Perry Mason (1957) s05e19 Episode Script
The Case of the Glamorous Ghost
Itheme.]
[horn honks.]
Wait a minute, lady.
May l have your name, please.
l don't know my name.
You've read the morning papers.
You know about this-- this ''glamorous ghost,'' this exhibitionist in Sierra Vista Park last night who made a naked spectacle of herself in the moonlight.
l saw pictures in the papers, read that the police were trying to establish the identity of the woman they picked up-- a woman sumering from amnesia.
That woman is my sister-- Eleanor Corbin.
Have you communicated this information to the authorities? No, l haven't.
Perhaps you'd better explain.
Eleanor is an exhibitionist and an opportunist.
She's also a liar.
Regardless of that story in the papers, she doesn't have any more amnesia than l do.
Once before she worked herself out of trouble by faking amnesia.
Now she's in trouble again-- more amnesia.
l think you ought to give us all the circumstances.
Della, you'd better take this down.
Well, about two weeks ago, Eleanor ran away with Douglas Hepner.
Just one moment, please.
Douglas what? Douglas Hepner-- the most charming, ingratiating man you've ever met where women are concerned, and the nastiest heel who ever lived.
All right, your sister ran away with him.
Now two things.
Were they married? And where is Douglas Hepner? l don't know where Hepner is or how he can be located.
As to their being married, that's what she says, but l don't believe it.
My father and l were away for the weekend, and when we returned, we found this wire saying that they were on their way to Yuma, Arizona, to be married.
That was two weeks ago, and we haven't heard from her since.
Exactly what is it you want me to do? And then? Find out what trouble she's gotten herself into and straighten it out.
l think this trouble she's in could be serious.
l'm afraid it-- l'm afraid it could hurt my father.
ls your father in good health? Physically, he's pe_ect.
Dad's in the wholesale jewelry business.
He specializes in diamonds.
He's a man whose word is as good as a written contract.
A family scandal could crush him.
Miss Corbin, l'm going to be tied up most of the day.
For the moment, suppose Mr.
Drake goes along with you.
But l thought if you were there-- From what you've told us, there doesn't appear that there's any immediate need or urgency.
Hello, Eleanor.
- Olga.
- Congratulations, dear.
Since you recognize me, l gather you've recovered, most conveniently, from your amnesia.
Amn-- What are you talking about? The police picked you up last night.
Dazed and seemingly sumering from amnesia.
Where am l, Olga? Who are they? They work for Perry Mason, the attorney we've retained to help you.
Mr.
Paul Drake and Miss Della Street.
An attorney? What do l need an attorney for? [Della.]
Miss Corbin-- What's going on? Where am l? ln a hospital.
What am l doing in a-- l just left-- Wait a minute.
The accident.
The automobile accident.
- What day is it? - [Olga.]
Tuesday.
That's right.
That's right.
And yesterday was Monday.
And we left on Monday night, the 2nd.
Doug.
Where's Doug? He was driving the car.
What happened? We don't know.
But today is Tuesday the 1Tth, not Tuesday the 3rd.
Tell us about that accident, and about Douglas Hepner.
Well, l remember that we were going to be married, and we were driving to Yuma, and there was Doug's mother.
He telephoned to tell her.
Where does Doug's mother live? Salt Lake City, but l don't know the address.
After he placed the call, why, we continued driving.
There were two big headlights that came forging out of the darkness like two big eyes trying to tear me apart, and then there was this big, amul-- Ohh! Doctor Ariel, please.
Paul Drake calling.
Doctor, Miss Olga Corbin gave me your name and phone number, but l'm calling in behalf of one of your private patients-- a Miss Eleanor Corbin.
You haven't been notified yet, but she's in General Hospital.
From what they tell me, she just recovered from a severe case of amnesia.
Doctor, is there any reason why she couldn't be taken out of here at once and moved to a private sanitarium where she could have complete quiet and no visitors? l'm not going to any sanitarium.
My name is Mrs.
Douglas Hepner, and l'm married.
l'm getting out of here to find my husband! Mr.
Drake is a private detective.
He'll find your husband.
Yes, l've just seen my daughter, Doctor, and l'm terribly concerned about her.
Well, all right.
You'll call me if you need me.
Fine.
Two weeks just vanished into nowhere.
Nobody, least of all Eleanor, seems to have any notion of where she was or what she was doing.
Mr.
Drake, do anything you have to.
We must learn the truth.
All right.
Mr.
Corbin, what can you tell me about this Douglas Hepner? We met him on our last trip to Europe-- that is, on our way home.
He was on the boat.
What does Hepner do? He's able to get a lot of people to hate him.
But aside from being a cheap, parasitic Don Juan, apparently nothing.
How long ago was this trip to Europe? Oh, about three months ago.
Mr.
Drake, l believe it takes a great emotional shock to bring on amnesia? Well, we do know there was a physical shock-- the automobile accident.
- [phone rings.]
- Excuse me.
Mr.
Corbin.
Oh, yes.
Just a moment.
For you, Mr.
Drake.
Thank you.
Hello.
This is Drake.
Oh, good going.
Hold it a minute.
All right, let me have it.
Thanks a lot.
We've traced Hepner's mother, a Mrs.
Sadie Hepner in Salt Lake City.
l have the direct-dial number.
Do you mind if l use your phone? Not at all.
ls this an amplifier? Yes.
This button turns it on.
[line ringing.]
[EIderly woman's voice.]
Hello.
Mrs.
Hepner? Mrs.
Sadie Hepner? This is Paul Drake.
l'm very anxious to get in touch with your son Douglas.
l wonder if you could tell me where l could reach him, please.
Oh, my son? Well, he telephoned from Barstow.
He was on his way to Las Vegas two or three nights ago, the evening of the 13th.
Mrs.
Hepner, is your son married or single? Why, he's unmarried.
Wasn't there an Eleanor Corbin who-- Oh, yes - Eleanor Corbin.
l remember.
Douglas called me up, oh, about two weeks ago and said something about getting married.
l believe l spoke to this Eleanor Corbin on the phone.
But the other day, when Douglas called me from Barstow, he was with another girl-- a different girl named Suzanne whom he also introduced to me on the phone.
Just a moment.
Mr.
Drake, who are you, and why are you calling me? l'm a private detective, and l- Private detective? Well, why didn't you say so? l don't understand.
Look here, if you have any questions, you'd better ask them of Doug himself.
Goodbye.
Do any of you know a girl whose first name is Suzanne? lt could even be somebody that Eleanor might know.
lt could be Suzanne Granger.
Yes.
It could have been Miss Granger.
Suzanne Granger is a pretty well-known artist here in town-- that is, if it's the same girl that l've seen pictures of in the paper.
Yes, she is an artist.
She was also part of the crowd that played around on that same boat trip three months ago-- Eleanor, Doug, and Suzanne Granger-- Yes? Suzanne Granger, please.
Your name, please? - Paul Drake.
Your business with Miss Granger, please? Private detective.
l'd rather discuss my business with her if you don't mind.
Miss Granger isn't in at present.
Do you mind if l left her a note? You'll find paper and envelopes on the desk.
Thank you.
He's calling apartment 210 in case you're interested.
What is Miss Granger's apartment number, please? l'll see to it that she gets the note.
- Thank you very much.
- Not at all.
[door opens.]
[door closes.]
Now just a minute.
We drive around the block, we come back, and park here.
Now where are we going? ln the service entrance, up the service elevator to apartment 210.
Suzanne Granger lives in 208, and she isn't in.
But somebody is in-- somebody the clerk called in apartment 210.
Shall we? [buzz.]
Yes? l think the clerk at the desk downstairs made a mistake.
My name's Paul Drake, and this is Miss Della Street.
- Hello.
- Hello.
Well, Mr.
Drake, l'm afraid you've got the wrong apartment.
My name's Ethel Belan.
Oh, no.
We're at the right apartment, Miss Belan.
You see, we're here in behalf of Eleanor Corbin.
You mind ifwe come in? Well, very lovely apartment, Miss Belan.
What do you know-- a view of Sierra Vista Park.
This is a double apartment.
You share it with someone? l did.
The person l shared it with has been out of town for the last two weeks.
Tell me, Mr.
Drake, what are you after? Miss Belan, when representing a client, you have to exercise caution.
lt's easy to say something that can be misconstrued, and then the situation becomes complicated.
lt's better to let the other party make the statements and then either agree or disagree.
That was your raincoat Eleanor was wearing? Mm-hmm.
Oh, so that's what sent you here.
You traced the raincoat.
Eleanor send you? Well, actually, we came to pick up Miss Corbin's things.
l asked Miss Street to come along in case there's any packing to do.
Oh, they're already packed.
In the bedroom.
The alligator suitcase and overnight bag.
l'll, uh, get them.
Of course Eleanor owed me a week's rent-- _25.
All right.
l'll need a receipt, Miss Belan.
Of course, Mr.
Drake.
Received of Paul Drake, representing Eleanor Corbin, _25.
