( suspenseful music playing )
( noirish jazz theme playing )
( jazz theme playing )
( crowd chattering )
Sorry. Gotta be announced.
I-I have an appointment with Mr. Barker.
My name is-- I know. Excuse me.
Boss.
Mrs. Sylvia Oxman to see you, okay?
All right.
Mr. Barker will see you.
Oh.
( door buzzes )
Seven thousand five hundred dollars.
Do you want to count it?
I take your word.
Please, may I have the IOU's?
For $7,500?
Heh-heh-heh.
Mrs. Oxman...
when a man has a piece of merchandise...
only one buyer, takes what's offered.
Two buyers, he sells it
to the highest bidder.
Has my husband been in touch with you?
All negotiations in this business
are confidential.
How much did he offer you?
( letter opener clangs on desk )
How much do you offer?
I had trouble in-- In raising this amount.
Your grandmother, Mrs. Oxman...
how many million has she got?
Oh, I don't want her to know about this.
Mr. Barker...
if you sell those IOU's to my husband,
he'll take my child away.
Money, Mrs. Oxman.
Money.
Makes me a very generous man.
Not much money.
Maybe 25,000.
Mr. Barker.
Mr. Barker, look at me!
( low, slinky jazz theme playing )
Don't sell my husband those IOU's.
Are you threatening me?
I don't know what I�m doing.
I only know that something terrible will happen
to me, to him, even to you.
Because nothing must happen
to my child.
I'll be back.
( door buzzes )
( dramatic theme playing )
( door closes )
( dramatic theme playing )
Your granddaughter just left, Mrs. Benson.
Her IOU's are for $7,500.
Mr. Barker wants 25,000.
No, ma'am.
Nothing's settled.
Has her husband, Frank Oxman,
been there yet?
I haven't seen him.
But I know Mr. Barker expects him.
Oh, very well.
I'll send you another check tonight.
And thank you.
Does Frank have $25,000?
He has those paintings. Oh.
Grotesque things that mean...
absolutely nothing.
Why don't you buy the IOU's, mother?
Twenty-five thousand dollars isn't so much.
No.
But this is a form of blackmail.
And once begun, there's no telling where it will end.
Mm. Of course.
We can't submit to blackmail.
But refusing to submit involves certain dangers.
We will make a list of those dangers,
evaluate each one calmly and objectively.
Well, shouldn't we wait for Sylvia?
Oh. Do you think that would do any good?
No. No, of course not.
Sylvia would only confuse matters.
No, we'll let her muddle about for a while.
The anxiety will perhaps do her good eventually.
Uh, we'll settle this matter ourselves.
We must first decide on a proper course of action.
The intelligent thing would be to engage a lawyer.
MATILDA: I believe in first things first.
I've looked you up, Mr. Mason. I know all about you.
You will do the same to me.
You will find out
that I am very rich.
You will try to charge me an exorbitant fee.
I will not pay it.
But there will be no haggling
over a proper and reasonable fee,
plus expenses.
Now, with that settled,
you will do precisely as I tell you.
You will do--
First things first, Mrs. Benson.
We've settled that.
Mm, not yet.
I'll have to know what this is all about
before I agree to accept any fee.
I know what I want done.
Then I suggest that...
you do it.
It's been a great pleasure meeting you,
Mrs. Benson, Mr. Benson.
Oh, but of course.
Sit down, Mr. Mason.
I'll tell you the story.
The place? Gardena.
The web? The Clover Club Poker Parlor.
The spider? Daniel Barker.
Clear?
Clear.
The fly?
Sylvia Oxman...
my granddaughter.
Barker holds IOU's amounting to $7,500
signed by her.
I want them back.
Gardena is a very unusual place.
Although gambling is illegal in California...
public poker parlors are permitted in Gardena.
If you want those IOU's back, you'll have to pay them off.
I would...willingly...
but he's holding them up for sale to the highest bidder.
Who else is bidding?
Frank Oxman.
My granddaughter's husband.
They're separated.
They have a child. Peter.
Why does Mr. Oxman want the IOU's?
To prove that Sylvia is a compulsive gambler,
and, therefore, an unfit mother.
And is that true?
Well, family's run out of strength, Mr. Mason.
My oldest son, Robert's brother, was a weak man.
