All language subtitles for Perry Mason S04E06 The Case of the Wandering Widow.DVDRip.NonHI.cc.en.CBS

Come in, Mr. Stokes.

It, uh, it is Mr. Stokes?

Yes, sir. Merchant Marine.

Sit down if you like.

No, thank you.

I understand you want to
see one of the prisoners,

a man by the name
of Riley Morgan.

You're not a relative?

Uh, no, sir.

Close friend, perhaps?

Well, I... I ain't even
sure I know the guy.

But if... If I could
just see him,

uh, well, uh...

Here, sir. Uh.

Maybe you read this.

I-It's an article about
this fellow, Riley Morgan.

It says he got life for a murder

he done in L.A. six years ago.

He claimed he had an
alibi, but it never held up.

Yes, I remember, it
was something about

a witness who couldn't be found.

Or never existed.

Well, Morgan claimed
he was a sailor.

Mr. Stokes,

Do you want me to believe
that you are that sailor?

Well, sir, it...

It sure reads like something
that happened to me

about six years ago.

I... I remember
telling my captain

the reason I was late
getting back to the ship was

because I helped a
guy with a broken ankle.

Mr. Stokes, why have
you waited for six years?

Well, because the same
day this happened to me,

my ship pulled out of San Pedro.

Do you mean to say that
you didn't read anything

about the trial in
the newspapers?

Well, the Kendall murder was a
sensational case in Los Angeles.

Well, warden, our next
port of call was Yokohama,

and I ain't never
learned to read Japanese.

After that I worked a Dutch ship

out of Australia for
a couple of years.

Sir, when I
finally saw that, I...

I couldn't get it
out of my head.

Imagine, a guy in for six years

and maybe he's been
innocent all that time.

If... If only I can remember
what he looked like.

I want Riley Morgan
up here right away.

Oh, uh, send several
other men for a lineup.

Mr. Stokes, you're gonna have
to answer a lot of questions.

Well, Mr. Stokes?

Well, sir...

It's been a long time. I...

I was afraid he might
not be the same.

But that's the guy all right.

That one right there.

All right, Morgan.

Step forward.

Sure do have a lot
of homework tonight.

Hey, Kendall! Jimmie!

Oh, here's my
mom, I gotta go now.

I'll call you tonight.
Okay, see you Kendall.

Hi, Mom! Hi, darling.

Sorry I'm late. Oh, that's okay.

Oh, not another note
from the commandant.

No, Mom, I don't even
know where it came from.

It's for you.

Well, aren't you gonna open it?

Well, we can't park
here. I'll read it later.

Hello, general.

Hi, Uncle Roger.

Hello, Roger.

I hope you hadn't forgotten,

this is Black Friday.

Mr. Warren Donner
awaits you in the study.

Why don't you handle it, Roger?

You know much more
about the business than I do.

It's not quite the
same, my dear.

Besides, he has
a bundle of papers

requiring your signature. Oh.

He also has some
special problems,

entailed from reading
the newspapers.

Well, can't you
entertain him yourself

for a few minutes?
I'd like to freshen up.

Well? Where is she?

Fixing up a bit. She'll
be down presently.

Doesn't she know
this man, Morgan,

has been exonerated
and released?

Poor devil. Imagine
spending all that time...

Poor devil!

Roger, don't you
realize how this is going

to affect the
reputation of our family,

of our company?

When I walked into the
board meeting yesterday,

everyone went,
"sh!" Just like that.

They'd been
gossiping about me...

About me, the vice president.

You can imagine what
this has done to my wife.

Yes, I suppose Faye
must be rather upset.

And why shouldn't she be?

Finding out after six years
that her own brother's murderer

must still be running
around loose.

Now there'll be a
new investigation.

All right, Warren.

I know how difficult it must
be for both you and Faye.

But I do wish you
would consider Lorraine.

After all, it was her
husband who was murdered.

All four of us
benefited by his death.

You, Lorraine, myself, Faye.

Do you know what
people are saying already?

"Which one did it?"

"Which one of us really
committed that murder?"

Yeah?

Hello? Uh. Who am
I talking to, please?

Who're you calling, lady?

I don't know. The
letter wasn't signed.

Oh. Mrs. Kendall.

I'm a friend of Riley Morgan.

Yeah, th-that's right,
my name's Stokes.

Maybe you read it in the papers.

I think you and I ought to meet.

As soon as you can make it.

Just a minute, please.

I have to go now.
Where will you be?

