Original subtitles

( noirish jazz theme playing )

( doorbell buzzes )

( sedate theme playing )

Hello. Are you Miss Welles?

Come in, Mr. Conners.

You understand what I want you to do?

Yes, ma'am.

You want me to bug this room.

Well, it's a little joke we're playing

on a very good friend.

You see, it's his tenth wedding anniversary.

Yes, ma'am.

I'll take this mike...

and I'll set it up behind this picture...

and I'll run the wires along the baseboard.

You understand what you're to do later?

Well, it's like you told me on the telephone.

Afterwards, I'll come back here, and cut and splice the tape.

Make it come out the way you want it to.

It can be done, can't it?

( chuckling ): I mean, since it is a joke,

you, uh, can make something that sounds innocent,

uh, come out funny.

( chuckles )

You know, as though we're having an emotional affair?

Sure.

Gag, huh?

Make it seem like you and this guy are, uh,

secret lovers.

That's exactly right.

( slow, dramatic theme playing )

You'll have to tell me how this thing works.

Oh, it's simple.

All you do is flip this forward to start it

and flip it back to stop it.

It will pick up everything he says, won't it?

It'll pick up everything this guy thinks.

How much do I owe you?

Well, look, why don't we wait until the job's all finished,

Miss Welles. You call me

at the shop when you're ready, hm?

( door opens )

( door closes )

( cat meows )

( sedate theme playing )

MAN: Not that the Quarter Noble is valuable,

but in the firm's 43 years,

Mr. Noble has presented only eight of these coins.

The significance being the promotion coming up?

No, now remember,

Fred Petrie's got one too.

So that means that the vice presidency

lies somewhere between the two of us.

It'll be you.

( chuckles )

Come on, darling, let's hurry.

The Robinsons are expecting us at 8... All right.

...and it's five after already.

( phone rings )

Hello?

( woman speaking indistinctly )

Just a moment, please.

It's Miss Welles.

Hello, Miss Welles?

I'm so glad I caught you in, Mr. Vanaman.

I just found out I must leave for New York tonight.

Tonight?

Well, uh, Miss Welles,

did you study the prospectus that I sent you?

So that we might go ahead with it?

Yes. That's the reason I'm calling you.

I must go over it with you tonight before I leave.

Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars is a lot of money...

and I do want your investment company to handle it for me.

But, uh...

Yes. Yes, of course.

I'll be right over.

This happens quite often lately,

doesn't it, Richard?

Working nights with Miss Welles?

Franny, it's a $250,000 account.

It may be the little extra push that Mr. Noble needs.

Now, I'll drop you at the Robinsons,

and I'll pick you up there later, okay?

No, I'd rather wait for you here.

I'll see you later.

( slow, dramatic theme playing )

Your wife seemed cool on the phone, Mr. Vanaman.

But then, I don't blame her.

It was terrible of me

to interfere with your plans.

Oh, thank you so much.

Not terrible at all.

Frances and I have a wonderful marriage.

She understands completely when I work nights.

Oh yes, the, uh, prospectus.

Did you work this up just for me?

Just for you.

Part of, uh, Noble and Company policy?

No, part of my policy.

VANAMAN: You notice the growth potential

of these investments.

They'll take care of Sylvia Welles

for the rest of her life.

And you will keep a personal eye on my commitments?

Oh, more than a personal eye.

A constant and a devoted eye.

A labor of love? ( cat meows )

VANAMAN: Yes, I guess you might call it

a labor of love.

( cat meowing )

( slow, dramatic theme playing )

What is it?

( angrily ): A microphone!

That won't stop it.

What's this all about?

Well...

Why do you want to record our conversation, huh?

Why do I--?

I-I don't! Somebody does.

Oh. Oh, it--

It must be my husband.

I didn't know you were married, Miss Welles.

Well, we're not working at it.

Richard, he's insanely jealous.

You'd better go.

Miss Welles, for several weeks I've come to your apartment.

Perhaps imprudently.

Don't you understand?

If he's recorded our conversation,

there's no telling what he'll think.

Richard Vanaman and me.

No, you can't stay here.

Is this a badger game?

Are you planning some sort of extortion?

I swear--

Because if you are, it won't work.

I won't be blackmailed. There are measures I can take.

Richard, please.

( exhales )

( mysterious theme playing )

Mr. Conners?

Ready now.

You can come up.

Oh, Franny, where have you been?

The Robinsons--

I just went for a walk.

Come on, it's not too late.

Okay.

