Perry Mason (1957) s01e30 Episode Script

Who could be here at this hour? It's bolted.
Open up.
Open up, I say.
Leona, see if you can find Harvey.
Ask him to bring a crowbar.
Yes, Dr.
Barnes.
Mrs.
Davis? Good evening, Dr.
Barnes.
Or should I say, good morning.
Oh.
It's gone.
You'll be good enough to return that book, Mrs.
Davis.
- Or else you'll call the police? - Now, listen to me-- Yes, doctor, you were saying? You'll pardon me for seeming melodramatic, but I have a great horror of being manhandled.
Shall we discuss the situation like civilised human beings? You call yourself a human being? Oh, please, Miss Walsh.
Now, the situation as I see it is this: I have something you want.
A book.
And you have something I want: a baby.
I suggest we trade.
Do you think I'd entrust a baby to your care? Your action here proves that you're mentally unstable.
- You need psychiatric help.
- Shut up! How dare you speak to me like that? Now, my husband thinks I'm going to have a child.
His child.
So do thousands of other people throughout the country.
I've told them all about it in my newspaper column.
The fact that you've deceived your husband as well as your readers is no fault of mine.
Who are you to point fingers? If you ruin my life, I'll ruin the lives of every person in this book.
Now, think it over.
- Just a minute.
- You have my address.
If you want to talk business, I'll be free at 10:00 tomorrow morning.
Remember that, doctor, Because that's when I begin dictating my column.
Unless you want this to be the lead story, you'll be there promptly.
Good night, Miss Walsh.
It was so nice seeing you again.
Would you like to dictate your column now, Mrs.
Davis? It's only 9:47.
We'll begin at 10.
Making coffee? Yes, it'll be ready in just a few minutes.
[DOORBELL BUZZES.]
See who that is.
I'd like to see Mary K.
Davis, please.
MARY: Come in, Miss Walsh.
Where is the good doctor? He had to go out on an emergency.
And he sent you as his ambassador.
How nice.
- Won't you sit down? - No, thank you.
This is my secretary, Miss Connie Cooper.
How do you do? If you'll excuse me-- Stay right where you are, Connie, I think this will interest you.
You can speak freely, Miss Walsh.
Mrs.
Davis, I'm pleading with you to return that book.
I'm not asking for myself or Dr.
Barnes, we knew what we were doing, but the lives and happiness of many innocent people are at stake.
That's very pretty, Miss Walsh.
But I'm interested in only one thing.
Will Dr.
Barnes turn over a baby to me? - He can't.
- Why can't he? I can give a child everything.
Money, position.
You know who my husband is? I know, he's Ralph Davis of the State Department.
Well, here's something you probably don't know.
My husband wants a divorce.
Right now he thinks I'm carrying his child.
That's the only thing that's stopping him.
- I'm sorry.
- I don't want your sympathy.
I want to know if Dr.
Barnes is prepared to trade.
Mrs.
Davis, I beg you.
Please return that book.
There's no use appealing to my better nature, Miss Walsh.
I don't have one.
I gave Dr.
Barnes until 10:00 this morning to make up his mind.
I'll give him 24 hours more.
Twenty-four hours, that's all.
Goodbye, Miss Cooper.
Connie? You told them all about me, didn't you, Connie? Yes.
Yes, I told them I didn't think you were fit to care for a child.
How do you think Bob Shroeder will feel when I tell the world what his mother was? Because I know what she was, Connie, and believe me, it's nothing to be proud of.
Mrs.
Davis, if you dare to print one word about that, I'll-- Yes? I'll tell your husband everything.
I swear I will.
Go ahead, he's in Washington, D.
C.
Call Washington and tell him.
Or better still, call his girlfriend, Susan Marshall, right here in town.
I think she has a private pipeline to him.
Call her and tell her that there's no baby.
She'd love to tell Ralph.
Go ahead, tell her.
It's all your fault.
I was so frightened, I didn't know what to do.
And then I thought of coming to see you, Miss Marshall.
But why me? Well, I know how you and Mr.
Davis feel about each other, and I thought if you would just talk with him But don't you understand? His wife means it.
