Perry Mason (1957) s02e12 Episode Script
The Case of the Shattered Dream
( noirish jazz theme playing ) ( suspenseful theme playing ) MAN: Oh, Breel? It's the 15th.
I know, Walker.
I haven't got the money.
None of it? No.
Fifteen thousand dollars is a lot of money.
My luck has been bad and- You wouldn't use that.
You could kill a man.
Oh, I wouldn't say that.
Would you, Jerry? It would be interesting to find out.
Please, Mr.
Walker, you've got to give me a chance.
I'll get you your money.
When? Give me a week? A couple of days, then? Please, you won't regret it.
All right.
You've got 48 hours.
If I were you, I'd make every minute count.
( mysterious theme playing ) ( romantic music playing over radio ) To the prodigal.
Well, Hans, been behaving yourself lately? Mm-hm.
I'm the soul of virtue.
No gambling? No other complications? I've been much too busy.
Irene, I've been a tremendous success as a diamond broker.
I was a fool for so many years.
You, a fool? I can't imagine you being a fool, Hans.
Unless it would be over a woman or a gamble.
A fool to be a diamond cutter, to work for a salary.
( chuckles ) Do you still have your Pundit Dream, the uncut diamond? Mm-hm.
I still have it.
Let me see it again, darling, will you? I think I may have a buyer for it.
All right.
As a matter of fact, I have it right here.
I was going to take it to Schoenbeck in the morning to see if he could cut it for me.
HANS: Like an old friend, seeing it again.
I think I know every little tricky grain in it.
Do you have a buyer for it, Hans? I think maybe, perhaps.
Yes.
How much? I'll try to get 15,000, Irene.
Fifteen thousand? Why, if the Dream's cut properly, it's- You know, it's a very difficult stone, very risky.
Sure, it can be worth but if it shatters in cleavage, it won't be worth being swept up from the floor.
No, no, no, 15,000, but safe, guaranteed.
How did you know I needed money right now? ( chuckles ) ( suspenseful theme playing ) HANS: At least 50 good carats if it's a point.
Obviously, my dear, you can make a most handsome profit.
Adolph, what do you think? I have seen this stone before.
It is the Pundit's Dream, a very difficult stone.
Virginia, if properly cleaved, it can bring at least $100,000.
With this one, the risk is very great.
I wouldn't try to cleave it.
Too dangerous.
Everything seems to be too dangerous for you now, old man.
Hans, perhaps I shouldn't take the risk.
Things are- Well, things haven't been going very well since father died.
I have to run this business all by myself, you know.
Listen, my dear, there isn't really any risk.
I'll cleave it myself.
I've studied it very carefully.
We can get an opinion from Schoenbeck or Hillary, or whatever expert you want.
This is your chance to make a big profit.
Yes, it is, isn't it? Oh, it could solve so many problems for me.
Just think, Adolph, if I could sell this stone for even $60,000 You really think it will work, Hans? Darling, I promise you.
VIRGINIA: Oh, I want to believe you.
HANS: Then do.
Well, even if I did buy it, I can't raise the 30,000 right away.
How much can you get? Oh, probably half.
HANS: Well, that's splendid.
Fifteen thousand now, fifteen thousand later on.
Miss Bedford will accept.
( chuckles ) You won't regret it, darling.
( mysterious theme playing ) WOMAN: That's a picture of my husband, Hugo, and my little girl Kathy, taken two years ago in Chicago, Mr.
Mason.
Do you think that you'll be able to help me? Well, Mrs.
Werner, if your husband disappeared 18 months ago, why have you waited until now to try to find him? But I have tried, as much as I was able.
You see, Kathy and I inherited a joint trust fund of $90,000 from my father.
Hugo persuaded me to let him invest the fund so the value could increase.
Now, what did he do with the money? Well, he gambled it all away.
I didn't even know about it until after he left me.
He said he was leaving the town on business.
He's a diamond expert, you see, a cutter and broker.
Did you notify the police? That would have meant scandal, Mr.
Mason.
But you must have made inquiries? Well, yes, I did.
And I have reason to believe that he's here, here in Los Angeles right now.
Mrs.
Werner, why do you want to find your husband now? Oh, I don't want anything for myself, but he's got to pay back the money that he stole from my child.
Well, first, we'll have to locate him before we take any legal action.
I'll put the Drake Detective Agency on it.
Oh, uh, Mr.
Mason, I, uh I'm not prepared to pay you right now.
I thought that if I could find him, uh, maybe I can arrange- Yes, it's- It's all right, Mrs.
Werner.
We'll work it out.
You can be reached at your hotel? Yes.
Thank you very much, Mr.
Mason.
Goodbye.
Bye.
Did you notice the perfume she was wearing? Mm-hm.
Eternity, $150 a half ounce.
( suspenseful theme playing ) Seven-high straight.
Well, ha-ha.
That cleans me out for tonight.
I'd like to get back at you, if you'd advance me a little credit.
For just till tomorrow.
I'll have more cash then.
We'll have a game tomorrow.
I dropped $15,000 here tonight! Breel, Jerry Morrow was asking about you.
( ominous theme playing ) You know Morrow.
Walker's boy? ( rings ) Hello? ( over phone ): Virginia, this is Hans.
Oh, is anything wrong? No, nothing personally, my dear.
I've just had an urgent call from Miss Bedford.
She's got to have the rest of the money for the Pundit Dream right away.
Oh, but you said I didn't have to pay it for 30 days.
Hans, I-I can't possibly borrow any more from the bank.
How 'bout Schoenbeck? He's an old friend of your father's.
Ask him, Virginia.
Well all right, dear.
I'll call him first thing tomorrow.
Bless you, darling.
You've saved my life.
Very dangerous.
Very.
Is this yours, Breel? Yes.
You recommend cleaving, not sawing? Yes.
Yes, I do.
And you, Adolph? I recommend nothing.
I think it is disaster.
It's probably the best approach, Breel.
Then you recommend cleaving, like that? If it must be done, yes.
Will you lend me $10,000 on it, Mr.
Schoenbeck? No, Miss Trent.
No? But I'll buy a half interest in it, right now, for $10,000.
Virginia, no.
Don't give it away.
It could be worth practically nothing too.
Schoenbeck, if I cleave it now, will you lend her the money? If it is successful.
All right.
Let's set it up.
( suspenseful theme playing ) ( shattering ) ( ominous theme playing ) I don't know any other kind of gambling where you can lose so quickly.
We had to try.
A hundred thousand dollars one moment, chips and splinters the next.
Oh, Hans, what can we do? HANS: They're worth something.
A few thousand, anyway.
I'll take them downtown.
Hans.
Well, Mrs.
Werner? It's Hugo.
Calls himself Hans Breel these days.
No, wait.
Wait, I must talk to him.
I'm sorry.
Are- Are we going to follow him? Don't have to.
He lives at the Prescott Apartments.
Now, Mrs.
Werner, I'm gonna drive you to your hotel.
You're to wait there till Mr.
Mason calls you.
You understand, Mrs.
Werner? Those are Mr.
Mason's orders.
Yes, I understand.
Okay.
( engine starts ) Well, try to call again, will you, Gertie? Thank you.
What else did you find out, Paul? Well, this Hugo Werner or Hans Breel, whatever he calls himself these days, quite a character.
Man about town, lover, gambler.
And? And he works out of, uh, Trent and Company, a swank jeweler on Wilshire.
And his gambling's got him in pretty deep with a character named Bill Walker.
He owes him a bundle.
( phone rings ) Hello? Oh, is this Mr.
Breel's message service again? Well, this is the Perry Mason office, and- Oh, he did.
Well, thank you very much.
He got your message over an hour ago.
And hasn't answered the call.
What about Mrs.
Werner? No word from her either.
That's funny.
