( noirish jazz theme playing )
( chirping )
Walter, please listen to me.
I'm all ears.
I've tried to make a go of our marriage.
It just hasn't worked.
I'm not complaining, Ruth.
It's been more than two years.
A long time to pay for a mistake.
I want a divorce.
I'd have to fight it, Ruth.
I'd have to drag you through the dirtiest scandal
this town has ever seen.
What are you talking about?
You were in love with Jimmy McLain
when you married me.
You're still in love with him
and seeing him behind my back.
That's not true.
Just once, when I ran into him accidentally.
How much money have you got left?
That's all you ever wanted from me.
You haven't returned the $20,000.
About 40,000, right?
Now...
how badly do you want a divorce?
It's all I've got...
All I own.
I won't give it to you.
That's too bad.
But remember what the man said:
"Till death do us part."
( dramatic theme playing )
( engine starts )
( suspenseful theme playing )
( crash )
( indistinct chatter )
You fool. You bungled it.
Let's get him to a hospital.
Jimmy? Jimmy, this is Ruth.
Walter tried to kill me.
What happened?
He wanted to make it look like an accident.
He had a truck try to run me down
right in front of the house.
Now, listen to me, Ruth.
What am I gonna do?
Ruth, I want you to listen to me.
Ruth?
Honey?
Yes?
I want you to get in a cab and come right over here.
That'll only make for more trouble.
Will you please do as I say?
Yes.
Good.
I'll expect you over here
in about 20 minutes, huh?
Goodbye, darling.
( mysterious theme playing )
( sighs )
JIMMY ( reading ):
Walter?
Oh.
( dramatic theme playing )
Good afternoon, Mrs. Prescott.
Forgive my startling you.
The front door was open.
Burning old love letters?
What are you doing here, Miss Swaine?
Dictation.
Mr. Prescott called the office and--
Mr. Prescott?
I found him like this.
I just came in.
Well, I did.
Mrs. Prescott, you don't have to convince me.
You'd better try the police.
Or haven't you called them yet?
Hello?
Yes, this is Margaret Swaine.
Would you have your truck pick up my baggage
at the Clairmont Hotel tonight at 7:00?
Yes, there will be two trunks and some hand luggage.
Uh-huh. Thank you.
Good afternoon, Mr. Wray.
Miss Swaine.
What are you doing in Mr. Prescott's desk?
There may be some papers the police may misunderstand.
What are you talking about?
Mr. Prescott is dead. Dead?
I think it was murder. Probably by his wife.
What?
I found her burning what looked like evidence.
A package of letters.
Ruth?
Killed Walter?
No. That's impossible.
Calling the Prescott home,
I think you're wasting your time.
There won't be any answer.
If she has any sense, Ruth Prescott is at the airport
waiting for the first plane out of the country.
( ominous theme playing )
What happened after you called the police?
RUTH: I came right here.
I thought I should see a lawyer.
I thought I needed someone who--
Someone who specialized in criminal law.
Were you in love with your husband?
No.
Are you in love with Mr. McLain?
Yes.
All right...
tell me once again.
What did you do when you discovered the body?
I phoned the police.
Nothing else?
You're sure there was no gun near the body?
Positive.
( chirping )
Why did you bring this with you?
RUTH: Well, I couldn't leave him.
I could see that something was wrong with his foot.
Your husband was lying there, apparently murdered,
and yet you were concerned about a lame canary?
Della, what is the name of that pet shop
on Mordegan Street?
Mm, Newcome's. Do you want me to call them?
And get hold of Paul.
I wanna know all about that accident
with the transfer truck and the parked car.
Where was it?
Cedar, near Chestnut.
I wanna know who the truck driver was
and any possible tie-up between him and Walter Prescott.
Come on, Mrs. Prescott. Where?
I'd like to talk to your Mr. McLain before the police do.
Gertie, will you get Paul, please?
Yes, right away.
( mysterious theme playing )
He hasn't been dead long.