Will that do? Fine.
Thank you, Miss Belan.
l'll get the bags, Della.
Ah, Mr.
Drake.
According to the newspapers, Eleanor Corbin has amnesia.
Her mind's a complete blank as to where she was or what has happened for the last two weeks.
She couldn't have told you about the raincoat or that she lived here.
That's right, she couldn't.
You did.
How did you guess Eleanor lived in that apartment? l had a hunch.
And then Miss Belan helped with what she said and how she said it.
Now, why would Eleanor, with her clothes all torn, put the raincoat on, go over to the park, take the raincoat om, and dance around half-nude? That's a good question, and l've got some others.
What was she doing in the apartment? When did she move in? And where is Douglas Hepner? You're the detective, Paul.
Ow! lt's face cream and diamonds.
Are a girl's best-- Wait a minute.
Let's take a look in the rest of those jars.
Whew.
There's a fat little fortune there.
Mm-hmm.
Paul, look.
Suzanne Granger.
You sure? l recognize her from her pictures.
Della, take these bags back to your place, mix them up with your own luggage, and leave them.
But don't leave the gems.
Go out and register in one of the best hotels.
Once you're up in your hotel room, call the manager and tell him you have some things you want to put away.
Then stash the gems in the hotel safe.
Use my car.
l'll grab a cab.
Where are you going? To visit Miss Suzanne Granger in apartment 208.
Bye, beautiful.
Sorry to disturb you.
This is about Douglas Hepner.
My name's Paul Drake.
l left a note for you.
l thought you might like a chance to rehearse.
Rehearse? Rehearse what? The story you're going to tell the police and the newspapers.
Come in.
Thank you.
You mentioned in your note Doug Hepner.
What about him? You met him on board ship, three or four months ago, and were friendly with him? On the ship and afteM/ard.
Why is that your business or the business of the police? l represent a young lady who's sumering from temporary amnesia.
Oh, really? A woman who calls herself Mrs.
Douglas Hepner? You say that as if you knew she wasn't Mrs.
Douglas Hepner.
Let's just say l'm not, but almost was.
- That the reason for your trip to Vegas? - How do you know about that? Doug's mother, Sadie Hepner, in Salt Lake City.
Among other things, his mother is why l'm not his wife.
l gather you didn't approve of interrupting your Vegas elopement while Doug called Mother.
No, l didn't.
The way he discussed me on the telephone-- my name, my address, where we were going, how long we'll be gone, even a description of my figure.
l was wondering if he was planning a marriage or a purchase of some livestock from a country fair or the possibility of entering me in a beauty contest.
Miss Granger, what day was that call made? A few days ago.
l have another good reason to remember it.
While l was out of town, someone broke into my apartment, and acts of vandalism were committed.
Vandalism? Someone cut up some very expensive tubes of paint.
Did you report this to the police? No, l didn't.
But l know who did it, and why.
Well, may l ask who it was? Your so-called amnesia client.
Eleanor Hepner? Eleanor Corbin.
She-- What's the matter? Police, across the street in the park.
Murdered.
Shot in the back of the head.
Any identification, Andy? Driver's license.
Hepner.
Douglas Hepner.
Douglas Hepner was shot in the back of the head.
There's a wound of entrance but no wound of exit.
With proper ballistics examination, they'll be able to determine what gun fired that bullet, provided they can find the gun.
Now what do you have, Paul? Well, first, there's absolutely no record of a marriage in Yuma between Eleanor Corbin and Douglas Hepner.
And no record of any accident involving either of them between here and Yuma.
Second is quite a blockbuster.
Mrs.
Sadie Hepner of Salt Lake City is a beautiful babe, about 2T years old.
She must have taken om within minutes after l spoke to her.
When my man in Salt Lake got there, the cupboard was very, very bare.
What about Hepner? How did he make a living? The U.
S.
Customs pays a reward for information on smuggled goods, so Hepner spent all his time sailing the luxury liners between Europe and the States.
He'd soft-soap his way into the confidence of lady tourists with more money than brains.
And Eleanor, her sister, and father-- Were just returning from a buying trip for a wholesale jewelry business.
Very interesting when you remember the fortune in gems we dug up in Eleanor's make-up jars.
Well a professional informer is usually interested in the 200/o reward, but more than that, also interested in blackmail.
Which, as you know, annoys the police department as much as shooting people in the back of the head.
Uh, good evening, everyone.
Well, Lieutenant Tragg, what would cause homicide to come calling at this hour? Three omicial documents.
One, a search warrant for Paul Drake's apartment.
Results, negative.
Two, a search warrant for Della Street's apartment.
Uh, Andy, you go.
We found the luggage you took from Ethel Belan's apartment.
Luggage belonging to Eleanor Corbin.
Miss Belan was most cooperative.
Yes.
So was General Hospital.
They told us all about Paul Drake's visit.
Funny, Eleanor Corbin seems to have vanished right after that visit.
That third document could be trouble for you, Paul.
lt could mean the revocation of your license.
For what, Andy? The police had no hold on Eleanor Corbin.
She was sick.
Her own doctor had her removed for treatment.
lt would be dimerent if she were a fugitive.
She is a fugitive, Perry, until we find out where the doctor has taken her.
You see, this third document is a warrant for the arrest of Eleanor Corbin.
[Burger.]
We expect to show, Your Honor, that at the time of this crime, the defendant Eleanor Corbin, was driven by possessiveness and jealousy.
That under this motivation, she made arrangements to share an apartment with a woman named Ethel Belan for the sole purpose of spying on another woman named Suzanne Granger, whom she suspected of stealing the amection of the man she claimed was her husband-- the decedent, Douglas Hepner.
We mean to prove that it was the defendant's intention to catch Mr.
Hepner and Miss Granger in some sort of a compromising situation because she actually threatened that if she couldn't have Hepner for herself, no one else would ever have him.
And so, Your Honor we find Douglas Hepn!er dead with a bullet in his brain, a bullet from this defendant's own gun, and the defendant now making elaborate preparations to have it appear that she was mentally irresponsible, that she was actually, in fact, sumering from amnesia.
The discharge of the bullet into the decedent's head resulted in almost instant death.
There were no other injuries which could have caused death, and, in my opinion, the victim on whom l pe_ormed the autopsy had been dead for approximately A complete set of photographs of the autopsy have been prepared for the defense counsel.
The clothing of the decedent had no laundry or dry cleaning marks, and the only personal emects found in his pockets were a key case, a handkerchief, a pack of cigarettes, and a wallet.
ldentification was made from the driver's license in his wallet.
Did you search the scene of the crime for a possible murder weapon? Yes, sir.
We found a gun buried under some earth about 50 feet from where the decedent's body was discovered.
lt was a .
38 caliber revolver with one discharged shell.
Did you check this gun ballistically by firing through it, and did you make other ballistic tests? Yes, sir, we did.
The fatal bullet and the test shots fired from the gun exactly matched.
Were you able to determine the ownership of this particular gun? Yes, sir.
lt belonged to the defendant, Eleanor Corbin.
Your gun was found there.
How did it get there? l give you my word of honor, l have absolutely no recollection.
You left home with Douglas Hepner.
He was killed and with your gun.
That was two weeks later.
lf you'd just tell me the truth, we might have the chance of pleading self-defense, justifiable homicide.
We might have the chance of saving you from the death penalty, from life imprisonment.
Aren't you forgetting that the bullet was fired into the back of Doug's head? That would seem to eliminate any plea for self-defense.
You sound like you want me convicted.
lt's your ridiculous story, darling, not mine.
And you're just jealous because Doug preferred me to you.
That's not true! Please, please! Eleanor, if you don't recover that memory of yours, recover it fast, you're going to-- Matron, l'm through with the defendant.
What have you got in your pockets, Paul? Just a bunch ofjunk.
Put it all out here on the table, will you? And you men talk about the stum that goes in a woman's purse.
Well, what have l proved? That there wasn't quite enough stum in Hepner's pockets.
The police say he kept an apartment but that he never used it.
Never used the bed, never used the bathroom.
There was no food in the icebox, no laundry sent out-- Perry, wait a minute.
Laundry.
l just remembered, there was a man's laundered shirt in Eleanor Corbin's suitcase.
lf it was Hepner's shirt and there's a laundry mark, maybe we'll find out where Hepner really lived.
The suitcase is still in my apartment.
All right, Paul, you check the laundry marks.
l'm going down to the coroner's omice to see if l can get wax impressions of those keys they found on Hepner.
According to the laundry mark, that shirt belonged to a Frank Ormsby Newberg-- Apartment 20, Arlington Arms.
Think Mr.
Newberg and Mr.
Hepner are one and the same? Well, we'll know soon enough.
Della had keys made from those wax impressions.
Here.
You occupy apartment number 210 at the Sierra Vista Apartments, Miss Belan? That's right, yes, sir.
And who occupies the apartment immediately to the south of yours? South, uh Miss Suzanne Granger has apartment 208.
That's south.
