Original subtitles

It was Emerson who said,

"If a man can write a better book,

"preach a better sermon

"or make a better mousetrap than his neighbor,

"though he build his house in the woods,

the world will make a beaten path to his door."

You are looking at a kind of better mousetrap right now

and the world of dress design

is beating a path to this salon in Southern California.

These are the work of one of the really fresh new talents

in the field of feminine fashion.

Hello, Flavia.

Oh, hello.

Uh, we don't mean to snoop.

Not at all. Come in and sit down.

Thanks.

What are you working on?

Cocktail dress.

Like it?

Well, first, how much?

You men are all alike.

Why don't you come to our preview Friday

and we'll model it for you?

Formal wear, dinner dresses, suits, spectator sports.

We're celebrating our 5th birthday, you know.

Congratulations, Flavia.

You've come a long way in five years.

Thanks to the other half of our firm.

Come on, I want you to meet him.

Darling?

This is Charles, without whose help... et cetera, et cetera.

How are you, Charles?

Oh, I'm a little nervous.

It's not only our birthday tomorrow,

it's our wedding anniversary.

Well, congratulations again.

Thank you.

Charles is the administrative half

of Flavia of California.

When it comes to business I haven't a brain in my head,

have I, dear?

What's this I hear about expansion plans, Flavia?

Expansion?

Oh, he means our deal with Ariel Fashions, dear.

Yes, uh, as a matter of fact, we are expanding

and, well, we're both very excited about it.

You see, we've... We've worked out an agreement

with Henry De Garmo of Ariel Fashions of New York.

Uh, it's a plan to license Flavia designs

under our strict supervision. Charles...

As you know, Ariel is one of the finest houses

in woman's wear and, well... Excuse me.

We just felt that a... A... A combination

of our two organizations

would be of mutual benefit. Charles, please.

She's always interrupting.

What now?

I just don't want to give him the wrong impression.

Wrong impression?

Well, about Ariel. I thought I told you.

Told me what?

I've decided against it.

Uh, she's a great little ad-libber.

The contracts were signed last week.

But I didn't sign it, dear.

Of course you didn't sign it.

I handle all the contracts.

Isn't this a mad place for a business discussion?

I'm sorry, Charles, dear, but I don't want 20 million people

to get the wrong impression.

I have no intention of selling my name

to Ariel or anyone else.

Now, why don't you find a nice place to relax

while I show our friend our awards?

Over on this wall, please.

You know, when I think of what we've accomplished

in the last five years,

I just can't bring myself to turn the name

of Flavia of California over to someone else.

Here is the certificate

we won last spring:

American Conclave of Fashion Designers.

And here's the gold medal we got last year in Paris.

I don't care if the lines to Los Angeles are busy,

try wireless or something.

I've got to...

Oh, all right, put me through.

Get me George Halliday at the Beverly Regent.

And this one was our first international award...

three years ago.

Henry you're a minute and 40 seconds late.

Are you watching the show?

What's with your sister?

Of course I'm watching it.

And how do I know what got into Flavia?

I tried to call the salon,

they wouldn't take any calls.

It's your responsibility.

You get to her. Talk to her.

Tell your flibbertigibbet sister the name Flavia of California

is on a contract which says my outfit, Ariel Fashions,

is licensed to use it for five years

with an option for five more.

Her husband and I set the deal over a week ago.

Henry, all I can promise is I'll do what I can.

And it better be enough, George.

I'm catching a Los Angeles plane in an hour

and when I get there I want good news.

Is that clear?

Right, Henry.

I'll do what I can.

Operator.

This is the award

from the American Fashion Designers,

our last spring preview.

We all feel that Friday's show

is going to be even better.

Hello?

Oh, hello, George.

Yes, I'm watching it right now.

I've gotta talk to you.

No, I can't tell you on the phone.

I haven't seen you for six months.

How about staring at each other across the lunch table?

Huh?

I said I'm not interested.

What do you mean?

Yes. Yes, I know.

All right.

I'll... I'll see you at Alfredo's at 1.

Goodbye, George.

Well, at first I thought Flavia was kidding.

She does have a kind of a madcap sense of humor, you know.

