( dramatic theme playing )
Help you, sir?
Oh, Ordeal. It's
phenomenal, isn't it?
Phenomenal?
Yes. Staying
number one
on the bestseller list
for so long now.
I understand they've
sold it for pictures,
and they're going to
adapt it for a play.
It's a story about
three American prisoners
in a Korean
prison camp.
Yeah, yeah. Here.
Yes, sir. Four ninety-five,
plus tax, out of .
( register clatters )
( rings )
Sir, your change.
( horns honking )
ANNOUNCER ( over radio ):
Ahead, Freedom Bells ahead
of Down 'n' Out.
It's Freedom Bells a half
length, then Down 'n' Out.
It's Freedom Bells
and Down 'n' Out.
Across the finish line,
it's Freedom Bells,
the winner by
a length and a half.
( clicks off )
Hello, Harry.
Artie.
Artie Poe.
That's right, Harry.
Artie Poe, back from the dead.
We thought you were
dead, Artie.
We thought they got you.
"We?"
Ben Sutton and me.
I know Ben Sutton
must have thought so.
What do you know
about this?
Heh. Yeah, I heard.
How about Ben
writing a book.
He didn't.
What?
I did.
That diary I kept
all those months.
Oh, yeah.
You mean, this is yours.
But Ben's name.
He took the diary when
he thought I was dead.
He published it
under his own name.
You haven't heard
about it, Harry?
( scoffs )
I never read the book.
I haven't seen Ben
since before he was married,
couple of years ago.
Artie, where
you going?
I found you.
Now, I'm going to find
Ben Sutton.
( dramatic theme playing )
No. You got it
all wrong, Art.
I-- I heard the shot,
saw you fall.
You've got to believe me.
I came back to help.
You came back
for my diary.
Oh, I took it, sure.
Why not? I thought
you were dead.
No. You thought
I was dying.
Fair game.
Well, I was.
The doctors tell me
we all are.
Some of us fast
and some slow.
Now, look, I-- I want to do
the right thing.
But right now--
It's easy to
do the right thing.
All you have to do
is call your publisher,
your theatrical agent,
your picture agent.
Tell them you stole
my property,
and then turn over all the money
you stole from me.
I can't.
I'll have to find a way
to make it up to you.
And I haven't
any money. I'm flat.
But I'll try to
get you some.
I'll try to get you
or ,
to carry you along.
I swear I thought
you were dead.
I took the diary--
All right, Ben.
You figure out
how to handle it.
And I'll take that
,...
on account.
Oh.
Sorry, Ben. I didn't
know you had company.
It's all right.
Uh...this is
Arthur Poe,
Sylvia.
One of the men.
My wife.
One of "the men"?
In the book.
Arthur has
an appointment.
Oh.
Well, I hope we see
you soon, Mr. Poe.
Well, thank you,
Mrs. Sutton.
You're very gracious.
Shall we say
tomorrow evening,
Excuse me.
Sylvia, I need
$,.
( door closes )
I haven't got it.
All right. Then I'll have to
ask your brother for it.
No.
One or the other.
Ben, you leave
Gil alone.
I don't want you making
any more demands on him.
Where are you going?
To visit an old
friend...first.
( slow, dramatic theme playing )
( door closes )
Here you are.
Thanks.
Come back again.
Looks like
he found you.
Of course he did.
I wasn't hiding.
Like a ghost, he was.
Putting that book down.
You told me
he was dead.
I thought he was.
I wouldn't have left him there
if I thought he was alive.
Wouldn't you?
I've got to give him $,.
That's why you're here.
That's right.
Just give it to you.
Just give it back to me.
Oh, I can't, Ben.
The ponies have been
treating me real bad.
Now, you get it.
And get it before the banks
close tomorrow.
You don't want
this whole thing coming out
any more than I do.
Do you, partner?
( dramatic theme playing )
Running away
won't help.
Sylvia!
Why haven't
you spoken
to Gilbert about
the ,?
As a matter of fact,
we did talk it over, Ben.
And weighed all sides
of the question, I trust?
There are just so many trips
you can make to the well,
old fellow,
before it goes dry.
I am in a most
precarious position.
I don't even know if
the money will help me,
but I've got to
have it.
Too bad, but
that's the way it is.
Everything
I have...
everything my wife had,
is in hock.
The whole
world's in hock.
You know why?
