asking me all night." "You remember how things were arranged in here?" "Or, um, is there a maid that tidies up?" "No, I'm the maid." "That's why everything is such a mess..." "Mmm." "Things look pretty neat now." "( drawer closes )" "I'd guess that's why the police kept you downtown for a while." "But they have no right to just break in and search a person's room." "This is your landlady's building." "They probably looked through your car also." "But why, Mr. Mason?" "What could anybody possibly think I might have?" "Eighty thousand dollars." "Mr. Mason, I don't have anything to do with this." "I was just doing an errand." "Betty." "Did you know Jim Ferris?" "Yes." "Well, I mean, that is, not very well." "He" " He was once rather a pest around the office." "Eh, it was last year, that one little time when he worked there." "And then he went off to Mexico, I think." "Where in Mexico?" "Some place in Cuernavaca." "He was always talking about it." "To the girls, I mean." "Oh, Mr. Gorman must have told you what Jim was like." "When was the next time you saw him?" "Uh, didn't he called the office early yesterday, trying to reach Mr. Gorman?" "Yes, and he phoned here the night before." "Here?" "Yes, he wanted to know how to reach someone." "A man who used to work as an accountant in the office." "What was the man's name?" "Piper." "Stanley Piper." "Stanley J. Piper." "Age 35, single, been fired from any number of jobs." "Well, I find he checked out of his rooming house early yesterday morning." "Several hours before any of this happened." "Checked out for good?" "Yep." "Packed a bag and kissed the cleaning woman goodbye." "Real happy for some reason." "Maybe 80,000 reasons." "Better get somebody on his trail as quickly as possible." "Well, he shouldn't be too hard to trace." "He's got a small scar on his forehead and walks with kind of a slouch." "Hold on a second, Paul." "Seven minutes." "There are so many curves." "It took me almost eight minutes going the other way from here to the cabin." "Police still up there?" "Mm-hm." "They were just leaving." "Driving out the other road." "And, Paul, when you get out here, check that description of Piper with the people in the cabin area." "Oh, and bring some wire screening with you." "I want you to sift through anything that might be left from the fire." "Yes, I can reach you there." "Thanks." "You know, the cabin's just right up there, but the road winds all along the ridge and back." "So if Betty left the money, took seven minutes to drive down here, started to phone Gorman in town, then saw the fire, took eight minutes to drive up there again" "That's 15 minutes at least, Perry." "There could have been a fight over the money, the murder, the fire starting." "All sorts of things could have happened during that time." "Exactly." "With all sorts of people." "( suspenseful theme playing )" "I'm afraid I was quite unaware of what was going on." "My husband was right here in the house, all last evening, Mr. Mason." "Never mind, Dora." "Mr. Mason isn't here to check into my activities." "No, of course not." "Can you tell me anything about a man named Stanley Piper, Mr. Ames?" "I believe you once fired him." "I discharged him, yes." "There was nothing violent about his leaving." "He's the one who stole things, isn't he?" "Last year?" "AMES:" "You can see my wife is a stickler for the truth, Mr. Mason." "Well, I'm glad she is." "An accountant who would steal might also be capable of masterminding some plan for extortion, don't you think?" "Masterminding?" "Hardly, Mr. Mason." "Piper stole stamps." "Took a few dollars out of petty cash every week." "If he's involved in something criminal," "I'm sure it's in quite a minor capacity." "Perhaps as a hired hand." "Mr. Ames, didn't Mr. Gorman consult with you before taking that $80,000 out of the company accounts?" "He certainly did not." "Well, how could he?" "I was out of the office when it happened." "In his position I would have done exactly the same thing." "Why, good heavens," "Alice Gorman's life might have been in danger as I understand it." "Alice?" "In danger from two men?" "Oh." "Please, Dora." "MASON:" "Eh, tell me, if that $80,000 should never be recovered, how would it affect you, Mr. Ames?" "How would it affect your company?" "We'd both be rather shattered, I presume." "( dramatic theme playing )" "Alice." "Is he here?" "I could ask him to wait a little longer." "No, of course not." "Why should you?" "I'm perfectly willing to see anyone" "Hello, Mrs. Gorman." "My name is Mason." "Yes, of course." "I thought if our own lawyer heard everything you can remember, Alice... ( doorbell rings )" "Oh, there's more of those reporters." "I swear every newspaper in town" "It's all right, we'll get along all right for a minute or two." "Go ahead." "( door