Then she repeated it and I... I looked at her

and I realized that she was serious.

Well, it was like a nightmare.

I... I couldn't believe it was happening.

You had no warning?

Certainly not.

I had suggested the television emcee ask the question.

I thought it would give me a chance

to make an important announcement on the show

and give the program a scoop

and the television audience a thrill.

Then she did it deliberately.

Why?

No idea.

Not only did she do it deliberately,

but she picked the worst possible moment,

almost as if she were trying to make a fool out of you

in front of 20 million people.

Now, there had to be some kind of buildup for an act like that.

If there was, I missed it.

Tell me, Mr. Pierce,

how much was riding on that deal with Ariel Fashions?

Well, on the credit side of the ledger,

a flat payment of 200,000

plus 10 percent of Ariel's gross on the Flavia line.

And on the debit side, well, if the contract isn't honored,

there'll be a lawsuit for damages on a broken contract

that'll be a dilly.

Hm.

Now, you said that Flavia just walked into your office one day

about five years ago with a bundle of dress designs.

Was it that simple?

Well, almost.

She and Leona made me a proposition and I took it.

Leona?

Leona Durant. She heads up our design department.

She and Flavia had a little business in West Los Angeles

before they came to me.

I was doing pretty well.

I was in sportswear, bathing suits, and so on,

just starting to distribute nationally.

What happened after Flavia moved in?

Well, we... We took off like a rocket.

You saw the show. It's all true.

Oh, except for one thing.

She said she was a very poor businesswoman.

Actually, she was a very good one.

Oh?

She had you sign an antenuptial agreement.

What's wrong with that?

Right now, everything.

All it does is reserve her own property prior to marriage

for herself alone.

But she had nothing.

Except her name.

What?

This reserves right and title

to the name Flavia of California.

Here, read it yourself.

Paragraph 8, the last sentence.

But what about the partnership papers?

Same clause.

She owns Flavia of California.

But my blood's in that company.

Her name was nothing until I built it.

Unfortunately, that has nothing to do with the point.

Look, I... I took $10,000 in option money from De Garmo.

Don't spend it.

You mean there's nothing I can do?

Well, you can try to get her to change her mind.

Well, it... It isn't fair.

I own the controlling interest in that business.

De Garmo isn't buying the business.

He's buying her name.

Uh, let me look this over further.

I'll call you tomorrow.

Thanks.

Della...

Mm-hm?

Della, think like a woman, will you?

I'll try.

Now, what would make a scheming, successful businesswoman

suddenly throw $200,000 out of the window?

Take guesses?

I'll accept a guess.

Another woman.

Cheers.

Oh, what's this?

I've been shopping.

Champagne?

It's a special occasion.

I think I'd better run along, George.

No, we haven't decided anything.

What's there to decide?

You're in one of your difficult moods, Angel.

Don't call me "Angel."

I'm running out of patience.

I ought to take you over my knee.

You know why she pulled that rabbit out of the hat.

I haven't the faintest idea.

Don't lie to me.

I know you too well.

And I know my sister even better.

I grew up with her.

She's got an unholy love for a buck.

She wouldn't throw 100,000 of them overboard

unless she figured collecting would cost her even more.

George, what does all this have to do with me?

A great deal.

Charles is in love with you.

She's afraid if the deal goes through,

he'll pick up his marbles and walk out.

That's not true.

I said don't lie to me.

So you better give him up.

Hi.

What are you doing here?

Fittings.

Leona?

Gotta get out there and win some more award certificates

tomorrow night.

From me to you.

It's a going-away present.

After tomorrow night, I'm pushing off.

Now, don't be silly.

This time I mean it.

Come on, let's talk.

Talk gets us nowhere. You know that.

It's one of those things you just don't talk your way out of.

Let's just face up to it and do the sensible thing, shall we?

Evening, Leona.

Mr. Pierce. Where's Flavia?

At the hotel with the decorators.

We got six dresses to fit by 10:00.

Goodbye, Charles.

Hook it at the neck.

Where does this go?

There.

Charles says I have to talk to you.

I can't discuss it now, Mr. De Garmo.

Go on back to New York. I'll write you a letter.

Oh, where did she...?