You, old fellow.
I promise you...
if my world's
in ruins...
I'll crash it down
around all our heads.
( dramatic theme playing )
( sniffling )
( sobbing )
Sylvia. Sylvia.
Gil, I can't.
I can't go on
living with him.
I can't.
I tried to stop him
from coming here, Gil--
It's all right.
It's all right.
( Sylvia
sobbing )
( tense theme playing )
My brother, Gilbert--
Gilbert Ames
--u-used to be pretty wild.
He's married now
and settled down,
but...about a year
and a half ago,
he was involved in
an automobile accident.
The victim was...
badly injured.
Automobile accident?
Yes. Gil hit
a pedestrian.
A woman.
Was the accident
reported?
No.
And your husband's been
using this knowledge
to get money
from you.
Yes.
How much
have you given him?
Fourteen thousand
dollars in all.
Gil's given him
a considerably larger sum.
Now he wants
$, more.
Otherwise, he'll tell
the police.
It wasn't Gil's fault,
Mr. Mason.
The woman dashed out
from between two cars.
There was no way
to avoid hitting her.
And we've been
more than generous.
W-we paid all of
her hospital bills, surgery.
Money every month.
All right.
What can I do for you now?
How can I stop my husband?
By refusing to pay him
any more blackmail.
Then what?
You don't know him.
( chuckles )
All he can do is
to go to the police.
My advice is for you
to see them first.
Or for your brother
to see them first.
I see.
Mr. Mason, I--
I-- I think I'll go to
Palm Springs for a day or two.
Get away from the city, Ben,
and...try to get this thing
straightened out
in my own mind.
I think that's
a good idea.
When you've made
your decision,
why, get in touch
with me.
( door closes )
I've read her husband's book.
It's a grim book,
but told with humor.
A gentle book filled with
humanity and warmth...
tragedies all around.
Funny how you can't tell
what a man is like
by the way
he writes.
Hm.
I'd like to read it.
I'll see that
you get a copy.
( melancholy theme playing )
Good evening.
( ringing )
Hello.
Yes, speaking.
Hello, Marian. What--?
( indistinct chatter )
What?
Gil did what?
k*lled Ben with
the fireplace poker.
( sobbing ):
He just called
from your house.
He said he wasn't
coming home,
and that we shouldn't try
to find him.
And that he wasn't going to
tell the police anything.
D-- Don't you tell
the police anything either.
I'll think of something.
Nobody knows about
this yet, do they?
No.
M-Marian, if Gil calls,
tell him not to
say anything to anybody.
Now do you understand
that, Marian?
Yes. Yes.
Bless you, Sylvia.
Goodbye.
( hangs up phone )
( suspenseful theme playing )
Tsk.
( grunts )
( suspenseful theme continuing )
( engine starts )
( car approaching )
( brakes screech )
( suspenseful theme playing )
Hello?
Hey, I want a cab.
Yeah, Seward
and Eleanor.
( indistinct chatter
on phone )
Hm. Make it
fast, huh?
( hangs up phone )
Here.
Hey, I can't
change this.
( gruff voice ):
Just hang on to it.
I'll be right back
as soon as
I take care of
what I have to.
( suspenseful theme continuing )
( gasps )
( dramatic theme playing )
Oh! Oh.
( gasps )
What--?
Why don't you look
where you're going?
( footsteps
receding )
Take me back
to Seward Avenue.
( engine
starts )
( taxi driving off )
( knock on door )
( knock on door )
MAN:
Open up.
( knocking continues )
Mrs. Sylvia Sutton?
Yes?
You'll have to
come with us.
Where?
W-w-- What for?
Sheriff's office.
We're holding you
for Lieutenant Tragg,
L.A. Homicide.
( slow, suspenseful theme
playing )
Cleaning maid saw you take
her dress and her bandanna.
She reported it
to the clerk.
When Lieutenant Tragg started
to check on your whereabouts,
why, it was easy enough
to pin you down.
I see.
I'm not very adept
at contriving, am I?
You made a pretty
good effort.
Were you just trying to
confuse the police?
I hoped I could
throw suspicion
on a woman who
didn't really exist.
Trying to protect
your brother again.
Where is he?
I don't know.
Your sister-in-law did say
that Gilbert k*lled him?
Yes.
Mr. Mason,
she called me at :.
Now, I didn't even get to
my house till after :.
