All language subtitles for Perry Mason S06E11 The Case of the Fickle Filly.DVDRip.NonHI.en.CBS

♪♪

- Isn't she beautiful, Brad?
- Just like her owner.

1:12:03...

That's ever better
than you expect.

Oh, Jennifer, your father's
going to be pleased.

He'll be more than that when she
wins, and Lil's going to be a winner.

I know it. Just wait and see.

How's Dad feeling?

Active men with heart attacks
don't take well to being kept in bed.

Well, I'd better get
back to those letters.

Tell daddy the good
word, will you, Roberta.

And be a good
secretary... Make him rest!

- How was it?
- 1:12:03.

She's got three
more weeks training

at the track before the meet.

I guess she'll be ready.

Pessimist. She's ready now.

Come on.

Come on, Lil.

Mm, Tiger Lil, I love you.

Now, don't get lipstick
all over her nose.

Oh, it doesn't matter
how she looks now.

She's going home
for a nice rest.

Joe, I've got to stop by
school on the way home,

so you'll be there before me.

Don't say anything
to Dad, please.

Let me tell him all about it.

Sure, sure,

and won't he be tickled pink.

You've done real
well, real well, Jennifer.

Tiger Lil!

She's all right, Jenny.

Where's Daddy?

He saved the horses, all right,

but he had another heart attack,

and he didn't save himself.

He's...

He's dead.

Your uncle, Mr. Pierson, called.

If you feel up to it, he'd like
you to come to his office later.

Thanks, Roberta.
Are you leaving now?

It's hard to say
goodbye sometimes.

- Some people don't even bother to.
- Oh, Roberta.

Oh, it's all right.

It's all right.

You're not even 19 yet.

You've got your whole life
ahead of you to live and enjoy.

He never came to see me,

never even called once to
say he was sorry, not once.

- Who?
- Brad Shelby.

Oh, I...

We got along together so well,

especially when we
were at the races.

- Roberta, he liked me.
- Jennifer.

Jennifer.

You know Madelon Haines?

The day before your father died,

Madelon Haines was married
in Las Vegas to Brad Shelby.

No.

No, it can't be.

She's older than he is,

and she's not pretty at all.

And she's also a
very wealthy woman

with a big ranch and
a string of race horses.

I don't know whatever it
was that Brad said to you,

but whatever it was,

it was just his charming way

of being irresistible
to anything in a skirt.

Jenny, I'm very sorry.

Oh, Roberta, I feel like...

Jenny, listen, I have an idea.

This place is so big and
empty, and you're all alone now.

I have a lovely apartment.
Why don't you move in with me?

You can stay with me until...

Well, until you get
straightened out.

How about it?

Okay, it's settled. Good.

We'll call your uncle and...

we'll tell him you're moving
and you'll come see him later.

Come here.

I'm sorry, Jennifer.

Having to tell you...
This is the hardest part

of being executor of
your father's estate.

After all the
obligations are met...

You mean there
isn't any money left?

None at all?

What do I do, Uncle Emmett?

You go on just as you have been.

But what about all those bills?

That's my job.

Just wish your father had
been as good a businessman

as he was a horseman.

Why, Jenny...

you're not alone.

Jennifer, we've
never been very close,

or we'd know each other better.

We're family now.

We're the only
family either of us has.

We've got to have
faith in each other.

And the only thing I
really have left is Tiger Lil.

I've made up my
mind, Mr. Durell.

I'm going to race her.

I've heard your father
say, more than once,

that the most expensive way to
make money was to race horses.

Well, after he was sick,
he told me that I could,

told me some day
I'd run the stable.

Is Joe Mead still
training Tiger Lil?

Yes, he's at the
ranch with her now.

Daddy wanted me to race her
at the fairgrounds for experience,

before the big track.

Those are her only three
races, and she won them all.

Jennifer, I have
a surprise for you.

Your father planned it
for you three years ago,

when Tiger Lil was foaled.

He nominated her for
the "Presentation Stakes."

Paid all the fees in
advance, everything.

Oh, this is wonderful.

Presentation... why
that's a $75,000 purse.

All you need to do is
apply for stable space

and get her over
here with a trainer.

Oh, thank you, Mr. Durell.

You don't know what
this means to me.

Joe? Joe.

Well, hi, Jennifer.

Guess what?

Lil is going to run in
the Presentation Stakes.

The Presentation?

Yes, she's eligible.

Daddy nominated her
when she was a foal,

but he never told me about it.

I've already applied
for stable space.

You can get her ready and
take her over early next...

- Joe, those are yours.
- I'm leaving.

But you can't leave.
You're Tiger Lil's trainer.