You can't just toss it into the wastebasket, you know.

Will you please...? No, I won't please.

I have $100,000 invested in this deal.

I don't just pick up my hat and walk out.

Then go someplace and brood about it until Saturday.

I can't talk to you now.

I've been looking all over for that pin.

Oh, now, wait a minute. Not that one. Number 24.

Go on, take it back.

Harriet, change the color of that lipstick.

All right.

Go on home now and get an hour's rest.

The show's at 7 sharp. Remember? You too, Ruth.

Leona. LEONA: What?

Make those changes I told you about

and hurry, please. What about 42?

I'll decide on that now.

That's the wrong brooch. Here, use this one.

Flavia, this is ridicu...

I told you I can't discuss it now.

Like it? No.

The neckline doesn't seem to...

Don't comment on it, dear, just wear it.

See you Saturday.

My head is in such a spin I can't even think.

Take it off.

It's the last one in the show. I may leave it out.

The show is at 7 sharp. Understand?

Yes.

Leona, you can send everybody out to dinner now.

All right. All right, Mr. Mason.

We'll... We'll have a three-way conference with De Garmo

just as soon as I can arrange it. Right.

Right, goodbye.

Celebrating?

Yeah. Yeah.

Happy show. Happy anniversary. Happy everybody.

You never bought champagne before.

Well, I never had an occasion like this.

You're not brooding about that silly deal with Ariel,

now, are you, Charles?

I haven't given it a second thought.

You're a sweet, likable boy and I love you for it.

Yeah, I don't know.

It looks better in this sketch than it does on your friend.

Shall we leave her out of this just once?

Happy to.

You know, it's something wrong with the neck.

It's too busy or something.

Here, Charles, look at it.

Now, what do you think?

I don't know.

I don't know what got into Leona.

It isn't like her at all.

Leona?

Leona.

De Garmo is threatening to sue.

He's bluffing.

He's mighty good at it then.

I told him you'd probably

be more rational after the preview.

You know me better than that.

I have no intention of...

Of what?

Flavia?

Flavia?

Poison.

It's poison.

I switched Carla with the Gilbert girl.

We need a brunette with a frosty green...

Flavia!

Flavia, what happened? W-w-what did you...?

Charles gave me poison.

She's dead.

Flavia? Flavia!

No rigor as yet.

No postmortem lividity.

Temperature change insignificant.

And she just came in to pass the time of day?

She was my wife.

We talked once in a while.

What were you talking about this time?

The preview. What else?

Hope Sutherland?

Leona, will you please...?

Who's Hope Sutherland?

One of our models.

Why would he be talking about her?

Because he's in love with her.

And that's why his wife's out there dead. Isn't it?

Isn't that why you killed her?

I didn't kill her.

What did you find?

Have to wait for the postmortem examination to be sure.

All we can say is some fast-acting poison.

You and your wife have a drink together?

No.

It was about 5:00. Cocktail hour.

I didn't give her anything.

Where were they?

Wastebasket in the washroom.

Fingerprints all over the bottle.

How do I know where I bought it?

I... I've had it around for six or eight months.

Then you don't drink champagne very often?

Well, New Year's, birthdays...

Anniversaries? Not this one.

You so seldom buy it, you ought to know where you got it.

I wish I could help you.

You can.

Just remember: The first thing a good attorney gives his client

is faith, in return for that he expects the truth.

If that seems an unfair exchange,

I'll be happy to recommend someone else.

I didn't kill her.

I've assumed that from the first.

What I'm asking is where you got that bottle of champagne.

Hope gave it to me.

For what reason?

Anniversary present.

But she didn't put poison in the bottle.

How do you know?

Well, she wouldn't do a thing like that.

You mean to, uh, you.

You realize the person who did put the poison in that bottle

stood a pretty good chance of killing both of you.

I know.

What was your relationship with this girl?

Well, it's pretty hard to explain.

It isn't the obvious one, if that's what you're thinking.

Is she in love with you?

I don't want to talk about it.

Sooner or later you're going to have to talk about it.

Well, let's make it later.

You picked up that bottle of champagne,

went shopping all afternoon,

then brought it around to the salon

when you had to report for fittings that night.