She'll print that story in her column.
She doesn't care who she hurts.
I'm terribly sorry, Connie.
There's nothing I can do.
I wish there were.
Well, thank you for seeing me.
I'm sorry if I was any trouble.
Oh, it was no trouble at all.
- Bye.
- Goodbye.
You can come out now.
Leave it to Mary K.
That's the woman you wanted me to go back to.
You have to, Ralph.
You realise what you're saying? You think I want to give you up? You're not making sense.
We can't let her hurt all those innocent people.
- Listen to me, Susan.
I love you.
- No, please, Ralph.
I went back to Mary K.
five months ago because you asked me to.
What does it take to convince you that she's impossible? She lied to me.
She told me she was going to have a child.
Well, now I've got my out.
No, darling, that isn't the point.
She'll publish the contents of that book.
Could you stand by and let her do that? The Ralph Davis I know couldn't.
Dr.
Barnes is right.
She is insane.
She isn't fit to have a child.
She isn't even fit to live.
I think you were perfectly right in coming to me, Miss Cooper.
I can't imagine what possessed Mary K.
to do a thing like that.
I'll have to have a talk with my favourite client.
[PHONE BUZZES.]
Oh, excuse me.
Yes? Well, I can't see him right now.
All right, I'll come out.
If you would be good enough to excuse me for a few minutes.
I'll be right back.
I don't trust the man, Connie.
But he's Mary K.
's lawyer.
All the more reason.
The most important thing was to keep this whole business quiet.
Now everybody knows about it.
Well, I just can't seem to do anything right.
Oh, look, I didn't mean it that way.
You were only trying to help.
No, I know.
But look what a mess I've made out of everything.
Oh, I beg your pardon.
Have I interrupted something? Mr.
Jarech, Connie and I have just been talking things over and decided-- And apparently, you convinced her that coming here was a mistake.
Let me tell you something, Mr.
Shroeder.
This was the wisest thing you could have done.
Come on, Connie.
Leave everything to me.
Miss Kelly? Will you call Mary K.
Davis and ask her if she can have cocktails with me at 6 at the Mudlark.
[CHATTERING.]
So my favourite client isn't satisfied with just slander and libel suits, now she's stealing books.
Where is it, Mary K.
? Really, Arthur, I'm beginning to think that you lured me here under false pretences.
I think you're more interested in that book than you are in me.
I don't know where you get your ideas.
I told you Dr.
Barnes agreed to meet us here.
You've told me a lot of things in the last five years.
Any resemblance to the truth is purely accidental.
Are you questioning my honesty? If I didn't question your honesty, you wouldn't be my lawyer.
[CHUCKLES.]
You're wasting your time, Arthur.
You can indulge in any little blackmail you want to on the side.
But not with that book.
It's buying my husband back for me.
At least you will have dinner with me? Why not? Don't get up.
Just going to the powder room.
Oh, I wonder if you could do me a favour, dear.
I need to have a pen and ink and a special-delivery stamp and an envelope that's big enough to mail this.
- I can get them from the cashier.
- Thank you.
Oh, that's quick.
I've ruined it.
- Think you could get me another? - Yes, I'm sure I can.
Perry Mason, please.
I'm afraid my name wouldn't mean anything to him.
It's Leona Walsh.
Well, I'm sorry, Mr.
Mason's busy right now.
Could I help you? I'm his secretary, Della Street.
Would it be possible for Mr.
Mason to see me tonight? I could be at your office in 20 minutes.
Would you mind telling me what it is? Oh, I couldn't possibly go into it on the phone.
But believe me, Miss Street, the lives and happiness of dozens of children are involved.
All right, Miss Walsh.
Mr.
Mason will see you at 7:00.
Now, Miss Walsh, tell me about this book.
Dr.
Barnes kept it as a record of his patients.
There must be more to it than that.
A certain type of patient.
Women who wanted children and couldn't legally adopt them and women who had children and-- And weren't married.
How'd it work? Well, you know, adoption agencies ask all sorts of impossible requirements.
Those requirements are designed for the protection of the children.