Jennifer, Tiger Lil's been sold.

- Sold?
- To Brad Shelby.

Jennifer, she's gone.

Shelby came over early
this morning and took her.

Why didn't you stop him?

There wasn't anything
I could do, Jenny.

Mr. Pierson ordered
me to turn her over.

But she's mine.
Tiger Lil belongs here.

She can't be sold.

Why, Jennifer Wakely,
how nice to see you.

I came to see Brad.

My husband's
busy at the stables.

Could you possibly talk
to me about whatever it is?

I didn't come to talk.

I came to get my filly back.

I admire your directness, Jenny.

Why is Tiger Lil so
important to you?

I should think there'd be many
things more important than horses

to an attractive girl like you.

Well, you're wrong.

Just as I was wrong

when I thought there were more
important things to you than money.

Look, I wanted to talk to you and tell
you how sorry I am about your father.

He was my friend. I miss him.

I miss you, too.

You know, I bought
Lil to help you.

I don't want your help.

I came here to get
what's already mine,

Tiger Lil.

You have nothing
to say about that filly.

I bought her, and that's
the way it's going to stay.

I'll get Tiger Lil back,
and you won't stop me.

Nobody will listen to me.

Can you help me, Mr. Mason?

Well, that depends.

Jennifer, in what condition
is your father's estate?

There's a big mortgage
against the ranch

and loans against the insurance.

The only thing I really
have left is Tiger Lil.

Uncle Emmett didn't have
any right to sell her, did he?

That also depends.

You're a minor, Jennifer.

An executor,
acting in your behalf,

could dispose of properties
on his own judgment,

providing he can show the court

that the transaction
will benefit the estate.

Tiger Lil wasn't just property.

I raised her and I love her.

Doesn't that count?

Uncle Emmett
didn't even tell me.

What Mr. Pierson did may have
been thoughtless and unkind,

but not necessarily illegal.

However, let me look into it.

I'll see him right away.

Wait for me at the apartment.

I'll get back to you there.

Horse breeding is
a rich man's game.

My brother-in-law wasn't rich.

A good trainer, yes, but Jennifer's
father simply had no head for business.

As you can see, there
isn't much to work with.

When Shelby came to me with an
offer of $50,000 to buy the horse,

I really had no
alternative but to sell.

I realize you had no alternative but to
sell the other Wakely horses, Mr. Pierson.

Why didn't you consult with
Jennifer about the sale of Tiger Lil?

Knowing how Jennifer
felt about the horse,

I believed it was kinder not to
tell her until after it was done.

She's a badly upset young woman.

Yes, she took it much
harder than I expected.

Of course I knew from the records
about the Presentation Stakes.

I realize this is a great
disappointment to her,

but, Mr. Mason,

I'm not a gambler.

I'm a businessman.

Miss Harper, my name is Mason.

This is my secretary,
Miss Street.

May we see Jennifer, please?

Oh, she isn't here right now.

But we asked her
to wait her for us.

Oh, she got a telephone
call from some woman.

She was very excited,

and from the way she was
dressed and what she said,

I'm pretty sure she may have
gone out to the ranch, her ranch.

This woman who called...

Do you know who it was?

No, I don't.

Would you like to leave a
message for her, Mr. Mason?

No, no, we'll...

We'll just run out to the ranch.

It's mighty quiet.

Let's try the house.

You must be Joe Mead. This is
Miss Street, my name is Mason.

We're looking for Jennifer.

Well, she's staying in
town with Roberta Harper.

We've been there. It's
about the sale of her horse.

Oh? What about it?

I'd better talk to her first.

Any idea where she might be?

No, I don't.

Excuse me, but I've
got to get moving.

I've got a job driving a
load of horses to San Bruno.

Just came back for some
personal things that I...

Why, the horse trailer's gone.

The horse trailer?

Perry, you don't
think Jennifer would...

Try to steal Tiger
Lil? I don't know.

Joe, what's the quickest way
to get to the Shamrock Stables?

Madelon!

Madelon!

Madelon!

What is it, Vic?

It's Mr. Shelby. He's dead.

I didn't mean to do it.

I... I didn't mean to do it.

I didn't mean to do it!

Brad Shelby just sort
of popped out at me.

I screamed, I
guess. I was scared.

He grabbed for the spreader,

and we struggled.

Then I gave him a push, and
he tripped and fell backwards,

and I started running,

but he came right after me.

Oh, I was frightened.

I just turned and threw
the spreader at him.

Did you hit him?

I don't know.

I didn't look.

I just ran to the house for
help, but nobody was there.

After you threw the spreader,

did Shelby keep on
running after you?

