All language subtitles for Perry.Mason.S09E09.The.Case.of.the.Wrathful.Wraith.DVDRip.x264

And prove that she
killed her husband.

Your Honor, there are
other incontrovertible facts.

Twelve witnesses saw this sailboat,
with husband and wife aboard,

leave the starting
line at the regatta.

And eight witnesses, six hours later,
boarded this boat adrift in a calm sea

and the only person
aboard was the defendant.

Now, the police have found
the victim's blood on deck.

They found a radio that
hadn't been used to call for help.

And the only defense that
we hear is that Jamison Selff,

an expert yachtsman, just
disappeared over the side.

Your Honor, I ask that Louise
Selff be bound over to Superior Court

to stand trial on a charge
of first-degree murder.

Here he comes.

Hey, what's the idea
of tying up this phone?

Tell your troubles
to your city editor.

There you are, Ted.
Go to it, boy, ha, ha.

Rewrite.

The Deputy DA went after
Louise Selff with both barrels.

Starting with the
insurance policy,

she brow-beat her old man
into taking out six weeks

before she tossed
him into the bay.

Then he put on witnesses that
gave a blow-by-blow account

of the argument Selff and his bride
had at the yacht club the night before.

Yeah, any minute now.

And so in the absence
of sufficient evidence,

the charge against the defendant,
Louise Selff, is dismissed.

Court stands adjourned.

Louise, darling, I'm so happy.

- Talk about getting away with murder.
- It pays to have a good lawyer.

Look at her, still
putting on an act.

You won, Mr. Mason. But
poor, blind justice took a beating.

I hope you sleep well.

My dear, my doors
are always open to you.

My dear, your husband has
spoken to me from the other side.

I've helped you
before, I can do it again.

Mercy Hospital.

- Aah! Rosemary!
- What is it, Louise?

Well, I thought I'd come
over and light the home fires.

Who wants to spend two weeks in a
hospital and home to a cold house?

- Louise, are you all right?
- Of course.

It's just that across the room in
this light I thought I saw Jamison.

But then he would have
had something cruel to say,

or perhaps he wouldn't
have spoken to me at all.

Sometimes he didn't, you know.

Sometimes he didn't
speak to me for weeks.

Rosemary, I want that
portrait of Jamison taken down.

Of course, dear.

I suppose Rosemary has told you

that I've started going
through Jamison's papers,

to help thin things out.

I don't know what I would have
done without the help of you two.

Rosemary has promised
to stay for a while.

I'd like to feel noble about it,

but the fact is I'm still
your indigent friend.

With the mortgage
due on the hotel

and everything coming
down around my ears.

Heh, remember, Louise,

the fine ladies we were going
to be when we were in school?

Were Jamison's finances
really in such awful shape?

Pretty muddled, but you don't have
to worry, not with the insurance money.

I took the liberty of having
Mason contact the company.

The money should be in
your hands within a week.

Here, I'll show you the letter.
- What are these?

I stacked them there
to throw them out.

Uh, Rosemary
has been a big help.

- These are written to me.
- Louise, don't look at them.

They're just from cranks, all
that nonsense in the newspapers.

"Riches gained by murder.

Woman who would kill her
own husband for his money.

Murderess."

Thou shall not kill.

Louise, you must
ignore those letters.

You feel you still need to
establish some sort of defense,

but the hearing is over.

Only the court hearing,
Mr. Mason. I'm still on trial.

You saw the newspapers.

I can't go on living this way.

You can't let the kind of
people who write crank letters

and scandal sheets imprison you.

Louise, Jamison was the kind
of man who collected enemies.

Any one of them
could have killed him.

That's not true. I was the
only one who really knew him.

To everyone else he was
the personification of charm.

Not to me. We had a mutual
disrespect for one another.

Can't you understand
how I feel, Mr. Mason?

I have to clear myself and I can't,
not unless Jamison's killer is found.

I understand, Louise. And of
course I'll do everything I can.

And, Della, I'd
better get you home.

Look at that rain. That's what I
get for believing the weatherman.

Your lovely
dress, you'll ruin it.

Heh, let me get you a raincoat.

Jamison always kept an
old slicker right in the closet.