( mysterious theme playing )

What's the matter?

Quarter Noble.

Have you lost it?

When I pulled out my pocketknife in Sylvia's apartment...

You call her by her first name now.

I must have dropped it without realizing it.

I've gotta get over there right away.

She's leaving for New York tonight.

Mr. Hale?

Ah.

Here's your papers.

Thank you.

( meows )

( intense theme playing )

( cat meowing )

( dramatic theme playing )

( cat meowing )

( light knock on door )

Stop!

Who are you?

What's going on?

( cat meowing )

VANAMAN: Mr. Mason, have you seen this?

Yes, in the morning paper.

What about it, Mr. Vanaman?

Oh, please turn to page five.

Squib in the lower right corner.

"Gold Coin Found?"

Mm-hm.

"Parking meters in Los Angeles have received

"their share of slugs, washers and other objects

"designed to steal an hour's free parking from the city.

"This morning, however, the traffic department

"found gold in a Westside meter.

"An old English coin which can be claimed upon identification."

There's a very good chance that coin might be mine.

Coin has a connection with the murder?

I knew Miss Welles.

The woman that was murdered.

I was in her apartment last night.

I might have dropped the coin there.

How do you suppose it got into the parking meter?

I don't know.

It, uh...

it may not even be my coin.

Well, why don't you go to the police and find out?

Well, you see, I can't do that, Mr. Mason.

Miss Welles was a prospective client of the firm.

And right now I'm up for vice presidency.

The head of the firm himself, Mr. Noble.

Henry Noble. Noble and Company?

Yes.

He's a wonderful man.

Honorable, full of integrity. But--

But he hates publicity.

I happen to know Mr. Noble.

I understand his viewpoint.

We are investment brokers.

We handle large amounts of money belonging to other people.

We can't afford publicity.

And...you think the police

might connect you with the coin...

and the murder.

Oh, if the coin is mine, they'll make the connection.

You see, mine had a hole drilled in it by my jeweler.

That involves me with it.

How involved are you, Mr. Vanaman?

You mean with the murder?

Not at all.

You were in her apartment last night.

Early.

About 8:30.

Was she alive when you left?

Yes.

Mr. Mason...

can you help me?

Mr. Vanaman...

just what do you mean by help?

Well, I thought you might send someone down to claim it.

If it's mine. And...

well, if there are complications, you--

You know best how to handle that.

All right.

Della, please see if Paul is in.

( ominous theme playing )

Ahem!

Lost or found?

Lost.

Oh, hello, Drake.

Hi.

You name it,

I'll see if we've got anything like it in stock.

Well, it's a--

WOMAN: Oh, you can't print that. Heh.

Unless, of course, it's syndicated.

Excuse me, sweetie.

Hi, darling.

I've lost something, and you found it,

and I've come down to get it back.

I'm almost afraid to ask.

I bet you even have old jokes down here.

It's that gold coin that was

written about in the newspapers.

I wanna claim it.

Can you furnish a description of the article, miss?

Oh, I sure can.

It's round, it's gold,

and it's called a Quarter Noble.

There's a picture of the shield

of Henry VI on one side--

The man with the chicken leg

--and there's some flowered scrollwork on the other.

And there's a tiny little hole bored through it.

Right?

Where did you lose this coin, miss?

I put it in a parking meter.

I told these gentlemen that I'd tell them how it happened,

but I really don't think I'd better.

Any particular parking meter?

Well I don't put one in every parking meter,

for heaven sakes.

It was on Santa Monica, right near Fairfax.

Right down the street from the International Bar.

( gasps )

The name is Lee.

L-E-E. Miss Bunny Lee.

There you are, driver.

Thank you very much, Mr. Drake.

I can handle it from now on.

Uh, hold it.

I think you'd better wait here.

Just until I can get in touch with Perry.

It's quite all right.

Uh-uh.

This has all the earmarks of a shakedown.

That girl doesn't look like any coin collector.

More the paper-money type.

You wait here, I'll be right back.

There's a phone booth down the street.

( mysterious theme playing )

( doorbell buzzes )

Hi.

Are you the young lady who claimed the Quarter Noble?

That's right.

Come on in.

Thank you.

MAN: I've been waiting for you.

( slow, dramatic theme playing )

Yes. Well, who are you?

I'm the night clerk at her hotel.

Oh?

It's your coin, isn't it?

Yes.

Did you find it in her room?

Of course.

Where you dropped it.

All right.

I'll pay your blackmail.

How much do you want?

MAN 2: Not for sale, mister.

