( dramatic theme playing )
( noirish jazz theme playing )
( upbeat theme playing )
( honks horn )
( honking horn )
Take your time now.
Take your time.
Give me ten gallons, high-test.
Ain't got no high-test.
Why do I bother to trade here?
( chuckles )
You try and find another gas station
within 20 miles.
Hey. Did you hear about Chuck Clark?
What about him?
He's back.
Got back about six weeks ago.
What did you say?
You heard me.
( chuckles )
( spits )
Harry!
Chuck's back!
Where did you hear
about Chuck?
Too bad you gotta get your news secondhand.
And you, his partner.
You ought to see his new wife.
Young enough to be his kid.
You're a liar. ( chuckles )
He bought the Brandywine Estate
over in Palm Valley for $200,000 cash.
His new brother-in-law handled the deal.
Yeah, it's too bad that--
You know, that you ain't good enough
to get invited out there.
Do you wanna drive?
( upbeat theme playing )
( bangs pump ) Hey.
( tires screech )
What are you doing with my diary?
Uh, I'm reading it, obviously. You--
Better wait here, Nell.
Don't do anything foolish, Harry.
Ooh, give me that. I will when I finish with it.
Look, honey, this i--
Where's Chuck Clark?
Well, he's in Los Angeles.
His nephew, Bill Shayne, around?
No, he's with Chuck.
I'm Harry Bright.
Hooray for you.
Mr. Bright, I'm Margaret Clark,
Chuck's wife.
This is my brother, Howard Roper.
How much you figure you're gonna get out of Chuck...
for selling him your sister?
( whimpers )
( grunts ) ( dramatic theme playing )
MARGARET: Howard!
Now, you ever lay another finger on me, mister...
and you won't live to regret it.
You wouldn't have
nerve enough to use that.
( dramatic theme playing )
Now, you just tell your husband...
Harry Bright dropped around to pay his respects.
( mysterious theme playing )
( dogs barking )
( tense theme playing )
( bangs on door )
( door opens )
You calling me an old fool?
Sure I am.
Chuck Clark. Ha!
In his second childhood.
Look at them clothes.
You going to a-- A sweet-16 party?
Your child bride must be real proud of you.
You better stop talking
about my wife like that,
or I'll pull your tongue right out of your empty head!
Now wait a minute.
You two ought to be ashamed of yourselves.
Ashamed? You're his nephew.
Did he ever write you?
Six months he's been gone.
And six months, not even a postcard.
This high-class wife of yours must be too--
I'm warning you, Harry!
Uh, if you wanna get milked dry with them crooks,
I can't stop you.
But they ain't stealing
my share of the money too.
Where's a pen?
( pen clicks )
There.
Why, it's only made out for $100,000.
Every cent you're gonna get
till you learn to treat my wife like a lady.
Did she teach you to cheat your partner too?
I told you, you keep her out of this!
You'd better run along, sonny boy,
before she finds out
you got loose from your playpen.
And take this with you!
( tense theme playing )
( door closes )
BRIGHT: Didn't need no writing to share hard times,
and hunger and thirst.
We had 20 years of it
before we struck it rich.
And that's a lot more binding
than any writing.
Nevertheless, you do have
a written agreement between you.
And according to the terms of this agreement...
Mr. Clark controls the finances.
Always has.
Even when we only had two bits between us.
( chuckles )
I was the musclehead.
Chuck, he was the brains.
Does he have power of attorney?
Well, he-- He signs the checks,
if that's what you mean.
Mr. Mason. You got to understand this.
Chuck and me have always been like...
( sighs )
...well, sort of-- Well...
like that.
Chuck can have every cent
as far as I'm concerned.
But that woman ain't gonna cheat me.
Well, can you prove she has, Mr. Bright?
Don't need no better proof
than Chuck offering me $100,000 for my share.
It's her doing.
Perhaps that's all your share is worth.
Well, we got $5 million in properties working for us.
Uh, suppose we file an action
for dissolution of the partnership,
and ask for an immediate accounting
of all the joint properties.
If things don't add up right...
can you send that woman and her brother to jail?
If...you have been swindled,
it was by Mr. Clark.
