All language subtitles for Perry Mason S06E04 The Case of the Double-Entry Mind.DVDRip.NonHI.en.CBS

And so I hope you'll find
these estimate satisfactory.

I personally had them
prepared by our very ablest man,

Mister, uh, well,
whoever it was.

And as my late boss, good
old Jess Devro, used to say,

"When you're sending in the A
team with all the horses behind you..."

Well, you know the sort of
thing he used to say, Lita.

Why do you supposed
I wanted you to take this

instead of just a secretary?

Oh, who's trotting the
estimates over to Phoenix?

They ought to be there
before the weekend.

Clem Sandover, I believe.

- Who?
- In accounting.

You know, that
Mr. Sandover whose dumpy

little wife used to be
Mr. Devro's boss lady.

- In accounting?
- He's been with us almost 20 years.

Mr. Sellers says he's the
only man in the company

who's never had an
expense-account trip.

All right, all right.

You're the #1 spark plug now,

so spin the wheels, roll
'em down the runway.

Your necktie is
crooked, Mr. Banks.

Sandover?

Sandover!

Sandy?

Sandy?

White paper, three
reams; yellow, two;

ledger books,
seven. Now let's see.

I have one full box
of black pencils,

four red, one, two,
three extra pen fillers,

seven air-mail stamps,

and a full roll of 4¢.

Sandy, old boy,
what in the name of...

Level of my sherry is precisely
at the top of the letter S.

Sandover, why the
devil don't you answer?

Shh, Mr. Sellers, we're
busy counting paperclips.

And let me warn you... if a single one is
missing when my desk buddy returns...

All right, never mind. Here,
Sandy, you won't need this.

I'm having a briefcase
loaded with all the estimates.

Yes, I expected that, sir.

I'm taking along some
work of my own, that's all.

Oh. Well, if you're a little
overweight on the plane...

I plan to travel by rail, sir.

Well, there's still a letter from Mr. Banks
with your instructions being typed.

- I'll tell Lita to...
- Yes, sir.

I've already made arrangements
to pick it up from Miss Krail.

Mr. Sellers, you don't think my old
roomie would overlook anything, do you?

You don't think he'd fail to
pack in an extra timetable

or make a note of how many erasers
he's leaving in the second drawer?

Enos, shut up.

Sandover, we want you to
have some fun on this trip.

Forget the work.

You find yourself
the fanciest hotel suite

and the thickest T-bone steaks in
town, all on us, mind you... all on us.

And when they turn
on those bright lights,

you just tell the
nearest bartender...

I... I rather thought I'd
stay at the YMCA, sir.

Well, good luck, Sandy.

Don't you worry, Mr. Sellers, I'll be
back at my desk at 9:00 Monday morning.

Thank you.

White paper, three
reams; yellow, two;

ledger books,
seven. Now let's see.

I have one full box
of black pencils,

four red, one, two,
three extra pen fillers,

seven air-mail stamps,

and a full roll of 4¢.

"The level of my
sherry," he said...

Listen to this. It's true.
"The level of my sherry

is precisely at the
top of the letter S."

So help me!

Haven't you girls
any work to do?

I know you haven't,
Mr. Watterton.

It's a man's world, Miss Krail.

I do not take orders
from lady straw bosses.

Hey hey.

Was that Miss Krail? Is
she back in her office?

Pining for you. Pining for you!

- Miss Krail?
- Yes.

Everything's here all
ready for you, Mr. Sandover.

- These are the letters for you to carry.
- Thank you.

- Lita?
- Yes?

I'm all packed, all ready to go.

All right. Goodbye.

Well, I... I just wanted to make sure
that you hadn't changed your plans.

About what?

Oh, well, Sandy, there's so many things
that I ought to be doing this weekend.

But you fly down there
quite often, you said.

And you said you might
even leave early tomorrow

to be in Phoenix around noon.

And what if I do, Sandy?

Do you have something to tell me

you don't want anybody
to know you're telling me?

Well, yes, as a
matter of fact I do.

I... I have several more tidbits
about people in the office.

- But that's not what I meant.
- It's not?

You promised you'd be there.

Lita, remember the money I
mentioned I was coming into?

