07x15 - The Case of the Capering Camera

[bunniefuu]

(theme song playing)

MAN:
Wonderful, darling, wonderful.

Exactly the effect I desire.

A sea nymph, a maid
just risen from the sea.

And now one without
the jacket, Judith,

but with the same lovely
expression of joyful abandon.

Aren't you wondering, Jacob,

why I agreed to work
with you tonight after hours?

For the money, I suppose.

That's generally the reason.

Though I must admit
it's not often

one of my
illustrious cousin Karl's

high-fashion models
poses for me.

I wanted to see you alone.

It's not about
those negatives again?

I've paid more
than $ , now, Jacob.

Don't you think that's enough?

But I told you before,

the negatives
have vanished months ago.

You have only
to check that report

Karl made to the police.

It happens I did.

You told them you
were paying... blackmail?

No, Jacob.

It hasn't come to that yet.

Oh, but it has come
to accusing me.

You took the pictures.

- They were stolen. -By someone
who recognized who they were of.

By someone who made prints

to send with the letters
demanding money.

Suppose you have been paying me.

How can you prove it?

With this, Jacob.

Where did you get that?

From your desk.

And since it's yours,

you know it's loaded.

And you think with that
you can make me confess?

I don't want
a confession, Jacob.

Just the negatives.

I haven't got them.

In the darkroom
there's a locked cabinet.

It's Karl's.

You know this is his studio.

I saw you open the cabinet
the other day

when I was here posing for Karl.

You were so secretive.

I decided then
you still had the negatives.

Suppose we go to the darkroom,
Jacob, and open the cabinet.

Or would you rather
I got the keys...

another way?

Judith, be sensible.

You wouldn't.
You wouldn't.

Wouldn't what, Jacob?

sh**t you?

There's nothing I'd like better.

No, Judith.

- No!
-(g*nsh*t)

♪♪

(dog yapping)

(continues yapping)

Jameson, you know
better than that.

Now, mind your manners
and come along.

(dog continues yapping)

(yapping stops)

(engine starts)

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

WOMAN:
Karl?

(footfalls approaching)

Irene, what in the world
are you doing here?

Oh, walking Jameson while
I wait for your cousin Jacob.

Or, uh, didn't he tell you
we had a date?

You and Jacob?

(laughing):
No, he didn't.

But why not wait inside
in comfort, huh?

He has a model with him.

Probably Miss January,
unclad on a bearskin rug.

Or Miss August,
sunbathing on a rock.

- Shall we find out
which month it is? -All right.

KARL:
Jacob?

Well, Karl...
I suppose this means

you're in charge of
the blackmail department now.

Blackmail department?

Yes.

But don't worry,
I'm still prepared to pay

every cent I could beg,
borrow, or steal.

Better count it.

Irene... I know nothing
of any blackmail.

I allow Jacob
to use my studio, yes.

But we were not associates
in anything.

I think this is something
we should discuss...

but not here.

Shall we go somewhere else?

What about him?

Jacob won't mind, I assure you.

But this could be
very important to both of us.

All right, I... suppose
I've got nothing to lose.

WOMAN: Well, it's
about time you got here.

Almost a quarter past : .

And I know that your plane
landed at : ,

-because I checked.
- Hi, honey. Hello, everybody.

But what did you do, Lewis,
walk from the airport?

Well, I might just as well have.

There was a regular
Klondike rush on cabs.

Besides, dear wife,

weren't you supposed to meet me?

I would have, darling,
only Penny had the car.

Oh, I-I'm sorry, I...
I just lost track of the time.

Well, I guess this is the year

that I gained a daughter-in-law
and lost a car.

Perry., I hope I didn't
inconvenience you too badly.

Quite the reverse, Lewis.

You gave me an excuse to leave
a snowdrift of unfinished work

on my desk.

Now, how'd you
make out in Washington?

MAN:
Yes, let's hear the news, Dad.

That's what the family's
gathered here for.

Am I the son
of our newest ambassador,

or did you flunk
your senatorial inquisition?

I think I got by, Norman.

I even knew where Taraniki was,
which impressed everybody.

Well, that calls for a toast.

Not yet. It'll be a few days

before I am officially
confirmed or rejected.

Hmm. A drink
without a toast, then.

Katherine, Penny.

Perry, I have
a double apology to make.

Double?

For keeping you waiting
and also for having

brought you over here
for nothing.

I know I made it sound
like life and death

on the phone
this morning, but...

since then, I've found a way to
take care of the matter myself.

-(doorbell rings)
- That must be Judith.