Can't--? Can't they tell
when Ben died?
Yes.
Well, then they can't
believe I k*lled him.
Mrs. Sutton...
your husband died just about
the time you arrived.
You're sure?
The police crime
laboratory is sure.
Well, that proves that Gil
didn't k*ll him.
No.
It only proves that Gilbert
didn't k*ll him at :.
( inhales )
Mr. Mason, will you
help us?
The, uh, man you bumped into
outside the house.
Arthur Poe.
Did he recognize you?
I don't know.
The woman victim
of the accident?
Her name is Kirby.
She lives in Bellflower.
I'll try to help you,
Mrs. Sutton.
( ominous theme playing )
We'll need to find out
all we can about the Kirbys
and the Ames.
All right.
Della, will you
come in, please?
Paul, use all the men you need
to find Mr. Gilbert Ames.
( door closes )
I also want you
to look up a chap
by the name of
Arthur Poe.
Can't tell you where to start,
except he does have a limp.
Yeah.
A decided limp.
He's waiting in
the reception room now.
Oh, um,
tell him to come in.
You got everything?
Mm-hm. Enough to get started.
Check with you later.
( door opens )
Good.
Uh, come in, Mr. Poe.
Mr. Poe, Mr. Mason.
Mason.
Uh, check these over
for me, will you?
Eh, won't you
sit down?
Right over here.
Now, what can I
do for you?
I understand that
you represent Sylvia Sutton.
I--
Oh, um...have you
read Ordeal?
Oh, yes. Why?
It's my book. I wrote it.
You wrote it?
Yes. It was my ordeal.
Ordeal, Mr. Poe?
An ordeal not of dying...
but of being afraid.
The, um...book ends
just as all three men
begin their escape.
We, um-- We don't know
what happens to them.
You are testing me,
Mr. Mason.
All right.
If the characters are true...
then what happens to them
is inevitable.
The book...my diary...
was written in a Communist
prison camp in North Korea.
On the night
of the escape,
we'd gotten about
a mile from camp.
Uh, you say "we."
Who were the other two?
Ben Sutton and Harry Wilson.
He runs a cigar store
downtown.
Go on, Mr. Poe.
Well, Harry had gotten
a little ahead of us.
Patrol caught up with Ben
and me, and I was hit.
You were recaptured?
Yes. I was in solitary
confinement for three years
and imprisoned in China
for several more.
And what about the diary?
Well, I, uh--
I thought the Communists
had destroyed it.
It was a pretty big shock,
Mr. Mason, to...
see that book
in a bookstore window.
( sighs )
So then you went looking
for Ben Sutton.
Yes.
Mrs. Sutton said
she met you at their house
night before last.
Yes, that's right.
She said you promised to return
to the house last night
about :.
I did return. Only it was
a little after .
Uh, what were you returning
to the Sutton house for?
Oh, Ben was to have
figured out the best way
to, um...handle the situation.
I see.
And without his confession
that Ordeal was stolen from you,
you may have
some difficulty
in proving authorship.
Yes.
Oh, uh, what about this,
uh, third party?
I talked with Harry
this morning.
In return for remembering
that I wrote Ordeal,
he wants one-third of my future
and $, in advance.
What is your object
in coming to see me?
To ask you to help me
establish ownership of Ordeal.
My, uh...
sympathies are with you...
but there's a possibility
of a conflict of interest.
Yes, yes, I understand.
But let me explain.
There's one indisputable way
I can prove authorship.
And that is?
The diary, in my handwriting.
If Ben kept it.
Now, I realize that Mrs. Sutton
might be loath to
admit its existence,
if she has possession of it,
since I would
have a claim
against her husband's
estate.
( chuckles )
Most people are honest, Mr. Poe.
Forgive me...
but I have found that
most people can resist
anything except temptation.
So will you assure
Mrs. Sutton...
that I will relinquish
any pecuniary claim
in return for the recognition
to which I'm entitled.
Thank you.
( door closes )
ANNOUNCER ( over radio ):
...Tassel, and the morning
line will read:
Demagogue, ten.
Saint Jo, eight.
Black Bart, three and a half.
Princelet, two and a half--
Be with you in a second.
--six. Playbill, .
Decatur, five--
( radio clicks off )
My name is Mason,
Mr. Wilson.
I'd like to ask you
a few questions.
