Perry Mason (1957) s05e30 Episode Script
The Case of the Lonely Eloper
Itheme.]
[floor boards creak.]
[string quartet.]
She walks in beauty like the night.
The question is-- why? Escape from the wicked aunt? Lure of forbidden pleasures? Or do you just want a neighbor to play jacks with you? No, l apologize for that last remark.
You have grown up, little cousin, in a manner of speaking.
ls that it? Have your tender ears picked up whispers? Well, it's all true, darling.
l'm depraved, unregenerate, a deceiver of women.
So you slink over here by moonlight in your most fetching negligee, clutching a teddy bear.
No, no, little cousin.
Not you.
Merle? Good heavens.
Come along.
You'll sleep better in your own little crib.
Merle? Merle? Merle, what are you-- You forgot to lock her in your garret for the night.
l might have guessed, Julian.
This is simply unforgivable.
Before you carry that evil thought to its obvious conclusion, let me point out she slept through our whole visit.
Merle? She was walking in her sleep? A fact l find infinitely more intriguing, Aunt Olivia, is she came directly toward my poor ne_-door hovel.
Do you suppose that indicates a subconscious preference for another guardian? Don't be ridiculous, Julian.
The court appointed me-- To be technically correct, the court, in accordance with her father's wishes, appointed Uncle Howard.
lt's all the same thing.
Somebody was ringing the doorbell.
l came down to see who-- Was it you, Julian? Come along, dear.
l'll tuck you in again.
He's wicked, isn't he? Was there anything else, Julian? One of these days, Auntie, somebody will cut that iron umbilicus and maybe your throat in the bargain.
Go to bed immediately, Merle.
And see that you stay there.
Hello, Corbett.
Is Merle ready yet? Miss Gilbert, won't you come in? l'll tell her you're here.
Thank you.
Well, good morning, Miss Gilbert.
How very nice to see you again.
Hello, Mr.
Langley.
Where are you two young ladies om to this time? Lunch, fashion show.
l'll be taking some pictures if sleepyhead doesn't make me late.
Merle had a restless night.
You know, Mr.
Langley, it's always been my one great ambition to be able to sleep in till 1 1 :OO every morning.
Well, you'll just have to marry a rich man.
Unfortunately, they've all been spoken for-- especially the handsome, distinguished ones.
Gina-- Well, it's about time, lazy bones.
Hello, Mrs.
Langley.
Good morning, Gina.
You're looking very attractive today.
Thank you very much.
l wish l could have clothes like that.
This? It's only 14.
95.
But it's so sophisticated.
lt's hardly the style for you, dear.
l asked the chaumeur to bring the car around.
l do have a cab waiting.
Howard can take care of that.
l would prefer it if Corbett drove you.
As you like.
- Merle, we'll be late if-- - Goodbye, Aunt Olivia, - Uncle Howard-- - Enjoy yourselves.
But be back by 5:OO, remember? You need your rest, Merle.
We'll remember.
Come on, Merle, let's go.
Bye-bye.
She's quite beautiful, isn't she, Howard? Miss Gilbert? Yes, l suppose she is.
Still, on the whole, l think you'd prefer Margo Stevens-- [chuckle.]
-- if you had your pick, that is.
Must we go through this every time-- Oh, don't flatter yourself that l'm jealous, Howard, of Margo or any of the other silly young creatures that you mentally pursue.
lt's the emect of your behavior on Merle that l'm thinking of.
Oh, good heavens.
Merle will be 21 ne_ week.
And as her trusted trustee, can you honestly say that Merle is mature enough to even pick out her own movies, let alone watch her uncle make a fool of himself? Oh, Olivia, for heaven's-- Howard, l think you'd better pay om that cab driver, hadn't you? l wish Aunt Olivia would let me buy dresses like that.
l wish l could amord dresses like that.
Good afternoon, ladies.
lf l'm in time for lunch, l think l'll have a watercress sandwich and a little bowl of fruit.
Oh, aren't we funny.
Sit down, lover boy.
Don't be conspicuous.
Thank you.
Merle, you remember Danny Pierce.
l guess so.
Miss Telford, l hope l'm not intruding again.
l guess not.
Well, did you get all your pictures? No, not yet.
l'll shoot them in the dressing rooms.
That's gonna kill half the afternoon.
At least l have a job.
Oh, sticks and stones will break my bones, but unemployment will never hurt me.
Why don't you try and be amusing for Merle while l go to work, hmm? Hello, darling.
l feel sick.
lt'll pass.
- You kissed her.
- Just on the cheek.
lf l don't stay friends with her, how will l see you? l could meet you just the same.
How? Your aunt never lets you out of the house.
And even if she does, that chaumeur follows you everywhere he goes.
Oh, pooh on Corbett.
l can fool him any time l want to.
Once, maybe, but you'd never get out again.
lf you'd just let me come to the house, l could convince Aunt Olivia-- No! Look, baby, you're 21 years old.
Not till ne_ Saturday.
l'm going to have a birthday party.
So you are.
Okay.
But l'm going to talk to her then.
Danny, l could run away.
After my party, l mean.
Maybe to San Francisco.
lf you want to.
lf l want to? Oh, little one, l'd run om to Anywhereland with you.
But l don't have any money.
That's easy.
l can't really have any of my money until they say l'm ready for it or something.
But l can get tickets on a plane.
l can charge them.
After we're gone, she'll never know where to look for us.
All right, Danny? ''All right, Danny?'' All right, Merle.
Who needs money? Anywhereland, here we come.
No, silly.
l meant San Francisco.
l knew what you meant.
[chattering.]
Wait here for me, Corbett.
l'll only be a minute.
Whatever you say, Miss.
[no audible dialogue.]
Your conduct is absolutely disgraceful.
lf there is one thing l can't stand, it's a sneak.
Who told you? That's quite beside the point, Merle.
Just let me assure you that l am informed of everything you do lt was Corbett, wasn't it? Now, don't try and change the subject, Merle.
l would like an explanation.
What exactly did you think you were doing? - Eloping.
- Ha ha ha.
Well, we'll forget all that romantic nonsense for now.
But your Mr.
Danny Pierce can consider himself fortunate if l don't have him arrested.
How did you know his na-- Why can't l get married? Because you are still a child.
l'm nearly 21.
l wasn't referring to birthdays, Merle.
Some girls are ready for marriage at that age, but others, like yourself-- Well what l'm trying to say is l'm afraid that you should never get married.
You're-- You're just not well enough.
l'm sorry to have to tell you this.
But it's better to face it now.
There will always be unscrupulous men after your money.
No.
Not Danny.
l'm afraid so.
l'm having him investigated, and l'm sure we will find he's nothing but a cheap fortune hunter.
That's not true.
You're lying.
Now that's enough of that kind of talk out of you.
You'll go to your room immediately.
For punishment, you wanted to wear Grandmother's diamonds to the party.
l'm afraid that's out of the question.
l don't care.
You're always taking them away so you can wear them yourself.
Merle! All l want for my birthday is Danny, and l'm going with him.
Now you stop this.
l hate you.
l hate you! lf you try to stop me, Aunt Olivia, l'll kill you.
You know, she just might do it.
Hey, not bad.
What name did you register under? Lenore Adams.
l hope that meets with your approval.
Hey, now come on, come on.
This is the big night.
This is what we've been waiting for.
l still think it's a dirty trick.
That poor little nitwit has fallen in love with you, hasn't she? Ne_ l suppose you'll say you want to marry her.
lf l married every girl that had eyes for me, l'd have them strung out from here to Anywhereland.
Oh, yeah, you're quite a rocket.
All right, how much do you think you're gonna get for the diamonds? $50,OOO, easy.
Merle's worth a quarter of a million-- or she will be as soon as Uncle Howard decides she's old enough to handle it.
That's the way her trust is set up.
Did you know that? No, l didn't know that.
And, uhhow do you know that? l keep my ears open, too.
[whistles.]
A quarter of a million dollars.
That's a lot of money.
But not for Danny boy.
Somebody else can marry that teddy bear.
l'll just take the _50,OOO and-- [whistles.]
-- blow away.
Just thought l'd mention it to see what you had in your mind.
Yeah? You, uh You wouldn't be thinking of running out on me, would you, lover? Do l have a choice? No.