You invited Judith?

Well, what's so odd about that?

Penny's sister,
your sister-in-law.

She's family, too, isn't she?

- For you, Father.
- Thank you.

Mr. Mason, a refill?

No, thanks, Norman,
I'll finish this.

Judith, you're late.

Yes, I know, I had
an assignment that ran overtime.

Mr. Ames. Penny.

- Norman.
- Greetings, Judith.

What made you so late?

Just got behind schedule.

Jobs all over town;
you know how it is.

Yes, I know.

Judith, I'd like you to meet
Perry Mason, my lawyer.

Lawyer?

Well, what brings you here,
Mr. Mason?

KATHERINE:
Why, Judith, you sound as though

you had a guilty conscience
about something.

LEWIS: If so, don't worry;
Mr. Mason came to see me.

Oh, well,
how do you do, Mr. Mason?

How do you do?

Katherine, would
you mind if I used your bedroom

-for a moment to freshen up?
- Go right ahead, dear.

Excuse me.

LEWIS:
Penny, your sister's

been working too hard--
she looks exhausted.

KATHERINE: It's not the work,
darling, it's the dieting.

I know, Mr. Mason,
because I used to be

a high-fashion model myself

before Lewis decided

to take unto himself
a second wife,

at the same time
saved me from starvation.

Speaking of starvation,
how about dining with us, Perry?

Thanks, but I'm back
to the salt mines.

I've enjoyed seeing you again,
Mrs. Ames. Penny, Norman.

Judith...

Oh, uh, swim fashions
in Santa Monica.

They kept me so late
after the last shot was taken

that I just ran.

You-you didn't see Jacob?

-(phone rings in other room)
- will tomorrow.

Oh, I wish you'd done it today.

Penny, I told you,
you're out of this.

-(door opens)
- Now, leave Jacob to me.

Judith, there's
a telephone call for you.

You can take it
on the extension.

Yes.

Oh, hello, Eloise.

(over phone): A man just left
the spookiest message

for you, Miss Blair.

He said you weren't
to tell anyone, not anyone

what happened, because
it's all been taken care of.

All been taken care of.

- Well, did he leave his name?
- No, he just hung up.

Does it make any sense to you?

Uh... yes, I-I think so.

Thank you, Eloise.

Who was that?

Oh, it's a new girl
at my answering service.

An appointment canceled
for tomorrow.

Now, come on, sis, beat it.

Let me get dressed in peace.

(door opens)

(door closes)

(dialing)

I knew I was in worse trouble
than I, than even I had thought

after that weird message,
so I phoned Harper Green.

Harper Green?

Well, he's head
of the model agency I work for

and a friend.

I told him exactly
what had happened

and that I was going
to go to the police,

and he said I should
see a lawyer first.

Isn't it almost
too coincidental, Miss Blair?

Someone sh**ting Jacob Kadar

just as you were threatening
to sh**t him yourself?

Are you positive--
quite positive--

you didn't fire
the p*stol you were holding,

perhaps without meaning to?

For a second I thought
it had gone off, but it hadn't.

Wouldn't the p*stol itself
prove that

if it were found
not to have been fired?

It would certainly help make
your story

a little more believable.

Now, the actual shot, you say,

came from the partially open
door behind you?

Well, that's the only place
it could have come from.

But you didn't see anyone there?

You think I'm lying, Mr. Mason.

Oh, I don't blame you.

I guess the thing to do now
is to go to the police.

The thing to have done was
to have gone to them then.

But I panicked.

Is that so unnatural?

No.

Let me recapitulate.

Jacob Kadar was blackmailing you

as a result of some calendar art
pictures he'd taken.

Yes, two years ago.

I badly needed money.

And he threatened-- or rather,

the letters
which you believed came from him

threatened publication
of these pictures,

which you felt would damage your
career as a high-fashion model.

Yes.

So, believing the negatives were

in a locked cabinet
in the studio darkroom,

you made an after-hours
appointment to pose

for Kadar.

Yes.

And after the sh**ting
you took the negatives?

No, I just dropped
his p*stol and ran.

Only to be followed by someone
after you reached your car.

The k*ller--
I was afraid it was-- after me.

And the mysterious message--
the k*ller again?

I don't know.

Della, see if Paul Drake
is still in his office.

BLAIR: Mr. Mason,
you're going to help me?

I was always going to,
Miss Blair.

Before we decide
to proceed, however,

there are a few things
I'd like to check on first.

The first one being whether
or not the g*n was fired.

You'll find it hadn't been,
Mr. Mason.

