All language subtitles for Perry Mason S06E20 The Case of the Golden Oranges.DVDRip.NonHI.en.CBS

♪♪

What the devil's
going on here, Bryce?

Why aren't you ripping out
these trees? What's the hold-up?

Hold-up's the right
word for it, Mr. Thornton.

Take a look over there.

Old gaffer said he'd ventilate
both me and the machine

if I so much as touch
one of those trees.

We'll see about
that. Mr. Keller!

That's fur enough, Mr. Thornton.

This is still my property,
and you is trespassing!

You and that infernal,
snortin' contraption of yours.

We're not
trespassing, Mr. Keller.

Your granddaughter agreed
to let us take possession today.

Trouble is, my grandfather
seems to have changed his mind.

You're darn tootin' I have.

I decided I'd sooner lose
an arm than one of my trees.

What you are about to lose is $10,000,
unless you're out of here in five minutes.

Then just try and get me out.

Now look, Mr. Keller. Your
granddaughter agreed...

Stop it, Hardtack! Stop it!

Your granddaughter,
acting as your agent,

accepted a check for
$10,000 yesterday...

And agreed to let us
take possession today.

Don't you realize, I could
use the law to move you out?

The lawyer I talked to
said this is still my land.

Your land? Two years' taxes
owing, and mortgaged to the hilt.

If I wanted to, I could grab it
simply by assuming the obligations.

- Git.
- Not until you answer me.

All right, then
here's your answer.

Now, Mr. Thornton, you got any
more questions you want answered?

You really shouldn't
have done that, grandpa.

I got a right to pick my oranges
anyway I want to, haven't I?

Stand this gun here handy,

in case he come back.

Sure routed them this
time, though, didn't we, boy?

Just like at San Juan Hill.

What's the matter?
Somethin' wrong?

Grandpa, why didn't you tell
me you decided not to go after all?

What made you change your
mind, after it was all decided?

Well, all of a sudden, a whole
bunch of things got to me.

Them orange trees, for one.

For 40 years, we been old
friends, you could almost say.

But what kind of a
friend could I call myself

to stand by and let them trees that
had supported me all these years

be chawed to death by one
of them iron contraptions?

We've talked about
the trees, Grandpa.

Well, I got to thinking about
the Memorial Day parade, too.

Grand Marshal this year.

The only surviving veteran of the
Spanish-American War hereabouts.

Medal of Honor holder.

How's it gonna look if
they have to come for me

at an old folks' home?

I'd be even too ashamed
to ride in a parade.

Oh, that's nonsense!

Nobody would think
anything about it.

Well, Hardtack would.

I just learned yesterday, they
don't allow no dogs at the home.

Jim knows how we
feel. He agreed yesterday

me and Hardtack ought to stay
on here just as long as we could.

And you've been saying all
along that you agreed with me

Grandpa should sell!

Well, instead of just being
Mr. Thornton's tract architect,

I was being his
loyal little stooge.

Actually, I did think
it was the right thing

until your grandfather
talked with me yesterday.

- Now I'm 100% on his side.
- He even took me to see a lawyer.

A fellow named Mason
who's gonna try to help.

And what do you think's
gonna happen to you,

when Mr. Thornton finds
out what you've done?

Hardtack. Come here!

Good boy. Good dog.

No, it definitely
is not convenient.

Well, of course I'll
come. What else can I do

with you holding
the purse strings?

- Who's he talkin' to?
- Yes.

- It's old Scrooge at the bank... Osgood.
- Bob Coyle.

Sounds like he's out
after his pound of flesh.

All right. I'll be there in
30 minutes. Good-bye.

Doyle, did you say anything to
Osgood about the Keller hold-up?

Now why would I do that?

Well, somebody did, and
I'd certainly like to know who.

Janis, get out.
We've got to talk.

Get out, Janis.

All right. What's
this all about?

Well, I thought I'd better relay
what Wheeler told me this morning.

He's the one that put old
Mr. Keller up to balking.

Wheeler? He's working for me.

- Why would he do that?
- He says he's an architect.

Not an industrial spy.

Well, how do you like that?

Take him away from a
$90-a-week job as a draftsman,

give him more money,
give him a chance to design,

to create...

Fire him, Doyle. Tell him he
can sue me for his back pay.

He says the models
are all he wants.

The models? They're
mine, every one of them.

Do you realize that this
Wheeler has us in a serious bind...

Perhaps a fatal bind if we
can't get the Keller land?

Fatal for you, maybe. I'm
just the project engineer.

I seem to remember you have
$10,000 invested, and Grace the same.

