Nero Wolfe Mystery, A (2001) s02e03 Episode Script

(mandelbaum) We will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he murdered her in cold blood.
rich, sophisticated man sits before you we will further demonstrate that leonard ashe a respectable man ma don't don't let him get away with it.
The people will show that leonard ashe engaged marie willis to spy on his wife from her vantage point as an operator at thebagby answerstelephone messaging service.
(donovan) Is it plausible that my client would kill a woman because she refused to spy on his wife? No.
that when poor marie told him that she could not go on and had decided to tell his wife of his espionage, he murdered her in cold blood.
My client's wife is a beautiful, famous woman.
Leonard ashe would be a fool not to be madly in love with her.
It would be easy to portray this murder as an act of passion, but he didnotkill marie when she told him "no.
" He didn't raise his hand in anger, he waited.
In fact, when he found the body, hecalled the police! her back to him at the switchboard, probably answering a call he came up behind her the fact is that the state has not one single shred of physical evidence to indicate that my client ever touched marie willis! Let aLone, grabbed her and choked her to death! And now, this rich, sophisticated man sits before you arrogantly confident that you won't convict him.
Is that the behavior of a cold-blooded killer? (Archie) The ashe trial was the biggest in memory, and inspector cramer had come to invite Wolfe to the festivities.
An opportunity that doesn't come phooey.
Here's your subpoena for the ashe trial.
Want me to read it out loud? You came all the way to serve me this in person? Way to you came all the way to serve you in person.
In person? I wanna make sure you understand the fine print.
A sad commentary on the pusillanimous nature of your dreams.
And if you don't show up, you'll be in contempt of court, and a bench warrant will be issued for your arrest.
And i'll send the newest recruit on the force to come down here and lead you away in cuffs.
(laughing) Maybe this'll get you out in the sun.
Oh, here's one for you.
(laughing) Is this a picture of the deceased? Yes.
What was your analysis of the cause of death? Strangulation.
The victim's windpipe was crushed by an electrical wire, which was yanked back and held taut around her neck, tight enough to slice through the flesh of her neck.
How Long did the murderer have to hold it? Three to five minutes.
Ad to hold her dying, choking, for that Long? Yes.
Your witness, mr.
Donovan.
Were there any fingerprints on the cord? Of course not.
Any physical evidence of any kind to connect my client to the body of the victim? Not in my report.
Thank you.
Your honor, we would like to move for dismissal.
The state has not met the evidentiary burden of proof in a capital crime.
We can establish a clear motive, your honor.
By his own admission, he was there.
This man was insanely jealous of his wife, and this girl (crowd gasping) (gavel pounding) I'll have order.
Well, i'm so happy you could join us today here for the trial, mr.
Wolfe.
Yes, i'm only here because i've been subpoenaed, sir.
You are two hours late.
But i suppose we all should be grateful for small favors.
Would you care for us to repeat all of the previous testimony? That won't be necessary, your honor.
I'm sure that we'll be able to follow the course of the trial.
Fine, then you won't mind if we continue? I assure you, judge, that i wish these proceedings to be concluded with as much dispatch as justice will allow.
That's very reassuring, mr.
Wolfe.
Your motion is denied, you may step down.
Continue, mr.
Mandelbaum.
(man) The state calls clyde bagby.
Archie why must i submit to this? To testify is an occupational hazardns if one hopes to collect fees from clients.
I had no client.
Only because you turned leonard ashe down when he asked you for help.
That's the only reason, otherwise, you'd have a clint.
Confound it.
(mandelbaum) Could you describe it, please? Well, it's a telephone answering service.
And the way the office on 69th street is set up is unusual, is it not? Yes, it's an apartment.
On account of labor laws, i can't have women working in an office building past 2:00 a.
m.
And i give around-the-clock service, so right there on 69th street, we have four girls living and working in that apartment.
Ecialized service! Living and working in that apartment.
Mr.
Bagby, look at the gentleman in the dark blue suit sitting next to the officer.
