Perry Mason (1957) s02e13 Episode Script
The Case of the Borrowed Brunette
( noirish jazz theme playing ) ( mellow theme playing ) SECRETARY: I'm sorry, Mr.
Lane.
Mr.
Slater is still busy.
Yes, I'll tell him.
Goodbye.
Miss Eva Martell is next.
Good luck, Eva.
( slinky theme playing ) Miss Martell? That's right.
How tall are you, Miss Martell? Your weight? Hm.
What are your measurements, Miss Martell? You know, your measurements? Heh.
34-24-34.
Uh-huh.
Your age? Twenty-seven.
Single? Yes.
Y- Is all this on the up and up? Absolutely.
The advertisement I put in the paper said you could take along an older woman as a chaperon if you wanted to.
Yes, she's right outside.
Good.
Uh, would you come in, please? All right, Miss Martell.
You'll do.
You already know I'll pay you $100 a day, and your chaperon $25 a day to a minimum of $1,000.
And it can go on a whole lot further.
Okay, now that you'll have us, let's see if we'll have you.
What's the job? Well since the pay is so special there'll be some particular requirements.
What? You'll have to move out of your present quarters, move into an apartment at the Lodestar.
You'll have no connection with the outside world whatsoever.
No calls to friends, no letters, visitors, nothing.
Whose apartment is it? Belongs to a girl by the name of Helen Reynolds.
You'll be required to wear her clothes.
Helen Reynolds' clothes? That's right.
It's a very sharp wardrobe.
It sounds like an impersonation.
Aunt Agnes, I don't think this is the right- I do.
We'll try it.
( dramatic theme playing ) Aunt Aggie? Mm-hm? Mr.
Slater acts awfully strange for a private detective.
Don't borrow trouble, child.
But even when we took some personal things from our own apartment he made us put them in a shopping bag to make it look as though we were just bringing groceries in here.
( horn honking outside ) And those men we saw tonight, following us they're still down on the street.
Don't worry, Eva.
I'll look out for you.
I know you will, Aunt Aggie.
You always do.
( slow, moody theme playing ) But this is so strange.
I think we made a mistake coming here no matter how badly we need the money.
( ringing ) SLATER: Go on, answer it.
Hello? No, she isn't here right now.
This is Agnes Nulty, her nurse/companion.
May I have her call you back? All right.
Goodbye.
Fine.
You did that just fine.
Who was it? He didn't say.
He said he'd call later.
And what would you do if he wanted Mrs.
Reynolds to call back, and I wasn't here? Call your office and relay the message.
You see how easy it is? Well, that fits fine.
I'll pick you up at 6:30.
EVA: Mr.
Slater.
Are you taking us out to dinner again tonight? That's right.
Every night.
Goodbye, ladies.
( door closes ) There they are again.
What do they want, Aunt Aggie? They must be after something.
Maybe they're the police.
Maybe something's wrong.
Maybe something's terribly wrong.
I didn't want to do this.
I told you.
( doorbell buzzes ) Shh! In the bedroom.
Oh.
I beg your pardon.
I'm looking for Mr.
Slater.
Why would you be looking for him here? I'm Mrs.
Slater.
Oh.
Have you tried his office? He was here a few minutes ago.
I expect he's on his way back there.
Oh.
They won't let me in to see him.
I have to justcatch him.
You see, he won $1,800 in a poker game, and the children- I beg your pardon.
Will you be seeing him? What do you mean you have to "catch" him? Well, he won't give me enough money to- Tsk.
I'm sorry.
I- I shouldn't talk like this.
You mean, he refuses to support his family? Pleaseif you see him, would you tell him that I want to see him? Please, tell him to come home tonight.
Yes, I'll tell him.
Ah, don't you worry, honey.
Goodbye.
Goodbye.
Thank you.
I don't understand.
There's so many things going on I don't understand.
Who is Slater? What is he doing with this Helen Reynolds? Why am I taking her place? What if she's dead? What if what we're doing is illegal? I think it's time we got some advice on that, Eva.
I'll go to a lawyer.
Let's quit, Aunt Agnes.
I'm not giving up that money so quickly.
All right, what lawyer? Well, if this is a crime of some kind, a criminal lawyer.
( noirish jazz theme playing ) Very simply, Miss Nulty, my advice is to quit pack up and go home.
You're vulnerable.
Oh? You moved into someone else's apartment.
The real owner can claim your entry was felonious.
If something is missing, you can be charged with larceny.
Then there's grand theft, bunco.
This man Slater could be manipulating a dozen different confidence games.
Are you sure you're being followed? We were even followed here.
Why did you take the job? Well, we need the money desperately for Eva.
She's studying music, and that takes a lot of money, Mr.
Mason.
We'd like to keep on, if we can.
Then you'd better get some protection.
How? Well, there are several things I could do.
Wait a minute.
How much are you going to charge? I think we can come to an equitable arrangement later on.
Well, I don't like to do business on a "later on" basis, Mr.
Mason, but you have an honest face and Wellwhat do you want us to do? Uh, go back to the apartment call Mr.
Slater, tell him you're quitting.
He'll hit the ceiling.
Tell him you're under advice of counsel, and then pack your things and get out.
All right, Mr.
Mason.
I don't know where you're heading, butwe'll follow your instructions.
Uh, Miss Martell has Mr.
Slater made any improper advances? Oh, no.
And he'd better not.
I've got a gun in this purse, Mr.
Mason, and I can use it.
Do you have a permit to carry that gun? No.
Then my first advice to you is to get rid of it at once.
You're in a rather peculiar position.
Having an unlicensed gun can only make it worse.
All right, Mr.
Mason.
Goodbye, Miss Street.
Goodbye.
Thank you.
Goodbye, Mr.
Mason.
Miss Martell.
Let's get ahold of Paul Drake, Della.
Mm-hm.
I want him to find out who's having them followed and why.
I wonder what sort of flimflam this Mr.
Slater's up to.
We'll start the ball rolling when he calls.
When he calls? Mm-hm.
When he hits that ceiling, he'll have a phone with him.
This is a scandalous, high-handed procedure, Miss Nulty.
We've got an agreement.
I told you, you'd better speak to our attorney, Mr.
Slater.
Come on, Eva.
Uh- You can't leave me in the lurch like this.
An agreement is an agreement.
His name is Mason.
His phone number is on the pad.
Now, hold on, Mr.
Slater.
I take it you're aware it may be a crime to impersonate others? Only where there is intent to defraud, Mr.
Mason.
I've gone into the matter thoroughly.
There's no intent to defraud here.
But you do intend to deceive people? Now, who gave you permission to install my clients in Mrs.
Reynolds' apartment? Mrs.
Reynolds did.
Why? For For reasons I can't tell you, Mr.
Mason.
There's nothing illegal going on, I swear to you.
Your assurances aren't good enough, Mr.
Slater.
What do you want me to do? I want Mrs.
Reynolds to come to my office, prove her identity, and sign a statement relieving my clients of all responsibility for what you instruct them to do, for what they are doing, or may do.
I don't know if I can get Mrs.
Reynolds to do that.
Then forget about Eva Martell going on with this impersonation.
Get someone else.
I can't get someone else.
Not now, not anymore.
Then have Mrs.
Reynolds at my office before 1:00.
At 1:00, I instruct my clients to return to their own apartment.
No, they can't do that.
Everything will be ruined.
They've already disobeyed by going to you.
One o'clock, Mr.
Slater.
Goodbye.
WOMAN: Observe.
I press my thumb on the pad and on the paper.
Now you'll notice that it corresponds exactly with the thumbprint on the license.
I am me, Helen Reynolds.
You do look a great deal like Miss Martell.
Almost like sisters.
They seem to be identical.
They are identical.
What other kind of convincing do you want, Mr.
Mason? Did you commission Melvin Slater to arrange this impersonation? Yes.
For what purpose? That's my business.
Yes, it is, Mrs.
Reynolds so long as you break no laws or cause them to be broken.
And so long as you do not jeopardize the rights of others.
Della, do you have that document? Yes, it's right here.
Please read it before you sign.
I suppose this is the indemnification Slater told me you wanted.
"Agree to hold harmless for any damages "because of so impersonating me, "and fully indemnify against any or all kind "of financial loss of any sort, nature or description.
" Why, I'll be giving them a license to steal me blind.
Not quite.
Well, that's the way it looks to me.
I'd be signing my life away.
You lawyers make me sick.
I've included only the minimum requirements for the protection of my clients.
It gives them absolute carte blanche.
I'm not going to sign it.
If you can satisfy me as to your motives behind the whole maneuver, you may not have to.
I hate men like you.
One or the other, Mrs.
Reynolds or I must instruct my clients to return to their own apartment.
( sighs ) Mr.
Mason, I believe you're right.
I may be taking unfair advantage of them.
Where do I sign? Right here.
You're a philosophical loser.
