Perry Mason (1957) s05e20 Episode Script

Itheme.]
Sit down, sit down.
Peter, the details of the merger between Gregson Canneries and Super Brands.
Why, it's a complicated arrangement involving distribution, marketing, the Super Brands complex of retail outlets.
Never mind that.
Only the basic financial arrangement.
As part of an ownership transfer, Super Brands agrees to buy from us At what price? Market value of the stocks at the time the merger was agreed upon.
_9.
OO per share.
Regardless of what the shares cost us.
Carl? Aside from the family stock owned by the three of you and my own small holdings, we are 65,OOO shares short of the amount of stock that we agreed to turn over to Super Brands at _9.
OO a share.
Yesterday afternoon, l gave orders to start buying quietly quietly.
And what was this morning's opening price? _10 a share.
What? Tell him the rest, Carl.
Five minutes ago, the stock had already risen to _1 2 a share.
[whistles.]
As it stands right now, we're bankrupt if the merger doesn't go through, and we're bankrupt if it does.
lf you, young man, paid more attention to your job and less to your outside interests, this wouldn't come as such a shock to you, either.
ls this some sort ofjoke? Gregson Canneries stock hasn't fluctuated one point up or down in the last thirty years.
Why now? Exactly, why now? Unless someone deliberately leaked information on that forthcoming merger.
Which means, Peter, that dear Aunt Wilma is convinced one of us talked.
l'm sorry, l just won't buy that.
You never did have sense in judging who could or couldn't be trusted.
Let's not bring up Karen Ross again.
l fired her.
That ended that episode.
But all right, Peter , suppose we test your present judgment.
Which one of the four of us broke a trust and destroyed the company? Which one of us feathered his own nest at serious cost to the other three? Which one, Peter? Very well.
Super Brands must agree to a change in the merger agreement.
Peter, you'd better fly to Chicago at once.
Not today.
And why not today? Well, l have some appointments, business appointments.
Something very important l can't break.
My secretary has your tickets.
You're going to Chicago, Peter.
And today.
Gee, Agnes, it's amully heavy.
lsn't that a lot of food? Of course.
There's enough there for a week.
And if your father had any sense at all, the two of you would get on that boat, sail out of the bay, and not come back, till that food was gone.
[laughing.]
That's silly.
You know Daddy can't stop working that long.
lt isn't work that chains him to that omice.
It's her, the old She-Dragon.
[doorbell rings.]
l'll bet Daddy forgot his key again.
Oh, Mrs.
Holman.
Sandra, is that what you're wearing to your dancing class this afternoon? l'm amully sorry, Mrs.
Holman, l forgot to tell you not to pick me up today.
l'm skipping dancing class.
Skip -- Agnes? Yes, Mrs.
Holman, Sandra and Mr.
Gregson are going out on the sailboat.
Well, what a nice day to finally start your vacation.
But Daddy couldn't take time to go to the redwoods last month, and we never did see the circus.
But today l got om from school and-- l know, l know, l've heard all the excuses.
My husband Carl works just as hard for Gregson Canneries as your father does, Sandra.
And you might as well get used to it.
Men like that don't love a single thing but work, work, work.
That's not true.
It's mean to say that.
lf anybody's mean, it's your precious Aunt Wilma.
As long as she gets her way, she doesn't care what promises are broken, or what hearts, including yours, young lady, when your father comes home and tells you that something's come up.
No he won't.
My daddy promised we're going this time.
He promised nothing would stop us.
He promised.
Just you wait and see.
Daddy-- Please --- ? l'm sorry, baby, terribly sorry-- about the boat, about fishing, about everything.
But last month and before that.
l know.
Once l finished the work l was doing, l said l'd be free to spend some time with you.
And you finished, you told me you did.
Yes, l finished, but some irresponsible fool went blabbing om about our business plans, and now we're faced with an emergency.
That's the only thing that could have forced me to break our date and fly to Chicago.
You understand that? Yes, but it doesn't help much.
Sandra.
Yes, Daddy? This half-finished letter to someone named ''Jill''.
Oh, Jill is my pen-pal.
Don't you remember me telling you about her? We write to each other almost every day now.
But this letter mentions something about the canneries.
Sandra, this is important.
When you write to your friend Jill, do you ever write about things you hear me talk about? Sure, l write her all about you and the company, your being president and everything.