Do you know him? Sure, that's leonard ashe.
He arranged for a 24-hour service on his home phone, paid a month in advance.
And two days later, he made contact with marie willis and offered her $1,500 to do what? She told me ashe asked her to listen in on any phone calls to his apartment during the day, and then she was supposed to call him at night and report.
He gave her $500 and promised another $1,000 if she went aLong.
Bagby information she was supposed to report? Yes.
She was supposed to report on any, uh, extra-marital activity on the part of his wife.
And did she? She told him she wanted to sleep on it, and then she came to me.
She said she knew she should've turned him down, but she didn't wanna make him sore.
Miss willis initially agreed then? Oh, yeah, till she found out his wife was her idol, robina keane.
Marie studied acting very seriously.
In any case, you can confirm that, on the night of her death, marie willis had an appointment to meet with leonard ashe.
I tried to talk her out of it.
I rode with her in the taxi to ashe's office, but i couldn't budge her.
She wanted him to know that she was gonna tell his wife.
You didn't go up to ashe's office with miss willis? I had to keep a dinner date with a friend at a restaurant on 52nd street.
And not Long after i got home, the police called to say that they found miss willis murdered on 69th street.
And they wanted me to identify the body.
Leonard ashe was already there.
He said a man phoned him with a voice he didn't even recognize and said maybe if he could meet him at the office, they could talk some sense into marie.
Ashe said when he got there, the door to the office was there just standing open.
When he saw her, he leaned out a window and yelled for the police.
(donovan) Your honor, how does the witness know this? (mandelbaum) These facts were established by a police report which way is center street? We need a taxi, and i need a word with you.
It's preposterous.
Yes, it is, now let's go back inside.
No, i mean mr.
Mandelbaum's thesis.
And if ashe is convicted, i will not be a party to it you doubt ashe's guilt, and you think your testimony will help tag him, so you're scooting.
Yes, something like that, close enough.
Well, not for me, and don't give me guff that your finely honed sense of justice is putting you to work.
No, it's not what i like it's what i don't like.
What? Being called as a witness is one thing.
Being used to corroborate the testimony which i can't support is another, but being forced to sit on that confounded bench with a smelly woman pressed against me! I do admit the woman was smelly, but i have a fine nose for these sort of things, and i can tell you, it was trousseau's passion flower and it cost $80 an ounce.
Archie, it was smelly.
Now, what are you gonna do at 69th street? I don't know.
Good.
All right, now, since this is, uh, the kind of errand you usually send me on and you're coming aLong for the first time, why don't you take the lead? Now, are we brush peddlers or plumbers? Culous.
I am mr.
Wolfe and this is my assistant, mr.
Goodwin.
We have just come from the courthouse where leonard ashe is being tried.
We, uh have been sent to check on subpoenas that have been served on witnesses.
Have you been served? I, uh no.
Well, where is miss hart? Where is miss velardi and miss weltz, where are they? They were present on the 15th.
It had been weeks since those names had appeared in the papers, but Wolfe's skull had a filing system even better than saul panzer's.
Aren't you Nero Wolfe, the detective? Yes, you are alice hart.
Yes, what do you want? Information.
We have no information.
Who sent you here? Autokinesis.
There is a cardinal flaw in the assumption that leonard ashe killed miss willis, and it has made me curious.
And when i am curious, there is only one cure, the whole truth, and i intend to find it.
Take my board, will you, pearl? Miss weltz has the day off, but miss velardi and i can see you.
We'll go to my room.
Well, well, well.
I'm no art critic, but is that not a Vincent Van Gogh? What's the flaw? I'm the inquisitor, miss Hart, not you! Where did you get that piece? That's none of your business.
It most certainly is not.
But i will tell you that there will be no limit to my impertinence with you.
If you refuse to tell me where you got it, i'll put a man on it, a competent man, and he'll find out.
What does it matter where i got the picture? Probably nothing about you matters.
