All language subtitles for Perry Mason S04E22 The Case of the Cowardly Lion.DVDRip.NonHI.cc.en.CBS

Hello, Frank.

Hi.

Funny time to be coming
to work, Mr. Osgood.

Nearly 5:00.

Well, I'm not going
to work, Frank.

I'm gonna pick up Miss
Fursten in the hospital.

I should have guessed.

See you.

Mr. Osgood.

What's the matter, Boris?

I'm troubled about
the male lion.

His tooth is hurting again.
Maybe it should be taken out.

Well, you better tell Dr. Braun.

Oh, would you do that for me?

Dr. Braun and I are, well,

not exactly friends.

Well, you don't have to be
friends to get a dentist, Boris.

All right, I'll speak to him
the first thing in the morning.

Thank you.

Hello, Mr. Beacom.

Hello, Professor.

Well, I'm not quite a
professor yet, Mr. Beacom.

Miss Fursten in?

Yes, sir, she's in the nursery.

Thank you.

Don't work too hard.

No, sir.

You don't have to be frightened.

You've had a long trip
and you are here now.

And nobody is going to hurt you,

including that man
who just walked in.

Well, look who's here.

When did he arrive?

By jet this morning from Europe.

Isn't he handsome?

Well, say hello to
Mr. Osgood, Toto.

Hello, Toto.

Good to meet you.

If I remember my Swahili right,

that means "little
one," doesn't it?

Yeah. Toto is
just 14 months old.

Hm.

It's hard to believe that
someday he'll grow up

to be a 400-pound gorilla.

He's going to make a good
linebacker for a football team.

Yeah, yeah.

How long do you have
to stay here with him?

Oh, just until
Dr. Braun arrives.

He should be here any minute.

Well, everybody needs a dentist.

What's up?

Oh...

Oh, a sore gum the director
thought should be looked at.

They had a cable about it
from its keeper in Europe

but, uh, I think
Toto's simply teething.

Well, I have a few
things to do at the office.

Why don't I pick
you up later? Okay?

That's okay, Tony. That's okay?

Okay. Okay.

Time for little
gorillas to go to bed.

Tomorrow, if you are good,

I'll take you on
a tour of the zoo

and introduce you
to your relatives.

Ja, Miss Chimpanzee,
Mr. Orangutan

and the other grown-up gorillas.

But I'm sure they'll like you.

Come here.

Hospital nursery.
Miss Fursten speaking.

Hello. Hello?

Is anybody there?

Operator, this is Miss Fursten.

Were you trying to reach me?

No? Well, it must have been
somebody on the grounds.

No, no, no, don't bother.

They probably got
the wrong extension.

Yeah.

Mr. Beacom?

Mr. Beacom.

I'm coming, I'm coming.

Uh, Mr. Beacom,
did you move Toto?

T...?

No. You... You
mean the little gorilla?

Never mind. Just call
the security, please.

Go on, quickly. Quick.

What's going on here, Crawford?

Looks like someone walked
off with the baby gorilla, doctor.

Cage and all. Walked off?

You mean, stolen?

That's right stolen, kidnapped,

gosh knows what.

That baby's about the
most valuable animal

in the whole zoo,
isn't it, doctor?

Where's Miss Fursten?

Uh, she's inside there.

What I hope is
that whoever took it

didn't get outside the gates.

They're closed now, but,
what with night coming on,

and over 200 acres...

Hilde?

Oh, Walther, I'm so
glad you are here, finally.

How could you let this happen?

You were told to stay
here with the gorilla

until I arrived.

He had a swollen gum.

Ja, Walther, you are
right, but it was so strange.

The phone rang
in the other room,

I left to answer it but
nobody was there.

When I came back
the window was open,

Toto was gone.

And where was Mr. Beacom?

What kind of an attendant is he?

But he was in
his office, Walther.

I called and he came running.

And that was all there was?

That was every bit?

Ja.

I think you are lying, Hilde.

Now, what really happened?

Get your hands off me...

I want the truth.
Tell me the truth.

What's the matter with you?

I told you the truth, I swear.

Let her go. Leave me al...

What the devil do
you think you're doing?

You keep out of this.

No. Not until you cool off.

Now, what's going on?

Dr. Braun thinks I am
responsible for Toto.

But I know how
valuable he is, of course,

but, doctor, you do
not work for the zoo...

All right, all right, come on.

Let's get out of here.

Yes, by all means go.

Go along with your young man.

Go on.

