07x18 - The Case of the Nervous Neighbor

[bunniefuu]

(theme song playing)

(intercom buzzes)

Yes.

WOMAN (over intercom):
Mr. Charles Fuller is here.

Send him in.

You sent for me, Mr. Drake?

What is it-- my mother?

Sit down, Mr. Fuller.

Have you located her?

Is that why you left word
for me to come over here?

For six months we've turned
Southern California upside down

looking for your mother,
for Alice Fuller.

We had nothing to go on
but a single photograph

and your story
that your mother was ill,

hiding from her family for fear
of being committed to an asylum.

Two days ago we got
our first lead, a lucky break.

An out-of-town doctor
accidentally spotted

your mother's photograph
and recognized her.

Is she in a hospital?

No, not now,
but she was six months ago--

a hospital in Nevada.

What was wrong with her?

Is she all right?

She was found
in an open field unconscious,

half dead from exposure
and a fractured skull,

but she was operated on
and she survived.

Oh, thank God.

Where is she now?

Here in Los Angeles.

Oh, wonderful,
really wonderful, Mr. Drake.

I don't know how to begin
to thank you.

That's what we get paid for,
Mr. Fuller.

The address where she is now
in Los Angeles--

may I have it, please?

I believe this check should
settle our account in full.

The address.

Again, I am deeply grateful,
Mr. Drake.

By the way,

we not only traced your mother
to Los Angeles.

We did some investigating

on our own to find out
what happened to her.

We know the whole story.

This piece of paper is blank.

I am a licensed
private investigator

and I can't afford
to lose that license.

I'm not going to tell you
where your mother is.

I'm going to take you to her.

That way I may avoid becoming
an accessory to a felony.

Accessory to what?

Don't play games.

You lied to me, hoping I'd be
sucker enough to help you

in getting your mother
to evade the law.

No, Mr. Drake, believe me.

Alice Fuller was
your mother's name

before she married
William Bradley ten years ago.

The day your mother disappeared,
Mr. Fuller,

was the same day
she k*lled her husband.

Shall we go?

All right, now,
let's get this straight.

One half hour, and you agree
to call the police yourself.

I gave you my word.

(sighs):
All right.

If you'd leveled with me
in the first place,

I could've told you
what would happen.

No need to break the bell;
nobody's home.

Miss Hargrave?
Miss Vera Hargrave?

That's right.
Looking for me?

I'm Paul Drake,
a private investigator.

This is Mr. Charles Fuller.

Hm. Now I know who; do you mind
telling me why, what for?

It's very important
and very confidential.

Could we talk inside?

Mm.

Well?

Miss Hargrave,
you were a practical nurse

in a Nevada hospital?

Till a few months ago;
I'm semiretired.

I still work an occasional day,

but I'm living here
in Los Angeles now.

With a friend who came
from Nevada with you

and whom you
take care of, right?

Is something wrong?

DRAKE:
Where is your friend now?

Some of the people
here in the project

have organized themselves--
they call themselves

the Golden Age Club.

Alice... my friend,

-belongs to it. -Are these
Golden Agers meeting now?

In the recreation hall.

Is Alice with them?

Why are you looking for Alice?

She's my mother.

MAN & WOMAN:
A-one, two, three...

one, two-- that's right,
Phillip, that's right!

One, two...

That's her.

That's my mother!

Please, don't say anything
for a few moments.

(laughs):
There! You see?

I told you you could do it!

Oh, excuse me.

Oh, the hours fly so,
and I've been so busy.

Is it time for dinner, Vera?

Alice, I want you to meet
Mr. Paul Drake...

- How do you do?
- Hello, Mr. Drake.

...and Charles Fuller.

Nice to meet you, Mr. Fuller.

Alice, why don't you say
good night to your friends

and get your record player.

Then we can go back
to the bungalow and have dinner.

Yes, of course.

Nice to have met you both.

She doesn't know me!

I helped take care of her
after her operation.

A brain operation.

When she woke up,
she had no memory of anything

that had happened before she
was brought into the hospital.

May I help you?

Why, thank you, Mr. Fuller.

Yes, you can close up
the record player, if you will.

Alice?

Picnic tomorrow, Alice.

You won't forget?

And we've got to make plans

for the Neighborhood
Youth Fund Dance!

Don't worry!
I'll be with all of you!

Oh, thank you, Alice.

You're a kindly angel.

And at , you are
an incorrigible flirt, Phillip!

(laughs) Shame on you,
kissing me in public!

Wait for the picnic-- I'll find
a place that is not so public.

(laughing):
Oh, shame on you!

I'll see you tomorrow.

OTHERS:
Good night!

- Ready, Mr. Fuller?
- Yes.

There's no question
about it, Mr. Drake,

she is Mr. Fuller's mother?