closes )" "I'm not going to pester you with any of the details, Mrs. Gorman." "They gave me all those pills." "I know." "I'm only going to ask you about the two men at the cabin." "Were you able to see either one of them clearly?" "No." "No, they wore masks." "Perhaps one of them had a receding hairline?" "Shaped something like a widow's peak?" "Widow's peak?" "Oh, yes, I did see the one man." "He had a" " A little scar up there on his forehead." "Does the name Stanley Piper mean anything to you?" "No." "What about the second man?" "I-I didn't see him very well." "Could he'd kept out of your sight intentionally?" "Could the second man have been your husband's nephew?" "Could have been Jim Ferris?" "I'd like to hear the answer to that too, Mrs. Gorman." "Alice, dear, Lieutenant Tragg has come back to" "Please, please." "Don't let me interrupt you, Mr. Mason." "Go right ahead." "Well, uh, Mrs. Gorman, did the second man speak to you at all?" "So that you might have been able to recognize his voice?" "That's right, he didn't speak to me." "No, I never once heard his voice." "He never even came close," "I-I didn't even get a good look at him." "Is that what you mean?" "Good enough for me." "What do you mean by that?" "Well, it was Jim Ferris, all right." "That's why he was so bashful." "We, uh, located a forest ranger, and he got a good look at a man who stepped briefly out of the cabin yesterday afternoon." "The, uh, description fits perfectly." "Yes, I-I guess it could have been Jim." "You mean Jim did everything?" "Is that what you're trying to say?" "Well, perhaps he and a hired accomplice named Stanley Piper." "There's a woman mixed up in it too, I'm afraid." "Perhaps more importantly." "CARL:" "A woman?" "Yes, a woman was seen with Ferris the night before." "Your secretary, Mr. Gorman." "I think you should know that we're now prepared to charge" "Betty Wilkins with murder in the first degree." "CARL:" "But she doesn't" "She once applied for a marriage license with your nephew." "Perhaps you didn't know about that." "She also wrote him letters, keeping him privately posted on your financial situation." "Not to mention that Ferris and a woman bought airplane tickets to Mexico, and it was her gun which killed Ferris." "Oh, there's plenty of evidence against Betty Wilkins, all right." "Well, now if your wife feels up to helping me with a few little details?" "Goodbye, Mr. Mason." "Mason, I had no idea." "I didn't think Betty even knew Jim." "To think that all this time..." "Well, I'm sorry, that's all I can say." "Sorry?" "For asking you to help." "Why, if I'd once thought that Betty had actually committed murder..." "Mason, where are you going?" "I'd say she needed a lawyer now more than ever, wouldn't you?" "( dramatic theme playing )" "( suspenseful theme playing )" "This is everything I got from sifting the ashes." "Here, that's what you were asking about." "It might be a lead." "What about Mr. Piper?" "The police have an all-points out for him." "Did you follow up on the plane ticket" "Jim Ferris bought?" "Two, from Tijuana south." "It could be that, uh, Piper grabbed them for a fast getaway." "Cuernavaca's not far these days." "You better do some traveling." "All right, see, why is Burger's office moving into this hearing in such a hurry?" "And he put one of his best boys," "Jack Alvin, on the case." "Think maybe that he's got a direct line to Piper?" "O possibly some of the money?" "With the purpose of this hearing, they don't need either one." "It's our side that needs a witness." "Any witness." "The three lowest cervical vertebrae were completely shattered." "After passing through the lung, the bullet, in effect, simply ricocheted along the spine." "And he definitely died of that gunshot, not from any effects of the fire." "Mm-hm." "Thank you, doctor." "Mr. Mason?" "Now, doctor, you cannot state exactly when Mr. Ferris died?" "Well, shortly before the fire, as I've explained." "There was no breathing after the flames reached him." "Can you be more accurate concerning the number of times Mr. Ferris was shot?" "There was only the one bullet." "Yet I am told the police recovered quite a number of empty shell casings from the ashes of the fire." "Doctor, you described considerable tissue damage to the body." "Is it possible that such damage could have kept you from detecting another bullet wound?" "Well, if any other bullet passed through his body in a place we couldn't detect, it could only have been in one or two superficial locations." "Thank you, doctor, that'll be all." "A comparison test was made with this weapon in laboratory." "It definitely checks out as the murder gun." "Now, lieutenant, you testified that an automatic of this make and serial number was purchased three months ago at the Colfax Hardware