Original subtitles

Francis?

Francis, are you here?

- Ah! Oh. - Don't look, Bobbi.

Thank you.

What a crowd.

Tonight's the first opening since that policeman was killed here last month.

Hmm.

Too bad Paul couldn't be here.

Yes, I imagine he would have some pithy comments to make

concerning the Pop Art trend.

We should do this sort of thing more often.

Not all of our clients are as sophisticated as Francis Clune.

- Isn't that a little much? - The price?

I agree.

If Mr. Clune takes that kind of money for this kind of thing,

he may need a lawyer to stay out of jail on fraud charges.

I agree with you.

Mr. Clune, my secretary, Ms. Street.

- How do you do, Ms. Street? - How do you do?

You know, some of this so-called Pop Art to me too

is nothing but junk, pure junk.

But you do display it and sell it.

I take the money from sales such as this

and use it to buy otherwise unsalable canvases

and sculpture by other artists of genuine talent.

That's an expensive form of philanthropy.

Not at all. It's an investment.

I'll put them aside for as long as necessary

until there's appreciation for the genuine work of art.

Then I'll be in a position to turn a handsome profit.

And now, Mr. Mason, would it be possible for the two of us to talk?

- Certainly. Would you excuse us? - Mm-hm.

Disgusting, isn't it, eh? Heh.

So blatantly obvious.

- Heh. It is? - Well, of course.

Why should it need a title card?

What else could it be but a naked soul?

I've never seen a naked soul.

- You're an artist, Mr., uh...? - Boyd.

Campbell Boyd.

Probably the only true talent represented anywhere in this place.

Well, then this isn't one of yours?

Heaven forbid.

You think I could put the true inner tormented writings of my creative being

on cheap display for the crude mawkish gawking

of unintelligent apes?

So that's been the situation since I did my duty as a citizen

and reported my suspicions of Sunrise in Sausalito to the police.

Wasn't there a little more to it than that?

If I remember correctly,

you had some trouble last year concerning stolen art objects.

I was completely exonerated.

I had all my invoices, my receipts, all in order.

You know, a gallery owner can't be expected to investigate personally

every item he displays.

Wouldn't that account for some of this subsequent difficulty with the police?

They have to be suspicious. It's their job.

Even so...

Do you have Sunrise in Sausalito on display tonight?

Yes, it's in the stock room in back.

And the police officer, Harry Marberg, who was killed here last month,

he was the one to whom you reported?

I had an appointment with him here that night to discuss it with him.

Just what were your suspicions concerning this masterpiece?

Well, nothing tangible, actually.

It was just that, well, if I'm any judge of art,

it should have sold for ten times what my buyer, Ms. Dane, paid for it

at auction in North Beach.

So if it were stolen, the thief was unaware of its true value?

I wasn't sure of that, Mr. Mason.

And after the previous misunderstandings with the police,

I wanted to protect myself in advance.

Since that moment, my life hasn't been the same.

The police suspect me of being a fence for art thieves.

And with Detective Marberg killed here, they're watching me,

every move, constantly.

And you want me to do what?

I don't know what you can do.

But I need some kind of legal protection from police harassment.

I'm going out of my mind.

This, um, buyer of yours, Ms. Dane, is she here tonight?

Yes, she is. She's probably in the stock room.

Thank you very much. Ooh.

Thank you.

Well, I didn't expect to see you here, Steve.

This isn't social, Perry. This is Sergeant Deke Bradley of Robbery.

- Perry Mason. - Homicide, Robbery.

I can't blame Mr. Clune.

He does have something to worry about.

He called you in?

Perry, I'd like to give you some advice.

Stay out of this case.

I don't know what you're talking about. But it's clear enough that you're...

I made a promise to Harry Marberg's wife and two children

that if it takes the rest of my life, I'm gonna get his killer.

So I say, stay out of it.

That's good advice, counselor. Better take it.

You're suggesting that my client is somehow involved.