Well, you're the only
one who can advise me.

I may want to live differently
now... Quite differently.

I'm even stopping off on the way
to the train to buy a new sport jacket.

Mr. Sandover, your wife is here.

My wife? What in heaven's name?

She said she stopped by because
you didn't pack your sweater.

All right, all right. Thank you.

I told her she could put the
sweater in one of your bags.

I showed her where the
luggage was in the office.

I said all right. Thank...

Beth, here, give me that.

Of all the things I don't
need on the desert.

I didn't mean to disturb you.

But I suppose I didn't kiss
you goodbye this morning.

All right. There. Now run
along, dear, for heaven's sakes.

Sandy, I ran into Frank
Sellers in the hall downstairs.

He said he was surprised to hear I
hadn't wanted to go to Phoenix with you.

He said the company
would gladly have paid...

Beth, how you could have
worked here all of these years

and still be so
stupid and gullible...

Sandy, you're upset about
something. You know you are.

You didn't eat your
breakfast this morning

and last night you
talked in your sleep again

about waterskiing,
of all things.

Please leave me alone. Go home.

Sandy, of course I'll
be in Phoenix tomorrow.

I've already made
my reservations.

75 $100 bills,

one, two, 3,000 more,

plus the $10,000 and the $5,000

makes $201,000 exactly.

The perfect embezzlement.

You may say that Rome
wasn't built in a day,

but neither was Fort Knox;

neither was the
treasure of the Incas.

The undiscoverable
acquisition of $201,000,

bill by bill, month after month,

year after year,
is a financial feat

worthy of Clem P. Sandover...

C.P. Sandover.

C.P.S.

Yes indeed,

if Croesus, Kreuger, Rockefeller

could afford to brag a little,

well, in due time,

why not the perfect embezzler?

I only make these
notes because someday

people may recognize the...

43, 44...

$45,000.

What the... how in the name...

Oh.

Hello?

Who? Who?

Oh, Mr. Sandover.

Listen... Sally, listen to me.

You handle receipts...
Incoming receipts.

I thought you were
on a train somewhere.

Look, I got home late and I
do have a date tonight, so...

Sally, did we get any money today?
Was any cash received in the office?

Cash? Just the one loan deposit.

That wad? I mean, how
much? How much was it?

$45,000, but you
already know about that.

I already know?

Look, Mr. Sandover, I really
didn't pay any attention to it

after I saw your initials on
it and your forwarding slip

when you sent it on to the bank.

Let me try to remember. There
may have been some other smaller...

Mr. Sandover?

Get the bags.

Beth, it's me. Don't
get all excited now.

I just missed my
train, that's all.

But I have something to attend
to this evening. I'm taking the car.

Missed the train? But
that was hours ago, Sandy.

For heaven's sake,
what happened?

I'll explain later, dear. I'll fly down
to Phoenix in the morning instead.

But Sandy...

Look, there's nothing
to be alarmed about.

I thought you were going out to
dinner with Dorothea this evening.

Well, yes, but later, so I really
wanted to use the car myself, but...

Oh. Oh, I'm sorry.

- Sandy, this is Perry Mason.
- Oh.

I've always wanted to
meet you, Mr. Sandover.

Your wife and I
are very old friends.

Yes, of course.

She's always talking about people she
used to know when Mr. Devro was alive.

Sandy, Perry was nice enough to
come by on his way home from work

to give me some
professional advice.

Oh, all right, Beth, if
you're thinking of a divorce,

that's no reason to call in
such an expensive lawyer.

- Sandy!
- I never handle divorces.

No, I only stopped by to...

We were discussing
something quite different.

All right, never mind. Oh,
put them right over there.

Has anyone else been here
this evening? Anyone called?

Just Enos Watterton. He wanted
to make sure you got away all right.

I didn't know then
you'd missed the train.

Enos Watterton?

- Oh.
- Sandy... Sandy, if you won't tell me,

will you please tell Perry what's
been upsetting you so lately?

I mean, that's part of the
reason I wanted to talk to him.

Oh, for heaven's sakes,
Beth, I don't care what you do.

- Sandy!
- Driver, wait.

Taxi, taxi!