He was also a snob.
He killed himself when his wife ran away
with a Neapolitan fisherman.
Mr. Mason is not interested
in the family gossip, Robert.
Sylvia was my oldest son's daughter,
born with thin blood.
She had no passion for anything,
until she discovered gambling.
Ten years ago she met Frank Oxman,
fresh out of college,
and married him.
And he is Peter's father?
Yes.
And Peter has broad shoulders...
a square jaw...
and the look of his great-grandfather in his eyes.
He is the family strength reborn, Mr. Mason.
It's a miracle.
And now Frank Oxman
wants custody of their child?
Yes. Not because he loves him.
Unless he loves him for being merchandised
to sell back to me for some fantastic price.
In other words, the problem is blackmail.
Exactly.
And I believe you can prevent that, Mr. Mason.
I can only promise to do my best.
Well, shall we, uh,
keep in touch with you, Mr. Mason?
Mr. Mason will keep in touch with me.
And now I believe our business here is finished.
Yes, Mother. Good day.
( door closes )
Thus spake-- Zarathustra.
Della... Mm-hm?
Get Paul in.
Give him a check for $200.
Mm, what for?
Want him to go to the nearest bank
and open up a new account.
( dramatic theme playing )
( chattering, chips clinking )
Raise 10.
( sighs )
Power, huh?
I'll see you.
It's all yours.
Well, now, wait a minute.
I want to see those cards.
You won, didn't you?
Well, I've got a right to see what I beat.
All right, whose deal is-- Oh, stop it.
I paid money to see what he raised on.
I never saw him before.
I gotta find out what kind of a game he plays.
I agree with you.
I called him, but he won't show his cards.
Show them, mister. The lady insists.
Bluffing. Ha! ( all laugh )
Where'd you ever learn how to play poker?
Hm?
I'm, uh, out of money. Can I cash a check?
How much?
Two hundred dollars.
Cash it, Mr. Manning.
We don't want to lose him.
Step over to the cashier's booth.
Uh-huh.
Hurry back, young man.
You've got a lot more learning to do.
Better deal me out of this one.
Chicken, huh?
BARKER: Well, well, well.
Ha-ha.
What do you know?
Mr. Frank Oxman.
He wants to cash this?
That's what he said.
( chuckles )
Is Duncan in his office?
Uh-uh. Haven't seen him all night.
Mm-hm.
Okay, Manning...
bring Mr. Oxman in.
And, uh...
treat him nice.
Right.
Come right in, gentlemen.
Which one of you is Frank Oxman?
My name is Mason.
I'm with this gentleman.
How do you figure in this?
I'm his lawyer.
Mason? Perry Mason?
Hm.
Okay, Manning, you can go now.
( door closes )
Sit down, gents.
I want no misunderstanding, Mr. Barker.
You don't know this man.
He offered you a check
signed "Frank Oxman."
That only means he has
a bank account under that name.
He didn't come here to gamble.
Please remember that in case
you're called to testify on the witness stand.
So he is Frank Oxman.
I haven't said that.
Then he isn't Frank Oxman.
I haven't said that either.
( sighs )
I like you, Mr. Mason.
You're a good lawyer.
You protect your client.
Maybe you could give me a piece of advice.
Perhaps.
Mm.
If a lady's husband wanted a divorce
and custody of his child...
what better evidence could he have
than IOU's made out
to a gambling joint?
Now, I'm asking you, Mr. Mason, as a lawyer.
Could he have any better evidence?
Not much better.
I could supply that evidence.
On what terms?
Mm.
Something a little better than 25 grand.
( chuckles )
If this gentleman were Mr. Oxman,
and I represented him in a divorce action...
we might be interested in securing such evidence.
But it wouldn't be necessary
to pay any money for it.
All I'd need to do is serve you with a subpoena
ordering you to bring...
any notes signed by Sylvia Oxman into court.
Mm.
I've got a very bad memory, Mr. Mason.
I don't think I could remember those IOU's.
Mm?
Then it would cost you $7,500.
How come?
Uh, once you got on the stand
and testified that you did not know of any IOU's
signed by Sylvia Oxman...
they would automatically become uncollectable.
All you would get out of the 7,500
would be a fee for appearing as a witness.