Is that right? Yes.

It wasn't out of your possession at any time?

Not that I can remember.

Was this the usual thing with you and Pierce?

To congratulate him on his anniversaries?

Mr. Mason...

I know you don't want to talk about it,

but you're going to have to do a lot of talking about it

before it's settled.

You probably won't understand this,

but I'll say it once anyway:

I love him, I respect him

and I respected his marriage.

Period.

It seems a little hopeless.

We talked a lot about that.

Get anywhere?

No.

But we understand each other.

And there's another thing I'll say just once:

We haven't done anything that either of us

would be ashamed to testify to in court.

How did you expect to wind it up?

I was winding it up the night I brought him the champagne.

I told him so.

Had nothing to do with Flavia's performance on television?

It has nothing to do with Ariel Fashions or money

or anything else except Charles.

Is that so hard to understand?

Then why were you giving up?

It was hopeless, that's all.

Hello?

Yes, he's here. Just a minute.

Thank you.

Hello?

Oh, yes, Della.

They just got the results back from Autopsy.

Prussic acid.

If it was the champagne, they'll find traces of it

in the bottle and the cups,

even if there was an attempt to wash them out.

If it was prussic acid,

they won't find anything in the champagne bottle.

You can pick up that bitter almond smell too easily.

Nobody could palm it off in a glass of champagne.

Sounds like suicide.

The district attorney quashed the complaint?

What are you talking about, Mason?

Well, in view of the postmortem report, Mr. Linn,

I thought your office might reconsider.

It doesn't change a thing.

How can you say that? It's easy. I'll say it again.

The postmortem report doesn't change a thing.

Your client is in jail and he'll stay there.

You know as well as I do that prussic acid

cannot be concealed in a glass of champagne.

So what? So it had to be in a capsule.

And he couldn't have given her a capsule

without her knowledge.

Oh, well, then it wasn't murder. It was suicide. I see.

I can understand what the counselor

is getting at, Mr. Linn.

Flavia Pierce, distraught over the loss

of her husband's affection,

something she'd been aware of for months,

picked the eve of her big spring preview

to kill herself in her husband's presence.

That was well-stated, lieutenant.

She's the kind of woman who would do exactly that.

Irrational, temperamental... Oh?

Are those the symptoms of unbalance?

She pulled the rug out from under her husband

in front of 20 million people for revenge, kicks or whatever.

That's one symptom and it's all I need.

You see that's how we differ, Mr. Mason.

You can look at a thing like that as evidence of instability

and possible suicide.

All I can see

is a maddening dame who practically goaded

her husband into killing her.

You'd say that in court?

Oh, no.

But that's what I think.

I can't talk you into quashing the complaint.

Not a chance. I filed it two hours ago.

Suspicion of first-degree murder.

Of course it was murder.

What else?

There are several alternatives.

Suicide is one.

It wasn't suicide. How do you know?

Flavia wasn't a coward. She was tough.

She not only had talent, she had courage.

She'd go down fighting, but she'd never kill herself.

Was she fighting?

She sure was.

In what way? Every way.

Every way she knew. She was trying to hold onto him.

It's pretty hard to explain to a man how a woman feels

when the guy she loves starts toward the door.

You have to be a woman to understand that, I guess.

She talk to you about it?

Sure.

We talked about almost everything.

She was the only friend I had.

Picked me out of a shirt factory in East Los Angeles

ten years ago.

The two of us built all this.

His nibs had nothing to do with it.

He was just a name on the door, that's all.

A name on the door.

Who hired Miss Sutherland?

Flavia.

Her brother George talked her into it.

That would be George Halliday. Mm-hm.

He was going with Hope at the time.

Met her up in the Valley.

What valley?

He's got a gold mine east of Fresno.

Hope was a hostess in a swank restaurant up there.

Ha! He gave her a song and dance, I guess.

Told her he'd get her a job with Flavia.

Figured Charles Pierce was out of circulation.

That's where he made his mistake.

She plucked Pierce like an overripe apple.

Oh, but that isn't what you asked me.

You asked me if Flavia killed herself

and I said she didn't.

She couldn't, she wouldn't

and she didn't.