Sellers, Sellers.

Yes?

Who?

Oh, Sandy...

Ha! Well, I guess we all
miss a train once in a while.

I'll catch the first plane
in the morning, sir.

The only reason I bothered
you was to double check

to make sure that I have all the
papers they'll need in Phoenix.

What?

I mean in the briefcase, sir.

I had the impression that you put
everything in there yourself and...

Well, as a matter of
fact, I didn't actually.

But I'm sure you've got it all.

Then who did, sir? Who
else touched the briefcase?

Sandy, for gosh
sakes, if you'd stop

worrying about things
that aren't important,

you wouldn't overlook
the things that are.

Yes, sir. I didn't mean
to make you angry, sir.

You've already wrecked my evening
with that deposit money you forgot.

There was a message
waiting for me when I got home.

You should have sent that money
to the bank the minute it came in.

You know our
insurance doesn't cover

leaving a wad like $45,000
around the office all night.

But about that $45,000, sir...

I know you're
sorry. Well, skip it.

The bank's sending an armored
truck to meet me downtown.

They'll take the
money off our hands.

Oh, what are you doing, sir?

I'm on my way down to the office
to turn the money over to them.

Now goodbye,
Sandover. Go to Phoenix.

Okay, boys, that's
it. Be right with you.

Hello, I was given this number
to reach Miss Krail tonight.

Oh, Lita, is that you? Lita,
I tried to reach you before

to tell you I got your message about double
checking that cash that came in today.

No no no, you don't need to
do anything about it. I'll handle it.

Just wanted to say thanks for
calling it to my attention. That's all.

Good night.

Lita.

Lita.

The perfect embezzlement.

It may be said that Rome
was not built in a day.

Well, neither was Fort Knox;

neither was the
treasure of the Incas.

The undiscoverable
acquisition of $201,000,

bill by bill, month after month,

year after year,
is a financial feat

worthy of Clem P. Sandover...

- Having trouble?
- Oh no.

I do this for exercise. It
helps my strawberries get ripe.

Anybody home over there?

I haven't the
faintest idea. Why?

Oh, I'm looking for real estate.

Well, you can have any
of mine, this truck included.

You know this is the
second time in three weeks

that I've missed
the early market?

You know how long I've been asleep in
that cab waiting for it to be light enough

to fix this thing?

Lita Krail murdered?

She... she can't
be. She just can't be.

Beth, why are you so frightened?

Last night you told me that you
didn't like her, that you didn't trust her.

It's just that I
can't believe it.

I'd like to talk
to your husband.

He's... he's gone out
already. I... I don't know where.

Beth, last night I came over
here because you were upset

about receiving a letter
and a couple of phone calls.

You thought it was
a man on the phone.

The letter was typed
and it was unsigned.

But in plain nasty language,
they all said the same thing:

"Stop trying to
bleed me or else."

I... I shouldn't have
called you. I was scared.

- But it wasn't that important.
- Yes it was.

Obviously someone
thinks you're a blackmailer.

Now you did remember that
the man used the word "office."

And until last year,

your whole life has been tied up
in your job with Devro & Banks.

Since then Lita
Krail has had that job.

Well, this morning I sent
Paul Drake out to talk with Lita

before she went to work.

But now, you see, Lita's dead

and so everything's different.

Thank you.

Why did you leave your job?

Was it because Jess Devro died?

Yes.

I mean no.

You see, Sandy'd been after me ever
since we were married two years ago.

He couldn't stand it

that I had a more important
position in the firm than he did.

Did he ask you to give
up all your old friends?

You know, your marriage
kind of came as a surprise.

I know that Jess was surprised.

He always thought...

Well, frankly, he thought that
you cared for someone else.

Perry, stop it.

If I'm unhappy, or even if
you think I've made mistakes,

it's still my
business, isn't it?

I'm responsible, so
please just leave me alone.

Beth, a murder
has been committed.

Now you do need help.

Why, you're scared to death
thinking that your husband

is in some way mixed
up with Lita Krail or even...

I don't know anything about
it! So please just get out, Perry.

We... we don't need
you. Please just get out.

Any luck yet on the guy
with the strawberries?