Not unless you want the police in Chicago to know where you are.
All right, you made me set it up for you.
Look, Aunt Olivia's going to be wearing the diamonds, not Merle, so with that little piece of information, will you please just get out of here and leave me alone? - And leave Merle alone, too.
- Okay.
Okay.
- Okay, okay, okay.
- Danny.
How are you going to do it? The same old way? You know, you're too much.
Get out of here and leave me alone! Leave Merle alone, too! Danny, how are you going to do it, the same old way? What do you think l am, a sucker? But l might tell a partner.
Oh, forget l asked.
You're blowing a great opportunity.
With all the contacts you can make with that camera and my talent, - we could retire in a year.
- l'm going to retire right after this one.
Then make it a good one.
l'll hit at 1 1 :OO.
When the diamonds get here, you check out.
- And don't let anyone see you.
- What do you think l am, an amateur? No, lover.
You're just a reluctant old pro trying to make a comeback.
So keep your fingers crossed.
[knock on door.]
Come in, Paul.
Well, working kind of late, aren't you? Yeah.
Well, hallelujah.
l just thought you peasants might like a touch of glamour in your drab lives.
l'm impressed.
What kind of a singing job do you do tonight? Thanks a lot.
l happen to be going to a very posh birthday party.
Protecting the family jewels? No, a wealthy niece.
Her aunt thinks her young man is a fortune hunter.
- Is he? - Well, he's poor.
Anyway, the girl's 21 today, so Auntie had to let the guy come to the party.
She's just afraid that later on, when things get jumping, the two kids might try and run om together.
lf the girl's of age, how are you supposed to stop it? Well, l do know he was married in Texas once, so if l have to, l can try and run a blum on that.
Wasn't he divorced? So far l haven't been able to establish it-- either way.
Will if the blum fails, you should try charming her yourself.
l must say you do look dashing.
Oh, you finally got around to admitting it.
Good night, Perry.
Good night, beautiful.
Good night.
Doctor, it's so nice of you to come.
My pleasure.
And, Mrs.
Comstock, what a heavenly gown.
How sweet.
Thank you.
l believe you know Margo Stevens, Doctor and Mrs.
Comstock.
- How do you do? - How do you do, Miss Stevens? Margo is one of my husband's little golf partners, you know.
lt's a shame you've never played yourself.
Oh, you'd be surprised how much l know about the game.
Now be a dear and get Dr.
and Mrs.
Comstock a drink - for me, will you? - Thank you.
You must come out some time, Mrs.
Langley, and give me lessons.
Psst.
Danny.
Danny, l was afraid you weren't going to come to my party.
l wouldn't have missed it for anything in the world.
My bags are packed.
Everybody'll be squishy by 1 1 .
We can sneak out then.
We'll drive, Danny.
Anywhere in the world.
Anywhere in the world.
Meet me out at the old garage-- the one behind the gardener's shed, the back road.
l love you.
[fizzing.]
Hello, Howard.
Well, hello.
l didn't think you'd be here.
l thought your husband-- Oh, yes, he's om on another one of those trips.
But why should that stop me from traveling? See you later, maybe? We had the pleasure of meeting him Iast summer in Lausanne.
l'd taken Merle to Switzerland.
The trip was very beneficial, l thought.
Poor Olivia.
What was he like? Oh, it was indeed a rare privilege.
He is such a quaint old gentleman.
He speaks pe_ect English, but l am sure he learned it from reading the classics.
[laughter.]
He always referred to me as Mistress Langley.
lt sounded terribly elegant but a little bit naughty.
[chatter.]
[doorbell rings.]
- [door opens.]
- Good evening, sir.
[Paul.]
Oh, good evening, Corbett.
Oh, uh, Mr.
Drake, l would like for you to mix around and have fun.
l understand, Mrs.
Langley.
- But keep an eye on Merle.
- All right.
l have a terrible headache.
l've got to lie down.
[knocking.]
l say, old man, have you seen Margo around? Margo Stevens? Sorry.
l don't know the lady.
Oh, well, it doesn't matter.
l'm trying to locate a Mr.
Pierce.
l don't suppose you know him.
Not intimately, but l do know of him.
And from what l've heard, l suggest you check at the bar.
Thanks.
Sorry l couldn't help you.
Don't give it a thought.
l'd like a messenger sent to Mr.
Julian Kirk's home, please.
To a Miss Lenore Adams, Village Motel on Lankershim Boulevard.
Room number 32.
Yes, that's in North Hollywood.
l'd like your fast service on that, please.
[door opens.]
[laughter, chatter.]
Blue Streak.
lt's all ready for you.
You made good time.
Not much tramic this late.
That'll be 4 bucks.
Sounds like a party at the big house.
You ought to try reading with that racket.
You ought to crash it.
Bet there's nobody sober enough to even notice.
Keep the change.
Much obliged.
Good night.
Good night.
Danny.
Nope.
Miss Telford, l'm afraid the elopement's om.
Who are you? Paul Drake.
l'm a private detective.
You can't stop me.
You've no right to.
l'm 21 .
No.
That isn't the reason.
Your aunt-- Your diamonds have been stolen.
No one can leave till the police get here.
l don't care about those old diamonds-- Merle, let's go back to the house.
Merle, my dear child Olivia, your aunt-- Mr.
Drake told me.
Somebody stole Grandmother's diamonds.
But it doesn't matter, Uncle Howard.
l'm afraid it's more serious than that, Merle.
Your Aunt Olivia is dead.
She's been murdered.
You warned her didn't you, Cousin Ju!lian? You said somebody would cut her throat.
[Gina.]
Just a minute.
Messenger service.
Package for Miss Lenore Adams.
All right.
Thank you.
[slam.]
[phone rings.]
Hello.
Oh, Paul.
How's the party? lt died.
So did the hostess.
What do you mean? Well, somebody stole the family jewels after all and slipped a knife into Mrs.
Langley at the same time.
Perry, could you come over right away? My responsibility here is to the niece Merle, and the way things are shaping up, the poor kid's going to need help fast.
What kind of help? Well, right now, the case depends on who's got those diamonds, which is like looking for a needle in a haystack because this place is enormous.
But there's one place the police haven't looked-- Merle's luggage.
Why not? They can't find the keys.
Paul, do you have the keys? You guessed it.
Merle slipped them to me with a pleading look.
Perry, l'd appreciate it if you were here when Lieutenant Anderson forces the locks.
Okay, Sergeant, thank you very much.
All right, no one left the party early.
No one has those diamonds in their possession.
So we're starting to search the grounds now and that other house across the way.
Without a search warrant? We didn't think you'd mind, Mr.
Kirk.
No, no.
Anytime.
But in the meantime, this luggage.
Miss Telford, have you remembered yet what you did with the keys? l lost them, l told you.
Then l'm afraid we'll have to force the-- Good evening, Lieutenant.
Perry, come in.
You don't mind, do you, Andy? Not at all.
Come in, counselor.
l won't even ask who your client is.
l was about to spring the locks on some luggage, but l'll bet a lawyer could think of a better way to get them open.
l, uh, do happen to have some keys that might fit.
Worth a try, anyway.
[lock unlatches.]
Well, what do you know? Well, they're not here, either.
l don't understand it, but as evidence of murder, they're not all that important.
Surely you don't think Merle could have murdered her aunt.
As a matter of fact, Mr.
Langley, from the information l've gotten so far, it seemed entirely possible.
And this rather clinches it, don't you think? [women gasp.]
Of course, we'll have to establish this as the murder weapon, but l don't think there's much doubt of it.
lsn't that slip lovely? Aunt Olivia would have a fit if she knew.
She never let me buy clothes like that.
The nature of the fatal wound indicated it had been inflicted by a sharp instrument of rather peculiar shape.
Of a peculiar shape.
Doctor, l show you State's Exhibit 5, which was discovered in the bag of the defendant.
Do you recognize this? l do.
It's commonly known as a dirk.
The blade exactly fit the wound.
Did you discover anything else about it which would establish it as the murder weapon? Yes.
The blood stains were also tested in my presence and found to be the same type as that of the dead woman.
Thank you, Doctor.
Mr.
Mason.
Doctor, was the deceased intoxicated at the time of her death? l wouldn't think so, Mr.
Mason.