- She's his mother.
- She sure is.

Her name is Alice Bradley,
Mrs. William Bradley.

- Look, Andy, Mrs. Brad...
-I know, she has no memory.

They told me that
down at the housing office.

- VERA: It's true!
- Is it?

Uh, good evening, Mrs. Bradley.

There... there
must be some mistake.

I don't know who you are.

- Who are you?
- Lieutenant Anderson,

Homicide, police department.

You just couldn't wait,
could you, Drake?

I didn't call him.

No, Mr. Drake didn't call in
the tip, but somebody did.

About minutes ago--
wouldn't leave a name.

Uh, Mrs. Bradley, I think
it would be better if we did

our talking downtown.

I'm... I'm frightened, Vera.

It's all right, Alice.

(loudly):
It's all right.

Lieutenant, I don't understand,
what do you want with Alice?

I'm afraid she's
under arrest, ma'am.

Arrest?

On what charge?

The k*lling of her husband,
William Bradley.

What? What possible
reason in the world

could you have had to do this?

Of all the senseless,
stupid things!

To lead the police
to your mother!

Why, Charles, why?

-I didn't intend to...
- Intend to what?

Have her arrested?

Have her stand trial for m*rder?

What did you think would happen?

Or didn't you think!

Look here, Mr. Dickinson,

you may be
Bradley and Browne's attorney,

but I don't work
for them anymore,

and you're in my office now--

I'll thank you
not to shout at me.

Oh, yes.

Your office.

Yes, that's right, you do have
a good position, don't you?

Good company.
Good chance for advancement.

Shame if you have
to throw it all away

when you leave here
as you left us.

Left, Mr. Dickinson?

After Mr. Bradley was k*lled
six months ago,

I was fired.

And what exactly do you think
is gonna happen here

once the trial starts, once
we're all forced to testify?

If only you'd taken her
out of the state,

out of the country, even.

We all would have helped!

I could've seen to it
that she got

the money from the estate.
But now...!

But now she's been arrested,

and there's nothing
we can do about it.

I, um...

I'm not so sure
of that, Charles.

None of this, of course,
if Bradley and Browne

have made public one word
of why you left us.

There was no reason
for airing dirty linen then,

nor do we intend
to do anything about it now.

Unless what?

Now, look here.

If you and your attorney decide
to plead your mother not guilty,

then, of course,
there will be a full trial,

and a great many things
will be forced into the open.

We'll be legally forced
to talk about you, for instance.

Do I make myself clear, Charles?

Blackmailers usually do,
Mr. Dickinson!

Now, don't behave like an idiot!

We're doing this
not of any concern

for your worthless reputation.

We're trying only to save
Alice from further hurt.

And that goes for George Browne,
Mrs. Browne, Henry Clement,

and for me!

For once in your life,
do something right.

And you think
it would be right...

for me to plead my mother
guilty, is that correct?

A -year-old woman
with amnesia,

unaware that she
even had a husband,

much less that she k*lled him?

Mm, I'm no criminal lawyer,

but my guess is,
she'd get no more

than a suspended
sentence, if that.

Ask your attorney.

I'm sure he'll tell you
the same thing.

MASON:
Miss Hargrave, you were on duty

in that Nevada hospital when
Mrs. Bradley was brought in?

No purse.
Nothing identifiable.

Clothes half torn off her.

Poor thing,
unconscious and bleeding,

she was more dead than alive.

And after surgery?

Oh, now she's perfectly normal.

Except her memory goes back
only as far as that hospital.

years of living...

totally gone and forgotten.

Were any efforts made
to identify her?

VERA: The police tried,
but without any luck.

She was physically,
mentally well,

but without an identity.

No name, no home, no job.

Nothing except

that torn dress she was wearing
when they brought her in.

I'll always be grateful
for what you did, Miss Hargrave,

taking her with you.

It was a wonderful thing.

Wonderful for both of us,
Mr. Fuller.

The hospital foundation
decided to help Alice.

I wanted to retire,
go back to Los Angeles.

They arranged for a small
monthly support check

if I'd look after her.

I'd already arranged my bungalow
here at Valley Gardens.

There was room.

(laughs) That check, believe me,
has been a blessing.

Uh, you called her Alice.

Was that just a coincidence?

No, she was wearing
a wedding band.

There was a date engraved
in the side,

and the inscription:
"To Alice, From Bill."

Paul, how did you find
the rest of the name?

Sheer luck.

Once we got that
doctor's identification,

we started checking in Nevada--
the pieces of the puzzle

just fell together.

Mr. Fuller,
your mother and stepfather

evidently had quite an argument

before your mother struck
and k*lled him.

What were they fighting about?

Me. It was a question
of a junior partnership.

It went to Henry Clement.

My mother thought
I should have gotten it.

No more than that?