I say, Lorraine.

Your esteemed brother-in-law
is getting the wind up.

All right, Roger!

What was that again?

Yes. Yes, I know where it is.

Yeah, I can be
there in a half hour.

Yes, yes, all right.

Come in.

My dear, it is
considered very bad taste

to discriminate against
a minority stockholder,

especially when he's so anxious

to become a
majority stockholder.

Would you mind
telling Warren Donner

to mind his own
business for a change

and stop snooping into mine.

You're it!

You're it!

You're it.

You're it.

You're it.

You're it.

Mrs. Kendall?

Yes.

I'm Stokes.

There's a quiet spot over here

where we can talk.

Sit down, Mrs. Kendall...

I'll tell you right
off, Mr. Stokes,

I resent the way you
got in touch with me.

Well, now, I...

I'm real sorry I
had to go through

the boy to reach you, but...

he was the only lead I had.

Anyway, it's all
in a good cause.

Well, if you're talking
about Riley Morgan,

I... I'm sorry he spent
all those years in prison.

But he's free now.

That's just the point.

He ain't free.

He's got no friends,
no relatives, no money.

Can't get a job.

How much do you want?

For myself?

Nothing, not a cent.

But the way I figure,

Morgan took somebody
off the hot seat.

And that ought to
be worth something.

Where is he, Mr. Stokes?

Where can I find Riley Morgan?

Well, now, that I
don't rightly know.

A man just out of prison.

But...

we're in this together,
Riley and me.

A word to me is
the same as to him.

So you're not even going
to tell me where he is

until I agree to pay?

Is that it?

Well, I didn't bring any cash,

and I didn't bring my checkbook.

Lady, if your
conscience don't tell you

that Riley Morgan rates
some decent, honest...

My conscience is quite clear!

I wish I'd asked your little boy

what you was like.

If he thought... You
stay away from Jimmie!

You hear me? Stay away from him!

All right. Go back home.

I... I won't bother you again.

Mr. Stokes,

wait.

I... I know an injustice
has been done.

Now, if you'd just tell me

how much help Mr. Morgan needs,

and... And how I
can reach him with it...

Mrs. Kendall,

sometimes when a man
is put in prison wrong,

the state pays him something.

Say $10,000, maybe.

But Riley,

he's found it don't
work that simple.

He ain't collected one cent.

So I guess maybe half that much,

maybe 5000.

That ought to be all
anybody'd ever need.

Five thousand.

Well, I'll let you know.

I'll phone you,
is that all right?

I knew you was really okay.

Just a little scared, maybe.

But don't you worry,

there's nothing to be scared of.

Did you get it all down on tape?

Yeah. Well, what do you think?

Can you pay me anything?

Stokes, you're a card.

What? What's the matter?

Isn't there anything
you could use?

I thought a magazine article

would go big right now.

You wrote so much about
the trial six years ago.

You're not interested in a
few dollars I can give you,

even if the stuff was usable.

Okay, I can use
the publicity too.

The only way I can get the
state to pay Morgan anything

is to get some publicity.

Stokes, you didn't fool the
lady and you don't fool me.

You worked real hard not
to use the word blackmail,

but a rose by any other
name still smells the same.

It looks like you're playing
six ends against the middle,

and it's not for Bill Worth.

I don't want any
part of your racket.

Well, I'll let you know.

I'll phone you,
is that all right?

I knew you was really okay.

Just a little scared, maybe,

but don't you worry,

there's nothing to be scared of.

Well, sir? Is it there?

You mean that's all there is?

Well, I thought maybe, somewhere
among the things she said.

Well, she didn't
say a blasted thing,

neither did he!

Well, I knew what it
is you're looking for.

Just what it is you
think we might find out?

None of your business.

You just keep after that man.

Write your articles,
keep him interested,

find out everything he knows.

What was that all about?

Isn't it obvious?

Lorraine's up to something.

At least, she's a lot more
worried than she ought to be.

Hasn't Lorraine always
been up to something?

Some day I'll figure her out.

Having a woman like
that own our company.

I thought perhaps
you'd learned something

about who killed my brother.

Seems to be news copy
prepared for publication.

It arrived this morning,
special delivery.

There was a note attached

asking me to read the
story for inaccuracies.

Well, are there any?

It seems to be just a retelling

of your husband's murder.

Oh, no, it's all distorted!

I mean, the implication

that I benefited so
much from Martin's death.

All that innuendo.