No, I didn't hear...

If I had missed him,

he wouldn't been
running after me,

so I must've...

No, Jennifer, it's
unlikely that you hit him.

Mr. Mason, couldn't he maybe have
tripped and fallen on the spreader?

Couldn't it have
been an accident?

No, Jennifer,

and the state will contend

that Shelby was only trying to
prevent his property from being stolen.

But I wasn't stealing,

I was only doing what Madelon
Shelby told me to do when she phoned.

Madelon Shelby called you?

Yes.

And it was after that,
that you left the apartment.

Yes, Mr. Mason.

Madelon told me on the phone

to come over to the ranch
right away that night and take Lil.

She said that no one,
at least for a few hours,

would be at the Shamrock.

That's exactly what she said.

Yes, I did call her,

but I had absolutely no idea
anything like this would happen.

You must've expected trouble
with your husband at the ranch.

He wasn't supposed to be there.

We had a date to meet at the
Red Coach Inn at 8:30 for dinner,

but he didn't show up.

You know, Mr. Mason,

Shamrock Stables
didn't need Jennifer's filly.

When Jennifer protested the sale,
I was perfectly willing to cancel it.

But why did you want Jennifer to
pick up her horse secretly at night

without telling anyone,
not even your husband?

At the time it just seemed
like the simplest way.

There would be
no one at the ranch.

She could pick up the horse
without any interference.

You see, Brad was
going to ship some horses

into Mexico at
6:00 in the morning.

I wanted to be sure that
Tiger Lil didn't go with them.

Am I to understand that you
decided to cancel the sale,

but that your husband hadn't
agreed to the cancellation?

He was a headstrong man,

but buying an unproven
filly for $50,000...

Well, it just doesn't
make sense.

Is $50,000 an unusual price?

At the best, $10,000 would
be a generous price for Tiger Lil.

$50,000 is preposterous.

Then why did you agree to it?

I didn't.

Brad did it on his own, without
consulting me or George Tabor,

our trainer.

I didn't even know about the sale
until Jennifer came to the house.

I only wanted to help Jennifer when
I told her to come and get her filly.

I'm sorry about what happened.

I want to help her now,

if I can.

That's very kind
of you, Mrs. Shelby.

Particularly if she
has an uncle like that.

What do you mean?

Emmett Pierson should
know something about horses.

Does it strike you
as being very honest

to sell Tiger Lil for five times
what the horse was worth?

Because you didn't
ask me, I guess.

I had the impression somehow
that you knew how good a deal it was.

Why, had to approve the sale
regardless of Jennifer's feelings.

Mr. Pierson,

did you know that Shelby
was buying the horse

without the knowledge
of his wife or their trainer?

Yes.

Considering the ridiculously
high price you received,

didn't that strike
you as a little odd?

Well, he knew the horse.

He'd watched her train
at the Wakely Ranch

before he married
Madelon Haines.

That marriage was sudden,

and, frankly, Shelby
was out of his depth.

I believe that's why he
wanted to do something big,

entirely on his own,

to prove himself at
the Shamrock Stables.

I think that's why he
insisted on closing the deal,

admittedly an expensive on,

before the Shamrock
trainer, George Tabor,

gets back from the East.

When is that?

Next week.

If only I had been less of a
businessman and more of an uncle.

At least I'm glad she
has you, Mr. Mason.

You don't think
she did it, do you?

I'm convinced she didn't.

Well, then...

It's just that the Sheriff's
Office and the District Attorney

might not agree with me.

But facts are facts.

Her fingerprints are all over
the handle of that spreader.

As far as we're concerned,

she was the last person to
handle the murder weapon.

I thought you'd like to know,

the District Attorney's
going ahead with a hearing.

That's very kind of
you, Sergeant Landro.

See you, Counselor.

Come in, won't you?

Hello, Mr. Mason.

Thank you for stopping
by, Miss Harper.

Have you seen
Jennifer? How is she?

All right, I think.

I'm on my way to see her now

with a few things they
said she might need.

I'll only keep you a moment.
Won't you sit down, please?

Miss Harper, how long were
you secretary to Jennifer's father?

Almost two years.

Then you were there when
they first met Brad Shelby.

Did they meet through you?

Yes. The police know. I
guess you might as well, too.

Mr. Mason, Brad
Shelby and I were married

about seven years
ago, for one month.

Then we just called it quits.

About a year or so ago

he saw me at the track
with Mr. Wakely and Jennifer.

It was a casual sort of
thing. I introduced him.

They liked him.

He was no good, but
he was a real charmer.

Did Jennifer or her father know
that you had been married to Shelby?

No. I was ashamed of it.