Paul, Mr. Mason would like
to talk to you.

How would you like to have
your picture taken, Paul?

When?

Right now.

(phone rings)

Any luck?

Well, so far a couple
of pretty fair latent prints.

You want me
to photograph 'em here

or take the camera
down to the lab?

The lab, but later,
after we finish.

Yeah, he's still here.

Lieutenant Anderson,
it's for you.

Thanks.

Anderson.

Right hand, huh?

That figures.

Thanks for being so quick.

Invite our guests in,
will you, Sergeant?

You can forget about the camera.

Oh?

Well, I guess
that winds me up, then,

except for that p*stol,
I suppose.

- I'll bring that in.
- All right.

(door opens)

Ah, it looks as though we have
the makings of a convention.

You and Drake mind waiting
until I finish with these two?

Not at all, Lieutenant.

First you, Mr. Kadar.

There's something
I don't quite understand.

You say, after you found
your cousin's body,

you went down to
the corner drugstore to call us.

Why not phone from here?

KARL:
Perhaps I've been reading

too many detective stories,
Lieutenant.

ANDERSON:
Detective stories?

In them the police
always want nothing touched

in case there are fingerprints.

I see.

Now, take another look
at that p*stol, Mr. Kadar.

You're absolutely certain
it was your cousin's?

Yes.

It's the p*stol
he kept in his desk.

Okay, you'll be notified
about the inquest.

Thank you.

Now, Mr., uh, Mr., uh...

See, I've got
the name here somewhere.

Harper Green.

Charm Incorporated Models.

Yes.

You told Sergeant Brice you had
an appointment with Jacob Kadar.

No, that he had an appointment
with me in my office.

Well, then,
how come you're here?

Well, he was due at : , but
when he hadn't shown up by : ,

I decided to drop by
and see what was keeping him.

Thereupon
your men decided to keep me,

as did these two gentlemen
when they appeared.

Why didn't you phone Kadar?

Oh, I did,
but there was no answer,

which meant to me
he was in the darkroom.

You see,
he was making extra prints

of some high-fashion pictures

his cousin had taken
of several of my models

and which I wanted
for their portfolios,

but it seems he wasn't
in the darkroom after all.

No, I guess he wasn't.

All right, Mr. Green,
you can go.

Thanks.

According to Sergeant Brice,
you told him you were coming

to see Jacob Kadar
on behalf of a client.

That's right.

And the client's name?

Well, for once you can tell me
since there's no possible way

he or she can be involved.

There isn't?

No, not since it's su1c1de.

su1c1de?

Well, what were you expecting,
m*rder?

We weren't necessarily
expecting anything.

That p*stol.

Jacob Kadar's p*stol.

Has it been fired?

Well, naturally,

which, with powder burns
on the corpse

and powder residue
on the right hand,

adds up to su1c1de in my book.

Or do you two have
some other notion?

DRAKE:
Newspapers say it's su1c1de,

the coroner's office says
it's su1c1de,

Lieutenant Anderson says
it's su1c1de,

so it's su1c1de.

I'm afraid it's not quite that
simple, Paul, not for me anyway.

I'm on the horns of about as odd

an ethical dilemma
as I've ever encountered.

Ethical dilemma?

A lawyer has two major
responsibilities, Della.

One is to protect the confidence
of his client.

The other is
to fulfill his duties

as an officer of the court.

In the latter capacity, I should
report what Judith Blair

told me last night
to the police.

You can't do that.

The other horn of the dilemma.

Not without violating
her confidence.

So, what do I do?

Perry, neurotic people
are forever confessing

to crimes they didn't commit.

Couldn't Judith,
when she found Kadar a su1c1de,

have gone
slightly off her rocker?

Possibly.

But it's equally possible
she's telling the truth,

and that the shot did
come from the sliding door.

Al right.

Then how do you account for
the powder burns on the body,

a positive dermal nitrate test
on the right hand,

and the p*stol being fired?

There is a way of accounting
for all that.

How?

Kadar could have been
struggling with Judith

for possession of the p*stol
when it went off.

Which would make
the sliding-door story

just a wild attempt
to get off the hook.

What do you do, Perry?

Well, temporize, I suppose.

Try to discover
what really happened

without attracting
too much attention.

Judith Blair's
calendar art negatives, Paul,

and the pictures she says Jacob
Kadar took of her last night--

see if you can find out
who's got them--

the police or Karl Kadar or who.

That'll be a pleasure.

And through
your police contacts,

get the results
of the ballistics tests

on Jacob Kadar's p*stol.