I appreciate that all of you on the force become more involved

when one of your own is killed,

but that doesn't mean the legal bars are down.

Whether a man is accused of killing a policeman or any other person,

he still has to be proven guilty in a court of law.

And that's where you come in?

Of course that's where I come in.

I want an end to this police harassment.

- How is he being harassed? - Because of the trouble in the past.

He wasted no time in reporting his suspicions.

- Reporting to whom? - Why, to the police.

The officer who was killed, Officer Marberg.

Are you sure about that, Perry?

Harry Marberg was the most thorough, methodical man

who ever worked on my detail.

You show me any place where Harry recorded any report

from your client, and I'll hand you my retirement pension.

There was no record at all of a call from Mr. Clune?

There was no call.

All right, if you think Francis Clune is guilty, book him.

Have the district attorney's office indict him.

But stop insinuating that he's involved in murder.

I'm sorry, Perry, very sorry.

Next time I talk to Mrs. Marberg or the kids,

I'll explain to them how tough I've made it on poor Mr. Clune.

This isn't like you, Steve.

You'd better develop a proper perspective on this case,

not for my client's sake or mine but for yours.

Save your worry for your client, Perry.

When I get what I need for an indictment, believe me,

he's gonna need all the help he can get.

Lawyers.

Help!

- In here, Bobbi. - No!

It's Bobbi. Is she...?

- Get an ambulance. - I'll take care of it.

You got a blanket?

It was the same two men who tried to kidnap me in San Francisco.

Remember, Francis?

Right after the policeman was killed?

The same two men? You sure of that, Ms. Dane?

Well, now, why would they wanna kidnap you?

I don't know. I don't understand any of this.

Well, let's see. One of the men chased you.

The other one, sitting in a car in an alley, grabbed you.

You ran, he fired at you twice, right?

This whole thing, Mr. Clune, has an odor of a three-day old mackerel.

I don't care. It's true.

I know it doesn't seem to make sense the way I tell it, but it did happen.

It was the same two men in both places.

All right, Ms. Dane, I'll pull some appropriate mug shots.

When you're feeling better, come on down,

- take a look at them. - I certainly will.

Frankly, Mr. Clune, Lieutenant Drumm has a reason to be skeptical.

You think Bobbi deliberately got herself run over by a car?

Of course not, but we both know there's much more to this affair

- than either of you has told me. - No, no, I swear it.

Then why was that police officer killed in your stock room?

And what's behind the two kidnapping attempts on your employee?

- I don't know. - Tell me about Bobbi.

- Who exactly is she? - She's a rare person, Mr. Mason.

As sensitive as she is practical, young but very capable.

Since she came to work for me, we've built up the galleries

from a modest success to what it is today.

- You trust her completely? - Yes, without reservation.

I hope you're right, Mr. Clune.

What have you got going out of this terminal tonight, Deering?

I call you Sergeant Bradley, and you call me Mr. Deering.

Now, what do you want? I didn't send for you.

No, you didn't send for me, Mr. Deering,

but I'm going to be here every time I get a chance.

And when I'm not around, I'm gonna have somebody else watching you.

Sooner or later, I'm gonna find what I'm looking for.

And, Mr. Deering, I'm gonna put you where you belong,

on the inside, looking out.

Get off my back.

Oh, I'll do that, as soon as I find out

why three of your trucks have been hijacked

and no other trucker has lost more than one.

I wanna see the cargo manifest of anything

- that's going out of here tonight. - The manifest is my business.

It's also the insurance company's business.

How much longer do you think they'll go on insuring you

when the only trucks that get hijacked are those with valuable cargo?

Well, you were rusty on maneuvering, but you did fine on the road.

Floyd, have your driver sign for the cargo and let's get him out of here.

We haven't had time to check his references.

I said sign him out. - Okay.

- Who do you wanna send with him? - Nobody.

To San Francisco with TV sets and appliances,

a guy we hardly know? That doesn't make sense.

