"( noirish jazz theme playing )" "And that was not the only time he struck her." "Oh, no." "Again not long afterwards when they were having guests for an out-of-door..." "barbering?" "Barbecue?" "Yes." "Thank you." "Barbecue." "Uh, when Lola accidentally tipped the steaks into the fire, he lost his temper with her." "Mr. Patton, the president of his company, was there." "He saw it." "He can tell you." "There were many people there, Your Honor." "When the steaks fell in the fire, he spanked me in front of everybody." "Well, that's not quite true, Your Honor." "When I suggested that the steaks were overdone, she threw 'em into the fire." "You said they were worthless, What was I supposed to do?" "I did not say they were worthless, and as for that spanking" "Mr. Bronson, it was my understanding you were not going to contest this action." "Well, Your Honor, I'm not just gonna stay here and let her make me into some kind of a sadist." "You are a sadist." "JUDGE:" "That's quite enough." "I realize you're both under an emotional strain." "The breakup of a marriage causes deep wounds, painful wounds." "But you must remember this is a court of law." "( sighs )" "Yes, sir." "Is there any possibility at all, Mrs. Bronson, of a reconciliation, of your going back to your husband?" "I'd rather be dead." "Well, that goes for me too." "Very well." "Plaintiff is granted an interlocutory degree." "( dramatic theme playing )" "You have your divorce, Mrs. Bronson." "Sadist." "Oh, I wish now I'd really belted you." "Try it." "Just try it." "( gavel banging )" "Thank you for your help, Mr. Gillman." "Perry, thanks for coming out." "Old friend in court never hurts." "She signed the agreement, just as you drew it up." "I gathered that from the fact you weren't contesting, and there was no objection to giving you a 90 day option on her company stock." "She wanted to get rid of me so bad that she probably would have given me the stock itself, if I had asked for it." "A hundred thousand shares is a high price to pay to get rid of even you, Jeff." "Well, she's done it." "And we've got what we want." "Control of Bronson Aircraft, with her option, and your shares and mine." "( door closes )" "( horn honks )" "Who is that?" "Bill Ryder." "Our chief test pilot." "Well, that's that." "Goodbye, Lola." "Shall we, uh, get a drink or something?" "I'd better get back to Los Angeles, Jeff." "Can I give you a lift, Mr. Patton?" "Well, thanks, but I gotta go over to the test center with Jeff." "You know, our new plane gets its final checkout tomorrow." "Yes, I know." "Good luck." "( plane engine starting )" "How's it going, Clarence?" "Oh." "Both engines sweet and smooth as China silk." "Too bad the test's tomorrow, instead of today." "Eh, Jeff, you wanna check 'em now?" "I just design planes, Clarence." "You make 'em run." "If you say the engines are okay, they're okay." "Give them another check in the morning, though." "Figured to about an hour before takeoff." "Good." "Well, got your seat belt fastened, baby?" "Yes." "Afternoon, gentlemen." "Pleasure to see you again." "I thought I told you to stay away from here, Walker." "Heh, heh." "Now, Mr. Bronson, it happens that I'm here by invitation." "Well, I thought you ought to hear his latest offer, Jeff." "I told you, and I told you too, Walker." "No offers, late or otherwise." "Now you've got things a little twisted, son." "You see, I'm selling, not buying." "Selling?" "Selling what?" "Well, let's call it, uh, insurance." "I have here a confidential report on the Bronson Aircraft Company." ""Company has exhausted cash reserves" ""perfecting an experimental executive plane" ""that will outperform all similar aircraft." ""Should plane be successfully tested and certified," ""company's common stock," ""now selling at slightly under $1, will rise sharply."" "Now, I might add that should the plane be unsuccessfully tested, the stock will drop sharply." "No argument about that." "So why not insure, Mr. Bronson?" "One hundred thousand dollars for half of your share of the company." "Fifty thousand dollars to Patton for half of his share." "Now, if the plane is successfully tested, we all share in the bonanza." "If it's unsuccessful, well, then, you'd salvage a tidy little nest egg." "Jeff." "Sorry to break in." "I'm all cleared to take off for LA." "Mind if I give Lola a lift?" "Why should I mind?" "Well, it being a company plane, me being a diplomat, uh, just thought I'd ask." "Well, you can take her." "Welcome." "A pleasure, boss." "You were about to say something, Mr. Bronson?" "Something quite simple, Mr. Walker." "You've been trying to move in on our company for nearly a year now, and I'm fed up." "Jeff, he's only making a perfectly reasonable