There's no raincoat here.

Jamison's raincoat, it's gone!

- I'll go upstairs and get...
- But I'm positive it was there.

Did one of the
servants borrow it?

Ah, no, of course not, Louise.

Don't you remember? You
let them all go before I came.

- It doesn't matter.
- But it does matter.

I saw it there
and now it's gone!

Uh, don't worry about it. We'll
run for the car. Good night.

Really, Louise,
it doesn't matter.

Rosemary. Rosemary!

- Louise!
- The door!

- Somebody slammed the door!
- Calm down. It's all right, Louise.

I'm here. What happened?

What's the matter?
What happened?

- Louise, what happened?
- Somebody slammed the door.

Oh, no, dear. It was
just the wind, that's all.

Now be calm.

Are you better?

What are you doing up
at this hour? It's after 3.

I couldn't sleep.

I decided I wanted to come down.

- There was something I wanted to do.
- In the middle of the night?

The time doesn't
make any difference.

Rosemary, do you
remember the time

that we were going over
the inventory of those things,

just before they
took me to jail?

Well, I ran across
the diamond cufflinks,

the ones I gave Jamison
just before we were married.

I remember them.
They're beautiful.

I got to thinking.

I want Ralph to have them.

He admired them so
and he's been so decent.

- Louise, can't this wait till morning?
- I thought I'd wrap them.

I can't sleep and it just
gives me something to do.

- Louise, uh...
- I remember shopping for these.

Gone.

Just like Jamison's
raincoat, they're gone!

You've been upset, dear.
You might have mislaid them.

Mislaid them? They were there!

There's some explanation, dear.
Your memory's playing tricks on you.

There's nothing
wrong with my memory.

Someone's doing this to me.

Louise?

I realize that Mrs. Selff
has been through an ordeal.

And being a sensitive woman,
has suffered more than most.

But I never had the impression
that she was unbalanced.

But she's been acting so strangely.
Why, she's refused to leave her room.

I didn't know what to do.
So I called Ralph and...

And when she wouldn't
talk to me, I called you.

These things that are
missing, uh, thank you,

do you think she's
capable of hiding them?

I don't know.

Louise has always lived
such a protected life.

She seems to think we're in
some sort of a plot against her,

the usual paranoiac delusion.

You're the only
person she really trusts.

And this newspaper didn't help any.
I took it up to her without unfolding it.

It's enough to send anyone off.

Can't you do something to
stop that man, that Harberson?

- Yes, he has got to be stopped.
- I don't want him stopped.

Louise.

I thought I saw you
arrive, Mr. Mason.

Now, I've decided to
go see Ms. Saint Sutton.

Oh, Louise.

Louise, I can understand
this compulsion you have

to absolve yourself.

But what you're proposing
makes no sense at all.

If I don't go,

- they'll say I'm afraid.
- They'll say?

Who are they?

A scandal sheet reporter?
A publicity-seeking fraud?

I use to see her, you know.

I can't tell you why, any more
than I could explain it to Jamison.

Except that...

Well, she was easy to talk to.

I told her things,

she sipped tea and listened.

It was quiet there.

Her whole house
smelled of fresh bread.

I was surprised
she'd even talk to me.

Jamison made all
sorts of trouble for her.

Louise, do you trust me?

Then you can't trust
them. Now, don't do this.

You need a change,
a trip, perhaps.

We can go to my hotel.

It's closed for the season, but you
always loved the woods and the lake.

- No, that's where I met Jamison.
- Louise,

don't go to see
Willa Saint Sutton.

Don't give that reporter a chance
to keep this persecution going.

You're being stupid,
Louise. I hate to say this,

but you're proposing to make
yourself into a sideshow, a freak!

I haven't slept in so long.

Not really slept.

I didn't get anywhere with
Harberson's managing editor.

"When the public stops wanting
it, I'll stop giving it to them."

- That was the sum and substance.
- That's what I expected.

And my check on
Harberson spells it out.

He's always been with the fringe
papers, never made the grade.

But he was aboard the boat
that found the Selff yacht adrift

and consequently
lucked into a big story.

Now, when the decent papers won't touch
it, he's riding it for all it's worth.