Are people less fit to bring up children because they're, well, old? I know many families who would love to have a baby.
They'd give it all the affection and care in the world.
But nothing can be done for them.
I take it your Dr.
Barnes set out to remedy the situation single-handedly? Yes, he did.
He has his own hospital.
He'd have the expectant mother come there and be confined under the name of the married woman who wanted the child.
And when the baby was born, a regular birth certificate would be issued.
I just don't believe it.
The whole idea's insane.
Well, it may be insane, Mr.
Mason, but it worked.
And it's been working for many years.
How much did Dr.
Barnes charge for these services? Not a penny.
He just wanted to make sure that these unfortunate children would have a chance in life.
He's a great man, Mr.
Mason.
He never hurt anyone.
Who stole this book? A woman named Mary K.
Davis.
The columnist? Can you get it back for me? Can't give you any guarantee, Miss Walsh.
Surely you don't expect me to go out and steal it back, do you? I've tried that already.
I went to her apartment.
It isn't there.
Well, can you think of anything better? Well, suppose, uh-- Suppose I have a talk with Mary K.
-- Talk, talk, talk.
Don't you understand, with a woman like that, words mean nothing? Just the same, I think-- I made a mistake.
- I shouldn't have come.
- Miss Walsh.
Wait.
Miss Walsh.
See if you can get a listing on Mary K.
Davis.
All right.
- Ever hear of the Seaside Hospital? - No.
Down near Vernon Beach, run by a Dr.
George Barnes.
- Check it out for me, will you? - Sure.
Okay, here it is.
Mary K.
Davis, in Claymore.
Norcross, 4-2-1-1 -- TRAGG: Yes? May I speak to Mary K.
Davis, please? - Who's calling? - Perry Mason.
Not the Perry Mason? - Who is this? - Lieutenant Tragg.
I'm afraid you can't talk to Mary K.
Davis.
Did you talk to Dr.
Barnes? Yes, he claims he hasn't seen Leona Walsh since early this afternoon.
But my trip wasn't a total waste.
Her fingerprints were all over the Seaside Hospital.
And they match the ones we found in Mary K.
Davis' apartment.
I see.
[PHONE RINGS.]
Yes? Well.
Ask her to come right in.
- Good news? - Couldn't be better.
Come in, Miss Walsh.
How do you do? I came to give myself up.
I killed Mary K.
Davis.
Won't you sit down? Thank you.
Miss Leonard, would you come in? Bring your book, please.
I want you to take down a confession.
MASON: We really have ourselves a client here.
You think she's covering for somebody? Dr.
Barnes? It's possible.
MASON: Hi, Paul.
- Hi, Perry.
You get anything on the dead woman? Mary K.
was married to Ralph Davis of the State Department.
Were you able to find out what Mary K.
Davis did yesterday? I talked to her secretary, a Connie Cooper.
I told Miss Cooper I was working for a lawyer.
She, uh, jumped to the conclusion it was Arthur Jarech.
I didn't bother to correct her.
How does Jarech fit into this? Well, he was Mary K.
's attorney.
They had cocktails yesterday afternoon at the Mudlark.
She asked the powder-room attendant for an envelope.
Wanted to mail a small book, special delivery.
Mail it? To whom? [MASON READING ENVELOPE.]
Gunther was her maiden name.
Then she mailed this to herself at the Crane Avenue address.
Uh-huh.
She ruined the first envelope and asked the attendant for another.
You don't know what I had to dig through to come up with that.
But you did come up with it.
Wonder what Mary K.
was doing at the Woolworth Apartments.
Obviously, using it for a mailing address.
- What kind of a place is it? - Just what you'd expect.
Furnished, rents by the day or week.
She took it nine days ago.
Nine days.
Well, if she missed paying this week's rent and that envelope hasn't been delivered yet, there's a chance-- That's a lot of "ifs.
" And the last time I heard, Uncle Sam takes a very dim view of tampering with the mail.
I still think it's worth a gamble.
Hey, how about this? Oh, this is fine.
This is just what I wanted.
All right, Mr.
Harris, my sister will take it.
But what do I do if Mrs.