Excuse me.

I have work to do.

Paul Drake, please.

That's right.

Paul, I've got a rush job for you to do.

Pretty promising mine from what I can find out.

However, if brother George hits, it'll be the first time.

He's been in real estate, oil stock,

chinchilla farming, the works.

Are you sure he has that, um, ore-reduction mill?

Yeah, a small one. Is it important?

Could be. The mill operating?

When he has the money.

He comes to town every couple of weeks,

puts up at a hotel, and hits Flavia for a loan.

From what I can tell,

this last time she turned him down cold.

Any reason? Hard to say.

She doesn't need a reason.

She's the most inconsistent woman in the world.

Where'd you pick that up, radar?

No. Right in here.

There are 41 designs in this collection,

all part of a plan.

Number 42... Here. Take a look.

Number 42. I saw that today.

What's wrong with it?

Well, it doesn't belong.

Forty-one of them do, but this one doesn't.

Reason: her deep-seated inconsistency.

You mean she was a normal woman.

I'll try to overlook that.

Yes, Gertie?

Well, when did...?

No, I'll be right out.

So, Flavia turned brother George down on a loan. What then?

Well,

then he applied for credit from a couple

of mine supply outfits.

Uh, one application listed an interesting name

as reference: Henry De Garmo.

Ariel Fashions. Mm-hm.

He and George stayed at the same hotel three weeks ago

when De Garmo flew in to close the deal with Flavia.

George involved in that?

I don't know.

He might have sold De Garmo a bill of goods.

Some kind of guarantee that he could talk Flavia into the deal.

For a fee. From what I can pick up,

brother George would promise anything

if there was money in it.

Maybe the district attorney's office will change its mind

about that complaint.

I don't know. I don't know how they got there.

I never saw them before.

Yes, but, uh, they were there, weren't they? Four of them.

One, two, three, four.

Somebody put them in my purse.

Why? You tell me why.

I don't know why. I never saw them before.

Look, I was her friend.

For ten years I was her friend.

I owed her everything I've got.

How can you accuse me of killing her?

When was the last time you saw that purse?

Last night.

I left it in the cloakroom at the salon overnight.

Did you usually do that? I forgot it.

Well, isn't it pretty hard for a woman to do?

Her purse is her right hand.

Well, I was upset about the preview and all.

And the purse stayed in the cloakroom

until, uh, a couple of hours ago

when one of the men picked it up and found

four capsules of prussic acid in it.

You want to defend her too?

No, one's enough.

What about that complaint?

You gonna quash it?

I hate to give in to you.

You certainly can't arraign him with what you've got.

Not now, anyway.

I'm afraid you're right.

I'll call the district attorney in the morning.

We'll release Pierce pending further investigation.

That is, unless something new develops during the night.

I'll call you.

Thank you, Mr. Linn.

Mr. Linn.

Yes?

What can I do for you?

You can let her go.

Why?

She had nothing to do with it.

I... I thought it was Flavia's purse.

You mean, you planted those capsules?

I thought it was Flavia's. I...

I... I thought if you found them you'd...

Well, you said she killed herself.

Why did you do that?

To get Pierce off the hook?

Because you've got a pretty good hunch he's guilty?

Is that why you did it?

Let her go.

I don't want her to suffer for it.

Please, let her go.

Well, I guess it's back to you.

McBRIDE: I'd say the woman died

less than two hours prior to our arrival.

I could be wrong by a half-hour either way.

And the postmortem showed what cause of death?

McBRIDE: Poison. Prussic acid.

Now, would you explain to the court

what kind of a poison this is?

Very violent.

With the possible exception of aconite,

the most violent of all poisons.

What's a lethal dose, doctor?

About one tenth of a gram.

And how soon would death ordinarily ensue?

Depends on the individual.

From two to five minutes.

Cross-examine.

Uh, doctor, you've been a city medical examiner for some time?

Twelve years.

And you've had experience with many deaths by poisoning.

Hundreds, I'd say.

Many by prussic acid?

Mm, a dozen or more.

How many were found to be by murder?

None. Every one was a suicide.

Thank you, doctor, that will be all.

Call Lieutenant Tragg.