When you start running this business,

Floyd, I'll ask your advice.

Get the manifest back from that cop, Bradley, and get this rig loaded.

Heh. I get the idea your dispatcher's kind of leery about me.

He didn't question my license, but I'm afraid I didn't do too well.

You don't have to worry about Floyd.

It's my partner who's not gonna fall for a snow job.

You check in with her at the San Francisco depot.

Watch her. She's tough.

She can handle a rig like this all by herself.

And she's got eyes in the back of her head.

You haven't told her about me?

Well, is there some reason you can't trust her?

I don't trust anybody, Drake. Not anymore.

I've got to know who's been fingering my trucks.

That cop that was knocked off knew,

and that's at the bottom of all my trouble.

And I still think the sane thing to do would be work with the police.

I didn't hire you for advice, friend.

I hired you to take this load through,

and with nobody on the outside knowing what it is

or what route it's taking.

You take the San Diego Freeway out towards Bakersfield.

Now, I want you to cut back in here,

take a secondary road here, then head northwest.

Okay.

Check your cargo, and I want you out of here no less than an hour from now.

Oh, Turner, what's your route plan?

- Mr. Deering has it. - Will you get it, please?

I have to enter it in the dispatch log.

You'd better see the boss yourself, Floyd.

You can't come in here. You have to have permission to see her.

Okay, ma'am. I just wanted to surprise her.

You come outside and wait.

- Where did he go? - Who?

The man who came out of Bobbi Dane's room.

- Her boyfriend, I guess. - I don't know.

Well, that's all we know, Paul.

- Bobbi Dane has disappeared. - And the nurse didn't see her leave?

Well, the nurse said she was asleep when she left.

Her boyfriend was around, but he left.

Right after that, we discovered she was gone.

While the nurse called the police,

I went through the clothes in the closet.

And I found one thing that might help me.

That's why I took a chance and called you at the terminal.

There's something you can do for me while you're in San Francisco.

Okay.

This claim check from the San Francisco Bus Terminal

isn't much, but it's all we have.

Well, I'll turn it in when I get there

and see what they hand across the counter.

But, Perry, if Steve Drumm finds out about this, he'll skin you alive.

I'm not gonna withhold a thing from him.

As soon as we see what that is, I'll turn it over.

But it's all we have to go on.

The guy's driving the Gaige-Deering rig.

That's all I know. Never saw him before.

Is he driving alone?

Do you know where he's headed?

I just don't believe Bobbi Dane would walk out of the hospital in her robe.

Well, obviously, she did.

But did she run or did someone haul her away?

And if she ran, why? And if she was forced, why?

I don't know why.

I don't know who took a couple of shots at her.

I don't know who tried to kidnap her in San Francisco.

I just don't know.

I don't even know if she's still alive.

Come on out, hands first. This is a gun.

Keep your hands in your lap. Now, start talking.

I was going for my press pass. I'm Bert Kannon.

You've read my column, "The Kannon's Mouth."

I never heard of it. What are you doing here?

Put that away, will you?

Look, I'm onto a story, a big hijacking and cop killing.

And by luck you happened to find out where this truck was going

- and came along for the ride, huh? - You don't believe me.

- No. - Look, pal,

you can't drive this rig and hold that gun and watch me at the same time.

What do you want me to do, stop the truck and let you out?

Okay, okay, as soon as we see a light where I can get a ride,

I'll get out, but put that gun away, huh?

Why are you so anxious to have me stop this truck?

Then don't stop it. Take me to Frisco with you.

How did you know I was going to Frisco?

There's an accident. You'd better pull up and stop.

Uh-uh.

- What kind of a guy are you? - Shut up.

Well, it looks like your friends have recovered from their accident.

Now it seems they're looking for another one.

They're no friends of mine.

Listen, I came out here looking for a story.

You're interested in hijacking and murder?