Tragg, Homicide.

Come on.

Thank you, lieutenant.

Well, Mr. Vanaman,

when you came to see me earlier today,

you said it was to arrange for the recovery of a coin.

Also to...

handle things for me if it was necessary.

But you knew it would be necessary.

I thought it might.

You also told me that Sylvia Welles was alive

when you left her apartment.

She was...

the first time.

Then I went back when I discovered I'd lost the coin.

She didn't answer the door.

And...?

Well, the peephole in the door was open a crack,

I saw a light...

so I went in.

You went in.

Just like that?

The door wasn't locked.

All right, go on.

She was dead.

Why didn't you call the police?

I didn't have time.

I-- I wanted to find that coin first.

By the time I started to search,

there was a knock on the door.

That Hale, the desk clerk, came in.

That's when I ran.

That certainly wasn't very smart.

I know.

Mr. Mason, there's something else.

What else?

That room was wiretapped.

I discovered it by accident.

Sylvia Welles said she thought it was her husband.

Now, by this time, Mr. Mason,

I knew I was getting in pretty deep.

I love my wife.

I didn't want to hurt her...

even with something that wasn't true.

How long have you known this Welles woman?

I met her recently at--

At a gathering.

A gathering where?

At, uh...

At Fred's house.

Fred Petrie.

Well, if she was a friend of his

and had a quarter of a million dollars to invest,

why didn't she let him handle it for her?

I don't know.

And Paul Drake told me that you'd been booked,

otherwise I wouldn't have known you were here.

Didn't Lieutenant Tragg allow you to make a phone call?

Yes, he did.

I called someone else.

Who?

Henry Noble.

( mysterious theme playing )

Well, Perry...

you're looking fine.

Please sit down.

Thank you.

If you are here because of this murder case,

the matter between Vanaman and myself

is not open for discussion.

Uh, he's no longer in my employ.

You prejudging him guilty?

Has nothing to do with whether he's guilty or not.

Noble and Company simply cannot be associated

with this kind of notoriety.

I'm surprised at your intolerance.

What if it wasn't his fault?

That makes a difference to me personally,

but not to Noble and Company.

How old is the company?

Forty-three years.

I wonder how it could have survived

under such righteousness?

What makes you so sure that Dick Vanaman is innocent?

Well, for one thing...

a guilty man uses the one phone call allowed him

by the police to get in touch with his attorney,

not his employer.

May I talk to Mr. Petrie?

Hm.

( clears throat )

Ask Mr. Petrie to come in.

What do you, uh, want with him, Perry?

Oh, I think perhaps a, uh, microphone...

and a woman.

( door opens )

NOBLE: Mr. Petrie, Mr. Mason.

Perry Mason?

It's a privilege.

Mr. Petrie.

Mason is representing Vanaman

in that, uh, murder thing.

Oh. I wish you and Dick the best, sir.

Mr. Noble,

about that little rivalry between Dick and myself.

Well, I think it would be fairer

to hold off any decision

until this has all blown away.

You believe he's innocent then, Mr. Petrie?

I've known Dick for more than 12 years.

He's constitutionally incapable of murdering anyone.

And if there's anything I can do--

uh, character witness, uh, anything

--just ask.

Why, thank you.

Did you know that Sylvia Welles was married?

Did I know?

Should I?

Well, isn't she an acquaintance of yours?

No, sir.

She was, uh, at a gathering at your home.

Was she?

Wait a minute.

You know, I did seem to feel something

when I saw her picture in the paper.

I take it then she wasn't your guest?

No.

She must have crashed the party.

Or, um, been invited by your wife?

( mysterious theme playing )

Hello?

MAN ( on phone ): Is this the Petrie residence?

Yes.

Well, I don't know whether you'd be interested or not,

but, uh, I got hold of something:

a spool of tape.

Well, my name is Conners.

I did a job of work for a woman over at the Revere Apartments.

Know who I mean?

And, uh, I haven't been paid for it.

W-what's on this, uh, spool of tape?

Are you interested?

I'd have to hear it.

Sure.

It's all fixed. Cut and edited.

If I want to buy it...

how much will it cost?

A thousand dollars.

All right.

But...I want every word you recorded.

The Hi-Fi Roundelay shop.

Uh, I'll be wearing a gardenia.

Frederick Warren Petrie.

Very bright and, apparently, full of integrity.

His wife, Doris, was formerly secretary

to Henry Noble himself.

Ambitious type?

Could be.