Will they go back to the apartment now? Of course.
Your, uh bag made quite a thump when it hit the desk.
If it contains a gun, I hope you have a license for it.
A gun? I have no gun.
Goodbye, Mr.
Mason.
( door closes ) ( phone rings ) Yes, Gertie? Oh.
Oh, put her on.
Eva Martell.
Yes, Miss Martell, where are you? We're at Wilson's Grill, Mr.
Mason.
A restaurant.
It is? That's wonderful.
Well, do you think it'll be all right if we go to the beauty parlor and the supermarket before we go back to Mrs.
Reynolds' apartment? Yes, I think it'll be all right.
Are you still being followed? Oh, yes, Mr.
Mason.
Now there are other men too.
I don't know whether they're following us or following the men who are following us.
( chuckles ) Oh, don't mind them.
Just go about your business.
Okay, Mr.
Mason.
Goodbye.
Did he say it's all right? Mm-hm.
It's Mr.
Slater.
I'll put these groceries away, Eva.
Mr.
Slater? ( screams ) Aunt Aggie! ( dramatic theme playing ) Call Mr.
Mason from the phone in the lobby downstairs.
Go on, I'll be right with you.
( knocking on door ) Hi, Perry, Della.
Hi, Paul.
Hi, Paul.
It is now three hours and 20 minutes since the discovery of Melvin Slater's body.
What do you know so far? Nothing.
Except what Eva Martell told me over the phone.
Well, she called the police.
Tragg and his boys arrived at 4:10.
At five after 5, Tragg took your clients downtown for questioning.
Do you know anything about the murder itself? No.
Slater was shot in the middle of his forehead with a small-caliber gun.
Probably a.
32.
Well, uh, what's the matter? Well, Aunt Agnes said she carried a gun.
Probably small-bore.
Go on.
You wanted to know who was behind that tailing job, and I had a perfect opportunity of finding out.
Who was it? I noticed that the Interstate Detective boys, the ones tailing your clients, were feeding information back to the home office from the Lodestar via phone.
Then one of them took off.
I figured he was heading back to the office for only one reason.
To report to the client in person? Right.
So I covered.
Okay, Paul, who was it? Grant Willoughby Reynolds.
Reynolds? Helen Reynolds' husband? That's right.
Where is he now? Still in the apartment.
Belvedere Towers.
All right, let's go.
( sighs ) Oh, Della Mm-hm.
get ahold of Reynolds.
Tell him I want to talk to him about his wife.
Miss Martell and her aunt will probably come by when they're through at police headquarters or call.
Right.
I do hope they come by.
That Miss Martell is a doll.
That'll make your day complete? I was thinking of my evening.
Goodbye, beautiful.
( laughs ) You're Mason? No, I am.
And who are you? I'm Paul Drake.
What do you do? I'm a private detective.
Come in.
Now, what about my wife, Mr.
Mason? How long have you been separated? That's my personal business.
I'm afraid it's gonna be public business before very long.
Why? A murder was committed in her apartment this afternoon.
I, uh I don't understand your connection with this, Mason.
I'll explain it, Mr.
Reynolds.
You hired private detectives to spy on your wife.
You gave them a description and her address at the Lodestar.
You wanted to know everything about her.
But apparently, your wife knew what you were planning to do and made some plans of her own.
What are you talking about? An advertisement that appeared in the newspapers three or four days ago.
My client answered it.
And with her aunt as chaperon, she moved into your wife's apartment, even before you hired your private detectives.
Go on, Mason.
Well, there you have it.
A woman was living in your wife's apartment who answered in every way the description you'd given Interstate Detective Agency.
Then the reports I've been getting have been on your client, not my wife? That's right, Mr.
Reynolds.
My wife's been as free as a bird to consort with 100 men if she wanted to.
And that's a dirty game she's playing, Mason.
How about your game? What's that? What was your purpose in having your wife spied on? She's my wife.
When I don't want anything anymore, I give it away.
But nobody leaves me.
Nobody quits me.
And nobody takes what's mine.
And she wanted to quit you? ( sighs ) All right.
Now I understand.
Where do you fit in and what do you want? Mr.
Reynolds somehow there seems to have been a leak in your plans.
Who did you tell them to? Nobody.
Who recommended Interstate Detective Agency to you? That's personal.
That won't help you.
Where were you this afternoon, Mr.
Reynolds? About 1:00? I'm not gonna answer that either.
Why not? On general principles.
You're not the police.
You've got another ax to grind.
All right, Paul, I guess that's it.
Wait a minute.
I've got an ax too.
I want to get rid of my wife but I don't want to get stuck.
Now, she's seeing somebody.
She'sin love with somebody.
If I can find out who- I can't help you.
Did this Slater have a key to my wife's apartment? If he had lived, would you have named him in a divorce action? I can still use that key to soften up her demands.
Might be a two-edged sword.
What do you mean by that? Well, if he had a key and you found it, you might've been insanely jealous and tried to trap him.
Remember, Mr.
Reynolds he was murdered.
Uh, Mr.
Mason will you please tell me how you knew what Slater was up to? I didn't know, Mr.
Drake.
Was the only way the facts made any sense.
There's more than a good chance, though, that Reynolds is right about his wife seeing someone.
Hm.
Why? She wouldn't have gone to all the trouble of setting up an impersonation just to fool him.
Yeah, she must've wanted to be with someone else, without being spied on.
She didn't impress me as the type who would spend long evenings withonly a book and a record player.
Paul- Ah.
I know.
I'll try to find who the boyfriend is.
( suspenseful theme playing ) Della? Yes, Perry? Any word from the, uh-? They're here.
Come in, won't you? Well, it's nice of you to stop by.
Here, sit down.
Thank you.
Did you just leave police headquarters? We just stopped at our own place to drop off our things.
I see.
Well, tell me what happened.
I understand Slater was shot with a.
32 revolver.
Oh? Was he? What caliber was your gun? Mine? Oh, you mean what we were talking about today.
Why, Mr.
Mason, I don't own a revolver.
What a fuss you make over a little white fib.
I never carried a gun in my life.
Did you tell that to the police? Well, of course.
Because it's the truth.
Did you disturb anything in the murder room? AGNES: No.
Were you two together all the time.
I mean, the whole day? We were together all day, Mr.
Mason.
What about the time you were phoning me from Wilson's Grill? Well, that was just a minute or two.
What else did you tell Lieutenant Tragg? Just the truth.
Of course, we didn't offer anything, but when he asked a question, we answered.
Mr.
Mason we'd like to thank you for everything you've done for us.
You no longer want me to represent you? That's right.
We want to settle up now.
We don't want to run up a big bill.
How much, uh-? ( knocking on door ) Good evening, Della.
Perry.
Miss Nulty.
Uh, you'll have to come with me.
What for? Murder.
You just released her.
Yes, I know, but that was before we found the gun.
What gun? The murder gun, Perry.
Miss Nulty's gun.
The one she shot Melvin Slater with.
The one she tried to dispose of.
And before we found $1,800.
Three $500 bills and three $100 bills.
Where'd you find it? Along with Slater's wallet.
In among the personal things Miss Nulty took out of the Reynolds' apartment.
Why did you kill him, Miss Nulty? For the money? I didn't kill him! For heaven sakes, doesn't anybody get anything straight around here? Let's go.
I guess I became economical a mite too soon, Mr.
Mason.
Can you keep on representing us a little while longer? We can take up the fee later.
All right, Miss Nulty.
Mr.
Mason, shouldn't I go with her? You said you told the police you were with your aunt all day.
Yes.
Did you sign a statement to that effect? Yes.
Did you swear to it? Yes, it was an affidavit.
I'm not the police, I'm your lawyer.
I want the truth.
Were you with your aunt every second? Well, practically.
Practically? All right.
When weren't you with her? Well, after we told Mr.
Slater we were quitting, like you said, we packed our things and left Mrs.
Reynolds' apartment and got down in the lobby.
And suddenly Aunt Agnes remembered something she'd left upstairs.
What? Well, she didn't say what.
And she went upstairs again? Yes.
What time was this? About quarter to 1.
How long was she gone? Only a few minutes.
Mr.
Mason, about Aunt Agnes, you have to take some of the things she says with a Well, it isn't that she means to deceive you, it's just that- Just that she's a liar.
( sighs ) Well, yes.
Yes, I guess she is.
But she wouldn't hurt anyone.
She didn't kill Slater.
You're worried about her? Yes.
At the moment, I'm worried about you.
( suspenseful theme playing ) I know you're holding Agnes Nulty on suspicion of murder.
I think her niece, Eva Martell, can be of some help to you.
That affidavit she signed, just in case it contains an oversight or an incorrect recital of fact, I want to be sure nothing's going to be done about it.
So that's it? You wanna make a deal? That's it.
Let me tell you something, Perry.
At approximately 1:00 Melvin Slater was killed by a bullet from Agnes Nulty's gun.