Why? Why do you ask?

You really did intend
to use me, didn't you?

You didn't think I'd find out
about that plan of yours

to take your mother
to Mexico City, to live.

My mother was wanted
for k*lling a man.

Is it a sin
to want to see her safe?

DRAKE:
No, that's no sin.

But it's more than strange that

you intended
to live there with her.

I just wanted to make sure
she'd be all right, that's all.

I've got to get back
to my work, Mr. Mason.

Is there anything else?

In view of your
mother's amnesia,

the courts may not feel
that she's competent

to make the decisions
that will have to be made.

I assume you're prepared
to act for her.

To act for her?

Specifically, at this moment,

our problem is one
of entering a plea.

I can advise,
but the decision is yours

and your mother's.

Plea?

Do we plead your mother
guilty or not guilty?

Not guilty, Mr. Mason.

We plead her not guilty.

Fine.

I'll see you in court
tomorrow, Mr. Fuller.

At that time,
six months ago, Mr. Clement,

you were employed by...

the decedent, William Bradley,
is that correct?

By Bradley and Browne, sir,
investment brokers.

Mr. Bradley was
the senior partner.

I was then the office manager.

I am now a junior partner.

Would you tell us now,
please, Mr. Clement,

what transpired
between you and the decedent

on the morning
of the day he died?

Well...

Mr. Bradley,
he walked into my office.

"Henry," he asked,
"do you have the audit?"

This was a rather
confidential audit he'd

asked me to have made
less than a week earlier.

Well, I, uh,
showed him the audit

and, uh, pointed out what
it unfortunately had revealed.

- And what was that? -A shortage
in one of the trust accounts.

A shortage of $ , .

And who was handling
that particular account?

Mrs...

There's no need
to be nervous, Mr. Clement.

Please go on.

Mrs. Bradley's son,
by her first,

deceased husband,
Charles Fuller,

supervised that account.

Well, Mr. Bradley was furious.

He slammed the audit
on my desk.

I looked at it,
realized there was a shortage.

That's all the audit indicated,
that money was missing--

not why or how or who.

What happened then,
Mr. Dickinson?

Well, Mr. Bradley
yelled at me.

"Carl,” he said,
"You're the company attorney.

Tell me, in lawyer's language,
what is embezzlement?"

I told him that embezzlement was

the fraudulent appropriation
of property

by a person to whom
it had been entrusted.

Now he sat down,

white, shaking, looking sick--

but an angry sick.

Did he tell you, Mr. Dickinson,
who it was he thought

had embezzled that money?

This is all very distasteful
and most distressing.

But Mr. Bradley did tell you

the name
of the suspected embezzler?

Yes. He said
he had proof personally

that the embezzler
was his own stepson,

Charles Fuller.

At the time, no.

I knew nothing
of any audit or shortage.

Bill Bradley just stalked
into my office,

all but commanded that Mary--
Mrs. Browne-- and I

come to his house
that night for dinner.

BURGER: Did he give you
any reason at all,

Mr. Browne, for this request?

Well, Bradley and Browne
had been fairly successful.

We'd been talking expansion,
opening a new office,

maybe taking in
a junior partner.

Mr. Clement?

Well, the choice was between him

and... Alice's son, Charles.

Both men were excellent choices.

Frankly, I, uh...

I thought that Charles
might have more flair...

a way about him
with the clients.

And Mr. Bradley?

In some ways, I suppose,

Bill, well, sort of
resented Alice's son.

Perhaps the fact
that Charles wasn't his son.

He'd been putting off
the decision for weeks.

I told him both men were fine,

that I would defer
to his choice.

Do I understand that he
invited you and Mrs. Browne

to his house that night
in order to announce his choice?

Yes. Bill was moody,

obviously tense and strained
through dinner.

He, uh, he made his announcement
later, in the living room,

with the four of us--

uh, Bill, Alice, Mary
and myself-- present.

He... he said he was
going to ask Henry Clement

to come in as
a junior partner in the firm.

And how did the defendant,
Alice Bradley,

react to that announcement?

Obviously, she was stunned,
disappointed, upset.

Did she say anything
or do anything?

She walked up to him,
looked him straight in the face,

and said, "You've always
hated my son. Why?"

BURGER:
And what did the decedent reply?

He said, "Your son is a thief."

BURGER: Really? What did
she do then, Mr. Browne?

She screamed.

She grabbed hold of his jacket.

Bill pushed,

not hard, just enough
to pull her hands loose.

Then she stumbled on the hearth,

and fell down
against the fireplace.

And then...

I realize this is
difficult, Mr. Browne.

Please try to go on.

We were all startled,

frozen for the moment.

Alice shook her head
and started up.

She reached out.

I thought she was
just steadying herself.

BURGER:
And was she?

No. She grabbed the poker.