An hour, maybe two at the most.
We'll know better after the postmortem.
Any idea what caused
those scratches and bruises on his face?
Well, he didn't get 'em from shaving.
BRICE: Lieutenant.
Think the crime lab can do anything with it?
We can try. Williams.
And when Ruth told me
she was almost hit by that truck,
I told her to grab a cab and come right over here.
What made you assume
that her husband was responsible?
I told him so. That's good enough for me.
But when she arrived here, you were gone. Where?
I went over to see Prescott.
What did you hope to accomplish by that?
I just wanted to talk to him.
Using that telephone would have been the easy way.
He could've hung up on me.
What happened when you saw him?
I didn't. He wasn't home.
So you came right back here?
No...
the door wasn't locked,
so I walked in.
That happens to be the truth.
Go on.
That's the whole story.
No, not quite.
Where did that come from?
I brought it here. No. No, she didn't.
Well, I figured she might need a couple of things,
so I went upstairs to her room and I packed her bag.
Some people might think you were being presumptuous.
I don't care what anyone thinks.
( chuckles )
That's fairly obvious.
Tell me, Mr. McLain,
just what do you do for a living?
I work in a liquor store.
Do you own a gun?
Now, really, Mr. Mason-- Now, look,
he's in love with you.
He knows your husband won't give you a divorce.
That's true, isn't it?
One hundred percent correct.
Then my question about your owning a gun
wasn't entirely out of line.
May I see it?
It's downstairs...
in my car.
( phone ringing )
Excuse me.
Hello?
Just a moment.
It's a Paul Drake for you.
Thank you.
Hello, Paul?
Perry, I'm glad I caught you there.
I got the truck driver identified.
His name's Harry Jonson.
He has a transfer company,
and he's near your section of town right now.
1220 Carroll Street.
You want me to meet you there?
Yes, in 15 minutes.
See you, Paul.
There's a motel in the Valley. It's called The Crestline.
I'd like you to take your belongings and drive out there.
She can stay here with me.
I have a friend down the hall.
I'm happy to know that, but she can't stay here.
But if she hides-- I don't want her to broadcast
her whereabouts to the world, and she's not going to hide.
She'll register at the motel under her own name.
Call me when you get settled.
( mysterious theme playing )
HARRY: I was coming down Cedar Avenue at a slow speed,
and all of a sudden, this crazy dame crosses the street
just as I'm turning the corner.
She stopped, just like she turned to stone.
That crazy dame thinks
you deliberately tried to run her down.
What? Look, mister, do you know anything about air brakes?
A little. There was a break in the line.
I just replaced it.
PAUL: It looks like it had been cut with a knife.
You know something? You're right.
Any idea who might have done it?
Well, it might have been one of my competitors.
Mm, which one?
I'd rather not say till I get some proof.
Did you ever hear of a Walter Prescott?
Walter Prescott?
Yeah,
I was trying to get the names of some of the witnesses.
This guy came out and helped me with some first aid.
He said he didn't see the accident,
but heard the crash.
Yeah. "Walter Prescott."
What was the name of the injured man?
Frederick Walden.
What did you do with him after the accident?
Well, he was in pretty bad shape.
I thought I'd better get him to a hospital.
I, uh, thought you said your brakes were out.
Well, I can see you've never driven a truck.
All you have to do is use the gears and hand brake.
What about his car?
Well, it was pretty badly bunged up but running okay.
I gave a guy 10 bucks to follow us to the hospital
and take a cab back.
What hospital did you take him to?
That private emergency one over on Pine Avenue.
1900 Pine Avenue to be exact.
Uh, Doc Fowler's place, wasn't it, Mr. Jonson?
That's right. Who are you?
This is Lieutenant Tragg of Homicide.
What's the homicide? There was nobody killed.
The doc said this guy Walden was all right.
Maybe a little dizzy but okay.
Then you didn't tell him about Prescott being murdered?
MASON: No. Well, you know about it, Perry.