Believe me, Mr. Mason. I
would've said something.

I would have told them
what kind of guy he was,

if it had dawned on me.

Jennifer was old enou...

I know what you're
thinking, Mr. Mason.

His sudden marriage to
Madelon Haines was a shock,

but Jennifer took it very well.

And then, Miss Harber?

Then she found out
he bought Tiger Lil.

Oh, of all the
people in the world,

why did he have
to buy her filly?

That's a good question.

Yes, Gertie. Just a minute.

It's Paul.

Excuse me. Yes, Paul.

This is it so far, Perry.

Madelon Shelby was at
the Red Coach last night.

She arrived there about
8:30 and left a little past 9:00.

I don't know where
she went after that.

Victor and the two stable
hands were at a poker game,

which broke up early.

George Tabor left the
ranch just before noon,

but I haven't been able
to find out where he went.

- George Tabor?
- Yeah, the Shamrock trainer.

He wasn't due
back until next week.

Well, I wouldn't
know about that,

but he flew in
yesterday morning,

was at the ranch from around
10:00, a little before noon,

and then went into
town some place.

What about Joe Mead?
Due back any time now.

I was just on my way out
to the ranch to see him.

All right, Paul,
swing by the office.

I'll go with you.

Look, why don't you
get out of here, Tabor?

Not until we settle this
business about the filly, Joe.

You knew about Tiger Lil.

You kept your mouth
shut and let her be sold.

It was none of my business,

and it wasn't your money,

so it's none of your
business either.

Well, I'm making it my business.

Oh, I get it.

You want to be a hero.

Everybody knows you've been
sweet on Madelon for years.

Now that her young husband's
out of the way, you fig...

Hold it.

Joe, this is Paul Drake.

- Hi.
- Howdy.

- Who's your friend?
- That's George Tabor.

He's trainer for Shamrock.

What was all the muscle about?

It's personal... private matter.

Why did Tabor come to see you?

Well, he didn't like the idea of
Shamrock Stables buying Jennifer's filly,

and he figured I had
something to do with the sale.

- Did you?
- No.

First I knew of any sale was
when Mr. Pierson called up

and ordered me to turn
the filly over to Shelby.

How well did you
know Brad Shelby, Joe?

He hung around
here at the ranch.

You sure you didn't
know him before that,

know enough about
his past, perhaps,

to convince him that $50,000
was a fair price for Tiger Lil?

Fifty thous...

Mr. Mason, I told you,

I had nothing to
do with that sale.

George Tabor didn't
think so, did he?

I've sent for George Tabor.
He'll be here in a minute.

Would you mind telling me
why you wanted to see him?

Since our talk this morning, I've
learned that Mr. Tabor returned yesterday.

- That's right.
- Quite unexpectedly.

Yes. He finished up
early and came on home.

We were hoping he
could shed some light

on a rather puzzling aspect
of the sale of Jennifer's filly.

But George was out of town
when the sale was made.

That's true,

but he was at the Wakely
Ranch less than an hour ago

talking very emphatically
to Joe Mead about it.

George, this is Mr. Perry
Mason, Jennifer Wakely's attorney,

and Mr. Drake.

You have an enviable
reputation, Mr. Tabor.

I understand the
Shamrock Stables

have never purchased a
horse without your okay,

that is until they
bought Tiger Lil.

- Would you get to your point, Mr. Mason?
- Is that why you went to see Joe Mead?

That's none of your business.

George.

You talked to Joe Mead.
What did he tell you?

Among other things,

that he had nothing
to do with the sale.

He's a liar!

Mr. Tabor, you were
awfully mad about something.

Was it possibly because Mr. Shelby
took advantage of your absence

by making a very shrewd
purchase of his own?

"Shrewd purchase."

Tiger Lil is a very
promising filly.

I'm going to show you
gentlemen something.

You got here just in time.

You might as well
see it too, Madelon.

I'm going to show you what
Mr. Shelby paid $50,000 for.

Run her till I tell
you to stop, Vic.

Something's wrong.

She's limping.

That's enough, Vic.

A fracture of the
Os Pedis, Madelon,

not serious enough
to have her destroyed,

but serious enough
even if properly treated,

chances are she'd
never run again.

She's had that bone
trouble for weeks, Mason.

That's what I went to
see Joe Mead about.

Brad Shelby paid
$50,000 for a horse

that'll never run
another race again

as long as it lives.

Yes, we found clear prints,

which we identified as
those of the defendant.

From the position
of those prints,

Sergeant Landro, could you
tell how the spreader was held?

Yes, at least once...

about like this.

I see.