Gunther comes back? I wouldn't worry.
Well, she left some stuff here.
There's some in the bedroom too.
Oh, that's very simple, you could put it in the storeroom.
You do have a storeroom, don't you? - Well, yeah, but I-- - That's fine.
Then there's no problem.
- How much is it, Mr.
Harris? - Thirty dollars a week, in advance.
My brother will bring my things over later.
Here you are.
- I'll make out a receipt.
- Never mind, Mr.
Harris.
You can bring it up later.
Thank you.
Well, we're on our way.
Honey, don't forget, now.
When the letter gets here, don't open it.
Just put it in with Mary K.
's things.
And don't tell the mailman that you're Mrs.
Gunther.
Now, I'll be outside in the car.
Two honks on the horn means that Tragg's on his way.
So just leave without the letter.
Mr.
Drake, haven't you forgotten something? Huh, what? How do I signal you? Well, if anything goes wrong, you can just throw your shoes out the window.
Believe me, if anything goes wrong, I'll be wearing them.
I'm looking for Constance Cooper.
Could you come back later? She's not feeling very well.
Who is it, Bob? Excuse me.
Cooper, my name is Mason.
I'm an attorney.
I represent Leona Walsh.
Look, can't this wait? Connie's been through a great deal in the past 24 hours.
No, Bob, it's all right, really.
This is my Robert Shroeder, my fiancé.
How do you do? - Won't you sit down? - Thank you.
I won't be staying long.
Well, how can I help? Do you know Leona Walsh? Yes, we've met.
What about you, Mr.
Shroeder? What about me? - Do you now Miss Walsh? - Yes.
Did Dr.
Barnes introduce you? I don't remember who introduced us.
But you do know Dr.
Barnes? He's an old friend of mine.
- I see.
- No, you don't see a thing.
I might surprise you.
I know about Dr.
Barnes' record book.
Mr.
Mason, do you have it? - No, but I think I know where it is.
- Where? Are you one of the people mentioned in that book? No, no, he isn't.
I think we'd better tell him the truth, Connie.
It's all my fault, Mr.
Mason, you have to believe that.
If it weren't for me, Mary K.
wouldn't have known the book or the doctor.
Oh, like a fool, I told her everything.
Did you know about this? Where were you around 6:30 last night? I was at the-- Well, I don't need an alibi, Mr.
Mason.
He was with me.
We had dinner together.
Where? Someplace up the beach, I can't remember the name.
[DOORBELL BUZZES.]
Bob.
- Hello, Robert.
How are you? - Fine, sir.
- Mr.
Davis, I'm so glad to see you.
- Hello, Connie.
Mr.
Davis, Mr.
Mason.
He's an attorney.
Yes, I thought I recognised you.
I can't tell you how sorry I am.
You're defending that nurse, Leona Walsh.
Yes, I am.
Why did she do it, Mason? I don't think she did.
According to the newspapers, she's confessed.
Claimed it was self-defence.
And that's good enough for you? Yes, Mary K.
was very excitable.
I can understand how she might've gone berserk, Miss Walsh would've had to defend herself.
You're a very tolerant man, Mr.
Davis.
Most people in your position would insist on an eye for an eye.
That wouldn't bring Mary K.
back to life.
You're not thinking of Mary K.
or Leona Walsh.
You're thinking of yourself.
- Am I? - I believe so.
If I'm able to prove Miss Walsh's innocence, the police will have to find themselves a new suspect.
It might even be you.
Or Susan Marshall.
I don't understand what you're talking about.
That's the standard reply.
- Good day, Miss Cooper.
- Mr.
Mason.
Oh, Mr.
Shroeder, I'll want to talk with you again.
- Where can I reach you? - At Brownell Junior College.
I'm a teacher.
I'll let myself out.
[KNOCKING.]
- Yes? - Special delivery for Mary K.
Gunther.
Oh, thank you.
Mrs.
Gunther, do you know anybody in the building by the name of Saul Antonio? He, uh-- I've got a wrong address on him here.
- No, I'm sorry, I don't.
- Have a nice day.
Well, thank you.