Paul, are you sure you told her? ( phone rings ) Yes, Gertie.
Oh, put him on.
Mr.
Breel.
Mr.
Breel, this is Perry Mason.
MAN: I'm sorry I could not return your call sooner.
What can I do for you, Mr.
Mason? Well, actually, it's rather difficult to discuss on the telephone.
Perhaps you could drop by my office? I'm sorry, that is out of the question.
Well, suppose I come by to see you.
Tonight? Yes, tonight.
But it's almost 9:30 now.
I can be there in half an hour.
You cannot give me an idea of what this is all about? No, I'm sorry, Mr.
Breel.
I'll see you at 10.
( suspenseful theme playing ) ( doorbell buzzing ) ( sniffs ) Yeah, gunpowder.
Paul.
Hm? ( exhales ) ( sniffs ) Perry- I smell that too.
It's called Eternity.
Sarah Werner uses it.
Eternity, huh? That can be as long as it takes to squeeze a trigger.
Better find her, Paul, the sooner the better.
Okay.
Let's get out of here.
See you later, Perry.
Oh, uh May I use your phone? Yes.
I'd like to report a murder.
( doorbell buzzing ) Oh.
Come in.
What time is it? Quarter to 4.
I found Mrs.
Werner at the bus depot.
She was waiting for the 3:10 to Chicago.
Sit down, Mrs.
Werner.
Where were you early last night? Out.
Obviously.
Out where? Walking.
Up the stairs to your husband's apartment? Or did you ride the elevator? You don't understand.
MASON: I'd like to understand.
I'd like to understand why you didn't call us and tell us what you'd done.
I asked her that.
I can explain it.
I did go for a walk.
A long walk.
And then I Then I went to Hugo's apartment.
I rang the bell, and there was no answer.
I thought he was out.
And then just- Just before leaving, I I turned the doorknob.
The door was open.
( sobbing ): And I went in.
Go on, Mrs.
Werner.
He was dead.
Th-there was a burned smell in the room, and there was a gun on the floor.
What time was this? I don't know.
I don't know what time it was.
What about the gun? Did you touch it? No, I I'm- I'm afraid of guns.
Then did you leave? Yes.
You closed the apartment door when you left? Yes.
Completely closed it? Yes.
Then you decided to run away.
How much evidence do you think you left in your husband's apartment last night? But I didn't leave any.
Didn't you touch anything? The doorknob, the table, any of half a dozen other objects in the room? But-? But how would they know that they're my fingerprints? Mrs.
Werner, you're the wife of a murdered man.
Don't you realize the police are going to investigate you, whether you're here in Chicago or at the North Pole? I didn't know.
I- What shall I do, Mr.
Mason? Did you kill your husband? I don't want a shake of the head, I want you to look at me and say it out loud.
No.
No, no, no, no, I didn't.
I loved him, I- I know that- That he took my money, and- And he walked out on me.
But his gambling was a sickness.
He just couldn't help himself.
I loved him.
Please, what shall I do, Mr.
Mason? I think you'd better call the police.
The police? Well, if they prefer any charges against you, we'll rush them into an early hearing and then try to take them off balance.
The phone is right there, Mrs.
Werner.
( somber theme playing ) What's their number? ( knocking on door ) What is it, Jack? There's a Paul Drake outside.
He wants to talk to Mr.
Walker.
He's a private detective.
He does a lot of work for Perry Mason.
Tell him I'm not here.
Oh, um, wait a minute.
Tell him I'm not here, but, uh, Mr.
Morrow will talk to him.
You play this hand.
I'll kibitz.
( knocking on door ) Uh, Mr.
Morrow? That's me.
PAUL: I understand you work for a Mr.
Walker.
I'm very anxious to get in touch with him.
You can't.
He's in Vegas.
He was in town yesterday.
That was in the morning.
He left in the afternoon on the 5:30 flight.
( sighs ) What's wrong, buster? I'm just trying to remember where I know you from.
You don't know me from Adam.
I think Mr.
Mason would like to talk to you.
No, thanks.
Come on, boys.
Let's play cards.
Hey, Drake.
I think I'll take you up on that invitation.
I've always been curious about this Mason fellow.
All right, I'll call him and tell him to meet us at the office.
Where were we? Your bet.
Oh.
Now, I think there's a couple of things that ought to go on the record, Mr.
Mason.
Like the $15,000 that Hans Breel owed Walker? No, almost anyone in Vegas could have told you that.
Then what things, Mr.
Morrow? Well, that about ten days ago, a woman came to see Mr.
Walker.
She showed him a picture.
What kind of picture? Of a man and a little girl.
This woman asked if Mr.
Walker had seen the man.
She called him Hugo Werner.
What did Mr.
Walker tell her? He told her that he didn't know anyone named Hugo Werner.
I see.
She said something about making sure she got some money from him if she had to follow him to the end of the Earth to get it.
Does this interest you, Mr.
Mason? Yes, it does.
Now, Mr.
Walker doesn't like to get messed up in an affair like this, but he doesn't have to go blabbing to the police either.
Just like you don't have to poke into the business we had with Hans Breel.
Tell me something, Mr.
Morrow.
Sure.
How do you stand with the money Breel owed you? We've written it off.
When you asked him for it, did he say where he hoped to get it? He said some gal had an uncut diamond that he was going to sell and make some money with.
Just, uh, some girl? He didn't mention any name? It wasn't our business.
Thank you, Mr.
Morrow.
That's okay, counselor, I like to make friends when it doesn't hurt.
You never know when you're gonna need one in a hurry, especially a good lawyer.
( door closes ) Why so preoccupied, Paul? One of the guys in that poker game.
Nah, it couldn't have been Bill Walker.
They wouldn't lie to me right to my face.
Did he say the 5:30 plane to Las Vegas? Yeah, I'll check the flights.
Oh, that, uh, girl with the uncut diamond that Morrow mentioned, her name's, uh, Irene Bedford.
She lives at 813 West Serrano, apartment 5-B.
Wonder if she'll mind my calling on her before breakfast.
Probably.
I am going to bed.
Good night.
I think you should, but before you do, uh, will you check on these for me? Good morning.
( mysterious theme playing ) So that's it, Mr.
Mason.
I signed Hans' contract, and he sold the Pundit Dream to Virginia Trent for $15,000.
As you can see, he was to get ten percent of the sale price.
I'm afraid you're wrong, Miss Bedford.
This contract actually assigned title of your diamond to Breel.
He agreed to pay you he might derive from any sale, not to exceed $15,000.
Isn't that what I just said? No.
Breel could have sold the diamond for any sum and still have paid you only $15,000.
What if he did sell it for more? I guess there's a price on everything.
Even love.
He was a compulsive gambler.
I understand that, night before last, he lost $15,000 in a poker game.
Fifteen thousand dollars? Where would Hans get money like that? You mean, it was mine? You mean, Virginia Trent paid him the $15,000, and he lied to me about her not being able to pay for 30 days? One would think you're hearing this for the first time, Miss Bedford.
When do you think I would have heard it? Let's go see Virginia Trent.
Oh, uh, will you be long? Two and a half minutes.
Time me.
( suspenseful theme playing ) Fifteen thousand? Yes, that's what Hans told me.
VIRGINIA: You know what happened to the Pundit Dream? It shattered.
That's tough luck, but it doesn't affect me.
Now, look, you're not trying to renege? Oh, no.
No, it was a firm deal.
Only it was for 30,000.
Hans said he couldn't get it for less.
Hans told me he couldn't get more than 15.
VIRGINIA: Why, I already gave him 15,000.
He said you needed the balance right away.
That's why he took a chance and cleaved the stone.
Only- Well, I'm sorry, Miss Bedford, but it's going to be a long time before I can pay you the rest of the money.
I didn't even get the first part of it.