Now, the autopsy
surgeon testified

that in his opinion,

based on an examination
of the fatal wounds,

the spreader could not have
been thrown from any distance,

particularly by a woman,

in order to inflict such wounds.

As a homicide expert,
Sergeant Landro,

do you agree with that opinion?

Yes, that spreader
wasn't thrown.

It was thrust into the
body at close range.

Thank you,
Sergeant. That'll be all.

Your witness.

Sergeant Landro, were
there any other fingerprints

on the metal handle
of the spreader,

other than those
of the defendant?

Yes, we found one set
belonging to the decedent.

If someone held
the spreader like this,

with their hands on
the wood, not the metal,

would you have picked up
the fingerprints of that person?

Well, the contour and
surface of that wood

are such that they don't lend themselves
easily to retaining fingerprints.

You didn't answer my question.

Someone could have held the
spreader by the wood part of the handle,

and we wouldn't have
found any fingerprints.

Well, when I saw it
was the Wakely trailer,

I figured I'd better go over
and see what was going on,

and there she was, standing over Mr. Shelby
with that spreader sticking in him.

Tell me this,

why, when you saw
the Wakely trailer,

did you fell that you should
go and see what was going on?

Because Mr. Shelby and Miss Wakely
had a fight that afternoon about the filly.

Really? Did you happen to hear
what was said during that fight?

I did... I did happen to
hear Miss Wakely say

that she'd get that filly back
and that he wouldn't stop her.

Oh, boy, was she... She was
crying mad when she left that ranch.

Now, Miss Harper,

when Miss Wakely
returned to the apartment,

after discovering that
her horse had been sold,

did she tell you anything
about going to see Brad Shelby?

- Yes.
- What did she tell you about it?

Oh, something about he
wouldn't let her take Lil back.

Miss Harper, I'm not
interested in "something about."

I want to know
exactly what she said.

She said...

"I thought I hated Brad Shelby
when he married Madelon Haines.

I didn't know how much
I hated him until now.

In other words, Mrs. Shelby,

you made arrangements
to return the horse,

out of your sympathy for the
defendant's love for the animal

and in the belief that no one
would be present at the stable

during those few hours that night to
interfere with her taking the animal.

- Is that correct?
- Yes.

I think that'll be all,
Mrs. Shelby. Thank you.

Cross-examine.

Jennifer stated to you that she would
go along with your arrangements?

When Roberta called her
to the phone and I told her,

she was quite excited and
said she'd come right out.

Mrs. Shelby, were you also concerned
that Jennifer get her horse that night

because your husband planned to ship
some horses to Mexico the next morning

and you wanted to be sure
that Tiger Lil didn't go with them?

Yes, that's right.

When did your trainer George
Tabor get back from the East?

That morning, about 10:00.

Mrs. Shelby, is it possible

that your husband knew that
he had bought a crippled horse

and, with George
Tabor's unexpected return,

knew that he had to get that horse
away before it was discovered?

- Objection, Your Honor.
- I'll withdraw the question.

You say you went to the Red Coach
Inn at 8:30 to meet your husband.

You waited until nine,

then drove to several
other places looking for him

and arrived home
a little after 10:00.

How long does it take to drive from
your ranch to the Red Coach Inn?

About 20 minutes, normally.

Then why did you
leave the ranch at 7:00

for an 8:30 appointment?

I stopped for a drink.

At a place called
The Tambourine.

Did you meet someone there?

- I met George Tabor.
- Why, Mrs. Shelby?

I object, Your Honor. That's
improper cross-examination.

Your Honor, George Tabor
is the Shamrock trainer.

Mr. Burger himself felt that the
whereabouts of the Shamrock staff

was important enough to
bring it out in direct examination.

Only where it bore on matters
germane to this case, Your Honor.

If you can show
relevancy, Mr. Mason,

I will overrule the objection.

Why did you see George Tabor before
you went on to meet your husband?

Well, he came back
from the trip early.

I wanted to find
out how it had gone.

Couldn't you have done that at the
ranch when he arrived that morning?

He went back into town before
I had a chance to talk to him.

Mrs. Shelby, isn't it true

that George Tabor had
checked into a hotel that afternoon

with every intention of
not returning to the ranch?

Yet he called there at 4:00.

Now, I ask you again, why
did you meet George Tabor?

He called and told me
that Brad had fired him.

I had to see him
and straighten it out.

And was he still fired when
you left to meet your husband?

No, he wasn't.

When you told Jennifer Wakely

that she could
have her horse back,

did you ask her to
return the $50,000,

or in your
sympathy for the girl,

did you tell her she didn't
have to return the money?

Mr. Mason,

my husband was no businessman.

