All language subtitles for Perry Mason S08E11 The Case of the Latent Lover.DVDRip.NonHI.en.CBS

♪♪

I'm sorry I didn't
wait breakfast for you.

I have an appointment at
the office with a client. Um...

- Eric, last night...
- I'm late, Sibyll.

When you signed these
property things last night,

you missed some. Here.

And here.

Thank you.

Nothing was resolved
last night about the divorce.

Not last night,
not for the months

you've been
bothering me, not ever.

It's a closed subject, Sibyll.

Your lover's just out of luck.

This is one of those
old-fashioned husbands

who simply refuses to cooperate.

There's nothing left between us!

I can't go on this way!

I love you.

No, no, Eric, a lot of
things, but not love!

Not ever love.

That is a lie.

- Please...
- Now, Sibyll, don't.

What is it?

Eric!

I'm all right, thank you.

- But you...
- I said I'm all right!

It's merely a dizzy
spell, nothing more.

Are you sure?

Perhaps you and your
lover might hope it was more,

but it wasn't.

Eric... Eric, please!

♪♪

- Oh, good morning, Mr. Pollard.
- Morning, Aimee.

- My 8:30 appointment here yet?
- Yes. But Mr. Talbot asked you,

please drop in
to his office first.

He has a Mr. Mason with
him. It'll only take a moment.

Eric.

Come in, Eric, come in.

Mr. Mason, this is my
junior partner, Eric Pollard.

- Mr. Pollard.
- How do you do, sir?

Mr. Mason is here
about the Smith estate.

I'm sure I speak for you, Eric,

when I tell him how
shocked we all were

learning about young Mr. Smith's
accidental death in Europe.

You, uh, you represent
his uncle's estate,

don't you, Mr. Mason?

I believe he inherited
from his uncle,

a conditional inheritance
with provision for reversion.

Yes, without heirs,
bonds, real property,

everything reverts
to the original estate.

I've already filed in probate.

I anticipated you would.

We've already complete an audit

with outside
accountants, Mr. Mason.

Records are complete,
the assets ready for transfer

the moment the court
gives the go-ahead.

Well, with that
kind of efficiency,

I'll consider letting you handle
some of my investments.

Anytime, Mr. Mason, anytime.

And I'm sure that you'd find
that Eric more than justifies

his reputation as being one
of the top men in the field.

You're very kind, Harlan.

- Some coffee, Eric?
- Uh, no, thank you.

I have a man
waiting in my office.

Unless there's something else?

Just my thanks.

Pleasure.

Eric, what is it?

I just, uh, was
dizzy for a moment.

You all right?

Yeah. Thank you.

If I go on checking balance
sheets at 2:00 in the morning,

I'm gonna have to
pocket my vanity,

admit I'm getting older and
get myself some eyeglasses.

I-I'm all right, thank you.

It was a pleasure
meeting you, Mr. Mason.

Uh, Aimee, no, uh, I don't
want to see anybody just...

Something wrong, Mr. Pollard?

No, I just need a
breath of fresh air.

I'll be right back.

It's the truth, Officer,
the gospel truth.

I didn't smash my
cab into this light pole.

'Course not, 'course not. I did.

It's just like I told you;
you got to believe me.

This guy, this crazy guy,
he jumps into my cab,

two blocks down there.

He jumps into my
cab, and he's yelling,

he's yelling at the
top of his lungs:

- "I'm gonna rob a bank!"
- Yeah, sure, I'll bet.

That's what he said:
"I'm gonna rob a bank!"

You offered to drive
him to the bank?

Officer, you just
ain't listening.

Like I told you, he gets
in and he sticks a gun

in the back of my head,
makes me get out of the cab.

Then he gets in and
drives, all by himself,

drives right here, right
here and smashes my cab

into that light pole!

That's right, Officer.
I saw it happen.

He's telling the truth.

Oh? What's your name?

That's him. That's him!

That's the man!

Well, don't just stand
there; arrest him.

He's the guy that stuck me
up and smashed up my cab!

- Now, look, fella...
- That's the man, all right,

Officer, I recognize him, too.

Sure it is. Sure, that's him.

Well, just a moment,
now, what's going on here?

What is this, Officer?

I'm sorry. Now,
just turn around.

This is ridiculous.

If it is, I'll be the
first to apologize.

Now, turn around, lean forward,

put your hands
against that wall.

Mister, you're under arrest.

Court is adjourned.

Oh, that Burt's the most
tenacious young man

I've ever encountered
in a courtroom.

- He wears me out.
- Not a bad lawyer, either.

Bad? One of these
days, Burt will be wearing

a judge's black
robe; it's in the cards.