Uh, I'm sorry, Tony,

but I think I should
stay here for a while.

What?

Why? I don't understand.

Well, don't try to
understand. Just go.

Please.

All right.

Hilde.

What's the matter?

Nothing is the matter.

I'm all right.

Where's Braun?

Please, Tony, he's busy
helping search for Toto.

Now, nothing's the matter.

I must go home now.

I'll take you home.
I'd rather go alone.

Hilde, will you please
tell me what's the matter?

I want to marry you.
Don't you understand?

Stop, Tony, please.
Now, listen to me.

I must go back to Germany.

What? As soon as
they can find someone

to replace me in my job.

Don't say any
more. Wait a minute,

because of Braun?
No. It's not your affair.

Please.

I realize this is
inconvenient, Mr. Mason,

since you have made a special
trip down from Los Angeles,

but our overcrowded calendar
leaves me no alternative

but to postpone this hearing.

Now, the State has
already indicated

that a date two weeks from today

would be acceptable.

How do you feel about that?

My client will
remain out on bail?

Yes, of course.

Then I have no objection at all
to the postponement, Your Honor.

Very well.

Schedule the matter for
10:00 two weeks from today.

Perry.

I'll be with you in a moment.

Paul back at the hotel yet?

No, but there was a
message from a young man

here in San Diego that
heard you were here

and he seems very
anxious to see you.

Well, if we're going
back to Los Angeles...

Of course, I don't
know any of the details,

but this apparently has
something to do with it.

"Zoo Baby Kidnapped?" Mm-hm.

Interested?

These are the same
species as Toto?

Lowland gorillas from the Congo.

We're the only zoo in the world

that has an adult
family living together.

You mean that poor
little thing in the paper

will grow that large?

Well, provided he survives
whatever's happened to him.

They still don't have
any leads on him.

But, uh,

you're not absolutely
certain the missing gorilla

has anything to
do with what's, uh,

upsetting your Hilde Fursten.

Well, it sure seemed
to trigger Dr. Braun.

Mr. Mason,

I need advice on this.

Supposing he's holding
something over Hilde's head,

could he force her
to leave the country?

She's still a German citizen.

Is Dr. Braun her employer?

No, she works for the zoo.

But he is on the
staff here, isn't he?

No, we don't have
any regular dentist here.

The work's done
by doctors like him.

Braun just donates
his time and services.

Well, if that's his only
connection with the zoo, I...

Well, never mind.

Della, you wait here
at the zoo for Paul.

Ask him to talk to Hilde.

I'm gonna see if I can
make a dental appointment.

You're going
straight to Dr. Braun?

Well, we might as well
find out as quickly as we can

why he's so upset.

Let's go.

Don't I have trouble enough,
without your barging in here?

Of all the days to come yapping.

I only agreed to stay in Seattle

if you kept up your end
of the bargain, Walther.

But you haven't. Not
for nearly two months.

I wrote you, explaining.

Explanations
don't buy groceries.

Groceries?

I've given you enough
in the last eight years

to buy a supermarket.

It's just that I'm
temporarily out of money,

that's all, Trudie.

You've been spending it

on that nurse of yours, perhaps?

Or on that girl you
brought from Germany?

Don't bother to lie.

I've been checking.

Still up to your old
tricks, aren't you?

Well, suppose I
tell certain people

about some of your
old habits, Walther?

Certain federal people.

I don't know what
you're talking about.

Two thousand
dollars for two months,

and a thousand for next month.

Today, please.

I'll have to borrow
the money, Trudie.

Something went wrong with the...

What is it, Frieda?

Mr. Mason's here.

That lawyer who telephoned.

Oh. Oh, yes. Uh,
have him come in.

Call me tonight, Trudie.

Now, goodbye.

Walther,

don't forget the money.

You may go in, Mr. Mason.

Thank you.

Dr. Braun?

May I ask you
something, Mr. Mason?

Why is a prominent lawyer
meddling in my personal affairs?

I'm "meddling," doctor,

only so far as Miss
Fursten is concerned.

All right, all right, of course.

But it's just as I told
you over the phone.

I secured Miss Fursten
her job at the zoo hospital,

personally vouched for
her competence there.

So when she allowed a creature

valued between 5 and $10,000

to... To be stolen from
right under her nose,

I lost my temper.

That's all there was to it.

But you apparently threatened
to send her back to Europe.

That was temper
speaking, Mr. Mason.

I am a very busy man.

I have a great many problems.

You actually think you
could have her sent back?