Wouldn't it be near $60,000
she's given you, Thornton?

Why don't you ask her?
She's your wife, not mine.

Maybe I will.

Oh, and Thornton!

I'm glad you finally
realized Grace is my wife.

Not yours.

Only one thing interests me.

If Gerald Thornton's
deal with old Mr. Keller,

or rather his daughter,

doesn't stand up, what
happens to my $60,000?

First, let's find out about
the deal, Mrs. Doyle.

And then we can go on fr...

Is this Perry Mason?

Courtney Osgood, at
the Pacific National Bank.

Mr. Mason, this is
undoubtedly erroneous,

but, uh, it's been
reported to us

that you're representing a certain
indigent orange grower named Amos Keller.

The report is perfectly
true, Mr. Osgood.

I agreed yesterday
to represent Mr. Keller.

And, I might add, in return
for a very handsome retainer.

Oh, in my opinion, Gerald
Thornton hasn't a leg to stand on.

Yes, the granddaughter did
represent herself as his agent.

And in good faith, I'm sure.

But he gave her no
power of attorney.

Oh, the check has no
bearing. And it's being returned.

Mr. Osgood, if you
wish legal advice,

I suggest you consult
with the bank's attorneys.

Good day, sir.

No deal, huh?

What's the answer to
my $60,000 question now?

Quite possibly a row
of ciphers, Mrs. Doyle.

Cyphers? You mean, I
won't get anything back?

Well I'm doing my best
to make an arrangement

whereby the investors will
be at least partially protected.

Partially? I don't like
the sound of that, either.

What is so important
about the Keller grove?

- It's only a few acres.
- Unfortunately, without it,

Gerald Thornton can't
provide adequate parking

- for the proposed shopping center.
- So?

No parking means no
commercial lease commitments.

And no commercial lease commitments
mean no further loans from the bank.

Yes?

Mr. Grimsby is here,

and Mr. Thornton's on
his way up from downstairs.

- I see. Thank you.
- Why didn't you tell me Gerald was coming?

That door leads to the rear corridor,
Mrs. Doyle. If you'd like to use it.

You bankers think of
everything, don't you, Mr. Osgood?

- Come in, Mr. Grimsby.
- Osgood.

You've got yourself
a deal. Yes sir, a deal.

Then you'll take
over Sunrise Hills.

- Take over the bank's interest.
- Well, that's fine.

But, uh, what about the
investors, Mr. Grimsby?

- Thornton himself.
- Not a dime.

Bank off the hook, and
that's just about the size of it.

But some of these people
have put in their life's savings.

- Now, isn't there some way...
- Osgood, who are you representing?

- The investors, or the bank?
- Why, the bank, of course.

And what does the bank
say? Yes or no? Let's have it.

Well, well. Look who's here.

I might have guessed the
vultures would be circling.

Only your sense of
smell's a little off, Grimsby.

- I'm a long way from dead yet.
- Well, I'm glad, Gerald. Very glad.

You know why? Because I'm
going to enjoy watching you die here,

the way you enjoyed watching me
die with the Fresno Land Company.

How much time did the
finance committee give me?

One week to produce the leases.

You didn't let any
grass grow, did you?

Cooking up an alternate
deal behind my back?

Not behind your back.

I asked you in here to
hear Mr. Grimsby's offer.

I know what that is,
without even hearing it.

Easy money, with a little
revenge thrown in, huh?

Not a chance. I'd send
this project down the drain

before I'd let you grab so much as
a five-cent postage stamp out of it.

You better remember
that too, Osgood.

Aren't you sort of playing
with fire, Jimmy-boy?

Mrs. Doyle. I was
expecting Mr. Thornton.

What are you doing
here this hour of night?

Not what you seem to be doing.

Tell me, didn't I hear that you're no
longer associated with Sunrise Hills?

These things belong
to me, Mrs. Doyle.

I made them on my own time.

I'm taking them with me.

Well, bully for you.

I wonder just how far
you're going to get with them.

Pete! Get out of here! Git!

Blasted dog ought
to be tied up...

Well, what have we here?

Mr. Wheeler tells me he's
repossessing some of his little trinkets.

Is that so?

It's funny, I thought that
they were my little trinkets.

What's the idea?

We'll talk about this
later, Mr. Thornton.

Don't you worry, we will.

Good night, Mrs. Doyle.

Good-bye, Jimmy-boy.

Put that ugly thing away.

It makes me nervous.

No wine?

Grace, I'm not in the mood
for drinks or anything else.

I told you that on the phone.

Yes, I remember.

Think it's just been a couple of weeks
since you were phoning me for drinks.