Your Eva Martell has sworn in her affidavit that she was with Agnes Nulty every minute of that time.
Now, I just told you she may have- Therefore, if she gets on the stand and testifies that she was with Agnes Nulty, she's gonna be convicted, along with Agnes Nulty of murder in the first degree.
But if she tries to change her testimony, she's gonna be convicted of perjury.
No deal, Perry.
You just struck out.
( dramatic theme playing ) ( suspenseful theme playing ) I note that the defendants, Agnes Nulty and Eva Martell, are charged jointly with first-degree murder and are both represented by Mr.
Mason.
Proceed, Mr.
Prosecutor.
I call as my first witness Officer Samuel Dixon.
Officer Samuel Dixon.
And within two minutes after we got the radio call, my partner and I were at the apartment.
The body was in a chair, and there was a bullet hole in his forehead.
And who was present in the apartment at that time? Uh, the defendants, Miss Nulty and Miss Martell.
Thank you, officer.
Cross-examine.
No question.
BURGER: I call Helen Reynolds to the stand.
No, sir, I didn't actually see Mr.
Slater on the day he was killed, but I did talk to him over the phone.
And you had seen him many times prior to that occasion? Many times, yes.
Did you rent an apartment at the Lodestar Apartments? Yes.
And you had given Mr.
Slater permission to use your apartment? Temporarily, yes.
On the 4th day of the month, at the request of the police department, did you go to the city morgue? I did.
And while you were there, did you identify a man's body? Yes, I did.
It was Mr.
Melvin Slater.
Thank you, Mrs.
Reynolds.
Cross-examine, counselor.
Mrs.
Reynolds, why did you give Mr.
Slater permission to occupy your apartment? He was employed to hire a woman who resembled me.
MASON: Why? HELEN: She was to occupy the apartment with an older woman.
Mr.
Slater would then escort these women around town, taking them to dinner and the theater, so that the private detectives that my husband had hired to spy on me would turn in false reports to him.
Then Mr.
Slater had fulfilled his job? Yes, he hired Miss Martell and Miss Nulty.
Where were you at 12:30 on the afternoon of the murder? Your Honor, that's objected to on the grounds that it's incompetent, irrelevant and immaterial.
It's also improper cross-examination.
Your Honor, the witness has testified she did not see the decedent all that day.
I only want to follow her movements from the luncheon period until the time of the murder.
What was the time of the murder? The coroner's report states the time as between 12:30 and 2:00.
The prosecution fixes the time at 1:00.
If it please the court, the prosecution fixes the time of death at between 12:45 and 1:15.
Very well.
Objection overruled.
Defense is entitled to investigate this area of time.
Thank you, Your Honor.
Now, Mrs.
Reynolds, where were you at 12:30? At lunch.
With whom? A friend.
What friend? A personal friend.
And I'm not gonna tell you who, Mr.
Mason.
But at 15 minutes to 1, I got a message from Mr.
Slater.
He said I was to go to Mr.
Perry Mason's office.
At 1:00, or a few minutes after- Was that when the murder took place? - I was speaking to Mr.
Mason in his office.
Thank you.
No further questions.
I call Grant Willoughby Reynolds to the stand, please.
Mr.
Reynolds, you have heard the testimony of your wife? I have.
Did you indeed hire Interstate Detective Agency to have her shadowed? I did.
BURGER: And did you receive reports from this agency about the activities of Miss Martell and Miss Nulty in the belief that they were reports about your wife and her chaperon? Yes.
Now, after you were apprised of the murder, what did you do? Well, I instructed the detective agency to give the police all the information they had.
And to the best of your knowledge, they did? Yes.
Thank you, Mr.
Reynolds.
Cross-examine.
Now, Mr.
Reynolds, how did you receive your reports? By mail, telephone or in person? Sometimes by phone, sometimes in person.
Do you recall a conversation we had on the evening of the murder? I do.
At that time I informed you of Slater's murder, yet you did not seem surprised.
No.
Why not? I'd been apprised of it by the Interstate Detective Agency.
By telephone or in person? By phone.
Had you been at the Interstate office on that day? If you're fishing for an account of my whereabouts, Mr.
Mason, it's a matter of record.
I had lunch with the manager of Interstate.
Lunch was from 12:15 to almost 1:30.
At which time I returned with the manager to the Interstate offices.
Thank you, Mr.
Reynolds.
That'll be all.
Now, Mr.
Folsom, you're a private detective.
By whom are you employed? The Interstate Detective Agency.
I direct your attention to the defendant Agnes Nulty, and I ask if you saw her on the 4th day of the month at approximately FOLSOM: I did.
BURGER: Whereabouts? FOLSOM: At Wilson's Grill, a restaurant.
Were you able to observe what she was doing there? She was with the other defendant.
They arrived at five minutes to 1.
At 1:20, while Eva Martell was phoning, Miss Nulty left the grill.
Without being observed, I followed her to an alley back of the restaurant.
And what did she do there? There were three garbage cans there.
She lifted the lid of the middle one, apparently dropped something into it, and then replaced the lid.
And you say this was approximately 1:20? Yes, sir, at 1:20.
Thank you, sir.
That'll be all.
Cross-examine.
Mr.
Folsom, I noticed you were very careful in your choice of words.
You said that Miss Nulty lifted the lid and apparently dropped something into the can? Yes, sir.
When she picked it up, it was with her left hand.
Her back was to me, and her body hid what her right hand was doing.
I see.
Now, Mr.
Folsom, at the time you observed the defendant Nulty, or within a very few minutes thereafter, did you not telephone a report to the Interstate Agency? FOLSOM: Uh, yes, I did.
MASON: In that report, did you not state that she lifted the lid and looked into the can? UhI believe so, yes.
And isn't it a fact that you did not report that she dropped something into it? Well, uh, no, if you want to get technical about it.
But in thinking it over- We don't want your second thoughts, Mr.
Folsom.
The initial impression is all we want.
Thank you.
That'll be all.
I call Barbara Slater to the stand, please.
CLERK: Mrs.
Barbara Slater.
BURGER: Now, Mrs.
Slater, I show you this wallet and ask if you've ever seen it before.
Yes.
It's my- It was my husband's.
Would you tell the court, please, the occasion when you saw it last? Yes, sir.
It was on the morning of the 4th of October.
He changed suits and opened the wallet and gave me $20 for house money.
Were you able to observe anything in the wallet while it was open? Yes, sir.
I saw a $500 bill.
I asked him where he got it, and he said he won it in a poker game.
And then he showed me three of them, and three $100 bills.
Thank you, Mrs.
Slater.
You may cross-examine.
Mrs.
Slater, your husband gave you $20 for expenses, and kept $1800 for himself? Yes, sir.
Did you try to reach him at Mrs.
Reynolds' apartment on the morning of the murder? I- Yes.
You missed him? Did you then try to reach him again at that apartment? No.
No, Mr.
Mason.
I had to go home and take care of my family.
Thank you, Mrs.
Slater.
That will be all.
Lieutenant, were you in charge of the investigation of the murder of Melvin Slater? Yes, sir.
BURGER: And did you find on his person a wallet? TRAGG: No.
No, sir.
I see.
Now, you took the defendants down to police headquarters for questioning.
Until about what time did you detain them there? Uh, it was about And would you tell the court please what transpired after they left police headquarters? Well, we got a report from the Interstate Detective Agency relating the garbage-can incident, and I went to Wilson's Grill and inspected the middle garbage can in the back alley.
Would you tell us, please, what you found? Yes, I found the can to be about two-thirds full, and I had it emptied out on a piece of canvas.
And in that refuse, I found a gun.
I show you now this gun and ask if you can identify it.
Oh, yes, I can.
It has my mark on it.
It's the.
32 revolver we found in the middle of the refuse.
I see.
Did you take this gun with you and return to police headquarters? No, sir.
I sent it, along with the top of the can, to be tested.
And I immediately called on Agnes Nulty.
She wasn't home.
What home are you referring to, lieutenant? Before she took up residence at Mrs.
Reynolds' apartment, she and Miss Martell shared a duplex.
I see.
So what did you do? TRAGG: Since I had a search warrant, I got the owner of the place to let me in.
And you searched the premises? Yes, sir, I found among the belongings that Miss Nulty had taken away from Mrs.
Reynolds' apartment, a wallet.
I show you now this wallet and ask if you can identify it.
Yes, I can.
It too has my mark.
It's the wallet I found in Miss Nulty's possessions.
And what did you find in the wallet, lieutenant? Well, among papers and licenses, three $500 bills and three $100 bills.
And what did you do after you found the money? Well, I called headquarters, and I learned the gun was the murder weapon, and that the lid of the garbage pail revealed the fingerprints of Agnes Nulty.
I then went to Mr.
Mason's office and I arrested Miss Nulty.
Thank you, lieutenant.
That'll be all.