I don't recall

the true details of the
case very well, Mrs. Kendall.

Well, there had
been some trouble

between my husband
and Riley Morgan

over a loan that was
to have been repaid

by a certain date.

What were the
circumstances of the loan?

I, uh... I wasn't very familiar

with my husband's
business at that time.

But in any case,

Morgan tried to ask my
husband for an extension of time.

He phoned, wanting to see
my husband the next Saturday.

But Martin always
played golf on Saturdays.

I seem to recall
that Mr. Kendall

was killed at a golf course.

In the woods off
one of the fairways.

Yes.

Morgan parked his
car beyond the woods

and then waited among the trees

until Martin came along.

They quarreled over the money,

so the prosecutor claimed,

and Morgan struck my
husband with a golf club.

Wasn't there almost a witness?

My brother, Roger.

Roger thought that Martin
had lost his ball in the woods,

so he went in to
help him find it.

The murderer had tripped
as he ran toward his car,

and that delayed him long enough

so that Roger could see him.

Morgan was arrested
two days later, Monday,

in a beach cabin near San Diego.

Yes, I remember.

The case hinged on when,

and of course where,
Morgan broke his ankle.

If it happened Friday

it would have been
physically impossible

for him to have gone to
the golf course on Saturday.

Well, Morgan always insisted

th-that a sailor stopped at the
cabin that Saturday morning.

But, uh, he was never found

and nobody ever
believed he existed.

Now he does exist and
Morgan's story is true.

And someone else must
have killed your husband.

Yes, I...

I guess that's right.

I'll have an investigator

try to locate Riley Morgan
as quickly as possible.

No doubt he's behind all this.

In the meantime, what
was that telephone number?

Stokes' number?

Um.

Adams 1-0799.

What are you going to do?

Make a date to pay him.

It's all right.
I'll be there too.

Hello?

Uh, hello, Mr. Stokes?

Say, I was wondering
when you were gonna call.

Mr. Stokes, I'd
like to talk to you.

Well, this ain't a very
good time to arrange things.

Oh, I'm anxious to
get it over with too.

Well, suppose we
say 10:00 tonight, then.

Same place.

Okay?

Yeah. Yeah, I'll be there.

Sorry, a little
romantic problem.

Really?

You're certain it
had nothing to do

with what we've been discussing?

Well, of course not.

If you pay me $10,000,

why should I talk
to anybody else?

Yes, I suppose so. But see here.

It's clearly understood that
both you and Riley Morgan

are to leave town.
Leave the country.

You're to go to faraway places
and just never come back.

Right?

Mr. McClaine, you're
a real Samaritan.

Poor old Morgan,

he'll be thanking you
for the rest of his days!

Who was that?

Hey, Riley!

When did you come in?

A minute ago.

You told somebody
I'd be thanking him.

Why?

Oh.

The... The desk clerk.

Yeah, he... He
made a fix in the bill.

We... We don't owe him so much.

Look, I don't want any charity.

Not from anybody, understand?

Sure, Riley, sure!

Hey, you... You
get enough to eat?

Maybe we'll pick
up a steak tonight.

I'll bet you didn't get any of
those two-inch steaks in prison,

huh, boy?

Well, I know just the place...

I don't even want
charity from you, Stokes!

You, uh,

you did me a
favor, I'm grateful.

If I'd collected any
money from the state,

you'd have got half.

But I didn't.

So now it's all over between us.

You understand?

All over.

Goodbye, Mom. Bye, dear.

Mom almost hit you!

Where's your mother
going, Jimmie?

I don't know.

I bet you if you got sideswiped,

you would have had to
put a whole new piece on...

What did she say? Nothing!

Oh, except I shouldn't
eat so many doughnuts.

I mean about where
she was going.

But I just told you.

Is your Uncle Roger here?

I don't know.

But I know he's
not in the house.

I had to answer the phone.

Well, who was it?

Mm. Some man called
and asked to talk to Mom.

And after he talked
to her, she went out.

It's 9:30. A child your age

should be in bed at this hour.

You heard me, young man. March!

Well, it's 10:00.

Where's the historic
meeting to take place?

Let's walk over there.

Shouldn't someone call a doctor?

What for? He's dead.

You know, about ten minutes ago,

I heard something that
sounded like the backfire of a car.

Could've been a shot.
- It could've been.

Why doesn't anybody
call the police?

I don't know, think we'd
better go and call them.

Perry,

that guy fits our
description of Burt Stokes,

and he sure looks dead.

