( peaceful theme playing )
ANNOUNCER ( on TV ):
And now the announcement
you've all been waiting for.
The winner of the contest
to choose "The Girl
with the Lucky Legs" is...
number three, Cloverdale's
own Marjorie Cluny.
( applause on TV )
Yes, the big contest is over
and by your purchases
and your votes,
you have helped to put
Cloverdale on the glamour map
of the world.
And now, the man responsible
for all this:
Mr. Frank Patton
of Stellar Screen Productions.
Mr. Patton.
( applause )
Thank you.
Miss Cluny, it is my privilege
to present you
with this contract
for the title role
in our forthcoming
Stellar production.
Congratulations.
Thank you, Mr. Patton.
And my thanks to all those
who voted for me.
I'll try not
to let you down.
ANNOUNCER:
Congratulations, good luck.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Yes, sir
Good for you, Marge.
Thank you.
Wonderful.
Folks, for the record here
and now, let me prophesy
a meteoric career
for this lovely young girl
from Cloverdale.
A career which
will establish her
as one of Hollywood's
brightest stars.
MARJORIE:
Bob, please.
Now, look here, Doray...
I've stood by
and watched you put over
this fake promotion
of yours,
lining your pockets
at the expense
of our local merchants.
But I don't care about that,
no, that's just money
you're taking out of Cloverdale.
Margy is something different.
You'd better treat her right
in Hollywood.
Do you understand me, Patton?
She's not expendable.
You might be.
( dramatic theme playing )
( frenetic theme playing )
MASON:
How long ago was
this "Lucky Legs" contest?
That was a month ago.
But, uh, Margy's
Hollywood career
lasted exactly two days.
Then they told her she didn't
photograph well enough.
According to this contract,
that gave them
the right to cancel.
All right, Mr. Bradbury,
what do you want of me?
Well, Margy's disappeared.
We've gotta find her.
I also want you to find Patton
and put him where he belongs:
behind bars.
What did the district attorney's
office tell you?
How did you know I went there?
You're
a successful businessman.
You'd know
if the district attorney
thought he could get
a conviction
on the basis of this contract.
Well, Mr. Burger did say that
the man undoubtedly was a crook,
but it was a question of, uh,
proving criminal intent.
And so it is.
Well, up to the moment,
this is all I could dig up.
Newspaper clippings about
the contest, data like that.
All right,
I'll look it over.
Della, get hold of Paul,
tell him I want
to see him right away.
( rings )
Yes, Gertie?
( Gertie speaking indistinctly )
I'll be right out.
You know, Mr. Bradbury,
you seem to have more
than just a passing interest
in Marjorie Cluny.
She was my secretary.
If that, uh, contest hadn't
come along,
I think it's safe to say
that, by now,
she'd be my wife.
You'd, uh, might as well go out
this way, Mr. Bradbury.
You'll hear from me soon.
Thanks,
and spare no expense.
Someone else
from Cloverdale, Utah.
A Bob Doray wants you
to find Frank Patton
and put him behind bars.
Come in, Mr. Doray.
Won't you sit down.
What did J.R. Bradbury want?
Did you follow him here?
Look, I can't pay you
as much as he can,
not in cash at any rate, but...
( sighs )
I'm willing to sign a note
for any amount.
You're too late.
I've already accepted
his retainer.
Yeah, I should have known.
Look, Bradbury's just trying
to obligate Margy.
He thinks he can get her
to marry him.
Evidently you think so too.
Mr. Doray.
You didn't ask me
to find Marjorie Cluny.
So?
So it would help if you'd
tell me where she is.
( dramatic theme playing )
Quite a character,
this Patton.
Seems he's pulled
his "Lucky Legs" stunt
in a lot of small towns.
I located one of the winners
of a few years ago,
girl from Montana
who stayed on in Hollywood.
You saw her?
No, spoke to her
on the phone.
She said if there's anything
she can do
to help put Patton out
of circulation, just ask her.
Uh, by the way,
she gave me Patton's address.
Three-O-two,
the Holliday Arms apartments.
What's the girl's name?
Thelma Bell,
St. James Bungalows, Number .
Crestview -.
Good work, Paul.
All right, Della,
let's go calling.
Miss Bell or Mr. Patton?
Patton.
We'll need that briefcase left
by Mr. Bradbury.
What's in it?
Oh, for one thing,
proof that Patton
showed up
at the Cloverdale newspaper
with an ad
and a mailing list.