Do you know the defendant in this case, Eleanor Corbin? Yes, but l hadn't seen her in over a year.
When did you recently see her again? Well, she said she was interested in Suzanne Granger in the adjoining apartment and, uh, that Miss Granger had stolen her boyfriend, Doug Hepner.
She wanted to see if he was actually calling on Miss Granger or-- So the defendant moved in with you.
l have here a sketch which shows the arrangement of your apartment and Miss Granger's apartment.
l'd like you to tell us, please, if this correctly shows the interior arrangement of your apartment.
Yes, sir, it does show my-- my apartment correctly, but l've never been in Miss Granger's apartment.
Well, that's all right.
l'm going to verify the arrangement of Miss Granger's apartment with another witness.
Now, was there any particular room in your apartment where the defendant said she wanted to stay? Yes, sir.
You see, my bedroom is the one with the large closet, ne_ to Miss Granger's, and Eleanor insisted that l move into the other bedroom so that she could have the bedroom ne_ to Miss Granger's-- ne_ to Miss Granger's apartment.
Miss Belan, did you ever see the defendant in possession of a weapon? Yes, sir-- a .
38 caliber revolver exactly like the one you're holdin'g.
Did the defendant show you this weapon herself? No.
No, l saw it in her overnight bag.
ln her overnight bag.
What other luggage did the defendant bring when she moved in with you? An overnight bag and a suitcase.
And what happened to these two pieces of luggage? Well, Mr.
Drake and Miss Street picked them up and took them away.
Did you have occasion to contact the defendant about this or about anything else at that time? No.
She called me-- from a hospital, l think.
Miss Belan, would you please tell us exactly what the defendant said to you when she phoned from the hospital? She said, ''Ethel, l'm in a terrible scrape, ''real serious trouble, and l've got to protect myself.
''And you've got to back me up in anything l say because,'' uh ''for the past two weeks l'm pretending that l've had amnesia.
'' All right, Miss Corbin, this is it.
What is? l asked for a short recess because l wanted you to quit stalling and tell me the truth.
You know, you may not have much time left for the truth.
You sound like l was already convicted and sentenced to die.
To all intents and purposes, that's exactly the situation.
Now, were you faking amnesia? Yes.
Were you running around the park that night half dressed? And if so, why? Mr.
Mason, l was appealing for help.
l was trying to get somebody to follow me.
Why did you want someone to follow you? Because l wanted to lead them to where they could find Doug's body.
You knew his body was there? You knew he was dead? Yes.
Doug and l were working on something very important.
Every time we met, we got together there in the park.
So when l went there this night Doug was lying there dead, and my gun was right beside him.
Why didn't you go straight to the police, tell them what you and Hepner were working on, tell them exactly what had happened? Because they wouldn't have believed me.
They wouldn't believe the truth, but they would believe a phony amnesia act.
ls that what you're trying to tell me? No.
No, you don't understand.
l wasn't going to fake amnesia then.
lt was, well, when the police cornered me, l got panicky, l guess.
Tell me, what was this story you'd dreamed up but you couldn't remember to tell the police? Well, l got this idea that if l were found in the park, hysterical and disheveled, l could say l was there with Doug and a strange man accosted us and killed Doug and tried to assault me.
Then l'd say that, well, l forced my way clear and was wandering around the park in a dazed condition.
Go on.
Well, l rushed back to the apartment and then tore om some of my clothing and grabbed Ethel's raincoat to cover me in case someone should see me first and then went back to the park.
lf you were ever put on a witness stand and tried to tell a jury what you've just told me, l guarantee you'd be convicted of first degree murder.
Now, l want the entire story, all of it, right from the beginning.
And this time l want the truth.
l didn't kill Doug Hepner.
l couldn't tell what actually happened.
But everything you've heard, everything you're going to hear, is close enough to the truth to convict me of murder.
Your Honor, the District Attorney stated that he has a witness who can authenticate a diagram of the Granger and Belan apartments.
l should like to defer my cross-examination of Miss Belan until the diagram has been introduced so that l might cross-examine on the positions of the various rooms involved.
Your name is Walter Richey.
You're employed by the Sierra Vista Apartments? Yes, sir.
l show you now this diagram.
l ask you if it shows correctly the various rooms in apartment 208 and 210.
Yes, sir.
The apartments are identical, except that the closet in one of the bedrooms of number 210 is 3 1#2 feet shorter than the other closets shown on the sketch.
This sketch was drawn to scale, and it was made by you at my request.
- Is that correct? - It was.
- Is it a full, true, and accurate diagram? - It is.
lf it please the court, l should like this diagram entered in evidence, marked for the people Exhibit H.
That's all.
You may step down.
Just a moment.
l have a question or two of the witness.
Surely there can't be any objection to the diagram.
l just wanted to find out a few points about the background of the witness.
Your Honor-- Very well.
If you insist, cross-examine, Mr.
Mason.
On the day following the murder, when Mr.
Paul Drake and Miss Della Street asked to see Suzanne Granger, didn't you go to the switchboard and ring the apartment of Miss Ethel Belan? Well, l-- l have occasion to call many of the apartments, but l simply don't remember calling Miss Belan at that time, no.
That'll be all, thank you.
l will stipulate that the diagram may be received in evidence.
With the court's permission, l am now ready to cross-examine Miss Belan.
Now, you're absolutely certain that the defendant had a .
38 caliber revolver - while she was in your apartment.
- Absolutely certain.
ln how many calibers are revolvers manufactured? How would l know that? What is the meaning of .
38 caliber? To what does it refer? l suppose it would refer to the weight of the bullet, wouldn't it? ln other words, a long, slender bullet would have a higher caliber than a short, thick bullet if it weighed more, is that correct? l think so, yes.
Actually, Miss Belan, you don't have the faintest idea of whether that gun was a .
38 caliber, a .
32 caliber, or a .
44 caliber, now do you? lt was described to me as a .
38 caliber revolver.
So you were simply repeating the words that had been used to describe the revolver? lf you wish to put it that way, yes.
That's the way l want to put it.
Now, Miss Belan, we'll see if your recollection is any better than Mr.
Richey's.
Do you recall an occasion when Mr.
Richey phoned you and said that a Mr.
Paul Drake was inquiring for Suzanne Granger? Yes.
l remember it.
What is the connection between you and Walter Richey? l object to that, Your Honor.
lt's quite obvious that counsel's on another of his fishing expeditions.
The court will sustain the objection.
l have no further questions of the witness.
And l have no further questions on this subject.
But just a moment.
There's another matter.
Miss Belan, did you ever see the defendant in the possession of any other articles beside that revolver articles of some e_raordinary value? Yes, sir, l did.
She had a large number of precious gems.
Where were you when you saw these? l had started into her bedroom.
The door was slightly ajar, and she didn't hear me.
And some of the gems were on the bed, and she was counting them.
And for all you know, these gems could have been contained in the luggage which Mr.
Paul Drake and Miss Della Street, acting on behalf of Perry Mason, removed from that apartment.
Objected to as argumentative, assuming a fact not in evidence, leading and suggestive, and utterly incompetent, irrelevant, and immaterial.
Sustained.
Cross-examine.
You stood in the dooM/ay of the room, and you saw the gems on the bed.
How far was it from the bed to the dooM/ay? - Perhaps 10 feet.
- What kind of gems were they? Diamonds, emeralds, a few rubies.
These rubies, were they genuine rubies or imitation? Oh, they were quite genuine, l'm sure.
Have you ever owned a genuine ruby, Miss Belan? Well, no, but l do-- And yet you say you stood 10 feet away, looked at an assortment of gems, and you unhesitatingly testified that the rubies in that assortment were genuine.
Is that right? When you put it that way, it sounds absurd, but l-- lt sounds a good deal more than absurd, Miss Belan.
No further questions.
Your Honor, l realize we're approaching the hour of adjournment, but l have a matter of the utmost urgency to present to the court.
l request the indulgence of the Court and ask that the Coroner's physician, Dr.
Oberon, be recalled to the stand.
Doctor, you stated that the cause of death was a .
38 caliber bullet Iodged in the brain.
Did you examine the body to determine if there was any contributing cause of death? What do you mean? Well, this photograph, taken at the time of autopsy, shows the right arm of the decedent.
l call your attention to the two little spots on that right arm.
Was this photograph taken because of these spots? Yes.
In homicide cases, l believe there should be a record of every abnormality noted.
This abnormality, Doctor-- was it your belief that the two spots were puncture marks caused by a hypodermic needle? There was always that possibility.
Did you test the body for morphia, for any other drugs? No.
It wasn't necessary.
l had already determined the cause of death.
lf the body of Douglas Hepner were to be exhumed at this time and morphine was present, that fact could be determined, could it not? l think there might be a very good chance.
Your Honor the decedent, at the time his body was discovered, had no matches, no lighter, no knife, nothing in his possession that could start a fire or cut through bonds.