Now, wait a second.
I-I don't want Chuck going to jail.
It ain't none of his fault.
He just lost his brains.
I tell you, this woman has got him hypnotized.
Her and that no-good brother.
Why don't I have a talk with Mr. Clark?
It would be a shame to...
end a 20-year friendship
with a subpoena.
Yeah, but if you could have
heard the way he spoke to me.
If there is any possible way to patch this up,
don't you think it's worth a try?
( sighs )
Della, can we juggle my schedule around
so we can get to the desert for a few days?
We certainly can. And would you please
make an appointment for me to see Mr. Clark?
( mysterious theme playing )
( doorbell rings )
( sighs )
I'll get it.
Won't you come in, Mr. Mason?
I'm Bill Shayne.
Mr. Shayne.
Uh, this is my uncle, Charles Clark.
Hello, Mr. Clark.
Howdy.
Sit down, Mason.
I, uh...
suppose you're here about Harry.
I understand you and Harry Bright
have worked together for a good many years.
Not long enough to be called an old fool.
Tsk.
Nobody forced me into marrying Margaret.
I seen her, and I said to myself,
"There's a woman I'd like for a wife."
Wait a minute.
Uh, would you come into the living room,
uh, please, honey?
Yeah.
You know, Mason...
Harry Bright's been in the sun too long.
It's, uh-- It's baked out his brain.
Why, I remember one time about 18 years ago, when--
( door opens )
( door closes )
Come in.
Come in, honey.
Margaret, this is Mr. Mason.
He's a lawyer.
How do you do, Mrs. Clark?
This is a great pleasure, Mr. Mason.
I've heard so much about you.
Oh, yeah. He's heard a lot about you too.
Only it ain't true.
He's got a kind of an idea
that you're some sort of vampire or something.
I, uh, figured it best we all talk together.
Now, uh...
suppose you tell Mr. Mason
why you married me.
For your money.
( laughs )
There you are.
Cards right on the table,
just like that.
Um...
what kind of deal did we make?
That you would give me a home. Yeah.
Money. Yep.
Everything I needed.
In exchange...
I would try to take care of you,
give you companionship.
Yeah. And teach me how to enjoy myself.
Man's entitled to play
when he's grubbed and hard panned all his life.
I don't want to break up an old friendship.
I know Chuck is unhappy...
and I'm sure Mr. Bright is.
Isn't there something you can do
to bring them back together again?
Hmm. I'm very glad
to hear you say that, Mrs. Clark.
Now, if you'll excuse me,
I do have to leave.
Why?
It's Wednesday, dear.
My day with Aunt Jane.
Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot.
Well, I'll see you tonight.
Right.
Nice meeting you, Mr. Mason.
Mrs. Clark.
I hope you can work out something
for my husband and Mr. Bright.
Well, uh, first he's got to
learn to act like a gent.
( chuckles )
Well...
Bye, dear. Goodbye.
Bye, Bill.
Well, I guess I should take
my cue from Mrs. Clark.
Now, look here, Mason.
You tell Harry Bright
that I don't want one cent that's rightfully his.
But I don't want him to have
too much money at once.
Harry Bright don't have the brains of a gnat,
where money's concerned.
Now, if you can fix up
some kind of a trust arrangement,
I'll go along with it.
If you can get Harry to go along.
May I see your books?
Any time.
You driving right back to Los Angeles?
No. I thought I'd try my hand
at some golf this weekend.
Oh, where you staying?
Uh, White Sun Guest Ranch.
Oh, that's a nice place.
Look, uh, I'd like to have you
for supper, if you have time.
Thank you.
Bill, show, uh, Mr. Mason to his car.
Mr. Clark.
See you later.
( sighs )
When you see Harry, tell him
he's got the wrong idea about Margaret.
In all fairness to her,
she's done Chuck a world of good.
That's very tolerant of you, Mr. Shayne.
Most people in your position
would consider Mrs. Clark an interloper.
Why?
Well doesn't your uncle's marriage affect your prospects?
( scoffs ) Not a bit.
I don't share in his estate.
Chuck took care of me five years ago in a trust fund.
Maybe that's why I can afford to be charitable.
It's been nice talking to you.