- Don't know whether she
realized what she was holding.

Mary screamed.

I guess Bill and I
both started toward her.

But she... she jumped up,
the poker in her hand.

Bill was closest to her, and...

she struck Bill on the head.

BURGER: And what did you
do then, Mr. Browne?

GEORGE:
Well, I... I ran to him,

grabbed him as he fell.

I yelled to Mary

to call an ambulance fast.

William Bradley was dead
before the ambulance arrived.

I finished calling
for the ambulance,

started back to the living room,

when Alice ran past me
out the front door to her car,

and she... she drove away.

Thank you, Mrs. Browne,
that'll be all.

Cross-examine, Mr. Mason?

Now, your husband testified
that Alice Bradley

stumbled on the hearth
and fell against the fireplace.

Did you see that, Mrs. Browne?

Yes, I did.

In falling, did Alice Bradley

strike her head
against the fireplace?

Well, yes, um... she did.

I remember I heard the thud

as her... head struck.

Did you get a good look
at Alice Bradley as she

ran past you to the front door
and out to her car?

Very good.

Her head, Mrs. Browne,

tell me, was it marked or cut
by striking the fireplace?

Um...

yes...

yes, it was.

That's right, there was a...

a bruise and a...

and a cut... right here.

(door opens)

Your Honor, medical testimony

is obviously very important
in this case.

The prosecution has obtained
statements from doctors who

were in residence
at the hospital in Nevada

where the defendant
was treated.

However, one neurosurgeon,
Dr. Jesse Younger,

has been out of the country,
and has only just now

been located and brought here
by the defense counsel.

I realize that this is
extremely irregular, Your Honor,

but I do believe that

this hearing could be expedited
if Mr. Mason would be allowed

to put Dr. Younger
on the stand at this time.

There was a laceration
about three inches in length

over the patient's right ear.

The skull was exposed
and depressed

along the line
of the laceration.

Was there a break
in the defendant's skull?

Yes. The break was apparent
in the right temporal area.

X rays confirmed it.

Was any instrument used
to determine whether or not

there was an increase
of pressure within the skull?

Yes, a manometer.

It showed an increase
far beyond normal pressure,

indicating a swelling
of the brain due to injury.

There was also indication
in the spinal tap

of bleeding in the area
between the skull and the brain.

Was an
electroencephalograph used?

And did it confirm
your diagnosis?

Yes. The dysrhythmia showed
abnormal activity,

indicating damage to the brain

-in the temporal area.
- Doctor,

did you assist in operating
on the defendant?

Yes. What we call
a decompression--

removing bone
that had broken off

and pushed down into the brain.

It was also necessary
to remove brain substance

cut off from
the rest of the brain

by the decompressed bone.

Are you able to state,
based on your experience--

your years of experience--
the result of such neurosurgery?

Loss of memory.

There is no regeneration
of brain tissue.

The loss of memory
will be permanent.

MASON:
Dr. Younger,

what is the function
of the brain cells

in the area that was damaged,
aside from memory?

The area has a direct
relationship

to emotional stability,
to reliability,

to the ability to reason,
to engage in abstract thinking.

Those functions,
most specifically

which control the ability
of a human being

to act volitionally, to perform
a willful act with intent?

Yes.

The bleeding and pressure
had increased,

until she became
completely immobilized.

Now I would say that hitting
that man with the poker

was pure reflex,

a delayed gesture
of self-defense.

Now, she probably,
in her unbearable pain,

would have struck the first
person to reach for her.

But as for her ability
to function,

to act volitionally,
as you put it,

medically, Alice Bradley
was unconscious

seconds after she struck her
head and fractured her skull.

Unconscious, Doctor?

Oh, I know, she ran away

and somehow ended up, the next
day, many, many miles from home.

But during that time,

she could not have had effective
control over herself

or her acts.

So, yes, technically, medically,

the woman was unconscious
from the time of her injury.

The California Penal Code,
Section ,

provides that all persons are
capable of committing crimes.

All persons, and this
is vital to the case at bar,

except persons
who commit the act

without being conscious thereof.

Defense therefore moves,
Your Honor,

that charges against
the defendant be dismissed.

BURGER:
Your Honor.

Since the other doctors have
indicated that they would defer

to Dr. Younger's opinion
in this specialized field,

we cannot believe
that any further prosecution

of the defendant would advance
the cause of justice.

We therefore offer no objection
to the dismissal of the charges.

So ordered.

Case is dismissed.

Court is adjourned.

(door closing)

Thank you, Hamilton.

Hah.

Well, I'm glad it's over
for Alice.

Even if it does put Charles
in hot water.

You know, all that talk about
embezzlement this morning,

did you notice his boss
over there listening?

You want to bet this boy
has been fired already?

Oh, I'm bleeding for him.