offer." "Okay." "I'm unreasonable." "Walker, I don't want to see, hear or smell you again, ever." "Is that clear?" "( aircraft engine humming )" "Court." "You helped Dad build up this company, became president when he died, and you know how he dreamed and worked for this plane." "I know, Jeff." "You also know Walker's reputation." "You give him a foothold, and the next thing you know he's in control." "And once in control, he'll sell us to Conair or Skycraft so they can junk our plane to protect their own production lines." "Now, I'm not gonna sit quiet for that, not when it's no longer a dream, but a reality." "Jeff, what if reality comes unglued tomorrow?" "It won't." "That plane'll take anything we or the FAA can give it." "Court..." "You haven't already accepted Walker's offer, have you?" "What?" "No, of course not." "Good." "By tomorrow, you'll wonder why you ever listened to him." "I hope so." "Jeff, about you and Lola." "I, uh..." "I'm really very sorry." "I wish I could say the same." "Jeff." "Hello, Violet." "W-was that Bill just taking off?" "Well, darn him." "Was he supposed to see you before he left?" "Well, when you live in the sagebrush and your husband lives in the city, it would be rather nice if he stopped to wave to you once in a while, don't you think?" "Yeah." "Say, Lola wasn't with him, was she?" "Yes, she was." "Why?" "Well, then get out another glass, Dad." "We're going to drink a confusion." "A confusion?" "Yep." "To Lola and Bill." "Why include Lola?" "Well, why not?" "Bill's been buzzing around her like a bee around a daffodil for the last six months." "Or didn't you know that?" "No, I didn't." "I've had other problems." "All right." "To Lola and Bill." "A confusion." "A confusion." "Well, baby, let's celebrate." "Celebrate what?" "Oh, you being a free woman and me about to come into a big inheritance." "Bill, what are you doing?" "The plane will crash." "Ah, not a chance." "It's on automatic pilot." "But what if we meet another plane?" "You don't wanna live forever, do you?" "Besides..." "Here, have-- Have a little of this." "It'll help you relax." "No, thanks." "Better change your mind, honey." "I'm gonna really tie one on." "Bill, you have the test flight tomorrow morning, don't you?" "Oh, I could fly that plane in my sleep." "You kidding?" "Besides, gonna have a little help from my trusty friend in the back." "LOLA:" "Your parachute?" "Know something else?" "You're gonna bail out on this okay too." "I'm seeing to that." "See to what?" "Don't you worry." "Just you be grateful." "In fact, how about a little gratitude in advance?" "You know, Lola, ever since I saw you down in Argentina that day, you've had me in a tailspin." "Now that Jeffy's gone bye-bye..." "Bill, don't." "Stop it." "Stop it." "Oh, well." "It's not so good out of a bottle anyway." "But just wait till I open that bottle of champagne." "Ho-ho." "( dramatic theme playing )" "( knocking on door )" "Who is it?" "Jeff." "Jeff." "What do you want?" "Where's Lola?" "She's gone to bed." "You can't go in there." "Okay." "You give her the message." "You tell her to stay away from Bill Ryder." "What do you care what happens to Lola now?" "I'll tell you..." "She's a silly, no-use, extravagant dame... but I brought her here from Argentina, and lived with her for three years, and I feel responsible for her." "Like you would a stray cat that you picked up." "Stray cat, am I?" "Silly?" "No-use?" "Extravagant?" "Well, let me tell you what you are: a stupid ox." "And as far as Bill Ryder goes, I will see him when, how, and as often as I like." "So?" "So it's your funeral." "But, uh, let me tell you this." "I won't be among the mourners." "( door closes )" "( plane engine humming )" "Well, Lola." "I didn't expect to see you here." "I decided to come, that's all." "I'm still reading you loud and clear, Bill." "Stand by." "He's at 15,000 feet and the clouds are just above him." "Tell him he's gotta climb to 20,000 feet." "Clouds or no clouds." "Ground to Flyboy." "Ground to Flyboy." "Climb to 20,000 feet." "Does he have to go up that high, Jeff?" "That's part of the final test." "We're asking the FAA for a certification for 18,000 feet, and we wanna make sure the plane has a little left to spare." "Oh, I see." "Jeff." "He's past 17 now." "We want instrument readings at 18." "Certainly gets up there fast, doesn't he?" "You know, that's not only the speed, it's the streamlining." "Modulair-flow, Jeff calls it." "I know." "You know, if we can just pass these tests today, we could capture the executive plane market for the whole country, Lola." "And the way Jeff's increased the speed" "I know all that, Court." "KELLER ( over radio ):" "Are you above the clouds yet?" "Just pulling out now." "What's