If it fired the fatal b*llet,
then Judith is lying.

Well, if it's su1c1de,
it's su1c1de, Anderson.

So why get the wind up
over Perry Mason and Paul Drake?

It's the way they looked
last night,

as if they knew something.

Well, they always look
like they knew something,

but what about the ballistics
test on the p*stol?

Well, the lab should have
the results by now.

Mm-hmm.

Yes, Ballistics?

Lieutenant Tragg.

Oh, hello, Gavin.

Uh, anything on
the, uh, Kadar p*stol?

Jacob--I think
that's the first name.

Oh, and the cartridge, too, huh?

Well, thanks.

They all match--
the expended shell you found,

the p*stol, and the b*llet
in the dead man's heart.

QED.

su1c1de.

I guess.

But you're not too happy
about it yet, are you?

You still think
that there might be a chance

that, uh, it is m*rder?

I have a suggestion.

What's that?

Make Perry Mason
your chief suspect.

First, a little on the chin
and we'll have it.

There.

Ready?

Voila!

That does it, darling.

Now you can go
beddy-bye for real.

Yes?

You wanted to see me?

Huh? Oh, yes.

Yes, I did.

My name's Paul Drake, Mr. Kadar.

I remember. I saw you
last night with Mr. Mason.

What can I do for you?

Well, answer a few questions,
if you will.

If you can think
of any questions the police

haven't asked, you are something
of a genius, Mr. Drake.

Well, I can think of one.

How do you get
in this line of work?

(chuckles)

If you knew the troubles,
you wouldn't ask.

Is it about my cousin Jacob?

Yes.

And about your darkroom--
by any chance,

did Jacob have a cabinet there
he kept locked?

Yes.

Well, is it locked now?

I don't know.
Suppose we go and see.

Fine.

Uh, do you have a key?

No.

But this is how
I once had to open mine.

There.

Empty.

Now, that's strange.

There have been rumors,
Mr. Drake, that Jacob was taking

calendar art pictures unsuitable
for the ordinary calendar.

Are those the ones
you're looking for?

That's right.

To, uh, protect someone?

Yes.

Well, you will have to look
somewhere else, I'm afraid.

Mr. Kadar, one more thing.

Was your cousin alone
in the studio last night?

I assume so.

Well, I was wondering
about the camera by him.

Had he been using it?

There would have been exposed
negatives there if he had.

- And none were found?
- No.

WOMAN: Is Mr. Drake
in there with you, Mr. Kadar?

Yes, he's here.

Telephone, Mr. Drake.

Thanks.

And, uh, thank you very much,
Mr. Kadar.

Not at all.

Karl?

You knew the cabinet was empty,
didn't you?

Yes.

I opened it
with Jacob's key last night,

before I called the police.

Well, what did you do
with the pictures of me?

Well, the cabinet was
empty then, just as it is now.

GREEN: If you want
to talk to Judith alone,

I'll be more than happy
to clear out.

Oh, please stay, Harper.

I need all the support
I can get.

Besides, you know
everything anyway.

Not quite everything, Judith.

But before we get to that,
tell me, Mr. Green,

why did you go to Kadar's studio
last night?

Well, about an hour
after Judith called,

something suddenly hit me.

The negatives of the pictures
Jacob had been taking of her--

if the police found them,
she'd be in the soup.

So, I, uh, decided
to try to get them first.

- And did you?
- No.

No, I barely reached
the front door

when they grabbed me.

Just like they grabbed you and
Drake about minutes later.

Haven't the police
got the negatives?

I didn't take them, Mr. Mason.

I was too frightened
to think of that.

But not too frightened,
evidently,

to think of saying the shot
came from the sliding doors.

BLAIR:
I don't think I understand.

MASON: A few minutes ago
I had a call from Paul Drake.

The police have
definitely proven

the fatal shot came from
the p*stol found by the body.

Jacob Kadar's p*stol, Judith.

The p*stol you were holding.

But that's impossible.

I didn't sh**t Jacob.

You must believe that.

Could it be, Judith,

that he shot himself?

Struggling with you
for possession of the p*stol?

But there wasn't any struggle,
I tell you.

The shot came from the door.

Harper, you believe me,
don't you?

Of course I do.

What's the difference anyway,
Mr. Mason, as long as

the police are willing
to write it off as a su1c1de?

Don't tell me you feel
obliged to go to them.

I always thought a lawyer
was like a priest.

Even a priest, Mr. Green,

has a dual obligation
when he learns

something which might
be harmful to society.

Then you are going
to the police.