Sweetheart, do you know what a merger is? No, but l know it's what you said you had to finish working on so we could have a vacation.
Have you ever written to this Jill about this merger? Sure.
ls something the matter, Daddy? Now, Sandra, try to remember.
Did this Jill ever ask questions, specific questions, about the merger? Well, let's see.
Last week she wrote about how her mother has a friend who knows all about business things and says you must be real smart, Daddy.
Only please would l write when this merger thing was going to be.
ls that what you wanted to know, Daddy? l keep all her letters if you want me to look some more.
Cab's still waiting.
You'll miss your plane if you don't hurry, Mr.
Gregson.
- Goodbye, honey.
- Bye, Daddy.
[sobs.]
Gregson? Peter Gregson.
- Mr.
Willoughby.
- What's the matter? Your Aunt Wilma forbid you to shake hands with your big bad competitor? Wouldn't be flying east, by any chance? Would you? As far as Chicago.
That's interesting, Mr.
Willoughby.
l happen to be going there myself.
l shouldn't wonder.
Wouldn't have anything to do with the sudden hike in the price of Gregson stock today, would it? lf you'll excuse me, l have a phone call to make.
Acme Detective Agency? Mr.
Woodfern, please.
Main thing you're after, then, is the identity of the person referred to as ''my mother's friend.
'' Oh, there's a topnotch detective agency in Los Angeles.
They do work for us down there.
l'll have them get on it right away.
Call me in Chicago the moment there's anything to report.
And, Mr.
Woodfern, whatever information you have to get from my daughter, try not to alarm her.
And Jill lives at 1963 Sunshine Lane in Los Angeles.
That's spelled-- Never mind, honey.
l know how to spell that.
What l'm doing for your father doesn't amount to much.
But l think you'd better give me the girl's name again.
Well, her name is Jill Thatcher.
T-H-A-T-C-H-E- R.
''Dear Pen-Pal, we just finished dinner, and Mother is going out.
l like it when she does, because then-- '' [doorbell rings.]
Jill, answer the door.
All right, Mother.
Well, how's my best girl tonight? l'm fine, Mr.
Clark.
[Mrs.
Thatcher.]
l'll only be a second, Matt.
Take your time, Doris.
You know l like to shoot the breeze with Jill.
What do we got here? Another letter? Seems to me every time l come here you're writing to your pen-pal.
Mr.
Clark, are you really going to take me to San Francisco to see her? Sure thing, some day.
l like to meet the kid myself if she's anything like her letters.
l've been thinking about that.
Whether l really ought to go on Ietting you read them.
Well, honey, you show them to your grown-up friend up the street.
Well, that's dimerent.
You see-- [Mrs.
Thatcher.]
Jill.
Yes, Mother.
lf you want to spend the night over there, you'd better get your things together.
l already have.
They're right here.
l know what.
l'll write to Sandra and ask her permission No, honey, we'll forget the whole thing.
Matt, l'll only be a minute.
[doorbell buzzes.]
Hi, Jill.
Hello, Doris.
Hi, l brought my pajamas.
Oh, good girl.
Have a good time tonight, Doris.
Thanks again.
Be a good girl, honey.
Okay, Mom.
All right, buddy, you can get out now.
Wait a minute, fellas, what all this about? You broke into my house this afternoon.
l what? You broke in and stole some letters just like these.
And you would have stolen these if l hadn't set a trap for you .
l want this man arrested.
As he told you last night, Miss Ross, Mr.
Drake and l have worked together for a number of years.
l'd vouch for him under any circumstances.
Then why was he following me? At the risk of repeating myself, l'm a private detective.
l was hired to.
By whom? l can't tell you that.
It wouldn't be ethical.
Oh, l suppose it's ethical to break into my house.
Here we go again.
Would you have any way of knowing what time that occurred? Yes, 4:OO.
My neighbors heard my dog barking.
Well, at 4:OO, we had to reach Mr.
Drake in a hurry so l can vouch for him then Miss Ross.
Mr.
Drake couldn't possibly have been guilty of breaking and entering your house at four o'clock.
Then who was? lt would seem to me the question is not so much ''who'' as ''why.
'' Maybe l already know why.
Oh? Yes, last year l was in a little bit of trouble.