She's, uh, had a pretty busy day today so far:

Called on the apartment hotel clerk, Eliot Hale.

Went to her bank.

And then went to a flower shop and bought some gardenias.

No wonder we couldn't find her.

( phone rings )

Yes, Gertie?

( Gertie speaks indistinctly )

Mr. Eliot Hale in the outer office.

Have him come in.

Be right out.

Well, I've got some work to do.

Thanks, Paul.

( door opens )

( door opens )

( door closes )

( door closes )

Mr. Mason, Mr. Eliot Hale.

( door closes )

Mr. Hale. Won't you sit down?

Thank you.

Now, what can I do for you?

Mr. Mason...

you represent the man

I believe murdered Sylvia Welles.

Now, the only reason I went to all that trouble

with the gold coin was,

well, I promised myself that I would bring her murderer

to justice, if it was within my power.

Why the intense interest in all this, Mr. Hale?

She was a lady, Mr. Mason.

That may well be...

but, you know, you may have made quite a mistake

in believing the murderer to be Mr. Vanaman.

Well that's why I'm here.

Della.

You see, a woman called on me today.

She asked me if the police had found any recording tapes

in Miss Welle'' apartment.

And you told her what?

Well, that I didn't know.

They had found evidence of microphones.

That all she wanted to know?

No. Then she asked me if I knew

who could have installed them.

Did you? No.

Did she, uh, tell you who she was?

No.

But she left me a number if anything came up.

Hollywood 2-0799.

Now as I understand you, Mr. Hale,

you believe I should look into this situation

of the woman and the tape recordings?

If there are any.

Yes, sir, I do.

And if Mr. Vanaman is innocent,

it might help to uncover the truth.

That's all I want, Mr. Mason.

All right, Mr. Hale.

Goodbye, Mr. Mason.

Miss Street.

Goodbye.

Miss Welles was a lady, Mr. Mason.

A gentlewoman.

An angel almost.

As though a man shouldn't...

touch her.

You know?

( door closes )

He was in love with Sylvia Welles.

Still is, Della.

Now he has a fixation to make the murderer,

whoever it is, pay for the crime.

That might be something to worry about, if he knows more about

those tape recordings than he's admitted.

That phone number, um...

same as Mrs. Petrie?

Mm-hm.

Let's try her again.

( phone rings )

Hello?

Hello, Mrs. Petrie.

I wonder if I might have a talk with you.

Um, no, I'm afraid it's out of the question, Mr. Mason.

( Mason speaking indistinctly )

No.

I have an appointment.

No, I am sorry, Mr. Mason.

And what makes you think I would be interested

in helping Richard Vanaman?

Doris.

If he is guilty, I don't want my husband or myself involved.

Was that...Perry Mason?

Yes.

Who do you have an appointment with?

A man.

What man?

I don't remember his name.

What's the appointment for?

I am going to buy a tape recording

made between Richard Vanaman and the murdered woman.

Tape recording?

And if it says what I think it will,

it will prove that they were having an affair.

And that's why he killed her?

I can't believe that, Doris.

Well, you don't have to.

The police will.

You're going to buy that recording

and turn it over to the police?

Oh, can't you understand?

I am paying $1,000 for the vice presidency

of Noble and Company.

I don't want it that way, Doris.

I don't want Dick Vanaman to pay for it with his blood.

Well...

I'm not a hypocrite.

I don't care 2 cents about him.

I want that vice presidency for you.

I've got to go,

I'll be late.

You're not going anywhere.

( dialing phone )

( light classical music playing on speakers )

Mrs. Petrie.

You're late.

You know how husbands are. I--

I didn't want him to think I had anything on my mind,

except a sick friend.

Did you bring it?

Did you?

Well, that's very funny, Mrs. Petrie.

Now, listen to this.

SYLVIA ( over tape ): Darling, isn't it time

that we stopped--

Take it easy, mister. Police.

Wait a minute. What's going on here? It--

Well, Della, where's Perry?

I'm right here, lieutenant.

Oh. ( tape rewinding )

Saves you a little trip, eh, Perry?

Did you?

Well, didn't I? Down to headquarters?

Weren't you getting hold of this just to turn it in to us?

SYLVIA ( over tape ): Your wife--

VANAMAN: Frances can be terrible, Sylvia.

SYLVIA: But she can't hold you.

VANAMAN: Not the way you can.

I love you...Sylvia.

That's enough, lieutenant.

Turn it off. ( clicks off )

All right, Conners.

How much did Miss Welles pay for the job?