Well, if that car forces us off the road, you're gonna see the first,

and if you move one inch closer to me,

you're gonna be the victim in the second.

- You just bring in the rig from L.A.? - Yeah.

Don't you "yeah" me. I run this place.

It's, "Yes, ma'am." You're Turner, aren't you?

- Yes, ma'am. - Well, come on in here.

Deering called me. He told me about your close call.

- You all right? - Yes, ma'am.

Yeah, you look all right to me. Heh.

About that newspaper guy who stowed away.

Deering said you left him in Paso Robles.

Yes, ma'am. He filed a story on the accident,

answered the police questions. That cleared me, and they let me go.

- Ah. Well, sit down. - Yes, ma'am.

All right, wise guy, knock off the "yes, ma'am."

- Well, I thought you said that... - Forget it.

Yeah, well, you're fresh, but you're no mollycoddle.

Turner...

George, just between you and me and the lamppost,

- who do think set up that hijack? - How would I know?

You're working out of L.A. I can see you're nobody's fool.

You've got your eyes wide open. And Deering trusts you.

You'd be a good man to watch him.

What makes you think Deering needs watching?

There was a cop up here from L.A. about a month ago, nosing around.

I got the feeling from him that somebody,

maybe Deering, is fingering our rigs.

Well, like I said, I don't know anything about it.

Well, I know I've had nothing but trouble since I merged with him.

I never lost a cargo, I never had insurance problems.

I never saw a cop.

Now, after three hijackings, the company's on my neck,

cancellations from people I've had for years, and truck damage.

You know, you're a bright guy.

I think maybe I can do something for you.

And you can do something for me.

- Have a drink, hmm? - No, thanks.

I haven't had breakfast yet, and besides, I could use some sleep.

Oh. Well, we'll fix that. I'll drive you into town, we can get some chow.

Uh, I've got something to do first. I'll just grab a cab.

No, you won't, heh. I'll go with you. Then we can eat and talk.

Only, heh, don't let it get around that I'm socializing with the help, huh?

Now get out of here. Sign in in the next room, huh?

Uh, okay, George?

Okay, Estelle.

Get me Los Angeles, Clinton 70799.

Mr. Clune?

Heh. You were right.

Deering's private detective's here.

Why, I'm taking him to breakfast.

- I'll meet you in the coffee shop. - Okay.

Thanks.

We'll take that. San Francisco police, mister.

All right, let's go.

Thank goodness Paul's all right. He leads a charmed life.

Perry, you've overstepped yourself this time.

I want an explanation, a darned good explanation,

or I swear I'll prefer charges against you.

A closed door suggests that you might knock before you enter.

Don't you stall me. You know why I'm here.

No, I don't know why you're here.

And I'm getting kind of fed up with the free-swinging accusations

you're throwing around.

All right, Steve, what's got you so steamed up?

I got a call from the San Francisco police.

They arrested Paul Drake. He used a claim check

that he got from Bobbi Dane to pick up an artist's case.

It had a gun in it, Perry, Harry Marberg's gun, the murder weapon.

Paul had no way of knowing what was in that case.

I know that. I had him released.

But tell me that he wasn't on a job for you.

Tell me that you didn't know what was in that case

and that you didn't wanna get hold of that gun.

- You have my word. - Your what?

What in the devil do you take me for?

You found that claim check. Did you turn it over to the police?

No. You're not interested in finding the killer.

You're only interested in protecting your client.

Steve, how did the police know there was a claim check?

Don't you worry about that, Mr. Mason.

You start worrying about the consequences

of withholding evidence.

Yes, Gertie?

If you think you can prove that I knowingly attempted to...

I want Bobbi Dane and I want Francis Clune.

She disappeared, and we went to pick him up, he disappeared too.

I want you to produce them, and I mean by tonight!

It's Mr. Clune.

Mr. Clune? Where are you?

Well, it's better that you don't know. Then you can't tell the police.

The police just left.