I don't know.

But I must tell you
this, Judith:

if you do become involved
with the police,

and you stick to your story

that the shot came
from the sliding doors,

they'll never believe you.

A couple of seconds more
and it'll be ready.

There are half a dozen
other negatives of her

in different poses,

but this is the one I thought
you'd be interested in.

And how.

And how your advice
paid off, Lieutenant.

Advice? What advice?

To make Perry Mason
my chief suspect.

Would you send
Mr. Mason in, please?

Well, Perry,
what's the occasion?

To the best of my knowledge,

there's nothing
pending between us.

- No.
- Social call?

I don't know exactly what kind
of a call it is, Hamilton.

Well, maybe between us
we can figure it out.

Sit down.

I am in a very
curious predicament.

That's a switch. Traffic ticket?

No, a problem of ethics.

If I tell you about it,

would you be willing to regard
it as privileged, so to speak?

And not to be acted upon

until a full investigation
can be made?

Why, Perry, you know,
as district attorney,

I can't buy a pig
in a poke like that.

All right, I'll present it
hypothetically instead.

So you won't have
to promise anything.

Agreed?

Well, I don't know how
the taxpayers will react

to my spending my time listening
to hypothetical problems,

but go ahead.

Let's say "X,"

trusting in
the confidential relationship

between client and lawyer,
reveals something that...

should be called to the
attention of the authorities.

Well, that's easy.

Just a minute.

This something is...

something that could put
X's life in serious jeopardy.

This something possibly being...

like having committed m*rder?

No, more like possibly
being accused of m*rder.

Now, Perry, you know
that you can't--

that your hypothetical lawyer
can't be forced to come forward.

But he wants to.

If there is some way
X can be protected

until all the facts are in.

Why? What happens if
he doesn't come forward?

That's the rub, Hamilton.

Nothing.

That's a real hypothetical
humdinger, Perry.

One which,
by a curious coincidence,

I can help you with.

- You can?
- Yes, I can.

Would you tell
Lieutenant Anderson

I am ready for him now?

Perry, let me present Miss X,

whose problem is now something
more than hypothetical.

She's just been charged
with m*rder in the first degree.

Whatever Judith's expenses
are, Mr. Mason,

my father will be
very happy to foot the bill.

But anonymously, Norman,
don't forget that.

Anonymously?

Well, the senate
hasn't yet confirmed

Lewis' ambassadorship,
and any newspaper stories

linking him with calendar art
and m*rder would be fatal.

That's why he sent you three
instead of coming himself.

Well, he would have come
if he thought it would help,

but he doesn't know anything
at all about all of this.

I see.

Well, we can discuss
the expenses later.

But you will do everything
you can, Mr. Mason.

Of course.

I'll keep you informed.

Thank you.

Bye.

(knock at door)

Perry, did you know
that just after

she was picked up by the police,

Judith told her story to Burger?

Only she changed the shot
from the sliding door

to a struggle with Jacob Kadar

in which the p*stol went off.

That was my fault, Paul.

I told her nobody would ever
believe the door story.

Fortunately I was
able to stop her

from making a formal statement.

How did the police find her
in the first place?

My fault again.

Anderson put a tail on me

as the only suspect,
as he put it, he had.

I led the tail to Judith.

What is it, Mrs. Ames?

I-I'm supposed to be looking
for my gloves, Mr. Mason,

but what I really wanted
was to tell you that,

actually, I was the one
who was being...

KATHERINE:
Penny.

You didn't have any gloves,
remember?

I didn't?

Oh, I'm sorry.

I'm terribly sorry.

That's quite all right.

What was that all about?

To the list
of people you're checking

I want you to add another name.

One Penny Ames.

She could be as important to us

as the woman
with the Scottie Judith saw

or the man who followed her.

- I've been working on those.
-I know.

Della, it's about time
we were working-- in court.

And you say, Doctor,
that death was instantaneous?

If by instantaneous you mean
a matter of seconds, yes.

Now, as to the time of death,

when was it you first examined
the body, Doctor?

At three minutes after :
at the studio.

And how long at that time,
in your opinion,

had Jacob Kadar been dead?

Approximately
an hour and a half.

BURGER: Which would then
set : , approximately,

-as the time of death,
wouldn't it? -That's right.

Thank you, Doctor.
Mr. Mason.

What leeway does "approximately”
give you, Doctor?

Ten minutes,
a half hour, an hour?

In this particular case,
Mr. Mason, perhaps minutes.

Or perhaps ?

Possibly.