Is it me? Or that
sultry secretary, Janis?

Is it because I'm
fresh out of money?

Grace, it's none of those
things. I've been working!

Worrying. Now this Keller mess.

Grace. I'm still crazy about
you. You know that, don't ya?

Do I?

All right, darling.
You convinced me.

How would you like it if I helped
you get the Keller property?

I'd like it fine, but
the old man won't sell.

I think he will!

I did some checking today, and I
think I found a couple of weaknesses.

One is that Medal of
Honor he's so proud of.

That's a weakness?

You'll see.

And there's another.

Hardtack? Hardtack!

I told you he'd be here.

- This the one?
- Yes. Hardtack, you silly dog!

Got picked up once before,
two or three years ago.

Afternoon, though.

How come you started
dog-catching so early in the morning?

Oh, we haven't. The
deputy sheriff brought him in.

Oh, deputy, eh?

That mean the fine'll be
bigger than it was the last time?

There's no fine.

You mean, we can
just take him home?

Well, if I was you
folks, I'd get a lawyer.

A lawyer?

That is, if you want to keep
that dog from being put to death.

Put to death? Hardtack?

"As district attorney, I realized
that only the complete cooperation

"of all the various law
enforcement agencies

"can crime be checked,
and eventually suppressed

"in this great
metropolitan area.

"Therefore, I call
upon the chief of police

and the sheriff's
office to join with me..."

Yes, Mabel?

The City Attorney?

Oh, that's all right.
Put him through.

Hello, Tom. What can I...

A dog bite case? Why
would I be interested in that?

Who... Who is defending the dog?

Your Honor, the defense
moves the complaint be dismissed

on the ground that it
fails to state facts sufficient

to constitute a public offense.

The defendant, Amos Keller, is
charged with criminal responsibility

in connection with an
assault allegedly committed

by his dog Hardtack,

upon the person of
one Gerald Thornton.

Yet, in support of that
charge, the complaint fails

to allege science or knowledge
on the part of the defendant

that his dog was vicious, or even
that he was present at the time.

Present or not, a man is still
responsible for what his dog does.

Not criminally, Mr. Rice. That
depends upon a number of things.

Perhaps the proper
criminal procedure

would have been an
indictment of the dog.

- Counsel is joking, of course.
- Not at all.

A variety of animals
have been accused,

legally indicted
and tried in the past.

Nearly 100 in France, for instance,
the last being a cow in 1740.

In Switzerland, in 1474, a rooster
was tried and sentenced to death

for the crime of laying an egg.

And at Ottonne, in
the same century,

the city's rats were charged
with being a public nuisance,

and won their case.

It isn't often when we're honored
with a visit from the district attorney.

Are you here on
business, Mr. Burger?

No, Your Honor, I just
heard a familiar voice,

and thought I'd drop in.

But Counselor, please,
go on about the rats.

I'm sure we'd all be
fascinated, Mr. Mason.

But since this is the 20th,
and not the 15th century,

I'm going to rule that
the complaint is sufficient.

If you gentlemen are
ready, we'll proceed.

About 7:00 in the
morning, I got out of my car,

when out of the blue, this dog
jumped up and attacked me.

That's him over there.

He bit me on the leg and on the
arm, when I tried to beat him off.

What happened
then, Mr. Thornton?

Well, Janis... uh, Miss
Carr, my secretary,

saw what happened
from the trailer.

She phoned the
sheriff's substation,

and two deputies came
and took the dog away.

Your witness, Mr. Mason.

Mr. Thornton. After
this alleged attack

on you by this,
um, fearsome beast,

did you contact, or
cause to be contacted,

any member of the Keller family?

No, I did not.

Wasn't it at your instigation
that Courtney Osgood,

representing the bank that has been
financing your real estate development,

called Miss Sandra Keller and
told her you'd go easy on the dog

if Mr. Keller would change his
mind about selling his orange grove?

I know of no such call.

How much is involved in your
Sunrise Hills project, Mr. Thornton?

Several million dollars.

Isn't it true you're likely
to lose your interest

without possession
of the Keller grove?

That has absolutely nothing
to do with this. Nothing!

Are you sure, Mr. Thornton?

Are you sure you didn't invent
the story of the dog's attack

as a lever to force Mr. Keller to
sell... In order to save his pet's life?

Well, that's ridiculous.

How could I invent the tears in my
clothes and the wounds on my leg and arm?

Oh, yes, uh, there
were bruises, abrasions,

and lacerations on
Mr. Thornton's leg and arm,

and I treated them that morning,
as I have previously stated.