Oh, yes, since I am
her sponsor, so to speak.

But, really, whether
she goes back or not

is quite up to her.

Do you mean by that, doctor,
she wouldn't have to go back

if she fulfilled certain
requirements laid down by you?

And suppose I have laid
down certain requirements.

Is that illegal?

I can't say without knowing
what those requirements are.

But I can say this, doctor:

Miss Fursten can be deported

only if there is
something illegal

about her status
in this country.

If you point this, uh,

illegality out to
the authorities,

Miss Fursten will undoubtedly
have to go back to Europe,

but you, as an accessory,

will just as undoubtedly
have to go to jail.

Good day, doctor.

Oh, this is really your day.

Having trouble with
your little Brunhilde, dear?

All right then,

tell me about your
lady wrestler friend.

Who is she? An
old flame, darling?

Just a woman I used to be
in business with, that's all.

Must have been a
pretty shady business,

for her to still be
blackmailing you over it.

Frieda,

I've put up with a
great deal from you.

Your insolence,
your slovenly ways,

even your affair with
that lion tamer at the zoo.

Boris is the head keeper.

And there's been no affair.

I happen to know better.

And I must warn you,

if you don't keep out
of my private business,

even Boris isn't going to care
for what's left of your looks.

Do you understand, my dear?

Do you?

I'm sorry, Walther.

Zelbowski speaking.

Oh, Frieda.

Yes, I'm alone.

He what?

He said what to you?

I just told you,
he threatened me.

No, don't come here.

I'm all right.

But he'll be at the
zoo this evening.

He has to examine one
of your lions, doesn't he?

And you'll have him alone then.

Frieda, I am worried about this.

Boris, this is our chance.

You've got to do it tonight.

But I am not sure
it is right for us.

If you want me, Boris,

you'll do just as we planned.

All right, Frieda.

Yes.

Yes, I will do as you say.

But I will need your help.

Boris,

what's wrong with the lion?

I just moved him into
an empty compound

so we could work
on his tooth tonight.

Well, something
seems to be wrong.

Let's take a look.

Shh.

It's okay. I've got you.

Easy. Take it easy.

Beacom.

Oh, no, no, please let me go.

I... I didn't hurt him.

You stole the gorilla, Beacom?

I couldn't get him
off the ground.

It was my first chance.

Why would you steal
such a poor little creature?

Money. F... For money.

I didn't wanna make so
much trouble and upset

but there was a man
across the border.

He offered me $7,000.

Exactly seven.

Mr. Osgood,

now maybe everything
will be all right.

Yeah, maybe.

Hello, Toto.

His feeding instructions
are on the clipboard.

Dr. Braun left the
medication for his gums

and the directions
are on the bottle.

We'll get along fine, Hilde.

You run along.

Good. See you tomorrow morning.

Bye-bye, Toto.

Hello, Miss
Fursten. Well, hello.

Would you like me to
drive you to the gate?

Oh, thank you, but I'm only
going to the lion compound.

Where?

Well, actually, the
building next door.

I'm meeting Mr. Osgood there.

Oh, oh.

It seems to me you look
a little happier tonight,

Miss Fursten.
Heh-heh. Well, I am.

I certainly am.

Good night, Mr. Crawford.

Good night.

Miss Fursten.

Mr. Beacom.

Oh, what are you doing here?

Oh, just picking up some
clothes, Miss Fursten.

They didn't arrest you?

Well, the director
thought that firing me

was punishment enough, I guess.

Oh. He was very kind.

Good.

But I... I heard
you're leaving too.

It's not because
of what I did, is it?

Oh... Oh, no, Mr. Beacom,
as a matter of...

Oh, I'm awfully glad,

because we always
got along fine.

Ja, but...

Well, good luck back
in your lovely Germany.

Well, thank you, Mr. Beacom,
but I don't have to go now.

I may not have to leave at all.

What's the matter
with that lion?

Surely his tooth
can't still be aching.

Dr. Braun?

Dr. Braun!

I was working late
in my office over there

when Hilde came in and
told me what had happened.

I found Boris and he
helped me haul Dr. Braun out.

When we discovered he was dead,

I called our security
police and they called you.

You're the head
keeper, is that right?

Yes, sir. Boris Zelbowski.

You're also helping Dr. Braun
treat the lion, I understand.

Yes. I fired the anesthetic
and helped with the tooth.

Fired the anesthetic?

Yes, lieutenant.

With the more dangerous animals

we use a low-powered
rifle to plant the anesthetic.