your altimeter reading?" "Twenty thousand feet." "Still got plenty of climb left in her." "Bill, this is Jeff." "That's far enough." "Level out now, level out." "Do you read me?" "Read you loud and clear." "How soon you want me to jump off the high board?" "Start your dive whenever you're ready, and don't forget, a sharp pullout at 12,000 feet." "Wilco." "Sharp pullout at 12,000 feet." "Here goes." "( plane approaching )" "Three hundred,325." "Three fifty." "She's really moving now." "Three seventy-five." "Four hundred." "Yeah, got some vibration in the tail section." "End runs aren't working." "Pieces falling off the wings." "Bill." "Pull out." "Pull out." "Never mind the test." "Can't pull out." "Stick's dead." "Pieces flying off the wings." "End run's aren't working." "I can't do anything." "I can't." "JEFF:" "Bill." "Come in, Bill." "What's happening?" "Come in, come in." "Jeff, the plane." "( suspenseful theme playing )" "( loud boom )" "Get the firefighting rig, Joe, Harry." "Jeff." "Jeff, look up there." "Thank heaven." "What do you think went wrong?" "I don't know." "( sirens wailing faintly )" "I don't know, but it's a major disaster for all of us." "And for the company." "What is it you're thinking, Lola?" "You haven't said a word since we came back." "Is it about the loss of your money in Jeff's business?" "You know I was against that." "I know." "And I was against your marrying Jeff as well." "How right I was." "But just think, darling." "Now we can go back to Argentina." "Back to the estancia." "I'm not so sure about the estancia, Conception." "Aren't you going back to Argentina?" "Oh, of course I am." "But I put nearly $300,000 into Jeff's company, part of which I borrowed." "And to pay it back, it may be necessary to sell my land, that's all." "That's all?" "Lola, an O'Higgins has been estanciero in that part for over a hundred years." "Oh, for heaven's sake." "I'm fed up with ranch life, and it's my money, isn't it?" "Of course." "I forget." "I am only your poor cousin." "But I am also an O'Higgins." "( phone ringing )" "Hello." "A Mr. Walker?" "Thank you." "He told them at the desk he was to come right up." "What does he want?" "I don't know, but I'd like to talk to him alone." "( knocking on door )" "Come in." "Leander Walker, Mrs. Bronson, and very much at your service." "So you said on the phone, Mr. Walker." "But what is this service you are so anxious to render me?" "( chuckling )" "Now that I like." "Right to the point." "Very unusual for a lady." "Especially one so lovely." "I have here a check for you, a very substantial check, and also a document for you to sign." "Fifty thousand dollars?" "In payment for your Bronson Aircraft stock at 50 cents a share." "That's very generous of you, Mr. Walker, but Jeff" "I mean my ex-husband has a 90-day option on the stock." "Well, what of it?" "He couldn't pick up his option at ten cents a share, which is probably more than the stock is worth now." "If that's so, why are you offering me so much more?" "Oh, part of a deal I made with an admirer of yours." "Just who is this admirer?" "He said you'd know." "Now, if you'll just sign this, giving me possession the day after your ex-husband's option expires" "I think you'd better leave, Mr. Walker." "You're refusing my offer." "I'm asking you to leave right now, please." "( dramatic theme playing )" "Have you lost your mind, Lola?" "What are you doing?" "Who are you calling?" "An admirer of mine." "Operator." "All right, Violet." "If you want the unvarnished truth, we are through." "Have been for months." "Me living here, you out in the sagebrush." "Never seeing each other." "Like strangers when we do." "Now, why don't you just be a good girl and run along?" "Just like that, huh?" "Nine years and now I can just run along like a good girl." "For nothing." "For not even a share of, um, today's profits at all." "Profits?" "You think I wrecked that plane this morning?" "Well, didn't you?" "Oh, Vi, your imagination just gets bigger and bigger all the time." "Ha-ha!" "No, dear, I think you mean my ears do, don't you?" "You see, that's one advantage of being ignored so much." "You hear all sorts of things." "Now, suppose I told Jeff about your meetings with that man Walker." "Do you think he'd kill you... or just cripple you for life?" "( doorbell rings )" "Who's that?" "How should I know?" "Well, suppose we find out." "You're so anxious to get rid of me." "All right, you win." "You'll get your cut, Violet, only" "Uh, half." "Half?" "All right, half." "Only, get outta here." "Use the French doors, will you?" "( laughing )" "And I'll call you tomorrow." "Oh, no, dear." "I'll call you." "( doorbell rings )" "Well, am I glad to see you." "Didn't I hear