It's a prescription made out to Flavia Pierce.

What kind of medicine was it?

Tranquilizer capsules.

Not pills. Capsules.

Right.

Do you recognize that box, lieutenant?

I do.

I found it in a drawer of the defendant's desk

on the day of the murder.

Object.

We have yet to establish a murder was committed,

Your Honor.

Objection sustained.

Strike the word "murder"

and substitute "Mrs. Pierce's death."

You may proceed, Mr. Linn.

Lieutenant, I assume you had the material in the capsules

analyzed in the police laboratory?

There were none left.

The box was empty?

Right.

So assuming that Mrs. Pierce took the capsules regularly,

the last time she opened this box,

she found one capsule only.

Just one choice.

Right.

That's all.

Cross-examine.

Just one question, lieutenant.

Were there any traces of cyanide or prussic acid

found in the box?

No. Uh, none whatever.

Thank you, lieutenant, that'll be all.

Call Leona Durant.

So up to, say, six months ago, as far as you knew,

the deceased was not given to dosing herself with medicines

or vitamins, that sort of thing?

No, sir.

What about the tranquilizers?

She started taking them last fall

around the time she found out about...

We object, Your Honor, to the witness volunteering

any information, particularly in the nature of conclusions.

Let the witness simply answer the questions.

Sustained.

You will confine yourself to answering the question,

Miss Durant. Proceed, Mr. Linn.

So she started taking tranquilizers last fall.

Yes, sir.

Did you approve of this? No, I didn't.

And I told her so.

Go on.

She stopped, as far as I knew.

I didn't find the box in her desk in the design room, anyway.

You didn't know that she was keeping them

in her husband's desk drawer?

No, I didn't,

until this all happened.

Hm. Now,

while she was taking them,

what was her usual procedure?

She'd take one every afternoon

around 5:00.

That's all.

Your witness.

Uh, Miss Durant, you've given us your account

of Mrs. Pierce's death as you saw it.

You explained about the tense and frenzied atmosphere

in the salon two hours before the preview.

That's right.

Now, did Mrs. Pierce seem unusually excited?

She was a little wrought up.

She always was before a big show.

But not unusually so? No.

Now, you've testified that she was worried sick

over the threat to her marriage,

haunted by the fear

she might have closed the door on a golden opportunity

in turning down De Garmo.

Under pressure from the biggest show of her career

and sneaking tranquilizer pills out of their hiding place

in her husband's desk drawer.

This, you say, is par for the course?

She was an excitable woman.

But not prone to suicide.

Never.

Oh, um, one other thing.

She had still another worry:

Getting out the brochure for the preview,

"Blueprint for Spring,"

running down to the blueprint company.

That isn't true.

I handled the whole thing myself.

She didn't even see the brochure until it was finished.

Thank you, Mrs. Durant. That will be all.

Call Henry De Garmo.

Mr. De Garmo,

raise your right hand, please.

Do you solemnly swear

the testimony you're about to give

will be the truth, the whole truth

and nothing but the truth? I do.

State your name. Henry De Garmo.

Be seated, please.

Of course I threatened him.

With what, specifically?

I said I'd sue him for recovery of moneys

I'd invested in promotion work,

plus damages of a million dollars or more,

unless he could get his wife to change her mind.

And what effect did this have on him?

I'd say Charles Pierce was a desperate man.

For the third time, I tell you we were not.

We were not having an affair.

But you did love him. Yes, I did.

To the point where you committed criminal conspiracy

to protect him. Is that true?

Yes.

Where did you buy the cyanide you planted

in Leona Durant's purse?

At a mining supply house in South Los Angeles.

How did you know where to go?

I knew cyanide was used in gold mining.

Through your association with, uh, George Halliday?

Yes.

Now, did George Halliday have anything to do

with your decision to break off your, uh,

friendship with Charles Pierce?

Yes.

Did Halliday threaten to...?

He didn't threaten.

He persuaded you

to break up with Mr. Pierce.

Yes.

So you bought Pierce a bottle of champagne and said goodbye.

Yes. That's all?

Just goodbye? Yes.

You didn't discuss assorted methods

of extracting gold from raw ore?