Well, I know very
few answers, Mr. Mason.
When was the last time
you saw Ben Sutton?
Couple of
years ago.
I understand he played
the horses too.
Did he?
I wouldn't know.
Who wrote Ordeal,
Mr. Wilson?
Ben Sutton
or Arthur Poe?
Oh, I see
you talked to Artie.
He's been after me to make some
kind of a statement about that.
Fine. If it'll
help him...
and me.
Fine. I'd be glad to.
But you wouldn't if
it wouldn't help you.
If you see Artie, tell him
he had me pegged in the book.
I'm the realist,
out for the buck.
( horn
honking )
He did write it then.
Oh, sure.
Just between us, of course.
( suspenseful theme playing )
MARIAN:
No.
No, I haven't
heard from him.
You do want to help
your sister-in-law,
don't you, Mrs. Ames?
Yes, of course,
if I can.
You know, it just doesn't seem
likely to me that Gilbert
would have disappeared
without calling on you
from time to time.
Without trying to get
in touch with you in some way.
He called me just
that one time.
Tell me exactly
what he said.
( brush clacks )
I can't
really remember.
( lighter
clicking )
Didn't he say that
he had k*lled Ben Sutton
with a fireplace
poker?
I don't remember,
Mr. Mason.
He was very excited.
He could have said that Ben was
k*lled with the fireplace poker,
not that he had k*lled him.
Anyway, Ben didn't die
from the fireplace poker.
He died from a blow
with a bottle.
When you phoned to
Palm Springs,
precisely what did you tell
your sister-in-law?
I don't remember, Mr. Mason.
I might have said something
that Sylvia misunderstood.
What did you do
after the call to Sylvia?
Nothing.
I stayed right here.
Why?
Didn't you go
to the Sutton home?
No.
Mrs. Ames...
exactly what was your
relationship with Ben Sutton?
No relationship.
I hated him.
Why are you asking me
all these questions, Mr. Mason?
What are you getting at?
Are you trying to make it seem
as though I k*lled Ben?
Or that Gil did?
I'm trying to get
at the truth.
Now, why is Gilbert
in hiding?
You must know. He's trying
to protect his sister.
What else could it be?
It could be that he's trying
to protect you, Mrs. Ames.
( dramatic theme playing )
The closest estimate
I can make on the amount
of Benjamin Sutton's earnings
during the past two years
is $,.
That seems ample.
You're so right.
However, it gets
whittled down some
with taxes, agents' fees
and living expenses.
But still leave
a substantial amount.
It's almost
inconceivable
that he would be hard-pressed
for $,.
And, of course,
that is not counting
the money he took
from his wife
and his brother-in-law,
Gilbert Ames.
That was blackmail.
What have you got
on the accident?
Was it hit-and-run?
Mm-hm. Technically.
Only because they
didn't report it.
However, Mrs. Kirby
has been receiving
this $ money order
every month.
MASON:
What did the accident
do to her?
PAUL:
Paralyzed her.
And incidentally, there
won't be any more operations.
Celia Kirby is never going
to get any better.
She's permanently paralyzed
from the waist down.
And I guess
that's why Mr. Kirby
decided to
unburden himself.
About what, Paul?
He said he wasn't
gonna take any more money
from either Mrs. Sutton
or Mr. Ames.
He said he never wanted
the money anyway,
except that his wife
needed it for the operations.
And now that there aren't
gonna be any more operations,
he doesn't care
if the whole world knows:
It was not Gilbert Ames
who struck his wife.
It wasn't?
Who was it then?
Your client
struck her, Perry.
Then Sylvia Sutton wasn't
protecting her brother.
Her brother, Gil,
was protecting her.
So it would seem.
And Ben Sutton was
blackmailing Sylvia.
( inhales )
Paul...
( sighs )
I'm not sure we want
Gilbert Ames found now.
You better call off
your men.
All right.
( rings )
Hello.
Speaking.
( indistinct
chatter )
Oh, I see.
Okay. Thanks a lot.
It's too late, Perry.
Gilbert Ames
has been found...
by Lieutenant Tragg.
( dramatic theme playing )
Upon examination of
the body of the deceased,
w-we found bits of crystal
embedded in the skull.
Uh, these came from
the shattered decanter.
Unconsciousness
was, uh, instantaneous.
Death within, uh,
five to ten minutes.
And what was the time
of death, doctor?