voices?" "Oh, sure." "On the radio." "Say, how about some champagne?" "I just happen to have a bottle in the icebox." "Behind that's another bottle." "I'd rather have a brandy." "Oh, good." "I got even more of that." "Say, Lola..." "I wondered if you would explain something to me." "What?" "Well, Leander Walker phoned after you did." "Told me you didn't wanna accept his check." "Why?" "Perhaps first I wanted to see how much...gratitude" "I was expected to show." "Well, first I thought" "And besides, I wanted to know more about what you did today." "Oh, got a haircut." "Shaved a second time, just for you, and" "What you did about the plane." "Lola, I thought you said you're through with Jeff." "I am." "Okay, then what do you care what happens to him, or his plane or the company for that matter?" "Then you did wreck the plane." "Well, did or didn't, you're getting your share, aren't you?" "You're gonna come out all right." "Walker's gonna buy your stock at a special price." "Now let's get back to that gratitude bit." "Maybe I should be grateful to Mr. Walker instead." "Did he suggest that?" "Look, uh, just between you and me, maybe I didn't fly that plane as good as I could have." "I didn't realize you were so clever." "It sounded over the radio as if the plane really was falling apart." "Maybe I should've gone on the stage." "I'll tell you one thing, though." "I almost waited too long to jump." "That would have been a pity, because then you wouldn't be able to telephone Jeff and tell him all about this." "Ho-ho." "Telephone Jeff?" "You gotta be kidding." "No, I'm not kidding." "Hey, uh, put that thing down." "I know how to use this, and I will unless you do what I say." "Now, go and dial Jeff's number." "Look, Lola, take it easy." "You don't care for Jeff anymore, he's the only one getting hurt by this thing." "Why don't you just relax, hon?" "Dial the number." "( suspenseful theme playing )" "( gunshot )" "( doorbell rings )" "( ringing doorbell )" "( suspenseful theme continues )" "( gunshot )" "( phone ringing )" "( phone continues ringing )" "( glass breaking )" "Lola was gone, then, for an hour and a half?" "Yes." "She left around 10:30, and she returned about five minutes after midnight." "When she came in, she looked as though she'd seen a ghost." "And later, when I tried to find out what had happened, she wouldn't even let me in her room." "And that's when you called Jeff?" "No, no." "I called Jeff earlier." "That's the first time I tried to place a call to Mr. Bill Ryder." "To, um, ask him what had happened?" "CONCEPTION:" "Yes." "Uh, tell me, Miss O'Higgins, why did you call Jeff?" "Well, shortly after Lola left I became alarmed." "I knew perfectly well she was going to the house of Mr. Ryder, and I didn't think that she should." "So I called Jeff for advice." "And, uh, what was his advice?" "He said, "Leave Ryder to me," and then he hung up." "And since 7:00 this morning" "I have been placing call after call to Mr. Ryder, and I haven't gotten any answer." "Wouldn't that, on top of how Lola looked, make one wonder if something had not happened, Mr. Mason?" "Jeff didn't answer at the club." "All right, do you have Mr. Ryder's telephone number?" "Yes." "Empire 6-9500." "If something has happened to Mr. Ryder, just what is it you'd like us to do, Miss O'Higgins?" "I want you to protect Lola in every way that you can." "The same even if nothing has happened." "This Mr. Ryder seems to have some kind of a hold over her." "I'm sure of it from her manner." "And you want us to find out what that hold is?" "Yes, so it can be dealt with." "No answer." "Well, I can't commit myself as far as representing Lola or Jeff or anyone, Miss O'Higgins, until I find out what actually has happened." "We'll be in touch with you later." "Paul." "( ominous theme playing )" "Well, Perry?" "Well, Paul?" "( doorbell rings )" "Perry." "MASON:" "Glass." "Think the wind did this, Paul?" "PAUL:" "Well, if it did, it also unlocked the door." "Maybe we've caught up with Mr. Ryder." "Mm-hm?" "( sighs )" "I'd say somebody else caught up with him first." "Somebody with a gun." "And..." "At exactly 11:58 last night, if this clock's right." "Which pretty well clears Lola Bronson." "She'd have a hard time making the 15 or so miles to her hotel in five or six minutes." "Mm-hm." "And she doesn't look like the type to be knocking over the furniture, either." "From the look of things," "I'd say that Ryder discovered a prowler, struggled with him and, uh, got killed in the process." "Somehow I don't think so, Paul." "Operator, I'd like police headquarters." "( indistinct speech )" "Yes, emergency." "( indistinct speech )" "Central police?" "Lt. Tragg, Homicide, please." "TRAGG:" "Well, that's good