Our tests did show a small percentage of alcohol in her system, but not much.
Your tests showed something else, didn't they? Yes, chloral hydrate.
That's commonly known as knock-out drops, isn't it? That's right.
Thank you, Doctor.
That'll be all.
Mr.
Langley, as l understand it, you are the legal guardian of the defendant and the trustee of her estate.
That's right, sir.
Merle's parents died rather tragically when Merle was only 12 years old.
lsn't it true that in actual practice, your late wife was the real acting guardian of the defendant? Well, yes.
She needed a woman to look after her.
And isn't it a fact that the decedent really managed your niece's trust fund, too? Someone had to look after things.
And then, Merle is simply not equipped to handle large sums of money and may not be for some time yet.
Large sums of money, Mr.
Langley? How large? l believe the principal is in the neighborhood of 250,OOO.
That's in addition to real estate, like the house you live in, and personal property like the still-missing diamond necklace.
- Is that so? - That's correct, sir.
Mr.
Langley, why was your wife wearing the defendant's necklace? lt's e_remely valuable.
As l've said before, Merle doesn't understand of the value of things.
She could have lost them.
Yes, of course.
As a matter of fact, the necklace seems to be lost anyway, doesn't it? Although, of course, there are a thousand places where anyone who knew the estate might have hidden it.
Mr.
Langley, tell me this.
Did the defendant resent your wife's wearing that necklace? She cried.
Yes, l'm afraid they fought about it several times.
Did your niece receive an allowance, Mr.
Langley? Well, not in cash, but she did have charge accounts practically everywhere.
Yes, l have a charge slip here, signed by the defendant, reserving two seats on a plane.
The destination is San Francisco.
The departure time is the night of the murder.
- Were you aware of this? - My wife told me about it.
She cancelled the reservations.
Sid your wife also tell you who Merle had intended to occupy the other seat? Yes.
A Mr.
Pierce.
lt was just a childish romantic whim on Merle's part.
l'm sure it was nothing serious.
But your late wife did object to their proposed elopement.
Well, yes, but-- Enough to hire a private detective to make sure to prevent it? lt was for Merle's own good.
lsn't it true, Mr.
Langley, that your wife's attitude toward Merle's young man only led to angrier tears and angrier fights between them? Yes.
l have no further questions.
Mr.
Langley, l believe the murder weapon has been identified as belonging to you.
Yes.
It was something l picked up in Italy on one of my trips.
lt was of some historic interest.
l kept it hanging in my study in plain sight for anyone, you understand.
Where were you at the approximate time of the murder? l was in the garden.
Alone? No.
Then there's someone who can verify your whereabouts? Mr.
Mason, l see no reason to involve an innocent person in these proceedings.
Why not? Would it be embarrassing to that person? Or would it be embarrassing to you? l simply see no reason to reveal her name.
And neither do l.
lf it please the court, counsel is just employing his usual shotgun method here.
l'll withdraw the question, Your Honor.
That'll be all, Mr.
Langley.
l noticed a few minutes earlier that the defendant had left the party and changed her clothes, as though for traveling.
Naturally, l was curious, watchful.
You say that you saw her later in the upstairs hall.
Where was this? She came running out of her aunt's room.
The poor child was white as a sheet.
Terrified, l thought.
Naturally, l didn't let her see me.
Naturally.
But, Mr.
Corbett, did you notice anything else about her? She clutched something under her jacket with one hand, and her other hand she held stimly away from her.
There was some dark moisture on it.
l can't say positively it was blood.
No, l can't, sir.
Just something dark.
And then she disappeared toward the back staiM/ay.
Mr.
Pierce, am l correct in assuming that yours and the defendant's proposed flight to San Francisco-- or your proposed flight anywhere-- would have been in the nature of an elopement? Well, yes, Merle wanted to try it.
You anticipated opposition, then? l figured that Aunt Olivia would try to stop us if she could.
Did she object to you on personal grounds, Mr.
Pierce? Well, no, not actually.
lt would've been the same with anybody.
See, she just wasn't letting Merle meet any men.
Objection.
The witness is stating an opinion.
Your Honor, l believe the proper groundwork can be laid to make the witness' Iast answer admissible.
Very well, Mr.
Burger.
Proceed.
Mr.
Pierce, how long have you known the defendant? - A few weeks.
- And how did you meet her? l can't recall the exact circumstances, but it was an accident.
Danny! - You mustn't interrupt, Merle.
- But he remembers how we met.
- He must.
- Tell me later.
What do you mean by accident, Mr.
Pierce? The watchdog went to sleep on the job-- Mrs.
Langley's chaumeur.
Whenever Merle did get out of that house, he was always sent along.
Really? How did you manage to carry on your courtship? Well, it wasn't easy.
We met in tearooms.
[spectators chuckle.]
Mr.
Pierce, the very fact that the defendant continued to see you under these circumstances was a form of rebellion against such strict supervision, wasn't it? Why, then, since the defendant became Iegally of age on her recent birthday, did you find it necessary to plan an elopement? That didn't really mean anything.
You see, Merle was sort of like a zombie as far as her aunt was concerned, and she had to get fighting mad before she'd stand up to her.
- Objection.
- Sustained.
The witness will refrain from giving opinions.
l have no further questions, Your Honor.
[murmuring.]
Tell me now, Merle.
l got to know Danny through Gina.
That's how we used to meet.
He couldn't have forgotten.
Who is Gina? Gina Gilbert.
She's sitting in the back row, ne_ to Corbett.
l asked her to come and be moral support.
[Judge.]
Mr.
Mason, We await your pleasure.
My apologies, Your Honor.
What is your occupation, Mr.
Pierce? l'm unemployed at the present.
And when you are working? A salesman.
Mr.
Pierce, have you ever been convicted of a felony? - No.
- No? lsn't it true you that two years ago, in Fort Worth, Texas, you were arrested for robbery? But l was cleared.
Your Honor, l object to that.
The police are quite properly investigating everyone who conceivably could have taken that necklace.
But a mere arrest is not evidence of bad character which can impeach a witness, and counselor very well knows that.
lf it please the court, l'm not trying to impeach this witness.
l'm just attempting to cross-examine him on his claim that the objections of the deceased to his marrying my client were unreasonable.
l think you've made your point, Mr.
Mason.
Objection overruled.
Now, Mr.
Pierce, are you married? No.
Certainly not.
Are you acquainted with a woman by the name of Jayne Simmons of Fort Worth, Texas? Yeah.
l was married to her seven or eight years ago, but she got a divorce.
[Mason.]
l see.
Your Honor, l would like to request an adjournment until tomorrow morning.
Why, Mr.
Mason? Well, it is approaching the hour of adjournment, and my examination of this witness may be rather lengthy.
l see.
Mr.
Burger? Well, Your Honor lf counselor really wants time to prepare for this hearing a little more fully, l think the prosecution might exercise tolerance.
l think that's uncalled for, Mr.
Burger.
Court stands adjourned till 10:OO tomorrow morning.
That certainly was a nasty crack Burger made when you asked for an adjournment.
Nasty but accurate.
lf Burger had a client as confused and frightened as Merle Telford, he'd be stalling every other minute.
She certainly hasn't been much help.
After all the hours you've spent talking to her, for her to suddenly think of this Gina Gilbert.
Apparently, Gina became acquainted with Merle while taking pictures of her house for a magazine.
Then she introduced her to Danny and subtly arranged for them to meet a number of times.
Sounds like a well worked out campaign.
Yes, but not a campaign for Danny to marry Merle.
His wife had never filed for a divorce.
Well, whatever it was between Danny and the Gilbert woman, it wasn't romance.
l don't know who yet, but she's seeing somebody.
So perhaps Danny was a business arrangement.
lt'll be hard to prove.
And if Gina was anywhere near the party that night, l didn't see her, and l can't find anybody who did.
At a big party, that doesn't rule it out, Paul.
That's true.
Look, if Mrs.
Langley was unconscious during the theft, there'd be no reason for Danny to kill her-- that is, if Danny was the thief.
No.
But there would be plenty of reason for Merle to do it.
And the murder weapon was still locked in her bag, so you can't very well say it was planted there.
She admits putting it there, all right.
She planned to get rid of later.
She'd gone into Olivia's bedroom to get some traveling money from her desk.