I heard about it. From whom?
Uh-huh. Privileged information.
Did Prescott drive with you
when you went to the emergency hospital, Mr. Jonson?
No.
When you dropped Walden off at the hospital,
you returned to Cedar and Chestnut street, didn't you?
That's right. I was looking for someone
that might have seen the accident.
Did you see Mr. Prescott again at this time?
Yeah, he came out of the house and asked how the guy was.
Yes, and then what happened, Mr. Jonson?
Then he went back in the house, and I left.
Where is she, Perry?
Who? Mrs. Prescott.
She was seen in her house at 2:30 burning some letters
with Mr. Prescott dead on the floor.
So it follows that I'd know her whereabouts?
Well, we find reason to believe that she'd find it desirable
to consult an attorney.
There are thousands of attorneys in the city.
Ha-ha. But only one Perry Mason.
Come on, where is she, Perry?
You need a warrant. I've got it.
Suspicion of murder in the first degree.
Gentlemen.
Naturally, I was shocked.
It isn't every day you walk into a room
and find a woman standing over her husband's dead body.
Aren't you being a little overdramatic, Miss Swaine?
You said you first saw Mrs. Prescott
at the fireplace.
Yes.
But you didn't see Mr. Prescott
until you walked into the room,
so she couldn't have been standing over his body.
Well, I only meant that--
I know,
but the police aren't apt
to understand a figure of speech.
I'm sure you wouldn't want to give them any wrong ideas.
Now, when did you last speak to Mr. Prescott?
Before lunch.
He told me to have my lunch and meet him at the house.
Did you often go to his home to work?
Yes.
Mr. Wray. Yes?
Do you mind my looking over your company's books?
I wouldn't mind at all, and I wish I could oblige,
but I don't happen to have the books.
Oh, where are they?
Walter took them home with him one night,
about a week ago.
Would you say your, uh, business has been flourishing?
( chuckling ): Oh, well, I can't complain.
We're insurance brokers, you know.
And as insurance brokers,
did you insure yourselves?
Yes, Walter and I had a policy covering each other.
To what extent?
Well, his life was insured in my favor for $75,000,
and, uh, mine was insured in his favor for the same amount.
I see.
The articles of partnership provided
that in the event of the death of one of the partners,
the wife of the deceased partner
should receive $75,000 in cash,
uh, relinquishing any interest
in the, uh, partnership.
When you collect that 75,000,
you're obliged then to turn it
over to Ruth Prescott?
That's right.
How long has that insurance been in force?
Well, we took it out about, uh, two years ago,
when Walter got married.
( mysterious theme playing )
( doorbell buzzes )
Mr. McLain? Yeah.
Lieutenant Tragg.
Mind if we come in?
Well-- I have to be at work in ten minutes.
Yeah, we only need five.
Well, what do you want?
You know a young lady named, uh, Ruth Prescott?
Yeah.
Any idea where we could locate her?
No.
When'd you last see her?
I don't remember exactly.
You remember approximately.
What's in there?
Nothing.
Mind if I go in? Yeah. Yes, I certainly do.
Look, you guys can't come in here and search this place.
You need a warrant.
That isn't going to stop us, Mr. McLain.
Mrs. Prescott? No. No, she isn't.
It's no use, Jimmy.
I'd like to call my attorney.
TRAGG: You can do that from headquarters.
Mrs. Prescott.
I told you to stay at The Crestline Motel.
Well, Jimmy--
Don't you realize the construction
the court will put on this?
The police finding you in his apartment?
What did Lieutenant Tragg ask you?
About the business insurance.
The $75,000.
What else?
The...gun.
What gun?
I didn't have a chance to hide it, Mr. Mason.
What gun?
I lied to you.
There was a gun near the body.
And the police found it
in your possession when they searched you?
Yes.
The reason-- I know the reason.
You thought Jimmy shot your husband.
You wanted to protect him.
Everything's my fault, Mr. Mason.