I can't ask you for the balance.
I'm afraid Hans didn't always tell the truth.
Did you know he was married? Yes, I knew.
Did you see him last night? No.
Some unidentified person went to his apartment last night, after he'd been shot, and apparently left the door open upon leaving.
ADOLPH: Liebchen? Have you seen the papers? Do you know, uh-? Do you work here? Yes.
VIRGINIA: This is Adolph Van Beers, Mr.
Mason, a very old friend and worker.
Mr.
Van Beers, why didn't you say something last night about knowing Hans? What was there to say? Hans was dead.
You were calling the police.
I did not shoot him, Mr.
Mason.
So, what was there to say? ( ominous theme playing ) Gonna try a case? Oh.
Hi, Perry.
Hi, Paul.
Just been to police headquarters.
Any luck? Well, they've just booked Sarah Werner for the murder of her husband.
Have they? Apparently, they've established her at the scene at the time.
And they've got a piece of a motive, what with the money angle, and then checking back on Hans Breel, alias Hugo Werner, alias two or three other names.
Are you sure they don't have something more? They moved pretty fast.
They may have.
And if I sound cryptic, so did Lieutenant Tragg.
Well, what did Tragg say that sounded so cryptic? Well, as near as I can remember, quote: "The police were looking for Sarah Werner even before they knew she was in town.
" Unquote.
( dramatic theme playing ) Would you tell us the cause of death, please, doctor? Death was caused by a 9 mm bullet through the heart.
And the time of death, sir? Between 7:45 and 9:15 p.
m.
, April 6th.
Thank you, doctor.
Your witness.
Doctor, may I ask if death might have occurred at a quarter of ten? No, sir.
How 'bout 9:30? No, sir.
As a matter of fact, there's only one chance in 100,000 it was after 9:00.
The area of extreme probability was between 8:15 and 8:45.
Thank you, doctor, that's all.
Well, the fingerprints of the defendant, Mrs.
Sarah Werner, were found on a magazine rack near the body.
Thank you, lieutenant.
Cross-examine.
Those were the only fingerprints you found of the defendant in the room, lieutenant? Yes, sir.
Other places where fingerprints would normally be found had been wiped clean.
Thank you, lieutenant.
You may step down, lieutenant.
And I've been a, uh, diamond importer and wholesaler for nearly 25 years.
I have offices in Amsterdam, New York and here in Los Angeles.
Defense recognizes the witness is a qualified expert in the diamond trade.
Thank you, counselor.
Now, Mr.
David, would you tell us, please, what transpired in your office on the evening of April 6th? Well, I was working late, and, uh, about half past 9, a woman knocked at my front door.
I let her in.
She had an uncut diamond to sell me.
BURGER: And now, Mr.
David, I ask you to look around this courtroom and tell us if you recognize the woman that tried to sell you that stone.
Yes.
That's she.
BURGER: Let the record show that the witness is pointing to the defendant, Sarah Werner.
Now we know what Tragg meant when he sounded cryptic.
Cross-examine.
MASON: No questions.
You may step down.
So I examined the Pundit Dream and gave my opinion.
I said it would be very dangerous to try to cleave the stone.
Now, let's proceed very carefully, Mr.
Schoenbeck.
After you examined the stone, what happened? SCHOENBECK: Well, there were a few words with Adolph and Virginia, and then Hans- I beg your pardon.
Hugo Werner said he would cleave it.
He said he had studied it and knew he would not shatter it.
And this is the same stone that you had just finished examining, the Pundit Dream? SCHOENBECK: Yes.
BURGER: All right, what happened then? SCHOENBECK: He set everything up and struck the stone.
BURGER: And then? The stone shattered into fragments.
BURGER: Now, Mr.
Schoenbeck, you have been qualified here as an expert.
There was no mistaking the Pundit Dream when you examined it, was there? No, I could not mistake it.
I show you now this uncut diamond, marked in evidence, which has been identified here by the expert, Lawrence David, as having been presented to him by the defendant.
I ask if you recognize this? Recognize it? Why, that is- That is- Go on, Mr.
Schoenbeck.
It's the Pundit Dream.
BURGER: Whole, in one piece, not shattered.
SCHOENBECK: Yes, but I saw it! I saw him lift the hammer and strike.
It is the Pundit Dream.
But that doesn't seem very logical, does it, Mr.
Schoenbeck? I mean, you can't take a diamond and shatter it and then put it back together again, can you? No, that's impossible.
Well, let's retrace our steps then and see if we can solve this mystery.
After you had examined the diamond, what did you do with it? I gave it back to him.
And then? Then we talked, and Hans set up the cleaving operation.
He had the diamond and then- He must have switched stones.
MASON: Just a moment.
Your Honor, I move to strike out the words, "he must have switched stones" as not being responsive to the question, as being a conclusion of the witness.
I ask the court to caution the witness not to volunteer statements.
Objection sustained.
The reporter will strike the witness' last answer.
I can understand your sense of excitement, Mr.
Schoenbeck, and your unfamiliarity with court procedure.
Please, limit your answers to the questions asked.
Yes, Your Honor, but that's- That will be all, Mr.
Schoenbeck.
Thank you very much.
Your witness.
Mr.
Schoenbeck, what happened to the fragments of the shattered diamond? SCHOENBECK: Hans put them in a bag and said he would take them downtown to a dealer.
Now, you said something about words between you, Virginia and Adolph.
Would you please explain who Adolph is? Adolph Van Beers.
He's a diamond cutter from Holland.
He came here to this country with Virginia's father, August Trent, long before Virginia was born.
Some years ago, Adolph cleaved the Emerson Star diamond for Mr.
Trent.
He shattered it.
It cost Mr.
Trent a small fortune.
Adolph has been gun-shy ever since.
Gun-shy? Well, you know, afraid to cleave a large stone.
He's lost his nerve, like a flyer after an accident.
And also he has a terrible guilt complex.
He's a mass of neurosis.
You, uh- You seem to have a slight accent, Mr.
Schoenbeck.
Are you from Holland also? Yes, sir.
Have I seen you before? No.
I seem to have heard your voice before.
Have I ever talked to you on the telephone? No.
Didn't you telephone me on the night of the murder, identify yourself as Hans Breel and make the statement-? No.
No, sir.
I did not telephone you on that night or any other night.
Thank you.
That'll be all.
You may step down, Mr.
Schoenbeck.
Miss Bedford, you were acquainted with the deceased, known to you as Hans Breel, on a personal as well as a business basis? Yes, sir.
As a matter of fact, you knew him well enough to authorize him to dispose of your uncut diamond called the Pundit Dream? Yes.
You knew he was a married man? Oh, yes.
And did you know to whom he was married? You mean, here in the United States or in Amsterdam before he came here? BURGER: His marriage in the United States was not his first marriage? IRENE: Oh, no.
And as a matter of fact, he was still married to his first wife when he came to this country and married the defendant in this case? IRENE: That's right.
He said he told her when he left her in Chicago.
No.
No, he never did.
I didn't know.
I didn't know, Mr.
Mason.
BURGER: If it please the court, I should like to submit these photostatic documents.
A marriage license and certificate, received from Amsterdam, Holland, issued to Piet Verlan, alias Piet Hofer, alias Hugo Werner, alias Hans Breel, and ask that they be marked in evidence for the people.
Cross-examine.
Miss Bedford, in a conversation you had with me the day after the murder, did we not discuss the fact that Hans Breel had tricked you into signing a contract which permitted him to sell the Pundit diamond for any sum he wished, but that he was obligated to pay you not more than $15,000? Yes, you saw the contract and pointed out to me that I had practically given him power of attorney in the diamond.
And then we found out that he sold the stone for $30,000? Yes.
And that you hadn't received a penny of that money? Not then.