We'd better leave
before the police get here.

Agreed. What're you going to do?

Call on my client. She's
going to need a lawyer.

Yeah. Very clever of her
to retain one in advance.

Well, hurry up, Jimmie!

Please hurry!

Where are we going, anyway?

Remember Martha, darling?

You know, you used to
love her cooking so much,

back in the other house.

You mean the house
in Santa Barbara?

Yes.

Well, she wants you to
stay with her for a few days.

Mother, I've got homework to do.

You don't know how
the commandant acts

if a kid just leaves school.

Jimmie, will you
please get in the car?

Mother, what's the
matter? What's happened?

Nothing. I just want you to
stay with Martha for a while.

Yes?

I'd like to see Mrs.
Kendall, please.

You're Perry Mason, the lawyer.

I'm Roger McClaine.

My, uh, sister's out someplace,
but, come in, come in.

If it's anything important.

A man named Burt Stokes was
shot to death a little while ago.

Good heavens.

Well, I'm... I'm certain

my sister doesn't even
know such a person.

But isn't it an odd coincidence?

How do you mean?

Well,

Lorraine was unaccounted for

when her husband was killed too.

McCLAINE: Not that I'm
telling you anything, of course.

It's just that my sister doesn't
go around murdering people.

Is it possible that
she's visiting relatives?

She mentioned a Warren
Donner and his wife.

Oh, no, no, she can't
abide the creatures.

Warren's a necessary
evil, that's all.

Every family needs one
person that's good at trade,

to manage things.

That's the only reason
Lorraine keeps him on.

Keeps him on?

I thought yours was
a family business.

Much to Warren's despair, no.

Martin Kendall owned it.

His will mentioned
only two people.

Two?

Lorraine and little
Jimmie, of course.

Would you care to wait
in the study, Mr. Mason?

Mrs. Kendall.

Mr. Mason. What
are you doing here?

More to the point,
where have you been?

I-I was out of the city.

Mrs. Kendall, you're
in very serious trouble.

You don't have much time.

Did you got to the park last
night to meet Burt Stokes?

Well, I went early.

But I didn't see
him, honestly I didn't.

What happened?

Well,

it was dark there and...
And I was frightened.

And then suddenly a man jumped
at me and h-he grabbed my purse.

Would you recognize this
man if you saw him again?

Oh, no. It all
happened too fast.

We struggled,
and... And then he...

He slipped on some wet
ground and I-I got away.

M... Mr. Mason, I...

I know now I should've
called you, but...

I-I just didn't.

McCLAINE: Lorraine!

Where in the name
of Tophet have...

Mrs. Kendall, did
you kill Burt Stokes?

No.

Lieutenant Tragg.
Oh, come in, sir.

What's this, lieutenant,
you on a stakeout?

No, Perry. I just
heard you were here.

I figured your client
would soon be home.

Mrs. Kendall is your
client, I suppose?

Well, you certainly didn't give
us much time for a conference.

Well, there'll be plenty of time
after she's booked for murder.

Which murder?

Take your choice.

It's Stokes' death
we're charging you with.

I'm afraid we'll
be ready for you

on both murders, counselor.

Uh, Mrs. Kendall,

If you please.

Report on Lorraine
McClaine Kendall.

Nothing until the age of 21.

Nothing? Well, not yet.

Anyway, that's when she
went to work for Martin Kendall

of Kendall Industries.
He was, uh, 47 at the time.

Six months later, she
became Mrs. Martin Kendall.

Two years later she became
Kendall's wealthy widow.

And she's been living
in seclusion since.

Lots of seclusion.

Secretary married to her boss.

No wonder there was a
little friction in the family.

Uh, Paul.

Paul, what about Roger McClaine?

Is he really her brother?

Yeah. With the
kind of background

an octopus couldn't
put his finger on!

Writer, sailor, musician,
gigolo, necktie salesman,

and undoubtedly a few, uh,

confidence games
thrown in there someplace.

Kind of guy that'd cover
completely for his sister.

Particularly if she's
got a million dollars.

But.

One thing I think you
ought to know is this.

If this character Riley Morgan

hadn't been so handy to
take the rap six years ago,

there might have been
a classic murder case

against Lorraine herself.

You know,

I wonder if Stokes was murdered

because he, uh,
knew about all this.

Well, whatever Stokes knows,

it's certainly possible he
discussed it with Morgan.

Paul, I... Uh...

Never mind, I'll
get back to work.