She recognized the knife as one belonging to her Uncle Howard.
You mean she swiped it and ran out with it, just to protect him? What else could she have thought? It was his knife.
She tells me that Olivia was ten times as rough on Howard as she was on her.
Yeah, but with a kookie kid like that-- Merle seems about 14 years old only because Olivia deliberately held her back.
How would you have acted in that kind of situation? All right.
Here's the rest of my report.
One of my men on another case accidentally stumbled on a messenger service boy who made a pickup at the house ne_ door while the party was going on.
What time? Late enough so the package could have been the necklace.
But l couldn't see the guy.
l wouldn't know who it was, in the dark like that.
He just handed me down this thick envelope from the porch, and l gave him a receipt and that's it.
Then you delivered the envelope here? Yes, sir.
The addressee was a dame in room 32 there.
l got it in the book.
Then what happened? I Well, l knocked on the door and she answered, and l-- She answered right away? Yeah.
Yeah, l think so.
Anyway, she opens the door, and she sticks an arm out, and l give her the package, and she shuts the door.
Just an arm? That's all you saw? Well, her head some when she leaned out, but she had a towel draped over it like she was washing her hair, maybe.
With the light behind her, l couldn't see what she looked like When you make a delivery, you get a signature, don't you? Uh, well, yeah, only-- This one? This one right here? Well, the trouble is, see, she shut the door real quick, and l-- l guess l sort of filled in the signature line myself.
That could get you in trouble, couldn't it? l know, mister, but, l mean, the way she was and everything, l just didn't want to push the door down.
What do you mean, the way she was? Well, the bare arm and the towel-- Holy smoke, l just figured she was maybe-- maybe naked.
All right.
Paul, you'd better go down to police headquarters with him.
- Good night, Miss.
- Good night.
- And thank you.
- [Man.]
Yes, sir.
Della, l want you to get a subpoena for-- What's the matter, Perry? Suppose the woman in that room wasn't maybe naked.
Mr.
Pierce, did you steal that diamond necklace? No sir, l did not.
Did you induce chloral hydrate into Mrs.
Langley's system? No.
lsn't it true that you never had any intentions of marrying Miss Telford? No, that's not true.
Then you must have intended to commit bigamy, Mr.
Pierce, because you knew all along your wife had never divorced you.
l didn't know any such thing.
She said she was going to.
l assumed she had.
Who's Gina Gilbert? l don't-- She's a girl l know.
Just a friend, that's all.
She a friend of Merle's, too.
Objection.
Your Honor, if counselor gets much farther afield, we'll-- l'll discontinue this line of questioning, Your Honor.
And l'm finished with this witness for the moment.
You're excused, Mr.
Pierce.
Call your ne_ witness, Mr.
Burger.
Then l call Mr.
Julian Kirk.
That's right.
My house is ne_ door.
lt was the guest house on the estate when my grandmother was alive.
She left it to me in her will.
Was that all she left you? Some other odds and ends of property.
All the real money went to Olivia-- l mean Merle.
Then you were familiar with the situation that existed at the Langley house? l was certainly aware of how completely Olivia dominated Merle.
lt's not the girl's fault she's neurotic.
Are you by any chance a trained psychiatrist, Mr.
Kirk? Well, no, but all you-- Then you're certainly not qualified to judge the defendant's mental condition.
Now, then, was your knowledge of the situation of the house ne_ door based on personal observation? Mostly.
But the chaumeur kept me informed, too.
Did you witness a quarrel between the defendant and her aunt a couple of days prior to the murder? Well, Merle was annoyed because Olivia objected to the elopement, if that's what you mean.
Wasn't she more than annoyed, Mr.
Kirk? Wouldn't it be more accurate to say that she was fighting mad? She was angry.
Perhaps the degree of her irritation could be estimated if you would tell us what the defendant shouted at her aunt.
She said-- Yes, Mr.
Kirk? Well, she said, ''lf you try to stop me, l'll kill you.
'' Your witness.
Mr.
Kirk, when the bulk of your grandmother's estate was left to your cousin Miss Telford, were you annoyed, irritated, perhaps even angry? Furious, l think, would be the best description.
But l recovered nicely in time.
You were on good terms with your cousin? As much as Olivia would permit.
One night, Merle walked in her sleep and came directly toward my house.
Subconsciously, she preferred me to Olivia-- Objection, Your Honor.
The witness has previously testified to having had no training in psychiatry.
Sustained.
Let us turn now to the night of the party.
Where were you at the approximate time the murder occurred? Well, in the living room, for one thing, Iooking out into the garden.
ls there anyone who can verify that? Yes.
Mr.
Paul Drake.
He asked if l knew where he could find Danny Pierce, and l asked him if he'd seen Margo Stevens.
l'm sure he'd recall the conversation.
Mr.
Kirk, since you were Iooking out into the garden, perhaps you saw Howard Langley out there.
Well, yes, as a matter of fact, l did.
That's why l asked Drake about Margo Stevens.
They were necking in the bushes.
That's a lie! l wasn't in the garden with Howard or anyone else.
Young lady, l will not tolerate such outbursts.
But it's not true.
Any more interruptions, and l'll have the bailim remove you from the courtroom.
lt was really pretty dark.
Maybe l'm wrong.
But l doubt it.
Then how can you be certain the man was Howard Langley? Well, l saw him go outside.
Your Honor, at this time, l would like to recall Howard Langley to the stand.
Your Honor.
Counselor's strategy is transparently obvious.
These desperate attempts to cover his own client's guilt by directing suspicion on others-- Mr.
Mason? lf it please the court, the suspicion is already in existence and should be clearly established or eliminated.
Surely our prosecutor, with his great tolerance, can't object to that.
The suspicion exists, Your Honor, in Mr.
Mason's mind and nowhere else.
Neither the police nor the District Attorney's omice could find any grounds for it.
Then by your own argument, Mr.
Mason can only weaken his own defense by recalling the witness.
Howard Langley will return to the witness stand.
Mr.
Langley, at this time, l ask you for the name of the woman you say was in the garden with you.
Mr.
Mason, you have no right to expose an innocent person to this kind of notoriety.
Very well.
If this court will agree to hear your testimony in private, will you then answer? No.
No, l can't see that l must.
You realize that in refusing to answer, you might be held in contempt of court.
l can only do what my conscience dictates.
Mr.
Langley, didn't you go to your wife's bedroom that night? No.
And didn't you find her unconscious from a drug she'd been given? No.
Didn't you also find that the necklace had been stolen? And didn't you then kill your wife, using this weapon? That's not true! Not true that the necklace had been stolen? Did you also take the necklace, Mr.
Langley? No, l didn't.
No, l was in the garden, l tell you, all that time.
l never left! But a certain woman left that garden, didn't she? The nameless woman you'd been embracing-- That woman left the garden, didn't she? Well-- Well, yes.
She did, as a matter of fact.
Who was that woman, Mr.
Langley? Gina Gilbert.
You filthy old man! You didn't have to tell him! [judge pounding.]
Don't you know what l did for you? Stupid, filthy, rotten man! l knew Howard made a hopeful play for every woman he ever met, but l never guessed he'd got around to Gina.
lt had gone further than that, Mr.
Kirk.
Gina wanted to marry Howard and help him manage Merle's estate, if only Olivia could have been disposed of.
A divorce wasn't the answer because Olivia had such a hold over Merle.
Then Danny came on the scene.
Danny was looking for someone who had entree to the wealthy set.
Gina went along with his plan to steal the necklace because first he knew that she was wanted by the police back east and second because it amorded her a pe_ect chance to murder Olivia.
Gina put on an evening gown, slipped quietly through the party, killed the unconscious Olivia, and got back in time to meet the messenger who delivered the stolen diamonds.
Oh, that's what you meant when you said the girl at the motel was not maybe disrobed.
Exactly.
lt was her evening gown Gina didn't want the messenger to see.
And, in the normal course of events, Danny would have been suspected of the murder.
But things are never normal when little-- Hey, look at the new dress.
Della picked it out.
Oh, l did not.
Isn't she pretty? Sure is.
How about a date? Merle, l think you owe these people a very, very large encomium.
What for, Julian? Well-- thanks.
For saving your life.
Oh, l was going to give them all a big kiss for that, silly.