Then death could have occurred
not at : alone,

but as early as : or as late
as : , could it not?

- Possibly.
- Thank you.

Now, when you first questioned
the defendant,

Lieutenant Anderson,
in her apartment,

what did you ask her?

If she knew Jacob Kadar,
and she said she didn't.

- And what took place then?
- Well, subsequently,

after she refused to state her
relationship with Perry Mason,

I asked her if she had any
objection to my looking around

-her apartment.
- And did she?

No, none.

Do you recognize these,
Lieutenant?

Uh, yes, that's
my identifying mark.

Six exposed
photographic negatives

which I found
in the defendant's, uh,

model case,
as I believe it's called.

And what are these?

The prints made
from the six negatives

under my direction
in the crime lab darkroom.

BURGER: Would you
describe these photographs

to the court, please?

Five are of the defendant

in a bathing suit
in various poses

in Kadar's studio.

And what about the sixth?

Also of the defendant,
still in a bathing suit,

facing the camera
with Jacob Kadar's p*stol

-in her hand.
- Thank you, Lieutenant.

If it please the court,
I should like

these negatives and photographs

-admitted in evidence. Just
one moment, please, Your Honor.

I submit that these objects
are totally inadmissible.

They were found

in the defendant's apartment,
Mr. Mason.

In the first place,
the w*apon has not

and cannot be identified
from a photograph

as Jacob Kadar's p*stol.

Nor, in the second place,
have either negatives

or prints been
established as having

the slightest connection
with this case.

The photographs
were taken in Kadar's studio.

The settings show that.

Perhaps. But when taken?

This morning?
A week ago, a year ago?

And by whom
and under what circumstances?

Your Honor, until
these questions are answered,

a proper foundation laid,

the defense objects
most strenuously

to either negatives or prints
being placed in evidence.

Your point is well taken,
Mr. Mason.

No, I think it applies more
to the weight of the evidence

than its admissibility.

Therefore, the court
will admit the evidence

but keep well in mind
Mr. Mason's objection.

DRAKE: If you know anything,
anything at all

that can help your sister,

you've got to tell us now
before it's too late.

Do you know anything, Penny?

Do you?

Then it is you.

Yes.

I was the one who posed
for Jacob Kadar's

calendar art photos,

the one who
was being blackmailed.

Not Judith.

How is she mixed up in this?

The letters...

demanding money,
each with a print like that,

started coming right after
Norman and I were married.

(crying):
I didn't know what to do or...

or how Norman would react,

so... I went to Judith.

And she took over for you?

Yes.

And paid and paid
until there was no more money.

That's when she decided
to have it out with...

Katherine.

Oh, I'm sorry.

I-I just couldn't
hold out any longer.

I understand, Penny.

And I was completely wrong,
putting Lewis' ambassadorship

ahead of your sister's safety.

You knew about this
all the time, Mrs. Ames?

(Penny sniffles)

Penny told me the day
of Jacob Kadar's death.

I know it's odd...

but years ago, just after
Lewis and I were married,

a similar thing happened to me.

You testified,
I believe, Lieutenant,

that it was this p*stol,
found by Jacob Kadar's body

and entered into evidence
as People's Exhibit ,

which fired the fatal shot.

Yes, sir, our ballistics tests
proved that.

And did they prove
who fired the p*stol?

Isn't it actually true that what
they and other tests did prove

was that Jacob Kadar
k*lled himself?

ANDERSON:
Well, for a time they seemed to.

MASON:
How was that?

Well, it all seemed to add up--

the powder burns on the body,

the traces of powder
on the right hand,

the fact that it was

Jacob Kadar's p*stol...

Jacob Kadar's p*stol?

How do you know that?

Well, his cousin identified it.

His cousin?

Your Honor, may I have a moment?

Of course.

Perry, as we suspected,
it was Penny

who posed for those
blackmail pictures, not Judith.

Also, remember
Karl Kadar telling us

he was having cocktails
with a woman in a bar

-near his studio around :
that night? -Yes.

We checked, and he
was there about then,

with a woman who had a Scottie.

Hop to it, Paul.

Uh, thank you, Your Honor.

Now, Lieutenant, isn't it
proper police procedure

to determine the ownership
of a w*apon

not through hearsay
but by its registration?

Well, trouble is, uh,
it wasn't registered.

Wasn't registered?

Then how can you say
it was Jacob Kadar's?

Your Honor, the state concedes
that the ownership of the p*stol

has not been
properly established.

But it will be
with the subsequent witness.

MASON:
Will it, Mr. Burger?

Will it?