Well, it was supposed to be a hundred dollars.

I was gonna get it later when I picked up my equipment.

And when did you pick up the equipment?

Oh, I got back there about 9:30.

You got there at 9:30, picked up your equipment,

Miss Welles paid you, and you gave her the tape?

Yes, sir, that's right.

And then you left?

That's right.

And Miss Welles was alive when you left?

Yes, she was.

You mean, you went back to the apartment later?

No, no.

Then how did you get the tape?!

Listen to me, Conners.

Let me see if I can explain something to you.

The police department and the district attorney's office

have caused the grand jury to indict a man

for the murder of Sylvia Welles.

This man is Richard Vanaman.

He's a highly respected businessman.

He's not a hoodlum or a gangster.

He doesn't have a record of arrests and convictions.

Yes, sir.

We're preparing to take our case into court.

It's a circumstantial case,

but we've found that circumstances

are frequently more reliable and less controversial

than witnesses.

And we think we have a very good case

against Mr. Vanaman.

Look, I don't know what you're getting at.

This tape gives you a motive for Vanaman, doesn't it?

I should think you'd be grateful.

Well we're not grateful, mister.

This doesn't help us.

This hurts us.

This is a fake.

What do you mean, a fake?

Oh, come on, Conners.

Let's listen to it again, shall we?

Lieutenant, turn it up with the volume high.

SYLVIA: Do you love me, Richard?

( popping sounds on tape )

VANAMAN: Love you for the rest of my life.

SYLVIA: Your wife--

VANAMAN: Frances can be terrible, Sylvia.

SYLVIA: But she can't hold you...

That's enough.

VANAMAN: Not the way you can.

You know what that popping noise is,

don't you, Mr. Conners?

When you cut the tape to edit it,

you didn't use demagnetized shears.

Well, I didn't expect to be tested like this.

Where's the original of this recording?

I used it up.

All of it?

Well, all I thought was useful for the love stuff.

You mean there's more?

Oh, yes.

When he found the microphone near the drapes.

That's on this tape?

Well, you see, we had two mikes going.

Oh, he accused her of blackmail and extortion,

and, uh, how she couldn't get away with it.

And how there were certain measures she could take.

( clicks on )

( slow, dramatic theme playing )

VANAMAN: A microphone...

( slow, dramatic theme playing )

There were fractures of the hyoid bone

and the thyroid cartilage,

with considerable accumulation of the blood in the soft tissue

around the windpipe.

Death occurred between 9:30 and 10:15,

from asphyxia, due to manual strangulation.

Thank you, doctor.

HALE: When the early- morning edition

of the papers arrived at five minutes after 10,

I brought them up to Miss Welles' apartment.

Sometimes, if she was still up,

we'd chat for a minute or two.

Mr. Hale...what happened when you went to

Apartment 305 on the night of October 26th?

Well...the lights were on in her living room...

the peephole was ajar, and...

her cat was yowling.

It was kind of strange.

There was no answer to my knock, or the bell,

so I tried the door, and it was open.

And I saw her lying there.

Go on, Mr. Hale.

Well, then I heard a noise,

and I saw this man making a dash for the door.

Did you get a good look at this man?

Yes, sir. I got a good look at him.

That's him.

The defendant. Richard Vanaman.

Now, Mr. Hale...

I show you this object,

and I ask if you've ever seen it before.

HALE: Yes, sir, I have.

Could you tell the court, please,

what it is?

An old English coin, known as a Quarter Noble.

And when did you first see this English coin?

That night. October, the 26th.

And where did you see it?

Beside the body,

just after I had called the police.

Then I dropped the coin into a parking meter

and made sure the story got into the papers.

Then I sent a third party to claim the coin.

I notified the police...

and we were there when he arrived.

"He" arrived?

Yes, sir.

The man I saw in the apartment, Richard Vanaman.

If it please the court...

I should like this marked for identification

as State's Exhibit B.

Mr. Mason?

No objections.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Now, Mr. Hale...

in your capacity as clerk of the apartment hotel

where the deceased resided,

had you ever seen the defendant before?

Yes, sir.

During the weeks preceding October 26, several times.

But what about the night of October 26th?

I saw him enter at half past 8.

And did you see the defendant leave that night?

Yes, sir, just as I told you:

flying out of Miss Welles' apartment,

with her lying dead.

Thank you, Mr. Hale.

Your witness.

Mr. Hale...

do you see everyone who goes in or out of the building?

No, sir.

So the defendant could have left the building

five minutes after he'd arrived,

and later returned without your seeing him?