I had no right to assume that it was Jimmy's gun.
When he told you that it was in his car,
I didn't believe him.
I spoke to the truck driver who almost ran you down.
He had faulty brakes.
His name is Jonson. Do you recognize it?
No.
Have you ever heard of a man named Walden?
Walden.
No.
Did you ever have the impression that the partnership
between your husband and Ernest Wray was not going so well?
They always seemed to get along.
Did your husband ever bring
the firm's account books home?
When I left him,
they were on his desk.
Very well, Ruth.
You're not to answer any more questions.
I want you to say that you're innocent,
that you're perfectly willing to tell the authorities everything.
But that your attorney simply will not let you say one word.
All right?
All right, Mr. Mason.
( ominous theme playing )
MAN ( over radio ): KMA-752, KMA-628 calling.
They discovered the car about an hour ago.
Who did? The motorcycle officer.
Walden's car?
Yeah, what's left of it.
Walden in the car?
His body.
Figure out how it happened, officer?
What makes any accident? Carelessness mostly.
It, uh, was an accident, then?
Sure, what else?
MAN ( over radio ): Car 46.
Forty-six at 4-700...
Paul, how far away is that emergency hospital?
The one where Walden was treated after the accident?
Mm, not very far. Maybe ten minutes.
Those doctors are usually on 24-hour-a-day call.
Use any inducement you have to,
but get the doctor that treated Walden over here.
I'll meet you down below. All right, Perry.
( mysterious theme playing )
Dr. Fowler. Perry Mason.
Sorry to have dragged you out here, doctor.
No more sorry than I am to be dragged.
Would you take a look at the dead man, please?
Look at him? For what?
Identification, possibly.
He's already been identified, Perry.
Frederick Walden from Altaville, California.
What's his line in business? That I'll have to find out.
Apparently an innocent bystander involved in that accident
in front of the Prescott house.
Now he meets a violent end.
Well, the roads around here are pretty tricky,
especially at night.
Okay, what do you wanna know?
Do you recognize him?
No.
You treated him day before yesterday
at your office for cuts and abrasions.
Not him, I didn't. I never saw him before.
( dramatic theme playing )
TRAGG: The murder weapon was purchased
and registered to Walter Prescott,
the decedent, December of last year.
And where was this gun found, lieutenant?
In the handbag of Ruth Prescott,
the defendant in this case.
BURGER: I see. Now, in the murder room itself,
did you find anything of an extraordinary nature?
TRAGG: In the fireplace we found the burnt remains
of a packet of letters.
What did you do with these burnt remains?
They were reconstructed at the crime lab.
I show you now these photographs
and ask if you can identify them.
Yes, sir, these are the pictures of the burnt letters.
Thank you, lieutenant. If it please the court,
I should like this gun and these photographs
marked for identification.
Thank you.
No objection. Your witness.
No questions.
I call Margaret Swaine to the stand, please.
The door was open about six inches.
I knocked. There was no answer.
I went into the entry and looked into the living room.
BURGER: And what did you see?
I saw the body of Mr. Prescott lying on the floor
and Mrs. Prescott at the fireplace,
burning a package of letters.
What time was this, Miss Swaine?
It was 2:30.
How can you be so precise about the time?
I was told to come to the Prescott home
between 2 and 2:30.
I remember looking at my watch
and noticing it was exactly 2:30.
I see.
I ask you now about a visit
to the office of Prescott and Wray
made by the defendant two or three weeks
before her husband's murder.
Yes, sir. Would you please tell this court
what happened on that occasion?
I was alone in the office.
Mrs. Prescott accused me
of seeing her husband after office hours.
I told her the only thing her husband and I
had in common was a business relationship.
BURGER: What did she say to that?
That she didn't care what my relationship
with Mr. Prescott was.
All she wanted was a divorce.
That if I wouldn't help her, she'd find another way.
That she couldn't go on living with him.
I see. Thank you, Miss Swaine.
Your witness.