Now, haven't I told you
many times, Jenny,

how love grows and grows?

You mustn't be jealous
of the other children.

Because the more love
I have for them,

the more love I have for you.

Now you run along and play.

Try to remember what I told you.

Cut!

- Thank you, Miss Grey.
-(bell ringing)

Next setup, boys.

(people chattering)

It was when I first
started this picture--

my first starring role after
years of bits and second leads--

that the photographs
began coming.

Jacob Kadar evidently waited

until I was
completely vulnerable.

Who put you onto me, Mr. Drake?

Karl Kadar?

Nope.

He did.

Jameson?

I never thought you'd write
fini to my career, old boy.

Fini to your career, Miss Grey?

A spiritual picture
about orphans and nuns--

what do you think
will happen to it, and to me,

when it comes out
that the leading lady

was once a calendar art model?

Mr. Drake, what I saw
last night can't possibly

help Judith Blair;
it can only hurt her.

Must I come forward
and ruin myself?

I'm afraid it's out of my hands,
Miss Grey.

Miss Grey.

I'm Lieutenant Tragg, Homicide.

Perry... are you sure
we have a right to be here?

I have Karl Kadar's key
and permission,

though I must admit,

I didn't exactly tell him
what I was after.

Well, what are you after?

Powder burns on the body,
powder traces on the hand,

and the g*n that did the job
lying there.

Either su1c1de or a struggle
has got to be the answer.

No, Paul,
there's another answer.

What's that?

Two pistols.

Two pistols?

Yes, the other p*stol is mine,
Mr. Mason.

But it never occurred to me
to mention it

when I was testifying
the other day.

Jacob first a su1c1de,

then k*lled
struggling with Miss Blair.

What part could it play
in either event?

MASON: Where did the pistols
come from, Mr. Kadar?

Mine from the studio
where you found it.

I mean originally.

KARL:
Jacob brought them

when he came to join me
from Europe,

three years ago.

One he kept,
the other one he gave to me.

And they're exactly alike?

Well, uh, it's a standard
European make, isn't it?

I suppose the serial numbers are
different, but I never looked.

You must answer, Mr. Green,

no matter how reluctant
you are to do so.

Al right.

Yes, Judith called me
that night--

about : , I think it was--

and told me someone
had shot Jacob Kadar

from the sliding door.

Uh, she was trying to force him

to return some pictures
of her he had.

And what did you do?

Well, she was going
to the police.

But I told her she
should consult a lawyer first.

Oh, a lawyer, eh?

Mr. Mason,
you may have the witness.

Mr. Green,

had Judith previously told you
about the pictures

or that she was going
to see Jacob Kadar?

No.

No, the first I knew
about any of it

was when she called me.

After he was dead.

While you were walking
your Scottie,

waiting, as you say,
for Karl Kadar to join you,

did you see anyone
now in this courtroom

run from the studio
and enter a car?

I saw someone
about to enter a car.

The defendant Judith Blair.

Thank you.

Your witness.

No questions.

There's someone else
in the courtroom

who was outside
the studio that night.

The man in the first row,
on the aisle.

A couple of days
before the death,

I found one of the
blackmail letters and a picture.

I didn't mention it to Penny.

The day of the death,
I overheard Judith tell her

that she was going to see
Jacob Kadar that night

and settle the picture business
for good.

I followed her
and hung around outside,

wondering what I could do
to help.

Well, then the shot.

And she came out and drove away.

I followed to ask
what had happened.

(sighs)
But she lost me.

Then, later, I decided not
to say anything to her about it.

It seems curious
that you didn't mention

finding the blackmail letter
to your wife, Mr. Ames.

Did you mention it
to anyone else?

Yes.

I told my father
the day he went to Washington.

I guess it does sound as though

I might have stopped off
and k*lled Jacob Kadar,

since I took so long to get home
from the airport that night,

but I didn't...
either stop off or k*ll him.

When you did get home, however,

you told me
you'd settled the matter

you wanted to consult me about
yourself.

Now, that matter was the
blackmail business, was it not?

- Yes.
- How did you settle it,

if not by k*lling Jacob Kadar?

By telling the senate committee
about Penny,

my daughter-in-law,
being blackmailed

right after
the long-distance call to you.

That's why they were delaying
my appointment.

To see how I would come out
of all this.

You can check with them
if you don't believe me.

I believe you, Mr. Ames.

Oh, yes, one more thing.

Did you know your wife
was similarly blackmailed

when you were first married?

Katherine?

Exactly the same routine
as with Penny.