Not then? You mean, you have since? Yes, I got a check in the mail yesterday morning for $15,000.
I had to sign an endorsement and a bill of sale to Virginia Trent.
Miss Trent paid you this money? Oh, I don't know.
It wasn't her check.
Whose check was it? Adolph Van Beers'.
MASON: No further questions.
Court adjourned until 2:00.
Burger prepared this case in a hurry, but he built it like a battleship.
We're in the process of being sunk.
I'm sorry, Mr.
Mason.
I lied to you.
The reason I took that stone- I know why you took it, Sarah.
You took it for your daughter.
That's why you tried to run away.
Yes.
Thank you for understanding.
Well, Paul? Come on, let's have lunch.
( dramatic theme playing ) ( mellow theme playing ) I know you folks are in a hurry, so I brought your beverages first.
Are you having the tea, Miss Street? Mm-hm.
Thank you.
And the coffee's mine.
And, uh, also the check.
Will there be anything else? We have some very nice strawberry shortcake.
Mm- No, thanks.
Paul, are you-? Are you sure of those facts? Positive.
Jerry Morrow's boss, William Walker, has been in town the entire time.
He didn't go back to Las Vegas? Nope, and I'd call him a prime suspect except for one thing: he was in the poker game at the time of the murder, and he's got seven witnesses, including Jerry Morrow.
Look, I- I know you checked them thoroughly, Paul, but did either of them leave the room for any length of time? Nope, not even to telephone.
There was no phone in the room, and nobody left the room.
Not even at 9:30 when someone called you at the office and said he was Hans Breel.
Well, then, that phone call was obviously an attempt to establish a false time of death.
Right.
Uh, Morrow's been very helpful, Paul.
However, we'll still keep an eye on him.
It's, um, been nice having lunch with you, but it's time to get back to the courtroom.
It is the Pundit's Dream.
Now, it's been proven that the stone the defendant tried to sell to Lawrence David on the night of the murder was the Pundit Dream.
Do you now corroborate the previous testimony of the expert that this is that stone? Yes.
Then, the diamond or paste or fused-glass fake that Hans Breel struck with a chisel and hammer could not have been the Pundit Dream, could it? Obviously, it could not have been.
Thank you, sir.
Your witness.
Now, Mr.
Van Beers, isn't it true that because you became gun-shy and refused to take chances, Miss Trent had to look elsewhere for a diamond cutter? Yes.
I She hired Hans because of me.
Where do you live, Mr.
Van Beers? At 5 East Avenue H, in Fernwood.
Did Mr.
Breel live at the same address? Yes, when he came to work at Trent's, I got him the apartment.
On the same floor as yours? Yes.
Now, after Breel shattered the stone you thought was the Pundit Dream, did you attempt to speak to him again? No, I didn't.
Oh, come, now, Mr.
Van Beers.
You mean to say, you didn't even cross the hall to ask him why his calculations with the stone had gone wrong? Yes, I did go to his apartment.
What time was that? Around half-past 8.
All right, Mr.
Mason.
I killed him.
I killed him because I couldn't stand what he had done to Virginia.
She had trusted him.
She had put her life, her future, in his hands.
He had betrayed her.
BURGER: Your Honor, in view of the sudden turn this case has taken- Excuse me, Mr.
Burger.
If Your Honor please, I would like to continue my cross-examination of this witness.
You may continue, Mr.
Mason.
Thank you.
Mr.
Burger? Thank you.
Now, Mr.
Van Beers, when you went into Breel's apartment was the door closed? Yes, the door was closed.
And while you were in his apartment, did you telephone me? Yes.
Will you tell me how you knew I had called him? He had written a note with your phone number on it that he got from his message service.
And when you left his apartment, did you close the door? No.
I left it open a little.
But Mrs.
Werner found the door closed and left it closed.
I found it open, so you must have been there after Mrs.
Werner and before me.
Well, yes, I guess, uh I guess I was there after she was there.
But Mrs.
Werner found her husband dead.
She took the diamond from his pocket, so he must have been dead when you arrived.
Oh, oh, no! And all those things you told the police to throw them off the trail.
The telephone call to me, the fingerprints, the door, even the $15,000 you sent to Miss Bedford.
They weren't to protect you because you didn't kill Hans Breel.
No, I tell you, I did it! Adolph, no, you mustn't! He's trying to protect me! Order! There will be order in this courtroom.
Young lady, what's the meaning of this? If it please the court, I think I can clarify the situation if I'm correct in assuming that Mr.
Burger intends to call Virginia Trent as his next witness.
I certainly do so intend.
Now if you will permit, Mr.
Burger, and with the permission of the court, I should like first to recall Miss Irene Bedford.
Mr.
Burger? I have no objections, Your Honor.
You may step down.
Miss Bedford to the stand.
You realize you're still under oath, Miss Bedford? Of course.
Now I'd just like to clear up a few points.
Did Hans Breel telephone you on the afternoon of the murder to tell you he had shattered the Pundit Dream? No.
That's odd.
It is? Well, Breel was in dire need of money, so he devised this scheme.
He would make it seem as though he had shattered the stone.
Virginia would get hurt, you would get hurt, and he would keep the real diamond without anyone knowing it.
Neat trick, wasn't it? Fascinating.
But you had to know the stone was shattered, so it would have been illogical for him not to have called you.
He didn't call.
Hm.
Uh, do you, uh-? Do you recall showing me the contract between yourself and the deceased? Yes, you were nice enough to interpret it for me.
In matters like that, I'm a complete innocent.
Now in your testimony earlier, you talked about giving Breel virtual power of attorney in the diamond.
Yes, you pointed that out to me.
But I never used the phrase "power of attorney.
" Who did? I can't remember.
Another attorney? Yes.
When did you see him? It must have been some time that day, the day Hans was killed.
Why? Something must have prompted you to see an attorney, Miss Bedford.
Was it after Hans called and told you he'd shattered the stone? Yes.
Then the attorney verified the fact that whatever Hans wanted to do, he could do, and you had no recourse? Yes.
Then you went to Hans' apartment? No.
Aren't you lying again, Miss Bedford? He had double-crossed you.
First, out of $15,000, then out of the balance after he shattered the stone, so you went to his apartment.
No, I knew about the stone.
I knew he had switched stones! Hans told me! Told you when? When I saw him.
At his apartment? Yes! I didn't kill him.
I knew that if I admitted speaking to him or going to his apartment, you'd suspect me.
I didn't kill him.
He told me about the diamond and how he could get rid of it in another city and how much more money we could get for it.
Then why did you accept the $15,000 check from Adolph Van Beers? What? The check he sent you yesterday? Why would you have signed a bill of sale if knowing the diamond was intact? You wouldn't have.
When you faced Breel with that gun, why didn't you take the diamond away from him? It was there in his pocket.
If, as you say, he had told you about it, why didn't you take the diamond away from him? You're trying to trip me up! No, Miss Bedford, you tripped yourself up.
You're so tangled in lies, I don't believe you know the truth from fiction.
I hated him! He wanted to get rid of me! Besides lying and cheating, he wanted to get rid of me! You- You were still in love with him? Oh, y-yes.
That's why I killed him.
That's why I killed him! ( tense theme playing ) It's of no use.
There's too much risk.
I haven't cleaved a stone in so many years.
Please, Adolph, if you don't cleave the Pundit Dream, no one else will.
But, liebchen, one needs a firm hand, a sharp eye.
Other things measure a man's stature, Mr.
Van Beers.
Important things like dignity, self-respect, courage, a mind that's not filled with doubt.
Virginia wants that for you above all else.
Even if you fail.
( panting ) Perfect! They should be worth $40,000 to $50,000 each.
So, Adolph, you have not lost the master's touch.
Congratulations.
Oh! Well, you won't make expenses on this case, Perry, but it's dividends like that that make it all worth while.