And had marked copies
of the paper
sent through the mails.
Using the mails
to defraud, huh?
Think you can make it stick?
Perhaps I can make him
think so.
At least it will start
him talking.
Keep on it, Paul.
Will do.
( dramatic theme playing )
That girl's frightened.
He must be in.
There's no key in his box.
Maybe he doesn't
want company.
( ominous theme playing )
Is he dead?
Stabbed...
with a wood-carving knife.
MASON:
"Mr. Patton, Margy called.
"Crestview -, : p.m.
I must see you tonight."
Let's go, Della.
The police will have
to be notified.
Mm-hm.
Well, I live in the apartment
just below
and when I heard
this woman yelling--
You told me
all that before.
Now, uh, could you make out
what she was saying?
Well, something
about "Lucky Legs."
And then I heard something fall.
Very heavy.
Guess he isn't home, Della.
Let's go.
Ah, something wrong, officer?
This woman said
she heard a commotion.
Did you two people
just get here?
Well, we stopped up
to see Mr. Frank Patton,
but no one answered
the door, and--
Well, someone was sure here
when I called the police.
Yes, Miss Fields.
My name is Mason.
This is my secretary,
Miss Street.
Well...
MASON:
We'll be on our way.
I-- I guess we can find you
if we need you.
( sighs )
You mean, you think
the girl who bumped you
was our client,
Marjorie Cluny?
That's what I'm
gonna see her about.
You'd better go home in a cab.
But how are you going
to find her?
That telephone message
on Patton's table.
Isn't Crestview -
the same telephone number
that Paul gave us
for Thelma Bell
at the St. James Bungalows?
( vehicle approaching )
They're the same.
You and your memory
for phone numbers.
( suspenseful theme playing )
( bell dings )
( woman speaks indistinctly )
J.R. Bradbury, please.
( line ringing )
( Bradbury speaks indistinctly )
Mr. Bradbury,
this is Perry Mason.
Oh, Mr. Mason,
I hardly expected to hear
from you so soon.
I hardly expected
to call you so soon.
Frank Patton is dead.
Patton dead?
You mean, he was--?
m*rder*d.
When? Who?
I don't know who.
But just as we arrived
at the apartment house,
a girl I'd say was in a state
of panic left hurriedly.
She was about '",
blond, blue eyes.
Around pounds.
That could have been Margy.
Remember, Mason,
she's your client,
you've got to find her
and protect her.
All right, Bradbury.
( dramatic theme playing )
( water running )
( knocking on door )
Good evening.
I'd like to speak
to Miss Cluny, please.
Margy? Heh.
What gave you the idea
she was here?
You left your shower running.
Miss Cluny?
Miss Cluny, my name is Mason,
I'm an attorney.
I've been retained
by J.R. Bradbury
to represent you.
MARGY:
I don't want
an attorney.
I'm afraid you're going to need
one when the police get here.
Police?
Why should they--?
You were in Frank Patton's
apartment, were you not?
You're the man I bumped into.
Right in front
of his apartment house.
And you told the police?
No.
But why shouldn't
I have told them?
Because you were
in Patton's apartment
at about the time
he was stabbed to death?
No, no, I wasn't.
Stabbed?
MASON:
With a wood-carving knife.
Or shouldn't I have talked
to the police
because there was
a phone message from you
on a table
in his living room?
But she didn't k*ll him.
How do you know?
Because she told me so.
However, you were
in his apartment, Miss Cluny.
I had an appointment
to see him at : tonight.
I was late.
What happened
when you got there?
Nobody answered when I knocked.
I was angry.
I thought
he was putting me off again.
I tried the door
and it was unlocked,
so I walked in.
I've never done anything
like that before.
Then what did you do?
I didn't do anything.
He was--
Touch anything?
Yes.
What?
I didn't know
whether he was dead or not.
I tried to pull the knife out.
I couldn't. I--
I ran out of there.
Did anyone else see you
in or around
the apartment house?
I don't know.
I just wanted to get away.
Mr. Mason, I didn't k*ll him.
You have to believe me.
It isn't what I believe,
Margy,
it's what the police
are going to believe.
You left a rather broad trail.
Margy--
What are you doing here?
I was about to ask you that.
All right, Margy,
hurry up and get dressed.
We've got to get out of here.
Mr. Mason is my attorney,
I'll do whatever he says.
DORAY:
Isn't it about time
you started listening to me?
Bob Doray,
when are you going to stop
trying to order me around?
I said, get dressed.