Thank you.
( sedate theme playing )
( door opens )
Don't you believe in knocking?
Don't mind me.
I, um--
I'm your brother, remember?
That was a very interesting act you put on for Mason.
I heard it.
Wasn't an act.
I'd like nothing better
than to see Chuck and Harry friends again.
( scoffs )
Well, now, that could cost you almost $2 million.
It's worth it.
You out of your head?
Howard, let's get out of here.
We don't need the money that badly.
What's come over you, Mag?
Can't I do something decent for the first time in my life?
Now, you listen to me.
I put too much time and effort into this
to have you blow it. ( grunting )
( sighs )
Oh, honey, I'm sorry. I-- I don't wanna hurt you.
But when you talk like that, it upsets me.
Now, what do you say we, uh--?
We don't wanna miss seeing--
Seeing Aunt Jane, do we?
Let's go.
( ominous theme playing )
NELL: It just ain't right, Harry.
When two men have been partners
as long as you and Chuck have,
no woman ought to be allowed to--
( knock on door )
Well, ain't you gonna invite me in?
I just had the place fumigated.
Heh-ha. Very funny.
Course, it ain't near as funny as this.
Hi, Nellie.
What's the matter?
I told you she was no good.
( sighs )
( mysterious theme playing )
Have a good game?
Mr. Mason's game was good.
Mine was interesting.
( chuckles )
Thank you.
( rings )
You order.
Hello?
Just a minute.
It's a call for you, Mr. Mason.
After breakfast, Carlos.
Can you call back
a little later, please?
Oh.
He said it's very important.
A Mr. Charles Clark.
Sure thing.
Hello, Mr. Clark.
( inaudible dialogue )
I'll be right over.
No breakfast?
No time. Della,
get Paul up here right away.
Margaret Clark's been murdered.
( dramatic theme playing )
Say, sergeant...
where's this brother of hers...
Howard Roper?
Waiting in the hall.
Better have him in.
Mr. Roper.
Anyway...
that's why I called you.
I want you to defend Harry.
Why does he need defending?
They're gonna arrest him
for my wife's murder.
He was here last night.
So I assume, were you, Mr. Shayne,
and any number of people.
You don't understand.
Let me tell him, Chuck.
Howard Roper and Margaret
weren't brother and sister.
How do you know?
It's all in a detective's report.
A man named Philip Morgan from Sierra City
did the investigating.
Show him the letter.
This is addressed to Mr. Walter Sims.
Who's he?
Oh, they call him Salty Sims.
He runs a gas station in Bardo.
Salty gave Harry this.
May I keep it?
Sure.
Now...
exactly what happened here last night?
Well...
Harry came over.
Didn't say, "I told you so."
Didn't do any gloating.
I was gonna kill both of 'em.
Harry stopped me.
And it's like old times again--
Harry and me together...
depending on each other.
Go on.
Well, uh...that's all there was.
Uh, Harry left about 20 minutes later.
All right. Now, let's have the truth.
That is the truth.
How did Mrs. Clark die?
She was shot.
Well, what makes you think that--
It was right around here,
Mr. Topham.
Gardener must have covered it up.
All right, sergeant, start digging.
Who's the gentleman in command?
Mel Topham...
district attorney for Sierra County.
Would the other one be Howard Roper?
TOPHAM: That's it, son.
ROPER: Just like I said.
Harry took a shot at
Roper the other day.
Uh, he didn't mean anything by it.
He was just defending himself.
Where you going?
Think it's about time I saw my client.
( dramatic theme playing )
( hammer pounding metal )
( dogs barking )
Yes, sir?
Can you tell me where Harry Bright lives?
Yes, sir. Right over there.
Thank you. Fill it up for me, will you?
Uh, sure. Sure.
( barking continues )
I left about 20 minutes
after I showed him that letter.
It's like Chuck told you.
How do you know what Chuck told me?
Where's your gun? I don't know.
What do you mean, you don't know?
Well, I generally carry it
in the glove compartment of my car.
It wasn't there this morning.
When did you last see it?
I don't rightly remember.
You trying to protect Chuck Clark?
Chuck don't need protecting.