( dramatic theme playing ) ( noirish jazz theme playing )
I know, Walker.
I haven't got the money.
None of it? No.
Fifteen thousand dollars is a lot of money.
My luck has been bad and- You wouldn't use that.
You could kill a man.
Oh, I wouldn't say that.
Would you, Jerry? It would be interesting to find out.
Please, Mr.
Walker, you've got to give me a chance.
I'll get you your money.
When? Give me a week? A couple of days, then? Please, you won't regret it.
All right.
You've got 48 hours.
If I were you, I'd make every minute count.
( mysterious theme playing ) ( romantic music playing over radio ) To the prodigal.
Well, Hans, been behaving yourself lately? Mm-hm.
I'm the soul of virtue.
No gambling? No other complications? I've been much too busy.
Irene, I've been a tremendous success as a diamond broker.
I was a fool for so many years.
You, a fool? I can't imagine you being a fool, Hans.
Unless it would be over a woman or a gamble.
A fool to be a diamond cutter, to work for a salary.
( chuckles ) Do you still have your Pundit Dream, the uncut diamond? Mm-hm.
I still have it.
Let me see it again, darling, will you? I think I may have a buyer for it.
All right.
As a matter of fact, I have it right here.
I was going to take it to Schoenbeck in the morning to see if he could cut it for me.
HANS: Like an old friend, seeing it again.
I think I know every little tricky grain in it.
Do you have a buyer for it, Hans? I think maybe, perhaps.
Yes.
How much? I'll try to get 15,000, Irene.
Fifteen thousand? Why, if the Dream's cut properly, it's- You know, it's a very difficult stone, very risky.
Sure, it can be worth but if it shatters in cleavage, it won't be worth being swept up from the floor.
No, no, no, 15,000, but safe, guaranteed.
How did you know I needed money right now? ( chuckles ) ( suspenseful theme playing ) HANS: At least 50 good carats if it's a point.
Obviously, my dear, you can make a most handsome profit.
Adolph, what do you think? I have seen this stone before.
It is the Pundit's Dream, a very difficult stone.
Virginia, if properly cleaved, it can bring at least $100,000.
With this one, the risk is very great.
I wouldn't try to cleave it.
Too dangerous.
Everything seems to be too dangerous for you now, old man.
Hans, perhaps I shouldn't take the risk.
Things are- Well, things haven't been going very well since father died.
I have to run this business all by myself, you know.
Listen, my dear, there isn't really any risk.
I'll cleave it myself.
I've studied it very carefully.
We can get an opinion from Schoenbeck or Hillary, or whatever expert you want.
This is your chance to make a big profit.
Yes, it is, isn't it? Oh, it could solve so many problems for me.
Just think, Adolph, if I could sell this stone for even $60,000 You really think it will work, Hans? Darling, I promise you.
VIRGINIA: Oh, I want to believe you.
HANS: Then do.
Well, even if I did buy it, I can't raise the 30,000 right away.
How much can you get? Oh, probably half.
HANS: Well, that's splendid.
Fifteen thousand now, fifteen thousand later on.
Miss Bedford will accept.
( chuckles ) You won't regret it, darling.
( mysterious theme playing ) WOMAN: That's a picture of my husband, Hugo, and my little girl Kathy, taken two years ago in Chicago, Mr.
Mason.
Do you think that you'll be able to help me? Well, Mrs.
Werner, if your husband disappeared 18 months ago, why have you waited until now to try to find him? But I have tried, as much as I was able.
You see, Kathy and I inherited a joint trust fund of $90,000 from my father.
Hugo persuaded me to let him invest the fund so the value could increase.
Now, what did he do with the money? Well, he gambled it all away.
I didn't even know about it until after he left me.
He said he was leaving the town on business.
He's a diamond expert, you see, a cutter and broker.
Did you notify the police? That would have meant scandal, Mr.
Mason.
But you must have made inquiries? Well, yes, I did.
And I have reason to believe that he's here, here in Los Angeles right now.
Mrs.
Werner, why do you want to find your husband now? Oh, I don't want anything for myself, but he's got to pay back the money that he stole from my child.
Well, first, we'll have to locate him before we take any legal action.
I'll put the Drake Detective Agency on it.
Oh, uh, Mr.
Mason, I, uh I'm not prepared to pay you right now.
I thought that if I could find him, uh, maybe I can arrange- Yes, it's- It's all right, Mrs.
Werner.
We'll work it out.
You can be reached at your hotel? Yes.
Thank you very much, Mr.
Mason.
Goodbye.
Bye.
Did you notice the perfume she was wearing? Mm-hm.
Eternity, $150 a half ounce.
( suspenseful theme playing ) Seven-high straight.
Well, ha-ha.
That cleans me out for tonight.
I'd like to get back at you, if you'd advance me a little credit.
For just till tomorrow.
I'll have more cash then.
We'll have a game tomorrow.
I dropped $15,000 here tonight! Breel, Jerry Morrow was asking about you.
( ominous theme playing ) You know Morrow.
Walker's boy? ( rings ) Hello? ( over phone ): Virginia, this is Hans.
Oh, is anything wrong? No, nothing personally, my dear.
I've just had an urgent call from Miss Bedford.
She's got to have the rest of the money for the Pundit Dream right away.
Oh, but you said I didn't have to pay it for 30 days.
Hans, I-I can't possibly borrow any more from the bank.
How 'bout Schoenbeck? He's an old friend of your father's.
Ask him, Virginia.
Well all right, dear.
I'll call him first thing tomorrow.
Bless you, darling.
You've saved my life.
Very dangerous.
Very.
Is this yours, Breel? Yes.
You recommend cleaving, not sawing? Yes.
Yes, I do.
And you, Adolph? I recommend nothing.
I think it is disaster.
It's probably the best approach, Breel.
Then you recommend cleaving, like that? If it must be done, yes.
Will you lend me $10,000 on it, Mr.
Schoenbeck? No, Miss Trent.
No? But I'll buy a half interest in it, right now, for $10,000.
Virginia, no.
Don't give it away.
It could be worth practically nothing too.
Schoenbeck, if I cleave it now, will you lend her the money? If it is successful.
All right.
Let's set it up.
( suspenseful theme playing ) ( shattering ) ( ominous theme playing ) I don't know any other kind of gambling where you can lose so quickly.
We had to try.
A hundred thousand dollars one moment, chips and splinters the next.
Oh, Hans, what can we do? HANS: They're worth something.
A few thousand, anyway.
I'll take them downtown.
Hans.
Well, Mrs.
Werner? It's Hugo.
Calls himself Hans Breel these days.
No, wait.
Wait, I must talk to him.
I'm sorry.
Are- Are we going to follow him? Don't have to.
He lives at the Prescott Apartments.
Now, Mrs.
Werner, I'm gonna drive you to your hotel.
You're to wait there till Mr.
Mason calls you.
You understand, Mrs.
Werner? Those are Mr.
Mason's orders.
Yes, I understand.
Okay.
( engine starts ) Well, try to call again, will you, Gertie? Thank you.
What else did you find out, Paul? Well, this Hugo Werner or Hans Breel, whatever he calls himself these days, quite a character.
Man about town, lover, gambler.
And? And he works out of, uh, Trent and Company, a swank jeweler on Wilshire.
And his gambling's got him in pretty deep with a character named Bill Walker.
He owes him a bundle.
( phone rings ) Hello? Oh, is this Mr.
Breel's message service again? Well, this is the Perry Mason office, and- Oh, he did.
Well, thank you very much.
He got your message over an hour ago.
And hasn't answered the call.
What about Mrs.
Werner? No word from her either.
That's funny.
Paul, are you sure you told her? ( phone rings ) Yes, Gertie.
Oh, put him on.
Mr.