Look, Mason...
let's cut out all the legal tricks. I--
Excuse me, Mr. Mason.
You're losing your head, Danny.
You stay out of this.
We're partners, remember?
I'm Charles Duncan, half owner of this business.
It's a good business:
profitable, peaceful and legal.
I like it.
I don't want anything to happen that might spoil it.
You're very wise, Mr. Duncan.
Here's $7,500, Mr. Duncan.
I'll take those IOU's.
You Oxman?
He never claimed to be Oxman.
DUNCAN: Put your money away, mister.
We're not turning those IOU's over to anybody
except the person who signed them:
Mrs. Sylvia Oxman.
It's the only way I know to keep this deal clean.
All right.
Mrs. Oxman will be here.
What time do you want to see her?
I leave early tonight. Danny closes up.
I'll be here at 10:00 in the morning.
MASON: Mrs. Oxman will be here
at 10 in the morning.
Good night, Mr. Duncan.
Good night, Mr. Barker.
( door opens )
( door closes )
I warned you, Danny. I warned you a dozen times.
This is the last time.
You try one more stunt like that,
and I'll put you down the nearest sewer headfirst.
( dramatic theme playing )
Excellent, Mr. Mason. My compliments.
You can be certain that Sylvia will be there
at exactly 10 tomorrow morning.
I shall sleep very much better tonight.
Yes. Good night, and thank you very much.
You heard?
Hm? Yes, I did.
It always pays to get the best.
Hm.
Naturally.
Tell Sylvia I want to see her.
She hasn't come home yet, mother.
Oh. Well, then, write a note.
And tell her no matter what time
she comes in to waken me,
because I must see her.
I wish we had told her about Mr. Mason.
Will you please write that note?
Yes, Mother. ( sighs )
( dramatic theme playing )
( doorbell buzzes )
( buzzes )
May I come in?
Oh.
These are nice, Frank.
It's like you.
Pictures you love.
Grandmother hated.
I can't help it, can I, if she didn't like them?
You've been drinking.
Yes.
I've been drinking and gambling, and...
gambling and losing, and...
signing IOU's for $7,500.
You know all about that, don't you, Frank?
Yes.
Sylvia, I don't want to be cruel...
but this is something I must do.
If it takes everything I own...
I'm going to have my son.
No matter how or who it hurts.
Have us both, Frank.
Mm.
Have us both.
And your grandmother too?
No.
To tell us when to breathe, and...
how to think,
and why to live as she thinks best?
We'll go away.
Just the three of us. Hm.
We'll go away from her.
We talked about that from practically
the day we were married.
We left three times, remember?
And each time she made you return,
and I followed...
because I loved you... ( gasps )
...and our son.
But I'm not following anymore.
Do not take my son away from me.
The courts will do that for me.
Why are you so sure?
I'll have those notes by 9:00 tomorrow morning.
I'm drunk, Frank.
And when I'm drunk,
I'm not responsible for my actions.
It's why I drink.
Grandmother says I'm not responsible, drunk or sober.
Grandmoth--
I've lost you, Frank.
And you were half my life.
If I lose my son too, that's the other half gone.
Then I have no life left at all.
Sylvia.
( door opens )
I'm doing what's best.
You hate me.
And you'll teach my son to hate me too.
No, Sylvia. I don't hate--
( ominous theme playing )
Who do you wanna see?
I have a 10: 00 appointment
with Mr. Duncan and Mr. Barker.
Just a minute.
Take over.
Follow me.
Perry Mason, I didn't know you were a poker player.
You and I have had a few good hands together.
Did you have anything to do with this one?
I don't know. Who's playing?
Well, a fellow named, uh, Daniel Barker was one of them.
But I'm afraid he's out of the game for good.
Hm. Do you suspect someone?
They were telling me about some missing IOU's.
You say Mrs. Oxman's lawyer
promised that she'd be here at 10:00 a.m.
to pick 'em up?
That's right.
Oh, what about it?
It's five after 10. She isn't here yet.
It's a long ride from Pasadena.
She your client? Indirectly.
Like to ask her a few questions-- Oh, routine.
( phone rings )
Lieutenant Tragg.
Get out an all-points.
Yes. Have a warrant issued
and, uh, notify the district attorney.
No, no. Never mind.
I'll take care of that myself.