Bruises, abrasions, lacerations
caused by a dog's teeth?

Mr. Thornton told me a dog had bitten
him, and I saw no reason to doubt him.

But they could have been caused
by something other than a dog.

An almost infinite number of
things, from tigers to claw-hammers.

Tigers and claw-hammers nothing.

It was that dog over
there that bit him.

I saw the whole thing
out the trailer window.

Wouldn't you say it was
rather convenient, Miss Carr,

your being there at
exactly the right time

to look out and witness
the so-called attack?

No. We work lots of odd
hours. Mr. Thornton and I...

All right, Miss Carr.

No further questions.

That's our last
witness, Your Honor.

You haven't got it
quite right, Mr. Mason.

I did telephone Miss Keller,
but not at Mr. Thornton's request.

And I merely suggested to her

that I might be able to
persuade Mr. Thornton to go easy

if her grandfather
would sell him the grove.

Why did you do that?

You're not a business associate
of Mr. Thornton's, are you?

Well, in a way, yes,
through the bank.

We have in excess of half a
million dollars loaned to Mr. Thornton,

and rather than be forced
to make other arrangements,

we'd prefer to have
him complete the project.

Which he will be unable to
do without the Keller property?

Which he will be unable to
do without the Keller property.

Thank you, Mr. Osgood.

That'll be all.

Mr. Keller, would you give us your full
name, address, and occupation, please?

Amos Kenesaw Mountain Keller,

Kenesaw Mountain bein' the name
of a Civil War battle my pappy fit in.

Second Indiana, he was with.

- He fit there and...
- Your address and occupation, Mr. Keller.

11231 Citrus Avenue.

Orange grower now,

but I guess I've been a little of
everything, skunk raiser to bee herder.

Ahem. Bee herder?

Back in '96, drove the biggest herd
of bees ever, Montana to California.

Started out with the queen in
a bottle for the others to follow.

Crossin' the Rockies, a big
cold snap froze the whole herd.

Had to load 'em onto wagons

and freight 'em till the sun
thawed 'em out and then...

Thank you,
Mr. Keller. Thank you.

Now, sir, you are also an
army veteran, are you not?

Yep. Cuba in '98... Teddy
and his Rough Riders.

Teddy bein' Teddy Roosevelt.

And you rode with Teddy Roosevelt
at San Juan Hill and won a decoration?

People is always sayin' San Juan.
Kettle Hill's where the real shootin' was.

A San Juan outpost.

And we didn't ride.

Crawled, mostly.

Jungle and slime.

But you did win a decoration?

Well... Oh, that.

Yep. I guess so.

The Medal of Honor, wasn't it?

Yep.

My congratulations, Mr. Keller.

Now, in regard to the dog, Hardtack,
how long have you owned him?

Well, let's see. I got him

about the time I was working on
crossing a skunk with a wild cat.

How long, uh, have you
owned him, Mr. Keller?

Well, ever since he was a
pup... About nine or ten years.

And in those nine or ten years,

has Hardtack, to the best of your
knowledge, ever bitten anyone?

No, sir. Never.

You may have the
witness, Mr. Rice.

No questions.

That's all, Mr. Keller.

That concludes the
defense's case, Your Honor.

You've no character witnesses for
the dog except the owner, Mr. Mason?

If the court pleases,
none is needed.

The word of a man of Mr. Keller's
attainments is not to be doubted

Attainments such as a
bee herder, Mr. Mason, huh?

I was thinking more as
a Medal of Honor holder.

The defense holds that his
word is the essence of the matter.

Since Mr. Keller believed his dog
to be friendly, harmless to humans,

and I must say the animal's
demeanor seems to bear him out,

how this dog or this man could
be charged with lethal intent

or even criminal negligence
for an attack which, if it occurred,

must have been deliberately
provoked by the complainant...

I don't need to hear any
arguments, Mr. Mason,

because, unless there's
more convincing evidence...

No, Your Honor.

I'm going to find the
defendant not guilty.

However, the dog, Hardtack, is
ordered remanded to his owner's custody,

with the proviso that he be kept
secured at all times in the future.

Court adjourned.

Hardtack. Hardtack.
Come on, boy.

Come on, Hardtack. Atta boy.

Hardtack, how you
doing there, son?

Well, Perry, is business
really as bad as that.

I mean, chickens and
rats and dogs and cats,

or did I detect an undercurrent
here of something else?

There are always undercurrents when
large sums of money are involved, Hamilton.

In this case, let's just hope
that nobody gets drowned.

Shh.

Shh.

Shh.

Hardtack?

Grandpa.

Grandpa!