We'll find that guy or bust!

I didn't even know he was dead.

You, uh, get out of the
habit of reading newspapers.

Mr. Morgan,

you've been living in the
same hotel with Mr. Stokes.

Yeah.

Until yesterday.

Until I got fed up with him.

Yeah, that's maybe not
a very nice thing to say

about a guy who spoke up
and got me out of a cell, but...

Well, he... He had
ambitions all the time.

I, um, did hear he tried to
have your case publicized.

Perhaps in the hope of getting
some money from the state.

Mr. Mason, I don't
know what all he did.

But yesterday I heard he was
maybe turning to blackmail.

Well, that's all I
needed to hear.

I, uh, cleared out fast.

You must've been a
little short of money.

I mean, you cleared out
without even asking for a cut?

Six years teaches a man things.

The last part of the
world I want to be in

is where there's trouble.

Mr. Morgan,

could Stokes have
threatened blackmail,

hinting that you knew something

still unrevealed about
the Kendall murder?

Look, I don't know any more
than has already been told.

But if I did, I
wouldn't tell it.

Not now, or tomorrow,
or any time there is.

Mrs. Donner?

Mr. Telford? Yes.

Sit down, won't you? Thank you.

You, uh, have some
evidence in this park murder?

Well, I... I don't know
if it's evidence or not.

It's this letter I got,
uh, just yesterday.

From that man Stokes.

My husband thought I
should turn it over to someone

here in the District
Attorney's office.

Looks like a piece of news copy.

Well, yes it is.

Uh, you'll find a note attached.

"Mrs. Donner, you might
like to go over this story

"for discrepancies and comments.

Signed, Burt Stokes."

Why should he send this to you?

It's the story about the
murder of my brother,

Martin Kendall.

Well, I'll read it with a
great deal of interest.

Well, thank you very
much for bringing this in.

You've done a great
service, Mrs. Donner.

Oh. It was really
my husband's idea.

Here you are, Mr. Telford.

Thank you, Mr. Mason.

Mr. Leeman.

Will you state your
occupation, please?

I'm an attorney.

I practice in
Berkeley, California.

And were you acquainted
with the deceased, Burt Stokes?

Yes, sir. He came to
me about two months ago

with certain facts bearing
on the Morgan trial.

In brief,

Stokes was able
to verify the alibi

claimed by Riley Morgan.

And what action did
you take, Mr. Leeman?

Well, I investigated, of course.

We found a
corroborating witness,

the captain of Stokes' ship.

So the, uh, prosecuting attorney

who handled the case
withheld objection.

I petitioned for a full
pardon for Riley Morgan.

And the pardon was granted.

Thank you, that's all.

Now tell us, Mr. Morgan,

was it your idea or Stokes'

that you come together
to Los Angeles?

We didn't come
together, he followed me.

Did he discuss the
subject of money with you?

Only like I just told you,

when he said the state
might pay me something.

When did you first realize

that Mr. Stokes might be
working behind your back?

That is, using the circumstances

of your release to extort money?

Well, on the afternoon of
the same day he was killed.

I, uh, I came back to the
hotel and there he was,

taking this bundle
of money from a man

he tried to pretend
was the hotel clerk.

Would you recognize that
man if you saw him again?

Sure.

That's him, sitting
right over there.

Mr. Roger McClaine.

He testified against me
in my trial six years ago.

Mr. Morgan,

did Stokes obtain some
special knowledge from you,

perhaps some unrevealed
evidence concerning

who the real murderer of
Martin Kendall might have been?

No, sir.

There's nothing I know that
I didn't already say in court.

Nothing at all.

How much, Mr. McClaine?

Well, it was actually
quite a bit of money.

How much?

Ten thousand dollars.

And why did you pay
this sum to Stokes?

Because he asked me for it.

Sort of a contribution
to help Mr. Morgan.

You see, I'd always
felt sorry for the chap.

Mr. McClaine, isn't it
true that on that same day,

your sister, Lorraine Kendall,
gave you a check for $10,000,

which you took to
the bank and cashed...

Oh, well, about
that check, now...

As an unfriendly witness, you
will please answer yes or no.

Isn't it true that what
you were actually doing

was making a blackmail
payment on behalf of your sister,

Lorraine Kendall?

Well, it's true Stokes
was a blackmailer.

But I was only trying
to protect my sister.

That's all,
Mr. McClaine. Thank you.

So I guess maybe

half that much. Maybe 5000.