of you to call me, Perry." "Normally, you're not quite so thoughtful." "You've been here all the time, lieutenant?" "No, no." "This, uh, lady, Mrs. Violet Ryder, came in through this door and discovered her husband's body." "Called police and they notified me." "Mrs. Ryder, wouldn't you like to wait in the car with the driver?" "Yes, I would, thank you." "Well, now, Perry, could we have your story?" "Yes, Paul and I came here to see Mr. Ryder on behalf of, uh, some stockholders of the Bronson Aircraft Company." "He was their chief test pilot." "Yes, so I am told." "We, uh, noted the broken door, and when we investigated we saw the body." "And then, as good citizens should, we put in a call to the police." "Well, then, now as good citizens, would you and Paul mind clearing out so that we can get to work?" "Or, uh, should you wait on behalf of your stockholders, Perry?" "No." "No need to stay, lieutenant." "Come on, Paul." "( dramatic theme playing )" "Perry." "You were right." "It wasn't a burglary." "Glass only on the outside." "Broken from the inside." "Uh-huh, and if Tragg hasn't already seen that, he will soon." "We'd better move." "I want you to find Jeff Bronson, bring him back to my office." "In the meantime, I'll talk to Lola Bronson." "All right." "Of course I'm shocked." "Death by violence is always shocking." "But why did you find it necessary to come here and tell me in person?" "When I saw Mr. Mason today, I told him about your going to Bill Ryder's house last night, darling." "And now you believe it was I who killed him?" "Lola, Mr. Mason isn't here to accuse you of anything." "He's here to help you." "But why should I want or need help?" "I was never in the house at all." "I did drive there," "But at the door I heard voices and I just went away." "Tell me, what time was it when you heard these voices inside?" "Eleven or perhaps a few minutes after." "Why?" "Did one of the voices belong to Jeff?" "No." "Besides, what would he be doing there?" "Miss O'Higgins called him last night, told him you were there." "CONCEPTION:" "I'll explain later, darling." "But Jeff couldn't have been there." "It was 10 minutes past 11 when I called him at his number." "( phone rings )" "Hello." "( indistinct speech )" "Yes, he's here." "Mr. Drake." "Thank you." "Hello, Paul." "Any luck with" "Oh." "Yes, I see." "Thanks." "Well, whether Jeff was there or not, he's been picked up by the police." "On what charge?" "Murder." "( dramatic theme playing )" "Dr. Willard, you have traced for us the path of the bullet through the rib cage of the deceased and into one of the ventricles of the heart." "How far would you say the pistol was held from the decedent's body at the time of the fatal shooting?" "Ten to 12 inches, judging from the severity and the extent of the powder burns." "Did you discover anything unusual when you examined the body?" "Yes, there was a mild contusion, or bump, on the back of the deceased's head." "BURGER:" "Now, as an experienced pathologist who has examined hundreds of bodies, would you say, doctor, that the decedent had engaged in a violent struggle with some adversary immediately before death?" "I would say there had been no violent struggle with anyone." "I see." "Thank you, doctor." "That'll be all." "Your witness." "Doctor, in your opinion, from the condition of the body, could the deceased have engaged in a mild struggle with someone before death occurred?" "I suppose so, with someone either unwilling or unable to exert much strength." "A woman, perhaps?" "( mysterious theme playing )" "Perhaps." "MASON:" "Thank you, doctor." "That'll be all." "The moment I saw the glass on the ground outside the French door, I-- I knew it wasn't burglary, even though somebody obviously wanted us to think that it was." "I see." "Now, lieutenant, I show you three bullets." "One of them has already been identified as having been found in the deceased's body." "Now, I ask if you recognize these two slugs." "TRAGG:" "Yes, sir." "They have my identification marks on them." "This one was found in the wall of the deceased's living room, and, uh, this one from a log in the fireplace." "How do you account for the fact that three shots were fired?" "Well, quite easily." "The murder shot, and then two more to bolster the burglary idea, to make it look like there had been a struggle." "Your Honor," "I move that both question and answer be stricken." "The district attorney has enticed this witness into a conclusion." "Objection sustained." "Question and answer will be stricken from the record." "Yes." "I look at the stars through my telescope almost every night." "Yes, and what did you observe in the general vicinity of the Ryder house?" "Well, I made my usual observations