Well, Mr. Mason...
I think your client's
been here and gone.
What makes you think so?
Well, the bullet that killed Barker...
came from a gun
licensed to Mrs. Sylvia Oxman.
Now, isn't that a coincidence?
And before you ask any more questions,
will you excuse me?
( dramatic theme playing )
( rings )
Yes, hello?
Oh, good morning, Mr. Mason. I'm so glad you called.
I wasn't able to give your message to Sylvia.
MASON ( on phone ): Why not?
Well, she didn't come home all night.
I've been telephoning her friends
since 8:00 this morning,
and none of them have seen her.
We must find her.
MATILDA: Why?
Dan Barker was killed early this morning.
The police have reason to believe that Sylvia did it.
Oh, sheer insanity.
My granddaughter isn't capable of killing anyone.
Does she own a gun?
Yes. She keeps it
in the glove compartment of her car.
Frank gave it to her several years ago
for protection, when she was driving back and forth
from those gambling parlors at night.
The bullet that killed Barker
came from Sylvia's gun.
But she couldn't.
Frank knew about that gun.
And I can tell you something else, Mr. Mason.
He saw Barker last night.
How do you know?
Well, I have sources of information, Mr. Mason.
Private sources.
Name them.
Well, I'd rather not.
Look, Mrs. Benson...
Sylvia's in serious trouble.
If we're to help her,
we can't have any secrets from each other.
Well, his name is Manning.
All right, Mrs. Benson.
The police are likely to be at your house at any moment.
Don't lie to them, but, for the present,
tell them as little as possible.
Should Sylvia telephone...
tell her to go directly to my office
and wait there for me.
That's right. Goodbye.
( ominous theme playing )
Getting ready to start up again?
Why not?
The business didn't die.
You are very realistic.
That's how I see it.
You strike me as a man who sees plenty.
Plenty to see from where I stand.
My name's Mason.
I know.
Mine's Manning.
Mr. Manning.
Frank Oxman here last night?
There were two.
What time did the second one arrive?
When the first one was going out.
Thanks. Where's Mr. Duncan?
In his office. Go right in if you want.
Everything is still wide open.
Thanks again.
( jazzy theme playing )
( knocking on door )
Come in.
Back again, Mr. Mason?
I take it you don't expect
business to be interrupted.
Place under new management already?
Why do you ask?
You can't continue the gambling
until you've settled with your dead partner's estate.
Sit down, Mr. Mason.
Thank you.
The partnership was dissolved on the death of one partner.
We had an agreement.
Provides that the business goes on...
and that life-insurance policies on each partner's life
pays off the estates.
Most of your income is in cash, is it not?
That's right.
How is the cash collected?
We charge a rental on the chairs and use of the tables:
50 cents a half hour for a $2-limit game,
up to $2 a half hour for a $20-limit game.
How many tables do you operate?
Thirty-five. The legal limit.
What are your hours?
Ten in the morning till 5 in the morning. About 19.
Then, conservatively speaking...
your average daily income
is approximately $10,000.
And that, Dan Barker was endangering.
You trying to pin a motive on me?
If you are, you may as well know
I've already told all of this to the police.
Taking no chances, now, are you?
I run a gambling parlor, Mr. Mason.
But I'm not a gambler.
I only make sure bets.
There's no such thing as a sure bet,
unless the deal is fixed.
Nice seeing you.
I trust we'll see each other again, Mr. Duncan.
It'll be a pleasure, Mr. Mason.
( ominous theme playing )
You look very handsome in that chair, Manning.
It fits.
Now, you're a little too big.
Might have to cut you down to size.
Like maybe you did Barker?
You're kind of running over the mouth, aren't you?
I could.
I could tell that lawyer...
or even the DA...
maybe enough about you and Barker
to give 'em a whole new slant on his killing.
Maybe even how you were doing a...
A little extra reaching in all that cash take
Mr. Mason was talking about.
You've got big ears.
You don't appreciate me, Duncan.
To you I'm just a...
floorman.
But I'm a brain, Duncan.
A big brain.
You're also a big talker.
( tense theme playing )
Don't let me catch you in that chair again.
( door opens )
( door closes )
Hi, Perry.
Any action around here?
No, not since we arrived. Nobody in or out.