- Did, uh, Della get in touch with you?
- No.

She called twice. She
seemed upset about something.

- She left this number.
- Thanks, Clay.

She was going to drop off some
papers for Louise Selff's signature.

Paul, do you have some change?

If I know Della, she's
probably run out of gas

for the third time this month and
had to walk in the rain to a phone.

That girl can remember the
details of a brief four years old,

but she can't remember
that cars run on gasoline.

Busy.

Well, here's the, uh,
detail on Willa Saint Sutton.

She was a vaudeville
hoofer as Wilma Waters,

played the borscht
circuit as a mentalist,

wrote a lovelorn column
for a New Jersey weekly

and made the papers
a few years ago

when she tried to open a
nudist camp in North Carolina.

Well, there are no surprises.

- Della?
- Perry, I'm at Louise's home.

She's just left with Rosemary.

I tried to get them to wait
until I could reach you, but...

I thought she'd
given up the idea.

I don't know whose idea it was, but
I didn't get any help from Rosemary.

She just said that if it would
make Louise feel any better,

there was no harm in it.

Do you know where
Willa Saint Sutton lives?

Good, Paul and I
will meet you there.

Mrs. Selff?

Everything is prepared.

- Won't you at least wait for Perry?
- Get a shot of us going in.

There will be no pictures.

Only Mrs. Selff will enter.

Just hold your horses, sister.
You promised me I could come in.

I promised you could be
present. I didn't say where.

Sit down, Mr. Harberson,
and be quiet.

Or I'll have you
tossed out on your rear!

Pardon me, lady. My car
seems to have stalled out there.

- Any chance I could use the phone?
- I guess it's all right.

- It's in the back. In the kitchen.
- Thank you.

- Where's Louise?
- She's in there with Ms. Saint Sutton.

- I didn't think it would hurt.
- I'm taking her out.

Look, you sounded off to my boss this
morning and I let you get away with it.

If you think you can bust in
here and give orders, you're nuts.

My paper doesn't take kindly to
the press being pushed around.

If you represent the press
then we're all in danger.

- You got the integrity of a jackal.
- That's slander!

Print it. Now step aside.

Quiet. Now, keep
your voices down.

The spirits are very close tonight.
They've been waiting for us, waiting.

What is it, Louise?

- What's wrong?
- Jamison's here. I saw him.

And Willa went out and
that's when I heard his voice.

Oh, I'm sorry, Louise,
I'm so sorry I let you come.

He talked to me.
He talked to me.

You spoiled it. All of you.

Louise, you must understand
what has happened.

You saw your dead
husband's picture.

I know, I know. But I heard him.

I heard his voice telling me...

No, not his voice. It
may have sounded like it.

No. It was Jamison's voice.
Cold, biting, Jamison's voice.

Perry.

- That door leads to where?
- To the kitchen.

But nobody has been there.

- Come on, Louise.
- I heard him. I heard him.

Louise, you just
imagined it was his voice.

He told me to look in the
desk. "It's in the bottom drawer.

There is a letter
and an envelope.

Do what it says.

It will repay you for all the
misery I've caused you."

Jamison said it, he did!

It's addressed to you. Is that
your husband's handwriting?

Yes. Yes, it is!

Perry, what's going on? You
think Jamison Selff's alive?

That or someone wants
Louise to believe he is.

Then you do believe the letter
was written by Jamison Selff?

Yes, it's unquestionably
his writing.

Do you know the
agreement it refers to,

the one Mrs. Selff was
to get from the bank?

Jamison was involved in some sort of
experimental project with these people,

the Arcott Laboratories.

Of course, then, he was always
mixed up in things like this.

The letter mentioned a
sum of $300,000 to be paid

by the 30th of the month for a
fifty-fifty interest in the process.

Yes, and Louise is
determined to pay it.

That would be in just six
days. Should she pay it?

I don't know. She's
under no legal obligation.

And who knows
what this scheme is?

Well, until I've had a chance
to check on the Arcott company,

I certainly can't advise her.

You know, Mr. Mason,
it's a strange irony.

Jamison treated
her like a child.

He was brutal to her
when he was alive.

And now I see the same
tyranny from the grave.