No, not so far. I'm checking
out the license number

- and my men are checking the markets.
- What about the necktie?

Well, there was a
cleaning tab on the label

and we're running it
down as fast as we can.

I gave my men a head start before
I reported what I had to the police.

All right, Paul. I want one of
your men to watch that house.

- Don't leave till he gets here.
- All right.

Oh, you heard about
the Lita Krail thing.

Shocking, isn't
it? Very shocking.

Such a pretty creature.

How did you hear
about it, Mr. Banks?

Oh, the police just
called a few moments ago.

Routine... check the
employer. That sort of thing.

I wasn't in town when Jess
Devro died last year, Mr. Banks.

I still miss him. Best
friend, you know? Very best.

It happened here
in the office, didn't it?

He was alone, working late.

As I recall the newspaper story,

one of the cleaning women said
that she heard him talking to someone

about an hour before he died.

She said his voice
sounded very angry.

I'd quite forgotten.

Mason, what does this
have to do with Lita Krail?

The stroke may have been the
result of a fight with someone.

Mason, you've got the wrong
foot in the mouth entirely.

Oh, sure, Lita Krail may have
been #1 girl in the big firm, but...

Did Lita earn just
her salary here

or do you think she had
another source of income?

I don't follow.

Well, for keeping quiet or
arranging deals here and there.

Beth Sandover
tells me that the job

was a regular funnel
of gossip and influence,

- if a woman so wanted to use it.
- And so she did, your friend Beth.

Lita's told me what
a big snoop she was.

It's her husband who
was the snoop... Sandy.

Of all the creepy calculating
guys I've had to stand...

Now now now now,
Frank, sticks and stones.

Oh, Mason, you know Sellers?

How do you do?

Frank Sellers?
Jess Devro told me

that you were the one who would probably
run the company when he stepped down.

You mean Devro & Sellers
instead of Devro & Banks?

Now Mason, you've been
shooting apples off my head

ever since you came in.

I'm curious as to who's
being blackmailed around here

and by whom, that's all.

- Blackmail? What kind of a...
- All right, all right, Sellers.

It's a stormy morning...
Police, murder and all that.

We can't blame Mr. Mason

if he doesn't recognize a big
happy family when he sees one.

Excuse me, sir. I'm sorry. I
have a call outside for Mr. Mason.

Thank you.

- Gentlemen.
- Anytime. No offense.

All part of the game.

Hello?

Yes, Paul?

Who?

Is there an Enos Watterton
working for the company?

He phoned to say he had
a headache this morning.

He's probably at
home, Paul. Why?

That necktie that Lita Krail was holding
in her hand belongs to Enos Watterton.

I don't know how
she got my necktie.

Look, can't you understand?
When a guy drinks a little...

But you admit she
was over here last night

and you took her home
a little before 11:00?

I didn't even get
into her house.

- She... she had something else to do.
- Like what?

I don't know. A couple of hours earlier,
she asked me to call Sandy Sandover's wife

just to make sure that
Sandy had left for Phoenix.

Then later she got a call from
Mr. Sellers about something.

Why did she want to know
that Sandover had left town?

Search me.

Although she did say she
thought it was about time

she fixed Sandy's wagon.

All right, Paul, you'd better take
Mr. Watterton down to headquarters.

They'll want him as
a material witness.

How can I explain it? Look,
fellas, you gotta believe me.

I was wearing a brown
tie last night, not a red one.

This was a red one
with a little figure on it.

I don't own such a...

Wait a minute.

- Was the figure sort of gray?
- That's right.

I think that's one of the
ones I left at the office.

Sure, that's it. You know, in case... in
case I lined up something kind of special.

At the office, where
anyone might have taken it?

Yeah. I mean no.

A couple of months ago,

Sandy spilled some
soup and... That's it.

That's the tie I
loaned to Sandy.

Beth, I have to see him.
Everything points in one direction.

Now if you want me to help your
husband before the police get here...

Perry, I don't know what I
want... Just time to think, please.

Beth, stop that sniveling.

You don't have to
pretend to be loyal.

Mr. Sandover, you went out to Lita
Krail's cottage last night, didn't you?

She lied to me.

She was up to something;
trying to get you into trouble.