Oh, I put a file
there on your desk.

State v. Eric Pollard.

Why this one?

The supervising
deputy probation officer,

Roy Galen's, outside.

He wanted to see
you about the case.

Oh, well, show him in.

Judge Alder will see
you now, Mr. Galen.

- Oh, hello, Roy.
- Your Honor.

- Glad to see you. Sit down.
- Thank you.

I didn't know the
supervising probation officers

personally handled cases.

Is Eric Pollard your baby?

No, he's nobody's yet.

I don't even know him.

I'm sure he doesn't know me.

His wife's a friend of
mine from years back.

- She asked me for help.
- Oh.

Well, without
prejudging the matter,

I would say that this report
is pretty cut-and-dried.

When Pollard is tried,

if he's convicted... you
understand, if he's convicted...

Then and then only will
the probation department

become involved, impersonally.

Don't jump me yet.

I'm not stepping out of
line, legally or ethically.

But you do want to
help this man's wife

all you can, don't you?

Now, don't get any ideas.

I proposed to Sibyll a long
time ago but got turned down.

Now, all I'm suggesting is

that you request a
probation report now

under CCP 131.3.

Before trial?

The gun they found on Pollard,

the gun he allegedly used

to stick up the cabbie with,

it's an old Japanese
war souvenir,

the firing mechanism
removed 20 or more years ago.

Completely inoperable.

Unless you want to use
the butt to, uh, crack walnuts.

He was gonna use
that to hold up a bank?

Yeah, the neatest
trick of the week.

You see, he was arrested
at 9:25 in the morning.

Well, the banks
don't open till 10:00.

Oh, I think I see what you mean.

With a probation
report before trial,

there's a possibility
there might not be a trial.

All right, Roy, 131.3 it is.

But I must have a
psychiatric evaluation

along with the probation report.

Fine.

♪♪

Well, here's another incident.

You agreed orally with
the terms of the contract

and asked that it be
prepared for your signature.

Then you signed another
contract with a different company

for the same services less
than an hour after you agreed

to the first contract.

Would you care to look
at the records, Mr. Pollard?

No, Dr. Jenkins, if you insist
that's what the documents show,

well... I certainly don't
question your integrity

or your good intentions.

But you question the validity
of the proofs I've shown you.

Proof that I am
mentally incompetent?

Yes, of course I question that.

Do you think they've
been fabricated

or manufactured
to embarrass you?

No, I'm not suffering from a
persecution complex, either.

I can't imagine anybody
who'd want to deliberately

create evidence
of my misfeasance.

But during the past two
weeks, there have been

half a dozen separate but
similar circumstances of...

well, shall we say, highly
unlikely business procedures

on your part.

Why, your office has only just
learned of them since yesterday.

Now, if they're not
true and not fabricated,

how do you characterize them?

Misinterpreted facts.

I never did, I never could
have done such things.

And the episode with the taxi?

Oh, come, now, Dr. Jenkins,
you know as well as I do

- that cabdriver was lying.
- And the witnesses?

Mistaken, I should guess.

What about the fact
that your wife identified

the gun as one
of your souvenirs?

Quite a few Japanese
pistols were brought home

in the 1940s, Dr. Jenkins.

Your wife couldn't be mistaken

in her identification?

Sibyll's a... wonderful woman.

Really wonderful.

Then you have a...

happy personal
relationship, a good marriage?

More happiness than a
man has a right to ask for.

Um... I've really been
blessed to have her as my wife.

Then there's no rift
between the two of you?

Rift?

Ridiculous.

Is that what she says?

Well... Has she
said there is a rift?

I love her. I...

I-I told her that I love her.

She never begged
you for a divorce?

Who is he? What's his name?

You're a doctor,
maybe she's told you,

maybe you know.

Who's the man she's
in love with? Who?

Who! Who!

"Therefore this
persistent delusion,

"coupled with the
sporadic irrationality,

"leads to no conclusion
other than that Eric Pollard

"is unable, unassisted,

"to manage or to take
care of his property,

"and by reason thereof
is likely to be deceived

or imposed upon by artful
or designing persons."

Well, the language
complies with the codes...

A legal definition
of incompetency.

You mean that psychiatrist
found Eric insane?

No. Merely
incompetent, at present,

to handle his own or
anyone else's business affairs.

Well, that's exactly
what we do...

Handle other people's
business affairs,

manage their investments.

Dean, you're the company lawyer.

Where does all this leave us?

Does it force a dissolution
of the partnership?

I wouldn't want to do
anything to hurt Eric,

but on the other hand...

Well, the partnership
agreement states

that in the case of a
temporary incapacity,

his wife has power of attorney,

more or less a
guardian ad litem.