That fact leads me to believe that Douglas Hepner was held captive prior to his death.
l believe that at the time of his death, Douglas Hepner was under the influence of morphine given to restrain him.
l now ask the court to order the body of Douglas Hepner exhumed.
- Paul.
- Hi, Perry.
How'd you make out on the order to have the body exhumed? The judge said no unless we get enough evidence to tie up the relevancy of anything that might be discovered.
What did you want me for? Remember when you tried to open Hepner's apartment, only the third key would work? l discovered later that one of the other keys was almost identical to it.
You mean Hepner had a key to a second apartment in this building? Hepner not only had a key that would open his own apartment, 20, but one that will also open apartment 21 .
Good work, Paul.
Who occupies apartment 21? The occupant of apartment 21 is a Miss Payson-- Miss Sadie Payson.
- Mrs.
Hepner? - Well, y-- You are the Suzanne Granger who occupies apartment number 208 at the Sierra Vista Apartments? Yes, l am.
You recently returned from a trip to Europe, Miss Granger.
While on shipboard, you met the decedent Douglas Hepner, and you became friendly with him.
Did you continue this friendship after the conclusion of the voyage? Well, not right away.
But a few weeks later, l ran into Doug.
He asked me for a date, and l had dinner with him two or three times.
Did you ever have a discussion with Eleanor Corbin about Douglas Hepner? Yes, l did, on the 15th ofAugust.
What was said, please? Doug was calling on me.
When he left, l noticed the door of apartment 210 opened just a crack, as if someone was watching.
l was aware that the defendant had moved in with Ethel Belan.
l also knew that every time Doug left my place, that door opened.
So this time, after Doug got into the elevator, l walked over and pushed it open.
Eleanor Corbin, the defendant, was standing on the other side of that door.
And that was when you had your conversation with her? Yes.
She, Eleanor Corbin, said that l tried to steal Doug away from her.
She said that she planned to marry him and if she couldn't have him, no one could have him.
Did she make any specific threats? Yes.
She threatened to kill both him and me if l tried to take him away from her.
Did the defendant indicate how she intended to carry out these threats? Yes, she did.
She opened her purse and showed me a revolver.
Miss Granger, l direct your attention to People's Exhibit G.
l ask if you have ever seen this revolver before.
lt looks very much like the one l saw in the defendant's handbag.
l think that'll be all.
Thank you very much.
Your witness.
Did anyone else hear this conversation? Was Miss Belan present? Miss Belan was away.
The defendant was alone in the apartment.
ln other words, it's only your word against the word of the defendant that this conversation did take place.
ln that you are wrong.
l was the only person present besides the defendant, true, but Mr.
Richey overheard the conversation.
He told me so.
Mr.
Richey, on or about the 15th day ofAugust of this year, did you overhear a conversation between the defendant and Suzanne Granger? l did.
Yes, sir.
Where did the conversation take place? At the door of apartment number 210.
And did the defendant at that time exhibit a weapon? Well, l couldn't exactly see what all was going on, but l did hear the defendant open her bag and say ''As you see, l am prepared to make good my promise'' or something of that sort.
Thank you, Mr.
Richey.
That'll be all.
You may inquire, Mr.
Mason.
Since you weren't in the hallway, where you would have been seen, l gather you overheard this conversation from inside one of the nearby apartments.
By any chance, were you in Miss Granger's apartment when she had this conversation with the defendant? Well, l-- Yes, l was.
Why is it so dimicult for you to tell us that you were inside Miss Granger's apartment? lt might be embarrassing for Miss Granger.
You see, Miss Granger had once reported that when she was away on a trip to Las Vegas, someone had broken into her apartment.
Go on.
Naturally, l checked the apartment quite often after that.
So you were keeping an eye on it when Mr.
Hepner brought her home from a date.
And you were still in her apartment when Mr.
Hepner left and she confronted the defendant? Yes, l was.
After Miss Granger returned to her apartment, after you overheard this conversation, did you let her know that you were there? Well, no.
Frankly, l slipped into a closet.
lt was an embarrassing situation.
l was a tiny bit confused at the time.
You become confused when you're embarrassed.
Now, since you're obviously embarrassed now, l take it you're also confused now? That doesn't follow.
l'm telling the truth.
You are? l have no further questions.
[Judge.]
Mr.
Burger? No redirect, Your Honor.
The witness may step down.
Do you have any more witnesses, Mr.
Burger? No, Your Honor.
The prosecution feels that at this point it has presented a prima facie case and l therefore move that this defendant be bound over for trial in Superior Court on a charge of first degree murder.
Mr.
Mason? Your Honor, l should like to present a defense at this time.
For its first witness, the defense calls Miss Sadie Payson.
Doug and l were partners in recovering smuggled gems and reporting them to the Customs Service for the 200/o reward.
ln what way did you work together? On a ship, when Doug spotted a girl he thought was smuggling, he'd play up to her, follow her after they landed, and give her a fast proposal and rush her om on a weekend elopement.
But first he'd always phone Mother.
That was my cue.
l'd get into the girl's apartment, and if l found anything e_remely valuable and the prospects looked better for making more money by-- by blackmail than by reporting the smuggled goods, why, then l'd show up later as a Customs agent, And this made the blackmail possible? Yes.
l'd do it when Doug was there so that he could suggest the possibility of buying me om.
Now, what happened with Eleanor Corbin? Just before Doug started out with her to Yuma, he phoned me.
He was very excited.
He said he was on the trail of a regular professional smuggling ring and that if we broke it, it could mean a fortune for us both.
Did he know who was in this smuggling ring? Yes-- at least one name-- Suzanne Granger.
He found out that at least once, about a year ago, her paint tubes had been used to smuggle in gems.
He wasn't sure whether she was a part of the ring or just an innocent carrier.
And he was suspicious of somebody else.
Go on.
Tell us the rest.
Well, Doug and l talked it over, and we figured out a plan, a real wild one.
No wonder that Corbin girl pulled that phony amnesia stunt.
No one in a million years would believe what she agreed to do for Doug.
Exactly how was the defendant to have been used? She was supposed to get into the apartment ne_ to Suzanne and watch the place.
She'd meet Doug in the park and report to him when Suzanne was home, who went in and out, and so on.
ln the meantime, Doug made his usual play for Suzanne.
He was good at that.
He got her to go to Vegas with him a week later.
Doug phoned me from Barstow and put Suzanne on.
And an hour after that, l was on a plane.
l went through that girl's apartment with a fine-toothed comb.
What did you find? Not a thing.
Suzanne wasn't in on the smuggling, so it had to be the other person Doug had suspected.
On the morning of the 16th, the day he was murdered, did Douglas Hepner call you on the phone? Yes.
He was very excited.
He said, ''l was wrong about Suzanne.
''l've found the gems the professional ring smuggled.
''What a sweet setup they had for hiding them.
''l've disposed of the gems.
Now l've got Eleanor's gun, ''and if l can get out of here without being killed, we'll both be sitting pretty.
'' From where was Douglas Hepner calling? From the apartment of the other person he had suspected-- Ethel Belan.
No.
No.
That's a lie.
A lie, Miss Belan? Now, Hepner had Eleanor Corbin move in with you because he suspected you as well as Suzanne Granger.
Here.
Here in your apartment, the one closet that was 3 1#2 feet shorter than any other closet in the building.
That was the sweet setup Douglas Hepner mentioned on the phone.
You can't prove a thing.
That closet is empty.
Where are the gems? You never saw Eleanor with those gems.
She never touched them.
Those gems were just where Hepner had disposed of them before he left your apartment Those gems were practically under your nose, hidden in the cosmetic jars in Eleanor's overnight bag-- the bag you allowed Paul Drake to remove from your apartment.
l don't believe you.
Do you believe me now? When you found the gems missing, Hepner was traced to his apartment, drugged with morphine, and the apartment was searched.
When the gems didn't turn up, Eleanor's gun was taken from Hepner's pocket, put to the back of his head, and he was killed.
His body was dumped in the park along with Eleanor's gun.
But l didn't kill him! l swear it! l didn't kill him! But your accomplice did-- the person who headed the smuggling ring did-- Walter Richey did.
Oh, you fool! You stupid fool! We'd have given you a cut! You've talked yourself right into jail! Why? Why? Douglas Hepner was my husband.
l loved him.
Hi, Perry.
What's up? Well, l have something for you, Paul.
Here it is.
Your fee from the Corbin family.
Hey, this is a small fortune.
You sure you haven't made some mistake? This must be your fee.
No, Paul.
Without the work you did, Eleanor Corbin might very well have been convicted of murder and on her way to the gas chamber.
Well.
Us plutocrats.
Perry, isn't there somebody that l could sue for the scratch on my finger when l found those diamonds in Eleanor's face cream? Well, you could sue.
However, the Customs Service is paying you the 200/o reward for finding those smuggled gems.
- You're kidding.
- Here.
lt's right here.
What do you know? Small change.
Uh, come along, gentlemen.
l'll buy the dinner.
Paul, you can leave the tip.
Subtitled By J.