Cross-examine, counselor.
One moment, counselor.
Do you anticipate a prolonged cross-examination? Yes, I do, Your Honor.
Since it is nearly 5:00, the court will be adjourned until 10:00 tomorrow morning.
( crowd chattering ) PAUL: Hi, Perry.
Hi, Paul.
Anything on Helen Reynolds' boyfriend? No, not yet, But I'm still waiting to hear from the boys.
There's something else that bothers me.
I think the same thing is bothering me.
Well, what's that? Well, from what you've been able to reconstruct of Slater's character, wouldn't he be the kind of man to take advantage of a situation with Helen Reynolds? Exactly.
Paul, can you take Della to dinner? It's a pleasure.
But what about you? I have an errand to do.
I'll see you both later.
( suspenseful theme playing ) ( doorbell buzzes ) Good evening.
What do you want, Mr.
Mason? Just a few words.
You've had them in court.
I thought you might prefer these out of court.
Who's the man? What man? The one you've gone to such lengths to protect, the one you're still protecting.
The gentleman, the man so unlike Grant Reynolds.
He is different, isn't he? He has to be, otherwise he'd be fighting for you out in the open.
You're the most- The second most.
- obnoxious person I've ever met.
Second only to your husband? I think the reason I dislike you so intensely is that there's something about you, though in a subtler way, that reminds me of Grant.
There's the same initial impact of a strong personality, the same steady, insistent pressure to overcome obstacles that- Well, that I find attractive.
It's a good deal softer in you, and wiser and more humanitarian, but it's there.
You're a remarkable woman.
All right, I'm not going to fight with you over something that isn't worthwhile.
What do you want to know? Outside of who I'm in love with? How did you find out before the fact that your husband was going to have you shadowed? Melvin Slater told me.
Slater? My husband is an inveterate poker player.
He'll even play with professionals when he can't find a game with friends.
At a recent game, he inquired about a good detective agency.
Slater was there.
He put two and two together and, um, came to me.
Andyou and he figured out the antidote? Yes.
Slater's quite an opportunist.
How much did he blackmail you for, Mrs.
Reynolds? There you go again, like a bull with your head down and your horns ripping.
Mr.
Mason, I'm packing.
I want to get out of here.
I can't believe he wouldn't blackmail you.
Didn't he discover who your lover was and take the whole thing to your husband? No.
I wouldn't be blackmailed, Mr.
Mason.
There's never any end to blackmail once it starts.
Oh, yes, there's an end.
But only one.
What? Murder, Mrs.
Reynolds.
Where did you go when you left my office on the day of the murder? To my lover, who is not a lover, Mr.
Mason.
To the man I'm in love with.
A gentle man, a man full of warmth and sweetness and an abundance of love.
I've protected him from Grant.
Do you think I won't protect him from you and the whole world if I have to? Good night, Mr.
Mason.
( suspenseful theme playing ) Perry, this is the information you wanted on the kitchen schedule.
I got to talking with the chef there, and guess who used to work in the kitchen? Who? Barbara Slater.
When? She quit about four months ago.
Nice work, Paul.
CLERK: Please rise.
Here we go.
Now, lieutenant, you had the lid of the garbage can tested and found Miss Nulty's fingerprints? That's right.
On the underside of the lid's handle were several latents.
Some smudged and some clearly identifiable.
Did all the identifiable prints belong to Miss Nulty? Oh, no.
No, sir.
And, of course, you had these other prints checked out? ( chuckles ) We'd have to go through the whole kitchen staff.
And, of course, you also had the murder weapon tested for fingerprints? Yes, negative.
Everything had been smudged and smeared.
It had been there an appreciable amount of time and garbage had been piled on top of it from time to time.
Isn't this only an assumption of yours, lieutenant? Well, yes.
Of course, it's obvious.
Well, would you please explain the part of the evidence that makes it obvious? Well, I found the gun pretty well down inside the garbage.
Well, isn't it possible the gun could have been pushed down? And wouldn't that account for the fact that the fingerprints on the gun were smudged? Your Honor, it's perfectly obvious that counsel is merely wrangling about an interpretation of evidence.
It's up to the court to make that interpretation.
Your Honor, I'm only trying to find out what actually happened.
But isn't it obvious that what the lieutenant says must be exactly what happened, Mr.
Mason? No, it isn't, Your Honor.
I would be glad to hear counsel on this.
Then if it please the court, I would like to recall a witness, Mrs.
Barbara Slater.
Very well.
Call Mrs.
Barbara Slater.
Mrs.
Barbara Slater.
JUDGE: You may stand down.
You're already under oath, Mrs.
Slater.
Continue, Mr.
Mason.
Thank you, Your Honor.
Now, Mrs.
Slater, were you gainfully employed up until four months ago? Yes.
Where did you work? Um, in Wilson's Grill, in the kitchen.
I, uh- I did general utility work.
Cleaning up, washing and drying dishes.
Emptying refuse into the cans behind the cafe? Yes, sir.
Did the kitchen staff have a regular schedule for this task? Yes, sir.
When is the last lot of refuse transferred to the cans after 12:00 noon? It's right before 12:30.
The breakfast help work by the hour, and they go off time at 12:30, so, uh, i-it has to be done before then.
And in the evening? Well, when we work that split shift, we come back at 8:00.
There are never any changes? I worked there 32 months, Mr.
Mason, day in and day out, and- And no refuse was ever put out between 12:30 and 8:00 in the evening.
Thank you.
Is that all? Why, yes, Mrs.
Slater, unless Mr.
Burger has some questions.
No, I haven't.
Your Honor, I don't think this proves anything at all.
It simply means that it must've been the way counsel himself theorized.
Miss Nulty pushed the gun deep into the middle of the refuse can.
Now, in order to do that, Miss Nulty would've had to roll up her right sleeve.
She most certainly did not do that according to the witness Folsom.
Folsom couldn't see her hands.
According to his testimony, Folsom's first impression was that she had raised the lid and looked into the can.
Then he said maybe she had dropped something into it.
But he most certainly did not say that she had bent over and pushed something into it.
Now, Mr.
District Attorney, it would seem that counsel is logically and clearly building a good point.
If Your Honor please, I maintain that the position of the gun in the refuse can materially affects this case.
How so, Mr.
Mason? We all accepted Mr.
Burger's theory that the murder took place prior to 1:20, only because Miss Nulty was seen in the alley at that time.
But since she was seen there and disposed of the murder weapon at that time, what other theory is there? Mr.
Burger, you'll recall the coroner's report states that the murder could have occurred at any time between 12:30 and 2:00.
Now, if it please the court, and if Mr.
Burger has no objections, in an effort to clarify this entire matter, I should like to recall another witness.
You may recall your witness, Mr.
Mason.
Thank you, Your Honor.
MASON: Mr.
Grant Reynolds, please.
You stated you had lunch with the manager of Interstate Detective Agency on the day of the murder? Yes.
And that you returned to the Interstate offices at approximately 1:30? That's right.
Then you must've been there when Mr.
Folsom phoned in his report on Agnes Nulty, who, by the way, was following my directive to get rid of the gun.
Are you sure I was there? We can check that with the Interstate manager, can't we, Mr.
Reynolds? Now, there were only four people who knew about Miss Nulty's peculiar actions: Miss Nulty herself, the Interstate manager, Mr.
Folsom, and you, Mr.
Reynolds.
And it piqued your curiosity.
What was your wife's chaperon disposing of so secretly? How long did it take you to get to the alley back of Wilson's Grill? How long to take advantage of the gun, already loaded? How long to get to your wife's apartment, seeing a man in his shirt-sleeves, a man you thought had replaced you in your wife's affections? How long to pull that trigger, Mr.
Reynolds? Not long enough to give Slater the chance to tell you he wasn't the man you were looking for, was it? What makes you think he wasn't? He had a key to my wife's apartment.
He sat around the place as if he owned it.
Sure, maybe he started by working for her.
But I know my wife.
I knew there was something going on.
Yes.
You knew.
You knew something was going on every time she even nodded to another man.
You'll never convince me there wasn't.
I wouldn't try, Mr.
Reynolds.
( dramatic theme playing ) Then after Mr.
Reynolds killed Slater, he brought the gun back to the garbage can.
And thinking that more garbage had been added in the meantime, he pushed it halfway down.
That's right, Della.
There's one thing I don't understand.
Why Miss Nulty took the $1,800.
I took it because I wanted to make sure it got back to where it belonged.
And where would that be? To Barbara Slater.
I was going to put it in an envelope and mail it to her, only I never had the chance.
Well, I guess that clears everything up.
No, there's one little bit of unfinished business.
Hm.
What? Helen Reynolds' boyfriend.
Where is he? Ah, we stopped looking for him, Perry.
You stopped looking for him? Why? Well, the judge had already dismissed the case.
Mm-hm.
You'd already uncovered the murderer.
Mm-hm.