Me? Eric's guardian?

Strictly pro forma,
Mrs. Pollard.

A matter of record until we see

how long this situation
with Eric will last.

I suppose, Mr. Galen,

that the charges against
Eric can be dropped now,

and he can be checked into a
good rest home for treatment?

No, Mr. Talbot, that's
not what happens now.

But if the psychiatrist's report

merely states that
he's incompetent...

In business affairs, yes.

But it also states
that at the time

of the commission
of the act involved,

Eric Pollard could
not only distinguish

between right and wrong,

but was fully aware of the
consequences of his act.

I don't understand, Roy.

What does that mean?

It means your husband is
going to have to stand trial.

Now, before we go on the record,

let me make the position
of this court perfectly clear.

I'm holding these proceedings
in my chamber in the hope

that the matter may be
resolved through probation.

Now, to me, probation is a
very simple and effective method

of applying
corrective assistance

to those in
conflict with the law

without harm to society.

Now, Mr. Burger, do
you have any objection

to our handling the
matter in this way?

Judge Alder, the district
attorney's office has no desire

to see a first offender,
especially a man like

Mr. Pollard here,

destroyed by the adverse
publicity of a criminal trial.

We're perfectly willing to
accept proceedings in chambers.

But as to probation, Your Honor,

may I remind you that this
charge is armed robbery?

Section 1203 grants
judicial discretion

in unusual cases, Mr. Burger,

such as the determination
of the distinction

between a deadly
weapon and a souvenir.

Very well, Your Honor.

The District Attorney's
office will be happy

to drop that particular
hot potato right in your lap,

with every confidence

in the court's ability
to judge the facts.

I'm not sure

I should thank you
for that, Mr. Burger.

I'll reserve decision.

Counsel for the defendant?

Dean Franklin for the
defense... Present, Your Honor.

Mr. Franklin,

in the charges
in the information,

how does your client plead?

On all counts,
guilty, Your Honor.

And you waive arraignment
of judgment, Counsel?

So waived, Your Honor.

There's no legal
reason why sentence

should not now be imposed.

Will the defendant please rise?

The court finds you
guilty as charged,

and sentences you to
five years at hard labor

in the state penitentiary.

- But...
- It's all right, Eric.

Just procedure.

The county probation officer?

For the record, copies
of the probation report,

authorized pursuant to
section 131 point three

of the Code of Civil Procedure,

have been furnished the court
and all parties to the action.

It is respectfully
recommended, Your Honor,

that the defendant,
Mr. Eric Pollard,

be granted probation.

Mr. Pollard, the sentence
is herewith suspended.

You are placed on probation
for a period of three years,

upon the following conditions.

That you make full
restitution for all damages,

that you will cooperate
with the probation officer

on a plan for a weekly
psychiatric treatment,

and that you report
to, as directed,

and obey all laws, orders, rules

and regulations of the probation
department and the court.

Do you understand the terms
of the probation, Mr. Pollard?

I do, sir.

Do you accept them?

I do.

It is so ordered.
Court is adjourned.

Uh, just one
moment, Judge Alder.

Yes?

Believe me, sir, I cast no
aspersions on this court,

but I want my
wife, you, Sibyll...

I want you to know you
don't fool me for a moment.

Eric.

This is no more than a clever
effort to circumvent my wishes,

to divorce me and
marry your lover.

Eric!

I know who it is now.

Him! That man!

The probation officer!

No, no, no, darling,
I don't want to wait.

What else can we do?

I can't leave him now.

Yes, I feel just as
badly as you do,

but it only means postponing
the trip, not giving it up.

And just for a little
while, sweetheart.

Just for a little, little while.

I know it won't be long.

I love you, too.

Of course I love you, but...

Your maid let me in.

I have some papers
Mr. Franklin wanted you to sign.

I was on my way
to the office now

in just a few minutes.

These are forms to be signed
for the bonding company.

You can go on
over to the office.

I'll run these right over
to the bonding company.

- They're waiting for them.
- Bonding?

In temporarily acting
for your husband

under the power of attorney,

I believe Mr. Talbot told you
that you had to be bonded.

Would you sign right
here, Mrs. Pollard?

Miss Wynne... Aimee,
that telephone call...

I've been your husband's
private secretary for ten years.

Please don't ask
me to understand.

But you don't understand.

There's nothing I can do about
what destroyed Eric Pollard,

but I don't have to like it.

You self-righteous snob!

I couldn't care less what
you think or what you like!

Will you sign, please?

Thank you.

I seem to have
misplaced my car keys.

I have a set in the desk.

Unless that's a delusion, too.

Tricky things, delusions.

Ah, here they are.