I think both of you girls
better get dressed.
All right, Doray, what is it?
Nothing.
Now, there must be something.
You dashed in here
with a wild look in your eye,
told her she had to hurry,
that she had to get out of here.
Where you going to take her?
No place.
I'm speaking to you
as Margy's attorney.
Margy phoned me.
I know what she found
in Patton's apartment.
If you really had the best
interests of that girl at heart,
you'd leave now
and let me handle things.
Yeah, Bradbury hired you.
He'll get all the credit.
Bob, who'll get the blame
if she's convicted of m*rder?
( dramatic theme playing )
( door slams )
Hey.
Who said you could go poking
around in my closet?
Have something to hide?
Oh, well, now, wait a minute--
You were also the winner,
or I should say victim,
of the "Lucky Legs" contest.
That would give you the same
motive as Margy to k*ll Patton.
That's right. But it just
so happens I didn't.
I couldn't have. I went
to dinner with my boyfriend.
His name would be?
George Sanborne.
I'd like to talk to him.
Well, now, you go right ahead
if you want to.
He lives
at the Alvesta Apartments.
His phone number
is Oldfield -.
( rings )
Hello?
MASON:
Mr. Sanborne?
Speaking.
This is the Hollywood
Receiving Hospital.
A woman named Thelma Bell
was injured an hour ago
in an automobile accident.
She's asking for you.
Receiving hospital?
What are you talking about?
I dropped Thelma
off at her place
no more than a half
an hour ago.
Who are you?
What are you up to?
Sorry.
Satisfied?
Oh, where's Bob?
He had to leave.
Oh.
I'd like you to stay
at a hotel for a few days.
As soon as you've checked in,
call my secretary, Della Street.
But no one else is
to know where you are.
I'll get
a few things together.
You mean,
she can't even tell me?
That way the police can't
make you tell them.
Ah, you make sense...
sometimes.
That wood carving.
Oh, it doesn't take
very much room.
Who carved it?
I did. Why?
It's good.
Quite good.
( door opens, closes )
( mysterious theme playing )
( knocking on door )
Mr. Sanborne.
Yeah, who are you?
My name's Mason.
I'd like to talk to you.
I heard of you,
an attorney.
I heard of you,
a prize fighter.
That's right, K.O.'s.
How many against attorneys?
I called you a little while ago
about Thelma Bell.
Oh, so, uh, you're the guy.
You told me
you'd been out together
until a quarter of .
Well, I was.
What time did you pick her up?
A little after .
Where'd you go?
Eddie's Bar and Grill.
Will, uh--
Will they remember you there?
Go ask 'em.
When you first sat down,
what did you order?
Bourbon on the rocks.
Both had bourbon?
Yeah.
Then what?
We had a steak sandwich.
Both had steak sandwiches?
Yeah.
Rare.
Then what?
We switched to highballs.
Bourbon highballs?
Yeah.
You both had bourbon highballs?
Yeah. Doubles.
You're lying.
Yeah. Hey, wait a minute--
Look,
you both had bourbon
on the rocks.
You both had
rare steak sandwiches.
You both had
double bourbon highballs.
Haven't you any imagination?
( suspenseful theme playing )
( suspenseful theme playing )
( switchboard buzzing )
Hello.
I'd like to speak to Mr. Doray.
Mr. Robert Doray.
Okay, hold it.
Isn't he in?
I'm ringing.
I'd like to leave a message,
please.
Yes, ma'am.
This is Miss Street,
Perry Mason's secretary.
The message is: Developments
indicate a long trip advisable.
Suspicion mounting
in M's direction.
Yes, ma'am.
Thank you.
Good morning, Della.
Good morning, Perry.
What word
from Marjorie Cluny?
None yet. Mr. Bradbury called
bright and early though.
Oh?
Wants you to represent Bob Doray
if the need should arise.
Why Doray?
The police are looking for him.
Seems his car
with the Utah plates
was spotted
near Patton's apartment house
shortly before the m*rder.
Well, why should that
concern Mr. Bradbury?
And why should
he assume the cost
of his rival's legal defense?
( phone rings )
Yes, Gertie?
Lieutenant Tragg.
Put him on.
Good morning, lieutenant.
( Tragg speaks indistinctly )
Yes, I'll be right there.
Della, get hold of Paul.
Tell him to wait right here
for me till I get back.
"Suspicion mounting
in M's direction."
She didn't say
who she meant by M, did she?
No.
Well, it doesn't matter.