But I checked with some of the neighbors.
It seems Sylvia came to see Frank Oxman
around 2:00 this morning.
When did she leave?
No information on that.
Paul, I want you to find out what you can
about Arthur Manning and Charles Duncan.
Bank accounts, everything.
All right. I'm going in to see Oxman.
Apartment 209. Want me to go in with you?
No, you better get started.
I don't think we'll have much time.
Call the office when you have something.
Will do.
( slow, dramatic theme playing )
( car starting )
( buzzing )
Mr. Oxman?
Yes?
My name is Perry Mason. May I talk to you?
What about?
Your wife, Sylvia...
and some IOU's she signed.
Come in, Mr. Mason.
Won't you sit down?
I'm afraid we don't have that much time, Mr. Oxman.
You saw Dan Barker last night.
You talked with him about your wife's IOU's.
Did he tell you they were still available for purchase?
Indirectly, yes.
Indirectly?
Well, he wouldn't admit they even existed.
He said he'd heard rumors
and offered to track down those rumors
for a minimum fee of $25,000.
Did you offer to buy them?
Well, I didn't have that much money available.
He said to come back at 9.
He didn't give you much time
to get the money together, did he?
There must be a reason
for all these questions, Mr. Mason.
There is.
Dan Barker was murdered this morning.
Murdered?
Between 6 and 9:00.
Can you explain...
where you were during that period of time?
I haven't been out of this house.
Not since your wife called on you about 2:00?
Who told you about my wife?
That isn't important.
Sylvia.
I'm Sylvia Oxman.
I heard what you said.
I can assure you that
Frank and I have been right here
since 5:00 this morning.
Can you prove that, Mrs. Oxman?
I can.
I brought her here, Mr. Mason.
( doorbell buzzes )
Is there somebody--
Well, hello, Perry.
Well, I hate to tag you around like this,
but you're always such a great help
when we have to find somebody.
You Sylvia Oxman?
( quietly ): Yes.
I have a warrant for your arrest...
charging you with the murder of Daniel Barker.
But I didn't have anything to do with it.
I just explained to Mr. Mason--
I'm afraid you'll also have to tell it to Mr. Burger.
He's the district attorney.
He's very curious about a gun you own.
MASON: You might inform Mr. Burger
that Mrs. Oxman has been right here
since 5:00 this morning.
These two gentlemen are prepared to swear to that.
We have half a dozen who'll swear that
she was at the Clover Club.
And not one is related to Mr. Burger.
Would you please get your coat?
( dramatic theme playing )
Now, would you explain this diagram
to the court, please, lieutenant?
Sure.
Well, this is the, uh, Clover Club.
And here's the entrance to the parking lot.
Here's the storm drain where we, uh,
found the gun.
Would you indicate the streets and avenues, please?
Yes, sir.
Uh, this is Copley Avenue.
And the storm drain's on the corner
of Copley and 231st street.
A car leaving the parking lot and traveling toward Pasadena
would come along 231st,
turn here at this corner,
and then continue on down past 230th,
229th, and so on.
I see. Thank you, lieutenant.
That'll be all.
Your witness.
No questions.
I was changing to the day shift.
Going on duty at 9:00.
Parked my car in the lot
and walked around to the front entrance.
Now, I ask you, Mr. Manning,
did you see any cars in the parking lot?
Yes, sir. There were three or four.
Did you recognize any of those cars?
Yes, sir.
I noticed a '59 Ford convertible
belonging to Mrs. Oxman.
You'd seen it before?
Sure. Lots of times.
All right, Mr. Manning, you went into the club.
What did you do next?
Well, the...
club wasn't open to the public yet.
So I went to my locker, passing the corridor.
I saw Mrs. Oxman running from Mr. Barker's office.
I called to her, but she didn't answer.
She went out the side door
to the parking lot.
And you're sure it was Mrs. Sylvia Oxman?
Sure.
I've seen her often enough.
BURGER: I see.
Now, Mr. Manning, I want you to recall a meeting
that took place in Mr. Barker's office
the evening preceding the murder.
Yes, sir.
Who was in the room?
Mrs. Oxman.
She wanted to buy back her IOU's.
And what happened?
Well, uh...
Mr. Barker said it would cost her $25,000.
What did Mrs. Oxman say to that?