Besides, we couldn't find him.
Mm-hm.
( all laughing ) ( noirish jazz theme playing )
Lane.
Mr.
Slater is still busy.
Yes, I'll tell him.
Goodbye.
Miss Eva Martell is next.
Good luck, Eva.
( slinky theme playing ) Miss Martell? That's right.
How tall are you, Miss Martell? Your weight? Hm.
What are your measurements, Miss Martell? You know, your measurements? Heh.
34-24-34.
Uh-huh.
Your age? Twenty-seven.
Single? Yes.
Y- Is all this on the up and up? Absolutely.
The advertisement I put in the paper said you could take along an older woman as a chaperon if you wanted to.
Yes, she's right outside.
Good.
Uh, would you come in, please? All right, Miss Martell.
You'll do.
You already know I'll pay you $100 a day, and your chaperon $25 a day to a minimum of $1,000.
And it can go on a whole lot further.
Okay, now that you'll have us, let's see if we'll have you.
What's the job? Well since the pay is so special there'll be some particular requirements.
What? You'll have to move out of your present quarters, move into an apartment at the Lodestar.
You'll have no connection with the outside world whatsoever.
No calls to friends, no letters, visitors, nothing.
Whose apartment is it? Belongs to a girl by the name of Helen Reynolds.
You'll be required to wear her clothes.
Helen Reynolds' clothes? That's right.
It's a very sharp wardrobe.
It sounds like an impersonation.
Aunt Agnes, I don't think this is the right- I do.
We'll try it.
( dramatic theme playing ) Aunt Aggie? Mm-hm? Mr.
Slater acts awfully strange for a private detective.
Don't borrow trouble, child.
But even when we took some personal things from our own apartment he made us put them in a shopping bag to make it look as though we were just bringing groceries in here.
( horn honking outside ) And those men we saw tonight, following us they're still down on the street.
Don't worry, Eva.
I'll look out for you.
I know you will, Aunt Aggie.
You always do.
( slow, moody theme playing ) But this is so strange.
I think we made a mistake coming here no matter how badly we need the money.
( ringing ) SLATER: Go on, answer it.
Hello? No, she isn't here right now.
This is Agnes Nulty, her nurse/companion.
May I have her call you back? All right.
Goodbye.
Fine.
You did that just fine.
Who was it? He didn't say.
He said he'd call later.
And what would you do if he wanted Mrs.
Reynolds to call back, and I wasn't here? Call your office and relay the message.
You see how easy it is? Well, that fits fine.
I'll pick you up at 6:30.
EVA: Mr.
Slater.
Are you taking us out to dinner again tonight? That's right.
Every night.
Goodbye, ladies.
( door closes ) There they are again.
What do they want, Aunt Aggie? They must be after something.
Maybe they're the police.
Maybe something's wrong.
Maybe something's terribly wrong.
I didn't want to do this.
I told you.
( doorbell buzzes ) Shh! In the bedroom.
Oh.
I beg your pardon.
I'm looking for Mr.
Slater.
Why would you be looking for him here? I'm Mrs.
Slater.
Oh.
Have you tried his office? He was here a few minutes ago.
I expect he's on his way back there.
Oh.
They won't let me in to see him.
I have to justcatch him.
You see, he won $1,800 in a poker game, and the children- I beg your pardon.
Will you be seeing him? What do you mean you have to "catch" him? Well, he won't give me enough money to- Tsk.
I'm sorry.
I- I shouldn't talk like this.
You mean, he refuses to support his family? Pleaseif you see him, would you tell him that I want to see him? Please, tell him to come home tonight.
Yes, I'll tell him.
Ah, don't you worry, honey.
Goodbye.
Goodbye.
Thank you.
I don't understand.
There's so many things going on I don't understand.
Who is Slater? What is he doing with this Helen Reynolds? Why am I taking her place? What if she's dead? What if what we're doing is illegal? I think it's time we got some advice on that, Eva.
I'll go to a lawyer.
Let's quit, Aunt Agnes.
I'm not giving up that money so quickly.
All right, what lawyer? Well, if this is a crime of some kind, a criminal lawyer.
( noirish jazz theme playing ) Very simply, Miss Nulty, my advice is to quit pack up and go home.
You're vulnerable.
Oh? You moved into someone else's apartment.
The real owner can claim your entry was felonious.
If something is missing, you can be charged with larceny.
Then there's grand theft, bunco.
This man Slater could be manipulating a dozen different confidence games.
Are you sure you're being followed? We were even followed here.
Why did you take the job? Well, we need the money desperately for Eva.
She's studying music, and that takes a lot of money, Mr.
Mason.
We'd like to keep on, if we can.
Then you'd better get some protection.
How? Well, there are several things I could do.
Wait a minute.
How much are you going to charge? I think we can come to an equitable arrangement later on.
Well, I don't like to do business on a "later on" basis, Mr.
Mason, but you have an honest face and Wellwhat do you want us to do? Uh, go back to the apartment call Mr.
Slater, tell him you're quitting.
He'll hit the ceiling.
Tell him you're under advice of counsel, and then pack your things and get out.
All right, Mr.
Mason.
I don't know where you're heading, butwe'll follow your instructions.
Uh, Miss Martell has Mr.
Slater made any improper advances? Oh, no.
And he'd better not.
I've got a gun in this purse, Mr.
Mason, and I can use it.
Do you have a permit to carry that gun? No.
Then my first advice to you is to get rid of it at once.
You're in a rather peculiar position.
Having an unlicensed gun can only make it worse.
All right, Mr.
Mason.
Goodbye, Miss Street.
Goodbye.
Thank you.
Goodbye, Mr.
Mason.
Miss Martell.
Let's get ahold of Paul Drake, Della.
Mm-hm.
I want him to find out who's having them followed and why.
I wonder what sort of flimflam this Mr.
Slater's up to.
We'll start the ball rolling when he calls.
When he calls? Mm-hm.
When he hits that ceiling, he'll have a phone with him.
This is a scandalous, high-handed procedure, Miss Nulty.
We've got an agreement.
I told you, you'd better speak to our attorney, Mr.
Slater.
Come on, Eva.
Uh- You can't leave me in the lurch like this.
An agreement is an agreement.
His name is Mason.
His phone number is on the pad.
Now, hold on, Mr.
Slater.
I take it you're aware it may be a crime to impersonate others? Only where there is intent to defraud, Mr.
Mason.
I've gone into the matter thoroughly.
There's no intent to defraud here.
But you do intend to deceive people? Now, who gave you permission to install my clients in Mrs.
Reynolds' apartment? Mrs.
Reynolds did.
Why? For For reasons I can't tell you, Mr.
Mason.
There's nothing illegal going on, I swear to you.
Your assurances aren't good enough, Mr.
Slater.
What do you want me to do? I want Mrs.
Reynolds to come to my office, prove her identity, and sign a statement relieving my clients of all responsibility for what you instruct them to do, for what they are doing, or may do.
I don't know if I can get Mrs.
Reynolds to do that.
Then forget about Eva Martell going on with this impersonation.
Get someone else.
I can't get someone else.
Not now, not anymore.
Then have Mrs.
Reynolds at my office before 1:00.
At 1:00, I instruct my clients to return to their own apartment.
No, they can't do that.
Everything will be ruined.
They've already disobeyed by going to you.
One o'clock, Mr.
Slater.
Goodbye.
WOMAN: Observe.
I press my thumb on the pad and on the paper.
Now you'll notice that it corresponds exactly with the thumbprint on the license.
I am me, Helen Reynolds.
You do look a great deal like Miss Martell.
Almost like sisters.
They seem to be identical.
They are identical.
What other kind of convincing do you want, Mr.
Mason? Did you commission Melvin Slater to arrange this impersonation? Yes.
For what purpose? That's my business.
Yes, it is, Mrs.
Reynolds so long as you break no laws or cause them to be broken.
And so long as you do not jeopardize the rights of others.
Della, do you have that document? Yes, it's right here.
Please read it before you sign.
I suppose this is the indemnification Slater told me you wanted.
"Agree to hold harmless for any damages "because of so impersonating me, "and fully indemnify against any or all kind "of financial loss of any sort, nature or description.
" Why, I'll be giving them a license to steal me blind.
Not quite.
Well, that's the way it looks to me.
I'd be signing my life away.
You lawyers make me sick.
I've included only the minimum requirements for the protection of my clients.
It gives them absolute carte blanche.
I'm not going to sign it.
If you can satisfy me as to your motives behind the whole maneuver, you may not have to.
I hate men like you.
One or the other, Mrs.
Reynolds or I must instruct my clients to return to their own apartment.
( sighs ) Mr.
Mason, I believe you're right.
I may be taking unfair advantage of them.
Where do I sign? Right here.
You're a philosophical loser.
Will they go back to the apartment now? Of course.
Your, uh bag made quite a thump when it hit the desk.