It was worth that money,
to me, to find out the truth

before it was too late.

It had become
increasingly apparent to me

that I was going to have
to take control again,

and in running my ranch,
I need George Tabor.

What you mean then, Mr. Tabor,

is that an injury such
as you have described,

while not apparent
superficially,

would disable the filly as
far as racing is concerned?

- Is that correct?
- That's right.

How did you happen
to discover the injury?

Well, in the first place,

I didn't like the
conditions of the sale,

and when I finally got to
take a close look at the filly,

she did favor one leg.

So what did you do then?

We moved her a few times.

She did seem to favor the leg a little,
so we ran her, and she came up lame.

Would you say that running her

was the only way to determine
the nature of her injury?

That's right...

aside from an X-ray.

Then Mr. Shelby,

not being suspicious and not
having X-rayed or run the filly,

would have no way
of knowing about it?

Joe Mead knew she was lame.

Mr. Tabor, would you mind confining
your comments to answering my questions?

Could even an expert
have been able to tell

that the filly was
suffering from a fracture

of the Os Pedis just
by looking at her?

Probably not.

I'd say no.

Thank you, Mr. Tabor.

And now to put
Mr. Mason's mind at ease,

what did you do that night
after you saw Mrs. Shelby?

I had dinner, went back to
my hotel, and went to bed.

And did you stay
there all night, sir?

Yes.

Thank you.

Mr. Mason.

Mr. Tabor, assuming
that Tiger Lil were sound

and you had wanted to buy her,

what would you have considered
a fair, even generous, price?

She was very promising,

but I doubt if I would have
gone as high as 10,000.

Now, in your earlier testimony,

precisely what did
you mean in saying,

"when I finally got a chance
to take a look at the filly"?

I started to look her over
the morning I got back,

but Shelby stopped me.

He said that could wait,

that he had some errands
for me to run in town.

Later, as you know, he
came into town and fired me.

And after he fired you,
you checked into the hotel?

That's right, and he
made it pretty clear

that I wasn't to pick up my things
the next day, when he'd be there.

Then, if Tiger Lil had been shipped
to Mexico the next morning at 6:00,

as Mr. Shelby planned,

you'd never have had a
chance to look her over.

Thank you, Mr. Tabor.

I have some questions
on re-direct, Your Honor.

Mr. Tabor, for some reason
Mr. Mason would have us believe

that the decedent
went to fantastic lengths

to keep you from
looking at a horse.

Now, when you
went into that stall

and he stopped you by saying that
he had errands for you to do in town,

did he indeed have
errands for you to do in town?

He did.

And when he fired you,
did he give you a reason?

He said that I wasn't
needed anymore,

that he was taking over
the duties of trainer himself.

Did he ever once tell you
to stay away from that filly?

No.

Thank you.

Yes, I understand
Miss Wakely was upset

because her filly had been sold,

but you knew the filly had
been injured in the fire, Mr. Mead,

and was lame.

It's hard for me to understand
why you kept this a secret.

She lost her
father in that fire,

and I figured that was
enough to take in one dose.

But, Mr. Mead, you continued to keep
quiet even when the horse came up for sale.

Certainly that wasn't to spare
Mr. Shelby's feelings, was it?

I didn't have time to tell
him even if I wanted to.

I didn't know he
figured on buying her.

Until you were actually
told to turn her over to him?

That's right.

When he picked her up, he
was sure in no talking mood.

Then, as far as you
knew at that time,

neither Mr. Shelby nor Miss
Wakely knew the filly was lame.

That's right.

After you told Miss Wakely
that her filly had been sold,

what did she do?

She went in the tack
room and called her uncle.

And did she mention
Brad Shelby to you

after making that phone call?

Well, she was mad,
and she didn't mean it.

I want to know what
she said, Mr. Mead.

Remember, now,
you're under oath.

What were her words?

Well, she said, "Brad Shelby's
not going to have Tiger Lil.

I'll get him back if I..."

"if I have to kill him."

Perry, there's something
I don't understand.

If Brad Shelby paid $50,000

for a horse he knew was lame,

he couldn't have thought it was
going to last forever, could he?

All right, so he
fired George Tabor.

Someone else
was bound to spot it.

Your question contains
four assumptions,

only three of which
happen to be true.

Don't tell me he didn't
know the horse was lame.

Oh, I think he
knew all right, Della.

Knowing was partly why
Shelby was rushing off to Mexico.

I guess that he planned
to involve Tiger Lil

in some sort of unfortunate
accident down there.

Of course.

If he destroyed the horse, then
nobody would know she was lame.

Well, Paul, did you find out?

Yeah, I found out,
and I wish I hadn't.