How long has it taken you to
develop this laser process, Mr. Arcott?

Nearly six years, working on
other things at the same time.

Now...

Now, if you'll keep a
close eye on these blocks,

I think you'll get a surprise.

The blocks, Mr. Drake,
now watch closely.

The fusion is absolute.

I think you can see the
commercial implications.

For the construction
business alone it's tremendous,

but can it be made
commercially feasible?

Well, naturally there are a few steps
to work out from the lab to production.

And you were counting
on Jamison Selff

for the money to do that?

We made a deal. Yes.

I believe you're
sincere, Mr. Arcott.

But I think you are rather naive
about some of the problems.

I'm sick and tired
of being patronized.

Despite your urbane manner
and your overly polite concern,

what you're saying is,

"You mean well, kid, but I'm not
gonna let you take Mrs. Selff for a ride."

No one's appointed me mediator,

but the way you gentlemen
have been attacking one another

won't solve one thing.

What is your capital position if
you don't get money from Louise?

What bank is gonna
carry your paper?

Why haven't you
made a market survey?

You know more than
I do about everything,

you ought to answer
your own questions.

If you wanna make a joke

out of a $300,000 investment,
that's your business.

Mrs. Selff, I came here because
Mr. Mason called and asked me to.

I wish I hadn't.
Now, it comes to this,

if you wanna take up
the option it's okay by me,

and if you want to listen to
Balfour, that's okay by me too.

- You were rude, Ralph, really.
- You can do as you like, Louise.

But it seems to me you
can't afford to take such a risk.

Any scheme of this
sort is a risk, of course.

The process appears to have
a good chance if given time.

"Given time." That's
what I told you, Louise.

I guess I'd better
not do it, Mr. Mason.

I'm really not in a position to
make such a large investment.

As Ralph says, it might be
too long a wait for a return.

- Well, at least we have a decision.
- After two hours.

- I think I'll call it a night.
- Let me see you out.

Oh, good night. Good night, Louise.
- Thanks again.

Why don't you come up
to my place for a nightcap?

Thanks, but I have a
friend waiting out front.

Well, you're both invited.
- Jamison!

Louise? Louise?

Whoever it was hung up.

Perry, this is one nightcap
I'd just as soon skip.

At this hour I like my drinks served
by a barmaid with long eyelashes.

Sorry. No barmaid.

Ralph Balfour's invitation
was for drinks only.

Balfour? Balfour?

Can't see a thing.
The blinds are drawn.

Housebreaker. I
walked right into him.

Where's your phone?
I'll call the police.

In the bedroom.

It's lucky you came along. Your
banging on the door scared him.

He went out the back.

- Can you identify him?
- Ugh, no.

I couldn't see him in the dark.
He swung on me with a flashlight.

Obviously was looking for
something. There's no money there.

- What do you keep in the desk?
- Oh, papers, letters.

It's gone.

The letter I got from Louise.

The one she found
in Jamison's desk.

Louise. Louise.

Louise. Listen to me, Louise.

I want you to give
Arcott the money.

Louise! What is
it? What happened?

- He attacked me.
- Who attacked you?

I don't know. It was in
the dark. I couldn't see.

There's nobody
there. What's this?

Jamison's raincoat.

The one that disappeared.

Louise was raving,

insisting she wanted to
make the deal with Arcott

as soon as it could be arranged.

If the doctor hadn't calmed her, I
don't know what she might have done.

Mrs. Selff has suffered
a very severe shock.

It, uh, may have been
self-induced, I don't know.

We'll be able to tell by her
response to a day of forced rest.

Tomorrow she may
be perfectly fine.

There's, uh, some sort of business
that she's anxious to transact,

or I'd keep her quiet longer.

Then you don't believe
there's any derangement?

No. No, I don't.

Just keep her quiet as possible, I
don't think you'll have any trouble.

- And keep her under sedation.
- I'll go on up.

- And thank you, doctor.
- Thank you. Goodbye.

And don't worry, I'll
take good care of Louise.

What are you doing?

Where's the gun, Louise?

I don't know.

Come on now, dear.
Tell me where it is.

I know you've always
kept it in the drawer.

I'm not going to tell you.