As your attorney, I'm advising you to turn yourself in.

That's our only hope of clearing this up.

Oh, no, Mr. Mason. I don't trust them.

- They think I killed a policeman. - What do you propose to do?

Keep running? Hiding?

In that case, why call me?

Just before I left the gallery,

I got a call from Olaf Deering's partner, Estelle Gaige.

She wanted me to meet her at Olaf Deering's office at 11 tonight.

Did she say why?

Mrs. Gaige couldn't explain too clearly, just that...

Well, she thought if we could meet at Olaf Deering's office

without his knowing it,

we could compare notes, inspect the files.

I don't know what she hopes to accomplish,

but I do know you have all the trouble you can handle

without borrowing any more.

That's why I want you to go to the meeting with me, Mr. Mason,

to protect me, to give me some advice.

I have to hang up now. I'll see you tonight.

And remember, above all, don't tell the police.

- No lights inside. - Maybe we're early.

Or maybe something's wrong.

I don't like it, Paul.

Sometimes I wonder about this profession.

Clients pay you for your advice, then stubbornly refuse to take it.

Well, shouldn't you be grateful?

After all, if everybody acted logically and sensibly,

who'd ever need lawyers?

You know, what Estelle Gaige told your our client could tie in

with that hijack attempt on my truck.

You mean, Deering could be arranging to have his own trucks hijacked?

Why not? He always gets the trucks back,

and the cargoes are fully insured. He could be collecting twice.

Then Francis Clune is stepping on dangerous ground.

Deering's office is down this way.

We're not early, we're late.

Mr. Clune!

Hold it right there.

- Mr. Mason, help us. - Us?

Who else is...?

Paul, come in here.

Olaf Deering.

- You too, huh? - In there, Steve.

Well, you didn't waste any time getting back from Paso Robles.

I got back as soon as I cleared you in that accident, and you're welcome.

You'll still have to testify at the inquest.

Well, isn't this a cozy little group?

All right, that's enough of that now.

What's the matter, lieutenant? Don't you feel vindicated?

You got your cop killers and another murder for a bonus.

These people haven't been charged with any crime.

They have. They're under arrest and they'll be charged with murder

as quickly as I can get them downtown.

What's the evidence against them, Steve?

All right. You'll get the regular handout at headquarters

like everybody else.

Believe me, Mr. Mason, I... We didn't kill him.

We didn't kill anybody.

It's about time we had a little talk about that, Mr. Clune.

Answer no questions unless I'm with you and approve.

Perry, stay out of this.

I'll do whatever is necessary to protect my client's rights.

Paul, you take the car.

I'd better ride down to headquarters with Ms. Dane and Mr. Clune.

That won't be necessary. We don't play rough.

Sergeant.

Now, you have my word, Perry.

All I'm gonna do to these two is convict them.

Oh, it's all too pat.

Everything falls neatly into place.

That is, if we assume that Steve Drumm is right

and Francis Clune and Bobbi Dane are guilty.

- But you don't believe that. - No, I don't.

Francis Clune and Bobbi Dane just don't convince me as murderers.

Well, Steve Drumm's convinced.

Marberg found out they were fencing stolen art, so they killed him.

Deering found out, and they took care of him too.

It's my hunch they've been built up as

sacrificial victims to cover for the killer.

And who might that be?

Well, before we answer that,

there are quite a few questions that need answers.

For one, I'd like to know what happened to Mrs. Estelle Gaige

at the warehouse last night.

After asking Clune to meet her, she didn't appear.

She says she was there but saw the police cars and didn't go in.

If that's her story, we're stuck with it.

There's that gun in Bobbi Dane's case

that got me arrested in San Francisco.

Well, I'd like to know how the San Francisco police

knew about that claim check.

And why the series of attempts on Bobbi's life?

And why the two murders, a policeman and a truck operator?

Telephone, Mr. Mason.

- Your secretary, I think. - Thank you.

Yes? Yes, Della?