Perry, for that girl's sake, just this
once I wish you had been wrong.

Here's the stuff you wanted
on Emmett Pierson's finances.

Emmett Pierson?

- Oh, no.
- Oh, yes.

Her only living relative,
her legal guardian,

and he's sure involved
in some sort of a payoff.

Paul, we've two days
until Court reconvenes.

I'd like you to
take a little trip.

Well, if it's not asking too much,
would you mind telling me where?

Why don't you start in Mexico?

Mr. Mason, are you
ready to proceed?

Joe, you stayed on at
the ranch after the fire.

- You lived there?
- That's right.

Did Emmett Pierson ever come
to the ranch and examine Tiger Lil?

No, he didn't.

Are you certain?

- Surely you weren't there all of the time.
- Well, no.

Were you ever away when Emmett
Pierson knew you would be gone?

Y-Yeah, I was...

The day I took the
mares to the auction,

just three days before
Tiger Lil was sold.

You sure Mr. Pierson knew
that you would be gone?

He's the one who told me to go.

Thank you, Joe.

Mr. Pierson, before
we get down to matters

that actually
pertain to this case.

Let's see if we can once
again clear the atmosphere

of the confusing innuendos

with which Mr. Mason continually
tries to obscure the simple facts.

Did you ever deliberately order
Joe Mead away from Wakely Ranch

for the purpose of
examining Tiger Lil in secret?

As a matter of fact, I did.

Oh. Just a minute, Mr. Pierson,
you never discussed this with me.

You mean you...

You examined the
filly before the sale?

- You knew she was lame?
- Yes, sir.

Did you tell Mr. Shelby?

He was the one
who told me about it.

He said he wanted
to buy the horse

because he felt he owed
Jennifer something for...

treating her the way he did.

Oh, you mean the
sale of the horse

was actually a
cover-up for a gift.

Yes, sir.

Now, Mr. Pierson,
think carefully.

Did Miss Wakely know
the horse was lame?

No, sir.

Then nothing's
been changed, has it?

It still remains a simple fact

that when the defendant met
Brad Shelby at the stable that night,

she was taking back
what she thought

was a sound and
promising race horse,

and her way was being blocked

by the man she hated.

I have no further questions of
this witness at this time, Your Honor.

Mr. Mason.

Mr. Pierson,

you were named executor of
Howard Wakely's estate, were you not?

Yes, sir.

What shape was that estate in?

Will there be enough
left to provide for Jennifer?

Well, actually,
after taxes and...

Taxes, Mr. Pierson?

Inheritance taxes?

Well, I... not inheritance
taxes, no, but...

Income taxes, Mr. Pierson,

the three years of income taxes

Howard Wakely still owed
the government when he died?

Are those the taxes you
were going to refer to?

Yes.

And then there was the matter of the
mortgage on the property, both cars,

and just about every tangible
asset your brother-in-law owned.

Is all this necessary?

Hasn't the poor child
been hurt enough?

- Have those overdue taxes been paid?
- Yes.

- Mortgage on the house been paid up?
- Yes.

Where did you get the
money for all this, Mr. Pierson?

Basically from the
sale of the horse.

From the sale of the horse,
Mr. Pierson, or was that money yours?

No, no, no, you're...

As obviously fond as you seem
to be of your niece, Mr. Pierson,

and knowing how deeply attached
she was to her horse Tiger Lil,

tell me this...

Why did you agree
to sell the filly?

He wanted it. He bought it.

So he did, Mr. Pierson.
So he did, for $50,000.

That was the price, wasn't it?

The Court Reporter can't record a
movement of your head, Mr. Pierson.

You'll have to answer vocally.

Now, $50,000 was the
price for Tiger Lil, wasn't it?

Yes.

Why then, on the day Brad Shelby
gave you a check for $50,000,

did you liquidate your
entire life's savings...

Your bank accounts, bonds
and stock, your real estate,

every penny you had?

To whom did you
give your life's savings?

To whom did you
give $40,000 in cash?

Your Honor, I should like to
recall Roberta Harper to the stand.

You were secretary to Jennifer's
father, Howard Wakely, for two years.

During that time,

did the late Howard Wakely ever
receive from an insurance doctor

a report on the physical condition of
his brother-in-law Emmett Pierson?

Yes, I think he did...

Yes, I'm sure of it.

Mr. Pierson was trying to take
out a big policy on his own life,

naming his niece,
Jennifer, as beneficiary.

"Trying," Roberta?

He was turned down, I think.

An uninsurable man, trying to help
his niece, worried about her security.

Had Emmett Pierson ever been
involved in any business dealings...

Where a race horse was concerned...
With the late Howard Wakely?