He must, if you can't tell me the truth.
When I showed Chuck that detective's report,
he almost went out of his mind.
He wanted to kill his wife and that phony brother
right then and there.
Well, Bill Shayne and me had all we could do
to talk him out of it.
How'd you manage it?
Well, I said I'd go and tell her to clear out.
Why didn't Bill Shayne do that?
He took Chuck for a drive to cool him off.
( sips )
Then you were left alone in the house? Ah.
I went to her bedroom
and knocked on the door.
There was no answer.
I looked in, and...
well, she was dead.
( vehicle approaching )
( sighs )
Police?
( sighs )
Did you touch anything in Mrs. Clark's room?
Just the bed when I leaned over.
( knock on door )
They must have found your fingerprints there.
Go on.
Well, I went back to the living room
and waited for...
Chuck and Bill to come back.
That's the truth, Mr. Mason.
Now, all you have to do is tell that story in court.
No.
I told you the true story,
but I ain't gonna tell anybody else.
I won't hurt Chuck.
I mean that, Mr. Mason. ( knocking continues )
If you're not gonna tell the truth, don't talk at all.
Come in, sergeant.
( dramatic theme playing )
Another drink, Miss Gridley?
No, uh-- No, thank you.
I'm terribly sorry, Della.
That's all right, Perry.
This lady's been waiting almost an hour.
Miss Nell Gridley, this is Mr. Mason.
How do you do, Mr. Mason? Miss Gridley.
Can we talk?
Well, of course.
Uh, phone call for you, Mr. Mason.
Oh, thank you.
Hello?
Oh, yes, Paul.
Perry...
this Aunt Jane is certainly no myth.
Her name is Jane Caldwell,
and she's at the Hillsdale Sanitarium
in Mineral Springs.
And Mrs. Clark went to visit her regularly
every Wednesday.
Anyone go with her on those visits?
Howard Roper was always with her.
Wait a minute.
That might be the answer.
They'd only spend about half an hour at the sanitarium.
Then they'd register at the Desert View at Mesa,
adjoining bungalows.
All right. What else?
I'm gonna talk to that private investigator
who dug up that report for Salty Sims.
He's up in Sierra City,
so I probably won't be able to contact him till morning.
I'll see you then.
Uh-- Thanks, Paul.
Well...
now we can talk.
Harry Bright didn't kill that woman.
He was nowhere near Chuck's ranch
when she was murdered.
Oh. Where was he?
Sitting with me, right in my diner.
All night?
I'll swear to it.
Wouldn't be the truth.
I said I'd swear to it.
Why?
NELL: Well...uh,
there are two kind of
desert people, Mr. Mason.
The--
The lovers and the haters.
The haters sit in the shade all hunched up...
building up poison inside themselves
till...
they gotta use it or bust apart.
Talking about Salty Sims?
Salty waited a long time
to get even with Chuck and Harry.
He sure got even with Harry,
when he showed him that
private detective's report.
What happened?
Nothing compared to what must have happened
when Harry showed it to Chuck.
Chuck's always had a terrible temper.
Are you trying to tell us
that Chuck Clark killed his wife?
I'm not accusing anybody.
I-- I just don't wanna see Harry
pay for somebody else's murdering.
That's all.
Mm.
May I ask you a personal question,
Miss Gridley?
Fire away.
Why haven't you ever married?
Right man never asked me, I guess.
Chuck Clark the right man?
( scoffs )
Now there's some gossip for you.
Fact is, I could have married him
any time I wanted to.
Well, why didn't you?
Didn't want to. That's why.
Oh, uh, I was tempted, but, uh...
some women are just not cut out
for double harness, Mr. Mason.
They're...
too used to having things run
to suit themselves, you know?
If you want me for anything,
there's my business address.
I--
I typed my home phone number on the back.
Thank you.
Thanks for the drink, Miss Street.
( dramatic theme playing )
( mysterious theme playing )
( exhales )
Oh.
I didn't hear you come in.
It's all right. You Philip Morgan?
Yeah.
My name's Paul Drake.
Oh. I've heard a lot about you.
Works both ways. I've heard a lot about you.
What's on your mind?
You had a client named Walter Sims.