But the fact is that the picture is a treasure, and this is an odd address for it.
Do you own it? Yes.
What is your salary? $80 a week.
Hardly enough for your extravagance.
An inheritance? Alimony? I have never married.
I'm not surprised.
I had some savings, and i wanted it.
I wanted it.
If you save for 15 years, you've a right to something.
Yes, you most certainly do.
Where were you the night marie willis was killed? Out in jersey, in a car with bella velardi.
To get cooled off, it was a hot niht.
We got back after midnight.
In your car? No.
Helen weltz lent us hers, she has ajaguar.
(whis jaguar, huh? It's quite a pricey item, what with taxes and extras.
$4,000 would not cover it, he couldn't fit into one.
Has any client ever asked you to listen in on calls on his number? Certainly not.
Yes, were you aware of marie willis's regard for robina keane? We all knew, marie did imitations of her.
When did she tell you of her decision to tell robina keane that her husband was planning to spy on her? I didn't say she had.
Did you know the boyfriend? Marie willis's boyfriend, guy unger.
Not very well.
That's not what i heard.
What have you heard? You had dinner with him twice.
Guy took us to the theater, and then to dinner, so? You mentioned before that marie willis did an imitation of robina keane.
It was her calling, she was wasting her time in this dump.
I've had enough of you.
Bring on miss velardi.
Her room is next door.
Her room is next door.
I guess she doesn't wanna leave us aLone with the van gogh, eh? Look around.
(clearing throat) Aha, well.
She donates dough to the cause of equine genetics.
Meaning? Does she lo oh, she loses plenty, she takes two house journals.
Open the drawers, open as many drawers as you can.
I want her to see open drawers when she comes in.
I wanna see how much impudence these creatures will tolerate.
It's guy unger.
Try to get more of these.
I was ready to meet a yelp of indignation but didn't have to.
It was a cinch these phone operators had something on their minds.
Miss hart says you wanted to ask me something? Yes.
If i put three investigators on the job of finding out how much money you lost last year betting on horses, how Long do you think it would take? I don't know.
Why don't you just make things very simple for me and just tell me, how much have you lost? How do you know i've lost anything? Archie, resume your search.
I'm sure she has records of losses and gains somewhere.
Look, mr.
Wolfe it's no secret that i like to bet, but the amounts it's different.
I have friends who well, they don't want people to know, so they give me money to bet for them.
Sometimes it's $100, sometimes it's $200.
I mean, i only make $65 a week.
At night, in the summer weather, when one of you is on duty, are the windows open? Are the shades up? When it's hot, yeah.
On the night of july 15th it was hot.
Were the windows open that night? I don't know.
I was out in jersey in a car with alice hart.
To get cooled off, we didn't get back until midnight.
Well, that settles that.
One woman could conceivably lie, but two, using the same words? If the windows were open and the shades were up, would anyone in her senses have killed marie willis so exposed to view? What do you think? I don't think so.
Then he or she must have drawn the shades before proceeding.
How could leonard ashe have managed that without startling marie willis? I don't know, he may have i don't know.
When was this taken? You took that from my drawer, what else did you take? Get out of here and stay out! Come, Archie, there seems to be a limit after all.
Wait! Wait, mr.
Wolfe, wait.
Uh, i didn't mean to flare up about the photo like that.
It was taken two weeks ago, two weeks ago last sunday.
The other woman is Helen weltz, and the man is guy unger.
We were having a day together on the beach, that's all.
Guy and Helen and ralph and me.
Ralph is my boyfriend and guy, well when marie died, he kinda took an interest in Helen.
Look, i told marie she was asking for it, talking to mr.
Ashe like she did.
I told her she was asking for it and she might get it, but she didn't listen, she was so daddled about robina keane, well, she didn't listen to anybody.
Where is miss weltz? This is her day off.
I know that! Where is she? She's probably at the place she rented up in westchester, near katonah, you want me to phone and find out? Yes, if you would.