[DOORKNOB RATTLING.]
And you didn't see this mysterious intruder? No, and I certainly didn't want whoever it was to see me.
Why didn't I leave that envelope there? Well, you couldn't drop it on the floor.
I don't have to tell you that that is dynamite.
I know.
But when I have a client who's in danger, I think I'm entitled to use dynamite.
Well, I'd sure hate to try and convince Burger.
- Della? - Mm-hm? Della, you personally know that Mary K.
Davis is no longer - at the Woolworth Apartments, right? - Right.
Well, obviously there's only one thing to do.
Write on the envelope: "This party no longer here.
Return to sender.
" I can't, there's no return address there.
I know that.
But we do know that that book belongs to Dr.
Barnes.
You, uh, think it would be all right if I wrote Dr.
Barnes' name, then? I am getting out of here.
I never thought Alcatraz was any place to spend a vacation.
[BUZZES.]
- Paul, wait.
- Yes, Gertie? Arthur Jarech to see you.
This guy is slick, Perry.
I'll, uh, be in my office if you need me.
Have him come in.
Send him in, Gertie.
Good afternoon, counsellor.
Mr.
Jarech.
I thought I'd drop by for a little chat.
A private chat.
Miss Street always sits in on my conferences.
I'd prefer no witnesses.
Only increases my desire to have one.
All right, I'm not going to pull any punches.
I want that book.
I talked to the powder-room attendant at the Mudlark.
She told me about the torn envelope your Mr.
Drake made away with.
Need I say more? - Considerably.
- All right.
I went to the Woolworth Apartments.
I spoke to the manager there.
He told me he'd rented Mary K.
Gunther's apartment to a very attractive young lady.
May I say, my dear, he didn't exaggerate one bit.
Go on.
I think the district attorney would say I'd made out a prima facie case.
Look, Mason, that book contains some very influential names.
Names you propose to blackmail? No, not blackmail.
Why, some of the names in that book spend thousands a year for legal work.
All they have to do is to give us that work and we can get out of this slimy rat race of criminal law.
The practise of criminal law isn't slimy unless you make it that way.
And it isn't a rat race unless you run with rats.
Save it for a jury.
If you don't give me that book, I go to the district attorney, tell him that it exists and that you have it.
MASON: Mr.
Jarech? Give the district attorney my regards.
Della, see if you can arrange an appointment with Dr.
Barnes.
So Jarech is attempting to blackmail you and you are attempting to blackmail me.
Oh, I'm not blackmailing you, doctor.
I'm only saying that when the district attorney finds out about your book of names, Leona stands every chance of being convicted of this murder.
Mr.
Mason, there's more at stake here than my life or Leona's.
She knows that.
Just that we made the mistake of keeping records.
Those families mustn't be made to suffer for it.
I'm not asking that.
Jarech can only talk about the book, he can't produce it.
I promise you those names will be protected.
I wish I could believe that.
Now, you listen to me carefully, Dr.
Barnes.
I have every reason to believe that the contents of this envelope belong to you.
We even took the chance of writing in your name and address as sender.
However, subsequent research has convinced me that that action was illegal.
Consequently, I must turn this envelope over to the police.
No, you can't do that.
I'm sorry, doctor.
I have no other choice.
Is there a water cooler down the hall? I'm afraid you're a little late.
I'm afraid I am.
I don't know how tell you how grateful I am-- Listen to me, Dr.
Barnes, I have just one question.
Did you kill Mary K.
Davis? No.
I can tell you this.
Leona Walsh was wrong, very wrong to do it.
She should have left that for me.
You mean, if you had done it, it would have been right? You just don't understand.
I do understand, doctor, I just don't agree.
- More trouble? - Mm-hm.
A subpoena duces tecum.
They want me to appear in court, Thursday, February 11th, with a little book belonging to Dr.
Barnes.
- So Jarech did go to the DA.
- Obviously.
How can I produce something I've never seen and don't have? Poses quite a problem, doesn't it? You may proceed, Mr.
Burger.
Call your next witness.
Your Honour, this time, the prosecution desires to call Miss Della Street to the stand.