He asked you to investigate a couple of people?
Ah, you know I can't discuss that.
I wouldn't want you to divulge a confidence.
I'm just double-checking.
Is, uh...
this the report you sent Sims
on Howard Roper and Margaret Clark?
Where'd you get this?
You don't have to worry. I came by it honestly.
Take a look at this carbon copy of the letter
I sent Sims.
Somebody's been playing games.
PAUL: Hm. According to this,
Howard Roper and Margaret Clark
are definitely brother and sister.
MORGAN: Yeah. Now compare it to the original letter
you've got there.
PAUL: "Dear Mr. Sims, my preliminary investigation
"reveals that Howard Roper and Margaret Clark
"are definitely not brother and sister.
"I expect additional information on this point,
"which I will forward you.
Sincerely yours, Philip Morgan."
It was a cinch to type in the word "not."
Comes right there at the end of the line.
Are you sure Howard Roper and Margaret Clark
are brother and sister?
I'm positive.
If you like, I can get you copies
of their birth certificates.
I'd like nothing better.
What I want to know is...
who changed my report?
Offhand, I'd say your client. Sims?
Mm-hm.
But why?
Unless he wanted to make trouble for someone.
That's just what he wanted.
Can I keep this?
Yeah.
Thanks, Morgan. See you.
( door opens )
( door closes )
Does Sims own a typewriter?
No, but he could have borrowed one.
( acoustic guitar playing )
This is addressed to him at a box number.
Who runs the post office?
Nell Gridley.
I think she has a typewriter.
You still have her business card?
( bell dings ) I think so.
Let's see...
Here.
Yeah, that's it.
Look at those N's.
Now look at the...
N in this report
in the word "not."
They were both typed on the same machine.
Interesting pictures.
Happier days.
Who's this one?
CHUCK: Salty Sims.
MASON: That your car?
CHUCK: No, it belonged to Salty.
Took great pride in it...
polishing and washing it all the time.
MASON: Mr. Sims apparently has run out of pride.
CHUCK: A man lives with hate in his heart
all his days is bound to turn up crazy.
Who does he hate?
Harry and me, I guess.
Why?
Oh...
You know where Salty's service station is?
MASON: Yes.
That property once belonged to Harry and Uncle Chuck.
When the gypsum company came in, there was a land boom.
People had dreams of a big city growing up out of the desert.
Salty had a worthless mine up in the hills.
He salted it to make it look rich,
then offered to trade it to Uncle Chuck
for that roadside property.
I can see what happened to the roadside property.
What happened to the mine?
They named it "Salty's Folly."
Chuck and Harry took out close to
half a million dollars' worth of ore the first year.
Excuse me.
I've been waiting all day for him.
You.
Pack your things and get out!
Well, now, I might have expected that from you.
I ought to--
Nah.
Makes me sick to touch you.
BILL: Look out, Chuck!
( glass breaks )
Come on!
Try your judo tricks on me.
I wanna see what you use for guts.
( tense theme playing )
You don't have to go this far.
You'll still go to the gas chamber, Clark.
You and Harry Bright both!
( glass shatters )
Out! In an hour.
( dramatic theme playing )
Now, tell me, sergeant, what did you discover
when you entered the deceased's bedroom?
Mrs. Clark was lying on the bed.
She had been shot through the heart.
There were feathers all over the place.
Well, can you tell us where those feathers came from?
SERGEANT: Yes, sir. A pillow.
It had been used to muffle the shot.
Sergeant...
do you recognize this bullet?
It was turned over to me by Dr. Fenton,
who did the autopsy.
It has my mark on it.
Thank you, sergeant.
Now...
I show you another bullet.
What about this one?
I dug this one up
in the garden of the Clark estate.
If your honor please...
I'd like this marked for identification.
Now, sergeant...
tell us about this second bullet.
Well, I checked it...
under our new comparison microscope.
It was fired from the same gun that killed Mrs. Clark.
TOPHAM: Were you able to, uh, locate the gun?
SERGEANT: No, sir.
You may cross-examine.
May I?
Thank you.
Mr. Topham.
Now, sergeant, you seem very proud
of your...
new comparison microscope.