Hasn't it occurred to you,
George,

with this case dismissed,

Charles Fuller may
get his crooked little hands

on $ , .

These papers are fine,
Mr. Mason.

I'll see to it they're presented
to the Probate Court at once.

Thank you for bringing them by.

There should be no trouble
at all

in resolving
Mrs. Bradley's inheritance.

Just one other thing,
Mr. Dickinson.

In view of Mrs. Bradley's
medical history,

here's a petition to the court

to have her son appointed
conservator of her estate.

You must be joking,
Mr. Mason?

No, I'm not.

But you heard us on the stand.

We had no choice.

You heard us testify concerning
Charles Fuller's embezzlement.

Alleged embezzlement.

Oh, yes, let's be proper,
by all means.

The alleged money Fuller
is alleged to have stolen.

I warned the man.

And if he'd been smart,

none of this need have come out
in court.

Oh, yes.

She could have pleaded guilty.

That would have saved you
a lot of trouble.

I don't know what you mean.

No?

As administrator
of William Bradley's estate,

you knew very well
if Alice Bradley pleaded guilty

she would automatically
have disinherited herself.

What of it?

She's not disinherited.

And now, Charles Fuller
can petition the court

to have himself appointed
conservator of her estate.

You call that justice?

An alleged embezzler entrusted
with the use and disbursement

of $ , ?

Why was her inheritance
only $ , ?

Half of Bradley and Browne must
have been worth more than that.

Mr. Mason, I am their attorney,
not their accountant.

And I can assure you
the partnership

was quite properly dissolved
by court order.

The assets
were accurately divided

at the time
of William Bradley's death.

I find that very hard
to believe.

For instance, I happen to know
that just one of their accounts,

Karger Motors, is worth
five times that much.

Mr. Mason, I will fight any
attempt to have Charles Fuller

appointed conservator
of his mother's estate.

Beyond that, I'm sure we have
nothing to discuss.

You don't remember, Alice, but
we used to be such good friends.

I hope we can be again.

Actually,
we came about the house.

There's, uh, there's been
no one in it since Bill,

and, uh, we've just
hung on to the keys.

Karl Dickinson says he sees
no objection, as administrator,

to your using the home,

even though the will
is still in probate.

Oh, very thoughtful of you,
considering it's her house.

Yes, of course.

Here you are, Alice.

Thank you.

It was considerate of you
to bring them over.

Oh, that's all right.

Please remember, Alice,
if there's anything we can do,

we'd be hurt
if you didn't call on us.

Bye-bye.

Bye-bye.
And thank you again.

I, uh, I can't remember
the house.

Is it very big, Charles?

Yes.

And very beautiful.

A product of your own taste,
Mother.

From Valley Gardens
to a mansion.

When are you moving in?

Do I have to?

Don't you want to?

I'm... I'm not sure.

Of course she does.

We'll take a drive over there
tomorrow morning.

But what about your job?

I mean, you've already taken
too much time from it.

What's the use of being
a department head, Mother,

if you can't set
your own hours?

You are still department head?

All right, who told you?

Charles, there is no sense
in pretending

that everything is all right
in your job, if it isn't.

It's the things they said
about you in court, isn't it?

It's because you helped me

that all those horrid things
came out.

Now I want to help you, Charles.

I'm not in any real trouble.

As a matter of fact, I'm going
over to see someone right now

who's going to set
this whole thing straight.

Vera, you said I could
take you somewhere?

Just to the bus station--
I have a nursing job.

But, Charles...

Oh.

It's all right.

Bye.

-(door closes)
- Bye.

You know, yesterday when you
were fired from your job,

I thought I might be able
to help you.

They didn't even wait
to hear my side of it.

They just heard what had been
said about me in court.

I know, but there's just
no factual evidence

about that business
six months ago.

There's nothing I can take
to your new boss.

Mr. Drake, I'm not an embezzler.

I never touched any money.

Not a cent of it.

Somewhere there has to be proof.

Proof that I was framed.

Well, I did find out

that Dickinson hired a new set
of accountants on the q.t.,

so maybe he's digging, too.

Oh, no, he's trying to cover up.

They're trying, all of them, to
cover up for the one who did it.

The one who did what?

Framed me,
tried to discredit me.

Who would want to discredit you
six months ago?

The man who got the partnership
I should have gotten then--

Henry Clement.

The proof, Mrs. Bradley,

the proof that your son
once embezzled $ , ,

that proof, unfortunately,

did not vanish
with your husband's death.

As I told you on the telephone,
I still have that proof.

Yes, yes, I understand.

And I don't want to turn it over
to the authorities.

After all you've been through.

Please, I told you
I'd do anything you say.

Well, I've prepared a contract
of assignment, Mrs. Bradley.