Breel.
Mr.
Breel, this is Perry Mason.
MAN: I'm sorry I could not return your call sooner.
What can I do for you, Mr.
Mason? Well, actually, it's rather difficult to discuss on the telephone.
Perhaps you could drop by my office? I'm sorry, that is out of the question.
Well, suppose I come by to see you.
Tonight? Yes, tonight.
But it's almost 9:30 now.
I can be there in half an hour.
You cannot give me an idea of what this is all about? No, I'm sorry, Mr.
Breel.
I'll see you at 10.
( suspenseful theme playing ) ( doorbell buzzing ) ( sniffs ) Yeah, gunpowder.
Paul.
Hm? ( exhales ) ( sniffs ) Perry- I smell that too.
It's called Eternity.
Sarah Werner uses it.
Eternity, huh? That can be as long as it takes to squeeze a trigger.
Better find her, Paul, the sooner the better.
Okay.
Let's get out of here.
See you later, Perry.
Oh, uh May I use your phone? Yes.
I'd like to report a murder.
( doorbell buzzing ) Oh.
Come in.
What time is it? Quarter to 4.
I found Mrs.
Werner at the bus depot.
She was waiting for the 3:10 to Chicago.
Sit down, Mrs.
Werner.
Where were you early last night? Out.
Obviously.
Out where? Walking.
Up the stairs to your husband's apartment? Or did you ride the elevator? You don't understand.
MASON: I'd like to understand.
I'd like to understand why you didn't call us and tell us what you'd done.
I asked her that.
I can explain it.
I did go for a walk.
A long walk.
And then I Then I went to Hugo's apartment.
I rang the bell, and there was no answer.
I thought he was out.
And then just- Just before leaving, I I turned the doorknob.
The door was open.
( sobbing ): And I went in.
Go on, Mrs.
Werner.
He was dead.
Th-there was a burned smell in the room, and there was a gun on the floor.
What time was this? I don't know.
I don't know what time it was.
What about the gun? Did you touch it? No, I I'm- I'm afraid of guns.
Then did you leave? Yes.
You closed the apartment door when you left? Yes.
Completely closed it? Yes.
Then you decided to run away.
How much evidence do you think you left in your husband's apartment last night? But I didn't leave any.
Didn't you touch anything? The doorknob, the table, any of half a dozen other objects in the room? But-? But how would they know that they're my fingerprints? Mrs.
Werner, you're the wife of a murdered man.
Don't you realize the police are going to investigate you, whether you're here in Chicago or at the North Pole? I didn't know.
I- What shall I do, Mr.
Mason? Did you kill your husband? I don't want a shake of the head, I want you to look at me and say it out loud.
No.
No, no, no, no, I didn't.
I loved him, I- I know that- That he took my money, and- And he walked out on me.
But his gambling was a sickness.
He just couldn't help himself.
I loved him.
Please, what shall I do, Mr.
Mason? I think you'd better call the police.
The police? Well, if they prefer any charges against you, we'll rush them into an early hearing and then try to take them off balance.
The phone is right there, Mrs.
Werner.
( somber theme playing ) What's their number? ( knocking on door ) What is it, Jack? There's a Paul Drake outside.
He wants to talk to Mr.
Walker.
He's a private detective.
He does a lot of work for Perry Mason.
Tell him I'm not here.
Oh, um, wait a minute.
Tell him I'm not here, but, uh, Mr.
Morrow will talk to him.
You play this hand.
I'll kibitz.
( knocking on door ) Uh, Mr.
Morrow? That's me.
PAUL: I understand you work for a Mr.
Walker.
I'm very anxious to get in touch with him.
You can't.
He's in Vegas.
He was in town yesterday.
That was in the morning.
He left in the afternoon on the 5:30 flight.
( sighs ) What's wrong, buster? I'm just trying to remember where I know you from.
You don't know me from Adam.
I think Mr.
Mason would like to talk to you.
No, thanks.
Come on, boys.
Let's play cards.
Hey, Drake.
I think I'll take you up on that invitation.
I've always been curious about this Mason fellow.
All right, I'll call him and tell him to meet us at the office.
Where were we? Your bet.
Oh.
Now, I think there's a couple of things that ought to go on the record, Mr.
Mason.
Like the $15,000 that Hans Breel owed Walker? No, almost anyone in Vegas could have told you that.
Then what things, Mr.
Morrow? Well, that about ten days ago, a woman came to see Mr.
Walker.
She showed him a picture.
What kind of picture? Of a man and a little girl.
This woman asked if Mr.
Walker had seen the man.
She called him Hugo Werner.
What did Mr.
Walker tell her? He told her that he didn't know anyone named Hugo Werner.
I see.
She said something about making sure she got some money from him if she had to follow him to the end of the Earth to get it.
Does this interest you, Mr.
Mason? Yes, it does.
Now, Mr.
Walker doesn't like to get messed up in an affair like this, but he doesn't have to go blabbing to the police either.
Just like you don't have to poke into the business we had with Hans Breel.
Tell me something, Mr.
Morrow.
Sure.
How do you stand with the money Breel owed you? We've written it off.
When you asked him for it, did he say where he hoped to get it? He said some gal had an uncut diamond that he was going to sell and make some money with.
Just, uh, some girl? He didn't mention any name? It wasn't our business.
Thank you, Mr.
Morrow.
That's okay, counselor, I like to make friends when it doesn't hurt.
You never know when you're gonna need one in a hurry, especially a good lawyer.
( door closes ) Why so preoccupied, Paul? One of the guys in that poker game.
Nah, it couldn't have been Bill Walker.
They wouldn't lie to me right to my face.
Did he say the 5:30 plane to Las Vegas? Yeah, I'll check the flights.
Oh, that, uh, girl with the uncut diamond that Morrow mentioned, her name's, uh, Irene Bedford.
She lives at 813 West Serrano, apartment 5-B.
Wonder if she'll mind my calling on her before breakfast.
Probably.
I am going to bed.
Good night.
I think you should, but before you do, uh, will you check on these for me? Good morning.
( mysterious theme playing ) So that's it, Mr.
Mason.
I signed Hans' contract, and he sold the Pundit Dream to Virginia Trent for $15,000.
As you can see, he was to get ten percent of the sale price.
I'm afraid you're wrong, Miss Bedford.
This contract actually assigned title of your diamond to Breel.
He agreed to pay you he might derive from any sale, not to exceed $15,000.
Isn't that what I just said? No.
Breel could have sold the diamond for any sum and still have paid you only $15,000.
What if he did sell it for more? I guess there's a price on everything.
Even love.
He was a compulsive gambler.
I understand that, night before last, he lost $15,000 in a poker game.
Fifteen thousand dollars? Where would Hans get money like that? You mean, it was mine? You mean, Virginia Trent paid him the $15,000, and he lied to me about her not being able to pay for 30 days? One would think you're hearing this for the first time, Miss Bedford.
When do you think I would have heard it? Let's go see Virginia Trent.
Oh, uh, will you be long? Two and a half minutes.
Time me.
( suspenseful theme playing ) Fifteen thousand? Yes, that's what Hans told me.
VIRGINIA: You know what happened to the Pundit Dream? It shattered.
That's tough luck, but it doesn't affect me.
Now, look, you're not trying to renege? Oh, no.
No, it was a firm deal.
Only it was for 30,000.
Hans said he couldn't get it for less.
Hans told me he couldn't get more than 15.
VIRGINIA: Why, I already gave him 15,000.
He said you needed the balance right away.
That's why he took a chance and cleaved the stone.
Only- Well, I'm sorry, Miss Bedford, but it's going to be a long time before I can pay you the rest of the money.
I didn't even get the first part of it.
I can't ask you for the balance.
I'm afraid Hans didn't always tell the truth.