That ought to be all
anybody'd ever need.

LORRAINE: Five thousand.

Well, I'll let you know.

I'll phone you,
is that all right?

I knew you was really okay.

Just a little scared, maybe.

But don't you worry,

there's nothing to be scared of.

And that concluded
the interview, Mr. Worth?

Yes, sir.

That's all for this witness.

Mr. Worth,

you testified that you first
met Stokes a few weeks ago,

when you were obtaining
an interview for a newspaper.

Which newspaper was that?

That was a slip of the tongue,

I guess I'm really a freelance.

My name is pretty well-known.

I know your reputation,

but for whom do you work?

Well, I'm under salary
to a trade publication,

but all the newspapers
still buy my material.

Which trade publication?

The, um,

Kendall Industries Weekly.

Kendall Industries?

Now, who would be in charge
of your department, Mr. Worth?

Oh, a number of men in the
public relations department.

I ask who.

What particular person
would be in charge?

Answer the question, sir.

Mr. Warren Donner.

But I have never once
discussed this case with Mr. Worth.

Why would I?

Of course.

Now to return to the
night of Stokes' murder,

at exactly what time did you see

Lorraine Kendall
leave her house?

Well, it was a
little after 9:30,

when she came out of that
driveway like a wild torpedo.

I spun my wheels,

pulled to a stop.

Didn't she stop her car
to see if you were all right?

No. She stepped on the
gas and kept right on going.

Then her son Jimmie said
that some man had phoned,

but he didn't know who,
or where his mother went,

or anything else.

One moment.

That would seem to be
both opinion and hearsay.

Mr. Mason, if you
care to object?

This line is not important
to our case, your honor.

I'll withdraw my last question,

and stipulate that the
answer may be stricken.

It was perfectly plain

when I got that letter
with the article inside,

that Mr. Stokes
wanted some blackmail.

Well, his note implied
that, don't you think?

But you had no
intention of paying him?

Of course not!

I don't have a
guilty conscience.

I guess he figured if
Lorraine would pay him,

lots of other people might.

Mrs. Donner, do you have
any personal knowledge

which might corroborate the fact

that Lorraine Kendall
did pay Stokes?

Or at least, uh,
intended to pay him?

Well...

I was at her house
that night too.

Uh, the night of the murder.

Well, I left about 9:00,

a half hour before
my husband arrived.

Lorraine seemed terribly upset.

She kept going in
and out of the kitchen

for coffee and things like that.

Please just tell the things you
saw and heard, Mrs. Donner.

Once when she
went out of the room,

I... I looked in her purse.

Well, only because it
had fallen on the floor.

It was open!

It was just full of money.

Five thousand dollars.

All new bills.

Thank you, Mrs. Donner.

Your witness.

Mrs. Donner,

when your brother died...

When Martin Kendall was
murdered six years ago...

Did you expect to receive
any part of his estate?

Well, of course.
Wouldn't any sister?

After all, he was only
married to Lorraine

for a couple of years.

Did you receive any
part of his estate?

No.

When they read his will, I...

Well, I was terribly shocked.

The idea of leaving
all that money

to an upstart secretary
and an adopted child

that wasn't even his own!

I have no further
questions of this witness.

Yes, this murder weapon
belonged to Stokes.

He had a proper permit.

You have heard a
doctor express the opinion

that there was a
struggle over this gun,

and that shots were
fired during that struggle.

Did your investigation
reveal anything specific

as to who might
have been struggling?

Yes.

We obtained several
clear footprints.

Are these the
plaster impressions...

The moulages... You
made of those footprints?

Yes. Yes they are.

Were you able to make
any identification from them?

Well, um, this one here

matches the, uh, shoes
worn by the deceased.

And these?

Well, those were made
by a woman's shoes.

We compared them with the
shoes worn by Mrs. Lorraine Kendall

on the night of the murder.

The imprints matched perfectly,

even to a broken place
on the heel capping.

Your Honor, I ask
that these be labeled

People's Exhibits E and F.

Counselor?

Defense has no
objection, Your Honor.

And now, Lieutenant Tragg,
I will show you some money.

Brand new bills, in the
total amount of $5000.

Have you seen this before?

Yes, these have my
markings on them.

Yes, I have.

Where?

In a pocket of the corpse

when I arrived at the
scene of the crime.

I ask that this money

be labeled Exhibit
G, Your Honor.

We've, um, no objection.

And that concludes my
interrogation of this witness.