Between :
and :
on the evening
of Wednesday, October th.
Thank you, doctor.
Your witness.
Doctor, was the fatal wound
the only blow?
No. The skin had been
broken at the hairline
above the left eye
by, uh, some hard,
blunt instrument.
A fireplace poker,
perhaps?
It could have
been a poker.
MASON:
Was this wound serious?
AUTOPSY SURGEON:
Probably caused unconsciousness,
but it, uh, wasn't fatal.
Do you have any idea
what time
the blow could have been
inflicted?
Two or three hours
prior to death, I'd say.
MASON:
Thank you, doctor.
That'll be all.
BURGER:
I call Miss Croft
to the stand, please.
And will you tell us
what you saw
on the night
of October th?
Well, I saw her--
That one. Uh,
the defendant.
--making off with
my dress and scarf.
Uh, of course, I only got
a glimpse of the dress,
but, uh, I really
saw the scarf.
There's no mistaking it.
And she was shoving it
in her pocket
as she hurried
down the stairs.
And then what did you do,
Miss Croft?
Well, I reported it.
That's what.
And I must say, it gave me
a great deal of pleasure too.
After years
at this kind of work,
it's the first time
that a cleaning woman
ever accused a guest
of stealing.
Ah. Yes, I see
what you mean.
Now, I show you this dress
and this scarf.
I ask if you can
identify them for us.
Sure.
That's them.
Mine.
I had an appointment
with Ben Sutton.
I arrived a little late.
A taxi was idling at the curb,
and as I started up the walk,
why, a woman ran from the house
and bumped into me.
And how was
this woman dressed?
Well, she was wearing
a, um, green print dress
and a scarf,
or, um, bandanna.
I show you now...
this scarf
and this dress,
marked Exhibits
G and H,
and I ask if you
recognize them.
Yes. They look like
the articles worn
by the woman
who bumped into me.
I see.
Go on, Mr. Poe.
What happened next?
Well, I went up to the door
and rang the bell,
but received no response.
She'd left the door unlocked,
so I went in, found Ben Sutton,
and then called
the police.
And what time
was that?
About a quarter
after .
Thank you, sir.
Your witness.
Now, Mr. Poe...
what was the purpose of
your visit with Ben Sutton?
We were to discuss
how Ben would handle
the rather, um,
delicate question
of acknowledging
that the book Ordeal
had been written
not by him...
but by me.
( crowd murmuring )
( pen thumps )
What was the condition
of the room
in which the body
was found?
The living room?
It was a shambles.
As though there had been
a fight of some kind?
Well, yes, but,
uh, not entirely.
As though someone had been
searching for something?
Well, I'm not
a detective, Mr. Mason,
but it would appear
that way to me.
Cabinet drawers
were pulled open,
the contents scattered.
Uh, pillows thrown
around the room.
That sort of thing.
Thank you, Mr. Poe.
That'll be all.
JUDGE:
Stand down, Mr. Poe.
BURGER:
Now, lieutenant,
I call your attention
to the hem of this dress,
Exhibit G,
and to the stain
thereon.
I ask you if this stain
was subjected to
laboratory analysis.
Yes it was.
It's a bloodstain.
Oh, was it determined
whether or not it's a bloodstain
of the same type as that
of the defendant?
No.
Is it the same blood type
as that of Miss Croft,
who owned this dress?
No. No, sir.
Well, what is then
the significance of
this bloodstain, lieutenant?
It's the same blood type
as the deceased's.
BURGER:
Thank you, lieutenant.
Your witness.
Lieutenant...
the m*rder w*apon
introduced earlier
is this cut-glass
liquor decanter,
is it not?
Yes.
Lieutenant, if you were going
to swing this decanter
at someone,
how would you hold it?
Well, by
the neck.
You mean here?
Of course.
But there were no fingerprints
found at this point, however,
were there?
No. Defendant's
prints were found
on some of the large pieces
from the lower part.
What else was found
in the m*rder room?
An unfired .-caliber
revolver on the floor.
Did you have an examination made
of the carpet near the body?
Yes.
What did you find?
Well, we found,
uh, bloodstains
and, uh, traces of liquor.
Then apparently this decanter
was full of liquor
when it struck
the deceased.
Yes.
Now, lieutenant...
I ask whether
Exhibit G,
the, uh, green print dress,
was tested for liquor.