Hmm. I figured you'd
be here bright and early,

knowing the old gent in the grove was
a former client of your pal Perry Mason.

We just heard
about it on the radio.

Oh, sure, sure.

Well, I'll make you a deal.

I'll tell you everything
I know up to now

if you'll tell Mason to find
that old man for us in a hurry.

He's disappeared, and we don't
want him harbored from questioning.

- Okay?
- Okay.

All right. Here
are the highlights.

Body was found lying here by Edward Doyle,
the field superintendent, and his wife

when she dropped him off for
work a little before 8 this morning.

Close up blast from a
shotgun in the abdomen.

Best estimate up to now is
that it happened around 1 a.m.

You've found the shotgun?

No. Not yet.

Anything that might
tell you who used it?

A footprint or two

Search completed, Lieutenant.

As far as I can see, not a
thing's been touched inside.

Including the safe, Miss Carr?

Score yourself zero
there, Lieutenant.

There isn't any safe.
We paid by check.

And that's what you and Mr. Thornton
were doing here last night, writing checks?

What makes you
think I was with him?

Lipstick on one of
the highball glasses.

Zero again.

I can prove I wasn't here
last night. Don't think I can't.

May I go now?

I guess.

You know, if cops were all this
good-looking, I might take up crime myself.

Bye.

Wow.

Double wow.

Thornton's secretary.

You want her full name?

No. Just her phone number.

Oh, those footprints you
mentioned. Who do they belong to?

Men, women, and a dog.

A dog?

No, I didn't hear a shot
or anything, Mr. Mason.

Did your grandfather?

I... I don't know. I haven't
seen him since last evening.

He apparently drove off
somewhere, very early.

Where's your grandfather's
shotgun, Sandra?

Perry. Trouble.

Apparently, Thornton was
bitten by a dog last night.

Are you sure Hardtack was
on the porch all of last night?

Why, yes. He he was still
tied up there this morning.

I wonder if he could
have slipped his collar

What's the matter with him?

What are you
doing with that dog?

What's the matter, Lieutenant?
The dog your chief suspect?

Never mind the jokes.

You're going to produce
the suspect, Mr. Mason.

Hardtack, come back here.

You're supposed
to be tied up anyway.

No, wait. Wait. Let him be

What's all this?

Oh, they're just some culls, waiting to
be trucked to the juice processing plant.

Be interesting to see what
the police processing plant

does with this cull,
eh, Mr. Mason?

Where in the world
have you been?

I've been trying to reach
you for almost two hours.

With Sandra, trying to
find Mr. Keller. What's up?

Well, young Mr. Wheeler's been calling
frantically every ten minutes or so.

- He said he has to see you.
- Where?

In Hollywood, at Las Dugas
and Sunset, in a parking lot.

Let's go.

Am I glad to see
you. I've got Mr. Keller.

You've what?

He's at my place, a little
bungalow across the street.

I've had him there
since 9:00 this morning.

The minute I heard the flash
about Mr. Thornton this morning,

I knew the police would be after Mr. Keller
because of his trouble with the grove.

I knew where he'd be,
so I intercepted him.

Why on earth did you do that?

So I could get him to you
before he could really cook himself

with the police, telling them he used
to shoot Indians that way or something.

You know how he is.

Mr. Wheeler, why didn't
you bring him to my office?

Because I was afraid
the police would be there,

knowing that he was
one of your clients.

Look. Let me check to see that
no one's hanging around here,

and I'll take you to him.

I'm Paul Drake.
I'll check with you.

I wonder if
Grandpa really did it.

Kill Thornton? You
think he did, don't you?

Otherwise you wouldn't
have hidden that shotgun.

Do you want to tell me about it?

Everything's clear in back.

Okay. I'll go get Perry.

So after I hid the shotgun,
Hardtack came back,

so I tied him on the porch
again, and I went to bed.

And you didn't speak of any
of this to your grandfather?

How could I without seeming
to accuse him or suspect him?

What I mean is, I wanted to,

but then I heard his car
driving off very early, and...

All right, but tell me, why
did you hide the shotgun?

Why didn't you simply
take out the empty shell

and put the gun
back on the porch?

Surely you've heard of
ballistic tests, Mr. Mason?

Ballistic tests work with rifles and small
arms, Sandra, but not with shotguns.

Besides breaking the law,

you probably did your
grandfather a grave disservice,

and maybe Mr. Wheeler
has done the same thing.

I don't care about the law

Okay.

All right. Let's see what
your grandfather has to say.

Humble, but home.

I told your grandfather if he got
tired, he could bunk in the bedroom,

which is where he probably is.