Or the availability of one of the most violent

of known poisons on the shelves of mining supply companies?

If the court please, I object

on the ground that the question is leading and suggestive.

Rephrase the question, Mr. Linn.

Did you at any time discuss with the defendant

the subject of cyanide as a poison?

I did not.

I see.

Now, let's examine further your relationship with the brother

of the deceased, George Halliday.

So when she decided she loved Mr. Pierce,

I did the obvious thing.

You, uh, retired from the field.

Exactly.

Heartbroken, but still proud.

Never mind the levity, Mr. Halliday.

This is a serious business we're engaged in.

Continue, Mr. Linn.

When did you last see Miss Sutherland

prior to Mrs. Pierce's death?

The day before it happened.

I had lunch with her.

For what purpose?

To try to dissuade her from continuing the...

relationship with Flavia's husband.

Why?

I was worried about Flavia.

What were you worried about?

I knew she was brooding about it,

devoted as she was to her husband.

I loved my sister very deeply.

Anything else?

Yes. I was a little uneasy about Charles.

Why?

About three weeks before the murder...

Sorry, Your Honor.

Before my sister's death,

we had dinner together.

He was in a strange frame of mind.

What?

He told me everything was hanging on the deal

with De Garmo and he couldn't count on Flavia.

Go on.

Well, there was a lot of chitchat about it

and then he got onto another subject.

He asked me how my ore-reduction mill was getting along.

And from there we got into the process I was using.

He's lying.

And what process was that?

The cyanide process.

That's not true.

He told me he thought it must be very dangerous.

I said, "Well, no, not necessarily,

as long as you were careful."

I told him I had a full month's supply of sodium cyanide

in my car. Had no qualms about it.

Then what?

Well, I... I don't like to swear to something I'm not sure of,

but when I got back to the mine a couple of days later,

I seemed to be short a full pound can.

He's lying! That's not true!

I didn't know anything about any cyanide.

You killed her!

You know you killed her!

Gentlemen, gentlemen.

Mr. Pierce, the law guarantees you an opportunity

to testify on your own behalf.

That opportunity will come in due course.

In the meantime, you will respect

the dignity of this court.

Apologize, Your Honor.

You may continue, Mr. Linn.

That's all.

Your witness, Mr. Mason.

Uh, Mr. Mason, if you don't object to postponing your

cross-examination, the court would like to call a recess.

No objection, Your Honor.

Very well.

The court is adjourned till 2:00.

He is lying. I never said any such thing.

You sure you don't want me to have sandwiches sent up, Perry?

Hm?

Perry.

Hm?

How about the sandwiches?

No, I just can't get my mind off Mr. Linn.

He's so positive about this case.

But he's all wrong.

That's reassuring.

He started with the motive

that Charles had a couple of very sound reasons

for killing his wife,

therefore he must have killed her.

He's got everything falling right into place

in one neat little package.

Linn knows perfectly well

that I'm sticking with the suicide idea

because it's the only defense I've got.

I tried to bluff him, but it won't work.

Oh, it's murder all right,

only the motive keeps getting in the way.

Ready for coffee?

You see, it isn't motive in this case.

It's method.

Now, if I could just...

Wait a minute.

Know where Paul's having lunch?

He left a number.

Call him.

He's got a job to do before 2:00.

Everyone rise, please.

You may be seated.

Will George Halliday take the stand, please?

Mason will level off on this one.

Uh, a moment, Your Honor.

I have no questions for Mr. Halliday.

I need not point out to you,

Mr. Mason, that the testimony of this witness

has been very damaging.

That depends upon the point of view, Your Honor.

If it please the court,

there are one or two questions

I neglected to ask the medical examiner.

With Mr. Linn's permission,

I would like to recall Dr. McBride.

Mr. Linn?

I... I have no objections, Your Honor.

Will Dr. McBride take the stand, please?

Now, Dr. McBride, in this case we have used

prussic acid and cyanide interchangeably.

Would you please explain the difference between the two?

Well, cyanide is transformed into prussic acid

when it's acted upon by any mild sort of acid.

For instance?

The acid of the stomach.

What are the properties of cyanide?

Well, cyanide is a white, crystalline substance.