Louise, dear, it's dangerous
to have a gun around.

- Especially when...
- When I'm crazy?

I need the gun, Rosemary.
I need it to protect myself.

From whom, dear?

From Jamison.

- Jamison's dead, Louise.
- No, I heard him.

I thought for a moment
I saw him out there.

He's here, Rosemary. He's here.

- You need some fresh air.
- No.

All right, dear. Now you
try and get some rest.

Hello?

No. No. This is Rosemary
Welch, Mr. Arcott.

No, I'm sorry, she's asleep now.

Does she realize
tomorrow is the deadline?

I haven't heard from Mason.

Well, Mr. Mason is due
here later this evening.

I'm sure he'll be
in touch with you.

Hello?

Oh, I've been trying to call
you, but your line was busy.

Arcott? Is he still...?

Well, how is she?

I left her just a
few minutes ago.

She insisted she'd seen
Jamison down in the garden.

I know, I know.

It must be the effect of the drugs,
but she's so insistent it upsets me.

Yes, I told her Mr. Mason
is on his way over,

that seemed to quiet her.

All right. Thanks for calling,
Rosemary. Good night.

Louise, I want...

Jamison Selff.

Naturally, the district
attorney presumes your guilt

and treats you as
if you were guilty.

But you know you're not.

But I don't know. I saw him.

I had the gun in my hand.

And that the only
thing I can remember

is Rosemary leaning over
me, holding my head in her lap.

Now, listen to me,
Louise, and listen carefully.

Immediately after
your husband's death

you told me without hesitation

that you did not fire that
gun before you fainted.

I thought it was that way then.

You knew it was.
You were positive.

He's dead.

Jamison's really dead.

Did you see anyone
else on the balcony?

Could anyone else
have gotten to the balcony

through one of the
other bedrooms?

Apparently, that's how
your husband got there.

Louise, you must fight back.

You understand what I'm saying?

Yes, I understand.

But to go through it all again,

I don't think I can do it.

Of course you can, Louise.

You have to.

Yes, sir.

According to the lab report, the
bullet was fired at very close range.

When you arrived at the scene,

did you speak to Mrs. Selff?

I questioned her, naturally.

And how would you describe
her mental condition at that time?

Objection, Your Honor.

- The witness is not a psychiatrist.
- Objection sustained.

I'll rephrase the question.

When you questioned Mrs. Selff
were her answers cogent and direct?

No, sir. She was
extremely agitated.

Apparently in shock.

Mr. Balfour, it's already
been established

that the decedent, Jamison Selff,
took out a $400,000 insurance policy

on his life less
than six months ago.

- You were, of course, aware of this?
- Yes.

In your capacity as
financial advisor to Mr. Selff,

- did you recommend this purchase?
- No, I did not.

Mr. Selff's financial
status was precarious.

I felt he could not
afford the premium.

Did he give you any reason
for disregarding your advice?

There were other considerations.
There was more than money involved.

Really, Mr. Balfour?
What else was involved?

Well, uh, personalities.
When a man is married...

Oh.

Did Mrs. Louise Selff, the
defendant, uh, enter into this decision?

I don't think Mrs. Selff's
concern about the insurance

was in any way unusual.

Ha, possibly not. My
question to you, sir,

is of your own knowledge,
did Mrs. Louise Selff

exert any pressure on her
husband to buy this insurance policy?

There was no
question of pressure.

You're objecting to the word.
Would "persuasion" do better?

Did she persuade her
husband to buy the insurance?

Persuade? Jamison?

She wouldn't dare.
She was afraid of him.

Then what consideration
led him to buy the policy?

Jamison told me that Louise gave him
the money from her personal savings.

I see.

Then Mrs. Jamison Selff actually
paid for that life insurance policy

which named her as beneficiary.

No more questions, Mr. Balfour.

We need some good news, Paul.

Well, this news depends
on the point of view.

I finally caught up with
our missing witness.

- The, uh, little man who ran away?
- Hmm, thank you.

His name's Ed Allison

and right now he's in Hamilton
Burger's office answering questions.

Right this way, please.

- Mr. Harberson?
- That's right.

- I'm the, uh, one who phoned.
- Sit down.