I know.
Uh, you got the name right?
Miss Street,
Perry Mason's private secretary?
She phoned the message?
Yes, sir.
Well, that's why I asked you
to meet me here, Perry.
When did all this happen?
CLERK:
About minutes ago.
Where's Doray?
Already gone, skipped.
Lock, stock and barrel.
Tragg...
you don't really believe
Della made that call?
Don't I?
What would be the purpose?
Oh, same purpose
you always have.
To protect your client,
to create confusion,
to evade the law.
Didn't you tell Marjorie Cluny
to go in hiding?
Is it a crime for me
to ask Miss Cluny
to change her address?
Yes, it is,
when we're looking for her.
Don't you think
it would be a good idea
to let me know when you're
looking for one of my clients?
You knew all right.
You planning to call in
a mind reader
to establish that fact?
Won't have to now,
not with Thelma Bell around.
Oh?
She volunteered
the information.
( dramatic theme playing )
Hi, Paul.
Hi, Perry
I've got some news for you.
Good. Della, the minute
we're through here,
get hold of Thelma Bell.
Let's have it, Paul.
Well, Miss Fields,
who lives in the apartment
directly beneath Patton's,
works for Stellar Studios,
the outfit Patton used
to be tied up with.
Also, the police
have traced the--
The wood-carving knife.
Right.
It was bought two days ago
in a little art shop.
A girl who bought it answered
Marjorie Cluny's description.
Perry, you already knew
it was hers?
I was afraid it might be.
Paul, what about that list
of phone calls
Bradbury made from his hotel?
There were a group of calls
to various messenger services
which we're still checking out.
And there were a couple of calls
that were pretty interesting.
One last night
to Thelma Bell's apartment.
And the other this morning
to the Agua Caliente Hotel
in Mexico.
Della, call the airport
charter service
for a flight
to San Diego right away.
Mm-hm. Why San Diego?
San Diego means Mexico.
California requires
a three-day wait
for a marriage license,
Mexico requires none.
Gertie, I want you--
Oh, put him on. Paul.
Mine.
Yeah? Oh, hi, Harry.
Uh-huh.
I see.
Uh, good going, thanks.
Well, San Diego was a good idea
but a little late.
Bradbury and Margy Cluny
were picked up
just this side of the border.
And?
She was booked for m*rder.
( dramatic theme playing )
MAN:
Death was instantaneous,
the knife entering
and penetrating
between the fifth
and sixth ribs
and continuing through
both walls of the aorta.
Was the fatal thrust such
that it would require
considerable strength, doctor?
No.
Then the m*rder could have
been committed by a woman?
Oh, yes.
Thank you, doctor.
Cross-examine.
Forgive me, doctor,
but in the official photographs
of the deceased,
the knife didn't seem to be
in the area you describe.
It wasn't,
not in the photographs.
I don't understand.
The second wound
was not the cause of death.
There was more than one wound?
Oh, yes, there were two.
Thank you, doctor,
that'll be all.
You're excused.
Yes, sir, those are the prints
found on the m*rder w*apon.
Were they identified,
lieutenant?
Yes, they're the prints
of the defendant,
Marjorie Cluny.
And can you identify
this object?
Oh, yes, that--
That's the m*rder w*apon.
If it please the court,
I should like this photograph
and the knife
entered in evidence
and marked as the People's
State Exhibit A and B.
No objection, Your Honor.
Now, lieutenant, are you
familiar with this letter?
Oh, yes.
Would you tell us, please,
why you're familiar with it?
Well, I found it
on the decedent.
And could you read the letter
to the court, please?
"October st, to Mr. Patton.
"I'm down
to my last few dollars.
I won't be put off
any longer with empty promises."
Signed, Marjorie Cluny.
BURGER: Mm-hm.
Thank you, lieutenant.
I should like this letter
marked for identification.
Mr. Mason?
No objections.
Now, lieutenant,
just one final question.
Where was the defendant
when she was apprehended?
A few yards
from the Mexican border.
Really?
Thank you, lieutenant.
Cross-examine.
Lieutenant,
didn't the fingerprint
expert's report say,
in effect,
that there were indications
the knife handle
had been wiped clean?
Yes, but there were three latent
fingerprints found:
a thumb, index and middle finger
of the defendant.
But no other
latent fingerprints?
No, no.
Was this not a condition
compatible
with the knife handle
having been wiped clean
before the defendant's
fingerprints were superimposed?
TRAGG:
A condition, yes.