Your Honor.

In view of certain
unexpected developments,

and since it is now 3:30,

I would like to ask
the court's indulgence.

Very well, counselor.

We'll postpone your
cross-examination.

Court's adjourned until
9:00 Monday morning.

Just a second, son.

I'm in a hurry, mister.

Uh. You're Buddy
Staples, aren't you?

Jimmie Kendall's best friend?

No, sir. My name is
Ferdinand Glotzhammer IV.

Wait a second, son.

Buddy, I'm sorry. I just
wanted to tell you that...

Jimmie Kendall's book?

What of it?

I got a postcard,

he wants me to send him
his homework, that's all.

Send it? Where?

It's none of your business.

Look, mister,

Jimmie doesn't even know his
mother's being tried for murder.

Buddy,

please believe me.

I'm a friend.

My name's Paul Drake.
I'm a private investigator.

Private investigator?

I'm working for Perry Mason.

His mother's lawyer?

That's right.

Here, see for yourself.

I'll show you the postcard, sir.

Thanks, Buddy.

Now, you said he was here.

Yes, he was here.

But now he's gone,
don't you understand?

The police know all about it,

there's no trouble.

Where did Jimmie go?

Well, I have a sister
who lives in Canada.

I sent him on a
plane this morning.

She'll meet him. They're
going on an automobile trip.

I just don't know

how you can reach him.

Now, look, we know that
Jimmie sent a postcard...

I guess the boy just had
things mixed up, that's all.

We are sorry to
have troubled you.

Goodbye. Goodbye.

But...

B-But I won't let you
talk to him. You can't!

But I have talked to him.

You had no right to do that.

I don't want you for my lawyer!

Jimmie's got nothing
to do with this.

I kept him away from the
first trial, when he was a baby,

and I want him kept away now!

He's my child. You
have no right to interfere!

Mrs. Kendall, I
have to interfere.

Now, Jimmie is perfectly safe.

He's at my apartment.
Miss Street is with him.

He still doesn't know
what's going on here.

But he has been guessing,

and his guesses can be

a great deal more
upsetting than the truth.

You can't take him into that
courtroom. I won't let you!

At about 9:30 on the
night Stokes was murdered,

Jimmie answered the telephone.

A man asked for you.

Now, who was that man?

Mrs. Kendall, your background
hasn't been easy to trace.

When you married Martin Kendall,

apparently you
already had a little boy

by a former marriage.

And we found no
record of that marriage.

It was in Tijuana.

I was only 19.

I didn't know any better.

Was there a
divorce at that time?

An annulment.

That was in Tijuana too.

What was the man's name?

I've never told anybody.

Not one soul.

Only Martin.

He knew.

Martin loved me so.

He adopted little
Jimmie as his own.

Mrs. Kendall, who was
Jimmie's real father?

Riley Morgan.

Oh, Mr. Mason, now
do you understand?

Even Riley kept that secret,

for little Jimmie's sake,

all during that
first long trial.

It's the only decent thing
he ever did in his life.

Shoes, shoes.

Well, of course we
can produce the shoes.

Well, why haven't you?

Your Honor, this is supposed
to be a cross-examination,

not a heckling.

Oh, I'm confident

the witness can defend
himself, Mr. Prosecutor.

But I do think you might

clarify your purpose
here, counselor.

Well, we are concerned
about the accuracy

of the police
investigation, Your Honor.

If I may continue...
You may, counselor.

Lieutenant, you
stated, did you not,

that the prints found at
the scene of the crime

were definitely those
of two people struggling?

Yes, sir.

A man and a woman.

How can you be so sure
they were struggling?

Well, for instance, here.

A woman wouldn't
put pressure down

on the side of
the instep like that

unless she were shoving
against something violently.

What about the
footprints of the man?

Well, this one...

Well, you can see, Your Honor.

Where the man's
heel ground sideways.

And here, he staggers
almost over onto his ankle.

The prints seem
unusually clear, Mr. Mason.

The area was watered
shortly before that.

And the soil contains adobe,

ideal for, um, impressions.

What about your
identification of the shoes

that made these prints?

Well, Mr. Stokes' shoes,

provided by the coroner,

fitted these imprints perfectly.

And you will notice that

he wore a
composition-soled shoe.

Quite distinctive.

Quite.

I see.

Well then, lieutenant,

considering the
importance of this testimony,

why haven't you brought
all these shoes into court?

Your Honor, this is
a preliminary hearing.