She said she didn't have that much money.
I see. Thank you, Mr. Manning.
Cross-examine.
Mr. Manning...
you said you saw Mrs. Oxman's car
at the parking lot.
Yes.
Were her keys in the lock?
Well, uh,
anyone parking on the lot has to leave their--
Has to leave his keys in the car.
Did you ever open the...
glove compartment in Mrs. Oxman's car?
No.
Then you wouldn't have known
the defendant kept a gun in there.
Of course not.
What are you trying to say?
That I took her gun and killed Mr. Barker?
Look-- What would that do for me? I make--
You knew about those IOU's,
didn't you, Mr. Manning?
Sure, I did. I told you.
And you knew that Mr. Barker
thought they were worth $25,000?
Yes, but-- And you knew where they were kept?
Sure. In the desk.
But there was only one key to that desk...
and Mr. Barker had it.
Nobody else could get into that desk.
Well, with Mr. Barker dead...
getting the key was no problem, was it?
Thank you. That's all.
When I drove onto the parking lot,
I saw Mrs. Oxman come running out
of the side entrance of the club.
She was in an awful hurry.
I called her, but she didn't look back.
She got into her car...
a 1959 Ford convertible.
She just tore out of that lot.
All right.
What did you do then?
I went in the side entrance and saw Bill Manning.
Went to Barker's office,
found him dead, called the police.
Thank you.
Cross-examine.
Why are they lying?
They're all lying about me.
Mr. Duncan...
your story corresponds so beautifully
with that of your employee's,
it suggests rehearsal.
It could also suggest truth.
Did you, uh, know about those IOU's?
Yes, I did.
Did you know that your partner
was trying to make some money on the side, illegally.
And that his greed threatened
your very lucrative business?
Oh, Your Honor, I object.
That's incompetent, irrelevant and immaterial.
It's also improper cross-examination...
since it deals with matters not touched on in direct.
Mr. Mason?
I'm inquiring into possible bias
of the witness, Your Honor.
Objection overruled.
But this is not to be construed
as a license for a fishing expedition, Mr. Mason.
Your Honor.
MASON: Now, will you answer the question, please?
Wasn't your partner's blackmailing activity
a dangerous threat to your business,
and didn't you object to it?
Yes.
But I didn't kill him.
Thank you. That's all.
JUDGE: Ah. You may stand down.
BURGER: I call Walter Cobb, please.
Well, the reason I remember
this particular '59 Ford convertible
was because it had just run out of gas
when it got up to the pump.
And where's your gas station located, Mr. Cobb?
On 229th Street and Copley Avenue.
How far is that from the Clover Club?
About two blocks.
Now, would you look around this courtroom, please,
and see if you can identify
the driver of the 1959 Ford convertible
who was in your gas station
at approximately quarter to 9
on the morning of the murder?
That's her.
Let the record show that the witness is pointing
to the defendant, Sylvia Oxman.
Cross-examine. Thank you.
M-Mr. Cobb...
are you the manager of the gas station?
I-I'm the owner of the gas station, Mr. Mason.
Is the defendant
a regular customer of yours?
Oh, no, sir.
How many times had you seen her previous to that day?
That was the first time.
How many times have you seen her since,
that is, at your gas station?
Oh, I never saw her again, uh, there.
Mr. Duncan a regular customer?
COBB: Oh, yes.
MASON: Good customer? COBB: Yes, sir.
MASON: Mr. Manning?
Yes, sir.
Would you say there's a very friendly relationship
between you, Mr. Duncan and Mr. Manning?
Well, you might say that.
How many cars do you service a day?
Quite a few.
Many as 50? Oh, yes.
A hundred?
Well, it all depends on the day.
Yes, sir, I'd say it averages
about 100 a day.
A hundred cars a day.
That's 700 cars a week,
3,000 cars a month.
And now you remember one single '59 convertible
and one driver you saw once and only once.
W-Well, I do. I...
I remember her
because she just ran out of gas
as she coasted in.
I have no further questions of the witness.
JUDGE: Uh, you may stand down.
I call Dr. Ralph Caldwell to the stand.
Now, Dr. Caldwell...
I ask where you were on June 2nd
at approximately 8:45 in the morning.
I was in a gas station
on Copley Avenue and, uh, 229th Street.