Did you know he was married? Yes, I knew.
Did you see him last night? No.
Some unidentified person went to his apartment last night, after he'd been shot, and apparently left the door open upon leaving.
ADOLPH: Liebchen? Have you seen the papers? Do you know, uh-? Do you work here? Yes.
VIRGINIA: This is Adolph Van Beers, Mr.
Mason, a very old friend and worker.
Mr.
Van Beers, why didn't you say something last night about knowing Hans? What was there to say? Hans was dead.
You were calling the police.
I did not shoot him, Mr.
Mason.
So, what was there to say? ( ominous theme playing ) Gonna try a case? Oh.
Hi, Perry.
Hi, Paul.
Just been to police headquarters.
Any luck? Well, they've just booked Sarah Werner for the murder of her husband.
Have they? Apparently, they've established her at the scene at the time.
And they've got a piece of a motive, what with the money angle, and then checking back on Hans Breel, alias Hugo Werner, alias two or three other names.
Are you sure they don't have something more? They moved pretty fast.
They may have.
And if I sound cryptic, so did Lieutenant Tragg.
Well, what did Tragg say that sounded so cryptic? Well, as near as I can remember, quote: "The police were looking for Sarah Werner even before they knew she was in town.
" Unquote.
( dramatic theme playing ) Would you tell us the cause of death, please, doctor? Death was caused by a 9 mm bullet through the heart.
And the time of death, sir? Between 7:45 and 9:15 p.
m.
, April 6th.
Thank you, doctor.
Your witness.
Doctor, may I ask if death might have occurred at a quarter of ten? No, sir.
How 'bout 9:30? No, sir.
As a matter of fact, there's only one chance in 100,000 it was after 9:00.
The area of extreme probability was between 8:15 and 8:45.
Thank you, doctor, that's all.
Well, the fingerprints of the defendant, Mrs.
Sarah Werner, were found on a magazine rack near the body.
Thank you, lieutenant.
Cross-examine.
Those were the only fingerprints you found of the defendant in the room, lieutenant? Yes, sir.
Other places where fingerprints would normally be found had been wiped clean.
Thank you, lieutenant.
You may step down, lieutenant.
And I've been a, uh, diamond importer and wholesaler for nearly 25 years.
I have offices in Amsterdam, New York and here in Los Angeles.
Defense recognizes the witness is a qualified expert in the diamond trade.
Thank you, counselor.
Now, Mr.
David, would you tell us, please, what transpired in your office on the evening of April 6th? Well, I was working late, and, uh, about half past 9, a woman knocked at my front door.
I let her in.
She had an uncut diamond to sell me.
BURGER: And now, Mr.
David, I ask you to look around this courtroom and tell us if you recognize the woman that tried to sell you that stone.
Yes.
That's she.
BURGER: Let the record show that the witness is pointing to the defendant, Sarah Werner.
Now we know what Tragg meant when he sounded cryptic.
Cross-examine.
MASON: No questions.
You may step down.
So I examined the Pundit Dream and gave my opinion.
I said it would be very dangerous to try to cleave the stone.
Now, let's proceed very carefully, Mr.
Schoenbeck.
After you examined the stone, what happened? SCHOENBECK: Well, there were a few words with Adolph and Virginia, and then Hans- I beg your pardon.
Hugo Werner said he would cleave it.
He said he had studied it and knew he would not shatter it.
And this is the same stone that you had just finished examining, the Pundit Dream? SCHOENBECK: Yes.
BURGER: All right, what happened then? SCHOENBECK: He set everything up and struck the stone.
BURGER: And then? The stone shattered into fragments.
BURGER: Now, Mr.
Schoenbeck, you have been qualified here as an expert.
There was no mistaking the Pundit Dream when you examined it, was there? No, I could not mistake it.
I show you now this uncut diamond, marked in evidence, which has been identified here by the expert, Lawrence David, as having been presented to him by the defendant.
I ask if you recognize this? Recognize it? Why, that is- That is- Go on, Mr.
Schoenbeck.
It's the Pundit Dream.
BURGER: Whole, in one piece, not shattered.
SCHOENBECK: Yes, but I saw it! I saw him lift the hammer and strike.
It is the Pundit Dream.
But that doesn't seem very logical, does it, Mr.
Schoenbeck? I mean, you can't take a diamond and shatter it and then put it back together again, can you? No, that's impossible.
Well, let's retrace our steps then and see if we can solve this mystery.
After you had examined the diamond, what did you do with it? I gave it back to him.
And then? Then we talked, and Hans set up the cleaving operation.
He had the diamond and then- He must have switched stones.
MASON: Just a moment.
Your Honor, I move to strike out the words, "he must have switched stones" as not being responsive to the question, as being a conclusion of the witness.
I ask the court to caution the witness not to volunteer statements.
Objection sustained.
The reporter will strike the witness' last answer.
I can understand your sense of excitement, Mr.
Schoenbeck, and your unfamiliarity with court procedure.
Please, limit your answers to the questions asked.
Yes, Your Honor, but that's- That will be all, Mr.
Schoenbeck.
Thank you very much.
Your witness.
Mr.
Schoenbeck, what happened to the fragments of the shattered diamond? SCHOENBECK: Hans put them in a bag and said he would take them downtown to a dealer.
Now, you said something about words between you, Virginia and Adolph.
Would you please explain who Adolph is? Adolph Van Beers.
He's a diamond cutter from Holland.
He came here to this country with Virginia's father, August Trent, long before Virginia was born.
Some years ago, Adolph cleaved the Emerson Star diamond for Mr.
Trent.
He shattered it.
It cost Mr.
Trent a small fortune.
Adolph has been gun-shy ever since.
Gun-shy? Well, you know, afraid to cleave a large stone.
He's lost his nerve, like a flyer after an accident.
And also he has a terrible guilt complex.
He's a mass of neurosis.
You, uh- You seem to have a slight accent, Mr.
Schoenbeck.
Are you from Holland also? Yes, sir.
Have I seen you before? No.
I seem to have heard your voice before.
Have I ever talked to you on the telephone? No.
Didn't you telephone me on the night of the murder, identify yourself as Hans Breel and make the statement-? No.
No, sir.
I did not telephone you on that night or any other night.
Thank you.
That'll be all.
You may step down, Mr.
Schoenbeck.
Miss Bedford, you were acquainted with the deceased, known to you as Hans Breel, on a personal as well as a business basis? Yes, sir.
As a matter of fact, you knew him well enough to authorize him to dispose of your uncut diamond called the Pundit Dream? Yes.
You knew he was a married man? Oh, yes.
And did you know to whom he was married? You mean, here in the United States or in Amsterdam before he came here? BURGER: His marriage in the United States was not his first marriage? IRENE: Oh, no.
And as a matter of fact, he was still married to his first wife when he came to this country and married the defendant in this case? IRENE: That's right.
He said he told her when he left her in Chicago.
No.
No, he never did.
I didn't know.
I didn't know, Mr.
Mason.
BURGER: If it please the court, I should like to submit these photostatic documents.
A marriage license and certificate, received from Amsterdam, Holland, issued to Piet Verlan, alias Piet Hofer, alias Hugo Werner, alias Hans Breel, and ask that they be marked in evidence for the people.
Cross-examine.
Miss Bedford, in a conversation you had with me the day after the murder, did we not discuss the fact that Hans Breel had tricked you into signing a contract which permitted him to sell the Pundit diamond for any sum he wished, but that he was obligated to pay you not more than $15,000? Yes, you saw the contract and pointed out to me that I had practically given him power of attorney in the diamond.
And then we found out that he sold the stone for $30,000? Yes.
And that you hadn't received a penny of that money? Not then.
Not then? You mean, you have since? Yes, I got a check in the mail yesterday morning for $15,000.