Subtitled By J.
R.
Media Services, Inc.
Burbank, CA
[floor boards creak.]
[string quartet.]
She walks in beauty like the night.
The question is-- why? Escape from the wicked aunt? Lure of forbidden pleasures? Or do you just want a neighbor to play jacks with you? No, l apologize for that last remark.
You have grown up, little cousin, in a manner of speaking.
ls that it? Have your tender ears picked up whispers? Well, it's all true, darling.
l'm depraved, unregenerate, a deceiver of women.
So you slink over here by moonlight in your most fetching negligee, clutching a teddy bear.
No, no, little cousin.
Not you.
Merle? Good heavens.
Come along.
You'll sleep better in your own little crib.
Merle? Merle? Merle, what are you-- You forgot to lock her in your garret for the night.
l might have guessed, Julian.
This is simply unforgivable.
Before you carry that evil thought to its obvious conclusion, let me point out she slept through our whole visit.
Merle? She was walking in her sleep? A fact l find infinitely more intriguing, Aunt Olivia, is she came directly toward my poor ne_-door hovel.
Do you suppose that indicates a subconscious preference for another guardian? Don't be ridiculous, Julian.
The court appointed me-- To be technically correct, the court, in accordance with her father's wishes, appointed Uncle Howard.
lt's all the same thing.
Somebody was ringing the doorbell.
l came down to see who-- Was it you, Julian? Come along, dear.
l'll tuck you in again.
He's wicked, isn't he? Was there anything else, Julian? One of these days, Auntie, somebody will cut that iron umbilicus and maybe your throat in the bargain.
Go to bed immediately, Merle.
And see that you stay there.
Hello, Corbett.
Is Merle ready yet? Miss Gilbert, won't you come in? l'll tell her you're here.
Thank you.
Well, good morning, Miss Gilbert.
How very nice to see you again.
Hello, Mr.
Langley.
Where are you two young ladies om to this time? Lunch, fashion show.
l'll be taking some pictures if sleepyhead doesn't make me late.
Merle had a restless night.
You know, Mr.
Langley, it's always been my one great ambition to be able to sleep in till 1 1 :OO every morning.
Well, you'll just have to marry a rich man.
Unfortunately, they've all been spoken for-- especially the handsome, distinguished ones.
Gina-- Well, it's about time, lazy bones.
Hello, Mrs.
Langley.
Good morning, Gina.
You're looking very attractive today.
Thank you very much.
l wish l could have clothes like that.
This? It's only 14.
95.
But it's so sophisticated.
lt's hardly the style for you, dear.
l asked the chaumeur to bring the car around.
l do have a cab waiting.
Howard can take care of that.
l would prefer it if Corbett drove you.
As you like.
- Merle, we'll be late if-- - Goodbye, Aunt Olivia, - Uncle Howard-- - Enjoy yourselves.
But be back by 5:OO, remember? You need your rest, Merle.
We'll remember.
Come on, Merle, let's go.
Bye-bye.
She's quite beautiful, isn't she, Howard? Miss Gilbert? Yes, l suppose she is.
Still, on the whole, l think you'd prefer Margo Stevens-- [chuckle.]
-- if you had your pick, that is.
Must we go through this every time-- Oh, don't flatter yourself that l'm jealous, Howard, of Margo or any of the other silly young creatures that you mentally pursue.
lt's the emect of your behavior on Merle that l'm thinking of.
Oh, good heavens.
Merle will be 21 ne_ week.
And as her trusted trustee, can you honestly say that Merle is mature enough to even pick out her own movies, let alone watch her uncle make a fool of himself? Oh, Olivia, for heaven's-- Howard, l think you'd better pay om that cab driver, hadn't you? l wish Aunt Olivia would let me buy dresses like that.
l wish l could amord dresses like that.
Good afternoon, ladies.
lf l'm in time for lunch, l think l'll have a watercress sandwich and a little bowl of fruit.
Oh, aren't we funny.
Sit down, lover boy.
Don't be conspicuous.
Thank you.
Merle, you remember Danny Pierce.
l guess so.
Miss Telford, l hope l'm not intruding again.
l guess not.
Well, did you get all your pictures? No, not yet.
l'll shoot them in the dressing rooms.
That's gonna kill half the afternoon.
At least l have a job.
Oh, sticks and stones will break my bones, but unemployment will never hurt me.
Why don't you try and be amusing for Merle while l go to work, hmm? Hello, darling.
l feel sick.
lt'll pass.
- You kissed her.
- Just on the cheek.
lf l don't stay friends with her, how will l see you? l could meet you just the same.
How? Your aunt never lets you out of the house.
And even if she does, that chaumeur follows you everywhere he goes.
Oh, pooh on Corbett.
l can fool him any time l want to.
Once, maybe, but you'd never get out again.
lf you'd just let me come to the house, l could convince Aunt Olivia-- No! Look, baby, you're 21 years old.
Not till ne_ Saturday.
l'm going to have a birthday party.
So you are.
Okay.
But l'm going to talk to her then.
Danny, l could run away.
After my party, l mean.
Maybe to San Francisco.
lf you want to.
lf l want to? Oh, little one, l'd run om to Anywhereland with you.
But l don't have any money.
That's easy.
l can't really have any of my money until they say l'm ready for it or something.
But l can get tickets on a plane.
l can charge them.
After we're gone, she'll never know where to look for us.
All right, Danny? ''All right, Danny?'' All right, Merle.
Who needs money? Anywhereland, here we come.
No, silly.
l meant San Francisco.
l knew what you meant.
[chattering.]
Wait here for me, Corbett.
l'll only be a minute.
Whatever you say, Miss.
[no audible dialogue.]
Your conduct is absolutely disgraceful.
lf there is one thing l can't stand, it's a sneak.
Who told you? That's quite beside the point, Merle.
Just let me assure you that l am informed of everything you do lt was Corbett, wasn't it? Now, don't try and change the subject, Merle.
l would like an explanation.
What exactly did you think you were doing? - Eloping.
- Ha ha ha.
Well, we'll forget all that romantic nonsense for now.
But your Mr.
Danny Pierce can consider himself fortunate if l don't have him arrested.
How did you know his na-- Why can't l get married? Because you are still a child.
l'm nearly 21.
l wasn't referring to birthdays, Merle.
Some girls are ready for marriage at that age, but others, like yourself-- Well what l'm trying to say is l'm afraid that you should never get married.
You're-- You're just not well enough.
l'm sorry to have to tell you this.
But it's better to face it now.
There will always be unscrupulous men after your money.
No.
Not Danny.
l'm afraid so.
l'm having him investigated, and l'm sure we will find he's nothing but a cheap fortune hunter.
That's not true.
You're lying.
Now that's enough of that kind of talk out of you.
You'll go to your room immediately.
For punishment, you wanted to wear Grandmother's diamonds to the party.
l'm afraid that's out of the question.
l don't care.
You're always taking them away so you can wear them yourself.
Merle! All l want for my birthday is Danny, and l'm going with him.
Now you stop this.
l hate you.
l hate you! lf you try to stop me, Aunt Olivia, l'll kill you.
You know, she just might do it.
Hey, not bad.
What name did you register under? Lenore Adams.
l hope that meets with your approval.
Hey, now come on, come on.
This is the big night.
This is what we've been waiting for.
l still think it's a dirty trick.
That poor little nitwit has fallen in love with you, hasn't she? Ne_ l suppose you'll say you want to marry her.
lf l married every girl that had eyes for me, l'd have them strung out from here to Anywhereland.
Oh, yeah, you're quite a rocket.
All right, how much do you think you're gonna get for the diamonds? $50,OOO, easy.
Merle's worth a quarter of a million-- or she will be as soon as Uncle Howard decides she's old enough to handle it.
That's the way her trust is set up.
Did you know that? No, l didn't know that.
And, uhhow do you know that? l keep my ears open, too.
[whistles.]
A quarter of a million dollars.
That's a lot of money.
But not for Danny boy.
Somebody else can marry that teddy bear.
l'll just take the _50,OOO and-- [whistles.]
-- blow away.
Just thought l'd mention it to see what you had in your mind.
Yeah? You, uh You wouldn't be thinking of running out on me, would you, lover? Do l have a choice? No.
Not unless you want the police in Chicago to know where you are.