But those letters from San Francisco tie in with it? How did you know they were from San Francisco? Then you were hired from there, weren't you? No comment.
No comment is necessary.
lf l needed any proof, you've gave it to me.
Miss Ross.
l happen to be flying to San Francisco this afternoon on a case.
lf l can be of any help to you while l'm there.
Why do you say that? From what you've said, or rather from what you haven't said, l gather you might need a lawyer.
No, thank you.
Goodbye.
Welcome home.
l hope you had a pleasant boat trip around the bay.
Where's Sandra? Upstairs.
She's locked in her room.
- Locked in her room? - Don't look at me.
The old She-Dragon locked her in.
Agnes, l told you.
Don't tell me.
Tell your Aunt Wilma yourself.
Tell her where to get om, once and for all.
Why did she want to punish Sandra? Something to do with that private detective, l suppose.
He called.
He said it was important and he said couldn't reach you in Chicago.
So you told him to contact Aunt Wilma? Well, l figured it was company business.
l didn't expect to see her nibs come storming in here, screaming about some letters, frightening that poor child half to death.
l didn't do anything wrong, did l, Mr.
Gregson? - Baby.
- Daddy.
Daddy lt's all right, it's all right.
Now you want tell me what happened? She -- she was screaming and she came in here and she took away all of Jill's letters.
lt's all right.
Now, don't cry, Sandra.
But, Daddy, she hit me.
She hit you? Daddy? Aunt Wilma? [woman groans.]
Aunt Wilma.
Operator, this is an emergency.
Get me an ambulance.
Hurry.
Mr.
Mason? Mr.
Mason, l'm so glad l found you.
Hello, Miss Ross.
l phoned one hotel after another.
l was afraid you might have flown back to Los Angeles.
Did you-- did you read this morning papers? Yesterday you said l might need a lawyer.
Today l do.
Are you still willing to help me? Well, l'm due at the courthouse.
You mind riding along? No.
l used to work for Gregson Canneries as private secretary to Peter Gregson and her nephew.
l was fired.
What reasons were given? Gregson's had developed a new processing machine for frozen foods.
lt didn't worked out at the time, but it was known fact that other companies would give a small fortune for the specifications.
Especially our chief competitor, Ben Willoughby.
Well, when Lucy Gregson, that was Peter Gregson's wife, was killed in an automobile accident.
And the police found the portfolio with the specifications in the wrecked car.
Nothing wrong with that, was there? Yes.
The specifications were supposed to be locked in the omice safe.
Mr.
Gregson was out of town.
He used to keep an e_ra car at the omice, one that l sometimes used.
That day Lucy Gregson called me from some cocMail party and said she wanted to use the car.
She also told me that she'd heard from Mr.
Gregson and that he told her to call me and tell me he needed those specifications as soon as he returned to town.
So you put them in the car.
Yes, Wilma Gregson said that l had stolen them and put them there.
That l would have sold them if Lucy hadn't gone om in the car.
How could she possibly have made that accusation? Peter Gregson had never called his wife.
He never told her to call me to get those specifications.
You mean his wife lied? Why? l don't know.
But if l defend myself, l would have to accuse the dead wife of a man l was supposed to be-- well, overly involved with.
Were you? Mr.
Mason, Lucy Gregson was sick.
She was on her way to being a hopeless alcoholic.
Most people didn't know about it because Peter managed to keep her out of trouble and l helped him.
l guess by helping him to take care of her and take Sandra when her mother was drinking.
People got the wrong idea.
So you allowed yourself to be fired, and then you left town.
Miss Ross, why did you come back here? After l left your omice and went home, l received a phone call from Wilma Gregson.
You see, Sandra's pen-pal, Jill, had left some of Sandra's letters with me to read.
The ones you accused Paul Drake of having stolen? Yes, but it wasn't Mr.
Drake.
lt was Wilma Gregson who had them taken.
She admitted it on the phone.
She was quite nasty and threatened me with all kinds of things if l didn't keep away from her family.
So you flew to San Francisco.
Yes, to plead with her, to reason with her, and to warn her that if she didn't leave me alone l'd finally have to fight back.
Did you reason with her? Did you warn her? Yes and it was strange.
She didn't say anything to me for the longest time.