She said she'd
meet me in Phoenix.

She lied to me. I
bought a new sport coat.

I told her things... Things
I never told anyone.

You thought she cared for you.
What did she do, laugh at you?

I didn't give her the chance.

She was asleep on the
couch with the door open.

I couldn't stop myself,
Beth. She'd lied to me.

I picked up an
ashtray. I hit her.

I couldn't help it. I hit
her and hit her and hit her.

That's very interesting.
It explains a lot.

- You're trespassing, Lieutenant.
- Take it easy, Perry.

I have a warrant here.

Mr. Sandover, you understand
that anything you've said to me

that might have been
overheard by Lieutenant Tragg...

What difference does it make? I
killed her. I have to tell, Mr. Mason.

I killed her, yes. And then
I put a necktie in her hand.

She was always
playing with neckties.

It was Enos's necktie.

Thank you, Mr. Sandover.

But suppose you tell us all
this down at headquarters, eh?

Now look here, Tragg...

It's too bad you didn't
check sooner with us, Perry.

You see, when
this guy struck her,

Lita Krail had probably been
dead for over a half an hour.

The doctor found
the bullet in her heart.

My warrant is for
Mrs. Sandover...

for murder.

Well, that's...
that's it, Perry.

I did go out there,

but I was with Lita only 20 minutes
or so. It was sometime after 11:00.

When did she call you?

Oh, it was a couple of hours
after you left the house that night.

She said there was something very
urgent that we should discuss privately.

And since it takes only a few
minutes to get out to her house, I...

Did she tell you that she'd also
received threatening phone calls?

I didn't believe her
then and I still don't.

All right.

But it wasn't just the blackmailing
thing she wanted to talk about, was it?

No. She said Sandy was going
to be in trouble over some money.

She didn't know what Frank
Sellers was going to do about it,

but it might be serious trouble.

And only she could
get Sandy out of it

if he'd quit his job and
we'd both move out of town.

In other words,
practically admit that we...

Or I had been up to something.

What more proof did I
need that she was the one?

And you told her so.

And that's when Lita
brought out her gun?

No, she lost her temper.
She tried to threaten me

with some silly little thing
she kept in her bureau.

That silly little thing was
the gun that killed her.

And Beth, your
fingerprints are all over it.

Oh, Perry, I grew up
with too many brothers.

I told Lita she ought
to be spanked or worse.

I simply took the gun away from her,
threw it down on the desk and walked out.

Well, I wish you'd told
me all that the next day.

How could I?

I drove home that
night. The lights were on.

So I went for a walk. I stopped at
Dorothea's and we talked a while.

And at 1:00 I went home.

I thought Sandy was asleep.

Then I heard the car come in.

What else could I
think the next morning

but that he'd taken
the car out after I had;

that he'd been out to
Lita's and he'd killed her.

Maybe Sandy had provocation

for what he did to Lita.

The police have check
out his story, you know.

He was seen drinking in a
Hollywood bar just before...

Well, it's not specifically
against the law

to try to kill someone
who's already dead.

Perry, you're making
excuses for Sandy.

Why?

To find out why
you've made so many.

Not ever again.

Oh, Perry, I do need
my old friends back.

And what did the
defendant then say to you

when you told her that her
husband was busy in the office

of the deceased, Lita Krail?

Well, she said,
"That little alley cat,"

and... and then another
word that I really didn't listen to.

I mean, everybody already knew
how much they hated each other

ever since Lita was
given Beth's job.

- Objection.
- Sustained.

Now Miss Adams, let's skip
to later that day, shall we?

To that night, as
a matter of fact.

Did you have occasion to
contact the deceased then?

Yes I did.

You see, I got this crazy call
from Sand... Mr. Sandover...

About money deposits
and money in the office.

Well, I got home from my date
and I figured I'd better call Lita

and tell her about Sandy's call.

- So you actually phoned Lita's house?
- At 11:15.

Then she said she
was too busy to talk.

And then I heard another
voice... Hers, the defendant's...

Saying, "Hang up that phone."

Then Lita says, "I'm giving
the orders around here, dear."