It's the best money can buy.
I'm sure.
Did it tell you which of these bullets
was fired first?
Well, I know the bullet I dug up in the garden
was fired first.
You know that from your comparison test?
No.
But Howard Roper told me that--
MASON: Isn't it true...
that there is no scientific way to prove
which of these bullets was fired first?
That's right.
Then it's entirely possible
that the killer first shot Mrs. Clark
and then fired a shot into the ground?
SERGEANT: Uh, yeah.
But that makes no sense.
Doesn't it, sergeant?
Let's take a hypothetical case.
Now, if a killer knew that a bullet from gun A
had been fired into the ground,
and he'd removed that bullet and put in its place
a bullet from gun B, the murder weapon,
what would be your deduction?
Well...
if I didn't know about the substitution,
I would think that--
Whoever fired the bullet
I...found in the ground...
was the killer.
Then the order in which the bullets were fired
is important.
Yes, sir.
Thank you, sergeant.
That'll be all.
Now, can you describe to us
the events on the afternoon
of June 17th?
My sister and I returned home,
um, about 7:00 in the evening.
We'd been visiting with a sick aunt
at the Hillside Sanitarium in Mineral Springs.
My sister went right to bed. She wasn't feeling very well.
She-- She had a bad headache.
TOPHAM: And what happened later
in the evening?
About 9:00, I saw the defendant drive up.
I didn't want any more trouble with him,
so I jumped in my car and went for a ride.
TOPHAM: What time did you arrive
back at the Clark place?
Mm, approximately 1:00 in the morning.
Was the defendant's car still in the driveway?
No, sir, it was not.
And all the lights in the house
had been turned out.
Thank you. ( sighs )
Your witness.
Now, um, Mr. Roper...
you testified that you and your sister
arrived home at 7:00 p.m.
on the night of her murder.
That's right.
MASON: What time did you leave the sanitarium?
About 2:00 in the afternoon.
It took five hours to drive approximately 100 miles?
( chuckles )
My sister liked to have her hair done each week
by a certain hairstylist in Mesa.
A fellow named Alberto.
Uh, she'd stop in at his beauty salon,
then she'd rest for a couple of hours
at the Desert View Inn before starting back.
Alberto's is adjacent to the inn.
Mm-hm. A visit to Alberto's seems to
have been quite an ordeal.
It doesn't make much sense driving around the desert
with a temperature of 120 degrees.
The inn was air-conditioned.
Now, you also testified
that the defendant tried to kill you.
He most certainly did.
But the bullet missed and went into a path
made of decomposed granite.
That's right.
And the hole caused by the bullet
was subsequently covered up.
Is that correct? Yes.
Yet, you had no difficulty
leading the district attorney
and the police directly to it.
You can always tell where a bullet enters the ground.
With the court's permission,
I should like to conduct a little experiment.
What kind of experiment?
That box, Your Honor,
contains decomposed granite.
I should like to fire a shot into it
to see if the witness can...determine
where the bullet enters the ground.
Your Honor.
I object.
Counsel's turning this into a sideshow.
Oh, now, let's don't get excited, Mr. Topham.
Your witness made a dogmatic statement
that you could always tell
where a bullet entered the ground.
Now, I'm going to allow Mr. Mason his opportunity
of testing him.
Go ahead, counselor.
You want him blindfolded?
No. It will be satisfactory
if he just turns and faces the wall.
( men clear throats )
You may turn around, Mr. Roper.
You can't fool me this way.
You fired a blank.
( sifting sand )
( digs )
( sifts )
I still say it was a blank.
You planted the bullet in the box
before you brought it to court.
Thank you, Mr. Roper.
You've proved my point.
Just because a bullet is found in some decomposed granite,
doesn't mean you can tell when the bullet was fired...
or who fired it.
I'm through with the witness.
JUDGE: Any further questions on redirect?
No, Your Honor.
You may step down.
Call your next witness.
I call Walter Sims.
And I saw Chuck and his nephew, Bill Shayne,
pull up in front of Harry's house.
Did you overhear their conversation
with the, uh, defendant?
Well, I-I-- I wouldn't want anyone to think
that I was eavesdropping.