Saved the day.

Saved my sanity,
and saved cab fare.

Ladies, I'm on my way,
like a good little boy,

to report to my alter
ego, the probation officer.

Rather pleasant young
man named Nat Rudick.

But if I run into his
boss, Mr. Roy Galen,

I'll be sure to give
him your love, Sibyll.

There we are.

Signed, sealed,

and through the good offices
of Mr. Franklin, delivered.

Mr. Mason, I think that
should take care of the estate

of the young man
who died in Europe.

Thank you.

I feel so funny every
time I sign for Eric.

At least we know that Eric did
a wonderful job on that last one.

And I understand, Mr. Mason,

that your accountants
were very pleased, too.

Everything correct to
the last decimal point.

Well, in that case, let's
just go down to the club

and celebrate over
some lunch, huh?

Pollard.

That's who I want,
Sibyll Pollard.

Mr. Mann.

Leo, what is it?

You, lady, you're the
only female around.

Is this your John Henry
signed at the bottom here?

W... why, yes.
I'm Sibyll Pollard.

Then what in blazes did
you do with my money?

Now, wait a minute.

Leo, you may be a
valued client, but...

A quarter of a million
in blue chips liquidated.

On her authority.

Yours, lady.

My $250,000, where is it?

Aimee, will you
come in here, please?

Mr. Mann, I don't know where
you learned your manners but...

No.

Hold it, Dean, please, hold it.

Leo, you've been out of town.

Now, you know very well

the company's most
likely just been rearranging

the holdings in your portfolio.

Mrs. Pollard here

would have merely
signed the order, that's all.

There's no reason
to get excited.

Aimee, will you check
Mr. Mann's portfolio, please?

That's just what I've
been doing, Mr. Talbot,

and there is something
I don't understand.

You see,

Mr. Pollard always handled
Mr. Mann's account, personally,

until, well, until, uh...

Until she, her there,

signed the authorization to
liquidate some of my stocks.

Now, what in the name of...

All right, all right, Leo.

But your quarter of a
million is perfectly safe

in a company that handles ten
times that amount each month.

There's probably a very
simple explanation for this.

Well, I'm sorry if I've
offended the lady,

but this business is crazy!

Mr. Mann, this company is
trustee for your investments,

not any one individual.

You agreed to that setup
when you became a client here.

You must also be
aware of the fact

that like anyone
else who signs orders,

Mrs. Pollard is
personally bonded.

So, if you'll be good
enough to give us a minute

until we've finished our
business with Mr. Mason.

Oh, that's quite all right.

I'm leaving now.

Good day.

Well, won't somebody
start to explain?

All right, so you're an
intelligent, well-educated man,

a man capable of
separating, in his own mind,

the real from the unreal.

Separating facts, facts, doctor,

from those terribly naughty
mistakes of the imagination.

What do you call them,
Dr. Jenkins, illusions?

Well, if you're referring
to your stubborn belief

in your wife's so-called
romantic entanglements...

So-called?

You keep saying
it's obsessional,

more a delusion than illusion,

a symptom, perhaps, of paranoia?

Well, an unreasoning
belief in the impossible...

Is called a delusion, right?

All right, yes, it's
called a delusion, but...

This is a letter
from South America.

A letter confirming
a one-year lease

on a furnished apartment,

leased in the names of
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Porter.

An S, Doctor, and a P.

My wife, um,

has expensive,
initialed luggage.

Well, and S and a P can
stand for Steven Porter.

They're nothing but initials.

Nothing to indicate
that those initials have

to be your wife's.

Oh, of course not.

Especially when the confirmation

is addressed not to
Mrs. Steven Porter,

but to Mrs. Sibyll
Pollard, my wife.

Here, take a look.

Well, there's probably
some explanation.

Oh, yeah, of course.

For this, as well.

Two tickets, one-way
tickets, to South America

reserved for Mr. And
Mrs. Steven Porter.

I found them hidden
in my wife's bedroom

along with the confirmation
of the reservation.

Now, good doctor,

what were you saying
about, um, a delusion?

But it could have been the maid.

But Eric must have taken them.

It had to be Eric.

It couldn't be anybody else.

Roy, please.

I begged you to come here

because you've got to
get them back from him.

Sibyll, Sibyll, please, please.

Roy, you must.

What was that light?

Somebody took a picture of us.

♪♪

And so in answer
to your request...

Perry Mason's office.

Just a minute, please.

Roy Galen for you.

Probation officer.

Roy, how are you?

In trouble, I'm afraid, Perry.

Can I help?

Well, that's why I called.

Any chance I can see
you in the morning, early?

8:00 early enough?

Fine.

Thank you, Perry.