And, "Oh, no you're not," says Beth.
And there's a real loud scuffle noise

and bam goes the
receiver right in my ear.

That will be all, Miss Adams.

- Counselor?
- No questions, Your Honor.

You may step down, Miss Adams.

I call Mr. Cyrus
Potkin to the stand.

Oh. I... I'm sorry.

Just one moment, please.

Will you raise your right hand?

Do you swear to tell the
truth and nothing but the truth?

And what was all that about?

Perry wanted me to see if what
the girl was wearing was really mink.

- It is.
- Typist in accounting, huh?

- Mm-hmm.
- We'll check her out too.

- Right.
- Goodbye, beautiful.

Oh, miss, tell Mr. Mason if
there's anything my wife needs...

- You understand.
- No, I'm afraid I don't.

Well, there must
be a bill at least.

Tell him whatever is
necessary to help... Anything...

I'll be glad to manage somehow.

- All...
- I have a little money saved.

All right, Mr. Potkin, you've
positively identified the Sandover car.

You say it came from the
cottage and went past you

as you were working
on your truck in the dark.

Nearly ran me down, you mean.

Of course I was parked
on the only road out.

Yeah.

You heard the written confession
of the defendant's husband

introduced earlier by the prosecution
in order to clarify their case.

You heard Mr. Sandover's
statement that he drove that same car

- out to that same cottage.
- Yes, you bet.

I also heard he was only
there for a few minutes.

Look, mister, after
my truck broke down,

I worked a solid half hour
banging my knuckles in the dark

and there was no
car going and coming;

just the one car
leaving... That's all.

After that I climbed into
the cab and took a snooze.

It is your contention then
that Mr. Sandover's brief visit

occurred after
you went to sleep.

But, Mr. Potkin, how do
you know the length of time

you had been working on your
truck if you didn't have a watch?

I just know, that's all.

After all, you crawl under a truck
three or four times, the jack breaks...

What time did you arrive?

Well, I was headed for the 1:00
AM market, so I figure I stopped...

You don't actually know then
whether you arrived at 11:30,

at 12:00 or even 12:30.

Well, of course I know.
The way I figure it...

If you saw a house that close,
why didn't you phone for a tow truck?

What, spend $10 to
save $5? Now look here...

Now you don't actually
know if you arrived at 11:30,

at 12:00 or at 12:30.
Now is that not correct?

Okay, mister.

That much I'll give you.

Beth Sandover requested her
release from the company, oh,

about a year ago for
personal problems.

It all seemed quite
proper at the time.

At the time? Did something occur
later which threw a different light on it?

It did.

Lita... the deceased, that is...
Had made a number of remarks

regarding certain discrepancies
she'd found on taking over her job.

Well, women and business,
you know? I paid little attention.

Until just the day
before her death,

Lita handed me an itemized list

of certain kickbacks, little
deals involving promotions...

Objection.

Mr. Banks, of your own
personal knowledge,

what was Lita Krail's expressed
opinion of the defendant?

Oh, one of
suspicion, bitterness.

Oh yes, I'd say they
quite hated one another.

Counselor?

Mr. Banks, did...

any of these
allegations by Lita Krail

about the defendant
involve criminal acts?

Oh, nothing quite
that extreme, perhaps.

Was your firm missing
any money last year?

Why, I really don't recall.

You don't recall?

Aren't the company
books now being audited?

Yes, the audit has
been completed.

Books are in perfect
order, I'm glad to say.

- And last year?
- That was in perfect order too.

Now isn't it possible,
Mr. Banks, that Lita Krail

invented these things about the defendant
just to keep suspicion from herself...

Suspicion of bigger things,

such as the identity of
the office blackmailer?

I'll object to that, Your Honor.

There's been no groundwork
laid for the subject of blackmail.

- I'm afraid I'll have to sustain that,
counselor.
- No more questions.

I just don't remember
gossip much, Mr. Burger.

Let me remind you that there were
other witnesses present, Mr. Sellers.

Now what did Lita Krail say to you on
the morning two days before her death?

Oh, she... she said she
thought I ought to know

that Sandy... Mr. Sandover there...
Had been hinting around to her

about maybe getting his hands
on some money somewhere.