R.
Media Services, Inc.
Burbank, CA
[horn honks.]
Wait a minute, lady.
May l have your name, please.
l don't know my name.
You've read the morning papers.
You know about this-- this ''glamorous ghost,'' this exhibitionist in Sierra Vista Park last night who made a naked spectacle of herself in the moonlight.
l saw pictures in the papers, read that the police were trying to establish the identity of the woman they picked up-- a woman sumering from amnesia.
That woman is my sister-- Eleanor Corbin.
Have you communicated this information to the authorities? No, l haven't.
Perhaps you'd better explain.
Eleanor is an exhibitionist and an opportunist.
She's also a liar.
Regardless of that story in the papers, she doesn't have any more amnesia than l do.
Once before she worked herself out of trouble by faking amnesia.
Now she's in trouble again-- more amnesia.
l think you ought to give us all the circumstances.
Della, you'd better take this down.
Well, about two weeks ago, Eleanor ran away with Douglas Hepner.
Just one moment, please.
Douglas what? Douglas Hepner-- the most charming, ingratiating man you've ever met where women are concerned, and the nastiest heel who ever lived.
All right, your sister ran away with him.
Now two things.
Were they married? And where is Douglas Hepner? l don't know where Hepner is or how he can be located.
As to their being married, that's what she says, but l don't believe it.
My father and l were away for the weekend, and when we returned, we found this wire saying that they were on their way to Yuma, Arizona, to be married.
That was two weeks ago, and we haven't heard from her since.
Exactly what is it you want me to do? And then? Find out what trouble she's gotten herself into and straighten it out.
l think this trouble she's in could be serious.
l'm afraid it-- l'm afraid it could hurt my father.
ls your father in good health? Physically, he's pe_ect.
Dad's in the wholesale jewelry business.
He specializes in diamonds.
He's a man whose word is as good as a written contract.
A family scandal could crush him.
Miss Corbin, l'm going to be tied up most of the day.
For the moment, suppose Mr.
Drake goes along with you.
But l thought if you were there-- From what you've told us, there doesn't appear that there's any immediate need or urgency.
Hello, Eleanor.
- Olga.
- Congratulations, dear.
Since you recognize me, l gather you've recovered, most conveniently, from your amnesia.
Amn-- What are you talking about? The police picked you up last night.
Dazed and seemingly sumering from amnesia.
Where am l, Olga? Who are they? They work for Perry Mason, the attorney we've retained to help you.
Mr.
Paul Drake and Miss Della Street.
An attorney? What do l need an attorney for? [Della.]
Miss Corbin-- What's going on? Where am l? ln a hospital.
What am l doing in a-- l just left-- Wait a minute.
The accident.
The automobile accident.
- What day is it? - [Olga.]
Tuesday.
That's right.
That's right.
And yesterday was Monday.
And we left on Monday night, the 2nd.
Doug.
Where's Doug? He was driving the car.
What happened? We don't know.
But today is Tuesday the 1Tth, not Tuesday the 3rd.
Tell us about that accident, and about Douglas Hepner.
Well, l remember that we were going to be married, and we were driving to Yuma, and there was Doug's mother.
He telephoned to tell her.
Where does Doug's mother live? Salt Lake City, but l don't know the address.
After he placed the call, why, we continued driving.
There were two big headlights that came forging out of the darkness like two big eyes trying to tear me apart, and then there was this big, amul-- Ohh! Doctor Ariel, please.
Paul Drake calling.
Doctor, Miss Olga Corbin gave me your name and phone number, but l'm calling in behalf of one of your private patients-- a Miss Eleanor Corbin.
You haven't been notified yet, but she's in General Hospital.
From what they tell me, she just recovered from a severe case of amnesia.
Doctor, is there any reason why she couldn't be taken out of here at once and moved to a private sanitarium where she could have complete quiet and no visitors? l'm not going to any sanitarium.
My name is Mrs.
Douglas Hepner, and l'm married.
l'm getting out of here to find my husband! Mr.
Drake is a private detective.
He'll find your husband.
Yes, l've just seen my daughter, Doctor, and l'm terribly concerned about her.
Well, all right.
You'll call me if you need me.
Fine.
Two weeks just vanished into nowhere.
Nobody, least of all Eleanor, seems to have any notion of where she was or what she was doing.
Mr.
Drake, do anything you have to.
We must learn the truth.
All right.
Mr.
Corbin, what can you tell me about this Douglas Hepner? We met him on our last trip to Europe-- that is, on our way home.
He was on the boat.
What does Hepner do? He's able to get a lot of people to hate him.
But aside from being a cheap, parasitic Don Juan, apparently nothing.
How long ago was this trip to Europe? Oh, about three months ago.
Mr.
Drake, l believe it takes a great emotional shock to bring on amnesia? Well, we do know there was a physical shock-- the automobile accident.
- [phone rings.]
- Excuse me.
Mr.
Corbin.
Oh, yes.
Just a moment.
For you, Mr.
Drake.
Thank you.
Hello.
This is Drake.
Oh, good going.
Hold it a minute.
All right, let me have it.
Thanks a lot.
We've traced Hepner's mother, a Mrs.
Sadie Hepner in Salt Lake City.
l have the direct-dial number.
Do you mind if l use your phone? Not at all.
ls this an amplifier? Yes.
This button turns it on.
[line ringing.]
[EIderly woman's voice.]
Hello.
Mrs.
Hepner? Mrs.
Sadie Hepner? This is Paul Drake.
l'm very anxious to get in touch with your son Douglas.
l wonder if you could tell me where l could reach him, please.
Oh, my son? Well, he telephoned from Barstow.
He was on his way to Las Vegas two or three nights ago, the evening of the 13th.
Mrs.
Hepner, is your son married or single? Why, he's unmarried.
Wasn't there an Eleanor Corbin who-- Oh, yes - Eleanor Corbin.
l remember.
Douglas called me up, oh, about two weeks ago and said something about getting married.
l believe l spoke to this Eleanor Corbin on the phone.
But the other day, when Douglas called me from Barstow, he was with another girl-- a different girl named Suzanne whom he also introduced to me on the phone.
Just a moment.
Mr.
Drake, who are you, and why are you calling me? l'm a private detective, and l- Private detective? Well, why didn't you say so? l don't understand.
Look here, if you have any questions, you'd better ask them of Doug himself.
Goodbye.
Do any of you know a girl whose first name is Suzanne? lt could even be somebody that Eleanor might know.
lt could be Suzanne Granger.
Yes.
It could have been Miss Granger.
Suzanne Granger is a pretty well-known artist here in town-- that is, if it's the same girl that l've seen pictures of in the paper.
Yes, she is an artist.
She was also part of the crowd that played around on that same boat trip three months ago-- Eleanor, Doug, and Suzanne Granger-- Yes? Suzanne Granger, please.
Your name, please? - Paul Drake.
Your business with Miss Granger, please? Private detective.
l'd rather discuss my business with her if you don't mind.
Miss Granger isn't in at present.
Do you mind if l left her a note? You'll find paper and envelopes on the desk.
Thank you.
He's calling apartment 210 in case you're interested.
What is Miss Granger's apartment number, please? l'll see to it that she gets the note.
- Thank you very much.
- Not at all.
[door opens.]
[door closes.]
Now just a minute.
We drive around the block, we come back, and park here.
Now where are we going? ln the service entrance, up the service elevator to apartment 210.
Suzanne Granger lives in 208, and she isn't in.
But somebody is in-- somebody the clerk called in apartment 210.
Shall we? [buzz.]
Yes? l think the clerk at the desk downstairs made a mistake.
My name's Paul Drake, and this is Miss Della Street.
- Hello.
- Hello.
Well, Mr.
Drake, l'm afraid you've got the wrong apartment.
My name's Ethel Belan.
Oh, no.
We're at the right apartment, Miss Belan.
You see, we're here in behalf of Eleanor Corbin.
You mind ifwe come in? Well, very lovely apartment, Miss Belan.
What do you know-- a view of Sierra Vista Park.
This is a double apartment.
You share it with someone? l did.
The person l shared it with has been out of town for the last two weeks.
Tell me, Mr.
Drake, what are you after? Miss Belan, when representing a client, you have to exercise caution.
lt's easy to say something that can be misconstrued, and then the situation becomes complicated.
lt's better to let the other party make the statements and then either agree or disagree.
That was your raincoat Eleanor was wearing? Mm-hmm.
Oh, so that's what sent you here.
You traced the raincoat.
Eleanor send you? Well, actually, we came to pick up Miss Corbin's things.
l asked Miss Street to come along in case there's any packing to do.
Oh, they're already packed.
In the bedroom.
The alligator suitcase and overnight bag.
l'll, uh, get them.
Of course Eleanor owed me a week's rent-- _25.
All right.
l'll need a receipt, Miss Belan.
Of course, Mr.
Drake.
Received of Paul Drake, representing Eleanor Corbin, _25.
Will that do? Fine.