about the time I got home from work, that's, uh, near to midnight." "Made my usual sweep of the sky and city." "We're only interested in the decedent's house, Mr. Phinney." "Well, I saw a man come out about 12:00, through the French doors." "Got into a car parked about a half block away." "Got the license number when he passed under the street light." "That's how they caught him so quick, when I gave that number to the police." "You're sure about remembering the number?" "Excellent memory." "Recall the license number." "Also recall another man tried the doorbell a little bit later." "No answer, so he left." "You later saw another person try to get into the Ryder house, and then leave?" "Do you recognize that person in this courtroom today?" "Yeah, that's him sitting right over there." "KELLER:" "Well, sir, I was just looking for a place to sleep." "See, I'd been in town checking on jobs, since it looked like the company was going broke in a hurry." "Anyway, it was too late to get back to the field, so I thought I'd stay with Bill." "Done it before." "Dropped by there twice that night, there was no one home, so I went to a motel down the street." "I wanna go back now to something that took place earlier." "I call your attention to the scene between Violet Ryder and the defendant at the test center's administration bungalow the night before the murder." "Loaded." "Both of 'em." "Had pretty well finished a whole bottle of whiskey before I joined them." "BURGER:" "What were they doing at that time?" "KELLER:" "Well, telling how they fell in love." "Violet was saying how she was just a hat check girl when Ryder first met her." "And, uh, Jeff was telling how he and Ryder had been forced down once in Argentina, and how Lola rode up to the plane looking like a goddess on horseback." "Fell in love with her the minute he saw her, Jeff said." "And then, well, then they started drinking confusions." "And Violet, why, she suggested a killing swap." "BURGER:" "Killing swap?" "KELLER:" "Yeah, uh, suggested she kill Lola and that, uh, Jeff kill Ryder to pay 'em back for all the trouble they caused." "And no one any the wiser." "And, uh, well, they-- They drank to that." "'Course I suppose they was just kidding." "Well, of course we were just kidding." "Well, if we were gonna do anything like that, you don't think we'd talk about it in front of a" " Of a sub-cretin of a mechanic, do you?" "Mrs. Ryder, you must confine yourself to answering Mr. Mason's questions." "I don't want to have to warn you again." "Okay, Your Honor." "You have described how you found your husband's body," "Mrs. Ryder, but you haven't yet told us when you last saw him alive." "Now, when was that?" "Well, I guess it was just after he parachuted down that morning." "You're certain you didn't see him later?" "Later that evening?" "No." "No." "Of course not." "Oh, look, Mr. Mason, I wish I had've been with him." "Then none of this would ever have happened." "Never." "Now, lieutenant, I recalled you at this time because you are the one charged with the Ballistics tests on this pistol already introduced in evidence as People's Exhibit Four." "I'm the one." "Now, to review for a moment, you heard how the arresting officer, having given the defendant's license number by our friend with the telescope, went to Mr. Bronson's club downtown and impounded his car?" "How he waited there for the defendant to return and took him into custody for questioning?" "Yes, sir, I heard." "BURGER:" "I am, of course, leading this witness, but since this is purely preliminary," "I trust there is no objection." "JUDGE:" "You may proceed, Mr. Burger." "You have heard also, have you not, how when a proper search was made of the defendant's car, the officer found this pistol and also this wallet, identified as belonging to the deceased, wrapped in rags and hidden under the spare tire" "in the trunk of the defendant's car." "TRAGG:" "I heard the officer so testify." "Now, lieutenant, I ask you what you found when the officer turned this pistol over to you for ballistic tests." "I found it was registered to Jefferson Bronson, the defendant." "I, uh, found that a test slug matched all three slugs fired from the pistol found in the murder room." "BURGER:" "And that meant what?" "TRAGG:" "That the fatal bullet, and the other two, came from the defendant's pistol." "No." "This is all wrong." "Jeff didn't kill Bill Ryder." "He couldn't have because I killed him." "Don't pay any attention to her, Your Honor." "Sit down." "I killed Ryder." "I told Mr. Mason I was never in the house, that I was being framed, but that was a lie." "We fought over the gun and I shot him." "Then I tried to make it look like a burglary." "That isn't true." "I did