- Just coffee.
- Coffee.

Look, there's that reporter.

That woman, Paul, I
wanna know who she is.

Yes, I'm an investigator
with Interwealth Insurance,

- assigned to the Selff case.
- The Selff case?

When did your company decide
to investigate the Selff case?

When the claim was filed.

Uh, you see, with a policy this new
and this big and no corpus delicti,

it, uh, was
practically automatic.

And you were assigned, were you
not, to keep an eye on Mrs. Louise Selff?

That's right. Yes. She
was the beneficiary.

If there was fraud and if
her husband was still alive

he'd be showing up sooner
or later to get his share.

In, uh, this business you get to the
point where you recognize a pattern.

And you were confident, then,

that Mrs. Selff was indeed
working with her husband in this?

That was the assumption,
yes, and we did pretty well with it.

- Except she decided to kill him.
- Objection, Your Honor.

The last remark will be
stricken from the record.

Take the witness, Mr. Mason.

According to your
testimony, Mr. Allison,

you have been assigned to the Selff
case for two months and two days.

- Is that correct?
- Mm-hm. Yes.

In the space of all that time

have you uncovered one scrap
of conclusive evidence to prove

that Jamison and Louise
Selff had worked together

on a plan to defraud
your company?

Well, uh, there certainly was
a plan to defraud, wasn't there?

And who else had
anything to gain?

I'll ask the
questions, Mr. Allison.

I'd appreciate your
answering them.

Now once again, have you any
evidence to implicate Mrs. Selff?

I, uh...

No, I haven't.

Now, Mr. Allison, did you at
any time observe Mrs. Selff

in the commission
of any act or deed

to indicate that she did, in fact,
know that her husband was alive?

No, I haven't. But that
doesn't mean anything now,

I've seen cases where you
would never suspect fraud...

That's enough, Mr. Allison.

Sure, that's him, Jamison Selff,

but when he stayed at my
house he had a mustache

and his hair needed cutting.

And he only called
himself James, that's all.

- Never gave nobody no last name.
- I see.

Now, how long did
Mr. Selff rent a room

at your establishment,
Mrs. Stallman?

Uh, five weeks. In and
out, but he paid his rent.

Well, what do you
mean "in and out"?

Well, I mean he didn't keep
no regular working hours

and he didn't make any
friends around the place.

- He had no friends at all?
- No.

But every so often
he'd phone somebody.

Did you ever overhear any
of these phone conversations?

Yes, sir. Is this where
you want me to tell about,

you know, what I
told you in your office?

- Missus...
- About the time

he saw me and hung up?

Just tell us, please, in your
own words what you overheard.

Uh, yes, sir.

Well, I walked in on him
and he was on the phone

and he was saying,
"Louise. Louise."

Soft like that, you know.

Then he saw me and he hung up.

Thank you, Mrs.
Stallman. Cross examine.

Mrs. Stallman, we
haven't had an opportunity

of discussing your
testimony before,

but I can see that you're
a very perceptive woman

with an excellent memory, so
I'm sure you can be most helpful.

Now, you told us the decedent
didn't give you a last name.

Did he ever offer
any reason for this?

Well, he went into
some big song and dance

about how he didn't know
what his last name was.

Said he figured he had
some kind of amnesia.

- Did he tell that to, uh, other tenants?
- Yeah.

He didn't say much to anyone.

But, uh, when he did, that's
what he talked about, his amnesia.

She was scared sick of her
husband, I can tell you that.

This was, of course, prior to
her husband's disappearance?

That's right.

First time she came she wanted me
to help her find some pearls she'd lost.

She was desperate, said he'd be
furious if he found out they were lost.

Well, they turned up
just like I said they would.

And then later she told me that
he'd used them as security on a loan,

without telling her.

Did you ever meet the
decedent, Mr. Jamison Selff?

Uh-huh.

He came busting into my place
one day, called me all kinds of names

slapped her, right in the face.

And then he told her
she was a... Let me see.

"A childish idiot," that's
what he called her.

Miss Welch, did the
defendant actually say to you

that she felt that she had been visited
by the ghost of her dead husband?

Will you answer the
question, please, Miss Welch?