Thank you, lieutenant,
that'll be all.
You may step down, lieutenant.
I call Miss Laura Fields
to the stand, please.
( inaudible dialogue )
CLERK:
Do you swear to tell the truth,
the whole truth
and nothing but the truth?
FIELDS:
I do.
CLERK:
State your name.
Laura Fields.
Now, Miss Fields, what time
was it in the evening
when you heard this sound
of a heavy body
falling in the apartment
above you?
I looked at the clock,
it was after .
And what did you do?
I phoned upstairs.
With what result?
There wasn't any answer.
I thought
that was kind of funny.
Well, the fire escape
leads upstairs, so I went up.
Did you go
into the Patton apartment?
No, sir.
Well, what did you do?
I stopped and looked
in through the window.
And what did you see?
I saw a woman kneeling
on the floor.
Did you get a good look at her?
No, all I could see was
a pair of legs
and white shoes.
Oh, the white shoes were
stained with something dark.
Yes, thank you.
What happened then?
She got up and ran out
of the apartment.
And did you get a good look
at her face then?
Yes, I did.
That's her there.
Marjorie Cluny.
I see. Thank you, Miss Fields.
Your witness.
Miss Fields, you said that right
after you heard the heavy thud,
you telephoned the apartment
directly above you.
Yes, sir.
Now, how did you know
the phone number?
Well, I knew Frank Patton.
How well did you know him?
Just as a neighbor.
I have no desire
to entrap you, Miss Fields,
but let me advise you
that I have here proof
that you once were married
to Frank Patton.
A Photostatic copy
of your marriage certificate.
That's past history,
we've been divorced for years.
Yet you still lived
in the same apartment house?
Yes.
And you knew
his telephone number?
Yes.
I still felt
as if I were married to him.
And that's why after
hearing the commotion,
you went up the fire escape,
and suspecting something
was wrong,
then telephoned the police?
Yes.
On the night of the m*rder,
why didn't you tell the police
the whole story?
I didn't want it
to seem as if...
I was afraid that
if they found out
I'd once been married to Frank,
they'd think I went in the room.
Then you in fact did
not go into the room?
No, I didn't.
Now, on the night of the m*rder,
after trying to phone
the deceased,
how much time elapsed before
you went up the fire escape?
A few minutes.
Ten minutes?
No, not that long.
One minute?
Well, a few minutes.
Four, five.
Enough time for the real k*ller
to have escaped
and for Miss Cluny to have
innocently entered the room?
And upon seeing the body,
been shocked into kneeling
beside it
to see if Mr. Patton
was still alive?
I don't know.
I'm not an expert on time.
Thank you.
Oh, uh, one more thing,
Miss Fields.
You testified that when
you looked into the window
you saw a woman kneeling down.
Yes.
She was wearing white shoes.
Yes.
There were dark stains on them?
Yes.
Were there any stains
on her stockings?
No.
The shoes were stained,
but the stockings were not?
That's right.
Thank you, Miss Fields.
You may stand down,
Miss Fields.
And on the afternoon
of October nd,
you personally sold
this wood-carving tool
to the defendant.
Is that correct?
Yes, sirree.
To the defendant,
Marjorie Cluny.
Your witness.
Thank you.
May I, Mr. Burger?
Of course.
Mr. Clayton,
how can you be certain
you sold this knife
to the defendant?
Well, it isn't often
that a pretty girl wants
to buy something like that
and doesn't even know
that it's a wood-checking tool
she's after.
She didn't seem to know much
about wood carving?
CLAYTON:
No, sirree.
Thank you, Mr. Clayton,
that'll be all.
You're excused, sir.
I call Thelma Bell.
So I ran into her
at Stellar Studio one day,
and when I found out
she was another one of us
unlucky girls with "Lucky Legs,"
and practically broke,
I let her move in with me.
I see.
Now I show you this knife
and I ask if you've ever
seen it before?
Uh, yes, I have,
at the apartment.
Under what circumstances?
Oh, Margy said she bought it
for a friend.
When was this?
Uh, oh, the day before
Mr. Patton was k*lled.
October nd?
Was that the last time
you saw this?
No. No, I remember seeing it
on a table
sometime before I went
out the following evening.
That was the evening
of the m*rder?
Yes.
Now, what time did
you go out that night?
Oh, about .
And the knife was there
when you left?
Yes.
Was the defendant
in the apartment at that time?
Yes.
And what time did
you get back that night?