it." "I killed him." "She's lying." "I killed him." "( crowd murmuring )" "( gavel banging )" "BURGER:" "Mrs. Bronson, counsel for both sides are trying to get this straightened out at the suggestion of the court." "So would you please start your story over from the beginning and tell it carefully and truthfully." "I got him to admit he'd deliberately wrecked Jeff's plane." "And then I took out the pistol" "Jeff gave me when we moved out to the desert." "I never gave her that gun." "You'll have your say in a minute, Jeff." "In the meantime, hold off." "I wanted to make him call Jeff and confess." "But then he turned off the lights and grabbed me." "The pistol fired and he fell." "and when I got the lights on again, he was dead." "Oh, that's all malarkey." "She was never in the house." "The body wasn't where she said it was, and what about the glass that she claims she drank out of?" "And the pistol." "Conception, did I give Lola a pistol?" "No, you did not." "Conception." "There, you see, all lies." "Well, won't somebody believe me?" "I'm telling the truth." "I swear I am." "Mrs. Bronson, would you and your cousin please wait in the reception room for a few moments?" "Thank you." "Now, Mr. Bronson, let's have the highlights of your story again, if you don't mind." "Well, Conception called me about 11:10, told me she was worried about Lola being at Ryder's alone." "I told her I'd take care of Ryder, or something like that." "So I got my gun and I drove over." "I'd already figured out what he'd done that morning, and when he let me in and I saw no Lola," "I accused him of wrecking the plane." "He got sore and came at me with a poker, so I shot him." "That's when I got the idea of the fake burglary." "And then I fired another shot." "There were two extra slugs found in the living room, Jeff." "I mean two extra shots, to make the struggle look like it was bigger than it was." "And the glass with the whiskey?" "You wiped it clean and put it with the others?" "Look, Perry." "If Lola had been in the house, which she hadn't, why should I cover for her?" "Now, we're all through." "MASON:" "Why is she covering for you?" "Well, who knows why a woman does anything?" "Would you please return the prisoner to his cell?" "Thank you, Mr. Bronson." "( dramatic theme playing )" "Well, Perry, which one would you rather defend?" "Which one are you going to prosecute?" "( dramatic theme swells )" "Well, one thing is certain:" "They both can't be guilty." "But I'd hate the thought of it being either one of them." "They're such nice people." "( knocking on door )" "MASON:" "Nice but stubborn." "Hello, Paul." "Hi, Perry." "What's Burger gonna do, do you know yet?" "Oh, he'll continue against Jeff, probably, if only to prove he was right." "And of course he has Jeff nailed." "Weapon." "Opportunity." "What better motive than jealousy?" "Not to mention wrecking a man's plane, ruining his company." "If it weren't for that third bullet..." "Third bullet?" "Jeff said that he fired two shots, then amended his story hastily when I reminded him that, uh, Tragg had recovered three slugs." "Somebody else could have fired that pistol?" "It isn't likely, but it's about the only thing we have to go on." "Perry, maybe something I just found out fits in with that third bullet." "Remember you asked us to check the whereabouts of Violet Ryder the night of the murder?" "What have you come up with?" "I had one of my men check the register of the motel where Clarence Keller stayed that night." "Violet was registered there too, not three blocks from the Ryder house." "Well, all right." "So I was in town." "What does that prove?" "It proves perjury, Mrs. Ryder, and a possible jail term." "Now, would you like to go to jail?" "Oh, no." "No." "Oh, please, Mr. Mason, what do you want from me?" "I want the truth." "Now, you did pay a visit to your husband that night, didn't you?" "Well, yes, but" "Well, I knew he was getting some money for that plane that he'd wrecked, and, well, I just wanted to talk to him about it, but he pushed me right out of the house." "Oh, look, Mr. Mason," "If I told the police one thing I'd have to tell them the other." "And I mean, their knowing about the plane couldn't help anyone, and, well, I was afraid it might just make things worse for Jeff, that's all." "Now, this money your husband was getting." "Did you expect to receive a share of it?" "Yes." "But only because I was Bill's wife." "I mean, there was nothing special that I knew." "Well, look, Mr. Mason, why don't you talk to Courtney Patton?" "He must have been in on the deal too." "Yeah." "I double-crossed Jeff." "( slurring ):" "I sold Leander Walker half my stock for $50,000." "Insurance, he called it." "I'm ashamed." "Aren't