Company by a Miss Betty Wilkins." "Yes." "And a permit was issued to Miss Wilkins the preceding day." "Mm-hm." "Your Honor..." "I bought it for the office." "Mr. Gorman asked me to, 'cause there'd been several robberies." "BURGER:" "I ask that these be marked as People's Exhibit G." "JUDGE:" "Mr. Mason." "The defense has no objection, Your Honor." "Now, lieutenant, would you tell us a little more about the search that you made of the cabin area the day after the crime?" "What were the results of that search?" "Well, my men sifted through the ashes, the debris." "They recovered a belt buckle, key chain, the glasses prescription from Ferris' charred wallet." "But what about the empty shell casings?" "The brass casings that are left after bullets have been fired?" "Yes, we found quite a few of them too." "We found 14 .22 caliber shells, half a dozen 25-20..." "I don't think it's necessary to read the entire list, lieutenant." "How do you account for there being so many?" "Surely all that ammunition wasn't used on Mr. Ferris." "Well, it was a hunting cabin." "That's all." "Lieutenant Tragg, you neglected to read one item on that list." "How many .25 caliber shell casings were found, of the type used in the murder weapon?" "Two." "An automatic ejects the shell casing the moment it fires, is that correct?" "It is." "How do you explain the second shell casing?" "Well, the same way I'd explain all those shells." "Through the years, a great many people were up there with a great many weapons." "Were there any tests made to determine whether those shells had been fired from the same gun?" "Yes, on an automatic there are firing pin and pressure pin marks, known as bridge block signature." "Now, what did these tests show, lieutenant?" "Well, as it happens, the fire destroyed the bridge block signature." "But, lieutenant, as firing pin marks are not absolute proofs, such as the Ballistic check run on the slug itself, what were your conclusions?" "Well, the best we can say is there was no difference." "The two casings could have been ejected from the murder weapon or half a million other guns of the same type." "Now, lieutenant, is that, uh, little .25 caliber purse-weapon the sort of gun commonly used for hunting?" "No." "Thank you." "That'll be all." "( sighs )" "Lieutenant, how many slugs did you find on those ashes?" "That is, bullets that could have been fired through the murder weapon." "Why, none." "There was only the one in the body, that's all." "BURGER:" "Yes, but couldn't additional shots been embedded in the woodwork?" "Or in the walls of the cabin?" "No, no, we searched every inch." "There was just plain one shot that was fired, and that's all there is to it, sir." "And do you have reason to believe those findings were confirmed in any way?" "Yes, after my men finished their work, a private investigator, Mr. Paul Drake, had permission to move in with his own men." "And they sifted the ashes for some time." "With what results, do you know?" "Oh, if they'd found anything," "I'm sure they would have reported it to the authorities." "Even if they didn't report it to anyone else." "BURGER:" "That's all." "No more questions." "Anything on recross, Mr. Mason?" "Yes, Your Honor." "Lieutenant Tragg, did your men find any traces of money at the scene of the crime?" "Money, sir?" "Traces of burned silk thread, perhaps of bills of large denomination." "Such as $50 bills?" "No, we found no indication of any burned money." "Thank you, lieutenant." "That'll be" "Your honor, it's quite apparent that the defense is either fishing or stalling." "However, since he has touched upon a point which I intended to hold until later," "I'll like to ask one more question for this witness." "All right." "Proceed." "Lieutenant, did you find, uh... traces of such money anywhere else?" "Yes, sir." "On the night of the murder, we found a bundle of $50 bills." "Five thousand dollars." "And were did you find this money?" "We found it in the automobile belonging to the defendant, Miss Betty Wilkins." "Now, Mrs. Gorman." "Think very carefully." "Did you actually see the money thrown from the defendant's automobile?" "Or see the man go pick it up?" "Did you ever, in fact, see any money at all?" "No." "No, I didn't." "You only heard it spoken of, perhaps for your benefit." "Now, once more:" "What exact words were spoken?" "Betty honked the horn and called my name, and I called her:" ""I'm all right, just do as you were told." "Just throw out the money."" "And then I heard the car drive away." "That's all I know." "That's all there is." "After Alice's phone call," "I went to the bank to get the cash for the transaction I described." "I understand." "Then what you got was $80,000, all in $50 bills, is that correct?" "Yes." "Were these bills marked in any way, the