Well, yes.

She did say she had seen him,

but she'd been wakened
from a sound sleep.

You mean she was
simply recounting a dream?

No. No, it wasn't that exactly.

She felt he had come back.

Oh, but you don't understand.

So many strange things
had been happening.

Objects disappearing,
the letter from Jamison,

his voice on the
telephone, the séance.

But weren't you a
witness to these incidents?

Yes. Yes, I was.

And did you yourself ever feel that
these were ghostly manifestations?

No, of course not.

But that doesn't mean
there was anything wrong.

Miss Welch, are
you trying to say

it's possible for a normal
mind to believe in ghosts?

Your Honor.

Your Honor, could we
possibly have a brief recess?

And could we ask defense
counsel to join us in your chambers?

Mr. Mason, will you
approach the bench?

Your Honor, I'm not enjoying
torturing that woman out there.

I'm convinced that the
defendant in this case

did indeed murder her
husband, but I'm not an ogre.

And I think the ends of justice
could be better served in another way.

How?

I'm convinced that she
was not mentally responsible

at the time of the act.

You're suggesting she
was unbalanced. Heh.

You're a fine
prosecutor, Hamilton,

but I question your
credentials as a psychiatrist.

What about the
case you presented?

That she and her husband conspired
to defraud the insurance company,

and that she killed him to
avoid sharing the money?

All right, but let's suppose
that Jamison Selff forced her

to take part in that scheme,

and that her mind gave
way under the strain.

What are you proposing?

I'm proposing that you bind
her over to Superior Court.

I will then accept a plea of
not guilty by reason of insanity

and we'll stipulate that Louise
Selff be confined for treatment

to a proper institution.

It seems worth
considering, Perry.

Your client does seem
to be at the breaking point.

That may be, but it's a long
way from being psychotic.

No, Your Honor, I'm not interested in
a deal, no matter how well-intended.

Why, Perry? Why not?

Because I reject all
your assumptions,

that Louise was in on the fraud,

that she killed her husband, and
that she's mentally incompetent.

I hope you can
substantiate all that, Perry,

choosing to subject your
client to further strain...

I would rather subject her
to the stress of this hearing

than to confinement
in a mental institution.

You make an excellent
cup of coffee, Your Honor.

Mr. Balfour, as Jamison
Selff's financial advisor,

what was your attitude
towards the option deal

he made with Arcott?

I'm not against
speculative deals, per se,

if you can afford to lose the
money if things don't work out.

Then you regarded Arcott's
process as speculative?

Of course. On paper
it looked promising,

but until it was developed
and tested and proved...

But Jamison Selff didn't have
money with which to speculate.

He was facing bankruptcy.
His credit was gone.

He stood to lose everything,
including the Arcott deal,

unless he came up with the
money before the option deadline.

Then that could have given Jamison
Selff a motive for dying, couldn't it?

With the insurance settlement,
the option could be exercised.

Not if he were dead.

Then later he would be able to
come back to life, pretend amnesia,

repay the insurance company out
of his profits from the Arcott process.

- If any.
- Of course.

But apparently Jamison
Selff had enough faith

that there would be
profits to risk everything.

Now, we can see how
Jamison Selff expected to gain

by exercising his option.

Was there anyone, Mr. Balfour,

who would benefit by
its not being exercised.

Glenn Arcott.

I don't like what you're
suggesting, Mr. Mason.

But you've admitted
you feel the option deal

you made with Jamison
Selff was a bad one?

Now, yes. But I didn't feel
that way the time I made it.

I was even grateful. I needed
development money badly.

What made you
change your attitude?

Well, my process
has almost proved out.

We'll soon be ready to go
into full-scale production.

- Is that general knowledge?
- Well, no.

I've, uh, kept the
results a secret so far.

I... Well, I promised Mr. Selff.

You feel you could make a
more favorable financial deal today

- than you could have then?
- Heh, I not only feel it.

I've had a better offer
from another source.

But your option with Jamison
Selff, that's an obstacle.

Look, Mason, I don't
know how you do business,

but when I make an
agreement, I stick to it.

I don't have to like
it, but I keep my word.

That's fine, Mr. Arcott.