Thank you, Miss Belan.
l'll get the bags, Della.
Ah, Mr.
Drake.
According to the newspapers, Eleanor Corbin has amnesia.
Her mind's a complete blank as to where she was or what has happened for the last two weeks.
She couldn't have told you about the raincoat or that she lived here.
That's right, she couldn't.
You did.
How did you guess Eleanor lived in that apartment? l had a hunch.
And then Miss Belan helped with what she said and how she said it.
Now, why would Eleanor, with her clothes all torn, put the raincoat on, go over to the park, take the raincoat om, and dance around half-nude? That's a good question, and l've got some others.
What was she doing in the apartment? When did she move in? And where is Douglas Hepner? You're the detective, Paul.
Ow! lt's face cream and diamonds.
Are a girl's best-- Wait a minute.
Let's take a look in the rest of those jars.
Whew.
There's a fat little fortune there.
Mm-hmm.
Paul, look.
Suzanne Granger.
You sure? l recognize her from her pictures.
Della, take these bags back to your place, mix them up with your own luggage, and leave them.
But don't leave the gems.
Go out and register in one of the best hotels.
Once you're up in your hotel room, call the manager and tell him you have some things you want to put away.
Then stash the gems in the hotel safe.
Use my car.
l'll grab a cab.
Where are you going? To visit Miss Suzanne Granger in apartment 208.
Bye, beautiful.
Sorry to disturb you.
This is about Douglas Hepner.
My name's Paul Drake.
l left a note for you.
l thought you might like a chance to rehearse.
Rehearse? Rehearse what? The story you're going to tell the police and the newspapers.
Come in.
Thank you.
You mentioned in your note Doug Hepner.
What about him? You met him on board ship, three or four months ago, and were friendly with him? On the ship and afteM/ard.
Why is that your business or the business of the police? l represent a young lady who's sumering from temporary amnesia.
Oh, really? A woman who calls herself Mrs.
Douglas Hepner? You say that as if you knew she wasn't Mrs.
Douglas Hepner.
Let's just say l'm not, but almost was.
- That the reason for your trip to Vegas? - How do you know about that? Doug's mother, Sadie Hepner, in Salt Lake City.
Among other things, his mother is why l'm not his wife.
l gather you didn't approve of interrupting your Vegas elopement while Doug called Mother.
No, l didn't.
The way he discussed me on the telephone-- my name, my address, where we were going, how long we'll be gone, even a description of my figure.
l was wondering if he was planning a marriage or a purchase of some livestock from a country fair or the possibility of entering me in a beauty contest.
Miss Granger, what day was that call made? A few days ago.
l have another good reason to remember it.
While l was out of town, someone broke into my apartment, and acts of vandalism were committed.
Vandalism? Someone cut up some very expensive tubes of paint.
Did you report this to the police? No, l didn't.
But l know who did it, and why.
Well, may l ask who it was? Your so-called amnesia client.
Eleanor Hepner? Eleanor Corbin.
She-- What's the matter? Police, across the street in the park.
Murdered.
Shot in the back of the head.
Any identification, Andy? Driver's license.
Hepner.
Douglas Hepner.
Douglas Hepner was shot in the back of the head.
There's a wound of entrance but no wound of exit.
With proper ballistics examination, they'll be able to determine what gun fired that bullet, provided they can find the gun.
Now what do you have, Paul? Well, first, there's absolutely no record of a marriage in Yuma between Eleanor Corbin and Douglas Hepner.
And no record of any accident involving either of them between here and Yuma.
Second is quite a blockbuster.
Mrs.
Sadie Hepner of Salt Lake City is a beautiful babe, about 2T years old.
She must have taken om within minutes after l spoke to her.
When my man in Salt Lake got there, the cupboard was very, very bare.
What about Hepner? How did he make a living? The U.
S.
Customs pays a reward for information on smuggled goods, so Hepner spent all his time sailing the luxury liners between Europe and the States.
He'd soft-soap his way into the confidence of lady tourists with more money than brains.
And Eleanor, her sister, and father-- Were just returning from a buying trip for a wholesale jewelry business.
Very interesting when you remember the fortune in gems we dug up in Eleanor's make-up jars.
Well a professional informer is usually interested in the 200/o reward, but more than that, also interested in blackmail.
Which, as you know, annoys the police department as much as shooting people in the back of the head.
Uh, good evening, everyone.
Well, Lieutenant Tragg, what would cause homicide to come calling at this hour? Three omicial documents.
One, a search warrant for Paul Drake's apartment.
Results, negative.
Two, a search warrant for Della Street's apartment.
Uh, Andy, you go.
We found the luggage you took from Ethel Belan's apartment.
Luggage belonging to Eleanor Corbin.
Miss Belan was most cooperative.
Yes.
So was General Hospital.
They told us all about Paul Drake's visit.
Funny, Eleanor Corbin seems to have vanished right after that visit.
That third document could be trouble for you, Paul.
lt could mean the revocation of your license.
For what, Andy? The police had no hold on Eleanor Corbin.
She was sick.
Her own doctor had her removed for treatment.
lt would be dimerent if she were a fugitive.
She is a fugitive, Perry, until we find out where the doctor has taken her.
You see, this third document is a warrant for the arrest of Eleanor Corbin.
[Burger.]
We expect to show, Your Honor, that at the time of this crime, the defendant Eleanor Corbin, was driven by possessiveness and jealousy.
That under this motivation, she made arrangements to share an apartment with a woman named Ethel Belan for the sole purpose of spying on another woman named Suzanne Granger, whom she suspected of stealing the amection of the man she claimed was her husband-- the decedent, Douglas Hepner.
We mean to prove that it was the defendant's intention to catch Mr.
Hepner and Miss Granger in some sort of a compromising situation because she actually threatened that if she couldn't have Hepner for herself, no one else would ever have him.
And so, Your Honor we find Douglas Hepn!er dead with a bullet in his brain, a bullet from this defendant's own gun, and the defendant now making elaborate preparations to have it appear that she was mentally irresponsible, that she was actually, in fact, sumering from amnesia.
The discharge of the bullet into the decedent's head resulted in almost instant death.
There were no other injuries which could have caused death, and, in my opinion, the victim on whom l pe_ormed the autopsy had been dead for approximately A complete set of photographs of the autopsy have been prepared for the defense counsel.
The clothing of the decedent had no laundry or dry cleaning marks, and the only personal emects found in his pockets were a key case, a handkerchief, a pack of cigarettes, and a wallet.
ldentification was made from the driver's license in his wallet.
Did you search the scene of the crime for a possible murder weapon? Yes, sir.
We found a gun buried under some earth about 50 feet from where the decedent's body was discovered.
lt was a .
38 caliber revolver with one discharged shell.
Did you check this gun ballistically by firing through it, and did you make other ballistic tests? Yes, sir, we did.
The fatal bullet and the test shots fired from the gun exactly matched.
Were you able to determine the ownership of this particular gun? Yes, sir.
lt belonged to the defendant, Eleanor Corbin.
Your gun was found there.
How did it get there? l give you my word of honor, l have absolutely no recollection.
You left home with Douglas Hepner.
He was killed and with your gun.
That was two weeks later.
lf you'd just tell me the truth, we might have the chance of pleading self-defense, justifiable homicide.
We might have the chance of saving you from the death penalty, from life imprisonment.
Aren't you forgetting that the bullet was fired into the back of Doug's head? That would seem to eliminate any plea for self-defense.
You sound like you want me convicted.
lt's your ridiculous story, darling, not mine.
And you're just jealous because Doug preferred me to you.
That's not true! Please, please! Eleanor, if you don't recover that memory of yours, recover it fast, you're going to-- Matron, l'm through with the defendant.
What have you got in your pockets, Paul? Just a bunch ofjunk.
Put it all out here on the table, will you? And you men talk about the stum that goes in a woman's purse.
Well, what have l proved? That there wasn't quite enough stum in Hepner's pockets.
The police say he kept an apartment but that he never used it.
Never used the bed, never used the bathroom.
There was no food in the icebox, no laundry sent out-- Perry, wait a minute.
Laundry.
l just remembered, there was a man's laundered shirt in Eleanor Corbin's suitcase.
lf it was Hepner's shirt and there's a laundry mark, maybe we'll find out where Hepner really lived.
The suitcase is still in my apartment.
All right, Paul, you check the laundry marks.
l'm going down to the coroner's omice to see if l can get wax impressions of those keys they found on Hepner.
According to the laundry mark, that shirt belonged to a Frank Ormsby Newberg-- Apartment 20, Arlington Arms.
Think Mr.
Newberg and Mr.
Hepner are one and the same? Well, we'll know soon enough.
Della had keys made from those wax impressions.
Here.
You occupy apartment number 210 at the Sierra Vista Apartments, Miss Belan? That's right, yes, sir.
And who occupies the apartment immediately to the south of yours? South, uh Miss Suzanne Granger has apartment 208.
That's south.
Do you know the defendant in this case, Eleanor Corbin? Yes, but l hadn't seen her in over a year.