Yes, it was. And we found
no trace of it.
Uh, don't you think it
a strange circumstance,
lieutenant...that, uh...
if the defendant did break
a full decanter of liquor,
that not one drop of it
would have splashed on her?
Well, it is improbable.
But it could
happen that way.
( chuckles )
Thank you, lieutenant.
That will be all.
JUDGE:
Stand down, lieutenant.
I call Mr. Alan Kirby,
please.
And while it was
her own fault
that the accident
happened...
it was against the law
not reporting it.
In that brief second
before the car hit--
MASON:
Object, Your Honor.
On the basis that
this is not best evidence.
Is Mrs. Kirby
available?
Your Honor,
Mrs. Kirby is
paralyzed from
the waist down.
It would work
a severe hardship on her
to have to bring her
to court.
However, the prosecution
does have
an affidavit from
Mrs. Kirby, if--
Mr. Mason?
For the purposes
of this hearing,
defense will accept
an affidavit.
JUDGE:
Very well.
Clerk will read
the affidavit.
Dated "Friday,
October the th."
"On the day of March the th
of this year,
"I was struck by
a green convertible car
"on Mill Drive,
near Wilshire Boulevard.
"The driver of the car
was a woman whose name
I subsequently learned
was Sylvia Sutton."
Now, Mr. Ames. By your continued
reluctance to testify,
you are being considered
a hostile witness.
The prosecutor may ask you
leading questions.
You will answer to
the best of your ability
on pain of
contempt of court.
Thank you,
Your Honor.
Mr. Ames...
in subsequent
conversations
with Ben Sutton,
the deceased,
didn't he mention
your sister, the defendant?
Yes, of course
he mentioned her.
As a matter of fact,
didn't Ben Sutton tell you
that if your sister
asked him for a divorce,
he would reveal the details
of her hit-and-run accident?
Yes.
All right.
Now, Mr. Ames...
at approximately :
on the night of October th,
didn't you phone your wife
and tell her that Ben Sutton
was dead, m*rder*d?
Yes.
BURGER:
Why did you
find it necessary
to leave town,
Mr. Ames?
I--
I was afraid
I'd be blamed.
Isn't it a fact that you were
afraid your sister
had k*lled Ben Sutton,
and you left town to avoid
being questioned about it?
Object.
Incompetent, irrelevant
and immaterial.
Your witness.
Um, before I proceed,
Your Honor,
among the spectators
there's a prospective witness.
I ask that this person be
removed from the courtroom
during my cross-examination
of Gilbert Ames.
Uh, to whom do you
refer, counselor?
Uh, Mrs. Marian Ames.
JUDGE:
Bailiff will escort
Mrs. Ames out of the courtroom.
( door closes )
Uh, Mr. Ames...
you testified that
you called your wife
at approximately :.
Yes.
You had examined
Benjamin Sutton
and mistaken him
for dead.
You told your wife
that you had k*lled him,
that you were not
going to the police,
that you were going
into hiding.
It wasn't exactly like that.
Well, how was it?
I was very excited.
I-I did think Ben was dead.
The poker was close by, and he
didn't seem to be breathing.
So I-- I called my wife
and said Ben
had been k*lled.
Then your wife
misunderstood you.
Well, as I said, I might not
have been coherent.
It was a shock to me.
Now, uh...
how did you get
into your sister's house?
Was the door open?
No. I-- I have a key.
And what was your purpose
in going there?
I...
I wanted to have
a talk with Ben.
About what?
He was--
He was threatening
Sylvia and me with exposure...
about the accident
with Mrs. Kirby.
All right.
Now you were inside the house.
Was the m*rder room disturbed?
Was there any evidence
of a search?
No.
Now, we've heard testimony
here today
that you left the m*rder room
at :,
and it bore no evidence
of a search.
Yet a few
minutes after :...
Arthur Poe entered the room,
and it did bear
evidence of a search.
Now, how do you
account for that?
Well, it would seem
someone was there
in between those times.
Could it have been
your wife?
No.
How could you be so sure?
What about before
you arrived?
Couldn't she have gone--?
Your Honor.
I object to this line
of questioning.
It's argumentative.
It calls for a conclusion
of the witness.
Sustained.
I, um--
I'm finished with this witness.
I call Mrs. Marian Ames.
Bailiff, Mrs. Ames.
You may stand down.