All right, you made me set it up for you.
Look, Aunt Olivia's going to be wearing the diamonds, not Merle, so with that little piece of information, will you please just get out of here and leave me alone? - And leave Merle alone, too.
- Okay.
Okay.
- Okay, okay, okay.
- Danny.
How are you going to do it? The same old way? You know, you're too much.
Get out of here and leave me alone! Leave Merle alone, too! Danny, how are you going to do it, the same old way? What do you think l am, a sucker? But l might tell a partner.
Oh, forget l asked.
You're blowing a great opportunity.
With all the contacts you can make with that camera and my talent, - we could retire in a year.
- l'm going to retire right after this one.
Then make it a good one.
l'll hit at 1 1 :OO.
When the diamonds get here, you check out.
- And don't let anyone see you.
- What do you think l am, an amateur? No, lover.
You're just a reluctant old pro trying to make a comeback.
So keep your fingers crossed.
[knock on door.]
Come in, Paul.
Well, working kind of late, aren't you? Yeah.
Well, hallelujah.
l just thought you peasants might like a touch of glamour in your drab lives.
l'm impressed.
What kind of a singing job do you do tonight? Thanks a lot.
l happen to be going to a very posh birthday party.
Protecting the family jewels? No, a wealthy niece.
Her aunt thinks her young man is a fortune hunter.
- Is he? - Well, he's poor.
Anyway, the girl's 21 today, so Auntie had to let the guy come to the party.
She's just afraid that later on, when things get jumping, the two kids might try and run om together.
lf the girl's of age, how are you supposed to stop it? Well, l do know he was married in Texas once, so if l have to, l can try and run a blum on that.
Wasn't he divorced? So far l haven't been able to establish it-- either way.
Will if the blum fails, you should try charming her yourself.
l must say you do look dashing.
Oh, you finally got around to admitting it.
Good night, Perry.
Good night, beautiful.
Good night.
Doctor, it's so nice of you to come.
My pleasure.
And, Mrs.
Comstock, what a heavenly gown.
How sweet.
Thank you.
l believe you know Margo Stevens, Doctor and Mrs.
Comstock.
- How do you do? - How do you do, Miss Stevens? Margo is one of my husband's little golf partners, you know.
lt's a shame you've never played yourself.
Oh, you'd be surprised how much l know about the game.
Now be a dear and get Dr.
and Mrs.
Comstock a drink - for me, will you? - Thank you.
You must come out some time, Mrs.
Langley, and give me lessons.
Psst.
Danny.
Danny, l was afraid you weren't going to come to my party.
l wouldn't have missed it for anything in the world.
My bags are packed.
Everybody'll be squishy by 1 1 .
We can sneak out then.
We'll drive, Danny.
Anywhere in the world.
Anywhere in the world.
Meet me out at the old garage-- the one behind the gardener's shed, the back road.
l love you.
[fizzing.]
Hello, Howard.
Well, hello.
l didn't think you'd be here.
l thought your husband-- Oh, yes, he's om on another one of those trips.
But why should that stop me from traveling? See you later, maybe? We had the pleasure of meeting him Iast summer in Lausanne.
l'd taken Merle to Switzerland.
The trip was very beneficial, l thought.
Poor Olivia.
What was he like? Oh, it was indeed a rare privilege.
He is such a quaint old gentleman.
He speaks pe_ect English, but l am sure he learned it from reading the classics.
[laughter.]
He always referred to me as Mistress Langley.
lt sounded terribly elegant but a little bit naughty.
[chatter.]
[doorbell rings.]
- [door opens.]
- Good evening, sir.
[Paul.]
Oh, good evening, Corbett.
Oh, uh, Mr.
Drake, l would like for you to mix around and have fun.
l understand, Mrs.
Langley.
- But keep an eye on Merle.
- All right.
l have a terrible headache.
l've got to lie down.
[knocking.]
l say, old man, have you seen Margo around? Margo Stevens? Sorry.
l don't know the lady.
Oh, well, it doesn't matter.
l'm trying to locate a Mr.
Pierce.
l don't suppose you know him.
Not intimately, but l do know of him.
And from what l've heard, l suggest you check at the bar.
Thanks.
Sorry l couldn't help you.
Don't give it a thought.
l'd like a messenger sent to Mr.
Julian Kirk's home, please.
To a Miss Lenore Adams, Village Motel on Lankershim Boulevard.
Room number 32.
Yes, that's in North Hollywood.
l'd like your fast service on that, please.
[door opens.]
[laughter, chatter.]
Blue Streak.
lt's all ready for you.
You made good time.
Not much tramic this late.
That'll be 4 bucks.
Sounds like a party at the big house.
You ought to try reading with that racket.
You ought to crash it.
Bet there's nobody sober enough to even notice.
Keep the change.
Much obliged.
Good night.
Good night.
Danny.
Nope.
Miss Telford, l'm afraid the elopement's om.
Who are you? Paul Drake.
l'm a private detective.
You can't stop me.
You've no right to.
l'm 21 .
No.
That isn't the reason.
Your aunt-- Your diamonds have been stolen.
No one can leave till the police get here.
l don't care about those old diamonds-- Merle, let's go back to the house.
Merle, my dear child Olivia, your aunt-- Mr.
Drake told me.
Somebody stole Grandmother's diamonds.
But it doesn't matter, Uncle Howard.
l'm afraid it's more serious than that, Merle.
Your Aunt Olivia is dead.
She's been murdered.
You warned her didn't you, Cousin Ju!lian? You said somebody would cut her throat.
[Gina.]
Just a minute.
Messenger service.
Package for Miss Lenore Adams.
All right.
Thank you.
[slam.]
[phone rings.]
Hello.
Oh, Paul.
How's the party? lt died.
So did the hostess.
What do you mean? Well, somebody stole the family jewels after all and slipped a knife into Mrs.
Langley at the same time.
Perry, could you come over right away? My responsibility here is to the niece Merle, and the way things are shaping up, the poor kid's going to need help fast.
What kind of help? Well, right now, the case depends on who's got those diamonds, which is like looking for a needle in a haystack because this place is enormous.
But there's one place the police haven't looked-- Merle's luggage.
Why not? They can't find the keys.
Paul, do you have the keys? You guessed it.
Merle slipped them to me with a pleading look.
Perry, l'd appreciate it if you were here when Lieutenant Anderson forces the locks.
Okay, Sergeant, thank you very much.
All right, no one left the party early.
No one has those diamonds in their possession.
So we're starting to search the grounds now and that other house across the way.
Without a search warrant? We didn't think you'd mind, Mr.
Kirk.
No, no.
Anytime.
But in the meantime, this luggage.
Miss Telford, have you remembered yet what you did with the keys? l lost them, l told you.
Then l'm afraid we'll have to force the-- Good evening, Lieutenant.
Perry, come in.
You don't mind, do you, Andy? Not at all.
Come in, counselor.
l won't even ask who your client is.
l was about to spring the locks on some luggage, but l'll bet a lawyer could think of a better way to get them open.
l, uh, do happen to have some keys that might fit.
Worth a try, anyway.
[lock unlatches.]
Well, what do you know? Well, they're not here, either.
l don't understand it, but as evidence of murder, they're not all that important.
Surely you don't think Merle could have murdered her aunt.
As a matter of fact, Mr.
Langley, from the information l've gotten so far, it seemed entirely possible.
And this rather clinches it, don't you think? [women gasp.]
Of course, we'll have to establish this as the murder weapon, but l don't think there's much doubt of it.
lsn't that slip lovely? Aunt Olivia would have a fit if she knew.
She never let me buy clothes like that.
The nature of the fatal wound indicated it had been inflicted by a sharp instrument of rather peculiar shape.
Of a peculiar shape.
Doctor, l show you State's Exhibit 5, which was discovered in the bag of the defendant.
Do you recognize this? l do.
It's commonly known as a dirk.
The blade exactly fit the wound.
Did you discover anything else about it which would establish it as the murder weapon? Yes.
The blood stains were also tested in my presence and found to be the same type as that of the dead woman.
Thank you, Doctor.
Mr.
Mason.
Doctor, was the deceased intoxicated at the time of her death? l wouldn't think so, Mr.
Mason.
Our tests did show a small percentage of alcohol in her system, but not much.