Well, she claimed it might have
something to do with Sandy's wife.

- But I didn't believe...
- That's all. Thank you very much, sir.

Your witness.

Mr. Sellers, you
testified that Lita Krail

sent you a message
on the night of her death

suggesting that certain monies
had not been deposited in the bank.

$45,000 in cash. That's right.

Was this a matter which could have
caused Mr. Sandover serious trouble?

Well, he was the
bookkeeper responsible, but...

Could Lita Krail have mixed
up that deposit in some way

so that he would
have been blamed?

But she'd have had to do
something with the money itself

for anybody to
really be in a mess.

No.

No, that money was still just lying
there in the safe when I went to get it.

In your opinion, could Lita
Krail have been a blackmailer?

- Search me.
- It is true, is it not,

that six months prior
to your wife's death,

you were occasionally seen in
the company of other women?

My wife was an invalid
for 15 years, Mr. Mason.

Yes. And I took care of her.

Anybody I was seen with was...

a good friend.

And if you think there's
anything like blackmail in that...

If it please the court, defense
counsel is once again wandering

into the briar patch
we've been trying to avoid.

Now in the interest
of the court's time...

Would you excuse me
a moment, Your Honor?

If it please the court,

the state has
unearthed new evidence

which will, I am happy to
say, clarify once and for all

just exactly who was doing what.

On request of the District Attorney, we
just completed a more thorough search

of the defendant's house.

What did you find
there, Lieutenant?

In several places in Mrs.
Sandover's dressing room

we found bundles of greenbacks.

How much did it amount
to in money, Lieutenant?

$201,000.

It's just about time. You
suppose he's going to show up?

Well, he will if my
information's correct.

And Miss Adams here made
the message sound pretty urgent.

Thanks, Sally.

Well, here's to
your friend Beth.

Mmm.

Perry, what about her
fingerprints on the gun?

Their expert admitted that some
of the fingerprints were smeared.

I tried to argue that someone
could have picked the gun up later,

picked it up with a
handkerchief and fired it.

There you are.

Sally, what's the big idea telephoning
a message to my house like that?

You know how my wife...

Mason.

'Evening, Mr. Banks.
Care for a drink?

Well, so you finally
hit your target.

- All right, what's your price?
- The truth.

- You think it's in me?
- It'd better be.

We've got enough
on your and Sally to...

Never mind, Paul. Have you
been blackmailed because of her?

- Yes.
- By whom?

That's the trouble...
I don't know.

I thought it was Beth Sandover,
but now I'm not so sure.

I'd had just about enough of
this whole business, Mason.

I was going to call
in a private detective.

Did Lita Krail know that?

Well, I did call an agency
the other day from the office.

It's possible Lita
might have heard me.

And was scared into action.

All right, how much blackmail did you
pay? How much have you paid in all?

$6,000.

That's a long way
from $201,000, isn't it?

Della, you and I have a
few subpoenas to get out.

There's only one way to
handle the defense now.

No, sir, I'd say Sandy...
Sandover's job wasn't too important.

Like me, just a bookkeeper.

Only Sandy hasn't got much
future, if you want my opinion.

- We don't, Mr. Watterton.
- You'd better come inside.

- They'll call you in a minute.
- Oh.

I thought maybe
a drink of water.

Well, we don't want
to lose our seats.

Come on.

Now tell us this, Mr. Watterton,

when the defendant
worked at Devro & Banks,

did you notice any
financial discrepancies

- which could be attributed to her?
- No, sir, I did not.

Did her husband ever
make any such mistakes,

either intentional or otherwise?

Sandy? He's not bright
enough to make mistakes.

I must caution the witness.

I just meant that Beth
Sandover is not only

one of the most honest
people I've ever met,

but she's also got all
the brains of the family.

Strike that last remark.

Your Honor, I'm
through with the witness.

Cross examine.

No questions, Your Honor.

I would like to call
as my next witness

Mr. Frank Sellers.

Now look, let's
get this straight.

In all my years of knowing her,

Beth Sandover never once used her position
at the office for her own private gain.

Just how would you
account for the $201,000

the police found at
the Sandover house?

I wouldn't. I don't
know anything about it.