It doesn't hurt them and
it's a good deal safer for us.

I see.

Why didn't you stay with
the doctor until he'd finished?

But I did.

The tooth had been pulled,

the doctor was outside
the compound when I left.

Why'd he go back inside?

That I do not know.

Well, maybe he left a piece
of his dental equipment inside

and figured the lion
was still out cold.

Well, if he figured
that, he figured wrong,

from the claw marks on his body.

Well, you're all free to go now.

But I'll expect a full report
from each of you tomorrow.

Mr. Osgood, what will
they do with my lion?

I'm afraid they are gonna
have to put him to sleep, Boris.

But that's not right.

He did not kill Dr. Braun.

How do you know that?

Remember, I kept the animal away

while you were
dragging the body out?

Yes, I remember.

Well, I held onto his mane
and he licked my hand.

Now, is that an action of a
lion who has just killed a man,

Mr. Osgood?

Do you think he
could be right, Tony?

I'll get my coat
and take you home.

All right.

Well, I'm not an authority
on lion psychology,

as your friend
Zelbowski apparently is,

but, according to the
morning newspaper,

that lion certainly
killed Dr. Braun.

But, Mr. Mason, what
about Tony's sport coat?

Why would anyone
want to steal it?

Well, maybe we're worrying

a little bit too much
about that, Hilde.

You haven't been able
to find that coat any place?

No, I looked in the building
next to the lion compound.

That's where I left it earlier.

But it was gone.

Hi.

Well, what'd you find out, Paul?

Enough. The police just received
a preliminary autopsy report

which confirms the
fact that Braun's body

was badly clawed.

Well, then the lion
really did kill him.

Well, he'd be an odds-on
favorite for the job,

except for one
thing. What's that?

About ten minutes after the
head keeper, uh, Zel something?

Zelbowski.

That's right, Zelbowski. About
ten minutes after Zelbowski

claims he left Braun alive
outside the lion compound,

a man was seen
inside the compound.

A man wearing a
dark blue sport coat.

Frieda, you must believe me.

I did not kill Dr. Braun.

Oh, I believe you, Boris.

At least for the record.

And off the
record, well, frankly,

I'm glad you got rid of him.

It makes our lives
much less complicated.

Now we can just take
over his little racket.

But I did not get rid of him.
I didn't even speak with him.

You expect me to believe that?

But it's the truth.

I lost my courage to even
talk with him last night.

Boris.

Boris, this is
Mr. Mason, an attorney.

Mr. Zelbowski. Miss
Frieda Crawson.

How do you do? How do you do?

I'm making some inquiries
into Dr. Braun's death.

I understand, Mr. Zelbowski,

that, uh, you maintain
the lion did not kill him.

That is correct.

Don't be foolish, Boris.

Of course the lion killed him.

How do you know
that, Miss Crawson?

Are you an expert on lions?

No, but I'm an expert on Boris.

You see, we're engaged.

And I know how he feels about
lions. They can do no wrong.

Now, if you'll excuse
us, Mr. Mason.

Mr. Zelbowski,

did you see anyone
besides Mr. Osgood

wearing a dark blue sports coat
on the zoo grounds last night?

Don't answer him, Boris.

I don't know what
you're up to, Mr. Mason,

but I suggest you ask your
questions someplace else.

How do you feel about
that, Mr. Zelbowski?

Answering the right questions

could mean saving
your lion's life, you know.

I will do as Frieda says.

Very well.

You know, it's quite possible
the next time we meet,

you and Miss Crawson will
be on the witness stand in court,

where failure to answer
could result in a jail term.

I must sacrifice the lion?

Well, who would you
rather have put to sleep,

a lion or you?

Tony.

Whatever happens, I meant
what I said the other night.

Every word.

What do you mean,
"whatever happens?"

You must stop talking
like the voice of doom.

Now, we haven't
done anything wrong.

Come on, give me another kiss.

No. Please.

Tony, I must tell you something.

Something that may...
May change how you feel.

Maybe I already know what it is.

Walther and me?

Yes.

We were not lovers.

If that's what you're thinking,

it was something
quite different.

How different? He
never touched me.

Not once, even though we were...

Tony?

Any luck?

Not with the coat.

I told your security
people about it,

they're looking for it.

Uh, Della ran across a couple
of interesting items, though.

Some woman was on the
grounds last night, after hours,

looking for you, Hilde.

Yes, but she disappeared just
before the body was discovered.

A Mrs. Appleman from Seattle?