serial numbers recorded?" "No, I didn't want to attract any attention." "Then what happened?" "I put the money into Betty Wilkins' car and she drove off." "That's the last I knew, until my wife came home that evening." "Now, tell me, Mrs. Ames, did you ever" "Last year, that is." "see Mr. Ferris and Miss Wilkins together?" "Yes." "Yes, it was after a company party, one night." "I went out to get my car, and there was Betty and this, um, Jim Ferris standing in the parking lot." "Oh, and what were they doing?" "Kissing each other." "BURGER:" "Mm, now, on the night before the murder, did you again see Mr. Ferris and Miss Wilkins?" "Yes, I" " I happened to drive by the company office, and, uh, I was on my way to see a friend who was ill, and Betty's car was parked out in front." "Mr. Ferris was sitting inside." "Mm-hm." "And that's all he was doing?" "Just sitting there?" "Well, I drove around the block." "By then he was getting out of the car and going to meet her, and Betty was coming out of the building." "I suppose that he'd been waiting for her." "BURGER:" "And that's all you saw?" "MRS. AMES:" "I couldn't very well drive around again." "The next night I came by, just out of curiosity, and they were gone by then." "BURGER:" "Thank you, Mrs. Ames." "Counselor?" "Uh, Mr. Mason, perhaps you'll agree to postponing your cross-examination." "It's nearly 5:00." "I have no objection, Your Honor." "Court is adjourned until 9:30 tomorrow morning." "( dramatic theme playing )" "I guess I was in love with him, Mr. Mason." "But I really didn't want to be." "That was last year." "What about his meeting you outside the office, the other night?" "We only talked for a few minutes." "He wanted to ask me some questions about the company." "He was always asking questions like that in his letters." "But, well, I just didn't think I should answer anymore." "And I didn't want to see him again." "So you told him goodbye?" "Yes, and" " And then I drove him over to the Pink Lady." "That's a cocktail bar." "He said he was meeting someone." "A woman, I assumed." "Betty, why haven't you tell me all this before?" "How can I pry the whole truth out of other people, when my own client--?" "I know, Mr. Mason." "I'm terribly sorry." "But" " But when you're really just a bystander, isn't it natural to try t-to avoid telling things?" "Isn't it?" "I just hope another bystander doesn't manage to avoid it for too long." "( easy listening theme playing )" "( indistinct chattering )" "I'm sorry, Perry, but I'm afraid we're out of luck." "Stan Piper just is not in Cuernavaca." "I've another idea, Paul." "You'll receive some notes from me." "I want you to you to put them in the mailbox at the hotel there." "We'll use them as bait." "Perry, two police detectives from Los Angeles beat me down here by a full day." "They've combed the place with Piper's picture." "They're just as anxious as we are to find out how much of that $80,000 he's got." "But the guy just plain went someplace else." "I'll stick around down here if you want me to, but you're just going to have to ride out that hearing without any witness." "We were, uh, in other words, converting certain company assets into cash." "Mm-hm." "Would Betty Wilkins have known that?" "Would she have known the exact dates when there would be large amounts of money in the company's bank accounts?" "Yes, she had access to that information." "Thank you, Mr. Ames." "Cross-examine?" "Mr. Ames, your wife testified about visiting a friend evenings." "You heard that testimony, did you not?" "Yes, sir." "I didn't cross-examine her on that subject as I knew you would be called to the stand." "Mr. Ames, do you remember a certain conversation in which your wife clearly stated that on the night of the murder, you were at home all evening?" "I do." "I object, Your Honor, on the grounds that no proper foundation has been established for an impeaching question." "That Counsel must show the time, the place and the persons present." "The object of specifying the time, place and persons present is to give the witness an opportunity to recall the specific conversation." "Now, the witness has stated that he does recall the conversation." "Therefore, I'll allow Counsel to proceed." "Continue, Mr. Mason." "Mr. Ames, if your wife went out visiting, drove past your office, not only the night before the murder but in her own words, "the next night too."" "How could she be certain of your exact whereabouts on either evening?" "She couldn't, of course." "Harold." "( laughter )" "Never mind, Dora." "She was trying to protect me, I presume." "Oh, to give you an alibi, you mean?" "But what about her?" "Hasn't it ever occurred to you, Mr. Ames, that some woman other than Betty Wilkins could have been involved with Jim Ferris?" "Objection." "This line of