Couple of reports I'd like to
go over with you, Mr. Galen.

Sure, Nat.

County probation,
Officer Roy Galen.

Don't! Please don't!

You're hurting
me... hurting me...

Sibyll, is that you?

What is it?

No, no, don't!

No, no, no!

Sibyll, are you all right?

What was that?

Mr. Galen.

Mr. Rudick, step aside, please.

I'm going into
that man's office.

I'm your probation
officer, not Mr. Galen.

He's the supervisor.

Anything you have
to say, you say to me.

This is personal and private.

I'm afraid nothing a
probationer does is private.

You see, Mr. Pollard,
he isn't here.

Then I'll wait for him here.

All night, if I have to.

That's more than irrational.

It's stupid and impossible.

Don't forget the
bit about delusions.

I suffer from that, too.

Here, take a look at that.

Tell me how stupid
and irrational I am.

That's right, my wife in Roy
Galen's comforting arms.

I'll wait, Mr. Rudick,

because when Roy Galen comes in,

I'm gonna kill him.

Sibyll?

Sibyll!

County probation, Nat Rudick.

What?

That was Roy Galen.

Is he coming back here?

No, he's not.

He was just arrested.

Arrested?

Arrested for what?

For the murder of your wife.

$250,000 were stolen

from the account
of Mr. Leo Mann.

A quarter of a million dollars
worth of stocks liquidated.

Liquidated by whom, Mr. Talbot?

Well, Sibyll Pollard's signature
was on the order, of course,

but that's only a temporary...

Mr. Talbot, you've heard
evidence in this courtroom,

have you not, about
the reservations

that Mrs. Pollard made

for herself and a
man in South America,

a furnished apartment
leased for one year?

Yes, I have.

And, of course, the
reservations she made personally,

one way tickets to South
America for herself and a man?

Yes.

Mr. Talbot,

assuming Sibyll Pollard
wanted a large sum of money

with which to live abroad,

couldn't she simply
have obtained

as much as she wanted
from her own estate?

I object to the
question, Your Honor.

It assumes facts
not in evidence.

Moreover, it calls for
opinion and conclusion

from the witness.

May I remind
counsel, Your Honor,

that Mr. Talbot is an
acknowledged expert

in the field of
trusts and estates.

And furthermore, Mr. Talbot
personally set up the estate

from which Mrs. Pollard
derived her income.

I will gladly stipulate

that the witness
is indeed an expert,

but not as regarding the
personal and private desires

or motivations
of Sibyll Pollard.

Objection sustained.

Rephrase your
question, Mr. Burger.

Mr. Talbot,

was Sibyll Pollard
a wealthy woman?

Well, actually, no.

She had a life estate,

the use of income
from some real estate

set up by her late father
before she was married.

I believe it provided
her with separate income

of approximately $500 a month.

I see.

Could she have
sold this property

and used the cash
for her personal wants?

No.

Under the terms of the
will, it was possible for her

to pledge it as security
for the bond she needed

in order to continue to receive
Eric's income as his guardian,

but she could not sell
nor otherwise dispose of it.

Well, what happened
to this property

when Sibyll Pollard
died... was murdered?

Did her husband
inherit this life estate?

No, at her death,

the property was
automatically assigned,

under the terms of the will,

to a group of
specified charities.

That is, what's
left of the estate

after the bonding company
satisfies its security pledge

to pay off that quarter
of a million dollars.

So, what Sibyll Pollard
could not do directly,

that is take money
from her own estate,

she could do indirectly
by embezzling the funds

and letting a bonding
company recover

from her estate?

Objection, Your Honor.

I withdraw the question.

Your witness.

No questions.

I call Dean Franklin
to the stand, please.

Mr. Franklin, to your
personal knowledge,

was the decedent, Sibyll
Pollard, happily married?

No.

On what do you base that answer?

She came to me, as an attorney,

to the request that I
initiate divorce proceedings

against her
husband, Eric Pollard.

I see, and did you?

No. I explained to her

that she had no legal
grounds for a divorce.

Eric Pollard, if he
was nothing else,

was a good husband in
every sense of the word.

Really?

Well, since she was married

to this paragon of
matrimonial virtue,

why did Mrs. Pollard
want a divorce?

She... she was in
love with another man.

She said on the telephone,

"I just can't leave
him just now."

Then she said: "It only
means postponing our trip,

not giving it up, sweetheart".

And then what did
she say, Miss Wynne?

She said, "I love you, too."

Then she turned
and saw me standing

in the doorway and hung up.

No, Miss Wynne,
as I understand it,

you were there to get
Mrs. Pollard's signature

on some papers, is that correct?

For the bonding company, yes.