( dramatic theme playing )
I called her in Palm Springs.
I said Gilbert had
called me and told me
that Ben Sutton
had been m*rder*d.
And what did she say?
She said not to say
anything to anybody,
and...that she'd
take care of it.
Now, Mrs. Ames...
between : and :
on the night of the m*rder,
were you in the Sutton
home at all?
No.
Thank you, Mrs. Ames.
That'll be all.
Cross-examine.
Mrs. Ames...I'm going to
ask you a few questions,
uh, pertaining to
the telephone conversation
you had with
your husband
on the night
of the m*rder.
Now...
did he say that
he had m*rder*d Ben Sutton?
No. I-I misunderstood him.
I was terribly upset. I'm sorry.
Did he say that he was going
to remain in hiding
because he was worried
over the questions
the police might ask you?
About me?
Did he say that?
Gil.
Answer the question,
please.
Yes.
I told him
I didn't do anything,
but he didn't take the time
to listen. He hung up.
Then you deliberately lied
to the defendant
when you called her that night
in Palm Springs.
Yes. I-- I wanted her home.
I was afraid.
Why did your husband think
that you had struck Ben Sutton
with that fireplace poker?
Why, Mrs. Ames?
Because I had been
to the house earlier.
MASON:
For what reason?
MARIAN:
To talk to Ben.
MASON:
Earlier when?
MARIAN:
About :.
Well, what happened?
Nothing. He didn't
even know I was there.
I-I mean there was some talk
going on in the study.
I...heard voices and looked in.
I realized he was
busy, and--
Besides, my courage
was just about gone,
so I turned around
and went away.
What were you going to talk
to Mr. Sutton about?
Must I?
No, Mrs. Ames.
Thank you.
That will be all.
Uh, just a moment,
Mrs. Ames.
I have a few questions
on redirect.
If it please the court.
Mrs. Ames...
this conversation that
you overheard in the study?
What was it about?
Well, I only heard
a few words.
Something about
royalties and plays and...
And what?
And that he wouldn't
have to put up with--
With Sylvia anymore.
Uh, who was talking,
uh, Mrs. Ames?
Ben Sutton.
And to whom
was he talking?
Well, I don't know
him by name,
but...
that's him sitting
right over there.
BURGER:
Thank you, Mrs. Ames.
I think that will be all.
I have no other
questions.
BURGER:
Then I call Harry Wilson
to the stand, please.
JUDGE:
Step down, please, Mrs. Ames.
Mr. Wilson, what specifically
did Ben Sutton tell you
on the afternoon
of the m*rder?
He said his wife was trying
to get rid of him,
and he wouldn't
let her go.
Because she had an income
from a trust.
What else?
Well, the reason
he had a hold on her
was because she'd been
in an accident
and hadn't reported it
to the police.
Go on, Mr. Wilson.
Well, Ben wasn't above
using anybody he could
to get what he wanted.
Put pressure
on the whole family:
his wife's brother,
sister-in-law.
He was begging for a faceful
of glass, you ask me.
I don't blame his wife a bit--
That's all. That's all.
Thank you very much,
Mr. Wilson. Your witness.
Now, Mr. Wilson...
what was
the purpose
of your visit to Mr. Sutton
that afternoon?
Just to have a chat.
But surely
not about his wife?
Something about
books and royalties,
wasn't it?
HARRY:
We mentioned the book.
Didn't you and Ben Sutton
talk about its adaptation
into a Broadway play...
and the ensuing royalties,
which would have
made him
independent of
his wife forever?
Yeah, he did mention
something like that.
Wasn't he making you an offer,
Mr. Wilson?
Yeah.
What was it?
He wanted me to back him up.
He was gonna bull it through
that he was the author
of Ordeal.
If I said so too, then Artie Poe
couldn't prove otherwise.
MASON:
And you accepted
his offer?
WILSON: Yeah.
MASON: And went directly home.
WILSON:
That's it.
And why did you return
later on?
What?
I didn't.
You play the horses,
Mr. Wilson?
It's my only vice.
How much would you estimate
that you have lost
in the last two years?
At least $,.
I think it only fair
to tell you, Mr. Wilson,
that I have information
concerning your losses
in excess
of $,...
in cash.
Now, where did you get
all that money?
I gambled.
I won it gambling.
You were gambling
with the law, Mr. Wilson.
Not with money.