If it contains a gun, I hope you have a license for it.
A gun? I have no gun.
Goodbye, Mr.
Mason.
( door closes ) ( phone rings ) Yes, Gertie? Oh.
Oh, put her on.
Eva Martell.
Yes, Miss Martell, where are you? We're at Wilson's Grill, Mr.
Mason.
A restaurant.
It is? That's wonderful.
Well, do you think it'll be all right if we go to the beauty parlor and the supermarket before we go back to Mrs.
Reynolds' apartment? Yes, I think it'll be all right.
Are you still being followed? Oh, yes, Mr.
Mason.
Now there are other men too.
I don't know whether they're following us or following the men who are following us.
( chuckles ) Oh, don't mind them.
Just go about your business.
Okay, Mr.
Mason.
Goodbye.
Did he say it's all right? Mm-hm.
It's Mr.
Slater.
I'll put these groceries away, Eva.
Mr.
Slater? ( screams ) Aunt Aggie! ( dramatic theme playing ) Call Mr.
Mason from the phone in the lobby downstairs.
Go on, I'll be right with you.
( knocking on door ) Hi, Perry, Della.
Hi, Paul.
Hi, Paul.
It is now three hours and 20 minutes since the discovery of Melvin Slater's body.
What do you know so far? Nothing.
Except what Eva Martell told me over the phone.
Well, she called the police.
Tragg and his boys arrived at 4:10.
At five after 5, Tragg took your clients downtown for questioning.
Do you know anything about the murder itself? No.
Slater was shot in the middle of his forehead with a small-caliber gun.
Probably a.
32.
Well, uh, what's the matter? Well, Aunt Agnes said she carried a gun.
Probably small-bore.
Go on.
You wanted to know who was behind that tailing job, and I had a perfect opportunity of finding out.
Who was it? I noticed that the Interstate Detective boys, the ones tailing your clients, were feeding information back to the home office from the Lodestar via phone.
Then one of them took off.
I figured he was heading back to the office for only one reason.
To report to the client in person? Right.
So I covered.
Okay, Paul, who was it? Grant Willoughby Reynolds.
Reynolds? Helen Reynolds' husband? That's right.
Where is he now? Still in the apartment.
Belvedere Towers.
All right, let's go.
( sighs ) Oh, Della Mm-hm.
get ahold of Reynolds.
Tell him I want to talk to him about his wife.
Miss Martell and her aunt will probably come by when they're through at police headquarters or call.
Right.
I do hope they come by.
That Miss Martell is a doll.
That'll make your day complete? I was thinking of my evening.
Goodbye, beautiful.
( laughs ) You're Mason? No, I am.
And who are you? I'm Paul Drake.
What do you do? I'm a private detective.
Come in.
Now, what about my wife, Mr.
Mason? How long have you been separated? That's my personal business.
I'm afraid it's gonna be public business before very long.
Why? A murder was committed in her apartment this afternoon.
I, uh I don't understand your connection with this, Mason.
I'll explain it, Mr.
Reynolds.
You hired private detectives to spy on your wife.
You gave them a description and her address at the Lodestar.
You wanted to know everything about her.
But apparently, your wife knew what you were planning to do and made some plans of her own.
What are you talking about? An advertisement that appeared in the newspapers three or four days ago.
My client answered it.
And with her aunt as chaperon, she moved into your wife's apartment, even before you hired your private detectives.
Go on, Mason.
Well, there you have it.
A woman was living in your wife's apartment who answered in every way the description you'd given Interstate Detective Agency.
Then the reports I've been getting have been on your client, not my wife? That's right, Mr.
Reynolds.
My wife's been as free as a bird to consort with 100 men if she wanted to.
And that's a dirty game she's playing, Mason.
How about your game? What's that? What was your purpose in having your wife spied on? She's my wife.
When I don't want anything anymore, I give it away.
But nobody leaves me.
Nobody quits me.
And nobody takes what's mine.
And she wanted to quit you? ( sighs ) All right.
Now I understand.
Where do you fit in and what do you want? Mr.
Reynolds somehow there seems to have been a leak in your plans.
Who did you tell them to? Nobody.
Who recommended Interstate Detective Agency to you? That's personal.
That won't help you.
Where were you this afternoon, Mr.
Reynolds? About 1:00? I'm not gonna answer that either.
Why not? On general principles.
You're not the police.
You've got another ax to grind.
All right, Paul, I guess that's it.
Wait a minute.
I've got an ax too.
I want to get rid of my wife but I don't want to get stuck.
Now, she's seeing somebody.
She'sin love with somebody.
If I can find out who- I can't help you.
Did this Slater have a key to my wife's apartment? If he had lived, would you have named him in a divorce action? I can still use that key to soften up her demands.
Might be a two-edged sword.
What do you mean by that? Well, if he had a key and you found it, you might've been insanely jealous and tried to trap him.
Remember, Mr.
Reynolds he was murdered.
Uh, Mr.
Mason will you please tell me how you knew what Slater was up to? I didn't know, Mr.
Drake.
Was the only way the facts made any sense.
There's more than a good chance, though, that Reynolds is right about his wife seeing someone.
Hm.
Why? She wouldn't have gone to all the trouble of setting up an impersonation just to fool him.
Yeah, she must've wanted to be with someone else, without being spied on.
She didn't impress me as the type who would spend long evenings withonly a book and a record player.
Paul- Ah.
I know.
I'll try to find who the boyfriend is.
( suspenseful theme playing ) Della? Yes, Perry? Any word from the, uh-? They're here.
Come in, won't you? Well, it's nice of you to stop by.
Here, sit down.
Thank you.
Did you just leave police headquarters? We just stopped at our own place to drop off our things.
I see.
Well, tell me what happened.
I understand Slater was shot with a.
32 revolver.
Oh? Was he? What caliber was your gun? Mine? Oh, you mean what we were talking about today.
Why, Mr.
Mason, I don't own a revolver.
What a fuss you make over a little white fib.
I never carried a gun in my life.
Did you tell that to the police? Well, of course.
Because it's the truth.
Did you disturb anything in the murder room? AGNES: No.
Were you two together all the time.
I mean, the whole day? We were together all day, Mr.
Mason.
What about the time you were phoning me from Wilson's Grill? Well, that was just a minute or two.
What else did you tell Lieutenant Tragg? Just the truth.
Of course, we didn't offer anything, but when he asked a question, we answered.
Mr.
Mason we'd like to thank you for everything you've done for us.
You no longer want me to represent you? That's right.
We want to settle up now.
We don't want to run up a big bill.
How much, uh-? ( knocking on door ) Good evening, Della.
Perry.
Miss Nulty.
Uh, you'll have to come with me.
What for? Murder.
You just released her.
Yes, I know, but that was before we found the gun.
What gun? The murder gun, Perry.
Miss Nulty's gun.
The one she shot Melvin Slater with.
The one she tried to dispose of.
And before we found $1,800.
Three $500 bills and three $100 bills.
Where'd you find it? Along with Slater's wallet.
In among the personal things Miss Nulty took out of the Reynolds' apartment.
Why did you kill him, Miss Nulty? For the money? I didn't kill him! For heaven sakes, doesn't anybody get anything straight around here? Let's go.
I guess I became economical a mite too soon, Mr.
Mason.
Can you keep on representing us a little while longer? We can take up the fee later.
All right, Miss Nulty.
Mr.
Mason, shouldn't I go with her? You said you told the police you were with your aunt all day.
Yes.
Did you sign a statement to that effect? Yes.
Did you swear to it? Yes, it was an affidavit.
I'm not the police, I'm your lawyer.
I want the truth.
Were you with your aunt every second? Well, practically.
Practically? All right.
When weren't you with her? Well, after we told Mr.
Slater we were quitting, like you said, we packed our things and left Mrs.
Reynolds' apartment and got down in the lobby.
And suddenly Aunt Agnes remembered something she'd left upstairs.
What? Well, she didn't say what.
And she went upstairs again? Yes.
What time was this? About quarter to 1.
How long was she gone? Only a few minutes.
Mr.
Mason, about Aunt Agnes, you have to take some of the things she says with a Well, it isn't that she means to deceive you, it's just that- Just that she's a liar.
( sighs ) Well, yes.
Yes, I guess she is.
But she wouldn't hurt anyone.
She didn't kill Slater.
You're worried about her? Yes.
At the moment, I'm worried about you.
( suspenseful theme playing ) I know you're holding Agnes Nulty on suspicion of murder.
I think her niece, Eva Martell, can be of some help to you.
That affidavit she signed, just in case it contains an oversight or an incorrect recital of fact, I want to be sure nothing's going to be done about it.
So that's it? You wanna make a deal? That's it.
Let me tell you something, Perry.
At approximately 1:00 Melvin Slater was killed by a bullet from Agnes Nulty's gun.
Your Eva Martell has sworn in her affidavit that she was with Agnes Nulty every minute of that time.