Yes, sir.

As a matter of fact, any number of people

could have visited Miss Welles without your knowledge?

Yes, sir, they could.

Now you said you were in the habit

of delivering a newspaper to Miss Welles' apartment.

Was that a normal service?

No.

Something special.

Just for Miss Welles.

I didn't mind.

I wouldn't never have minded.

Thank you, Mr. Hale.

That will be all.

JUDGE: Step down, Mr. Hale.

Lieutenant Tragg, please.

The, uh, defendant's fingerprints

were found in the murder room.

And, uh, one on a picture frame

near the drapery.

On the picture frame?

Yes, sir. And here,

a full handprint and fingerprints

on an empty highball glass.

I see.

Thank you, lieutenant.

Now, I show you this English coin...

marked State's Exhibit B,

and I ask you what occurred in connection with this

in the apartment of one Bunny Lee,

on the afternoon of October 27th,

the day after the murder.

Yes. The defendant, Richard Vanaman,

came to the apartment, admitted the coin was his,

that he dropped it in Miss Welles' apartment,

and was prepared to pay blackmail for it.

Really?

Thank you, lieutenant.

Cross-examine.

No questions.

BURGER: Mr. Conners,

I'm gonna play this roll of magnetic tape for you

and ask you to identify it.

Yes, sir.

Your Honor, we've heard the testimony of this witness

that the first part of this tape

has been edited or tampered with.

Therefore, I would like to play the part of it

which has not been touched.

Mr. Mason?

Your Honor, defense wonders why the entire tape

should not be played. ( scoffs )

Your Honor, it's already been explained.

The first part of this tape is a composite,

made up of words and phrases taken out of context.

It has no meaning in fact.

Very well.

No objection.

All right, go ahead.

With the court's permission.

SYLVIA ( on tape ): What is it?

VANAMAN: A microphone!

That won't stop it.

What's this all about?

SYLVIA: Well--

VANAMAN: Why do you want to record

our conversation, huh?

SYLVIA: Why do I--?

I-- I don't!

VANAMAN: Somebody does.

SYLVIA: Oh. Oh. I-it must be my husband.

VANAMAN: I didn't know you were married, Miss Welles.

SYLVIA: Well we're not working at it.

Richard, he's insanely jealous.

You'd better go.

VANAMAN: Miss Welles, for several weeks

I've come to your apartment...

perhaps imprudently.

SYLVIA: Don't you understand?

If he's recorded our conversation,

there's no telling what he'll think.

Richard Vanaman and me.

No, you can't stay here.

VANAMAN: Is this a badger game?

Are you planning some sort of extortion?

Because if you are, it won't work!

I won't be blackmailed.

There are measures I can take.

SYLVIA: Richard, please!

( door slams )

( clicks off )

( crowd chattering )

( tapping )

All right now. All right.

Let's have it quiet in the courtroom.

( tape rewinding )

Proceed, Mr. Burger.

Mr. Conners...

can you identify that tape for us?

Yes sir. It's the one that recorded

in Miss Welles' apartment.

And the part of it that we just heard

has neither been touched nor tampered with, is that right?

Yes sir, that's right.

If it please the court,

I should like this tape entered in evidence

and marked for the people Exhibit D.

Mr. Mason?

No objections.

All right.

( tape player wheeled off )

Cross-examine.

Now, Mr. Conners. You testified

that you were hired to do a job.

Now, who hired you?

Uh, Miss Welles.

Did she tell you the purpose of this job?

No. All she told me is to set up the mikes

and the recorders.

And you performed the job

and then you left the apartment?

That's right.

What time did you return to the apartment?

Oh, a few minutes before 9:00.

For what reason?

Well, like I told Mr. Burger,

I had to make a few cuts and splices

in the first part of the tape.

How long did that take?

Oh, about a half hour.

And then...?

Well, then I took my equipment and I left.

And Miss Welles was alive when you left?

Yes sir, she was.

How much did she pay you for this job?

We hadn't figured that out yet.

Then you weren't paid?

No.

And after her death, it occurred to you

that the recording might be worth something?

I didn't have the slightest idea what it was worth.

Then how did you know

who might be interested in buying it?

What do you mean?

I mean, Mrs. Petrie.

You were selling her the tape, weren't you?

Wasn't it Mrs. Petrie you were supposed to meet

in the Hi-Fi Roundelay shop?

Tell me, Mr. Conners,

how did you know Mrs. Petrie wanted to buy the tape?