And I presume you've
notified this other source

that you can't accept the offer?

Garen Industries? I haven't
given them a definite refusal.

I don't know what
the outcome will be.

Garen Industries?

So they offered you
considerably more

then you were to receive from Jamison
Selff if his option is not exercised?

How could they know
you were so near success,

if, as you say, you
kept it a secret?

All I know is that I didn't
tell them. I kept my word.

Look, I'm no businessman.
I'm an engineer, a scientist.

I do my work and
I try to be honest.

So get off my back,
I'm not on trial here.

I'm sure you try to be honest,
Mr. Arcott, but don't be angry.

I've seen the consequence
when you become angry.

Cross-examine, Mr. Burger?

Just a few brief
questions, Mr. Arcott.

After the death
of Jamison Selff,

did you still feel that that
option agreement was valid?

Yes. By the terms, it
could be reassigned.

But was that option one that
could be exercised by just anyone?

Or was it possible only for
Jamison Selff's legal heir?

- His widow?
- Only by his widow.

- No one else.
- That's all.

Witness may stand down.

Since Mr. Arcott's testimony
has not been corroborated,

the defense recalls Mr. Balfour.

Mr. Ralph Balfour,
take the stand.

I remind you, Mr. Balfour
that you're still under oath.

Mr. Arcott claims he
kept the development

of his process a
secret, Mr. Balfour.

- Is that true?
- No. I was informed.

- By whom? Mr. Arcott?
- Not directly. By Mr. Selff.

- And whom did you tell?
- No one.

- Uh, that's the truth.
- Mr. Balfour,

you kept the secret so well that
you didn't even inform Louise Selff.

That is true, Mr. Mason.

I thought it would be a
mistake for Louise to speculate.

But if Louise Selff had known that
the Arcott process had proved out,

or if she had been in on the
insurance fraud with her husband,

she'd have gone
through with the deal.

And Jamison Selff could have
stayed dead as he planned.

But he couldn't do that
because his partner in the fraud,

the person who helped
him leave the boat,

the person who was
supposed to advise Louise

to pay for the option,

was instead doing everything
possible to prevent her from paying.

Now, when he realized
the double cross

Jamison Selff returned
and fought with you.

Fought with you the
night I came to your home.

That man was an intruder.
I couldn't see who it was!

Oh, but you could.

When we arrived we
could see the lights inside,

but you told us they were off,

and that you hadn't
recognized your assailant.

When he couldn't force you to
keep your part of the agreement

it left Jamison only one chance,

to try and communicate with
his wife from beyond the grave.

And there was only one way
ultimately for you to stop him.

- Jamison Selff had to die again.
- Give me a chance to explain.

Let me give you the facts!
- Facts?

Facts, Mr. Balfour?

It's a fact that you made
the counter offer to Mr. Arcott.

It's a fact that you set up the
dummy corporation, Garen Industries.

It's a fact that you decided that it
was the only way you could have it all.

Jamison Selff was a
man without conscience!

An opportunist. A double dealer.

He was ruthless!
A liar and a cheat!

And so was his
murderer, Mr. Balfour.

So were you.

- I'll never make the checkroom.
- Heh, I don't know why.

I managed to carry
them three blocks, Clay.

Rosemary, Louise and I
have just been shopping

and Louise told me about
these great bargains...

- All this stuff, bargains?
- Was a fabulous saving.

A half-price sale, shoes,
stockings, dress, robes.

Believe me, I saved a fortune.

I'll bet you only spent
$150 to save that fortune.

Séances, missing jewelry, mystery
phone calls, a dead man that talks,

all that I understand.

But women, heh, heh,
they're beyond understanding.

- Clay, you're misogynist.
- Misogynist? Mm-mm.

Della, you're gonna have to
stop using that kind of language.

- Oh, Clay is a woman-hater.
- Ah.

- On the other hand...
- I am exactly the opposite.

I'm not thinking about you,
Paul. I'm thinking about Perry.

And, believe me, you were
just wonderful to Louise.

All that time, interest
and understanding.

I don't know what she's angling for
but you might as well let her have it.

Della, tell me,

what would you have
done if you had a client

whose husband died twice?