Welcome. What kept you?

Mr. Keller and I were
beginning to worry.

Are you all right, Grandpa?

Of course I'm all right.

Told my story to the lieutenant, and
then he challenged me to some checkers.

Be a right good player
with a little practice.

How'd you find him?

Leg work, door-knocking.

And when you knocked here,
Lieutenant, Mr. Keller asked you in?

Oh, I have a warrant, if that's
what you're worried about.

One charging first
degree murder, in fact.

Sorry I waited to tell
you that, Mr. Keller, but...

Andy, before you take Mr. Keller
in, I'd like to talk with him.

Talk all you want.

The person this
warrant names is...

Sandra Keller.

And the state will show that
Sandra Keller killed in part

to extricate herself from
a financial agreement

she had made with the deceased,

in part to save the family
pet from being killed

for twice attacking
the deceased,

and finally to save her grandfather
from disgrace and perhaps prosecution

A skein of tangled motives
growing out of a conflict

over the possession
of a grove so valuable

that its oranges can literally
be described as golden.

Now, Doctor, before you performed
the autopsy on the decedent,

the results of which
you have described,

did you examine the
clothes on the body?

Yes. We always do that before turning
them over to the police technicians.

And what was their condition?

Naturally, shirt and
undershirt were shredded,

practically obliterated in the
area struck by the shotgun pellets.

And did you note
anything else unusual?

Yes. There was a jagged tear on
the trousers, just above the left knee.

Was that also caused
by the shotgun?

No. By some other agent.

A dog's teeth, perhaps?

Perhaps.

Mr. Mason?

Perhaps, but also
perhaps not, Doctor?

I don't quite follow.

Tiger's teeth or a claw hammer,
couldn't they have torn the trousers?

I see what you mean.

Yes, it could have been caused by
any object with sharp, jagged edges.

Thank you.

Now, after the family pet had so obligingly
showed you where this gun was hidden,

Lieutenant Anderson,
what did you do with it?

I took it down to the crime lab
and ran a series of tests on it.

- And what did you find?
- That it had been fired quite recently,

that the expended shell in it

called for the size and type
of pellets found in the body,

and on the metal parts of
the gun, several fingerprints

which we subsequently established as
those of the defendant, Sandra Keller.

Now, these slippers

have already been identified as having
been found in the defendant's bedroom.

Did you subject them
to tests in the police lab?

Yes. There were
stains on the slippers.

Our tests determined
them to be bloodstains

of Type AB, according
to our absorption test.

You also typed the
deceased's blood, of course?

Yes, it was the same type
as on the slippers, type AB.

And what did your
lab examination reveal

about this lipstick-stained highball
glass from the Sunrise Hills trailer?

There were a
number of well-defined

fingerprints, all belonging
to the defendant.

I'm positive of it.

That and all the other glasses
were clean when I left that night.

I always make sure before I go.

Then the lipstick and the fingerprints,
the defendant's fingerprints,

must have been placed
on the glass after you left?

Objection. The
question is argumentative

and calls for a conclusion
on the part of the witness.

Objection sustained.

All right.

What time was it
when you left that night

after making sure the
glasses were all clean?

8:00.

I saw there was somebody in the
trailer with him, so I waited in the car.

It was about 10:00.

And your business with
Thornton was private?

Very private. I was going
to give him the needle

the way he gave it to me
when I was broke in Fresno,

and I didn't want any kibitzers.

And the visitor finally left?

In about ten minutes.

A woman, mad as a hornet.

I didn't see her,
but I sure heard her.

She yelled, "If you do a despicable thing
like that to my grandfather, Mr. Thornton,

he'll take his shotgun to you.

And if he doesn't, I will."

And then she headed
off toward the Keller place.

If I had you in the Rough Riders,
you young whipper-snapper,

you wouldn't dare
speak to me like that.

Your Honor!

Mr. Keller, the prosecutor
is only doing his duty.

You must answer his questions,
no matter how they strike you.

Well, Sandra did come
to me about 10:30,

sore as all get-out on account
of what Thornton had told her

he was going to do to me if I
didn't let him have my grove.

And what did she say Thornton
told her he was going to do to you?

Uh, judge, a defendant don't have to
answer things he don't want to, does he?

Well, a defendant can't be
forced to incriminate himself.

All right. Then I ain't
a-gonna answer him

because I'm the
real defendant here

on account I'm the one
that killed Gerald Thornton.

Grandpa!

Really, Mr. Keller?

Why don't you tell us about it?

Well, Hardtack woke
me, leaving the porch,

so I went down and saw
he was heading for the trailer,

and I picked up the
shotgun and followed,

knowing that if he bit Thornton
again, he was done for.