Well, then you
probably the person

who had the decedent
sign the authorization

liquidating that quarter
of a million dollars

from the account
of Mr. Leo Mann.

Oh, no, sir, I never
saw that paper.

Well, didn't you handle
Mr. Mann's account?

I didn't handle it.

I did do all the
secretarial work on it

for Mr. Pollard,

but he never gave me
that authorization to prepare

and neither did
anyone else in the office.

Well, that authorization was
certainly prepared by someone?

And the money was transferred.

Yes.

Now, handwriting
analysis has proven

that the signature
on that authorization

was unquestionably
Mrs. Pollard's.

Since you claim you didn't
prepare the authorization,

perhaps you processed it?

No, I didn't process it,

but our office records
show that it was processed

after Mrs. Pollard had the
right to sign her husband's name.

Let me ask you this, Miss Wynne.

When Leo Mann practically
accused Mrs. Pollard

of stealing that money
in your presence,

did Mrs. Pollard deny it?

Not in my presence, she didn't.

All I know was she
was pretty shaken up

and very upset.

Thank you, Miss Wynne.

I couldn't hear anything

on the other end of
the phone conversation,

but whatever it was,
it upset Mr. Galen.

What did Mr. Galen say to
the other party on the phone?

Well, he just kept calling out,

"Sibyll, Sibyll, what
is it? Are you all right?"

And what did he do then?

He ran out of the office.

When Mr. Galen
ran out of the office,

did somebody
else, by any chance,

run into it, looking for him?

Yes, Mr. Eric Pollard.

He wanted to see Mr. Galen

to, uh, show him a photograph.

Was it this
photograph, Mr. Rudick,

people's exhibit seven?

A photograph of the
decedent, Sibyll Pollard,

in the arms of the
defendant, Roy Galen?

Yes.

What time was it, Mr. Rudick,

when the defendant, Roy
Galen, ran out of his office

in response to a phone call
from somebody he called Sibyll?

It was about 8:30.

9:15?

No, that's a little too precise.

I'd say that Sibyll Pollard
was murdered somewhere

between the hours
of 9:00 and 9:30 p.m.

I see, and what was the
cause of death, Doctor?

Manual strangulation.

From the absence of
finger marks on the throat,

the murderer used his forearm

or the palm of his
hand to exert pressure

against the front of the
larynx and close the lumen

by shortening its
anteroposterior diameter.

The autopsy disclosed
only the signs of asphyxiation

without any discernible
marks on the skin

and only barely
perceptible injuries

to the deeper
structures of the neck.

A motorcycle officer spotted
the defendant, Roy Galen,

driving his car in excess
of 60 miles an hour

in a 30 mile zone
and gave chase.

Did he apprehend
him, Lieutenant?

No, sir, he lost
him on a blind turn

and a fork in the road.

When the officer realized
the defendant must have taken

the other turn, he called in.

Headquarters ordered a squad car

to patrol the immediate
area in circles

and they eventually located
the car of the defendant

on a street.

Exactly where
was the car located

when they found it?

Outside the home of the
decedent, Sibyll Pollard.

And was Roy
Galen, the defendant,

in the car at that time?

No, sir, he was not.

Just as the squad car officer

started up the
walk to the house,

the door opened,

and the defendant
came running out

practically into
the officer's arms.

Exactly what time
was that, Lieutenant?

9:30.

And did the officer then go

into the house
with the defendant?

Yes, sir, he did.

He wanted to find out what
he was running away from.

That's when he found
the body of Sibyll Pollard

in the library, dead.

You say your name
is Lawrence West,

and that you're a
licensed private detective?

That's right. Larry West,

West Confidential
Investigations.

I show you this
picture, Mr. West,

people's exhibit seven.

I ask

if you were hired
to take that picture?

Yes, I was.

- By whom?
- Mr. Eric Pollard.

He said his wife was
carrying on with some man.

He wanted me to shadow her
and get proof of who the man was.

That's it, that's the proof.

Well, this seems to be proof

only that at this
particular moment,

the defendant was holding
the decedent in his arms.

All right, she was
carrying on with him

to the point where she
was in his arms, yeah.

However, this photograph was
apparently taken at close range.

If the two people in it had been
talking at the time you took it,

you might have
heard what they said.

Well, she was
practically hysterical,

asking him to get
back some stuff for her

that her husband had
found hidden in her room.

Go on.

Well, that's when
I took the picture.

It was a flash picture.

He chased me.

I see, so you didn't
hear anymore?

Oh, sure, I heard more.

You did... how?

I doubled back, that's all.

Just made a circle and
came right back behind them...

Out of sight.