Uh, looks somewhat like crystallized sugar.

What about its smell?

Well, when it's perfectly dry it has no odor.

In moist air or in solution,

it has the strong, bitter almond smell of prussic acid.

And...?

How much cyanide would be the lethal dose?

McBRIDE: About 15 hundredths of a gram,

about the size of a large pinhead.

Um, suppose this amount were suddenly thrust into the mouth.

Be highly dangerous.

There would be an immediate burning of the tongue

and the mouth lining,

violent salivary action which would tend

to ingest the drug, in which case, of course,

death would ensue in minutes.

Thank you, doctor. That will be all.

Your Honor, again with Mr. Linn's permission,

uh, I would like the privaledge

of recalling two other witnesses.

Mr. Linn?

Do, um, you have new information, Mr. Mason?

I believe so, Mr. Linn.

I have no objection.

Uh, Your Honor, I would like a moment

to confer with Mr. Drake.

Why, certainly, Mr. Mason.

It was right in place on the rack, Perry.

However, I don't know about the pin.

Good work.

It's the right one.

Uh, Your Honor, I would like to recall Miss Hope Sutherland.

Miss Sutherland, will you take the stand, please?

You are still under oath, Miss Sutherland.

Do you, uh, recognize this, Miss Sutherland?

Yes, I was supposed to wear it at the preview.

Didn't you like it?

Not very much.

It... It wasn't like the other models.

I mentioned that to Mrs. Pierce.

It was about the only thing we agreed on.

What was wrong with it?

Well, something about the neck...

It... It was so difficult to hook.

Thank you.

Will you step down, please?

Uh, would you stand right there, please?

May I, Mr. Linn?

Well, is...? Is this part of your new information?

Yes, it is.

Yes, go ahead.

Your Honor, I would like to recall Mrs. Leona Durant.

Mrs. Leona Durant

to the stand, please.

Miss Durant, what do you think about that cloak?

I think it's different.

Because you designed it that way.

Yes.

Now, you testified previously

that you also designed and executed this.

Yes.

"Blueprint for Spring."

And it's a real blueprint cover, isn't it?

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

A blueprint, Miss Durant,

is produced by one other process which uses cyanide.

Now, you became aware of this during the time you worked

with the blueprinting company,

did you not? And working there

you had access to an unlimited supply of cyanide.

I told you once, Flavia Pierce was my friend.

My best friend.

I wouldn't in the world have harmed her.

You were devoted to her.

So devoted it galled you to see her marriage

falling to pieces because of that girl there.

You didn't think much of her husband,

but she did, and that was enough.

It was that kind of devotion, wasn't it, Miss Durant?

The kind of blind devotion

that can sometimes move a person to murder?

Now, why is it this cloak was designed in such a manner?

Why the difficult fastening at the neck? Why?

Because you designed it with one purpose in mind:

You designed it as a weapon for murder.

What?

Would you put this on, please.

Don't do that!

Now, you carefully designed that cloak with no pockets,

and in such a manner that it required two hands

to fasten it properly.

And then the pin.

Where else to put the pin while two hands

were busy fastening the cloak?

Where else but in the mouth?

May I have the pin, please?

I call the court's attention to this pin.

One of the stones has been removed

and the gold plating in the socket

discolored by some chemical.

I fully believe an analysis

will prove that chemical to be cyanide.

Probably the most terrible moment in Leona's life

came when she walked out of the design room

and found Flavia on the floor.

Yes, I suppose she really did blame me for it.

I think she did.

And even Flavia thought you poisoned her.

She couldn't believed it of Leona.

Neither could I.

Flavia's death meant the end of the line for Leona.

With you in charge, she knew she'd probably lose her job

and everything she'd worked for.

I tossed her out as a possible suspect,

concentrated on the suicide angle.

But the dress haunted you.

It haunted me first.

Right.

When I found out that Hope

was the model scheduled to wear that dress,

it really haunted me.

Then I got the idea that maybe Flavia's death might have come

from a murder plan aimed at Hope.

About that time, Della walked up with the coffee.

Just like that.

But Della learns from experience.

Ha!

Hm?

I'll explain it to you later.

Coffee?