It merely states
that you realize the harm

your conduct,
however accidental,

has done to the firm
of Bradley and Browne.

It states that you wish to make
amends, in other words...

But how?

What can I do to...?

Well, this is an assignment
in full

of the bequest left you
by your late husband,

assigning it to the Bradley
and Browne Company.

Oh, but please,
don't misunderstand.

We're not really taking
your money away from you.

In return, we'll pay you
a monthly allowance,

more adequate than your needs.

We'll take care of you.

And if I don't...
don't do this?

Please, Mrs. Bradley.

Ever since I left
the courtroom,

I've been wrestling
with my conscience.

Trying to forget
my obvious moral duty

to turn the evidence about
your son over to the police.

Please don't make it any harder
for me to avoid hurting people,

hurting the company,

hurting everyone.

I said, where's Clement now?

Right now.

I warn you, George,

unless we find him and get this
business straightened out...

Well, why did you have
to double check everything?

Why did you hire
those accountants?

Because I had to, George,
you know that.

And the deeper they dig,
the surer I am

that whole embezzlement thing
six months ago

was a tissue of lies,

a deliberate frame-up
by Clement.

George, I know that's
only the beginning.

Because if he could do that
to Fuller,

then you know where he's got us,
don't you?

Of course.

Your ambitious little
junior partner Clement

could quite easily send
both of us to prison.

You signed that paper?

Well, what could I do?

It does seem the best thing.

You could have thrown it
in his face.

You could have torn up
this check.

But he can have you sent
to jail.

A bluff, a cheap bluff.

Mother, you've signed away
everything you own.

The dirty,
chiseling blackmailer.

I'll k*ll him.

Charles, I was only trying to...

Wait here.
I'll be right back, Mother.

Charles!

Dear God, no.

(phone rings)

Paul Drake.

Hello, Mrs. Bradley.

Nice to hear from you.

What?

I'll go after him now.

(doorbell rings)

Charles?

Mr. Fuller, are you in there?

Clement.

Mr. Fuller, I don't believe you
went to Henry Clement's house

with the deliberate,
preconceived intention

of k*lling him.

But I think the jury will
believe you k*lled him,

and I think the jury
will believe

that provocation
or no provocation,

that k*lling
was first degree m*rder.

What are you trying to say,
Mr. Burger?

We'll reduce the charge
to second degree m*rder.

We might even consider
voluntary manslaughter,

if you'll plead guilty.

Mr. Mason?

MASON:
It's up to you.

Whatever your decision,
I'll go on with the case,

do everything humanly possible,

-I promise you that.
- But...

You don't have to give
Mr. Burger your answer now.

We'll discuss it fully
before you decide.

But I want to answer him.

It's a lie, all of it.

You went there that night,
you assaulted him.

You feloniously stole
that contract and destroyed it.

Are any of those
statements lies?

I didn't k*ll him.

You didn't answer my question
either.

I will, when I testify,

when I get up on the stand
and tell my own story.

Charles, have you ever been
on the receiving end

of a cross-examination?

I don't care.
I want to testify.

Mr. Fuller,
did you hate Henry Clement?

No. Not enough to k*ll him.

Really? You knew he framed you.

Yes.

You knew he tricked
and coerced your mother

into signing that contract.

Now, wait a minute, Hamilton.

CHARLES:
Be quiet, Mr. Mason.

I'm not afraid to answer him.

As a matter of fact,
wasn't Henry Clement

the man who robbed you
in the first place?

The man who stole from you
the position

-that was rightfully yours?
- Yes.

That man was the cause of all
your trouble, wasn't he?

The cause of all
your mother's trouble?

Yes, I guess you could
say that. I...

And yet you say
that you didn't hate him?

...

You went to that house
that night to k*ll him,

-didn't you?
- No.

- But you did strike him?
- Yes.

BURGER:
Yeah. You struck him once?

- Uh...
- No, as a matter of fact,

you didn't strike him once
or twice, did you?

You just hit him
and kept on hitting him,

again and again

-and again!
- No! No!

And then you finally picked up
that desk knife

-and stuck it in his chest!
-I didn't k*ll him!

I did not k*ll him!

But you did hate him?

I already told you that...

And you wanted him dead,
didn't you?!

Yes! Yes, I hated him!

Yes, and I wanted him dead!

You still want to testify,
Mr. Fuller?

I suggest you be
a little less concerned

with what you want to do
and a little more concerned

with what your attorney
tells you you ought to do.

I did not k*ll Henry Clement.

Well, that, Mr. Fuller,
the jury will decide.

(low murmuring)

Well, what do you think of it,
Mr. Drake?

Philip, it's just great.

(chuckles)

We must dance together sometime,
Mr. Drake.

Princess, that's a promise.

(laughing)

Um, Alice Bradley wanted
to see me.

Is she here?