Well, he already
had when I got there...

so I killed Thornton to keep
Hardtack from gettin' killed.

And what about these
blood-stained slippers, Mr. Keller,

already identified as belonging
to your granddaughter?

How do you account for these?

Why, I wore them.

You wore these slippers?

Aren't you stretching the
truth here a little, Mr. Keller,

just as you've stretched
the truth all these years

about this Medal of Honor
you're supposed to have?

I do have one.

Look.

Got it right here.

Always carry it with me.

Where did you buy this, Mr. Keller?
In a pawn shop someplace?

Pawn shop? I won
that at Kettle Hill.

All right, Mr. Keller, only we happened
to check with the War Department.

There's no record
of any Amos Keller

receiving any kind of a medal
at the Battle of San Juan Hill,

only there was an Amos
Keller in the Rough Riders.

He was a company clerk,

and he was sitting safe at
camp when that hill was stormed.

What have you to say
about that, Mr. Keller?

That poor old man. I felt
like crawling under something.

How could Burger do
such a cruel thing to him?

He had to, Della, to set
Mrs. Doyle's testimony

that Thornton was threatening Mr. Keller
with exposure as a fake war hero.

Why didn't Sandra tell us?

She hoped it would
never have to come out.

Perry, what was she doing
drinking in Thornton's trailer with him?

Drinking plain soda water, Della,
a fact Mr. Burger carefully omitted.

She'd gone there to give Thornton
back his check for $10,000...

The check he'd returned
when she mailed it to him.

The fireworks started when he
began threatening her grandfather.

Well, the Pentagon
confirms Burger.

The only Medal of Honor Award in
that particular unit at San Juan Hill

was to a Private Charles
Fellows of Cody, Wyoming.

When you get a
chance, call Cody.

Maybe the newspaper editor there
can get some details out of his files

Now what do you have on the
people who invested with Thornton?

Funny thing. He was
real secretive about that.

The only large
investor I've found so far

was Edward Doyle, the
field superintendent. $10,000.

Run a check on
all the others, Paul.

Try every corporate record,
proxy file, any lead you can find.

What about the police inventory
on the contents of the trailer?

Andy let me have a look at it.

No reports on Mr. Keller,
no check for $10,000,

no list of investors, no
private records, nothing.

I wonder if somebody could have
been there ahead of the police.

Hmm, I heard Janis
Carr, the secretary,

tell Andy that morning that
nothing had been touched.

Janis Carr.

Just a minute.

Well.

What do you know.

I'd begun to think you missed
my message that day at the trailer.

I got it, all right.

Uh, put your clothes on.

Now just a minute.

Miss Carr, I'm asking you
to come downtown with me.

So it isn't my personal
charm after all.

You got a warrant?

Then you're taking me nowhere.

If you so much as lay a finger
on me, I'll scream for help.

Uh, maybe you need
some help getting dressed.

You even brought
the female Gestapo.

All right. You win.

But why can't we talk here?

We can, if you'll tell me what you
did with Thornton's private records.

I never touched them.

They were gone
that morning when...

All right.

So I lied to the Lieutenant.

Why?

Young Wheeler's model
houses and sketches were gone,

so I figured he took
the records, too.

Sure, I was going to suggest he give
me something for keeping quiet, but...

What is this?

You're Mason's secretary.

That's right.

I brought her along
to take some notes.

But I thought you were a cop.

Who gave you that idea?

I'm Mason's private detective.

What in the world is that?

Let me out of here!

Somebody? Somebody out there?

Who put you in there?

I don't know.

I heard the buzzer sounded,

and I looked out, and wham.

Jim, did you take your models
and sketches from the trailer

the night Thornton was killed?

Uh, yes. They're in the garage.

But Thornton was
dead when I got there.

I... I took the things anyway.

You also took
Thornton's private file?

Well, yes. The papers
exposing Mr. Keller were in it.

What else?

Only a handwritten list of
the Sunrise Hills investors.

It was a funny thing about that.

All of the small investors
were listed by name.

But the biggest ones, the
ones for 60,000 and 90,000,

were called X and Y.

The file's gone.

Yes, I thought it might be.

Paul, I have an idea now
who the killer might be,

but I'll need
help in proving it.

I'd like you to get hold of the
best throat specialist in town.

Throat specialist? For you?

No. For Hardtack.

No, sir.

I'm not either X or Y on that
list that Wheeler testified about.

I put in $10,000,
and that's all.

Which sum of money was it that
your wife Grace put in, Mr. Doyle?