We're taking a taxi to katonah? No, we're going to pete's garage for the car.
(Archie) I knew this was coming.
Yes, sir, i was expecting it.
True genius at work.
That's right, because to go to katonah, you need to drive.
To drive, you need a car, to get a car, you have to go to pete's garage.
And the garage is so close to home, you might as well stay and have lunch.
Once inside, having a delicious lunch, with the door safely bolted, we could then discuss the insanity of driving to katonah! Fritz yes.
If there are any callers, tell them you have not heard from us.
Ah.
Oh no, i don't know.
No, not at all! I don't know about dinner.
No, we can't be expected until we arrive.
There were four calls: Ficer of the court, ur calls: From an of one from the district attorney's office, and two from inspector cramer.
Sure you don't wanna go home? Shut up.
Yes, sir.
In his own comfortable chair, surrounded by books, Wolfe can usually keep his genius under control, but faced with a perfumed woman, he ran away, and now he was stuck.
He couldn't go back to court, he couldn't go home, so he was headed into the wilds of westchester county to talk to a woman who might be as smelly as the one he had run from.
I turned off the rdriveway.
And there Helen weltz's jaguarsat.
You're Archie Goodwin? Tz.
You're Archie Goodwin? Helen wel hello.
Nero Wolfe, it's really you.
It's such a pleasure.
Yes, thank you.
This is guy unger.
Come, come this way.
We're celebrating the last gasp of autumn color.
What can i get you to drink? We have martinis and martinis and martinis.
Or if you're cold, i could get you a hot toddy.
No, thank you.
Oh, you sure? Otherwise, you came all this way for nothing.
I don't know anything.
I was out on a boat that day with mr.
Unger.
Ah, and when did mr.
Unger get here? ?? Why, he just arrived i'm just looking on, that's all.
Let me explain more fully.
When i spoke to miss hart and miss velardi, i was insufferable.
They should have flouted me, but they were afraid to, and i assume that you know why.
I also assume that after i called, you phoned mr.
Unger, and he was concerned enough to get here before i arrived.
Forget it.
Miss weltz called me yesterday to invite me out this afternoon.
(laughing) Behave yourself, guy.
Do you know what he said when i told him Nero Wolfe was coming? No.
He said, "he may be famous for brains, but i'm going to make him prove it.
" Something lit.
I don't pretend to have brains, i'm just scared.
Scared of what, miss weltz? Why, scared of you.
Who wouldn't be scared, if they knew Nero Wolfe was coming to pump them? You have the alternative of snubbing me, yet you suffer me, why? I didn't wanna miss the chance to touch the great Nero Wolfe, now you have touched me, yet you still i can't expect to prove mr.
Ashe innocent.
The best i can hope for is to establish reasonable doubt can you give it to me? (laughing) I'm sorry, you're funny.
The way they kept after us and after us at the district attorney's office, and you come in and expect to drag it out of me in 20 minutes.
You've had enough, Helen.
Take it easy.
The most i expect, miss weltz, is support for my belief that you people share knowledge of something that you don't want revealed.
And you have given me that.
I haven't told you anything.
Nonsense, you're on the edge of hysteria.
I am not! Take it easy, Helen.
What makes you doubt his guilt? Divination, contrariety.
So you're shooting this on spec.
Do you regard me as a suspect? Yes.
Look, me and marie weren't engaged or anything like that.
We were just having fun.
A week before the murder, i took her udson on my boat, but there was nothing to it.
What do you do, mr.
Unger? Oh, for god's sake.
The papers were vague.
Broker, i believe it was? Have you handled any transactions forbagby answers, incorporated? What makes you ask that? ? Mr.
Unger, do you suppose that i would have made this excursion to a place called katonah completely at random? What do you say you and i take a little walk? I'd like to speak with you privately.
I do not like conversing on my feet.
Archie.
Uh let's go rake some leaves, miss weltz.
Well, sir, you wished to speak to me? Suppose i offer you some cash? Suppose i offer you $5,000? $5,000 is a handsome sum, sir.