Mr. Sims, the question I asked was,
"Did you overhear their conversation?"
Yes, sir.
What did Mr. Clark say to the defendant?
He said he better act decent to Mrs. Clark,
or he'd knock his head off.
TOPHAM: And what was the defendant's reply?
Uh, he told Chuck that Mrs. Clark was no good,
and that she was responsible
for Chuck trying to cheat him.
Then the argument got so hot and heavy
that Bill Shayne-- That--
uh, that's Chuck's nephew
--he had to step in between to keep 'em apart.
Thank you, Mr. Sims.
Cross-examine.
Now, Mr. Sims...
how do you feel about the defendant, Harry Bright?
What do you mean, "How do I feel?"
Well, do you like him?
Well, I don't hate him.
MASON: Despite the fact that you told many people
that he and Mr. Clark had swindled you
out of a valuable piece of property?
Oh. I just told that story
because it was a joke on me.
Pretty expensive joke, wasn't it?
Well, it'd been my own fault.
And you held no grievance?
No.
Now, Mr. Sims, are you familiar with a private investigator
named Philip Morgan?
Um...yes.
As a matter of fact, didn't you hire Mr. Morgan
to investigate Howard Roper
and his sister, Margaret Clark?
Yes.
Is this the report that Mr. Morgan furnished you?
( exhales ) Well, I ain't sure.
It's addressed to you, Mr. Sims.
It's the same one you gave the defendant.
Yes.
Your Honor, I should like this
marked for identification.
Thank you.
Now, Mr. Sims, according to this report--
Now, look. I can explain that.
You can explain why you doctored the report?
SIMS: I didn't do that!
You didn't insert the word "not" in this report
so that the line would read,
"Howard Roper and Margaret Clark
are definitely not brother and sister"?
SIMS: I don't even own a typewriter!
That doesn't answer my question.
Why don't you ask Nell Gridley?
Why, you dirty skunk!
( crowd murmuring )
He's a filthy liar.
He's borrowed my typewriter
lots of times. ( gavel bangs )
I'm telling the truth, judge.
I'm under oath!
I'm glad you remembered.
Go on, counselor.
Your Honor.
Now, do you deny ever using Miss Gridley's typewriter?
Absolutely.
How did you get in touch with Mr. Morgan
in the first place?
How did I get in touch?
That's what I asked you.
Well, I, uh...
I don't remember.
Then perhaps, uh...
this will refresh your memory.
It's a typewritten letter
inquiring as to Mr. Morgan's rates.
That your signature?
Yes.
Let me see that.
Your Honor, I would also like
to, uh...
have this marked for identification.
( man clears throat )
I-- I forgot about that, Your Honor.
Seems to me you forget very easily, Mr. Sims.
Mr. Topham, you know what to do.
Yes, Your Honor.
( sighs )
You finished with the witness?
Quite finished, Your Honor.
Well, in that case, we might as well wind up
for the day.
Court stands adjourned until 10:00 tomorrow morning.
( crowd murmuring )
TOPHAM: Bailiff.
( dramatic theme playing )
( acoustic guitar playing )
Hi.
Hi, Paul. Hi, Paul.
Thanks.
How did things go in court today,
or shouldn't I ask?
Don't ask.
Well, I wish I had some cheery news for you.
I just came back from Mesa.
Howard Roper was a pretty busy boy up there.
He and his sister didn't stop
at Mesa because of the heat.
Roper had a girlfriend in town:
a cocktail waitress named Louise Dayton.
Louise Dayton. Mm-hm.
Registration cards.
Desert View Inn.
How long does it take to drive to Mesa?
Hm. About two hours.
Well, I'm on my way.
Did a great job, Paul.
Buy him a drink, Della.
( pats back ) Just one.
( chuckles )
( blows forcefully )
What's it to you if I know Howard Roper?
I understand he spent a lot of time with you, Miss Dayton.
Anything wrong with that?
Hardly. I'd say he showed excellent taste.
You can't soft-soap me, mister.
It can't be done.
Mr. Roper claims he saw you every Wednesday afternoon.
That's right.
Where'd you go?
No place.
We stayed right here.
All the time he was in town?
Every minute.