But I don't know
any Mrs. Appleman.

You any idea who
she might be, Tony?

Not the slightest.

I'll have Paul Drake
check it out, then.

Now, about Dr. Braun's
nurse, Frieda Crawson.

As I understand it,

at one time she might
have been his mistress,

but now she says she's going
to marry this fellow Zelbowski.

Excuse me, folks.

I guess you're Mr. Mason.

I'm Lieutenant White, sir.

You wanted me, lieutenant?

No, it's Mrs. Braun
we're looking for.

Mrs. Walther Braun.
That is you, isn't it?

Mrs. Braun?

Tony, I must tell you how...

Now, never mind.
We'd just like you

to come down to headquarters
with us, Mrs. Braun.

Headquarters?

Why does she have to
go down there, lieutenant?

We'd like a statement from her

regarding her
husband's homicide.

You've proven it was
homicide, lieutenant?

Yes, sir. And we've
gone even further.

Mr. Osgood, I have here
a warrant for your arrest,

charging you with
first-degree murder.

Dr. Prince, as
Senior Pathologist

for the coroner's office,

you have quite properly
described the cause of death

in medical language.

Could you now put it so
we laymen can understand?

Yes.

Dr. Braun died of a broken neck

caused by a blow delivered here.

In your opinion, could a lion
have delivered such a blow?

No, not unless the lion was
capable of wielding a crowbar

or some similar instrument.

What makes you say that?

The, uh, shattered fragments

of, uh, vertebrae at
the point of impact.

Only a rod-like bar of metal
or hard wood could cause this.

Perhaps a metal
bar such as this,

already entered in evidence

as having been found
near the lion compound?

Yes, a metal bar such as this.

But, doctor,

if the deceased had been killed

by a human wielding
such a weapon,

how do you account for the
claw marks found on the body?

Well, judging by the
light amount of bleeding

along these marks,

I'm quite certain that
Dr. Braun was clawed

after he was dead.

In other words, the
already dead body

could have been
placed in the compound,

perhaps so the
lion could claw it

and be blamed for the death?

Yes, I have no doubt that's
exactly what happened.

Your witness.

I'd like your opinion about
something else, doctor.

Could the marks on the body
have been caused by a nail

or a small garden cultivator
or some similar agency?

No, absolutely not.

Why absolutely not?

The marks run
in series' of four,

just as a claw would leave.

Now, the separations between
the marks in each series

correspond exactly with
the normal separations

found between the
claws of a full-grown lion.

Where did you learn so much
about the claw separations

of a full-grown
lion, Dr. Prince?

From Mr. Osgood's
former employer,

the San Diego Zoo.

And when you processed
this bar in the crime laboratory,

you say you found blood
on it. Did you type the blood?

Yes, sir. It was type AB,

the same as that
of the deceased.

And now I show
you this sport coat,

already identified as
belonging to the defendant.

Do you recognize it?

Yes, sir. We processed
that in the lab too,

and found bloodstains.
It was the same grouping,

type AB.

I see.

Any questions, Mr. Mason?

May I have a look at
that coat, Mr. Talford?

Of course.

Now, uh, concerning this coat,

am I right in identifying
these stains on the sleeve,

on the front of the coat
and here on the inside lining,

as bloodstains?

Yes, sir. They're the ones
I've been talking about.

How do you account
for their presence?

Well, if the defendant
carried Dr. Braun's body

into the lion's compound,

the coat would
naturally get stained.

Well, aren't you forgetting
the, uh, body was not clawed

until after it was placed
in the compound?

Oh, well, I suppose there's
several ways the blood...

Thank you.

That's all.

You were in the zoo at the time
of the murder, Miss Crawson?

I think so.

Tell the court about it, please.

Yes, sir.

Well, I had this dinner
date with Boris Zelbowski

and I drove out to pick him up.

And what time was this?

A little after 7:30.

It was already pretty dark.

Boris wasn't waiting.

But I knew he and Dr. Braun
were working on the lion,

so I went in to see what gave.

Did you see what gave?

Well, I didn't see
Boris or Dr. Braun.

But I did see a man coming
out of the lion's compound.

A man wearing a
dark blue sport jacket.

And this man,

is he anywhere in this
courtroom, Miss Crawson?

Why, yes, sir.

He's at that table
right over there.

Mr. Osgood.

Hi, Perry.

Hello, Paul.

Well, we got the rundown
on Dr. Walther Braun.

He came here eight years
ago from Trenton, New Jersey,

after he had some trouble there.