They have?

Yes, I'll go directly from here. I'll check in with you when I'm through.

Clune and Bobbi Dane have been charged with the murder

of Officer Marberg.

But I thought Burger would go for a conviction

in the Olaf Deering murder.

Hmm. The pressure is on Burger to solve the police murder,

so, of course, this is the way for him to handle it.

One thing's certain. We're sitting here asking questions,

and Steve Drumm already has his answers. Let's go.

I don't know anything about the gun.

When I checked my case in San Francisco,

there was no gun in it.

Bobbi, the thing that bothers me about you

is that you keep coming up with logical excuses for illogical behavior.

From the moment you bought Sunrise in Sausalito

to the time you were arrested,

these strange things have continued to happen.

Now, Mr. Clune says he reported his suspicions to the police.

They say he didn't report them.

You bought Sunrise for apparently much less than it was worth.

Didn't it occur to you at the time?

It occurred to me at the time that I got a good buy, that's all.

Look, the police are just twisting things.

They've decided that we killed a policeman.

That's the same story I just heard from Francis Clune.

You know, you and Francis have only one problem with the police.

They think you committed a murder, perhaps two.

While they're trying to prove you did,

we have to convince the judge that you didn't.

I'm not sure that I've even convinced you.

Bobbi, how did you manage to get away from the men

who tried to kidnap you in San Francisco?

I was waiting for an artist, Campbell Boyd, in the bus terminal.

He was late, so I went outside.

It was dark. These two men grabbed me.

I screamed at the top of my lungs and they ran.

When they tried to kidnap you again in the gallery stock room,

they couldn't have fumbled that attempt much more

if they'd been trying.

How did you manage to get away from them in the hospital?

Well, my buzzer wouldn't work. And the phone wouldn't.

One of them was waiting outside my door.

So I went to the window, hoping to get to the front of the building to get help.

But the other one was waiting out in front.

I couldn't go inside, so I went to a phone and I called Francis.

Why would they want you so desperately

that they'd make three attempts?

I don't know, Mr. Mason. Honest, I don't know.

Floyd, that truck I was driving, the one the hijackers tried to hit,

besides you, Deering and myself,

who knew what that cargo was and where it was going?

Stay out of this, Drake.

I know you and Mason are doing your best

to foul up Steve Drumm's murder case,

but you're not going to foul up mine.

Harry Marberg worked for months on this,

and I've taken over where he left off,

a ring of hijackers and fences

who operate like they own this town and Frisco.

Who think they can get away with anything, including killing a cop.

And Francis Clune is the ringleader? Come on.

Think whatever you want, Drake, but stay out of my hair.

Or I kid you not, somebody's gonna get hurt.

Okay, tell me whatever you told him.

Your Honor, the state will show that there is reasonable cause

to believe that the defendants, Francis Clune and Bobbi Dane,

murdered the decedent, Harry Marberg.

Motivated by fear that Officer Marberg would expose

certain of their criminal activities,

they killed him on the premises of the Clune Gallery.

The weapon they used was the decedent's own service revolver,

and after the murder, that weapon was first concealed by the defendants

and then retrieved by an agent acting for them.

We will show that both defendants evaded arresting officers

and were finally apprehended at the scene of a second murder,

and although that crime, Your Honor, may appear to be entirely separate

and apart from this case,

the state will prove that there is indeed a pattern here.

Police Officer Harry Marberg was killed

to prevent him from exposing a certain fraudulent operation

both defendants were involved in, and the second murder,

to which I just referred, was committed for exactly the same reason.

Your Honor, I object to the introduction of any evidence of any other crime.

Your Honor, evidence concerning another crime is certainly admissible

where it goes to prove motivation.

Mr. Burger, I'm not going to allow that approach.

In this preliminary hearing, you're seeking to have the defendants

bound over for trial on the murder of Harry Marberg.

Now, you need only show their involvement in that crime.