I used to drive out with him
when he went to pick up his sister.
You don't frighten me, Mr. Mason.
I'll swear to it if I have to.
You may have to do that, Miss Dayton.
( slow, dramatic theme playing )
( door closes )
Now, Mr. Shayne...
( sighs )
To your knowledge,
had the defendant ever been in this house before?
Not that I know of.
He-- He was on the grounds
the day he had the run-in with Howard Roper.
Then if the defendant's fingerprints were found
in Mrs. Clark's bedroom,
they must have been left there
the night of the murder.
Your Honor, I object.
Not only does the question call for a conclusion,
it's leading and suggestive.
Objection sustained.
You may cross-examine.
Now, Mr. Shayne...
I've only a few questions.
Now, on the afternoon of June 17th...
you were alone at the Clark ranch.
Is that correct? Yes, sir.
And where was your uncle?
He drove to La Costa on business.
He didn't get back till 8.
During that afternoon,
did Howard Roper come back to the house?
Not that I know of.
He drove Margaret up to visit her aunt.
If he had come back, you would have seen him?
Oh. Not necessarily.
It's a pretty big place, you know.
Isn't there another reason
you might not have seen him?
Didn't you spend that afternoon
at the Desert View Inn at Mesa?
SHAYNE: Me?
Didn't you register there
under the name of "Howard Roper..."
as you had on many other occasions?
I don't have to take this, do I?
JUDGE: Just answer Mr. Mason's questions.
He doesn't know what he's talking about.
JUDGE: Then he'll answer to me.
Proceed, Mr. Mason.
Your Honor.
You had a romance with Margaret Clark.
That's not true.
She threatened to go to your uncle
and tell him the whole story.
She did not. I maintain she did.
I maintain that's why you killed her.
SHAYNE: I tell you, you're wrong!
Then you deny registering at the Desert View
under the name of "Howard Roper"
on certain Wednesdays during May and June?
I certainly do.
Mr. Kellogg, will you please stand?
Mr. Shayne...
do you recognize that man?
No.
With the court's permission,
I would like Mr. Kellogg to identify himself.
I'm the manager of the Desert View Inn.
Thank you, Mr. Kellogg.
Now, suppose Mr. Kellogg testifies that you were there
every Wednesday afternoon,
and that you had registered
under the name of "Howard Roper"?
He'd be wrong!
All right.
Mr. Kellogg, may I see
those registration cards, please?
Yes, sir.
Thank you.
Your Honor, I would like to have a handwriting expert
look at these cards.
Sergeant Givens?
Can you do what Mr. Mason says?
Just give me an hour, sir,
and a sample of his handwriting.
You'll have them both.
The witness is instructed
to give Sergeant Givens
a sample of his handwriting.
You may step down now.
Temporarily.
The court is adjourned for--
I said, you may step down.
( dramatic theme playing )
( slow, dramatic theme playing )
So money was the main motive? Right.
Oh, would you please put those bags in my car?
You bet, Mr. Mason.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
But a motive with a twist.
Bill Shayne couldn't gain financially
by Margaret Clark's death.
But he stood to lose by her being alive.
His uncle could have revoked the trust fund.
Mm-hm. So...
Bill got the gun out of Harry Bright's car
and shot her when she returned home that evening.
He felt certain there was nothing
that could link him with Margaret.
What did? Lies.
And registration cards.
What lies?
Everybody's.
Bill Shayne was lying.
Salty Sims was lying.
And most important, Howard Roper was lying.
Roper knew that his sister was involved with Shayne,
and he knew that Shayne had killed her.
To all intents, he'd been blackmailing his sister,
so he planned on keeping a meal ticket
by blackmailing Shayne.
And the registration cards?
From the Desert View Inn. There were 12 of them.
Should only have been six.
Every time that Howard Roper stopped at Mesa,
he'd spend the afternoon with Louise Dayton, remember?
Not at the Desert View.
Well. Obviously, someone else was using his name.
But it didn't necessarily have to be Bill Shayne.
That's right.
But I just couldn't believe it was Salty Sims.
Bring her with you.
Oh! ( laughs )
( dramatic theme playing)
( noirish jazz theme playing )