So then you actually
heard more conversation

between the defendant
and this woman

who was to be found
murdered in a matter of hours?

That's right.

He... the defendant...
He was real mad now.

She was crying and carrying on.

He couldn't stand it.

When she said, "I'm afraid...

afraid he'll kill me,"

well, the defendant
grabbed her by the shoulders,

and he sort of shook her.

And did he say anything
to her at that moment?

He sure did.

He held her hard and he said:

"Right now, if anybody's
gonna kill you, Sibyll...

it'll be me."

Mr. Eric Pollard?

- Yes.
- My name's Paul Drake.

I'm a private detective.

Well, that's interesting, but I
already have one, thank you.

I know. But he only found a man.

That's all I paid him to find.

What about a quarter
of a million dollars?

You saying you know what
my wife did with that money?

Well, I don't exactly want
to broadcast what I know.

Oh, we're alone in the house.

Well, Mr. Drake?

I understand there's a reward

for the recovery
of stolen property.

Mr. Drake, I'm a rather...

unfortunate financial
orphan at the moment.

I'm, uh... incompetent,
remember?

But you're still a
partner in the firm

from which the money was stolen.

So is Harlan Talbot.
Why don't you

sell your information to him?

Because just maybe, he
might not be in the market.

Obviously you know me.

I like to make sure who
my business associates are.

You have identification?

- A license?
- Certainly.

Well, Mr. Pollard,
ready to talk?

Yes, Mr. Drake,
I'm ready to talk.

Good.

- To the police.
- Hold on.

An implied threat to
expose Harlan Talbot

as an embezzler if I
don't arrange a payoff?

That's extortion.

- Don't you believe me?
- Believe...

Every word was a lie.

A stupid, clumsy lie even
a child could see through.

That's a laugh.

From a guy the court
says is off his rocker,

who smashes a cab, then
beefs he wasn't even there.

I'll admit I was
there, that I did it.

I'll swear to it under oath.

Just as I'll swear under oath
to what's happened here, now.

Just a minute.

If you're so anxious
to swear under oath,

be in court tomorrow morning.

What's this?

A present, Mr. Pollard,
from Perry Mason.

A subpoena. Good night.

Doctor, you
examined the decedent

at the scene of the crime?

Yes. I answered the police call.

Did you also examine
the defendant?

The defendant?

Well, he stated to the police

that he had been
struck on the head,

momentarily knocked down.

Yes, he did. Yes, I...

did examine his head.

May I ask what you found?

Oh, a slight bruise

where he claimed
he had been struck.

Claimed?

Well, what I meant was,
he... could just as easily

have struck his head
on a piece of furniture

during the struggle.

What struggle?

Well, when he
was strangling the...

I, um...

hope we're not wasting
the court's time, doctor,

reviewing the facts of a
case in which you have

not only determined
exactly what happened,

but have determined the
guilt of the defendant as well.

I'm sorry, Mr. Mason.
You're right.

That was merely an
assumption on my part.

Was your estimate of the time

of Sibyll Pollard's death
also an assumption?

No, of course not.

My estimate was
based on an examination

to determine the lapse
of time between death,

and the time I
examined the body.

You found pronounced
stiffness in the body musculature?

Almost spasm.

Unquestionably recent
muscular exertion

in fighting off the strangler.

Or could it have been
normal rigor mortis?

Now that is possible,
isn't it, doctor?

Well, yes, I suppose it is.

Just as it's possible that
the fire in the fireplace

affected the change
in body temperature?

Well, actually, when I arrived

there was practically
no fire at all.

If there had been a fire

effecting the body temperature,

could death have occurred as
much as half an hour earlier?

Say at 8:30?

Well, put that way...
yes, it could have.

At 8:15?

- Well...
- Or 8:00? 7:30?

Early as 7:00, perhaps?

Oh, come now, Mr. Mason,

I'm sure you know
that's highly unlikely.

And I'm sure you
know that your estimate

was based less on what
you observed as a doctor

than it was on the fact you

knew the time of the
defendant's presence,

took it for granted
he killed Sibyll Pollard,

and assumed, therefore,

that she was
killed at that time.

No further questions.

No questions, doctor.

The witness is excused.

The defense calls Dean Franklin.

Mr. Franklin...

do you know Section
118 of the Penal Code?

My practice doesn't include
criminal law, Mr. Mason.

Section 118 defines when
a person is guilty of perjury.

I suggest you may

find yourself guilty of
defamation, counselor,

despite the privileged
nature of this proceeding.

Seven months ago, you spent
a weekend at Santa Barbara.

Two weeks later, Las Vegas.

A month after that, an
entire week in San Francisco.

Is what I've stated true so far?

Yes, yes, I believe it is.