Oh, I, uh, called her.

I asked her.

How did you know she was the one to call?

Well, uh...while I was working on the tape,

Miss Welles made a phone call,

and I heard her mention the name Doris Petrie.

All this working on the tape--

this cutting and splicing --must have been very important.

What was it for?

All I know is what Miss Welles told me:

that it was a gag of some kind.

But gag or not, you figured it was probably

connected with Doris Petrie and worth a good deal?

Well, I figured it might be.

As a matter of fact, Mr. Conners,

you figured it might be worth a great deal

in the way of blackmail, did you not?

Oh, no, not blackmail.

I just wanted to make a few bucks.

Do you consider a thousand dollars a...

few bucks?

Well it was just a shot in the dark.

Now, look, I could have asked for a lot more too,

but I'm no hog.

It's not a question, Mr. Conners,

of whether or not you're a hog,

but whether or not you're a murderer.

That's all.

Uh, court will recess until 2:00.

What time did you leave the apartment?

A quarter to 9.

And you arrived home...?

It's only a 10-minute drive.

Conners said he left the apartment at 9:30,

and Sylvia Welles was still alive.

If he's lying, he killed her.

If he's telling the truth,

then the time between 9:30 and 10:05

will be clear with you and your wife.

No.

No?

When Richard got home, I wasn't there.

( suspenseful theme playing )

I told Richard I went for a walk.

But you didn't go for a walk.

No.

I took a cab to Miss Welles' apartment house.

Why?

I couldn't stand it any longer.

I wanted to see her.

What time was this?

I got there after 9:00.

About 20 after.

And then what?

I went up to the third floor.

Did the desk clerk see you?

No. He'd evidently stepped away.

And then you went into Apartment 305?

No, I didn't.

As I came around the bend in the corridor,

I saw someone standing outside her door.

Just standing there?

He seemed to be listening.

Would you recognize this man if you saw him again?

He was in shadow.

Anyway, suddenly I panicked and ran.

Home, Mrs. Vanaman?

Richard was there...

waiting for me.

So I can't give him an alibi, can I?

And he can't give you an alibi.

( dramatic theme playing )

No.

Mr. Burger...

will you proceed, please?

I call Doris Petrie to the stand, please.

Yes, I knew Sylvia Welles.

We went to school together back home in Iowa.

Now did you ever have a social gathering at your home

where she and the defendant were present?

Yes, they met there.

Did you subsequently see Sylvia Welles?

Oh, frequently.

And did she ever mention Richard Vanaman to you?

Yes.

She told me she had fallen in love with him.

She told me she had begun to see him

two and three times a week.

She asked me all about Richard.

The way a woman in love

wants to find out everything she can about her man.

I told her his marriage was

one of convenience, not love.

That his wife was rather drab,

but that she has lots of money.

Did Sylvia Welles ever tell you

that she was seeing Richard Vanaman

because she wanted him to handle her money?

Oh. How could she?

She didn't have a dime to her name.

Really?

Thank you, Mrs. Petrie.

Your witness.

Uh, Mrs. Petrie...

where were you between the hours of 9:30 and 10:10

on the night of October 26?

At home.

MASON: Were you alone?

DORIS: No, with my husband.

Did, uh, anyone call?

Anyone who could've verified the fact

that you and your husband were at home during that time?

No.

What does your husband do, Mrs. Petrie?

He's an investment broker.

He works for Noble and Company,

just as Mr. Vanaman did.

As a matter of fact, there existed a kind of rivalry

between the two of them for an executive promotion?

That's right.

And Mrs. Petrie...

do you know one reason why Sylvia Welles

would have had a tape recording made of her conversation

with Mr. Vanaman?

No. No?

But you had a thousand reasons, didn't you?

Well, that was different.

That was still a large amount of money.

Whatever it was,

it certainly put the lie to Richard Vanaman's claim

that Sylvia had a quarter of a million dollars to invest.

She never--

Go on, Mrs. Petrie.

She never what?

Oh, nothing.

She never told him she had

a quarter of a million dollars to invest?

If she didn't...

then how did you know about that precise amount?

Oh, isn't it true, Mrs. Petrie,

that you had Sylvia Welles entice the defendant

with the promise of a large investment?

That you hoped for a relationship between them

which might lead to scandal?

No.

And isn't it true that the scheme didn't work.

That Richard Vanaman's interest in Sylvia Welles

was only that of a client?

I wouldn't know.

And then, didn't you arrange with Sylvia

to hire a technician and wiretap the apartment...

instructing him to cut and splice the tape

so that certain words and phrases

would have an entirely different meaning?