you more ashamed of being involved with Ryder in wrecking Jeff's plane?" "Oh, now, look, Mr. Mason," "I didn't know anything about that." "That wreck cost me plenty, because I-I still had stock in the company then." "PAUL:" "Still had?" "I sold Walker the rest of my stock three days ago for 10 cents a share." "He's been trying to get hold of the company for three months." "The only way he could think of." "Where can we find Walker?" "He was at the Sunset-Ritz, but not now." "He could be anywhere." "Waiter, wait a minute." "I want another drink." "Paul." "Paul, I want an all-out search." "Also a re-check on all telephone calls made from Ryder's place the night of the murder." "Maybe he was in communication with Walker." "Mr. Mason, just for your information," "I've decided not to proceed against Lola Bronson." "I don't even want her as a material witness." "As far as I'm concerned, she can clear out right now." "There are just too many holes in her story." "As for Mr. Bronson, you can either plead guilty as charged, or I'll proceed with the prosecution." "Perry." "Here's the list of the phone calls made the night of the murder." "At least, the toll calls." "And, uh, check those made from Ryder's house." "One to Patton, one to the Sunset-Ritz." "One downtown to Jeff." "Ryder never called me that night, Perry." "Only, uh, Conception." "The important one is from the Sunset-Ritz." "Walker just checked out and took a cab to the airport." "Paul, get your car out of the lot." "Meet me out front." "All right." "What are you going to do, Perry?" "First I'm going to tell Mr. Burger and Judge Abernathy that we've found the murderer." "( dramatic theme playing )" "Thank you." "Ah, I was about to despair of you, ladies." "Mr. Walker." "At your service again, Mrs. Bronson." "And yours too, Miss O'Higgins." "Shall we board the plane?" "I think we better check our tickets first." "Mr. Walker." "Mason." "Afraid you're gonna miss your flight, Mr. Walker." "This is Sergeant Brice." "He has a warrant for your arrest." "Arrest?" "On what grounds?" "Conspiracy to defraud, industrial sabotage," "Isn't that why you're leaving for South America?" "I'm leaving for South America because that's where Mrs. Bronson is going to sell me her stocks." "Mr. Walker, who told you I'd do that?" "Your cousin." "Miss O'Higgins." "All right, Mr. Walker." "Let's go." "Why, Conception?" "And why didn't you tell me?" "I'll tell you on the plane." "MASON:" "Lola." "Just a moment." "I'm afraid there are a lot of things she hasn't told you." "What?" "She hasn't told you that she followed you to Ryder's house that night, that she was watching while you struggled with him." "Watching when that pistol went off." "That she must have seen him fall against a chair and knock himself unconscious." "Unconscious?" "But he was dead." "No, he wasn't, because after you ran out, she got hold of the gun and she killed him." "Isn't that right, Conception?" "But how could I have done it?" "I was at the hotel telephoning Jeff at that very moment." "You called Jeff not from the hotel, but from Ryder's house after Ryder was dead." "We have a record of that telephone call." "Conception." "He was an evil man." "I knew he would never rest until he got you." "After you ran, he picked himself up and he went to pour himself a drink." "I took the pistol." "But he laughed when I told him he should never see you again, or I would have him arrested for what he'd done to Jeff." "He laughed when I told him that you were going back to South America with me." "He laughed, and he took my arm and he twisted it." "And I shot him." "Your Honor, in view of the new evidence unearthed by my esteemed colleague, the state will not oppose a defense motion for dismissal." "The defense so moves." "Very well." "Case dismissed, with the defendant to be released from custody at once." "Court is recessed for 15 minutes." "Well, so ends the mystery of the three shots." "One fired by Lola, one by Jeff and one fired by Conception." "I still have a mystery." "Why Walker's continued eagerness to buy Bronson's stock?" "Well, once in control, then by threatening to build another test plane, he could force one of the other aircraft companies to buy him out." "Only now, the banks are lending Jeff the money to build the plane himself." "Well, I have another mystery." "She's full of them, sure." "Oh, no, now, really." "You said that Conception called Jeff figuring he'd go to Ryder's house, think Lola killed him and then either cover up for her or take the blame himself?" "He did both." "But with the divorce, how could Conception think that Jeff still loved Lola enough to do that?" "Take a look." "( mysterious theme playing )" "( noirish jazz theme playing )"