When did you recently see her again? Well, she said she was interested in Suzanne Granger in the adjoining apartment and, uh, that Miss Granger had stolen her boyfriend, Doug Hepner.
She wanted to see if he was actually calling on Miss Granger or-- So the defendant moved in with you.
l have here a sketch which shows the arrangement of your apartment and Miss Granger's apartment.
l'd like you to tell us, please, if this correctly shows the interior arrangement of your apartment.
Yes, sir, it does show my-- my apartment correctly, but l've never been in Miss Granger's apartment.
Well, that's all right.
l'm going to verify the arrangement of Miss Granger's apartment with another witness.
Now, was there any particular room in your apartment where the defendant said she wanted to stay? Yes, sir.
You see, my bedroom is the one with the large closet, ne_ to Miss Granger's, and Eleanor insisted that l move into the other bedroom so that she could have the bedroom ne_ to Miss Granger's-- ne_ to Miss Granger's apartment.
Miss Belan, did you ever see the defendant in possession of a weapon? Yes, sir-- a .
38 caliber revolver exactly like the one you're holdin'g.
Did the defendant show you this weapon herself? No.
No, l saw it in her overnight bag.
ln her overnight bag.
What other luggage did the defendant bring when she moved in with you? An overnight bag and a suitcase.
And what happened to these two pieces of luggage? Well, Mr.
Drake and Miss Street picked them up and took them away.
Did you have occasion to contact the defendant about this or about anything else at that time? No.
She called me-- from a hospital, l think.
Miss Belan, would you please tell us exactly what the defendant said to you when she phoned from the hospital? She said, ''Ethel, l'm in a terrible scrape, ''real serious trouble, and l've got to protect myself.
''And you've got to back me up in anything l say because,'' uh ''for the past two weeks l'm pretending that l've had amnesia.
'' All right, Miss Corbin, this is it.
What is? l asked for a short recess because l wanted you to quit stalling and tell me the truth.
You know, you may not have much time left for the truth.
You sound like l was already convicted and sentenced to die.
To all intents and purposes, that's exactly the situation.
Now, were you faking amnesia? Yes.
Were you running around the park that night half dressed? And if so, why? Mr.
Mason, l was appealing for help.
l was trying to get somebody to follow me.
Why did you want someone to follow you? Because l wanted to lead them to where they could find Doug's body.
You knew his body was there? You knew he was dead? Yes.
Doug and l were working on something very important.
Every time we met, we got together there in the park.
So when l went there this night Doug was lying there dead, and my gun was right beside him.
Why didn't you go straight to the police, tell them what you and Hepner were working on, tell them exactly what had happened? Because they wouldn't have believed me.
They wouldn't believe the truth, but they would believe a phony amnesia act.
ls that what you're trying to tell me? No.
No, you don't understand.
l wasn't going to fake amnesia then.
lt was, well, when the police cornered me, l got panicky, l guess.
Tell me, what was this story you'd dreamed up but you couldn't remember to tell the police? Well, l got this idea that if l were found in the park, hysterical and disheveled, l could say l was there with Doug and a strange man accosted us and killed Doug and tried to assault me.
Then l'd say that, well, l forced my way clear and was wandering around the park in a dazed condition.
Go on.
Well, l rushed back to the apartment and then tore om some of my clothing and grabbed Ethel's raincoat to cover me in case someone should see me first and then went back to the park.
lf you were ever put on a witness stand and tried to tell a jury what you've just told me, l guarantee you'd be convicted of first degree murder.
Now, l want the entire story, all of it, right from the beginning.
And this time l want the truth.
l didn't kill Doug Hepner.
l couldn't tell what actually happened.
But everything you've heard, everything you're going to hear, is close enough to the truth to convict me of murder.
Your Honor, the District Attorney stated that he has a witness who can authenticate a diagram of the Granger and Belan apartments.
l should like to defer my cross-examination of Miss Belan until the diagram has been introduced so that l might cross-examine on the positions of the various rooms involved.
Your name is Walter Richey.
You're employed by the Sierra Vista Apartments? Yes, sir.
l show you now this diagram.
l ask you if it shows correctly the various rooms in apartment 208 and 210.
Yes, sir.
The apartments are identical, except that the closet in one of the bedrooms of number 210 is 3 1#2 feet shorter than the other closets shown on the sketch.
This sketch was drawn to scale, and it was made by you at my request.
- Is that correct? - It was.
- Is it a full, true, and accurate diagram? - It is.
lf it please the court, l should like this diagram entered in evidence, marked for the people Exhibit H.
That's all.
You may step down.
Just a moment.
l have a question or two of the witness.
Surely there can't be any objection to the diagram.
l just wanted to find out a few points about the background of the witness.
Your Honor-- Very well.
If you insist, cross-examine, Mr.
Mason.
On the day following the murder, when Mr.
Paul Drake and Miss Della Street asked to see Suzanne Granger, didn't you go to the switchboard and ring the apartment of Miss Ethel Belan? Well, l-- l have occasion to call many of the apartments, but l simply don't remember calling Miss Belan at that time, no.
That'll be all, thank you.
l will stipulate that the diagram may be received in evidence.
With the court's permission, l am now ready to cross-examine Miss Belan.
Now, you're absolutely certain that the defendant had a .
38 caliber revolver - while she was in your apartment.
- Absolutely certain.
ln how many calibers are revolvers manufactured? How would l know that? What is the meaning of .
38 caliber? To what does it refer? l suppose it would refer to the weight of the bullet, wouldn't it? ln other words, a long, slender bullet would have a higher caliber than a short, thick bullet if it weighed more, is that correct? l think so, yes.
Actually, Miss Belan, you don't have the faintest idea of whether that gun was a .
38 caliber, a .
32 caliber, or a .
44 caliber, now do you? lt was described to me as a .
38 caliber revolver.
So you were simply repeating the words that had been used to describe the revolver? lf you wish to put it that way, yes.
That's the way l want to put it.
Now, Miss Belan, we'll see if your recollection is any better than Mr.
Richey's.
Do you recall an occasion when Mr.
Richey phoned you and said that a Mr.
Paul Drake was inquiring for Suzanne Granger? Yes.
l remember it.
What is the connection between you and Walter Richey? l object to that, Your Honor.
lt's quite obvious that counsel's on another of his fishing expeditions.
The court will sustain the objection.
l have no further questions of the witness.
And l have no further questions on this subject.
But just a moment.
There's another matter.
Miss Belan, did you ever see the defendant in the possession of any other articles beside that revolver articles of some e_raordinary value? Yes, sir, l did.
She had a large number of precious gems.
Where were you when you saw these? l had started into her bedroom.
The door was slightly ajar, and she didn't hear me.
And some of the gems were on the bed, and she was counting them.
And for all you know, these gems could have been contained in the luggage which Mr.
Paul Drake and Miss Della Street, acting on behalf of Perry Mason, removed from that apartment.
Objected to as argumentative, assuming a fact not in evidence, leading and suggestive, and utterly incompetent, irrelevant, and immaterial.
Sustained.
Cross-examine.
You stood in the dooM/ay of the room, and you saw the gems on the bed.
How far was it from the bed to the dooM/ay? - Perhaps 10 feet.
- What kind of gems were they? Diamonds, emeralds, a few rubies.
These rubies, were they genuine rubies or imitation? Oh, they were quite genuine, l'm sure.
Have you ever owned a genuine ruby, Miss Belan? Well, no, but l do-- And yet you say you stood 10 feet away, looked at an assortment of gems, and you unhesitatingly testified that the rubies in that assortment were genuine.
Is that right? When you put it that way, it sounds absurd, but l-- lt sounds a good deal more than absurd, Miss Belan.
No further questions.
Your Honor, l realize we're approaching the hour of adjournment, but l have a matter of the utmost urgency to present to the court.
l request the indulgence of the Court and ask that the Coroner's physician, Dr.
Oberon, be recalled to the stand.
Doctor, you stated that the cause of death was a .
38 caliber bullet Iodged in the brain.
Did you examine the body to determine if there was any contributing cause of death? What do you mean? Well, this photograph, taken at the time of autopsy, shows the right arm of the decedent.
l call your attention to the two little spots on that right arm.
Was this photograph taken because of these spots? Yes.
In homicide cases, l believe there should be a record of every abnormality noted.
This abnormality, Doctor-- was it your belief that the two spots were puncture marks caused by a hypodermic needle? There was always that possibility.
Did you test the body for morphia, for any other drugs? No.
It wasn't necessary.
l had already determined the cause of death.
lf the body of Douglas Hepner were to be exhumed at this time and morphine was present, that fact could be determined, could it not? l think there might be a very good chance.
Your Honor the decedent, at the time his body was discovered, had no matches, no lighter, no knife, nothing in his possession that could start a fire or cut through bonds.
That fact leads me to believe that Douglas Hepner was held captive prior to his death.
l believe that at the time of his death, Douglas Hepner was under the influence of morphine given to restrain him.
l now ask the court to order the body of Douglas Hepner exhumed.