Now, I just told you she may have- Therefore, if she gets on the stand and testifies that she was with Agnes Nulty, she's gonna be convicted, along with Agnes Nulty of murder in the first degree.
But if she tries to change her testimony, she's gonna be convicted of perjury.
No deal, Perry.
You just struck out.
( dramatic theme playing ) ( suspenseful theme playing ) I note that the defendants, Agnes Nulty and Eva Martell, are charged jointly with first-degree murder and are both represented by Mr.
Mason.
Proceed, Mr.
Prosecutor.
I call as my first witness Officer Samuel Dixon.
Officer Samuel Dixon.
And within two minutes after we got the radio call, my partner and I were at the apartment.
The body was in a chair, and there was a bullet hole in his forehead.
And who was present in the apartment at that time? Uh, the defendants, Miss Nulty and Miss Martell.
Thank you, officer.
Cross-examine.
No question.
BURGER: I call Helen Reynolds to the stand.
No, sir, I didn't actually see Mr.
Slater on the day he was killed, but I did talk to him over the phone.
And you had seen him many times prior to that occasion? Many times, yes.
Did you rent an apartment at the Lodestar Apartments? Yes.
And you had given Mr.
Slater permission to use your apartment? Temporarily, yes.
On the 4th day of the month, at the request of the police department, did you go to the city morgue? I did.
And while you were there, did you identify a man's body? Yes, I did.
It was Mr.
Melvin Slater.
Thank you, Mrs.
Reynolds.
Cross-examine, counselor.
Mrs.
Reynolds, why did you give Mr.
Slater permission to occupy your apartment? He was employed to hire a woman who resembled me.
MASON: Why? HELEN: She was to occupy the apartment with an older woman.
Mr.
Slater would then escort these women around town, taking them to dinner and the theater, so that the private detectives that my husband had hired to spy on me would turn in false reports to him.
Then Mr.
Slater had fulfilled his job? Yes, he hired Miss Martell and Miss Nulty.
Where were you at 12:30 on the afternoon of the murder? Your Honor, that's objected to on the grounds that it's incompetent, irrelevant and immaterial.
It's also improper cross-examination.
Your Honor, the witness has testified she did not see the decedent all that day.
I only want to follow her movements from the luncheon period until the time of the murder.
What was the time of the murder? The coroner's report states the time as between 12:30 and 2:00.
The prosecution fixes the time at 1:00.
If it please the court, the prosecution fixes the time of death at between 12:45 and 1:15.
Very well.
Objection overruled.
Defense is entitled to investigate this area of time.
Thank you, Your Honor.
Now, Mrs.
Reynolds, where were you at 12:30? At lunch.
With whom? A friend.
What friend? A personal friend.
And I'm not gonna tell you who, Mr.
Mason.
But at 15 minutes to 1, I got a message from Mr.
Slater.
He said I was to go to Mr.
Perry Mason's office.
At 1:00, or a few minutes after- Was that when the murder took place? - I was speaking to Mr.
Mason in his office.
Thank you.
No further questions.
I call Grant Willoughby Reynolds to the stand, please.
Mr.
Reynolds, you have heard the testimony of your wife? I have.
Did you indeed hire Interstate Detective Agency to have her shadowed? I did.
BURGER: And did you receive reports from this agency about the activities of Miss Martell and Miss Nulty in the belief that they were reports about your wife and her chaperon? Yes.
Now, after you were apprised of the murder, what did you do? Well, I instructed the detective agency to give the police all the information they had.
And to the best of your knowledge, they did? Yes.
Thank you, Mr.
Reynolds.
Cross-examine.
Now, Mr.
Reynolds, how did you receive your reports? By mail, telephone or in person? Sometimes by phone, sometimes in person.
Do you recall a conversation we had on the evening of the murder? I do.
At that time I informed you of Slater's murder, yet you did not seem surprised.
No.
Why not? I'd been apprised of it by the Interstate Detective Agency.
By telephone or in person? By phone.
Had you been at the Interstate office on that day? If you're fishing for an account of my whereabouts, Mr.
Mason, it's a matter of record.
I had lunch with the manager of Interstate.
Lunch was from 12:15 to almost 1:30.
At which time I returned with the manager to the Interstate offices.
Thank you, Mr.
Reynolds.
That'll be all.
Now, Mr.
Folsom, you're a private detective.
By whom are you employed? The Interstate Detective Agency.
I direct your attention to the defendant Agnes Nulty, and I ask if you saw her on the 4th day of the month at approximately FOLSOM: I did.
BURGER: Whereabouts? FOLSOM: At Wilson's Grill, a restaurant.
Were you able to observe what she was doing there? She was with the other defendant.
They arrived at five minutes to 1.
At 1:20, while Eva Martell was phoning, Miss Nulty left the grill.
Without being observed, I followed her to an alley back of the restaurant.
And what did she do there? There were three garbage cans there.
She lifted the lid of the middle one, apparently dropped something into it, and then replaced the lid.
And you say this was approximately 1:20? Yes, sir, at 1:20.
Thank you, sir.
That'll be all.
Cross-examine.
Mr.
Folsom, I noticed you were very careful in your choice of words.
You said that Miss Nulty lifted the lid and apparently dropped something into the can? Yes, sir.
When she picked it up, it was with her left hand.
Her back was to me, and her body hid what her right hand was doing.
I see.
Now, Mr.
Folsom, at the time you observed the defendant Nulty, or within a very few minutes thereafter, did you not telephone a report to the Interstate Agency? FOLSOM: Uh, yes, I did.
MASON: In that report, did you not state that she lifted the lid and looked into the can? UhI believe so, yes.
And isn't it a fact that you did not report that she dropped something into it? Well, uh, no, if you want to get technical about it.
But in thinking it over- We don't want your second thoughts, Mr.
Folsom.
The initial impression is all we want.
Thank you.
That'll be all.
I call Barbara Slater to the stand, please.
CLERK: Mrs.
Barbara Slater.
BURGER: Now, Mrs.
Slater, I show you this wallet and ask if you've ever seen it before.
Yes.
It's my- It was my husband's.
Would you tell the court, please, the occasion when you saw it last? Yes, sir.
It was on the morning of the 4th of October.
He changed suits and opened the wallet and gave me $20 for house money.
Were you able to observe anything in the wallet while it was open? Yes, sir.
I saw a $500 bill.
I asked him where he got it, and he said he won it in a poker game.
And then he showed me three of them, and three $100 bills.
Thank you, Mrs.
Slater.
You may cross-examine.
Mrs.
Slater, your husband gave you $20 for expenses, and kept $1800 for himself? Yes, sir.
Did you try to reach him at Mrs.
Reynolds' apartment on the morning of the murder? I- Yes.
You missed him? Did you then try to reach him again at that apartment? No.
No, Mr.
Mason.
I had to go home and take care of my family.
Thank you, Mrs.
Slater.
That will be all.
Lieutenant, were you in charge of the investigation of the murder of Melvin Slater? Yes, sir.
BURGER: And did you find on his person a wallet? TRAGG: No.
No, sir.
I see.
Now, you took the defendants down to police headquarters for questioning.
Until about what time did you detain them there? Uh, it was about And would you tell the court please what transpired after they left police headquarters? Well, we got a report from the Interstate Detective Agency relating the garbage-can incident, and I went to Wilson's Grill and inspected the middle garbage can in the back alley.
Would you tell us, please, what you found? Yes, I found the can to be about two-thirds full, and I had it emptied out on a piece of canvas.
And in that refuse, I found a gun.
I show you now this gun and ask if you can identify it.
Oh, yes, I can.
It has my mark on it.
It's the.
32 revolver we found in the middle of the refuse.
I see.
Did you take this gun with you and return to police headquarters? No, sir.
I sent it, along with the top of the can, to be tested.
And I immediately called on Agnes Nulty.
She wasn't home.
What home are you referring to, lieutenant? Before she took up residence at Mrs.
Reynolds' apartment, she and Miss Martell shared a duplex.
I see.
So what did you do? TRAGG: Since I had a search warrant, I got the owner of the place to let me in.
And you searched the premises? Yes, sir, I found among the belongings that Miss Nulty had taken away from Mrs.
Reynolds' apartment, a wallet.
I show you now this wallet and ask if you can identify it.
Yes, I can.
It too has my mark.
It's the wallet I found in Miss Nulty's possessions.
And what did you find in the wallet, lieutenant? Well, among papers and licenses, three $500 bills and three $100 bills.
And what did you do after you found the money? Well, I called headquarters, and I learned the gun was the murder weapon, and that the lid of the garbage pail revealed the fingerprints of Agnes Nulty.
I then went to Mr.
Mason's office and I arrested Miss Nulty.
Thank you, lieutenant.
That'll be all.
Cross-examine, counselor.
One moment, counselor.
Do you anticipate a prolonged cross-examination? Yes, I do, Your Honor.