It is only necessary to show

that a crime has been committed.

And there is reasonable
grounds to believe that

the defendant is connected
with the commission of the crime.

If it is made necessary to bring
the shoes into evidence now,

then the shoes will be
impounded by the court.

And this might preclude
additional investigative work

contemplated by the police.

Your Honor, may I have a moment?

Yes, you may.

Excuse me, Mr. Telford.

Mr. Mason, do
you, or do you not,

want those shoes
brought into court?

I most certainly
do want the shoes

brought into court, Your Honor.

And in view of new evidence,

I would also like to ask
the court's indulgence

in cross-examining a witness

not cross-examined
by defense last Friday.

Mr. Morgan,

when you were tried for
the murder of Martin Kendall,

what motive did the
state attribute to you?

They, uh, they
claimed we quarreled

because I hadn't paid back
some money I'd borrowed from him.

Have you ever been
married, Mr. Morgan?

That's, uh...

That's not what you'd call
a relevant question, is it?

Very well, then, I'll ask you
another question, Mr. Morgan.

What was your reaction to, um,

Stokes trying to
blackmail everyone?

I told you before, I
wanted no part of it.

It made you angry.

Yes, it made me angry.

I'd had enough of
police investigations.

Yet, on the very
night of Stokes' death,

you tried your own hand
at blackmail, did you not?

Blackmail by telephone?

It has been stated in this court

that at 9:30 on that night, a
little boy answered a telephone.

The boy didn't recognize
the voice of the caller,

a man who wanted to
talk to the boy's mother.

But when the defendant
testifies, as she will testify...

All right! I made that call.

I wanted to ask Lorraine what
she was doing about Stokes.

And among other things,

she told you she was to meet
Stokes in Plummer Park at 10:00.

Maybe, I don't really remember.

Then you went to the
park to confront Stokes.

To intercept him.

You confronted
him in great rage.

When he pulled a gun you decided

to put an end to him once
and for all, did you not?

Mr. Mason, I was
framed once before.

I'm not gonna be framed again.

You struggled with him and
then killed him, isn't that right?

No, that is not right.

And then Lorraine arrived.

That seemed to you a
great stroke of providence.

You could implicate
her so easily.

Not a word of truth.

What are you trying to do to me?

You tried to block her way,
to frighten her in the darkness.

You struggled with her.

You grabbed her purse.

When she fled in panic,

you took took the
$5000 from that purse,

and you put it into Stokes'
pocket, did you not?

Why don't you ask
me about the shoes?

I intend to.

You're not wearing your prison
shoes, are you, Mr. Morgan?

The shoes that were issued you

when you were
released from prison.

To implicate Lorraine,
to make it seem

that she had struggled with
Stokes instead of with you,

you exchanged shoes with
the man that you'd just killed,

isn't that right, Mr. Morgan?

Aren't these the shoes that
you took from your own feet

and hurriedly placed
on the feet of a corpse?

You figured it all
out, didn't you?

Well, you must have
figured that I killed Stokes

for the same rea...

For the same reason
I killed Martin Kendall.

He got in the way of my plans.

Blackmailing my
sweet little wife.

I got away with the first one.

Maybe I should have quit
when I was ahead, huh?

Thank you.

Stokes was butting in,
that's why he was killed.

He made up a story,

then bribed the captain
of a ship to back him up.

Well, he got Morgan
out of prison all right,

but then he got greedy.
We all know the rest.

I'd so hoped Jimmie wouldn't
have to know all these things.

Morgan did try
to keep the secret

as best he could, Mrs. Kendall.

Yes, but for only one reason.

He was thinking of
himself, not Jimmie.

Hi, Jimmie.

Jimmie, you shouldn't be here.

Well, golly, I always knew
I was adopted, didn't I?

And anyway, what
I wanna know now

is how you found out about
those shoes, Mr. Mason?

Well, Jimmie,

when we came across
Mr. Stokes, something bothered me.

Both of his shoelaces
had been broken and retied.

Retied so hurriedly that

one of them was
even tied with a granny.

And that seemed a foolish
mistake for a sailor to make.

Hey! Instead of a square knot?

That's enough, Jimmie.

You know, Mrs. Kendall,

we might be protecting our
children too much these days.

Mom, it's a whole lot better
for me to know the truth

than to always be
guessing about things.

A square knot.

Hey, why didn't you
get that, Mr. Drake?

Aren't you a detective?

Jimmie.

Well, aren't you?