What would you expect in exchange? And they said you were smart.
You know, this is far enough, unless he uses a megaphone.
I gotta stay in plain sight, see.
I admit he would be a maniac if he tried to jump Wolfe, but, you know, when people are involved in a murder, they do strange things.
(laughing) He's not involved in a murder.
Yeah, but he will be, after Wolfe gets through with him.
(crying) Hey, hey that's no way to do it.
Come on, open up the valve, let it out.
That's it, that's it, let it out.
Now, listen, you know, if he thinks i upset you, he might fly off the handle, come down here, and try to rescue you or something, and well, it'd give me an excuse to plug him.
All right, come on.
Come on, come on, there you are.
My god, wouldn't it be wonderful if you just put your arms around me and told me, "it's all right, my darling.
I'll take care of everything, leave it to me.
" Oh it's all right, my darling, i'll take care of everything.
Leave it to me.
Now what? (sighing) Why didn't i get me a man? I could've had a dozen, no, i had to do it all by myself.
And now here i am with ajaguarand no man.
How do you set fire to a car? Well, you, uh, pour gasoline all over it, you light a match, toss it, and jump back real fast.
You gotta be careful what you tell the insurance company, is it just a bluff? Is he trying to scare something out of me? No, no, not just.
If he happens to scare something out of you, fine.
But he'll get it out of you, even if he gets it out the hard way.
He will get it, and you might get hurt.
I'm already hurt.
Quit stalling.
Well, i never undertake a job unless the client can specify an objective.
What do you say i sweeten the pot? What do you say to $10,000? Where can i find Nero Wolfe around 9:00 in the city? I like money and, uh, i require a lot of it to live as i see fit.
On account of unger? Yes.
Helen! Uh, why don't we head back here? Call Wolfe's house when you're ready.
Past midnight, 3 a.
m.
, it doesn't matter.
Are you gonna tell him? A man named Fritz will answer.
Tell him you're the queen of hearts, he'll know what to do.
If you tell him, i'm gonna deny it.
You got that? Queen of hearts.
Now laugh.
(laughing) We're finished.
(clearing throat) (Wolfe) I intend to appear in court tomorrow morning.
(Archie) Tomorrow with what, for god's sake? Well, we can't go home.
Inspector cramer will have a man posted there.
Is saul panzer's apartment conveniently located? Saul only has one bedroom.
We should go to lily rowan's penthouse.
We'll manage at saul's.
Perhaps we could stop at dixie's on the way into town.
By 8:00, Wolfe had put away three orders of chili con carne at a little dump in harlem, where a guy named dixie knew how to make it.
Chili is one of the great peasant foods.
It is one of the few contributions america has to world cuisine.
Eaten with corn bread, sweet onion, sour cream, it contains all five of the elements deemed essential by the sages of the orient: Sweet, sour, salty, pungent, and bitter.
It begins i spent the time phoning saul and Fritz and invested an extra dime in Lon Cohen.
Cohen.
When he heard my voice, he said: Where you calling from, the slammer? No, no, i'm calling to see if our absence has been noticed.
Oh, yeah, the whole town is in an uproar.
A raging mob has torn the courthouse down.
Listen, we're running a fairly good picture of Wolfe.
But you, the picture of you, you look old.
You're not gonna like it.
Listen, what do you say you come down to the studio oh, yeah, yeah, sure, glad to.
No, see, the thing is this.
I need to settle a bet.
Is there a warrant out for us? Oh, yes, yeah, judge corbett signed it right after lunch.
Yeah, he wasn't kidding.
Uh, come on, look, i tell you what.
I send a guy to you, takes five minutes much obliged, but if i told and you'd have to take your own picture.
No, no, wait, wait, would (dial tone) (Wolfe) The best of french cuisine, the good meat, chopped, not ground.
Excuse me.
But, but key to dixie's success are the onions and the tomatoes, which he owes to his grandmother who grows them on the south side of the vacant lot behind his house in full sun.