Since it is nearly 5:00, the court will be adjourned until 10:00 tomorrow morning.
( crowd chattering ) PAUL: Hi, Perry.
Hi, Paul.
Anything on Helen Reynolds' boyfriend? No, not yet, But I'm still waiting to hear from the boys.
There's something else that bothers me.
I think the same thing is bothering me.
Well, what's that? Well, from what you've been able to reconstruct of Slater's character, wouldn't he be the kind of man to take advantage of a situation with Helen Reynolds? Exactly.
Paul, can you take Della to dinner? It's a pleasure.
But what about you? I have an errand to do.
I'll see you both later.
( suspenseful theme playing ) ( doorbell buzzes ) Good evening.
What do you want, Mr.
Mason? Just a few words.
You've had them in court.
I thought you might prefer these out of court.
Who's the man? What man? The one you've gone to such lengths to protect, the one you're still protecting.
The gentleman, the man so unlike Grant Reynolds.
He is different, isn't he? He has to be, otherwise he'd be fighting for you out in the open.
You're the most- The second most.
- obnoxious person I've ever met.
Second only to your husband? I think the reason I dislike you so intensely is that there's something about you, though in a subtler way, that reminds me of Grant.
There's the same initial impact of a strong personality, the same steady, insistent pressure to overcome obstacles that- Well, that I find attractive.
It's a good deal softer in you, and wiser and more humanitarian, but it's there.
You're a remarkable woman.
All right, I'm not going to fight with you over something that isn't worthwhile.
What do you want to know? Outside of who I'm in love with? How did you find out before the fact that your husband was going to have you shadowed? Melvin Slater told me.
Slater? My husband is an inveterate poker player.
He'll even play with professionals when he can't find a game with friends.
At a recent game, he inquired about a good detective agency.
Slater was there.
He put two and two together and, um, came to me.
Andyou and he figured out the antidote? Yes.
Slater's quite an opportunist.
How much did he blackmail you for, Mrs.
Reynolds? There you go again, like a bull with your head down and your horns ripping.
Mr.
Mason, I'm packing.
I want to get out of here.
I can't believe he wouldn't blackmail you.
Didn't he discover who your lover was and take the whole thing to your husband? No.
I wouldn't be blackmailed, Mr.
Mason.
There's never any end to blackmail once it starts.
Oh, yes, there's an end.
But only one.
What? Murder, Mrs.
Reynolds.
Where did you go when you left my office on the day of the murder? To my lover, who is not a lover, Mr.
Mason.
To the man I'm in love with.
A gentle man, a man full of warmth and sweetness and an abundance of love.
I've protected him from Grant.
Do you think I won't protect him from you and the whole world if I have to? Good night, Mr.
Mason.
( suspenseful theme playing ) Perry, this is the information you wanted on the kitchen schedule.
I got to talking with the chef there, and guess who used to work in the kitchen? Who? Barbara Slater.
When? She quit about four months ago.
Nice work, Paul.
CLERK: Please rise.
Here we go.
Now, lieutenant, you had the lid of the garbage can tested and found Miss Nulty's fingerprints? That's right.
On the underside of the lid's handle were several latents.
Some smudged and some clearly identifiable.
Did all the identifiable prints belong to Miss Nulty? Oh, no.
No, sir.
And, of course, you had these other prints checked out? ( chuckles ) We'd have to go through the whole kitchen staff.
And, of course, you also had the murder weapon tested for fingerprints? Yes, negative.
Everything had been smudged and smeared.
It had been there an appreciable amount of time and garbage had been piled on top of it from time to time.
Isn't this only an assumption of yours, lieutenant? Well, yes.
Of course, it's obvious.
Well, would you please explain the part of the evidence that makes it obvious? Well, I found the gun pretty well down inside the garbage.
Well, isn't it possible the gun could have been pushed down? And wouldn't that account for the fact that the fingerprints on the gun were smudged? Your Honor, it's perfectly obvious that counsel is merely wrangling about an interpretation of evidence.
It's up to the court to make that interpretation.
Your Honor, I'm only trying to find out what actually happened.
But isn't it obvious that what the lieutenant says must be exactly what happened, Mr.
Mason? No, it isn't, Your Honor.
I would be glad to hear counsel on this.
Then if it please the court, I would like to recall a witness, Mrs.
Barbara Slater.
Very well.
Call Mrs.
Barbara Slater.
Mrs.
Barbara Slater.
JUDGE: You may stand down.
You're already under oath, Mrs.
Slater.
Continue, Mr.
Mason.
Thank you, Your Honor.
Now, Mrs.
Slater, were you gainfully employed up until four months ago? Yes.
Where did you work? Um, in Wilson's Grill, in the kitchen.
I, uh- I did general utility work.
Cleaning up, washing and drying dishes.
Emptying refuse into the cans behind the cafe? Yes, sir.
Did the kitchen staff have a regular schedule for this task? Yes, sir.
When is the last lot of refuse transferred to the cans after 12:00 noon? It's right before 12:30.
The breakfast help work by the hour, and they go off time at 12:30, so, uh, i-it has to be done before then.
And in the evening? Well, when we work that split shift, we come back at 8:00.
There are never any changes? I worked there 32 months, Mr.
Mason, day in and day out, and- And no refuse was ever put out between 12:30 and 8:00 in the evening.
Thank you.
Is that all? Why, yes, Mrs.
Slater, unless Mr.
Burger has some questions.
No, I haven't.
Your Honor, I don't think this proves anything at all.
It simply means that it must've been the way counsel himself theorized.
Miss Nulty pushed the gun deep into the middle of the refuse can.
Now, in order to do that, Miss Nulty would've had to roll up her right sleeve.
She most certainly did not do that according to the witness Folsom.
Folsom couldn't see her hands.
According to his testimony, Folsom's first impression was that she had raised the lid and looked into the can.
Then he said maybe she had dropped something into it.
But he most certainly did not say that she had bent over and pushed something into it.
Now, Mr.
District Attorney, it would seem that counsel is logically and clearly building a good point.
If Your Honor please, I maintain that the position of the gun in the refuse can materially affects this case.
How so, Mr.
Mason? We all accepted Mr.
Burger's theory that the murder took place prior to 1:20, only because Miss Nulty was seen in the alley at that time.
But since she was seen there and disposed of the murder weapon at that time, what other theory is there? Mr.
Burger, you'll recall the coroner's report states that the murder could have occurred at any time between 12:30 and 2:00.
Now, if it please the court, and if Mr.
Burger has no objections, in an effort to clarify this entire matter, I should like to recall another witness.
You may recall your witness, Mr.
Mason.
Thank you, Your Honor.
MASON: Mr.
Grant Reynolds, please.
You stated you had lunch with the manager of Interstate Detective Agency on the day of the murder? Yes.
And that you returned to the Interstate offices at approximately 1:30? That's right.
Then you must've been there when Mr.
Folsom phoned in his report on Agnes Nulty, who, by the way, was following my directive to get rid of the gun.
Are you sure I was there? We can check that with the Interstate manager, can't we, Mr.
Reynolds? Now, there were only four people who knew about Miss Nulty's peculiar actions: Miss Nulty herself, the Interstate manager, Mr.
Folsom, and you, Mr.
Reynolds.
And it piqued your curiosity.
What was your wife's chaperon disposing of so secretly? How long did it take you to get to the alley back of Wilson's Grill? How long to take advantage of the gun, already loaded? How long to get to your wife's apartment, seeing a man in his shirt-sleeves, a man you thought had replaced you in your wife's affections? How long to pull that trigger, Mr.
Reynolds? Not long enough to give Slater the chance to tell you he wasn't the man you were looking for, was it? What makes you think he wasn't? He had a key to my wife's apartment.
He sat around the place as if he owned it.
Sure, maybe he started by working for her.
But I know my wife.
I knew there was something going on.
Yes.
You knew.
You knew something was going on every time she even nodded to another man.
You'll never convince me there wasn't.
I wouldn't try, Mr.
Reynolds.
( dramatic theme playing ) Then after Mr.
Reynolds killed Slater, he brought the gun back to the garbage can.
And thinking that more garbage had been added in the meantime, he pushed it halfway down.
That's right, Della.
There's one thing I don't understand.
Why Miss Nulty took the $1,800.
I took it because I wanted to make sure it got back to where it belonged.
And where would that be? To Barbara Slater.
I was going to put it in an envelope and mail it to her, only I never had the chance.
Well, I guess that clears everything up.
No, there's one little bit of unfinished business.
Hm.
What? Helen Reynolds' boyfriend.
Where is he? Ah, we stopped looking for him, Perry.
You stopped looking for him? Why? Well, the judge had already dismissed the case.
Mm-hm.
You'd already uncovered the murderer.
Mm-hm.
Besides, we couldn't find him.
Mm-hm.
( all laughing ) ( noirish jazz theme playing )