Your tests showed something else, didn't they? Yes, chloral hydrate.
That's commonly known as knock-out drops, isn't it? That's right.
Thank you, Doctor.
That'll be all.
Mr.
Langley, as l understand it, you are the legal guardian of the defendant and the trustee of her estate.
That's right, sir.
Merle's parents died rather tragically when Merle was only 12 years old.
lsn't it true that in actual practice, your late wife was the real acting guardian of the defendant? Well, yes.
She needed a woman to look after her.
And isn't it a fact that the decedent really managed your niece's trust fund, too? Someone had to look after things.
And then, Merle is simply not equipped to handle large sums of money and may not be for some time yet.
Large sums of money, Mr.
Langley? How large? l believe the principal is in the neighborhood of 250,OOO.
That's in addition to real estate, like the house you live in, and personal property like the still-missing diamond necklace.
- Is that so? - That's correct, sir.
Mr.
Langley, why was your wife wearing the defendant's necklace? lt's e_remely valuable.
As l've said before, Merle doesn't understand of the value of things.
She could have lost them.
Yes, of course.
As a matter of fact, the necklace seems to be lost anyway, doesn't it? Although, of course, there are a thousand places where anyone who knew the estate might have hidden it.
Mr.
Langley, tell me this.
Did the defendant resent your wife's wearing that necklace? She cried.
Yes, l'm afraid they fought about it several times.
Did your niece receive an allowance, Mr.
Langley? Well, not in cash, but she did have charge accounts practically everywhere.
Yes, l have a charge slip here, signed by the defendant, reserving two seats on a plane.
The destination is San Francisco.
The departure time is the night of the murder.
- Were you aware of this? - My wife told me about it.
She cancelled the reservations.
Sid your wife also tell you who Merle had intended to occupy the other seat? Yes.
A Mr.
Pierce.
lt was just a childish romantic whim on Merle's part.
l'm sure it was nothing serious.
But your late wife did object to their proposed elopement.
Well, yes, but-- Enough to hire a private detective to make sure to prevent it? lt was for Merle's own good.
lsn't it true, Mr.
Langley, that your wife's attitude toward Merle's young man only led to angrier tears and angrier fights between them? Yes.
l have no further questions.
Mr.
Langley, l believe the murder weapon has been identified as belonging to you.
Yes.
It was something l picked up in Italy on one of my trips.
lt was of some historic interest.
l kept it hanging in my study in plain sight for anyone, you understand.
Where were you at the approximate time of the murder? l was in the garden.
Alone? No.
Then there's someone who can verify your whereabouts? Mr.
Mason, l see no reason to involve an innocent person in these proceedings.
Why not? Would it be embarrassing to that person? Or would it be embarrassing to you? l simply see no reason to reveal her name.
And neither do l.
lf it please the court, counsel is just employing his usual shotgun method here.
l'll withdraw the question, Your Honor.
That'll be all, Mr.
Langley.
l noticed a few minutes earlier that the defendant had left the party and changed her clothes, as though for traveling.
Naturally, l was curious, watchful.
You say that you saw her later in the upstairs hall.
Where was this? She came running out of her aunt's room.
The poor child was white as a sheet.
Terrified, l thought.
Naturally, l didn't let her see me.
Naturally.
But, Mr.
Corbett, did you notice anything else about her? She clutched something under her jacket with one hand, and her other hand she held stimly away from her.
There was some dark moisture on it.
l can't say positively it was blood.
No, l can't, sir.
Just something dark.
And then she disappeared toward the back staiM/ay.
Mr.
Pierce, am l correct in assuming that yours and the defendant's proposed flight to San Francisco-- or your proposed flight anywhere-- would have been in the nature of an elopement? Well, yes, Merle wanted to try it.
You anticipated opposition, then? l figured that Aunt Olivia would try to stop us if she could.
Did she object to you on personal grounds, Mr.
Pierce? Well, no, not actually.
lt would've been the same with anybody.
See, she just wasn't letting Merle meet any men.
Objection.
The witness is stating an opinion.
Your Honor, l believe the proper groundwork can be laid to make the witness' Iast answer admissible.
Very well, Mr.
Burger.
Proceed.
Mr.
Pierce, how long have you known the defendant? - A few weeks.
- And how did you meet her? l can't recall the exact circumstances, but it was an accident.
Danny! - You mustn't interrupt, Merle.
- But he remembers how we met.
- He must.
- Tell me later.
What do you mean by accident, Mr.
Pierce? The watchdog went to sleep on the job-- Mrs.
Langley's chaumeur.
Whenever Merle did get out of that house, he was always sent along.
Really? How did you manage to carry on your courtship? Well, it wasn't easy.
We met in tearooms.
[spectators chuckle.]
Mr.
Pierce, the very fact that the defendant continued to see you under these circumstances was a form of rebellion against such strict supervision, wasn't it? Why, then, since the defendant became Iegally of age on her recent birthday, did you find it necessary to plan an elopement? That didn't really mean anything.
You see, Merle was sort of like a zombie as far as her aunt was concerned, and she had to get fighting mad before she'd stand up to her.
- Objection.
- Sustained.
The witness will refrain from giving opinions.
l have no further questions, Your Honor.
[murmuring.]
Tell me now, Merle.
l got to know Danny through Gina.
That's how we used to meet.
He couldn't have forgotten.
Who is Gina? Gina Gilbert.
She's sitting in the back row, ne_ to Corbett.
l asked her to come and be moral support.
[Judge.]
Mr.
Mason, We await your pleasure.
My apologies, Your Honor.
What is your occupation, Mr.
Pierce? l'm unemployed at the present.
And when you are working? A salesman.
Mr.
Pierce, have you ever been convicted of a felony? - No.
- No? lsn't it true you that two years ago, in Fort Worth, Texas, you were arrested for robbery? But l was cleared.
Your Honor, l object to that.
The police are quite properly investigating everyone who conceivably could have taken that necklace.
But a mere arrest is not evidence of bad character which can impeach a witness, and counselor very well knows that.
lf it please the court, l'm not trying to impeach this witness.
l'm just attempting to cross-examine him on his claim that the objections of the deceased to his marrying my client were unreasonable.
l think you've made your point, Mr.
Mason.
Objection overruled.
Now, Mr.
Pierce, are you married? No.
Certainly not.
Are you acquainted with a woman by the name of Jayne Simmons of Fort Worth, Texas? Yeah.
l was married to her seven or eight years ago, but she got a divorce.
[Mason.]
l see.
Your Honor, l would like to request an adjournment until tomorrow morning.
Why, Mr.
Mason? Well, it is approaching the hour of adjournment, and my examination of this witness may be rather lengthy.
l see.
Mr.
Burger? Well, Your Honor lf counselor really wants time to prepare for this hearing a little more fully, l think the prosecution might exercise tolerance.
l think that's uncalled for, Mr.
Burger.
Court stands adjourned till 10:OO tomorrow morning.
That certainly was a nasty crack Burger made when you asked for an adjournment.
Nasty but accurate.
lf Burger had a client as confused and frightened as Merle Telford, he'd be stalling every other minute.
She certainly hasn't been much help.
After all the hours you've spent talking to her, for her to suddenly think of this Gina Gilbert.
Apparently, Gina became acquainted with Merle while taking pictures of her house for a magazine.
Then she introduced her to Danny and subtly arranged for them to meet a number of times.
Sounds like a well worked out campaign.
Yes, but not a campaign for Danny to marry Merle.
His wife had never filed for a divorce.
Well, whatever it was between Danny and the Gilbert woman, it wasn't romance.
l don't know who yet, but she's seeing somebody.
So perhaps Danny was a business arrangement.
lt'll be hard to prove.
And if Gina was anywhere near the party that night, l didn't see her, and l can't find anybody who did.
At a big party, that doesn't rule it out, Paul.
That's true.
Look, if Mrs.
Langley was unconscious during the theft, there'd be no reason for Danny to kill her-- that is, if Danny was the thief.
No.
But there would be plenty of reason for Merle to do it.
And the murder weapon was still locked in her bag, so you can't very well say it was planted there.
She admits putting it there, all right.
She planned to get rid of later.
She'd gone into Olivia's bedroom to get some traveling money from her desk.