Miss Street will be a hostile witness since she's the secretary of Perry Mason, who is representing the defendant.
Oh, you can't do that, Mr.
Burger.
Any communication made by a client to an attorney is confidential.
The same holds true of the confidential secretary of an attorney.
Your Honour, I'm not seeking testimony about any communication at all.
I'm trying to recover stolen property.
- Stolen property? - Yes, Your Honour.
I intend to prove that certain personal property belonging to Dr.
Philip Barnes was stolen from his office.
And that this stolen property was received by Miss Della Street.
I have already served both Mr.
Mason and Miss Street with a subpoena duces tecum.
Well, this is highly unusual.
I agree, Your Honour, it is most unusual.
I have some authorities here to the effect that privileged communication relates only to those disclosures made by a client to an attorney when he is seeking advice as to his legal rights.
It does not stretch so far as to cover an attorney who practises concealment of evidence.
It certainly does not stretch far enough to cover the secretary of an attorney.
Concealing evidence, you say, Mr.
Prosecutor? Yes, Your Honour, concealing evidence that is of primary importance to this case.
Very well.
Is Miss Street in court? Will she take the stand? Raise your right hand, please.
Do you swear the testimony you're about to give now pending in this court to be the whole truth? - I do.
- State your name.
- Della Street.
- Be seated.
Miss Street, you are employed by Perry Mason - as a confidential secretary? - Yes, sir.
Were you ever in a furnished apartment at 1427 Crane Avenue? An apartment occupied by Mary K.
Davis, alias Mary K.
Gunther? Yes, sir.
Mr.
Mason took you there? No, sir.
Well, Mr.
Mason sent you there? Yes, sir.
While you were in that apartment, did you take into your possession a special-delivery letter or envelope? Objection, Your Honour.
Miss Street might well have taken two, three, even ten such deliveries.
Would the district attorney be more specific? Be more specific, Mr.
Burger.
Mr.
Hill, would you stand up, please? Do you recognise that man? Yes, sir.
Would you identify him for us? He's a mailman.
Thank you, sir.
He's the mailman who handed you a special-delivery letter at the apartment at 1427 Crane Avenue.
Yes, sir.
And you gave that envelope to Perry Mason? Objection, Your Honour.
That question is incompetent, irrelevant and immaterial.
Unless the district attorney first discloses what was in such an envelope and that it has a bearing on this case.
Objection sustained.
Your Honour, Mr.
Mason is grabbing at straws.
The court has ruled, Mr.
Burger.
The objection is based on technical grounds.
Nevertheless, the objection is well-taken.
Miss Street, did you know that Mary K.
Davis had stolen a notebook from the office of Dr.
Barnes? Objected to on the grounds that the question calls for hearsay testimony, that it calls for a conclusion of the witness, that it is not the best evidence and furthermore, it is incompetent, irrelevant and immaterial.
Sustained.
Miss Street, did you give to Mr.
Perry Mason any envelope that you received at 1427 Crane Avenue? Objected to as assuming facts not in evidence.
The court has already ruled that any evidence as to anything Miss Street might have received on the day in question is incompetent, irrelevant and immaterial.
Unless the prosecutor first has connected it with this case.
Mr.
Prosecutor, the court is going to sustain the objection.
If it is your contention that this witness received property stolen from Dr.
Barnes, that is evidence connected with this case.
You will first have to show, in fact, that such a notebook was stolen, that it is pertinent, then you can ask the witness questions concerning it.
If the court would just understand the significance of what I am trying to get at, and the clever way in which the defence counsel has been trying to block me, the court would realise that I have to fight it out on this line if it takes all day.
That is your privilege, Mr.
District Attorney.
The court has the afternoon available.
Miss Street, on the day in question, you received certain property which you had reason to believe was evidence in this case and you concealed that evidence, didn't you? Just answer me yes or no.
Objected to on the ground that it calls for a conclusion from the witness.
The defendant in this case is not bound by what Miss Street may have thought she was receiving or what Miss Street thought might have been evidence.
The objection is sustained.