I wanted to see you,
on Mrs. Bradley's behalf.

Oh, I see.

You're, um,
you're Mr. Drake, aren't you?

That's right, Mrs. Browne.

I hope you don't mind,
but the folks here

are having a fund-raising thing,

for the kids
in the neighborhood.

Well, if that's all,
I could've sent you a check.

You didn't have to...

No, no, they don't want money,
Mrs. Browne.

But they're planning a raffle,
and I thought possibly

you might help them get
the main prize.

Yes?

A car.

A car?! From me?!

You must be mad.

Not from you, Mrs. Browne.

From Karger Motors.

Then why ask me?

Isn't Irwin Karger
your husband's client?

As I understand it,
his biggest client.

Someone told me
that this year alone,

Karger's business would be worth
$ ,

to Bradley and Browne.

Well, then speak to my husband.

But I thought you were the one

who brought the account
into the firm.

No. As a matter of fact,

it was Henry Clement
who brought in the account.

It's funny how you get things
mixed up.

- Yes, it is.
- You know, I could swear

that Clement's neighbor told me

how you used to help out
Henry Clement.

Wasn't there some sort
of a private party there

about a week before
William Bradley's death,

at which you helped Mr. Clement?

Well, I, uh, I think there was
a dinner about that time.

My husband was out of town,
and, uh,

it was for the company,
of course.

You and Henry Clement
were pretty good friends,

weren't you?

It's, uh, quite late, Mr. Drake.

I do have another appointment.

I'll be most happy to call
Mr. Karger.

You're sure, Paul?

I'm sure.

Well, that's good enough for me.

What now?

I haven't much time.

Charles goes to trial
in just a few days.

That means I go to see
Judge Penner tonight...

get him to issue that order.

Yeah, but will he?

Judge Penner's pretty much
a stickler for form.

I think he'll overlook
technicalities

to get to
the meat of the matter.

On the strength of what Paul has
written in that notebook of his?

MASON:
Right now, we have no choice.

It's use what we have--

with the power of the probate
court-- to run a bluff!

DELLA:
Perry, please...

Della, we have a petition
to get ready for Judge Penner.

MAN (over intercom):
Mr. Mason is here.

Send him in.

Well, this is a pleasure,
Counselor.

A distinct pleasure.

My pleasure, Counselor.

As these things usually say:
greetings.

This is a court order.

That's right, Mr. Dickinson,

ordering you to appear
in Probate Court

-before Judge Penner.
- Probate Court?

To appear and show cause
why your authority

as administrator of the Bradley
Estate should not be revoked

and all your powers thereunder

suspended until the matter
is investigated.

Matter? What matter?

Fraud.

The fraudulent division

of the Bradley Browne
Partnership Assets

and the legacy of only $ ,
to Alice Bradley.

I'll see you in court,
Counselor.

Get me George Browne
on the telephone... fast.

What were you looking for,
Mr. Browne?

Something about Karger Motors,
wasn't it?

Please...

please, you've got
to understand this.

Six months ago, when we
divided the company assets

after Bill Bradley's death,
we did nothing dishonest.

What's this about Karger Motors?

The Karger account wasn't
billed into our office records

until after Bradley died.

But you got the account before
his death, isn't that right?

So money from it should have
gone into the partnership

and then have been divided
with Alice Bradley.

I didn't even know about it!

I didn't hear about it
until long afterwards.

Until Clement told me.

He told me he and...

well, that he'd
held the account out.

That he didn't see any reason

why we should just
go on giving money

to a woman who had
k*lled her husband,

who had run away, a fugitive...

You started to say Clement
and someone else, didn't you?

Was there someone else
involved in that decision?

Mr. Mason...

My wife.

Mary.

She helped Clement, yes.

So when you did hear
about what they'd done,

you kept quiet to
protect your wife?

No!

Tell him the truth, George.

Clement came to me
just a short time ago.

He told me the whole story.

He said I'd have to keep quiet--

yes, and Karl there, too,
if he ever found out, because--

because he, Clement,
had fixed the books

so that I'd be implicated
in this fraud.

So I'd be blamed
for the whole thing.

Now wait a minute.

Why would Clement
volunteer information

he knew would cause trouble?

Because he wanted a bigger share
of the company, that's why!

BROWNE:
Of course!

Six months had gone by.

He wasn't happy now with
just his junior partnership.

Clement now wanted
the lion's share!

The whole thing was so shocking,

- couldn't
believe it at first.

I thought Clement
had gone out of his mind.

T-That's what I told you,
Karl, remember?

But then that night when...

when I went over there, ll...

MASON:
What night?

What night did you
"go over there?"

I..

I was at Clement's
the night he was m*rder*d.

George, no!

So Charles Fuller
was telling the truth.

He did leave Clement alive.

You must have arrived
after he left.