She recognized the knife as one belonging to her Uncle Howard.
You mean she swiped it and ran out with it, just to protect him? What else could she have thought? It was his knife.
She tells me that Olivia was ten times as rough on Howard as she was on her.
Yeah, but with a kookie kid like that-- Merle seems about 14 years old only because Olivia deliberately held her back.
How would you have acted in that kind of situation? All right.
Here's the rest of my report.
One of my men on another case accidentally stumbled on a messenger service boy who made a pickup at the house ne_ door while the party was going on.
What time? Late enough so the package could have been the necklace.
But l couldn't see the guy.
l wouldn't know who it was, in the dark like that.
He just handed me down this thick envelope from the porch, and l gave him a receipt and that's it.
Then you delivered the envelope here? Yes, sir.
The addressee was a dame in room 32 there.
l got it in the book.
Then what happened? I Well, l knocked on the door and she answered, and l-- She answered right away? Yeah.
Yeah, l think so.
Anyway, she opens the door, and she sticks an arm out, and l give her the package, and she shuts the door.
Just an arm? That's all you saw? Well, her head some when she leaned out, but she had a towel draped over it like she was washing her hair, maybe.
With the light behind her, l couldn't see what she looked like When you make a delivery, you get a signature, don't you? Uh, well, yeah, only-- This one? This one right here? Well, the trouble is, see, she shut the door real quick, and l-- l guess l sort of filled in the signature line myself.
That could get you in trouble, couldn't it? l know, mister, but, l mean, the way she was and everything, l just didn't want to push the door down.
What do you mean, the way she was? Well, the bare arm and the towel-- Holy smoke, l just figured she was maybe-- maybe naked.
All right.
Paul, you'd better go down to police headquarters with him.
- Good night, Miss.
- Good night.
- And thank you.
- [Man.]
Yes, sir.
Della, l want you to get a subpoena for-- What's the matter, Perry? Suppose the woman in that room wasn't maybe naked.
Mr.
Pierce, did you steal that diamond necklace? No sir, l did not.
Did you induce chloral hydrate into Mrs.
Langley's system? No.
lsn't it true that you never had any intentions of marrying Miss Telford? No, that's not true.
Then you must have intended to commit bigamy, Mr.
Pierce, because you knew all along your wife had never divorced you.
l didn't know any such thing.
She said she was going to.
l assumed she had.
Who's Gina Gilbert? l don't-- She's a girl l know.
Just a friend, that's all.
She a friend of Merle's, too.
Objection.
Your Honor, if counselor gets much farther afield, we'll-- l'll discontinue this line of questioning, Your Honor.
And l'm finished with this witness for the moment.
You're excused, Mr.
Pierce.
Call your ne_ witness, Mr.
Burger.
Then l call Mr.
Julian Kirk.
That's right.
My house is ne_ door.
lt was the guest house on the estate when my grandmother was alive.
She left it to me in her will.
Was that all she left you? Some other odds and ends of property.
All the real money went to Olivia-- l mean Merle.
Then you were familiar with the situation that existed at the Langley house? l was certainly aware of how completely Olivia dominated Merle.
lt's not the girl's fault she's neurotic.
Are you by any chance a trained psychiatrist, Mr.
Kirk? Well, no, but all you-- Then you're certainly not qualified to judge the defendant's mental condition.
Now, then, was your knowledge of the situation of the house ne_ door based on personal observation? Mostly.
But the chaumeur kept me informed, too.
Did you witness a quarrel between the defendant and her aunt a couple of days prior to the murder? Well, Merle was annoyed because Olivia objected to the elopement, if that's what you mean.
Wasn't she more than annoyed, Mr.
Kirk? Wouldn't it be more accurate to say that she was fighting mad? She was angry.
Perhaps the degree of her irritation could be estimated if you would tell us what the defendant shouted at her aunt.
She said-- Yes, Mr.
Kirk? Well, she said, ''lf you try to stop me, l'll kill you.
'' Your witness.
Mr.
Kirk, when the bulk of your grandmother's estate was left to your cousin Miss Telford, were you annoyed, irritated, perhaps even angry? Furious, l think, would be the best description.
But l recovered nicely in time.
You were on good terms with your cousin? As much as Olivia would permit.
One night, Merle walked in her sleep and came directly toward my house.
Subconsciously, she preferred me to Olivia-- Objection, Your Honor.
The witness has previously testified to having had no training in psychiatry.
Sustained.
Let us turn now to the night of the party.
Where were you at the approximate time the murder occurred? Well, in the living room, for one thing, Iooking out into the garden.
ls there anyone who can verify that? Yes.
Mr.
Paul Drake.
He asked if l knew where he could find Danny Pierce, and l asked him if he'd seen Margo Stevens.
l'm sure he'd recall the conversation.
Mr.
Kirk, since you were Iooking out into the garden, perhaps you saw Howard Langley out there.
Well, yes, as a matter of fact, l did.
That's why l asked Drake about Margo Stevens.
They were necking in the bushes.
That's a lie! l wasn't in the garden with Howard or anyone else.
Young lady, l will not tolerate such outbursts.
But it's not true.
Any more interruptions, and l'll have the bailim remove you from the courtroom.
lt was really pretty dark.
Maybe l'm wrong.
But l doubt it.
Then how can you be certain the man was Howard Langley? Well, l saw him go outside.
Your Honor, at this time, l would like to recall Howard Langley to the stand.
Your Honor.
Counselor's strategy is transparently obvious.
These desperate attempts to cover his own client's guilt by directing suspicion on others-- Mr.
Mason? lf it please the court, the suspicion is already in existence and should be clearly established or eliminated.
Surely our prosecutor, with his great tolerance, can't object to that.
The suspicion exists, Your Honor, in Mr.
Mason's mind and nowhere else.
Neither the police nor the District Attorney's omice could find any grounds for it.
Then by your own argument, Mr.
Mason can only weaken his own defense by recalling the witness.
Howard Langley will return to the witness stand.
Mr.
Langley, at this time, l ask you for the name of the woman you say was in the garden with you.
Mr.
Mason, you have no right to expose an innocent person to this kind of notoriety.
Very well.
If this court will agree to hear your testimony in private, will you then answer? No.
No, l can't see that l must.
You realize that in refusing to answer, you might be held in contempt of court.
l can only do what my conscience dictates.
Mr.
Langley, didn't you go to your wife's bedroom that night? No.
And didn't you find her unconscious from a drug she'd been given? No.
Didn't you also find that the necklace had been stolen? And didn't you then kill your wife, using this weapon? That's not true! Not true that the necklace had been stolen? Did you also take the necklace, Mr.
Langley? No, l didn't.
No, l was in the garden, l tell you, all that time.
l never left! But a certain woman left that garden, didn't she? The nameless woman you'd been embracing-- That woman left the garden, didn't she? Well-- Well, yes.
She did, as a matter of fact.
Who was that woman, Mr.
Langley? Gina Gilbert.
You filthy old man! You didn't have to tell him! [judge pounding.]
Don't you know what l did for you? Stupid, filthy, rotten man! l knew Howard made a hopeful play for every woman he ever met, but l never guessed he'd got around to Gina.
lt had gone further than that, Mr.
Kirk.
Gina wanted to marry Howard and help him manage Merle's estate, if only Olivia could have been disposed of.
A divorce wasn't the answer because Olivia had such a hold over Merle.
Then Danny came on the scene.
Danny was looking for someone who had entree to the wealthy set.
Gina went along with his plan to steal the necklace because first he knew that she was wanted by the police back east and second because it amorded her a pe_ect chance to murder Olivia.
Gina put on an evening gown, slipped quietly through the party, killed the unconscious Olivia, and got back in time to meet the messenger who delivered the stolen diamonds.
Oh, that's what you meant when you said the girl at the motel was not maybe disrobed.
Exactly.
lt was her evening gown Gina didn't want the messenger to see.
And, in the normal course of events, Danny would have been suspected of the murder.
But things are never normal when little-- Hey, look at the new dress.
Della picked it out.
Oh, l did not.
Isn't she pretty? Sure is.
How about a date? Merle, l think you owe these people a very, very large encomium.
What for, Julian? Well-- thanks.
For saving your life.
Oh, l was going to give them all a big kiss for that, silly.
Subtitled By J.
R.
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