Your Honour, because of the way the defence counsel has hedged and dodged in this ridiculous manner, it'll be necessary for the prosecution to prove that this evidence exists and to introduce it to this court by a series of a lengthy examinations of witnesses.
The prosecution therefore requests a recess until tomorrow, when we will start this long and costly procedure.
Mr.
Burger, the court realises that these objections have been highly technical and that the rulings of the court have been technical, but technicalities exist for the expressed purpose of protecting the legal rights of persons charged with crimes.
The only difference between a technical and a constitutional safeguard is one of degree, and that degree may exist solely in the mind of the prosecutor.
Court stands adjourned until tomorrow morning at 10.
[SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY.]
Well, where do we go from here? That depends on Mr.
Burger.
If I know my esteemed colleague, tomorrow in court, he'll do it right.
Well If Burger will prove that a book was in existence, that Mary K.
took that book into her possession, he'll establish by proper evidence that Dr.
Barnes' book could have been the motive for her murder.
Then we'll all go to jail.
Why didn't I leave that envelope in the apartment like we planned it? Well, Della, you did the only thing possible.
Now it's up to me to justify your actions.
Della, could you tell whether it was a man or a woman who entered the apartment? No, I couldn't.
Well, have you any idea how long this person stayed? No, I-- I just heard a noise that sounded like somebody jumping up and down on crockery.
So I figured I'd better get out while the getting out was good.
Wait a minute.
All along we've been assuming that whoever came to the apartment was after that book, suppose it was something else.
- What? - Come on, Paul, let's find out.
Bye, beautiful.
It's over here.
I put her junk in this box.
More dictating cylinders.
They're all busted up.
Maybe that's the noise Della heard.
- What happened to the machine? - The what? The dictating machine.
Mrs.
Gunther had one in her apartment.
Oh, the machine.
I put it in here.
Well, after all, Mrs.
Gunther owed me a couple of days' rent.
I figured I was entitled to it.
I'm not gonna question your claim.
I'd like to, uh, borrow that for a couple of days.
Sure.
Gee, thanks.
[BUZZER SOUNDS.]
That's the desk.
I gotta get upstairs.
You'll turn off the light when you leave and slam the door? Sure.
- Dig out the biggest chunk, will you? - How's this? Try it.
MARY: The Terrible Hunt by Mary K.
Davis.
This is probably the most fantastic story I've written.
Certainly my biggest.
A story of a human being's search through the years for an answer too horrible to know.
A story of-- - Play it again? - No.
Well, she must have been dictating a story.
About whom, I wonder.
Take your pick: her husband, Susan Marshall, Dr.
Barnes, Bob Shroeder, could have been anyone.
I've got a hunch that-- Paul, I want to find an actress who can do voice impersonations.
Well, I know an actors' agent, if I can wake him up.
Well, wake him up.
I wanna see that actress in my office first thing in the morning.
- And, Paul-- - I know.
Bring, uh, some more cylinders.
Yes.
Okay, then-- I'll take it.
All right, you take it.
Slam the door.
CLAY: Perhaps some people may say that I am needlessly hurting an innocent person by this story.
That as a result, a life may be ruined.
This is a calculated risk, but the truth must prevail.
Well, that was a fine performance, Miss Clay.
Paul, will you see that Miss Clay gets home? With pleasure.
- Bye, Mr.
Mason.
- Goodbye.
If ever there's anything else I can do for you.
- Well, I think that, uh-- - We'll call you.
See you later.
- Do you think it'll work? - Has to.
Well, hello, everybody.
Well, lieutenant, what are you doing here? Oh, it's a long, dull story.
It's come to the attention of the district attorney that, uh, you people are withholding evidence.
I believe it's in the form of broken, um, dictating cylinders.
Something like these.
Put that down, Tragg.
Well, here, this looks like a good one.
Listen, Tragg, you can't walk off with those.
I wouldn't bet on that if I were you.
And here's the dictating machine.
- Where's your warrant? - Don't need one.
- This is evidence in a murder trial.
- You still need a warrant.
- Say, you may be right.
- I am.
Wish I could take your word for that.
But Mr.