I'm afraid
you lost.
You've got it wrong.
Ben Sutton's income from that
book was more than $,.
Yet he was continually broke.
Uh, someone was draining him.
Was that
someone you?
No.
Wasn't that the reason
you returned to his house
between : and :
on the night of the m*rder?
No. Why should I go back there?
There's some little mystery
about the...
m*rder room being
ransacked, Mr. Wilson.
HARRY:
What's that got
to do with me?
I believe there was something
in that room that you wanted.
Something that
you found.
What?
The diary.
What diary?
The diary that proved
who wrote Ordeal.
Could have been anybody
going back for that.
Anybody who knew
about the diary.
That means only three people:
Ben Sutton, Arthur Poe and you.
Wasn't Sutton because
he already had it.
It wasn't Arthur Poe,
because he came to my office
the next morning, and wanted me
to find it for him.
Well it wasn't me.
Wasn't it?
When Poe talked to you
the morning after the m*rder...
didn't you ask him
for a third of his future.
Meaning, a third
of his income
from then on?
Now you're getting
into something else.
And didn't you demand
a $, advance?
Pretty stiff terms for
your support, Mr. Wilson.
Unless you had the diary
in your possession
to back your demands.
Okay.
I did go back.
You did.
I saw Ben lying out there cold
on the floor.
I, uh, figured this was
a pretty good chance
to get my hands on that diary.
What time was that?
I don't know.
Nine, :.
The coroner set
the time of death
as between : and :.
Now, why don't you
make it
Oh, no.
Oh, no, I didn't k*ll him.
But you're a realist,
just out for a buck.
And you didn't k*ll him?
No, I didn't.
Sure, I was there,
and I took the diary.
And I took all that money
from him.
And I was blackmailing
him, and--
Your Honor,
the district attorney's office
would be interested
in looking into this.
Oh, now, wait.
Now, wait a minute.
Look...I'll go
over it all again.
I'll tell you the whole thing
again, so you'll understand.
I didn't k*ll him.
He was lying there.
I didn't k*ll him.
I didn't k*ll him!
I didn't k*ll him!
I didn't! I didn't!
(crowd murmuring)
Bailiff.
( dramatic theme playing )
( gavel thumping )
( dramatic theme playing )
( knock on door )
Come in.
Hello, Mr. Mason.
Mr. Poe.
You're writing?
Yes.
It must be difficult
to find the right phrase
to tell the publisher
that you were
the author of Ordeal.
Yes, I guess so.
( match strikes )
Of course, uh...
you were the one that hit
Sutton with that poker.
How do you know that?
Well, if Sutton and Harry Wilson
had cooked up a scheme...
and Sutton had told you flatly
that he would not
acknowledge you
as the author of Ordeal...
That's very astute.
There was a fight.
I'm ashamed to say
I lost my temper.
I'm...somewhat handicapped.
I guess training makes you seize
the nearest w*apon.
The poker, of course.
And, um...then you left him
and, uh...
went away.
Yes.
Why did you go back?
I wasn't sure whether the poker
had k*lled him or not.
And you couldn't leave him
there dying...
as he left you
to die in Korea.
He had regained consciousness?
Yes.
And he att*cked you.
I guess he realized that
no amount of collusion
could hide the truth.
He was intent
on m*rder, Mr. Mason.
What happened?
He pulled a g*n out of a drawer.
I managed to knock it
out of his hand with my cane.
As he lunged for the g*n...
not being as agile
as I used to be...
there was only
one thing to do.
I grabbed the whisky decanter
and threw it at him.
That explains
the unfired g*n.
Then I heard
Mrs. Sutton's taxi drive up,
so I went out the back,
circled around to the front,
as if to keep
my : appointment.
And as if you had
no conscience at all,
you sat there in that courtroom
while that same Mrs. Sutton
was being tried for
a crime you'd committed.
So your ordeal
isn't over, is it?
Yes, it's over.
I would never have allowed her
to be convicted.
You see, Mr. Mason,
I've come to terms with fear.
I'm living here at the hospital
because I only have
a short time left.
Maybe...six months.
That's why money
meant nothing to you.
You just wanted recognition.
( chuckles )
I guess a man's vanity goes
with him right to the end.
( somber theme playing )
It was self-defense.
( somber theme playing )
( door closes )
( melancholy theme playing )
( noirish jazz theme playing )