There is a warrant, in case you're interested, and i did not call jimmy donovan, leonard ashe's attorney.
Why not? Why not? What could i say? That Nero Wolfe had something urgent for him and leave a telephone number? He's a sworn officer of the court.
He'd have to serve the warrant on you, not to mention the one on me.
You're enjoying this.
Like hell i am.
I am a fugitive from justice, hardly enjoying this, no.
Phone saul, and ask him if he has heard from miss weltz.
And then phone and see if you can arrange a meeting for us to see mrs.
Leonard ashe.
Oh! Oh, yeah, great, oh, i see.
I get the easy ones, you know, i bet she's sitting there right now hoping a couple of strange detectives drop in.
That's what i think she's hoping right now.
Are we still pretending to be from the court? Should i say that we are judge Wolfe and judge Goodwin calling? Is that what i should say to her right now when i make the call? No, we are ourselves.
I'm dead tired.
I'm empty, completely empty.
Would you care for tea? No, thank you.
Muriel, just for me, thank you.
Your man said on the phone that i would regret it for the rest of my life if i didn't see you.
Will i? Thank you.
I'll be as brief as possible.
Good.
I have information which may not exculpate your husband, but should raise a reasonable doubt in the mind of the jury.
However, it would take a proLonged investigation to get it in the form of admissible evidence.
I do so hate to inform you of this, but the trial has already been started, mr.
Wolfe.
I have in mind a shortcut.
Ke it, i must have i have in mind a talk with your husband.
Ta ahh, and how, pray tell, will you manage to do that? You, madam.
I? You you have a wide acquaintance, great personal charm.
It would not be too difficult for you to get permission to have a talk with your husband tomorrow morning.
With you.
I see.
But what do you wish to say? Is it about me? I can tell you nothing without compromising my plan.
I see.
Well, i suppose i have nothing to lose.
Nothing more to lose.
But if i do this should i not tell mr.
Donovan? You must not.
Orbid it, he would prevent it.
T only f this, madam, is for you aLone.
For me aLone? Yes, for me aLone.
My god, it would be such a relief to do something.
Of course, i have made the assumption that you do not want your husband to be convicted of murder.
You do not have to say that.
My husband is not a fool, but he acted like one.
And i love him very much.
Where can i reach you? Archie.
(clearing throat) I gave her saul's number.
She went with us to the foyer, but she wasn't there.
Her mind was so glad to have a job that it had left us entirely.
(knocking) Come in, come in, come in.
Saul.
Archie.
After circling saul's block three times, we decided that cramer had not had enough genius to post a man there, and we went inside.
A good room, satisfactory.
I congratulate you.
Have, uh have you heard from Fritz? Has he called with news of that woman? The queen of hearts, no, sir.
Uh will you have some beer? Indeed, indeed, i will, if you please.
In the next three hours, saul served Wolfe seven bottles of beer, sturgeon, pât? Pickled mushrooms, tunisian meLon, and three different kinds of cheese.
This is extraordinary.
Mm, i couldn't have any more, i can't eat another bite.
Vermont cheddar.
Gonzola.
Mont gor naturally, the first time Wolfe ate under his roof, saul wanted to give him good grub.
Okay, but three kinds of cheese was piling it on.
Go.
Should we call it a draw? (phone ringing) This is jackson 4-3-1-0-9.
Uh, yes, i recognize the voice, where are you? In a booth at grand central, i couldn't get rid of him.
Okay, look, i will meet you at the upper-level information booth in five minutes.
Will you be there? Of course i will.
Hurry! Helen weltz gave me quite an earful.
Next morning, it was time to meet leonard ashe.
I've brought a visitor, darling.
I don't wanna see anybody but you.
Mr.
Wolfe.
Mr.
Ashe, i need your attention.
But isn't this irregular? Please, just sit down.