And then suddenly, quite nicely, she asked me to leave and come back about 1 1 .
l did and when l got there there were police cars out in front of the house and an ambulance.
l was frightened, so l drove away.
Miss Ross, what if Wilma Gregson were to regain consciousness and name her assailant? l only hope she does.
You mean to say Karen Ross was here in San Francisco last night? Oh, no.
Mr.
Gregson, you ordered the Acme Detective Agency to discontinue its investigation the moment Karen Ross's name came up.
ls that correct? That girl's sumered enough at the hands of my family.
Let's not discuss for the moment.
Now, in regard to this merger, how did you make out in Chicago? Super Brands turned me down.
Dropped the entire merger deal like a hot potato.
What people on this end would have gotten that information through you? Well, Aunt Wilma, of course, and two others that l know of.
Carl Holman, our general manager, and my cousin, Lee Gregson.
l doubt if Aunt Wilma told anyone else on the board.
How did the stock do today? Dropped all the way back to normal.
Closed at 9 points.
Then it's not unlikely that whoever started the rise also started the fall by dumping their shares at peak value.
Yes, at quite a profit.
lf Aunt Wilma recovers, l guess we'll all be fired.
Daddy, uh-- Mr.
Gregson, l'd like to talk to Sandra.
Sandra, would you let me see your pen-pal letters from Jill? Aunt Wilma took them all away.
Jill wrote about someone she called her mother's friend.
She asked questions about the merger, didn't she? Yes.
Did she ever mention a man named Matt Clark? Yes, he's a friend of Jill's mother.
He's a pilot for an ai_reight line between here and Los Angeles.
All right, Paul.
You want to help Karen? Yes, Sandra.
l like Karen an amul lot.
My Daddy doesn't, but l do.
Sandra, that's not true.
Now, l know how much you missed Karen when she went away, but l did, too.
lt was just something that none of us could do anything about.
You got to believe that.
Been looking for you, Clark.
Yeah? Well, look again some other time.
l just don't happen to be in the mood for conversation.
So l gather.
They told me over at the ai_reight omice you'd been grounded.
Wouldn't be making your scheduled flight back to L.
A.
today.
Hey, who are you, anyway? They also told me l might find you here.
Are you sure you got the right guy? The name is Matt Clark, l live in L.
A.
Mm-hmm, but you spent last night right here in San Francisco.
So what? By the way, you notice those headlines about Wilma Gregson? Never heard of this Wilma dame before.
The name Gregson isn't familiar? Why, should it be? For one thing, the pen-pal letters.
Now, wait a minute.
l don't even write my own mother.
We could always ask the little Thatcher girl.
Okay, so Jill does have a pen-pal up here by that name.
l still don't sawy what you want with me.
This morning you gave two weeks' notice that you were quitting.
So what's that got to do with it? Might possibly mean you've suddenly come into a lot money.
How? Buying low and selling high.
What? Gregson stock.
There's somebody in there to see you.
Me? And when you're finished, it's to your room and to bed, young lady.
- Mind now.
- All right, Agnes.
Karen.
Sandra.
Oh, Sandra, darling, it's so long since l've seen you.
Let me look at you.
You're pretty than ever.
Oh, Karen, l've missed you so much.
l-- Sandra, what's wrong? Did-- Did you see Aunt Wilma? l mean the picture in the paper of her? Yes, yes, darling.
Now, don't think about that.
But she was-- And now Daddy's in some kind of bad trouble, and you, too.
l know it.
And it's on account of me, me and my pen-pal, and those letters.
But you mustn't blame yourself.
You did nothing wrong.
Maybe if l saw those letters it might help.
lt would help you and Daddy? l don't know, it might.
lf you have those letters, Sandra, would you give them to me? l-- l have to look for them.
You'll wait down here? Yes, darling, of course.
Perry, l stumbled onto something at a hotel car rental agency.
The night Wilma Gregson was assaulted, Karen Ross rented a car.
And today that car was impounded by the police who also had a search warrant to go through her room at the hotel.
The way they're acting, you'd think Wilma was dead.
That's why l asked you to meet me here.
Wilma Gregson's taken a turn for the worse.
Right now, she's in surgery.
The family's in there.
We better join them.
Paul, other than the family, l wish you'd try to reach everyone Wilma contacted after she talked to Karen last night All right.
Mr.