- The 60,000 or the 90?
- The 60.

That was every penny that she...

Yes, I knew, Grace.

About the money
and about Thornton.

Yes, I gave him the idea of trying
to put the screws on the old man

through his dog and
his fake decoration.

What made you suspect the
decoration was a fake, Mrs. Doyle?

I was an Army brat,

and I know how many phonies go
around passing themselves off as heroes.

So I checked, and
I hit the jackpot.

I'd say you hit three
lemons, Mrs. Doyle.

Your Honor, may I recall
Amos Keller a moment?

Not so much for the furtherance of
this case as in the interest of justice.

Mr. Keller, do you remember a certain
Mr. Charles Fellows of Cody, Wyoming?

Sure. He was in my
Company in Cuba.

Big-shot politician now.

You didn't know that
he died last week?

Charley dead?

Yes, and it seems that you
were mentioned in his will,

from which I now quote.

"And finally, to the finest liar I've ever
known, Amos Kenesaw Mountain Keller,

"whose talents reached a peak
the night he, the company clerk,

"took the place of a
frightened 16-year-old boy

"in the attack on San Juan Hill,

"and through his
bravery won a medal.

"To Amos, to whom
long ago I gave the medal,

I now bequeath my
sword, my dress uniform,

"and my eternal thanks
for keeping secret

"something which would certainly
have destroyed a boy's family

as well as his future."

That was all in Charley's will?

That mean I can
really wear this now?

Yes, Mr. Keller.

For the rest of your life.

Mrs. Doyle, this is a medical
report on Hardtack's throat and neck.

It shows bruises, external chaffing,
and a certain amount of hair removed,

all of which could only have been
caused by his having been jerked or lifted,

perhaps dragged a considerable
distance by means of a choke collar.

What's that supposed
to mean to me?

Well, since you're
the dog expert,

since you put Gerald Thornton up
to the fake bite plot with Hardtack,

let me ask you this... Wouldn't
it have been possible for you

or someone to whom
you gave the idea

to have hauled Hardtack
over to the trailer that night,

pretending to
further that same plot,

and then to have killed Thornton

with the shotgun you
found on the Keller porch?

Why would I want to kill him?

Perhaps because of Janis Carr?

Good enough reason, but I
never dragged that dog anywhere.

I'm scared to death of dogs.

Anyone can tell you.

Why should I invest
90,000 with him

when I could get the
whole project for nothing?

The same goes for killing
him... What's the point?

Yes, the bank was prepared
to deal with Mr. Grimsby

in the event Gerald Thornton
couldn't get the Keller land.

And the investors were also
prepared to deal with Mr. Grimsby?

Well, uh, they...

they were to be
frozen out, I'm afraid.

But with the life insurance the
bank required that Thornton carry,

they'll, uh, be protected now?

Oh, yes. Yes, I believe so.

Then you'll get your
$90,000 back, won't you?

Mr. Mason, officers of the
bank are not permitted to invest

where a conflict of
interest might arise.

Oh, I see.

Your Honor, in
regard to this dog

You may step down, Mr. Osgood.

Oh, a moment, Your Honor.

I do have some withdrawal
notations I'd like to go over with you.

Would you mind holding
him while I get them?

Those withdrawal notations, Mr. Osgood,
show $50,000 of your own money.

Now, where did the remaining 40 come from,
the 40,000 you invested with Thornton?

Was it embezzlement?

Did you embezzle from
the bank, Mr. Osgood?

No, no, it was my
money. Every penny of it.

So you will get it back, with
the life insurance on Thornton?

Yes. Now take him away.

Somebody please take him.

Just hold his head up.
Then he can't reach you.

That's how you held
him that night, wasn't it?

That's how you hurt his neck.

He remembers you,
doesn't he, Mr. Osgood?

All right.

Why did you kill Thornton?

All my life, I've invested
big sums for the bank

and was never allowed
to invest for myself.

This time I did, secretly.

He threatened to
expose me to the bank

unless I get the dog, help
him fake a second attack.

I saw the shotgun on the
porch, saw that was the way out...

No exposure, my
life's savings back.

Yes!

Yes.

I shot Thornton.

Hurry up, Grandpa! The
parade's about to start without you.

Oh, it's the greatest
day of his life.

He's a real legitimate hero
now, thanks to you, Mr. Mason.

No, Sandra. Thanks to a
certain charge up a certain hill.

I gotta rush. The whole
parade's depending on me.

Hold it, hold it, hold it.

Hardtack!

Hardtack! Where are you, boy?

Come on, Hardtack.

Come on, come on.

That's a boy. That's a boy.