After listening to the proceedings yesterday, it occurred to me that a telephone answering service would provide a singular opportunity for scoundrelism, like doctors, lawyers, and servants, they have access to privileged information.
Of course, that's exactly why i thought of using them.
It further occurred to me that the opportunities to practice blackmail on their clients would be limitless.
Blackmail? You mean a criminal operation? I left the courtroom specifically to view the offices at 69th street.
And concluded that possible for one operatoratit would be im to eavesdrop on her lines without the others becoming aware of it.
Therefore, ifbagby answers, inc.
Were to engage in a blackmail operation, it must be done collusively or not at all.
My lord well, that would explain why she didn't turn me down outright.
How does this affect my case? But i still don't understand how you mean to get it before the jury.
Please! Don't interrupt again.
I have much to say, and there is little time before court convenes.
(man) All rise.
The honorable judge corbett is presiding.
Be seated.
Nero Wolfe.
Is Nero Wolfe present? (whispering) Can you proceed? (crowd murmuring) (gavel banging) Mr.
Wolfe, how kind of you to join us.
Are you gonna stay this time? I will stay here until i've completed my testimony.
You knew you were to testify yesterday.
Why did you leave then? I was impelled by a motive that i thought imperative.
If you want me to expound upon it now, i shall do so.
But i would prefer to plead the contempt charges later, if the court would permit.
I will still be here.
Indeed you will, you're under arrest.
No, sir, i am not.
You're not under arrest? No, sir, i am not under arrest.
I have come here voluntarily.
Well, you are now.
Officer, this man is under arrest.
But i will allow you to answer the contempt charges later.
Bailiff? (man) Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you god? I do so affirm.
Proceed, mr.
Mandelbaum.
Well, mr.
Wolfe, now that i finally have you on the stand, i may have to keep you until tomorrow.
You have always been doggedly thorough, mr.
Mandelbaum.
Have you ever met the defendant in this case? Mr.
Leonard ashe? Yes.
Under what circumstances did you meet mr.
Ashe? He said he wished to hire me to learn the identity of the phone operator who was assigned to his phone and to propose to her that she spy on his wife.
Did he say why he wished to make this arrangement? No, but i surmised objection, your honor, conclusion of the witness as to the intention of the defendant.
Just answer the question, mr.
Wolfe, yes or no.
Did leonard ashe suggest any inducement to marie willis to participate in his scheme? No, he did not name an actual sum, but he indicated your honor! Not what he indicated, what he said.
Strike all of his answer, except for the word "no.
" Your answer's no, mr.
Wolfe, yes or no? No.
Did leonard ashe say anything else to you? Mr.
Wolfe? I would like to be sure i understand the question.
Do you mean, what aid that day, or on a later occasion? That day, of course.
What other occasion? Are you asking me? In your deposition, you swore you hadn't met leonard ashe before or after july 13th.
That was true then.
We met again.
When? In this building at half past eight this morning.
You met and spoke with the defendant in this building at half past eight this morning today? His wife arranged to see him, and she allowed me to accompany her.
Was mr.
Donovan, the defense counsel, present? No, sir.
Your honor, i would like to state for the record that i knew nothing of this.
Don't you know that it's a misdemeanor for a witness for the state to speak with a defendant charged with a feLony? We didn't discuss my testimony.
Matters which i thought would be of interest to him.
What exactly did you say, mr.
Wolfe? The fat son of a gun had put it over.
Having asked him directly, mandelbaum couldn't possibly keep Wolfe's theories from the jury, unless jimmy donovan was a sap.
Do you wish to withdraw the question, mr.
Mandelbaum? Oh, no, no, no.
I'm absolutely fascinated, you didn't discuss your testimony.
What did you discuss? I told him that i'd left this courtroom to make the investigation which the police should have undertaken had they not been so enamored of the idea that ashe was guilty.
You are not answering the question of your contempt charges.
Did you say anything relevant to this case? I detailed to him my suspicion thatbagby answers had been used as a blackmailing operation.
Surely, this is just surmise, mr.