Mason, have you-- We tried a craniotomy to relieve the pressure on the brain.
There wasn't much hope even before we began.
She was too far gone when they brought her in last night.
l'm sorry Wilma Gregson's dead.
l guess l better go make some arrangements.
l'm afraid for now that's a matter for the police.
- She wouldn't like that.
- Carl.
She's dead, Carl.
You'll never again have to jump up and run just because she clears her throat .
Never again, Carl.
Oh, the years we waste and the tears we waste and the work of her head and hand belong to the woman who did not know.
Did not understand.
[phone rings.]
lsn't anybody gonna cry for dear Aunt Wilma? Oh, shut up, Lee.
The hand that fed you is dead.
Don't bite it now.
- Peter Gregson? - Yes.
Telephone.
Hello.
Peter, something's happened to Sandra.
We can't find her anyplace.
She's not in the house.
Peter, Sandra's gone.
And then she said-- Agnes, for Pete's sake, be quiet.
And then she said she'd bring you the letters? Yes, but l-- l thought she went upstairs to get them.
But they weren't upstairs and Sandra knew that.
That's right, Aunt Wilma took them from her.
Why didn't she tell me? Wait a minute.
Here she is now with the police.
Sandra.
Good evening.
l'm Inspector Wade.
Homicide.
Where did you find the child, Inspector? Wilma Gregson's house.
We've kept it under surveillance.
This youngster not only knew a shortcut from here to there, but was able to get in the house through the back way.
Luckily for us, too.
Well, San Francisco police are dimerent, they admit it when they're lucky.
Why not, Mr.
Drake? Oh, yes, we know who all of you are.
Now you, Miss Ross, you should be interested in how we were lucky.
As Miss Ross' attorney perhaps l'd be equally interested, Inspector.
l guess you would, Mr.
Mason.
You see, Sandra had a pretty good idea where Wilma might hide things.
Anyway, she found something our own search of the premises hadn't turned up.
A bundle of letters.
Are you implying those letters in someway amect Miss Ross? Along with what we found in her hotel room and the car she rented, yes.
Maybe even more when we get her blood typed.
l'm sorry, Miss Ross.
l'll have to ask you to come downtown for questioning on the murder of Wilma Gregson.
Now then, Mrs.
Holman.
On the night in question, did you see the defendant Karen Ross? Oh, yes.
Under what circumstances? Well, l was over at Aunt Wilma's.
lt was the servant's night om, you see, and l'd taken a casserole over for her dinner.
My husband was still at the omice, so l stayed for a cup of comee.
And then just as l was about to leave, the doorbell rang.
What time was this? A few minutes after 9.
I Well, when l answered the door there stood Karen.
About the last person in the world l expected to see considering how Aunt Wilma felt about her.
That's an opinion of the witness, Your Honor.
The last answer will be stricken.
Well, what happened was that as soon as Aunt Wilma heard me mention Karen's name she came storming out and ordered her to leave And did the Defendant leave? No.
Matter of fact, she walked right in, and looked her straight in the eye, and she said, ''l'm going to make you listen to me, whatever it takes.
'' And what was Wilma Gregson's reply? Well, they just stood there Iooking at each other.
And finally Aunt Wilma said, ''You needn't wait, Florence.
'' ln that tone that meant l'd better go, so of course l left at once.
But just as l was closing the door, l heard her say ''This had better be good, Miss Ross.
'' l show you now this candelabra, Doctor, and ask if you have examined it.
l have.
With what results? The residue of scalp tissue and blood adhering to the base match both the tissue and blood of the victim.
That was the murder weapon.
There's no doubt of it.
Unfortunately, it was a gift to Aunt Wilma from me.
And, uh, when did you present it to her? Late that afternoon on my way home from the omice.
And where was it when you saw it last? She unwrapped the thing and set it down on an end table.
So that it was at hand for anyone who, in a fit of passion-- Objection.
Well, it seems rather apparent there was a certain amount of passion involved.
However, Mr.
Mason, l'll withdraw the question.
Your witness.
That gift for your aunt, Mr.
Gregson.
Where did you get it? Well, there's an old dumer that lives up at Lake Tahoe that does marvelous things with manzanita.
l had him make one up.
You go to Lake Tahoe often? Yes.
l suppose you might call it my favorite recreation spot.