Burger might feel differently, I'll let him decide.
He'll see you in court anyway.
Here.
Bye.
Your Honour, may we approach the bench? Certainly, Mr.
Mason.
Your Honour, less than an hour ago, Lieutenant Tragg illegally removed some property from my office.
I hereby make a motion that that property be returned to me immediately.
Your Honour, the property just happens to be evidence in this case which I intend to present later in the hearing.
I believe my motion should take precedence.
The court will now hear arguments on the motion.
You may proceed, Mr.
Burger.
Well, if it please the court, early this morning, I received an anonymous phone call, to the effect that Mr.
Mason had removed certain property belonging to the deceased from an apartment building where the deceased rented an apartment under her maiden name.
I therefore phoned Lieutenant Tragg and ordered him to go and reclaim that property.
Without a warrant? May I remind the court, this was not only stolen property, it was stolen evidence.
Which the police have a right to take into their possession wherever they find it.
Of what exactly did this property consist? Can you put that one on, lieutenant? Mostly of broken wax cylinders.
What possible use are they for you in your case? There's one cylinder which is not broken, Your Honour.
With, of course, permission, I'd like to play it for us here through an amplifier.
I object to this, Your Honour.
Mr.
Burger obviously has no idea what is recorded on that cylinder.
Mr.
Burger, I assure you, it's irrelevant, incompetent and immaterial.
Then why are you afraid for us to hear it? If it please the court-- I think Mr.
Burger's point is well-taken.
The court will hear the cylinder.
Thank you, Your Honour.
May I borrow your microphone? Surely.
- Are you ready, lieutenant? - Yes, I am.
May I have absolute silence in the court, please? Go ahead, lieutenant.
CLAY: The Terrible Hunt by Mary K.
Davis.
This is probably the most fantastic story I've ever written.
Certainly my biggest.
It is a story of a human being's search through the years for an answer too horrible to know.
A search that never should have started.
Some people-- Some people-- Some people-- Some people-- The cylinder is stuck.
Your Honour, with your indulgence, we'll try again.
Some people may say that I am needlessly hurting an innocent person by this story.
That as a result, a life may be ruined.
[SCREAMING.]
BOB: Connie.
I killed her, I killed her, but don't play it.
Connie, stop this.
Connie.
[SOBBING.]
She was going to print that story about you.
She was the cruellest person that ever lived.
She didn't care what she could do.
Whatever it was, we could have lived with it.
Don't you understand that? If it please the court, I now believe that Leona Walsh's confession was designed to shield someone else.
And I move that the charges against her be dismissed.
Your motion is granted.
Charges against Leona Walsh are dismissed.
The court orders that Miss Cooper be taken into custody and that the proper complaint be lodged against her.
Court is dismissed.
Mary K.
had a way of trying to destroy all of us.
I'm sorry.
Truly sorry.
So am I.
So am I.
Well, I guess that about finishes it.
Perry, who was Bob Shroeder's mother? You remember the trunk murderess, the one that was hung, Lita Fisher? Oh, it was about 1930, wasn't it? During all those months they were searching for her, she had a child.
- I feel sorry for Bob.
- He'll make out all right.
What about Connie? What do you suppose will happen to her? Mr.
Burger is thinking of second degree.
Well, after all, there-- There was definitely a struggle that night.
Incidentally, Dr.
Barnes has decided that this is the right time to retire.
And I needn't add that Mr.
Burger agrees with him 100 percent.
How is our illustrious district attorney? Sore.
He's seriously deliberating bringing charges against you for unethical conduct.
Me? Do you know of anyone who could've phoned his home early this morning with a tip that you had a wax cylinder that would solve the Mary K.
Davis murder? Do we, Paul? I don't know, do we? Well, at least Mr.
Burger is no little annoyed at you for manoeuvring him into introducing that record into evidence when you knew it was a phoney.
Well, I wanted to help him, Tragg.
I tried to point out that it was irrelevant, incompetent and immaterial.
You might tell him that.
Yes, I already have.
That's how this got broken.
You know, he never should get mad.
Why, he missed me by at least two feet.
[LAUGHING.]