Miss Swaine, do you customarily go
into someone's home upon finding the front door ajar?
No, but since Mr. Prescott was expecting me,
I thought he left the door open for me.
Was this visit at 2:30
your first visit to his home on that day?
Yes, it was.
Had you gone to his home on other occasions?
Yes, when Mr. Prescott wanted me to work there with him.
Did you ever work with Mr. Prescott at your apartment?
No.
I'm not talking about your Halsted Street apartment,
which you rent for $80 a month.
I'm talking about an apartment in the Westwood Arms,
which you're leasing
under the name of Maxine Sterit for $350 a month.
Mr. Mason, I don't know where you got your information,
but that is part of my private life.
It has nothing to do with this case or your client.
MASON: On the afternoon of the murder, Miss Swaine,
did you have your trunks moved from the Halsted apartment
to your more expensive apartment?
Again, I say, that is my private affair.
Not if you were seeing Walter Prescott
at your expensive apartment
and using the name Maxine Sterit.
Were you?
No, I was not.
Thank you. That will be all.
Stand down, please.
You arrived at the Prescott house
at approximately ten minutes to 2.
Was the deceased at home? No.
And how long did you stay in the house?
About five or ten minutes. Ten minutes at the most.
And then?
I left.
What were you doing while you were in the house?
I was packing some of Ruth's things.
She was moving out?
Yes.
She was leaving her husband?
Yes, it was my idea.
I told her she didn't have to--
I told her that she didn't have to stay
in his home anymore.
I see.
Mr. McLain, I show you these photographs of letters
previously marked for identification,
and I ask if you recognize
the words, phrases and handwriting.
Yes.
Is it your handwriting and did you write these letters?
Yes.
I don't think it will be necessary
to reveal the contents at this time,
but these are love letters
that you wrote to Ruth Prescott, isn't that so?
No. Ruth Jiuevnal. Who?
Ruth Jiuevnal.
I wrote them to Ruth before she was married.
Oh, of course.
And she kept and treasured them
during her marriage to another man.
And only on the day of his murder
did she try to destroy them.
Now, just a min-- That's all.
Thank you very much. Your witness.
Mr. McLain, did you take the time
to determine whether or not Mr. Prescott was at home?
Yes, sir. He wasn't.
You're positive?
I only wish I had seen him.
Why?
Because I--
Because I just wanted to talk to him.
Tell me, Mr. McLain, do you own a gun?
Well, you know I do.
Did you happen to have it with you
on that particular day?
Well, I always carry it with me.
The place where I work has been held up several times.
But you weren't going to work,
you were going to see the deceased.
I said I carry it all the time.
Where?
In a shoulder holster.
All right, now, were you wearing that shoulder holster
when you went to the Prescott house?
No.
Thank you, Mr. McLain. That'll be all.
Step down.
( sighs )
I call Harry Jonson to the stand, please.
Well, after leaving Mr. Walden at the emergency hospital,
I drove back to see if I could find
any more witnesses in case there was any trouble.
Mr. Prescott came out of his house
and asked how Walden was.
Now, Mr. Jonson, it's been established
that you left the hospital at 2 p.m.
Is that correct? Yes, sir.
Did you, without detouring,
drive the 11 blocks straight to Cedar and Chestnut?
Yes, sir. Did you subsequently,
at the instigation of the police,
time the duration of this trip?
Yes, sir, five or six times to get an average.
And what was the average time involved?
About eight minutes.
That would put you in front of the Prescott home
at eight minutes after 2, approximately, is that correct?
I guess that's right.
Now, Mr. Jonson, this is very important.
It's been established that the defendant
was in a room with the dead body of her husband at 2:30.
HARRY: Yes, sir.
We are now establishing the fact
that you must have seen Walter Prescott
between 2 and 2:15. Yes, sir.
And, therefore, the decedent was still alive
until at least 2:15.
Decedent? Oh, yes, sir. He was.
Thank you, Mr. Jonson. That's all.
Your witness.