The lake or the casinos? l beg your pardon? lsn't it true that this gift was in the nature of a peace omering? That you had run up such excessive gambling debts at Lake Tahoe that your aunt had given you an ultimatum? Your Honor, aside from trying to fish in an irrelevant waters, Counsel is badgering this witness.
Not at all.
However, l'll ask a dimerent question.
Now, we know that your Aunt Wilma had become highly dissatisfied with the handling of certain recent business matters.
Did she by any chance discuss firing you that night? Well, yes, as a matter of fact, she did fire me.
lnspector Wade, l direct your attention now to the car that was rented by Karen Ross.
Did the police have occasion to examine it? Thoroughly.
There was an identifiable bloodstain on the foot-accelerator.
Tests proved that it was blood group AB, coinciding with that of the victim, Wilma Gregson.
The autopsy surgeon has testified to the fact there was e_ernal bleeding as a result of the fatal blow decedent received.
Did your investigation also show sings of such e_ernal bleeding? Yes, the victim bled from the scalp onto the rug, which has a thick pile.
We found a depression in the rug indicating from the partial impression remaining, that a woman had stood on that bloodstained spot.
lnspector Wade, l show you now this woman's shoe and ask if you if you ever seen it before.
Yes, it has my mark.
What can you tell the court about it? We found it in the hotel room of the defendant, On the instep we found a stain of blood of the same type as the victim's.
With the court's permission, l would like to introduce this shoe into evidence as People's Exhibit T.
Any objection, Mr.
Mason? None, Your Honor.
- Cross-examine.
- No questions.
Then may it please the court.
l ask permission for counsel to approach the bench.
Granted.
Your Honor, much against its wishes, the state finds it necessary to call a child as witness.
Sandra Gregson.
Your Honor, in order to spare this youngster further upset, l am willing to consider a stipulation as to the evidence the prosecutor wishes to get from her.
l appreciate your concern, Mr.
Mason, but it is essential to the State to have Sandra confront the defendant.
Then l respectfully submit that this testimony be taken in chambers.
Hello, Sandra.
Would you like to have your father stay? Please.
l must caution you that often a parent's slightest change of expression will influence a child's testimony.
l'll be very careful.
Now, Sandra, do you know the dimerence between telling the truth and telling a lie? Yes, sir.
And do you know what it means to swear you'll tell the truth? Yes, sir.
That is what we want you to do now.
Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, - and nothing but the truth? - Yes.
Sit over there, dear.
Now, Sandra, we want you to tell us about the night Aunt Wilma was hurt.
You mean after she had locked me in my room and Daddy started over to her house? Yes.
Well, Daddy looked so angry, l was scared.
And so l got up and ran all the way over there by a shortcut l know.
And who got there first? You or your father? l did.
And when l was stopping to catch my breath, l saw-- oh, please, l didn't ever want to tell.
lf it's the truth, Sandra, you mustn't hold it back.
Now what was it you saw what? Karen.
She ran out of Aunt Wilma's house and jumped into the car and drove om.
When l got back to the house it was a little before 1 1 .
The front door was open, so l just went in, and l saw her lying there on the floor.
l thought she was dead.
l was frightened, so l ran out and drove om.
After a little while, l calmed down and l realized l ought to go back.
When l did the ambulance was there already.
Mr.
Mason.
Please forgive me for not keeping faith with you.
Well, it was late in the afternoon when l got back to my hotel.
The afternoon of the day decedent was attacked, Mr.
Clark? Yes, she was attacked that night.
Anyway, there's a message waiting for me at the hotel.
A Mr.
Carl Holman wanted me to call.
So l phoned his omice, but he'd already gone for the day.
l kept on trying to get hold of him, but no luck.
And when you phoned his omice did you reach Mr.
Holman's secretary and did she tell you why Carl Holman wished to speak to you? Yes, it had to do with my buying up some Gregson Canneries stock down in Los Angeles.
And had you purchased such stock? Oh, yeah, about _4,OOO worth.
All the dough l could get my hands on.
But holy smoke, just what l bought wouldn't make any stock go up and down.
But tell me, why did you purchase this particular stock? Because of what l read in Jill Thatcher's pen-pal letters from the Gregson kid about the merger.