Wolfe.
Not at all.
I told mr.
Ashe that when i left the court and visited there, the operators atbagby answers tolerated my rudeness beyond reason.
I learned that their personal expenditures far exceeded their salaries.
An associate of bagby's offered me $5,000 for services which he would not specify.
When i declined his bribe, he offered me ten.
And most significant i told mr.
Ashe that last night Helen weltz phoned me.
How Long did you spend with mr.
Ashe? A half an hour.
Half an hour! I can say a lot in half an hour.
No doubt.
The court's and the jury's time can't be spent on irrelevancies.
Did you make any suggestions to mr.
Ashe regarding his defense? No.
Then why did you seek the interview, mr.
Wolfe? Were you seeking employment? Your honor, surely this is cross-examination, and i object to it.
The objection is sustained.
Mr.
Mandelbaum, you know the rules of evidence.
Please examine him upon the merits.
Your honor, l i have no more questions.
Mr.
Wolfe why did you seek an interview this morning with mr.
Ashe? It occurred to me that if i saw mr.
Ashe, the fact would probably be disclosed in the course of my examination by mr.
Mandelbaum.
And if so, he would almost certainly ask me what had been said.
If he did not, then you would, mr.
Donovan.
And i would be able to make my case to the jury.
Therefore, i sought an interview with mr.
Ashe.
Objection, your honor! (gavel pounding) I'll have order.
Continue, mr.
Donovan.
Mr.
Wolfe, would you please tell the jury what you told mr.
Ashe? I told him that Helen weltz came to see me last night had been used as a blackmailing operation for years.
All of the switchboard operators had been party to it, including marie willis.
Their dean, alice hart, collected the information.
She gand unger, who used the personal secrets she had culled to blackmail their clients.
Guard, that's alice hart right there! No one is to leave this room.
Officer, detain these people as material witnesses.
(gavel pounding) Continue, mr.
Wolfe.
Your honor, is it necessary for me to go on repeating the phrase, "i told him, i told him"? Not if you confine yourself strictly to what you said to mr.
Ashe this morning.
I shall do so.
As i was saying, guy unger and clyde bagby gave the girls cash.
In three years, miss weltz received over $15,000.
This is fascinating, but earlier you alleged you could establish a reasonable doubt of mr.
Ashe's guilt.
Yes, your honor, yes.
According to miss weltz, marie willis had been ordered by both unger and bagby to accept ashe's proposal to spy on his wife, and she had refused.
She announced that she would quit and tell mrs.
Ashe everything, making her an intolerable peril to the whole operation.
I believe this establishes a clear motive for all of them and provides reasonable doubt of mr.
Ashe's guilt.
Did you go on to speculate as to a probable replacement for mr.
Ashe? Yes, the conditions of the murder, the closed windows, the position of the victim, made it likely that the perpetrator was a coworker.
I considered the most promising candidate to be mr.
Bagby.
He has the most to lose.
And all the others had established alibis: At the beach, on day trips, in cars.
By his own testimony, mr.
Bagby dined not six blocks from the office.
That's a lie! I went home! , he called mr.
Ashe and enticed him to the office to find the body.
I leave the timetable to the police.
They are extremely efficient with timetables.
And now, your honor, i would like to plead to the charge of contempt, if i may.
You may not.
You know quite well you've made that charge frivolous.
It is dismissed.
Yes, your honor, no you may step down, mr.
Wolfe.
Alice Hart, Bella Velardi, Guy Unger, and Clyde Bagby will come forward.
The rest of you will keep your seats and preserve order.
Mr.
Donovan, i can't thank you enough.
(crowd cheering) Mr.
Wolfe! Actresses always act, but i admit that was probably unrehearsed, and i thoroughly approved, wsince it indicated that, and i the ashe familyoved, would prove to be properly grateful.
The thought may have occurred to you, "that's nice," but the real reason Wolfe walked out was because he hated to sit against a perfumed woman in a wooden bench.
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