JUDGE: Uh, Mr. Mason, do you expect your cross-examination
to be relatively lengthy?
Um, Your Honor, I...
have no questions for this witness.
Uh, in that case, Mr. Burger,
and before you call your next witness
and since it is nearing the noon hour,
the court will adjourn until 2:00.
That was a nice point you scored
with the Swaine girl, Perry.
Well, thank you, lieutenant.
Not that it really has any relevance to this case.
Then, uh, maybe it's just a coincidence
that she's planning on leaving town.
Having her trunks picked up tonight.
Now you're reaching.
Why shouldn't she, if she wants to?
Those are the trunks that she had moved
from the Halsted apartment, aren't they, Paul?
Mm-hm. I had a man stationed in the lobby
to see who called on her.
He overheard the arrangements being made.
Who did call on her?
You won't believe this. Ernest Wray?
Uh-huh. I also picked up something else.
Go on.
The DA's office was as interested as you
in finding out Prescott's bank balance.
How much?
Somewhere in the six-figures.
All right. What else?
Word from Altaville.
Frederick Walden was a top investigator
for the board of fire underwriters.
Insurance investigator Walden...
Prescott and Wray, insurance brokers...
an accident in front of the Prescott home,
and then Walden is found dead
at the bottom of a ravine.
Suppose we were wrong about all this from the beginning.
Suppose--
All right, we'll have to work fast.
Della, I'd like you to buy a trunk or two,
a few suitcases, and have them initialed M.S.
M.S.?
They are to be delivered immediately
to Margaret Swaine's apartment,
the one she rented under the name of Maxine Sterit.
Paul, I'd like you to find out which transfer outfit
Margaret Swaine is using to move that luggage.
All right. I'll meet you back here.
Good.
Della, I'll meet you in front of the Westwood Arms
as soon as you can make it.
I'll take care of the papers.
Right.
Westwood Arms.
Just a moment. I'll connect you.
( man speaking indistinctly )
( chuckles )
Oh, just a second.
Just a second.
Where do you think you're going?
Apartment 301.
Who do you want?
Maxine Sterit.
Well, you can't take that up there.
The police issued strict orders. Nothing's to be removed.
Who's removing anything?
But I'm sorry, you can't take it up.
What--? What's the idea?
Well, I ain't takin' this stuff back.
You can't leave it here.
Look, mister, make up your mind.
Here or upstairs, it's all the same to me.
B-but... Well--
Rudy, let him in 301.
Make sure he doesn't touch anything.
Oh, boy.
Lieutenant Arthur Tragg, please.
Yes, I'll wait.
( ominous theme playing )
( grunts )
Looks like somebody's gonna do a lot of travelin'.
DELLA: Excuse me.
Oh, heh, good afternoon.
Did a transfer company leave some luggage here
about ten minutes ago?
Yes.
Well, I'm afraid there's been a dreadful mistake.
You see, that luggage was mine.
Oh, why, the transfer man put it in Apartment 301.
Uh, I don't see how the store
could make an error like that.
Oh, I'm terribly sorry,
but I can't let you take it out until the police arrive.
The police are coming? They're on their way.
Lieutenant Tragg?
That's right. Lieutenant Tragg.
Fine. We'll wait.
So, uh, you see, lieutenant,
it was a perfectly natural mistake.
Oh, of course.
You meant to send the luggage
to your place, and it wound up here.
I gave the man the address.
Yes, Maxine, uh, Sterit's address.
The man in the luggage shop, uh, thought it was yours.
All right. Open up.
There they are.
Well, how come they're all initialed M.S.?
I told the man my name was Miss Street--
Miss, uh--
And he thought you wanted them all monogrammed M.S.
Yeah, I guess I just wasn't thinking.
( chuckles )
All right, Perry. What are you up to?
I'm just helping Della claim her luggage.
Well, uh, how can I tell which are hers?
You can't... unless you open them all.
Oh, I can't do that. I haven't got a search warrant.