No!
No, you've got to believe me!

I was there before
Charles Fuller!

I didn't k*ll him!
Mary, I didn't!

How about tonight, Mr. Browne?

After my visit to
Mr. Dickinson,

did you go looking for papers
in Clement's hidden safe?

Papers which you were afraid
might implicate you?

No.

No, ...

I was already preparing to make
restitution to Alice Bradley.

Karl here, he had already
started working on the papers.

I-I-It was just that I...

I was so afraid that Mary's name
would be mentioned somewhere.

I wanted to keep
her name out of it.

Oh, George...

The police found
that safe, you know.

It was empty.

All right, let's get
back to the m*rder.

How do you know that you were
at Clement's house that night

before Fuller arrived there?

Because Clement and I
heard him coming.

I slipped out the back door.

Don't you understand?

That's why I haven't
said anything,

because I've been so sure that
Charles really is the m*rder*r.

Wait a moment.

Did you unbolt that back door
to let yourself out?

Why... why, no,
I didn't unbolt it.

The door was wide open.

So what, Perry?

So someone else could have
been there, Hamilton.

Someone else...
could have been there.

Oh, here you are!

Alice, I just had
a call from Mr. Mason.

You did?

He says Charles's trial is to be
postponed for several more days!

Yes, I know.

Mr. Mason spoke to me, too.

Oh?

Well, did he tell you that now
they think some other person

was in that Mr. Clement's house
while your son was there?

He... he said something.

I didn't quite understand.

All I could think of was that

maybe now Charles
won't be tried at all.

Oh, wouldn't that be wonderful?

It certainly would!

Charles just couldn't have
k*lled that man,

I'm sure he couldn't!

Of course not!

I never thought he did.

Only, uh...

Mr. Mason didn't say who they
thought that other person

might have been, did he?

To you, I mean?

Oh, Vera, if I could
just remember things.

I'm sure there must be things
about Mr. Dickinson

or the Brownes that I could...

Alice, you can't remember,
and that's all there is to it.

But I can remember things
about the present.

I've been sitting here,
trying to...

What sort of things?

Well, like that man Clement...

Vera, I think maybe
I saw him once.

I mean, before
I saw him at my trial.

You saw him?

Alice, people lots of times
think they see people that...

Where?

Where did you
think you saw him?

Well, there was a man one night,
watching our bungalow.

Vera...

suppose it was Henry Clement
who called the police

and said I was here, remember?

Well, if he wanted
me to be found,

if maybe he wanted to frighten

the other members of the company
about that will,

make them do what he wanted
by blackmailing them somehow...

You could not have seen
Mr. Clement here, Alice.

I mean, maybe somebody,
maybe at that Nevada hospital,

found out who I was, by some
identification or something

that they found and kept hidden,

and if that person told
Mr. Clement, then...

Now, dear, you mustn't
excite yourself.

Even if Mr. Clement was here,
which is ridiculous,

at least he could have found you
accidentally, couldn't he?

No!

No, because the night
he was k*lled,

he knew I was here alone.

He knew... what?

He knew I was here alone,
because...

you were already at his house,
waiting for him,

weren't you, Vera?

I was where?

He told me you were, Vera.

I don't believe you.

Vera, you've been nice to me.

I think I've been a nuisance,

and I've seen
how it bothers you,

but I knew you
were being paid.

But... who was
really paying you?

Mr. Mason said maybe it wasn't
a foundation at all,

but someone who...

Didn't Mr. Clement
tell you that, too?

Then it's true.

Oh, Vera!

Mr. Clement himself
paid me, of course.

Yes, dear, I was paid
to be your nursemaid.

Keep you out of sight.

Only when he found I'd brought
you back here to Los Angeles,

he had a screaming fit.

And then he got some wild idea
about going ahead with

some blackmail scheme
he'd planned.

He was crazy.

You k*lled him, didn't you?

VERA:
All I wanted was more money.

And I should have had it.

By then I knew just
as much about him

as he seemed to know
about everybody else.

But he got all hysterical.

He told me to get out.

He called me a greedy old woman.

A greedy, meddling old witch.

Yes, he got all hysterical,
Alice.

Just the way you're doing now.

Oh, with your remembering,

and your guessing...

It should have
occurred to you, Vera,

that I might have
called you from here.

She really hated me, didn't she?

But if you hadn't
had the courage

to go through with all that
you did to help me bluff her

into admitting everything...

Pretty good detective
for no memory, I'd say.

Well, I had someone
to do it for.

For new memories.

And don't worry about
the Brownes and Dickinson.

They'll be busy apologizing
for the rest of their lives.

Oh...

Let's go, Mother.

Well, uh, since
this is ladies' choice...

shall we?

Yeah.

You promised.

So I did, Princess...
so I did.

(theme song playing)