A charge of, uh,

"Selling and
diverting dental gold."

The charge was somehow dropped.

And, somewhere
between Trenton and here,

he also managed to
somehow drop a wife.

Where before Trenton?

Hannover, Germany, where
he worked for a big drug firm,

which ties in with
what I found here.

What's that?

In addition to becoming
a consultant at the zoo

and doing fine at dentistry,
on both humans and animals,

Braun started a
small drug company

specializing in antibiotics.

It's called the, uh, "Apex
Pharmaceutical Company."

You been there, Paul?

No, but I got the address.

It's, uh, Seventh and Ash.

Anything else?

Yes, but not about Braun.

I spoke to the curator
of mammals at the zoo

and he agrees with Tony.

Unless a lion was starving,

he would never claw
anything already dead.

You'd better
check on that, Paul.

While I run over to the Apex
Pharmaceutical Company,

you and Della go to the
zoo. Could be important.

What do we do at the zoo?

I want you to give
a lion a manicure.

He does not like this.

Must this really be done?

You said it didn't hurt.

No more than a needle does
when the doctor gives you a shot.

But this lion is such a baby.

And besides, I can go in there

and do whatever
you want without this.

Not a chance.

The director said he
had to be anesthetized.

Boris, do you want me to shoot?

No, no.

I will do it.

Then we will go in
and scrape his claws.

You a policeman? Some of
your people already been here.

No, I'm an attorney.
My name is Mason.

And, uh, you?

Keller. Abner Keller.

Bookkeeper.

Or was, up until
the time he died.

Dr. Braun was the sole owner?

Well, could be his partner
in Germany had an interest.

I was never told.

Who is this partner?

A Dr. Elick Plum.

Oh, I had his address somewhere.

Or you can reach him
at the Hannover Zoo.

Hannover Zoo.

Yeah, veterinarian, Plum is.

For the zoo.

I see.

Uh, Dr. Braun's business here,

was it lucrative?

Boom or bust.

Shipment comes in, we boom.

Ten, 12 girls filing orders.

Then nothing,
sometimes for months.

Oh, look, here's
last year's ledger.

See?

Boom starting Jan.
5, ending Feb. 2.

Another, June 6.

Another, Sept. 9.

Feast or famine.

Now, now, maybe
you wouldn't mind

going out the back
way, Mr. Mason?

What's the matter?

Answering questions
all day for policemen

and people like
you, that's one thing.

But out there's a
dame from Seattle

who's 50 times as nosy.

And there's sure no
law says I gotta be polite.

Did you say that
woman's from Seattle?

Yeah.

Come in, won't you?

You know, I think the police

will be very interested
in talking to you.

Mrs. Braun, you must answer

the District
Attorney's question.

Unless, of course,
you feel your answer

may incriminate you in some way.

No, it is not that.

Yes, Tony?

Mr. Osgood, and
Dr. Braun did have a quarrel,

just as Mr. Beacom said.

And this quarrel was
over you, Mrs. Braun,

because Dr. Braun
was threatening

to send you back to Germany?

Yes.

Will you tell us how Dr. Braun
could threaten such a thing?

It was because of the
way we were married.

Explain that, please.

Well, I wanted to come
to the United States.

My parents were dead
and I had only a part-time job

in the hospital at
the Hannover Zoo.

And I met Dr. Braun
through a friend of mine,

a Dr. Elick Plum.

Well, when Dr. Braun heard
of my desire to come here,

he said he would be glad to
fix it so I could get on the quota.

That it was my only way
to marry him for a while.

It seemed all right to do.

And after you were married?

A year later, my name
appeared on the quota

as Mrs. Walther Braun and...

And I came here.

To live with Dr. Braun
as man and wife?

No, no, it was only to help me.

We had agreed that the
marriage would be secret

and in name only.

In name only, Mrs. Braun?

Are you sure that's how it was?

Yes, I am sure
that's how it was.

And we were to
be quietly divorced

as soon as I became
an American citizen.

So, with things
worked out so neatly,

how could Dr. Braun
have had you deported?

Well, he threatened to
tell the authorities that...

That I had tricked
him into the marriage

to get into the country.

Then why should he threaten this

when you had an agreement?

He wanted to break
the agreement,

to assert his rights
as a husband.

And you told this to the man
you admitted in court you love,

you told this to the
defendant, Anthony Osgood?

No, I didn't tell him anything.

Osgood didn't kill to save you

from having to submit
to Dr. Braun's embraces

or be sent back to Germany?