Della will waive her rights this one time.
Mm-hm.
Sergeant.
( clears throat )
Uh, start with those.
TRAGG: Get robbery detail.
I want to know where each one of these furs came from.
( dramatic theme playing )
BURGER: So upon the death of Walter Prescott,
Mrs. Prescott stood to gain $75,000?
Is that correct? That is correct, yes.
Thank you, Mr. Wray. Your witness.
Mr. Wray, what would you say
is the value of the business right now?
Well, it's mostly a matter of goodwill, you know.
Would you say $100,000?
Well...yes.
Two hundred thousand?
Well...
While you estimated the value to be 150,000 two years ago,
isn't it true that today
it's worth over a quarter of a million dollars?
Well, everything's gone up, you know.
So with the death of Walter Prescott,
you are a sole owner
of a quarter-million-dollar business.
And the defendant,
far from profiting by her husband's death,
is actually losing money by being forced to take 75,000
for a half interest in the business.
WRAY: You understand, our good name
is our biggest asset, Mr. Mason.
Mr. Wray,
is it true that in the past several months
some of your accounts have suffered large losses by fire?
Well, uh, yes.
But as I-- I said,
our-- Our good name is our biggest asset.
Well, the fact that some of your accounts have suffered losses...
doesn't dishonor your firm, does it?
No, but, uh, the insurance companies don't like
averages that, uh, don't average.
If you know what I mean.
I ask you now if a recent great loss by fire
involved expensive furs
on which your company had written the policies.
Uh, Grant and Robert, yes.
MASON: How much was that loss?
WRAY: It was estimated at a $108,000.
Have you ever been acquainted with
a man by the name of Frederick Walden.
Walden?
He was injured in an accident on Chestnut street
and was later found dead at the bottom of a ravine
in Sunrise canyon.
He was top investigator for the board of fire underwriters.
No. I don't know him.
All right.
Three days ago you paid a visit to the Westwood Arms.
Why?
Well, I-- I wanted to speak to Miss Swaine.
But Miss Swaine has been staying at her Halsted apartment.
Now, what did you expect to find at the Westwood Arms, Mr. Wray?
Not a thing.
Stolen furs, perhaps?
Well, certainly not!
Your Honor, I object.
I object to counsel's badgering this witness.
His questions are incompetent, irrelevant and immaterial.
And pretty far afield.
Uh, Mr. Mason, the questioning does seem a bit improper.
I, um--
I have no further questions of the witness, Your Honor.
At this moment I should like to recall a previous witness.
Mr. Burger?
Mr. Mason wishes to recall a previous witness.
I beg the court's pardon. Which witness?
Margaret Swaine.
I have no objection, Your Honor.
I think I know what counsel has on his mind.
JUDGE: Miss Swaine, take the stand, please.
Mr. Wray, you may stand down.
Miss Swaine, I believe the police have impounded
the trunks at your Westwoods Arms apartment.
Trunks containing furs worth thousands of dollars.
I ask you now, were you not working in concert
with Walter Prescott to defraud the insurance companies?
I refuse to answer
on the grounds that it may incriminate me.
Did you not take the Westwood Arms apartment
to use as a way station for stolen merchandise?
I refuse to answer
on the grounds that it may incriminate me.
Did you not have a falling-out with Walter Prescott?
I refuse to answer
on the grounds that it may incriminate me.
Which transfer company did you use
to move your trunks, Miss Swaine?
Which transfer company to store that stolen merchandise?
Wasn't it Jonson's transfer company?
SWAINE: I refuse to answer
on the grounds that it may incriminate me.
If the court please,
I would now like to cross-examine Mr. Jonson.
Any objection, Mr. Burger?
Counsel had a chance to cross-examine
this witness before and waived it.
No, Your Honor. I have no objection.
Lieutenant Tragg has just told me
of a new development in this case,
and I welcome Mr. Mason's efforts to explore it.
Thank you, Mr. Burger.