questioning is entirely irrelevant and immaterial." "I'll agree you're getting pretty far afield, Mr. Counselor." "I intend to connect it up, Your Honor." "I would like to continue my cross-examination of this witness." "But, Your Honor..." "Uh, there's no jury to be influenced here, Mr. Prosecutor." "I'll listen for a while." "Mr. Ames, were you ever blackmailed by the decedent?" "Of course not." "Was your wife ever blackmailed by Jim Ferris?" "Now, look here, sir," "I don't know what you're trying to prove" "MASON:" "Found in Jim Ferris' effects were certain" "AMES:" "Jim Ferris took a few pictures at an office party one time." "They don't mean a thing and never have." "I was foolish once or twice, that's all." "My wife knows all about it." "And for you to try" "Were you being foolish, Mr. Ames, because your wife was foolish?" "Because your wife was secretly meeting Jim Ferris?" "I-I-I'm not the one." "She is." "There she sits now, ask her." "Judge, Your Honor." "No." "Ask her." "Sit down." "Sit down, sit down." "Your Honor, if I could be recalled, maybe I could explain... ( gavel slamming )" "JUDGE:" "Order." "Order, please." "Your Honor, the state is interested in finding the truth, not in gaining convictions." "I have no objection to recalling a witness." "However, it seems to me that Mrs. Gorman is perhaps the witness to recall at this moment." "Eh, yes, Your Honor," "I believe it was Mrs. Gorman who was seen at the Pink Lady with Jim Ferris on the night before the murder." "Eh, perhaps if a certain cocktail waitress from the Pink Lady is asked to stand." "Her name is Frances Banks." "Your Honor, I'm often out of town." "And I don't think there's-- Stop it!" "Stop it, stop it!" "( crowd murmuring )" "I did it." "I did everything!" "( sobs )" "Jim and I planned the whole thing." "The phone call, having the money sent out, all of it." "And then a man came." "And he tried to take the money, and a" " A fire started..." "But don't you understand?" "I shot Jim." "The gun just went off." "I killed Jim." "( sobbing ):" "I did it." "I did it." "Well, Mr. Mason," "I'll rule favorably on a motion to dismiss the charges against your client." "MASON:" "Very well, Your Honor." "JUDGE:" "Any objection from the prosecution?" "The State has no objection, Your Honor." "Bailiff, you'll take that lady into custody." "You may step down, sir." "This case is dismissed." "Court's adjourned." "( indistinct speech )" "Mr. Mason, I told you, no matter how it happened, I'd need your help." "I still do." "I haven't forgotten." "As soon as we find that missing eyewitness." "What, the man with the money?" "He'll never be found." "Don't be too sure." "Paul Drake is still down in Cuernavaca." "( mellow theme playing )" "( sighs )" "So Perry was right." "You did turn up." "Sure never would have figured it this way." "But you were the witness, all right." "Where'd she get you, in the arm?" "Shoulder?" "You know, was almost a perfect crime." "She ran away." "There was the money." "All you had to do was leave a body behind," "Stan Piper's body, right?" "I said, is that right, Mr. Ferris?" "( suspense theme playing )" "Well, you told me your nephew was full of tricks, right at the beginning." "Yeah, but for him to cold-bloodedly shoot Piper, his friend." "Ah, Piper was just about to grab the money and leave him there." "Anyway, after Ferris shot him, it was a pretty easy identification switch." "But why didn't you find another bullet, Mr" "If there were two shots fired from that gun?" "The, uh, fact that the second bullet wasn't found started me thinking." "There was one way for a bullet to have left that cabin." "And that was in somebody." "It was in his shoulder." "But what I can't understand is how you trapped him." "Those letters you said you put in the hotel boxes." "That was his bright idea." "I just planted 'em." "They were all addressed to your nephew or that, uh, little private alias he liked to use." "It was one of those that trapped him." "Hm." "Let's see, in one note, we wrote:" ""Don't worry, I'll join you soon."" "In another, "Flying down as soon as the trial is over, much love."" "All done in a good imitation of your wife's handwriting and signed "Alice."" "It really got him worried." "He was sure she'd figure the whole thing out." "I think Alice had Jim figured." "Well, at least enough to put a gun in her handbag." "Well, like so many of the things that happened," "That gun was my fault." "I told her about the one in the office, that's how she knew where to get it." "But I don't think she intended to fire." "I really don't." "We don't either, Mr. Gorman." "But poor Betty, here, having to bear all the burden." "Nonsense, Mr. Gorman." "That's what secretaries are for, isn't it?" "( clears throat )" "Excuse me." "( noirish jazz theme playing )"