But, Your Honor, I can recite a dozen...

I have ruled on the matter, Mr. Burger. There will be no further argument.

Now proceed with your case.

Yes, sir, Harry Marberg was a good man, a good police officer

and a good friend.

Mr. Kannon, when did you last see the decedent?

We had dinner together, Harry and his wife and his kids.

Afterward, we were talking.

That's when Harry mentioned that a big story was about to break.

He wouldn't say anything definite.

That's the way he was.

He... Friend or not,

he wouldn't give me a break over any other newspaperman.

All right, what did he tell you, exactly?

That he was going to see Francis Clune that evening,

that the case involved certain art objects and hijacking.

He seemed almost sad about it.

He said heads would roll.

And you never saw Harry Marberg again.

No, sir. They killed him that night.

And now, Lieutenant Drumm,

I show you this .38 caliber police special turned over to you

by the San Francisco police department, marked State's Exhibit 3.

I ask if you can identify it for us further.

Yes, Mr. Burger.

I was with ballistics at the time this weapon was checked,

supervised the test myself.

This is the revolver that fired the fatal bullets.

The serial number shows that it was Harry Marberg's gun.

Harry Marberg worked for me on robbery detail.

Sergeant Bradley, did he keep you well informed on his progress

- and cases he was assigned to cover? - Yes, sir, he was that kind of a guy.

He'd hand me a ten-page report on a $50 breaking-and-entering case.

To what case was he assigned

at the time of his death, sergeant?

He was tracing a hijack-and-fencing operation.

He called me from Frisco the night before he was killed

and told me he expected to get evidence to show

that Francis Clune and Bobbi Dane were involved in both operations.

Thank you, sergeant.

- Cross-examine. - No questions.

And when you turned in the claim check

that you had obtained from Mr. Mason's client,

you received in return an artist's case, is that correct?

Yes, sir.

When you picked up that case and looked in it,

what did you find, Mr. Drake?

- A .38 police special. - I show you State Exhibit 3.

Is this the same gun you found in that case?

- It is. - Cross-examine, Mr. Mason.

Now, Mr. Drake, will you please tell the court

why you were asked to pick up the artist's case,

the case which contained the death weapon?

Well, I was hired to pose as a truck driver by Mr. Olaf Deering.

Objection, Your Honor.

Defense counsel has objected to any introduction

of the Olaf Deering murder, and the court has sustained him.

Therefore, anything on that subject is certainly out of order here.

Your Honor, in direct examination of this witness,

the district attorney introduced the subject of the gun.

I contend that anything pertaining to the discovery of that weapon

is germane to the case against my client.

Well, you did open the door, Mr. Burger. Overruled.

The witness may answer.

Mr. Deering had been losing valuable cargo to hijackers,

and he was sure someone was tipping them off

as to which trucks to hijack.

So we decided I'd drive one of his trucks to San Francisco alone,

keeping the route secret. But the plan didn't work.

- Why? - Because they were staked out

waiting to hijack my truck a few miles this side of Paso Robles.

I'm due there today for the inquest.

How could the hijackers have known what you were carrying

and have known what route you were taking?

They had to be tipped off as to which truck to hit.

Who, besides you and Mr. Deering

and his dispatcher, knew about the route?

No one. Even the dispatcher, Floyd Walters,

didn't know what route I'd be taking.

Oh, one final question.

How did the San Francisco police know

you would be presenting the claim check at the terminal

so they could have it staked out?

I haven't any idea.

Thank you, Mr. Drake. That will be all.

The witness may stand down.

May I have a moment, Your Honor?

Paul, your man's on the phone from San Francisco.

He says he has the information you wanted.

Perry, I have to get to that inquest in Paso Robles.

I promised I'd be there if they didn't hold me up here.

Della can handle the call. You'd better go.

Thanks. I'll call in as soon as they're through with me.

Your Honor, at this time I would like to recall Lieutenant Drumm

for cross-examination.