Oh, about, um, :.
Was the knife there then?
Um, no.
And was the defendant at home?
Uh...
BELL: Uh, no.
BURGER: I see.
Now, what time did the defendant
come home that night?
Uh, it was a couple
of minutes till .
And would you tell us please
what her mood was?
Well, it was pretty terrible.
I mean, I was scared
because she was so scared.
Did she say what
she was scared of?
Yes, um, well, she said that--
That Patton was dead,
b-but she didn't k*ll him,
and would I please, please,
help her wash the stain
off her white shoes.
BURGER:
And where are those shoes now?
BELL:
Well, after we cleaned them,
I put them in-- In the closet.
And later I went back to look
at them, but...
they weren't there.
They were gone?
Yes.
Thank you, Miss Bell.
Your witness.
( door closes )
Miss Bell, you testified
that a pair of white shoes
disappeared from the closet?
That's right.
What else disappeared
from there?
A pair of stockings.
Silk stockings?
Yes.
Had they been washed?
Yes.
Why?
To get out the blood stains.
To whom did
those stockings belong?
To Margy.
Would you say many women wear
silk stockings today?
No, I guess not.
( door opens, closes )
Uh, how many women
in this courtroom
would you say are wearing
silk stockings?
BELL:
I wouldn't know.
Well, I would.
Only one.
You.
What if I do happen to be
wearing silk stockings today?
I ask you once again,
Miss Bell,
to whom did
those stockings belong?
And I'll tell you again. Margy.
How could that be?
You heard Miss Fields say
that she saw stains
on the white shoes
but not on the stockings.
I don't care what she says.
MASON:
Didn't you once tell
Miss Cluny
that you were extremely allergic
to nylon and had to wear silk?
No. I almost always wear nylon.
Then may I ask you to...
wrap this nylon stocking
around your wrist,
leave it there
while I proceed
with the questions?
Why should I?
Why shouldn't you,
if you're telling the truth?
( tense theme playing )
Thank you.
Now, then, you testified
that Miss Cluny returned
to your apartment
a couple of minutes before .
Yes.
And told you Patton was dead.
Yes.
MASON:
At that time,
hadn't you called a friend
to ask him to lie for you,
to say that you
and he had been together
during that period of time
that the m*rder was committed?
Now, isn't it true that instead
of being with that friend,
you actually were
in Patton's apartment
about the time of the m*rder?
No, I wasn't.
( dramatic theme playing )
You also denied
being allergic to nylon.
All right,
they were my stockings
and I did go
to Patton's apartment,
but I didn't k*ll him.
Then you were the one
Miss Fields heard screaming
something about "Lucky Legs."
Well, I couldn't take it
anymore, I mean--
Well, all his lies
about trying to get me a break
in the movies, and--
Well, I blew my top, and I--
I bawl like a baby, so--
I was in fixing my face
in the bathroom, and...
I heard this fall.
No cry, no scuffle?
No, just one
great big thud, and--
Well, I-I mean I was so frozen,
I couldn't do anything and--
Well, I heard this door shut,
and I opened mine and...
I saw him lying there.
And the bloodstains
on your stockings?
It was from bending over him,
to take out the knife...
in case he wasn't dead.
Did you hear
the telephone ring?
Yes, yes, y-yes.
Well, it was then
that I realized
that I'd touched
the knife.
And you inflicted
the second wound?
Yes.
And wiped the fingerprints
from the knife?
Yes.
But I didn't k*ll him,
Mr. Mason.
I-I swear
I didn't k*ll him, I--
Honest, I didn't k*ll him.
Your Honor, since the innocence
of the defendant
is here clearly established,
I move for a dismissal
of the charges against her.
Well, I'm interested
in your reasoning, Mr. Mason.
Evidence here presented
by the prosecution
has deduced the fact
that there were two knife wounds
in deceased,
the second of which was not
the cause of death.
Now, Miss Bell had wiped
the knife clean of fingerprints.
And therefore when the defendant
touched the knife,
it was clearly
after the fact of m*rder.
Hmm.
Mr. Burger?
Your Honor, I am most anxious
to argue this point,
but my arguments
will require some time.
Oh, it's almost ,
it's time to adjourn.
I'll reserve argument
and consideration
of the motion for the defense
until : tomorrow morning.
Court's adjourned.
I've asked you over
and over again, Margy,
why you suddenly decided
to cross the Mexican border
and marry Bradbury.
And I've told you over
and over again, Mr. Mason.