No, of course not.

Tony didn't even know that
I was married to Dr. Braun.

As clerk in the
immigration office,

you were asked by the defendant

to look up the records
on Hilde Fursten?

Yes, sir. I found her
name in our cross files,

under the name
Hilde Fursten Braun,

wife of Dr. Walther Braun.

And did Mr. Osgood
express surprise

on finding her so registered?

Not in words.

He just walked away.

Any questions, Mr. Mason?

No questions.

I'm sure you'll have
some questions

to ask our next witness.

I now call...

Mrs. Walther Braun.

Please state your
name, place of residence,

and occupation.

Mrs. Walther Braun,
6134 Front Street,

Seattle, Washington.

I guess my occupation
would be housewife,

even though I haven't
lived with Walther

for over eight years.

But you are, or rather were,

his wife at the
time of his death?

Oh, my, yes.

We were married in 1947
in Trenton, New Jersey.

You can look up the record.

You were never divorced?

No. After we left Trenton,
we agreed to live separately,

but there was never a divorce.

Then this woman
who just left the stand,

this so-called
Hilde Fursten Braun,

was never Dr. Braun's wife?

No.

Either she's lying,
or Walther tricked her.

Uh, Your Honor,

I must object to the
State's line of questioning.

Miss Fursten is not
the defendant here

and whether or not
she was Dr. Braun's wife

is completely irrelevant.

I move both question
and answer be stricken.

Mr. Talford?

I could argue the matter,
but since the time is late,

I'll simply withdraw
the question

and go on to something
undeniably relevant.

Mrs. Braun,

where were you between 7 and 8

on the night of your
husband's death?

I was at the zoo.

What were you doing there?

I'd been following Dr. Braun.

I knew he went out there.

You see, I'd come
down from Seattle

to collect rather a
considerable sum of money

that he owed me and I wanted
to make sure that he paid it.

Besides, I wanted to get a
look at that German girl of his.

She's the one I told the
guards I'd been to see.

And did you follow Dr. Braun
to the lion compound?

Oh, no. I couldn't
find where he went.

The place is so big

and anyone I asked a question
of simply said I should go.

It was after closing,
so finally I had to leave.

What did you do when
you heard about the murder?

I stayed in my hotel
room in Coronado

to wait and see
what would happen.

And it was your
sense of public duty

that made you come to us?

No, sir.

Mr. Mason made me come to you.

Mr. Mason sent you?

I, too, have a sense of
public duty, Mr. Talford.

Why didn't you tell me
you'd seen Mr. Mason?

You didn't ask me.

No, I didn't.

But I'm asking you
now what you saw

when you passed
the lion compound

while wandering around the
zoo on the night of the murder.

I saw someone in
back of the compound.

Somebody wearing
a dark sport coat.

Thus confirming other testimony.

Now, tell us, Mrs. Braun,
do you see that somebody,

who wore the sport coat,
here in this courtroom?

Well, after getting a
good look at Mr. Osgood,

I can tell you this:

It wasn't him.

It was somebody smaller.

Much smaller.

It was somebody about...

About exactly her size.

Whose size, Mrs. Braun?

Hers.

Frieda Crawson.

My dear husband's mistress.

And what about the lab report

on the manicure you
gave the lion, Paul?

I picked it up on the way here.

"None of the tests run
on the nail scrapings

show the slightest trace
of human blood or flesh."

Well, this gets odder and odder,

if that means
what I think it does.

It almost certainly means the
lion never touched the body.

Which in turn means...

Here are last year's
records, Mr. Mason.

Each card shows when a
new shipment of animals

came into the hospital.

January 3rd, June
5th, September 7th.

Exactly what I wanted, Hilde.

Now, what about the cage?

The director of the zoo

said you could have
anything here to help Tony,

but how can Toto's cage help?

That's what I'd like to know.

Have you ever heard the story
about the customs inspector

and the Mexican boy
on a bicycle, Paul?

No.

Well, the boy kept
cycling across the border

carrying a sack
over his shoulder.

Convinced that he was
smuggling something,

the inspector examined
the sack each time,

and each time all
he found was sand.

He finally met
the boy in Tijuana

and pleaded with the boy

to tell him just what
he had been smuggling.

The boy finally broke
down and told him.

Told him what?

The same thing that Toto's cage

should tell us in
court tomorrow.

But in the meantime, Paul,

I have a chore for you to do.

Not to give another
lion a manicure, I hope.

Oh, no.

This time I, uh, want
you to kidnap a lion.