Lieutenant Drumm, will you take the stand?

And you're still under oath.

Lieutenant, you heard my final question put to Mr. Drake.

I now ask it of you.

How did the San Francisco police know to stake out that terminal?

Was it a request from your department?

- No. - Now, you're an intelligent policeman.

- Didn't you wonder about it? - Of course I did.

They acted on an anonymous tip.

But in order to give the police an anonymous tip,

someone had to know the gun was in the case,

and someone had to want it to be found.

What difference does it make?

There was a gun and it was the murder weapon.

Lieutenant, it's almost legendary that when a policeman is killed,

his fellow officers regard it as a sacred trust, literally,

to dedicate themselves to getting his killer.

Isn't that true?

Is there anything wrong with that?

Not with the attitude or the purpose.

But not to the neglect of proper methods.

When you allow emotions to take over

and think only of pinning it on a likely suspect...

You can't say that. I handled this case myself.

I left nothing to chance.

Then why, when one of my clients reported a possible theft

of a valuable piece of modern art,

did the whole department ignore his story

and attempt to make him out a liar?

That's simply not true.

You're using legal tricks, playing with Harry Marberg's murder.

There's no trick, Steve.

- Did Paul's man have what we want? - Mm-hm. I took it all down.

Your Honor, in order to continue my cross-examination,

may I request an hour's recess?

For what purpose, Mr. Mason?

To bring in important evidence

bearing on the witness's testimony.

Very well. Court will recess for one hour.

I warned you both that your only chance

- was to be completely honest with me. - But I have been honest.

So have I.

And I suppose you've never seen this before?

You don't recognize any of the pieces described?

Why, yes, several.

They're in the stock room at the gallery.

Where did you get this list?

From the San Francisco police.

It's the same list they made out for Harry Marberg the day he was killed.

That one will do.

Hello, sergeant.

You wasted your money sending Paul Drake's man to Frisco.

Really?

I already had all the answers.

But now you do too, don't you, counselor?

Some of them.

I know you killed Harry Marberg

because he'd cracked your robbery-and-fencing setup.

You killed Olaf Deering for the same reason.

I figured you knew.

The way you questioned Drake about the hijack setup.

The way you pinned Drumm on the anonymous tip.

You were the only one with access to all that information.

No wonder your man Marberg wouldn't write anything down.

You learned he'd found you out and that he was meeting Clune here.

You couldn't let them get together.

So you killed Marberg and framed Clune for it.

I figured you was a guy to watch.

What puzzles me is your interest in Bobbi Dane.

- Why was she important? - She wasn't. I fouled up.

I thought she'd seen me in the car that night behind the gallery.

That's why you tried to kidnap her in San Francisco?

Mm-hm.

And when you failed, you used your badge and planted the gun.

Then the anonymous phone call to the San Francisco police,

and then Paul Drake discovered the murder weapon for you.

You had everything figured. Everything but this:

I tried to wise up Harry Marberg when he was assigned to me,

but he just wouldn't wise.

So he didn't leave me any choice, and you don't either, Mason.

You can dismiss all charges, Hamilton. I'll give you the details in the office.

Right. Thank you.

Well, Perry, it's all fixed.

And I wanna thank you.

Thank me?

- You saved my life. - Well, let me finish.

The way you handled me on the witness stand,

that was deliberate, wasn't it?

Well, you really squared me away.

After you left, I saw things clearly for the first time.

It all added up to me, as it obviously had for you.

Wherever the police would normally have come up with answers,

Bradley was there.

And that meant a dead end for both of us.

A police officer masterminding a hijack operation,

selling stolen properly, killing a fellow officer.

Seems unbelievable.

Steve, it only takes one bad cop

to undermine the work of hundreds of others.

In the courtroom, Della told me where you went.

Fortunate for me that you asked.

You were taking a pretty good chance.

Not really, Steve.

I had the best thing in the world going for me: one good, honest cop.