A photograph,
a letter demanding money,

with instructions
telling me to send it

to an obviously made-up name
in care of general delivery.

MASON:
How long ago was this?

KATHERINE:
Five years.

What did you do
about your photograph

and letter, Mrs. Ames?

I wrote back,
"Publish and go to blazes."”

I'm proud of my figure.

Now, we understand
that Mr. Drake is the k*ller

at the sliding doors
with Karl Kadar's p*stol.

We understand, Mr. Mason.

Get on with your little play.

We're all on pins and needles.

As the defendant,

with Jacob Kadar's p*stol,

demands return
of her sister's negative,

the k*ller fires.

-(g*n clicks)
- Lieutenant.

The defendant, terrified,

drops Jacob Kadar's p*stol
and runs.

Now alone in the studio,

the k*ller picks up
Jacob Kadar's p*stol

and puts the m*rder w*apon,

Karl Kadar's p*stol,
in its place.

BURGER:
But the powder burns, Mr. Mason.

The powder residue
on the dead man's hand.

A blank, Mr. Burger.

Inserted in the unused p*stol

and fired by means
of the dead man's hand.

A most interesting
demonstration, Mr. Mason.

But can you prove all this?

MASON:
I can't prove

that Jacob Kadar's dying hand
took Mr. Burger's picture

of the defendant,
p*stol in hand, Your Honor,

but the remainder
I believe I can,

if Lieutenant Anderson
will answer a question or two.

Uh, your lab examination
of p*stol number two,

the nonlethal p*stol,
showed what, Lieutenant?

Well, that it had been
fired recently

and that the composition

of the expended powder
in the barrel

was identical
to that on the body.

We also found excellent
latent prints

of an index finger and...

Just a moment, Lieutenant.

We'll come to those later.

In the meantime
I'd like to recall Karl Kadar.

I never k*lled Jacob, Mr. Mason.

I didn't even know the pistols
had been switched.

Mr. Kadar,

before Jacob joined you
three years ago,

did you ever take
calendar art photographs?

Yes, occasionally.

Did you take such photographs

of the woman
who is now Katherine Ames?

KARL:
Yes.

She was
a high-fashion model then,

but she needed the extra money.

And afterwards,
when she married a wealthy man,

married Lewis Ames,

did you attempt
to blackmail her?

No.

No, I couldn't have.

The pictures disappeared,

along with the others
that I'd...

Harper Green.

He was the one who told me
Katherine needed money.

And he told me about the others
who needed money, too.

Just as he told Jacob.

Harper Green.

Ridiculous, all of this.

Utterly ridiculous.

MASON: Who but you would know
which of your models

needed extra money, Mr. Green?

And who but you
could follow their careers?

Know when they were
in a position to be blackmailed?

Still ridiculous.

Is this ridiculous?

The p*stol Judith dropped?

The p*stol through which
you fired the blank

that left the powder burns
on Jacob Kadar's body?

The p*stol on which
Lieutenant Anderson

found his excellent
latent fingerprints?

You never thought
to wipe them off, did you?

Off the p*stol that didn't k*ll.

Unlike Karl,
Jacob worked with me.

Until he began to get panicked,
he began to want out.

There's no out
in a thing like that.

So ...

I thought up the perfect crime--

m*rder and a su1c1de
using the two pistols.

And then Judith mixed in.

I was afraid Jacob was about
to tell her everything.

So I shot!

When she dropped her p*stol
and ran, I...

I realized my plan
would still work

if she'd just keep quiet,

as I told her to do
in the message I sent her.

But you, Mr. Mason...

you weren't going to keep quiet.

I could see that.

So I... I put the negatives
I'd taken from the studio

into Judith's apartment
so the police would think

that Jacob was k*lled
while struggling with her.

But that didn't work either.

Why did you have to interfere,
Judith?

Why?

Perry, were the fingerprints
on the g*n that fired the blank

really Harper Green's?

No, they were Jacob Kadar's,
it being his p*stol,

but fortunately
Green didn't know that.

Well, I must say that knowing
exactly where to find

that second p*stol
was a stroke of genius.

No, Paul, not quite.

More the result of investing
in a few drinks

for Karl Kadar's receptionist.

I don't know as I like that.

(Mason chuckles)

You'll like this.

A handsome check from Lewis
Ames and a note saying

that his ambassadorship
has been confirmed.

And, uh, what's that?

Oh, this is from Irene Grey,

in gratitude for my not
involving her.

An autographed picture.

Not, uh...?

No, Della.

With her clothes.

(theme song playing)