I had to sign an endorsement and a bill of sale to Virginia Trent.
Miss Trent paid you this money? Oh, I don't know.
It wasn't her check.
Whose check was it? Adolph Van Beers'.
MASON: No further questions.
Court adjourned until 2:00.
Burger prepared this case in a hurry, but he built it like a battleship.
We're in the process of being sunk.
I'm sorry, Mr.
Mason.
I lied to you.
The reason I took that stone- I know why you took it, Sarah.
You took it for your daughter.
That's why you tried to run away.
Yes.
Thank you for understanding.
Well, Paul? Come on, let's have lunch.
( dramatic theme playing ) ( mellow theme playing ) I know you folks are in a hurry, so I brought your beverages first.
Are you having the tea, Miss Street? Mm-hm.
Thank you.
And the coffee's mine.
And, uh, also the check.
Will there be anything else? We have some very nice strawberry shortcake.
Mm- No, thanks.
Paul, are you-? Are you sure of those facts? Positive.
Jerry Morrow's boss, William Walker, has been in town the entire time.
He didn't go back to Las Vegas? Nope, and I'd call him a prime suspect except for one thing: he was in the poker game at the time of the murder, and he's got seven witnesses, including Jerry Morrow.
Look, I- I know you checked them thoroughly, Paul, but did either of them leave the room for any length of time? Nope, not even to telephone.
There was no phone in the room, and nobody left the room.
Not even at 9:30 when someone called you at the office and said he was Hans Breel.
Well, then, that phone call was obviously an attempt to establish a false time of death.
Right.
Uh, Morrow's been very helpful, Paul.
However, we'll still keep an eye on him.
It's, um, been nice having lunch with you, but it's time to get back to the courtroom.
It is the Pundit's Dream.
Now, it's been proven that the stone the defendant tried to sell to Lawrence David on the night of the murder was the Pundit Dream.
Do you now corroborate the previous testimony of the expert that this is that stone? Yes.
Then, the diamond or paste or fused-glass fake that Hans Breel struck with a chisel and hammer could not have been the Pundit Dream, could it? Obviously, it could not have been.
Thank you, sir.
Your witness.
Now, Mr.
Van Beers, isn't it true that because you became gun-shy and refused to take chances, Miss Trent had to look elsewhere for a diamond cutter? Yes.
I She hired Hans because of me.
Where do you live, Mr.
Van Beers? At 5 East Avenue H, in Fernwood.
Did Mr.
Breel live at the same address? Yes, when he came to work at Trent's, I got him the apartment.
On the same floor as yours? Yes.
Now, after Breel shattered the stone you thought was the Pundit Dream, did you attempt to speak to him again? No, I didn't.
Oh, come, now, Mr.
Van Beers.
You mean to say, you didn't even cross the hall to ask him why his calculations with the stone had gone wrong? Yes, I did go to his apartment.
What time was that? Around half-past 8.
All right, Mr.
Mason.
I killed him.
I killed him because I couldn't stand what he had done to Virginia.
She had trusted him.
She had put her life, her future, in his hands.
He had betrayed her.
BURGER: Your Honor, in view of the sudden turn this case has taken- Excuse me, Mr.
Burger.
If Your Honor please, I would like to continue my cross-examination of this witness.
You may continue, Mr.
Mason.
Thank you.
Mr.
Burger? Thank you.
Now, Mr.
Van Beers, when you went into Breel's apartment was the door closed? Yes, the door was closed.
And while you were in his apartment, did you telephone me? Yes.
Will you tell me how you knew I had called him? He had written a note with your phone number on it that he got from his message service.
And when you left his apartment, did you close the door? No.
I left it open a little.
But Mrs.
Werner found the door closed and left it closed.
I found it open, so you must have been there after Mrs.
Werner and before me.
Well, yes, I guess, uh I guess I was there after she was there.
But Mrs.
Werner found her husband dead.
She took the diamond from his pocket, so he must have been dead when you arrived.
Oh, oh, no! And all those things you told the police to throw them off the trail.
The telephone call to me, the fingerprints, the door, even the $15,000 you sent to Miss Bedford.
They weren't to protect you because you didn't kill Hans Breel.
No, I tell you, I did it! Adolph, no, you mustn't! He's trying to protect me! Order! There will be order in this courtroom.
Young lady, what's the meaning of this? If it please the court, I think I can clarify the situation if I'm correct in assuming that Mr.
Burger intends to call Virginia Trent as his next witness.
I certainly do so intend.
Now if you will permit, Mr.
Burger, and with the permission of the court, I should like first to recall Miss Irene Bedford.
Mr.
Burger? I have no objections, Your Honor.
You may step down.
Miss Bedford to the stand.
You realize you're still under oath, Miss Bedford? Of course.
Now I'd just like to clear up a few points.
Did Hans Breel telephone you on the afternoon of the murder to tell you he had shattered the Pundit Dream? No.
That's odd.
It is? Well, Breel was in dire need of money, so he devised this scheme.
He would make it seem as though he had shattered the stone.
Virginia would get hurt, you would get hurt, and he would keep the real diamond without anyone knowing it.
Neat trick, wasn't it? Fascinating.
But you had to know the stone was shattered, so it would have been illogical for him not to have called you.
He didn't call.
Hm.
Uh, do you, uh-? Do you recall showing me the contract between yourself and the deceased? Yes, you were nice enough to interpret it for me.
In matters like that, I'm a complete innocent.
Now in your testimony earlier, you talked about giving Breel virtual power of attorney in the diamond.
Yes, you pointed that out to me.
But I never used the phrase "power of attorney.
" Who did? I can't remember.
Another attorney? Yes.
When did you see him? It must have been some time that day, the day Hans was killed.
Why? Something must have prompted you to see an attorney, Miss Bedford.
Was it after Hans called and told you he'd shattered the stone? Yes.
Then the attorney verified the fact that whatever Hans wanted to do, he could do, and you had no recourse? Yes.
Then you went to Hans' apartment? No.
Aren't you lying again, Miss Bedford? He had double-crossed you.
First, out of $15,000, then out of the balance after he shattered the stone, so you went to his apartment.
No, I knew about the stone.
I knew he had switched stones! Hans told me! Told you when? When I saw him.
At his apartment? Yes! I didn't kill him.
I knew that if I admitted speaking to him or going to his apartment, you'd suspect me.
I didn't kill him.
He told me about the diamond and how he could get rid of it in another city and how much more money we could get for it.
Then why did you accept the $15,000 check from Adolph Van Beers? What? The check he sent you yesterday? Why would you have signed a bill of sale if knowing the diamond was intact? You wouldn't have.
When you faced Breel with that gun, why didn't you take the diamond away from him? It was there in his pocket.
If, as you say, he had told you about it, why didn't you take the diamond away from him? You're trying to trip me up! No, Miss Bedford, you tripped yourself up.
You're so tangled in lies, I don't believe you know the truth from fiction.
I hated him! He wanted to get rid of me! Besides lying and cheating, he wanted to get rid of me! You- You were still in love with him? Oh, y-yes.
That's why I killed him.
That's why I killed him! ( tense theme playing ) It's of no use.
There's too much risk.
I haven't cleaved a stone in so many years.
Please, Adolph, if you don't cleave the Pundit Dream, no one else will.
But, liebchen, one needs a firm hand, a sharp eye.
Other things measure a man's stature, Mr.
Van Beers.
Important things like dignity, self-respect, courage, a mind that's not filled with doubt.
Virginia wants that for you above all else.
Even if you fail.
( panting ) Perfect! They should be worth $40,000 to $50,000 each.
So, Adolph, you have not lost the master's touch.
Congratulations.
Oh! Well, you won't make expenses on this case, Perry, but it's dividends like that that make it all worth while.
( dramatic theme playing ) ( noirish jazz theme playing )