No, not that I know of.

Had he ever been involved in a
race horse deal with Brad Shelby?

I was Brad Shelby's wife
for a short period of time,

not his secretary.

I know of no such deals.

Since you were Howard
Wakely's secretary,

I assume that where
he was concerned,

you were a little more familiar
with his business dealings?

Yes, that's right.

As secretary, you typed letters,

took messages, placed and
received many phone calls?

Yes.

Would you say you were familiar

with the voices of the people
who called often during that time,

familiar enough to
identify them, I mean?

Yes, by all means.

Who were some of those who
called more or less regularly?

Well, Mr. Pierson and Dr. Orson,

Mr. Wakely's broker Mr. Atkins,

Brad Shelby called,

and Madelon Haines...

Mrs. Shelby, that is...

And Jennifer, of course.

Then, Roberta,

the telephone call Jennifer
received in your apartment

the night of the murder...

You knew it was Madelon.

You knew it was Madelon
who called Jennifer.

Why did you lie to me?

Madelon Shelby knew
she was talking to you

when she called to tell Jennifer
to come and get her horse.

Why did you lie to
Miss Street and me?

Why did you say you
didn't know the identity

of the woman who
had called Jennifer?

I must have made a mistake.

Just like the mistake
Brad Shelby made

by marrying Madelon Haines,

thinking you had divorced him?

I did divorce him.

- Did you? Where?
- In Mexico.

My investigator
checked in Mexico.

He found out you started divorce
proceedings seven years ago

and suddenly dropped the action.

You never got the divorce.

No, I didn't.

Seven years ago,
when I met Brad,

I thought he had
money, was rich.

He fooled me... tricked me!

He took every cent
I'd scrimped and saved.

$10,000 he took from me,

and then he walked out,

and he left me alone and broke.

I started a divorce,

and then I changed my mind.

Someday he'd want that divorce

and he'd pay for it,

pay good.

When he married Madelon Haines
and found out you'd never divorced him,

how much did you ask him to pay?

$40,000.

The 40,000 in cash Emmett
Pierson gave Brad Shelby?

Yes.

Mr. Pierson was going to turn over
his life savings to Jennifer anyway,

so it was an easy way for him
to get an extra $10,000 for her,

and it was a way for Brad to write
off $50,000 of Madelon's money.

Brad Shelby's
hurried trip to Mexico...

It was for more than just
getting rid of Tiger Lil, wasn't it?

It was to obtain the quick divorce
you had refused to go through with.

Yes.

And lying to me
about that call...

That was to keep me from going
to the Shamrock Stables that night

because you had a date to meet
Brad Shelby and collect your $40,000.

Roberta, before
you killed him...

did he give you the money?

Yes, I have the money,

still have it.

He was drunk, ugly.

After he gave me the money,

he heard Jennifer take
her horse out of the stable.

He ran after her.

He grabbed at her.

She ran away toward the house.

I stopped him after she threw
the spreader and missed him.

I was scared. I was
scared for Jennifer.

I threatened to tell Madelon
if he didn't leave the girl alone.

He was furious.

He said, as long as I
lived, I was a threat,

I could tell Madelon that
their marriage wasn't legal.

I said, "I'll give you
back the money."

I'd go away, I'd get the divorce,
I'd never even see him again.

He just kept shaking
his head and grinning.

He'd make sure.
That's what he said.

He'd make sure that
I'd never be in the way.

I...

I was scared.

I picked up the spreader...

Jenny, believe me,

I was frightened for you,

but I couldn't say anything

without giving back the money.

D-Don't you see?

The money's mine.

It's mine.

Roberta had a sick, desperate
need for money, for security,

so she stole from your
brother-in-law's accounts.

I spotted the false
entries on the books...

$10,000 missing.

Jenny had suffered
enough already.

I couldn't let her think
her father was dishonest.

I had to cover it at any cost.

What... What made you
suspect Roberta, Mr. Mason?

I believed that Jennifer
was telling the truth,

so someone else had to
have been there that night.

When I realized that Roberta
had lied about that call,

when we found that she had
begun a divorce action in Mexico

and then stopped it,

it wasn't too difficult to put
the whole story together.

Agreeing to Shelby's proposition
was a hard decision, Mr. Mason.

I knew it was morally,
if not legally, wrong,

but I was desperate.

Tiger Lil was
Jennifer's only asset.

Was?

Looks as though
she's still an asset.

What?

Isn't it wonderful?

Lil's going to be a mother.

Prospective father...
the Shamrock's best.

So we could start our new
stables with a new blood line,

that is if you'll be my
partner, Uncle Emmett?

So long.