Then Mrs. Braun
was telling the truth.

She did see you wearing
Tony Osgood's coat

in the lion compound.
Well, what of it?

Why are you going after
me? She gets his estate.

She must have been
the one who killed him.

Why don't you go after her?

Perhaps I will,
after you explain

why you attempted to
incriminate Mr. Osgood.

Well... When you went
to the lion compound

to search for Boris,

you found the body of
Dr. Braun outside the compound,

did you not?

Miss Crawson, you've
already admitted...

All right, yes. That's
what happened.

I went to the keeper's office.

Boris wasn't there, but
I saw Mr. Osgood's coat

and the lion pelt,

and that gave me an idea.

And wearing the coat,

you then dragged the
body into the compound.

Is that not correct?

It was only a few feet and
the lion was still out cold.

And then, with this,

you clawed the body
to make it look as though

it had been clawed by the lion.

And then later you lied to
the police by telling them

you'd seen Mr. Osgood
inside the lion compound.

Is that not correct,
Miss Crawson?

Yes.

Apparently you were
trying to protect someone

by doing all this.

Who was that person?

Boris.

Boris Zelbowski.

Very well, then,

let us say you did
not kill Dr. Braun.

What made Miss Crawson
think you'd killed him?

That's because of what she
had wanted me to say to him

while we were treating the lion.

And what was that?

We were going to make
ourselves partners in his...

His racket.

Did she explain to
you what that meant?

She said Dr. Braun would know.

But I didn't even
talk to him about it.

About anything. I
lost my courage.

But even if I had
killed him, Mr. Mason,

I would never be so stupid

as to try to put the
blame on the lion.

Why, all the keepers know
what a big coward he is.

Why, he is afraid
of his own shadow.

Well, he would never
dare to attack anyone.

Mr. Zelbowski,

do you recognize that cage?

Uh...

That is the cage in which
the baby gorilla came.

And what happens to these cages
after the animals are delivered?

They take all the new
animals up to the hospital first,

I don't know.

Harry Beacom, he...
He was a cleanup man.

Maybe he could tell you.

With the court's permission,

I would like to
recall Mr. Beacom.

Recall Mr. Harry Beacom.

You may step down.

I must remind you, you're
still under oath, Mr. Beacom.

Uh, yes, sir.

Mr. Beacom,

would you please
examine this cage.

Why, uh, it's Toto's cage.

Isn't it true that, uh,
when you took Toto,

what you really
wanted was the cage?

Cage?

Well, what would I
want with a cage?

Because of what
was concealed in it.

Beneath this false bottom.

Packages of pharmaceuticals.

Purchased wholesale in Europe

to be sold three to
five times their cost

through Dr. Braun's drug firm.

Isn't this what you really
wanted, Mr. Beacom?

No, I didn't want that stuff.

I was trying to force Braun

to cut me in on his
smuggling racket.

Just like Frieda
Crawson wanted him to.

And then when you
found Dr. Braun alone,

after he had treated the lion,

he refused to cut you in,

you used this on him.

No.

I... I didn't mean to
kill him, Mr. Mason.

I... I swear I didn't.

He got angry and...

And he swung at
me with that iron bar.

I took it away from
him and... And hit him.

I wouldn't kill.

I just meant to stun him.

Just to stun him.

You know, I suppose
Braun figured

he'd eventually
let Hilde take over

as receiver of the shipments.

That's why he got
her the job here.

Well, you sure scored
a bull's-eye on the tie-in

between the new
supplies for Braun

and the new animals for us.

You know, the records show

that Braun and his friend
from the Hannover Zoo

have been averaging
three shipments a year

for the past five years.

And at $30,000 profit
per shipment, tax-free,

that's a pretty fair business.

And a pretty safe one.

A wild animal cage would
be the last place in the world

you'd expect a customs inspector

to check for
smuggled antibiotics.

Speaking of customs inspectors,

you never did finish the story

about the Mexican
boy on the bicycle.

No, I didn't.

Perry.

Look. Look over there.

Look how happy
Toto is, Mr. Mason,

with his new relatives,

Mr. Orangutan and
Miss Chimpanzee.

Uh, speaking of
customs inspectors...

Oh, yes, for heaven's sakes,
tell him the rest of the story.

Well, as I told you,

the inspector got mighty
tired of examining the sacks

the boy kept carrying
over the border,

week after week.

And then the boy
finally promised

to tell him what
he was smuggling.

And what had he been smuggling?

Bicycles.