Mr. Mason...

are you saying this was done

with the tape heard in court?

Uh...Your Honor...

part of the tape we heard was the honest remonstrance

of a man who had just realized

that, uh, he was being tricked.

It's the first part, however--

the part we didn't hear --to which I'm referring.

I see. All right, continue.

Your Honor.

Now, when Mr. Conners called you and told you he had the tape,

you were willing to pay him $1,000 for it.

Why?

It represented a real value to me.

Maybe I was wrong,

but I was also doing my duty as a citizen.

You were gonna turn the tape over to the police?

Yes, of course.

Then why did you insist on hearing it first?

Wasn't it because you felt there might be something

on the tape which would incriminate you?

No. No.

I didn't kill her.

And you didn't know Mr. Conners?

No!

Your Honor, I think we can establish the truth here

if I may recall Mr. Eliot Hale.

Any, uh, objection from the prosecution?

I have no objection, Your Honor.

Mr. Hale to the stand, please.

You may step down, Mrs. Petrie.

JUDGE: Mr. Hale, you're still under oath.

Mr. Hale...

I now ask you to repeat a conversation

you had with Mrs. Petrie.

The conversation in which she mentioned

the telephone number Hollywood 2-0799.

Oh. Yes.

She asked about tapes and a technician,

and she left a number in case anything came up.

She specifically asked about a tape recording

from Miss Welles' room, did she not?

Yes, sir.

Now about 9:00 on the evening of the murder,

perhaps a little later,

a woman entered your building, crossed to the elevator,

and went up to the third floor.

Yes, sir.

I spoke to this woman, Mr. Hale.

When I asked her if you had noticed her, she said no.

Well, that's true.

I don't recall noticing a stranger.

She said you must have stepped away,

because she didn't see you there at your desk.

Arriving on the third floor,

the woman said she came out of the elevator,

she saw a man standing in front of Miss Welles' door,

apparently listening to something

that was going on inside her room.

Oh?

Was that you in front of the door, Mr. Hale?

No, Mr. Mason.

How could I be listening to something out in the hallway?

Those doors are solid.

What about the peephole, Mr. Hale?

You testified that when you brought the paper up

at 10 minutes after 10, the peephole was open.

You couldn't see very much,

but you could hear her splendidly, couldn't you?

But why would I be listening?

Your Honor...

I would like the first part of this tape recording,

Exhibit D, played at this time.

Your Honor...

It's already been explained,

the first part of this tape is spliced, edited.

It's a fake.

Precisely, Your Honor.

However, I would like this section

of the tape identified.

Hm.

Counsel's entirely within his rights, Mr. Burger.

Mr. Technician, you may proceed.

( clicks on )

SYLVIA: Do you love me, Richard?

VANAMAN: Love you for the rest of my life.

SYLVIA: Then get a divorce.

We can get married.

Your wife--

VANAMAN: Frances can be terrible, Sylvia.

SYLVIA: But she can't hold you.

VANAMAN: Not the way you can.

I love you, Sylvia.

A constant and devoted love.

( clicks off )

You thought it was a real scene you were listening to,

didn't you, Mr. Hale?

You didn't know it was a recording.

A fake.

Your angel was being defiled.

Your idol had-- Had slipped.

The woman with whom you were so in love...

had revealed feet of clay.

And so you waited your chance.

Then you went into the apartment,

and you killed her.

My mother was the same way.

I used to think of her as an angel.

But then she...

Oh.

Not that I killed my mother.

But I did kill Sylvia Welles.

( crowd chattering )

JUDGE: Bailiff. Take this man into custody.

( slow, dramatic theme playing )

For you, Mr. Mason.

Well, thank you, Mr. Noble.

I promise not to put it in a parking meter.

( chuckles )

Now may I satisfy my curiosity, Mr. Noble?

Is Mr. Vanaman fired?

Well, if he was, he's been rehired.

And who gets the vice presidency?

Well, if I was smart as Solomon,

I'd split the job in two and give half to each man.

And that's what you're going to do?

Mm, mm.

No, Della.

He's smarter than Solomon.

He's not gonna divide the job.

He's gonna make them compete for it all over again.

I've always said what's good for Noble and Company

is good for its personnel.

Vanaman, Mrs. Vanaman, come along.

Thank you, Mr. Mason.

Your belief in Richard never wavered, did it?

No more than yours, Mrs. Vanaman.

( noirish jazz theme playing )