Why wouldn't any girl want
to marry a man so rich,
kind, generous?
You haven't said
you love him.
If I didn't, why would
I want to marry him?
Oh, out of gratitude
for his having instructed me
to defend Bob Doray
if that should become necessary.
Really, Mr. Mason.
I broke up with him even
before the contest came along.
He's such a hothead.
Is that why you're
so positive he's guilty?
What are you saying?
When Thelma left the bungalow,
didn't Bob pay you a visit?
Didn't you give Bob that knife?
I--
Did you go out together?
N-no, he left.
And a little while after
I went out to dinner.
I see.
Well, now where is he?
Why's he been in hiding?
I don't know.
Mr. Mason, he didn't
k*ll Frank Patton.
You were the one who said
he was a hothead, Margy.
Now, Mr. Bradbury asked me
to protect Bob,
but I can't let that conflict
with my responsibility to you.
But isn't that all taken
care of?
Didn't you prove
I didn't k*ll him?
I offered
what I think is proof.
But I want to get
at the truth, Margy.
And proving that
you didn't k*ll him
isn't the same as proving
who did k*ll him.
But they are going to dismiss
the charges against me,
aren't they?
It's impossible to tell
what the judge will do.
Well, I'll see you tomorrow.
Matron.
PAUL:
Perry.
You locate Bob Doray?
Yeah, he's the wood carver,
all right.
He needed dough, so he sold one
of his figurines
to a little art shop
on Olvera Street.
I've traced him to a third-rate
hotel the other side of town.
Well, hello, Tragg.
Paul has some information
for you.
The whereabouts
of Robert Doray.
( dramatic theme playing )
And in addition to the forgoing,
Your Honor,
relative to the defense motion
to dismiss,
the prosecution has
a request to make.
Go ahead, Mr. Burger.
Before the court rules
on this matter,
the prosecution would like
to call another witness.
All right, call your witness.
I call Robert Doray.
BURGER:
Your Honor, in view of this
witness' persistent efforts
to evade questioning
by the police
and his lack of cooperation
since we discovered
his whereabouts,
I request
the court's permission
to treat him
as a hostile witness.
All right, Mr. Burger, you may
consider him a hostile witness.
Thank you, Your Honor.
Now, Mr. Doray,
did you visit the defendant
at Thelma Bell's apartment
on October rd,
the evening of the m*rder?
Yes.
Was it between and
Yes.
Did she show you this knife?
Answer me, did she?
Yes.
BURGER:
What did she say about it
and what did she then do
with it?
She said it was to be a gift
for me.
Then she put it on the table
by the mirror.
A gift.
All right, what time
did you leave the apartment?
About minutes to .
And did you leave
the defendant there?
Yes.
Did you take your gift
with you?
Well, Mr. Doray, did you take
this knife with you?
That's why I kept out of sight.
I went into hiding.
I didn't take it, Margy.
( softly ):
He did.
I mean, I really thought
he did.
Your witness.
No questions.
Your Honor, in view of
these unexpected developments,
and before the court rules
on my motion
to dismiss this case
against the defendant,
I would like to recall
Miss Thelma Bell
for additional
cross-examination.
Mm. Permission granted
and, Miss Bell, will you take
the stand, please.
Now, Miss Bell,
you testified that
you had asked your friend,
George Sanborne,
to be your alibi
the night of the m*rder.
Yes.
You'd gone out
to dinner with him,
did he return with you
to your apartment?
Yes.
How long did he stay?
Not very long.
About minutes.
In fact, he left about :.
Wasn't that rather
a short date?
Did you have a fight with him,
Miss Bell, or an argument?
An argument.
About Frank Patton?
No, no.
Miss Bell, you won
a "Lucky Legs" contest
and came to Los Angles
several years ago.
Three years ago.
Isn't it true that
you stayed on in Los Angeles
primarily because
of Frank Patton?
Yes, he promised that--
Marriage?
MASON:
Now, isn't it a fact
that all your arguments have
been about Frank Patton?
Isn't it a fact
that George Sanborne
is a very jealous man?
Now, look, you're giving
everybody the wrong impression.
Now, Miss Bell,
on the afternoon
of October rd,
did you receive
a telephone call?
What do you mean?
Oh, perhaps anonymous,
asking for your address?
Oh, yes, yes, there was,
but he said
he was a delivery man.
You told him
where you lived?
Sure.
But there was no delivery
made that day.
In fact, I'd even
forgotten about it.
How about an envelope?