And in each instance,
you registered

as Mr. and Mrs. Dean
Franklin. Is that correct?

Perhaps you'd like to
refresh your memory.

You examine these Photostats.

Are these your signatures
on the registration cards?

Yes.

Mr. Franklin... are you married?

No.

Speak up, please.

No.

Have you ever been married?

No.

I remind you of Section
118 of the Penal Code,

and I warn you that I
have proof of the answer

to my question.

Who was the woman you registered

each and every
time as your wife?

Sibyll Pollard.

Sibyll and Dean... I'm shocked.

I'm absolutely shocked.

You were in no way
involved with Sibyll Pollard?

Me? Oh, good heavens, no.

You weren't with her

in her house the
night she was killed?

What?

When Roy Galen
ran into that library,

Sibyll Pollard was already dead,

and then someone
struck Roy on the head.

Where you that
someone, Mr. Talbot?

You're out of your mind.

Where were you that evening?

I was at my club.

That's right, I was at my club.

I was to have had an appointment
with Dean Franklin and...

"Was to have had
an appointment?"

What happened?

Dean never showed up...

He left a message for me

that he'd had a call...

an emergency call... A call?

Yes, I think I do remember
Sibyll making a call

early that evening,

but I had no more way of knowing

she was calling Dean Franklin
than I had of knowing that Dean

was the man she
was really in love with.

Your wife made
another telephone call

later that evening to Roy Galen.

Did you also overhear that call?

No, I was downtown.

Oh, yes, of course.

In the probationer's office.

At 8:30 you were
walking in one corridor

while Roy Galen was
running out another,

just seconds after
your wife phoned him.

Exactly.

So why you have me on the
stand instead of Dean Franklin...

If Dean was in the house
when Roy Galen got there...

Then you obviously
had nothing to do

with your wife's murder.

Not unless delusions
are contagious.

Mr. Pollard...

the district attorney and
the Judge have agreed

to let me explore one
of those delusions.

Now, undoubtedly,

someone was attacking your wife,

when she made her
desperate call to Galen.

Now you could not have been
that person, could you, Mr. Pollard?

Well, since I was downtown,

practically at the other
end of that telephone call...

No one could be at
both ends of a telephone,

is that what you mean?

Right now, for example,

you couldn't be
sitting here by me

and be with Paul Drake at
the other end of this phone?

I don't know what
you're driving at,

but I certainly
had nothing to do

with my wife's death.

Every word was a lie.

A stupid, clumsy lie

even a child could see through.

Mr. Pollard, did
you kill your wife?

I'll admit I was there...

that I did it. I'll swear
to it under oath.

Stop it!

Earlier...

one hour earlier, with a
strong fire in the fireplace,

while you strangled
your wife to death,

you recorded her voice
on a portable tape recorder.

That's a lie. A lie.

You rushed down to
the Hall of Records.

In the lobby, a
public telephone.

You dialed Roy's number,

then played a section
of that tape recording

to him over the telephone.

No! No! No!

Quickly, you hid the
portable tape recorder

and ran in to the office
to set up your alibi.

That was one hour after
you'd murdered your wife.

Eric confronted
her, in the library,

with the picture of the two
of you taken in the park.

Tape recorder was
hidden and turned on.

Perhaps he was only looking

for evidence to keep her quiet,

but she sort of lost her head,

and told him she'd
called a lawyer

and was gonna expose him.

Eric didn't know that she
had called Dean Franklin,

that Dean was the man
she was in love with,

and he didn't know that
Dean was coming over.

You see, it was Dean
who hit you on the head.

He arrived just before you,

and walked in to find
Sibyll Pollard dead.

After Sibyll knew
of Eric's plan,

it meant his either killing
her, or going to prison.

What plan?

A young man named Smith

unexpectedly died in Europe.

Eric Pollard was caught
having illegally mortgaged

a quarter of a million
dollars of Smith's assets

to obtain money for
speculative investments.

Investments that went sour.

The Smith estate
had to be closed.

So he turned to his wife.

But wait a minute.

That business of
being incompetent.

It was a fake.

The business mistakes,
the taxi routine...

all a planned fake.

And he'd prepared the
necessary documents

in advance, and had
his wife sign them.

And swiped the money from
that overage Texas teenager

and made up the Smith shortage.

And I walked right
into the middle of that.

Judge Alder was right.

Where trouble is concerned,
the only good involvement

is no involvement.

I have a question, Paul.

How did you get Eric to
let you record his voice?

Microphone and transmitter,
self-contained with batteries.

The recording
set's out in my car.

Nice, huh?

Nice?

You electronic eavesdropper.

It's not safe to even
think around you anymore.