I was having gas put into the car.
Did you notice anything coincidental
in that gas station?
Yes.
Yes, I did.
A car just like mine
was parked at the next gas pump.
Well, go on, doctor. Did you take note of the driver?
It was a young woman.
She seemed terribly upset.
I, uh, had the thought of
getting out of my car and...
going over to hers.
But you didn't?
No.
No, she drove off
before I had the opportunity to do so.
But you noticed her for two reasons:
First, because she was driving a car exactly like yours.
And second, because of her apparent anxiety.
That's right.
Now, doctor, I ask you to look around this courtroom
and tell us if you recognize that young woman.
Yes, I recognize her.
That woman there.
BURGER: The witness is pointing to the defendant, Sylvia Oxman.
Will the defendant rise, please?
Now, Dr. Caldwell, please be very careful
with your identification.
Are you absolutely certain
that that is the young woman?
I'm certain.
Thank you, doctor.
That will be all.
Cross-examine.
( slow, dramatic theme playing )
No questions.
( dramatic theme playing )
Sit down, Sylvia.
All right, Sylvia...
we're going to...
think together,
calmly and quietly.
I don't like to think, Mr. Mason.
My brain is too critical of the rest of me.
I get too ashamed.
There always comes the time
when a person must look inside himself.
I tried it.
All I saw was emptiness.
You were very lonely.
Was I?
It was a good life.
Orderly, peaceful.
Busy life. From getting up in the morning
to going to bed at night.
And all well-planned.
By your mother?
I hardly knew my mother, Mr. Mason.
We don't talk about her in grandmother's house.
No.
She ran away...
with a Neapolitan fisherman.
That was a cheap and vulgar thing to do.
That what your grandmother says?
No, no.
Grandmother's too much of a lady
to soil herself with dirt
from the family skeleton.
As long as I can remember...
I was taught to hate the things
my mother must have loved.
When did you learn not to hate them?
I don't think I ever did.
It just grew with me as I grew older.
I was trained to be part of Grandmother's brain.
We're tied together like Siamese twins.
And whenever I tried to cut away...
I wandered without direction.
All the things that I ever learned...
were the things I must not do.
I must not love beauty.
Because I may run off with a Neapolitan fisherman.
And if not beauty, then what?
The ugliness of drink.
Nightmare of gambling.
There's another world in drink, Mr. Mason.
A desperate hope in gambling.
No Neapolitan fishermen.
I wish we'd talked like this before.
I don't think I could have.
I know it sounds a kind of paradox...
but being in here has given me
a kind of freedom.
I don't think very clearly, Mr. Mason.
Sitting in a cell alone...
I've had the time to try to learn.
You're not alone now, Sylvia.
Your life depends on just how clearly
we can think together.
Now, how many times did you see Dan Barker?
Three times.
The first time was when you went to pay off those notes,
and you were told they were gonna be sold
to the highest bidder? Yes.
What did you do after that?
I was desperate.
I went to see Frank,
and I begged him for a reconciliation.
But he refused.
Said he'd have the IOU's by 9 in the morning.
And then? ( inhales )
I almost went crazy.
I guess I did go crazy.
It was 2:30 in the morning
when I remembered I had the gun
in my glove compartment.
I put it in my coat pocket...
and I returned to the Clover Room.
To kill Barker?
No. I only wanted to frighten him
into giving me back those IOU's for the 7,500.
When he asked for more money...
I waved the gun at him.
He didn't frighten.
He simply...
took the gun away from me.
What did he do with it?
Put it in his desk drawer.
The third visit?
Oh.
I was desperate.
I went home, and I got all the jewels I owned,
and I put them in my purse.
You spoke to no one at home?
Not then.
I wanted to get back to Barker's before 9:00.
When I got there, all the doors were open,
and I went into the office.
And he was lying on the floor, dead.
Your gun...
where was it?
It was on the floor beside him.
You lost your head...
ran out of the office...
tossed the gun into the nearest storm drain.
Yes. Then you went home?
Yes. I didn't want...
Grandmother...to hear me.
I was too terrified
of what she might say or do,
but...I guess Uncle Robert heard me crying,
'cause he came into the room.
He was terribly upset when I told him about the gun.
At that time, he thought out your alibi?