And do you know, of your own knowledge, whether anyone else ever read these pen-pal letters? Sure, Karen Ross, the defendant, she read them.
You see, she made no bones about liking the young Gregson kid.
Just as she made no bones about saying she hated Wilma Gregson.
And did she tell you why she left Gregson Canneries? Yes, because she was fired by her boss, Peter Gregson.
Well, yes, when that incident involving the specifications arose, l had to let Miss Ross go.
Mr.
Gregson, this is no time for euphemisms.
Did you or did you not fire her? l did.
At whose insistence? Well, Aunt Wilma wanted her prosecuted.
She was quite upset with Miss Ross at the time.
Only at the time, Mr.
Gregson? Did the decedent ever mention her name to you again? Yes, the day before the assault.
And was this mention made during the discussion to which you have already testified to? The discussion about the leak involving the proposed merger between Gregson Canneries and Super Brands? Well, what if it was? Aunt Wilma was wrong about Karen, that's all.
Uh, Mr.
Gregson, l show you now People's Exhibit 2, consisting of letters found at the home of decedent.
What can you tell us about these letters? Well, they were written by my daughter, Sandra, to her pen-pal in Los Angeles, Jill Thatcher.
Mr.
Gregson, would you be good enough to read into the record the portion of this letter marked in red ink.
''Dear Sandra, you keep asking how l started writing to you.
''Well, l got your name and address from a friend up the street.
''lt's ''Karen Ross.
l wasn't supposed to tell you, but l know you'll keep the secret.
'' Thank you.
Would you now, if you'll read the marked portion of this one.
''Be sure to write more about that business thing you were telling me about.
''That thing your Daddy called a merger.
''My mother's friend keeps asking questions.
''And l want to know something, too.
Who is Mr.
Willoughby?'' Naturally l was surprised to get a call from Wilma Gregson.
We were hardly on sociable terms.
And when did you receive this phone call, Mr.
Willoughby? Just about an hour before she was found with her skull crushed.
And what was her purpose in calling you? She demanded to know the lowdown what happened last year.
And what did you tell her? That l had never made a secret of the fact that l wanted those specifications.
And that l knew that several of my people were trying to get their hands on them, but that was all l knew.
Period.
And in this telephone conversation, did the name of Karen Ross come up? Oh, yes, that's exactly what she was phoning about-- how Karen Ross tied in with the attempt to steal those specifications.
Wilma said Miss Ross'd been over and would be back again about eleven.
Thank you.
Cross-examine.
Mr.
Willoughby, when you received this phone call, you just returned from a trip to Chicago? Yes.
Did this trip have anything to do with a possible merger between your company and Super Brands.
That's none of your business.
ls that the answer you gave Wilma Gregson on the phone that night when she asked you the same question? As a matter of fact, yes.
As a matter of fact, didn't she then threaten you with reprisals? Ne_ l suppose you're going to say l rushed right over there to have it out with her.
Well, l didn't and l can prove it by Holman.
That would be Carl Holman, general manager of Gregson's? Yes, right in the middle of our conversation, l heard someone come in, heard Wilma talk to him.
Yes, when l came in she was on the phone.
When she hung up, she seemed terribly upset.
Did she then discuss the defendant with you? Briefly.
She seemed impatient.
She said Karen Ross would be back soon.
Anyway, l had a terrible headache.
Tell me what time did you leave the decedent's house? About 10:30.
l went straight home because of my headache.
Thank you.
Your witness.
Mr.
Holman, how long have you been with Gregson's? Oh, from the week l graduated from college.
l was engaged to Florence at the time.
She was distantly related to Wilma Gregson, so l had an ''in.
'' l went to work in the cannery on the night cleanup crew.
Yet four years ago you were considered for the presidency of the company? Considered, yes.
But what chance did l really have? l mean, with Peter Gregson there? After all, he was her nephew.
You never did give up though, did you? You felt that you'd eventually make top rung at Gregson's.
Yes, and l would have if she hadn't died.
No, Mr.
Holman.
Because one of the last thing Wilma Gregson told you was that you would never be president of the company.
That you would no longer even be general manager.
What? She told you, did she not, that so long as she lived you would never work at Gregson's in any capacity, not even as a member of the cleanup crew? You don't know what you're talking about.
We know how Wilma Gregson felt about the management of the company.