To your own personal knowledge,

does the defendant gamble?
Does she follow the races?

Of course not.

How can you be so
positive, Mr. Sellers?

Because I know
Beth... For 15 years.

We could never
do anything about it,

but, well, I... I know
Beth. That's all.

Did her husband have any private
source of income that you might know of?

Sandy?

Well, he's sure no
gambler. I can tell you that.

What else can you
tell us about him?

Plenty.

He's conniving and
selfish, little and mean.

Only the money is
relevant here, Mr. Sellers.

Now could the defendant's husband have
connived somehow to steal that money?

Well, not from us.

He's too cautious.

On top of that, he's
just plain stupid.

He goes over and over every
pin in that double-entry mind of his.

In my opinion, Sandy's
got less imagination

than any bookkeeper
in the world.

That's not true!

But it's my work that kept Devro
& Banks running. Yes, for years.

Me, Clem Sandover.

I asked about the
money, Mr. Sandover.

It's my money.
Yes, every penny...

Dollar by dollar, month after
month. Don't you understand?

My $201,000.

I embezzled it.

Your Honor, I was about to object
to this line of questioning, but I...

And I would agree with
the objection, Your Honor.

I'll withdraw the question

since the witness is obviously
lying just to protect his wife.

No, that's not so. I did it.

Don't you understand?
You've got to believe me.

Year after year I
worked on my plan.

I was so clever with the books
that no one even guessed.

No one even noticed a
wrong decimal, a wrong...

Didn't Jess Devro even guess?

What?

Your former employer who died
so suddenly of a stroke one night.

You know, we're also here to
talk about murder, Mr. Sandover.

- But Mr. Devro...
- Lita Krail's murder.

Oh, but Lita I can tell you more
about. She was a blackmailer.

She even got information
out of me about people.

- I never told that before.
- Why not?

Are you that anxious
to implicate your wife?

No. I was confused. I was
worried about the money.

I mean, I confessed to
everything else I knew...

Going there and striking
her the way I did...

But they said she
was already dead and...

And by that easy and
intentional confession,

you hoped to remove yourself as a
suspect of her murder, isn't that right?

No one would
kill a person twice.

A man as methodical as you
might have done it, Mr. Sandover,

if you'd been trapped.

Trapped?

Yes.

Perhaps you went out
there and fought with Lita.

Perhaps she just laughed
at you and ordered you out.

Then you saw her gun.

The next thing you knew
she was dead at your feet.

But when you started to
leave, there was a truck outside.

It had just broken down.

And it stayed there and stayed.

No, wait, I was seen
in a bar at 12:15.

The police confirmed that.

It's less than a ten-minute
walk to that bar and that alibi.

Now you couldn't leave
your car forever at Lita's.

But when you went back
the truck was still there.

And that's when you created
your second desperate alibi.

And then you let your car
be seen by driving away.

She lied to me.

Is that why you killed her?

Because she lied to you?

Lita's not important.

Do you know how long it took
me to plan that embezzlement?

Oh, yes indeed,

you can say that Rome
wasn't built in one day.

No, and neither was Fort Knox.

Oh, I want you to understand

how complex it is...

The undiscoverable acquisition

of $201,000.

Oh, I tell you, it's a
financial feat worthy of...

Well, I did it.

I did it. Won't you listen?
Won't you understand?

I embezzled that money.

Me! Clem P. Sandover.

I... I did it!

I was so surprised when
Frank here came out

and said all those awful
things about Sandy.

Well, I'm sorry I couldn't
have warned you, Beth.

But I had Mr. Sellers well
primed, and Mr. Watterton.

And narrowly led them into
contempt of court just to help.

Well, it had to be done.

There was just no other explanation
for all the things that happened

and the circumstantial
evidence against you

could equally have
applied to your husband.

Sandy admitted that Devro
almost caught him last year,

which of course is what
caused Devro's stroke.

I know.

You can't be loyal forever
to your own mistakes, Beth.

It's just that I'm so terribly
sorry for Sandy, that's all.

You shouldn't be. He's in
a nice comfortable place

where he can do what he really
wants to do for as long as he likes.

What's that?

Oh, he's writing a book about
the perfect embezzlement.