Oh, no.
He rushed into Grandmother's room.
When he came back, he said Grandmother said
we were to go immediately to Frank
and...offer him anything...
to try and make him say we'd reconciled.
What did you do with the IOU's?
I didn't take them.
( pants )
All I wanted to do
was to get out of the office as quickly as possible
when I saw Barker's body.
That's the truth, Mr. Mason.
Yes.
Yes, it is the truth.
( slow, dramatic theme playing )
All right, Sylvia.
I'll see you in the morning.
( exhales )
"When a true thought enters the mind,
"it gives the light which makes us see a crowd of objects
never perceived before."
( knocking )
Yes?!
Mr. Mason would like to see you, ma'am.
Mr.--
Well, ask him to come in here.
Yes, ma'am.
Would you like me to leave?
Do you expect me to receive a gentleman
alone in my bedroom?
( chuckles ): I'm sorry.
Come in, Mr. Mason.
I apologize for intruding at this hour.
Well, I'm sure you had ample reason.
Uh, Robert, get Mr. Mason a chair.
Now, please don't bother, Mr. Benson. I prefer standing.
What did you come to tell me?
I'm afraid I won't be able to convince the court
that Sylvia is innocent.
But she wasn't there.
She has a perfect alibi.
Mrs. Benson, that alibi is worth nothing.
But it's the truth.
Robert will swear to it.
Will you?
I will.
You'd give false testimony, Mrs. Benson?
Do you think I would let my own flesh and blood die
for a crime she didn't commit,
without fighting to save her with every weapon I could find.
Even perjury?
Although it means giving up your great-grandson?
Why do you say that?
Well, surely you knew that would happen
when you told Robert to...
work out a reconciliation
between Sylvia and Frank.
I told Robert what?
It did seem strange that...
you would construct such an alibi.
Then it was your idea.
Yes.
You told Sylvia it came from Mrs. Benson.
She wouldn't have done it otherwise.
You also neglected to tell Sylvia
that I would make the 10:00 appointment with Barker.
Well, it was too late.
Uh, if I'd been able to find her--
No, you still wouldn't have told her.
You didn't want her to know.
You wanted Frank to have those IOU's
because you wanted Frank to have his son.
Well, you're mad.
Robert knows that child belongs with me.
No, Mother.
The boy belongs with his father.
Robert!
You know, don't you?
Yes, I know.
How?
When I found the so-called reconciliation
came after Barker's death.
I knew Frank Oxman would help with that alibi...
only in exchange for Peter's custody.
You...
deceived Sylvia
because that was what you wanted.
It also gave you an alibi.
You--?
You, Robert?
You killed this man?
Why should killing shock you so much?
You killed us all...
over and over again.
Each time we...
showed a spark of life.
You tried to resurrect your youth
through us...
to live again.
Only we failed you,
be...cause we never could be you.
We failed ourselves,
because we didn't understand until it was too late.
That's why I knew Frank must have his son.
Before it was too late.
( scoffs )
Only I bungled it. I...
didn't know the gun in Barker's desk
belonged to Sylvia.
You would have let her die...
for what you did?
My strength came only once, Mother.
Then I was your son again.
( melancholy theme playing )
Robert.
Please be kind enough to
call the police, Mr. Mason.
( phone dialing )
Lieutenant Tragg, please.
( jazzy theme playing )
( knocking on door )
Come in.
( door opens, closes )
PAUL: Hi, beautiful.
Hi, Paul.
Eh, what are you doing,
opening a gambling joint?
No, it's a good business. Pick a number.
All right. For how much?
Oh, very big.
A dime.
Seven.
Mm-hm. I'll take three.
Come on, seven.
Come on.
Thirty-six numbers on that wheel,
and she picks the right one.
Where did that come from?
Oh, it just arrived.
Mr. Charles Duncan.
Here's the letter that came with it.
Duncan? Mm-hm.
"Dear Mr. Mason,
"first time in my life I ever told the truth,
"and you did not believe me.
"But you're a good man, so I'm sending you this wheel.
"Take my advice: you always be the bank.
Let the pigeons play the odds."
That wheel is fixed.
( chuckles )
Another game, pigeon?
( sighs )
( lighthearted theme playing )
( all chuckling )
( noirish jazz theme playing )