Is Harry Jonson in the courtroom?
Will you take the stand, Mr. Jonson?
You step down, please, Miss Swaine.
MASON: Mr. Jonson,
do you know Margaret Swaine?
Yes, sir. I've had business dealings with her.
Business of storage?
Yes, sir.
In fact, I've got some of her stuff in my warehouse now.
Of course, I don't know what's in it.
I just haul it, store it, and ship it out on order.
Referring now to Frederick Walden,
the man you injured--
That was an accident.
To avoid hitting Mrs. Prescott there.
I think that was the first puzzling aspect
of this case, Mr. Jonson.
The assumption that perhaps
a truck had been hired by Walter Prescott
to run down his wife.
But what should have been examined was the possibility
that the truck's mission all along had been
to run down and kill Frederick Walden.
What are you talking about?
Isn't it true that you and Prescott
had planned to kill Walden?
No.
But he was killed eventually, wasn't he?
And with all suspicion far removed.
This time his car was sent hurtling into a ravine.
Well, he was loopy like the doc said at the hospital.
Yes, you, uh--
You did take Walden to the hospital, didn't you?
You and Prescott?
No.
Prescott didn't.
Now...
we have heard testimony here
that Prescott was not in his house
during the time you took Walden to the hospital.
If you're going to lie about-- Who's lying?
He drove him to the hospital.
He didn't go inside the hospital.
He stayed in the van when I took Walden in.
But Mr. Walden was never taken into the hospital.
You're wrong. Doc Fowler treated him.
No, sir.
Dr. Fowler treated someone else.
Shall we bring Dr. Fowler
into court to so testify?
If Doc Fowler didn't treat Walden,
then he must have treated--
MASON: Then he could only have treated Prescott.
You're not making sense.
Where did Prescott get those cuts and bruises
if it wasn't when you hit him?
When would I hit him?
At his house.
After you'd explained he could pose as Walden
at the emergency hospital.
Later you would put Walden back into his car
and push the car over a canyon road.
So it would like a separate and distinct accident
from the one in front of the Prescott home.
Why would we do that?!
So that suspicion could never be directed at either of you.
Only, after you killed Walden, you then double-crossed Prescott
and killed him too.
Yes or no, Mr. Jonson?
( sarcastically ): Oh, he was so smart.
He thought he knew all the answers.
I was the guy that was taking the chances.
And he wanted me to be satisfied with a lousy 10 percent.
Has the fact that you've committed two murders
satisfied you, Mr. Jonson?
RUTH: Margaret Swaine was cooperating with Mr. Jonson all along.
MASON: They were partners in everything except the murder.
I still don't see what put you on the right track.
Hm.
I kept wondering about his condition.
You've got to remember the accident.
Walden was outside in his car,
keeping tabs on your husband.
Only, Prescott knew that Walden was watching him.
So he and Jonson decided to put Mr. Walden away for good.
After Jonson crashed into his car,
they put the injured Walden into the van of the truck.
That's right.
After the discussion at Prescott's house,
Prescott agreed to follow Jonson driving Walden's car.
Hello, Tragg. How are you, Hamilton?
Fine, Perry.
As a matter of fact I couldn't be better.
We just got a full confession from Jonson.
Good.
I believe you know Lieutenant Tragg and Mr. Burger.
Yeah, we met.
I'm sure we'd both rather forget the circumstances.
But you were right, Perry.
They went to the hospital where Prescott posed as Walden.
Then Jonson drove to the ravine
and Prescott again followed him driving Walden's car.
When they got there, they put Walden in his own car
and pushed him into the ravine.
Then Jonson drove Prescott to his house.
And the real battle began.
I'd say Prescott put up quite a battle for his life.
Well, how do you know that?
That's the only explanation for that cage falling down.
Besides...
a little bird told me.
( chuckles )
A little bird, huh?
That's the first time I ever heard
of a lame canary turning out to be a stool pigeon.
( all laughing )
( noirish jazz theme playing )