An envelope?
No.
Now, when you returned to your
apartment with George Sanborne
at half past that evening,
didn't you find that an envelope
had been pushed
under your front door,
one addressed
to Marjorie Cluny?
No.
You did not find
any such envelope
anywhere in your apartment?
No.
MASON:
That's odd.
A report from the Quick Alert
messenger service
states that an envelope
addressed to Marjorie Cluny
was picked up from Frank Patton
at : p.m., October rd,
and delivered to Miss Bell's
apartment at : p.m.,
but no one was home
and that the envelope
was slipped
under the front door.
No.
There was no envelope.
MASON:
Thank you, Miss Bell,
that'll be all.
JUDGE:
You may stand down, Miss Bell.
If it please the court,
I should like to call
James R. Bradbury to the stand.
Yes, Mr.--
Mr. Mason did call me
at my hotel that evening
at, uh, :.
Did he know at that time
that Patton was dead?
Yes, he told me
Patton was dead.
Your Honor,
this matter has only
just been brought
to the attention
of my office.
Eight forty-two is
the time precisely
at which Officer Tompkins
phoned Homicide
to report finding the body
of Frank Patton locked
in his apartment.
I therefore ask
that defense counsel
be required to reveal how
he knew that Patton was dead,
if as he claims,
when he and Miss Street
arrived there,
the apartment was locked
and they were unable to enter.
JUDGE:
Mr. Mason.
I need hardly point out to you
the grave consequences
this could have
upon your personal
and professional career.
Your Honor, I am prepared
to answer that question
at the proper time
and at the proper place.
But if it please the court,
I first have the right
to cross-examine this witness
before being called upon
to answer anything.
All right, Mr. Mason, proceed
with your cross-examination.
Thank you, Your Honor.
Mr. Bradbury,
where did you get Miss Bell's
telephone number?
What?
From the desk clerk
at Patton's apartment house?
I didn't get it.
Then how did you know
where Margy was staying?
In my office, you told me
you didn't know where she was.
Mr. Mason, I, uh--
I can't see that
that has anything
to do with this case.
Oh, I'd say it was relevant,
Mr. Bradbury.
It began to point to you
as Patton's m*rder*r.
What's that?
MASON:
Well, it put me
on the trail,
so to speak,
of a letter or an envelope
sent by messenger.
What envelope?
What messenger?
The envelope Patton must have
told you about.
The one he sent
to Miss Cluny.
What was in it,
Mr. Bradbury?
You tell me, Mr. Mason.
You started all this.
Isn't it true that Mr. Patton
was blackmailing you?
Blackmailing me? What for?
Weren't you so desperately
in love with Margy
that you made
an arrangement with him
to make sure she failed
in Hollywood?
You thought
if she were destitute,
she would have to marry you.
That's a lie.
Is it?
Once you learned
where Margy was staying,
didn't you go out
to the bungalow
because you had to intercept
that letter or lose her?
Tell me, Mr. Bradbury,
how did you get
into the bungalow
when you found nobody
at home?
I didn't.
Then there wouldn't be
any fingerprints of yours
in Miss Bell's living room.
None around the table
on which the knife was lying.
All right.
Yes, I, uh...
I did go in.
And you found
the envelope?
Yes.
You saw the wood-carving knife
on the table?
Yes, I saw it.
And knowing it must have been
Doray's, you took it with you.
Two birds with one stone.
k*ll Patton,
who was blackmailing you,
put the blame on Doray,
who was your rival.
Isn't that the way
it happened, Mr. Bradbury?
Yes.
You know...
I didn't have to bribe Patton.
He was a faker and a conniver,
just as Doray said.
Margy--
Margy wouldn't have had a ghost
of a chance
out of that contest anyway.
If I didn't have
to start the whole thing,
I wouldn't have had to end it.
But he needed k*lling anyway,
didn't he?
We want you to have this
to remember us by,
and for good luck.
Well, thank you.
MARGY:
We appreciate everything
you've done for us, Mr. Mason.
I have a question.
Why did that Miss Fields
call me
and say she was
Della Street
and for me to get
of the country?
That was in return for a few
crisp hundred dollar bills
from Bradbury.
And how about that envelope
the messenger service delivered?
Well, it had to be something
he didn't want Margy to see.
We just had to guess
what that something was.
I wouldn't call that a guess,
I'd call it
a logical deduction.
I see a great career
ahead of you, Margy.
As a diplomat.
( noirish jazz theme playing )