- Paul.
- Hi, Perry.
How'd you make out on the order to have the body exhumed? The judge said no unless we get enough evidence to tie up the relevancy of anything that might be discovered.
What did you want me for? Remember when you tried to open Hepner's apartment, only the third key would work? l discovered later that one of the other keys was almost identical to it.
You mean Hepner had a key to a second apartment in this building? Hepner not only had a key that would open his own apartment, 20, but one that will also open apartment 21 .
Good work, Paul.
Who occupies apartment 21? The occupant of apartment 21 is a Miss Payson-- Miss Sadie Payson.
- Mrs.
Hepner? - Well, y-- You are the Suzanne Granger who occupies apartment number 208 at the Sierra Vista Apartments? Yes, l am.
You recently returned from a trip to Europe, Miss Granger.
While on shipboard, you met the decedent Douglas Hepner, and you became friendly with him.
Did you continue this friendship after the conclusion of the voyage? Well, not right away.
But a few weeks later, l ran into Doug.
He asked me for a date, and l had dinner with him two or three times.
Did you ever have a discussion with Eleanor Corbin about Douglas Hepner? Yes, l did, on the 15th ofAugust.
What was said, please? Doug was calling on me.
When he left, l noticed the door of apartment 210 opened just a crack, as if someone was watching.
l was aware that the defendant had moved in with Ethel Belan.
l also knew that every time Doug left my place, that door opened.
So this time, after Doug got into the elevator, l walked over and pushed it open.
Eleanor Corbin, the defendant, was standing on the other side of that door.
And that was when you had your conversation with her? Yes.
She, Eleanor Corbin, said that l tried to steal Doug away from her.
She said that she planned to marry him and if she couldn't have him, no one could have him.
Did she make any specific threats? Yes.
She threatened to kill both him and me if l tried to take him away from her.
Did the defendant indicate how she intended to carry out these threats? Yes, she did.
She opened her purse and showed me a revolver.
Miss Granger, l direct your attention to People's Exhibit G.
l ask if you have ever seen this revolver before.
lt looks very much like the one l saw in the defendant's handbag.
l think that'll be all.
Thank you very much.
Your witness.
Did anyone else hear this conversation? Was Miss Belan present? Miss Belan was away.
The defendant was alone in the apartment.
ln other words, it's only your word against the word of the defendant that this conversation did take place.
ln that you are wrong.
l was the only person present besides the defendant, true, but Mr.
Richey overheard the conversation.
He told me so.
Mr.
Richey, on or about the 15th day ofAugust of this year, did you overhear a conversation between the defendant and Suzanne Granger? l did.
Yes, sir.
Where did the conversation take place? At the door of apartment number 210.
And did the defendant at that time exhibit a weapon? Well, l couldn't exactly see what all was going on, but l did hear the defendant open her bag and say ''As you see, l am prepared to make good my promise'' or something of that sort.
Thank you, Mr.
Richey.
That'll be all.
You may inquire, Mr.
Mason.
Since you weren't in the hallway, where you would have been seen, l gather you overheard this conversation from inside one of the nearby apartments.
By any chance, were you in Miss Granger's apartment when she had this conversation with the defendant? Well, l-- Yes, l was.
Why is it so dimicult for you to tell us that you were inside Miss Granger's apartment? lt might be embarrassing for Miss Granger.
You see, Miss Granger had once reported that when she was away on a trip to Las Vegas, someone had broken into her apartment.
Go on.
Naturally, l checked the apartment quite often after that.
So you were keeping an eye on it when Mr.
Hepner brought her home from a date.
And you were still in her apartment when Mr.
Hepner left and she confronted the defendant? Yes, l was.
After Miss Granger returned to her apartment, after you overheard this conversation, did you let her know that you were there? Well, no.
Frankly, l slipped into a closet.
lt was an embarrassing situation.
l was a tiny bit confused at the time.
You become confused when you're embarrassed.
Now, since you're obviously embarrassed now, l take it you're also confused now? That doesn't follow.
l'm telling the truth.
You are? l have no further questions.
[Judge.]
Mr.
Burger? No redirect, Your Honor.
The witness may step down.
Do you have any more witnesses, Mr.
Burger? No, Your Honor.
The prosecution feels that at this point it has presented a prima facie case and l therefore move that this defendant be bound over for trial in Superior Court on a charge of first degree murder.
Mr.
Mason? Your Honor, l should like to present a defense at this time.
For its first witness, the defense calls Miss Sadie Payson.
Doug and l were partners in recovering smuggled gems and reporting them to the Customs Service for the 200/o reward.
ln what way did you work together? On a ship, when Doug spotted a girl he thought was smuggling, he'd play up to her, follow her after they landed, and give her a fast proposal and rush her om on a weekend elopement.
But first he'd always phone Mother.
That was my cue.
l'd get into the girl's apartment, and if l found anything e_remely valuable and the prospects looked better for making more money by-- by blackmail than by reporting the smuggled goods, why, then l'd show up later as a Customs agent, And this made the blackmail possible? Yes.
l'd do it when Doug was there so that he could suggest the possibility of buying me om.
Now, what happened with Eleanor Corbin? Just before Doug started out with her to Yuma, he phoned me.
He was very excited.
He said he was on the trail of a regular professional smuggling ring and that if we broke it, it could mean a fortune for us both.
Did he know who was in this smuggling ring? Yes-- at least one name-- Suzanne Granger.
He found out that at least once, about a year ago, her paint tubes had been used to smuggle in gems.
He wasn't sure whether she was a part of the ring or just an innocent carrier.
And he was suspicious of somebody else.
Go on.
Tell us the rest.
Well, Doug and l talked it over, and we figured out a plan, a real wild one.
No wonder that Corbin girl pulled that phony amnesia stunt.
No one in a million years would believe what she agreed to do for Doug.
Exactly how was the defendant to have been used? She was supposed to get into the apartment ne_ to Suzanne and watch the place.
She'd meet Doug in the park and report to him when Suzanne was home, who went in and out, and so on.
ln the meantime, Doug made his usual play for Suzanne.
He was good at that.
He got her to go to Vegas with him a week later.
Doug phoned me from Barstow and put Suzanne on.
And an hour after that, l was on a plane.
l went through that girl's apartment with a fine-toothed comb.
What did you find? Not a thing.
Suzanne wasn't in on the smuggling, so it had to be the other person Doug had suspected.
On the morning of the 16th, the day he was murdered, did Douglas Hepner call you on the phone? Yes.
He was very excited.
He said, ''l was wrong about Suzanne.
''l've found the gems the professional ring smuggled.
''What a sweet setup they had for hiding them.
''l've disposed of the gems.
Now l've got Eleanor's gun, ''and if l can get out of here without being killed, we'll both be sitting pretty.
'' From where was Douglas Hepner calling? From the apartment of the other person he had suspected-- Ethel Belan.
No.
No.
That's a lie.
A lie, Miss Belan? Now, Hepner had Eleanor Corbin move in with you because he suspected you as well as Suzanne Granger.
Here.
Here in your apartment, the one closet that was 3 1#2 feet shorter than any other closet in the building.
That was the sweet setup Douglas Hepner mentioned on the phone.
You can't prove a thing.
That closet is empty.
Where are the gems? You never saw Eleanor with those gems.
She never touched them.
Those gems were just where Hepner had disposed of them before he left your apartment Those gems were practically under your nose, hidden in the cosmetic jars in Eleanor's overnight bag-- the bag you allowed Paul Drake to remove from your apartment.
l don't believe you.
Do you believe me now? When you found the gems missing, Hepner was traced to his apartment, drugged with morphine, and the apartment was searched.
When the gems didn't turn up, Eleanor's gun was taken from Hepner's pocket, put to the back of his head, and he was killed.
His body was dumped in the park along with Eleanor's gun.
But l didn't kill him! l swear it! l didn't kill him! But your accomplice did-- the person who headed the smuggling ring did-- Walter Richey did.
Oh, you fool! You stupid fool! We'd have given you a cut! You've talked yourself right into jail! Why? Why? Douglas Hepner was my husband.
l loved him.
Hi, Perry.
What's up? Well, l have something for you, Paul.
Here it is.
Your fee from the Corbin family.
Hey, this is a small fortune.
You sure you haven't made some mistake? This must be your fee.
No, Paul.
Without the work you did, Eleanor Corbin might very well have been convicted of murder and on her way to the gas chamber.
Well.
Us plutocrats.
Perry, isn't there somebody that l could sue for the scratch on my finger when l found those diamonds in Eleanor's face cream? Well, you could sue.
However, the Customs Service is paying you the 200/o reward for finding those smuggled gems.
- You're kidding.
- Here.
lt's right here.
What do you know? Small change.
Uh, come along, gentlemen.
l'll buy the dinner.
Paul, you can leave the tip.
Subtitled By J.
R.
Media Services, Inc.
Burbank, CA