Lee Gregson admitted that she fired him.
Now, didn't she really fire you also? Of course not.
That's utterly ridiculous.
You happen to know a man by name of Mr.
Josiah Sellers of this city? Uh, yes, he's a banker.
He's on our board of directors.
- Well, he's out of town just now.
- Exactly.
Now, since l had reason to believe that Wilma Gregson might have contacted quite a number of people that particular night, l've had my investigators checking.
l should warn you that l have here a copy of a telegram shown to one of my investigators by Mr.
Seller's housekeeper.
A telegram sent at 10:40 by the deceased.
lt reads, ''Peter Gregson no longer satisfactory as president.
''Both Lee Gregson and Carl Holman fired this date.
l'm calling Board Meeting soon to vote in replacements.
'' And it's signed Wilma Gregson.
l can't believe that.
You couldn't believe it that night, either, could you? lsn't that what gave you that headache? Now, you did not return straight home as you said, did you? Yes, l did.
l certainly did.
Well, ask Florence.
Ask my wife.
Well, l woke up about a quarter of 1 1 when l heard Carl drive into the garage.
He came right to bed.
You're a light sleeper? lndeed, yes.
Mrs.
Holman, are you telling the truth or are you deliberately lying to give your husband an alibi for the time Wilma Gregson was attacked? Well, that's ridiculous.
He came in at a quarter of 1 1.
l heard him and saw him.
Suppose l were to tell you somebody else saw him in a bar, in Oakland, at a quarter to 12.
Whoever said such a thing was either mistaken or lying.
Mrs.
Holman, why do you think Wilma Gregson suddenly turned against your husband? l can't imagine.
Can't imagine that she had finally traced the so-called merger leak to its actual source? Why, that's preposterous.
Carl lived for the company.
lt was his stam of life, his meat, his drink.
Nothing could have made him betray Gregson's because nothing else mattered to him.
Nothing.
lncluding his home, his marriage, you? Mrs.
Holman, you have been lying.
Your perjured testimony was intended to prove not only that Carl Holman was home at a quarter of 1 1, but that you were home at that time.
l was-- l was.
Yet Matt Clark testified he tried to contact your husband that night without success.
Would you like to hear him testify he called your home repeatedly until past 1 1 :30 and never got an answer? No, that won't be necessary.
l did so much for Carl all those years l got him into Gregson Canneries.
Yes, l had to go to Wilma and plead with her to give him a job, but got him in.
And then l schemed, and l planned, and l maneuvered to make something of him.
To make him general manager.
Miss Holman, a year ago, someone made a telephone call to Karen Ross, impersonating Lucy Gregson's voice, and ordering Karen to put those specifications in the car? lt was you who made the phone call was it not.
Yes, l thought Peter would get involved in the scandal.
A drunken wife, a romance with his secretary, an attempt to betray the company.
You thought if Peter were discharged, or in disgrace, your husband would become president of the company? That accident.
How could l know there'd be an accident? And it was only Karen that Wilma blamed, not Peter.
That's why you betrayed the company, wasn't it? lt was you who leaked the news about the merger.
You who purchased large blocks of stock and sold at considerable profit.
You, Mrs.
Holman.
l thought l could destroy the merger and then Carl would surely be made president of the company.
And not only that, by making all that money, l could prove l was the smart one-- me.
But that night Wilma caught on, and she fired Carl.
And she threatened to send me to jail.
So l had to-- You had to kill her.
ln a few minutes now, we'll be leaving for Los Angeles and everything that happened here will be just a bad dream, Miss Ross.
l don't know whether l've wakened from it yet.
Mr.
Mason, l don't-- l don't know how to thank you enough for all you've done for me.
You could start by smiling.
You should be happy.
Oh, l imagine she will be.
Look behind you, Miss Ross.
We're coming with you, Karen.
- With me? - To help you pack.
Then we're all going to Las Vegas.
- So you and l can be married.
- Before the boat trip.
Married? Boat? Not you.
You're staying with Daddy.
l'm taking the boat trip with Mr.
Mason.
Aren't l, Mr.
Mason? You certainly are.
You, l, Paul and Della.
Where all going to Catalina and back.
Well, don't just stand there.
Kiss him.
Oh, Peter.
Subtitled By J.
R.
Media Services, Inc.
Burbank, CA