05x14 - The Case of the Unwelcome Bride

[bunniefuu]

(theme song playing)

Do you have to drive
so fast?

Yes, I do.

You didn't get home until
minutes past, remember?

Darling, how many times
have I told you?

Every time your father
gets ready to leave town,

the whole office turns
into a madhouse.

That's still no excuse
for being late for dinner.

Why not? He's got
to get cleaned up, too.

Peter, my father has never been
late anywhere in his life.

I'm not even sure
he's ever been dirty.

Well, what's biting you today?

You.

Why didn't you tell me

the company's being
reorganized again?

Who told you that, my secretary?

I merely called to see why you
were so late getting home and...

Yeah, I know. She said she
had such a splitting headache.

Then you knew the old man was
tearing the joint apart again.

"And there'll be
some changes made.

"What we need is

a little administrative
planning around here."

Well, personally,
I'd rather listen

to music on the radio.
Peter.

It's nothing, Amanda.
It's nothing.

But if you'd just pay
a little more attention.

If you'd just try
a little harder.

He's just upset
because he's afraid

Greg and Sue Ellen
wouldn't come tonight,

that's all.

Greg's bringing Sue Ellen?

Look out!

(horn honking)

(tires squealing)

Wait a minute, darling.

Say, watch it there, lady.
Come on, move on.

Hi, Joe.

Oh, evening,
Mr. Thorpe.

Say, excuse me, ma'am.

I didn't see
who was driving.

What's happening here?

Nothing.
Prowler, that's all.

Prowler?

Been a couple
of robberies in this area

in the last month.

People get nervous.

But I thought I saw you looking
for something on the ground.

Yeah. Tracks.

One of the maids
in this house to the left

thought she saw a man
in the bushes.

What kind of tracks?

Tennis shoes.

Whoever's been robbing
these places...

I'm sorry, Joe.

I'm sure it's a very interesting
criminal investigation,

but my father's expecting us.

I get you, ma'am.

I wouldn't keep old man Frazer
waiting, myself,

not if all of Fort Knox
got took.

(men laughing)

Good night.

See you, Joe.

I wonder if Fort Knox
has ever really been robbed.

Peter, if you'd
just be here.

If you'd just try and be
interested in the right things.

If you'd just fight
once in a while!

Shut up, Amanda!

I'm just as worried
as you are

about what your father
is up to tonight.

You're not still upset, are you?

You promised me
it would be all right,

that you'd come tonight
and be nice to him.

I've tried everything I know
to be nice to your father,

to make him like me
and accept me as your wife.

Greg, there's more to it
than not liking me.

He hates me.

Oh, sure.

That's why he's invited you
to dinner tonight,

because he hates you.

Now, come off it.

(sighs)
I still don't like it, Greg.

I've never been invited
to this house before.

Why now?

I don't know why
and I don't care.

But I know one thing.

I'm getting awfully tired of
parking cars in a parking lot

and living in a
crummy apartment.

So whatever happens,
be nice tonight.

Good evening,
children.

You're just in time.

You must be psychic.

Amanda, you carry on, please.

Daughter. Son.

To Greg and
his lovely bride.

It's time
we got acquainted.

That's why I arranged
this little affair.

Tomorrow, I'm off
on a business trip,

and I don't like
leaving loose ends dangling.

You'll find I'm a man

who comes straight
to the point, Sally.

Sally?

That's your real
name, isn't it?

Sally Delaney of
East St. Louis?

Forgive my curiosity,
my dear.

We've never had an entertainer
in the Frazer family before.

Mr. Frazer,

I don't think...

I know you don't think,
Peter.

But it's not a time

to bring that
up again.

You've never been here before,
have you?

How do you like
the house, Sally?

How about
this painting?

Do you think
it's valuable?

I don't know.

Well, it is.

There's $ ,

in that safe.

Cash I intended to take
to Texas with me tomorrow.

That , is yours,

if you'll be on
the morning plane to Paris,

where you'll be met by a lawyer
who will arrange a divorce.

You invited us here for that?

Greg?

Greg, don't you see
what he's trying to do?

What he's always tried to do?

He doesn't want you to be a man.

He doesn't want you
to be anything.

He's doing this to
you, Greg, not me.

Well, the answer's no,
Mr. Frazer.

No!

(door slamming)

Sorry, son. That
was necessary.

(car door slams, engine starts)
I'm leaving for my
club in two hours.

You have exactly
that long

to help her make
the right decision.

Do you understand?

(car door slams)
Did you have
to do that?

(engine starting)
Do you have to run
everyone's life?

Only those who are incapable
of running their own.

And who's to judge that?

You?

As far as Greg is concerned,
you've always been blind.

Not too blind to know that
he ruined his whole future

when he married
that girl.

Your son was no good
before she married him.

Amanda!

Face the truth just once.

Please, just once,
see him for what he is.

Your son is a spineless,
no-good drifter.

My son-- that's it, isn't it?

If he were your own
flesh and blood,

you wouldn't talk like that.

I don't need
to have you remind me

that you are my stepfather

and that he is my stepbrother.

That's a distinction that exists
only in your own mind.

And I refuse
to discuss it again.

For now, it's enough for you
to know that I intend

to make Greg a full partner
in my firm.

Father, it's
not fair.

Your concern is very touching,
Amanda,

but to whom
is it not fair?

To me?
To my firm?

Or to your
husband?

Oh, Grants.
How are you? You having fun?

That's it.
Enjoy yourself.

(piano playing mellow jazz tune
in background)

Joe, I...

Take it easy, baby.

I just can't stand
it anymore, Joe.

Ah, Sue Ellen, you can't still
be in love with that guy.

You're married to nothing
but your own sense of loyalty.

No, no, no.
Just listen.

Now, look, sometimes you
guess wrong about people.

I did, myself,
about that kid.

You put your money
on a fancy looking nag

who turned out to have
three left feet, that's all.

No, Joe.

After we were married,
he got a job.

He was doing very well.

Sure.
For just about two weeks.

Then boom--
back to the booze, bangtails

and betting with money
he didn't have.

Greg's no good!

It's not his fault.

It's his father.

There you go,
making with the excuses.

Sure, his father wrapped him
in solid gold diapers

and spoiled him rotten.

But what's wrong
with Greg is Greg,

not you, not me,
not his father.

Just him!
He needs...

Needs what?

The job I gave him
parking cars?

You to pick up after him,
support him?

Get wise, kid.
It's wrong.

Send him back to papa.

I can't, Joe.

I just can't let
it end like this.

If you don't mind,
I'd like to talk to my wife.

I had no idea what my father
was going to do.

You don't know him.
He was just testing you.

Testing?

You call it testing
when he offered me

all the money
he had in the safe

if I would
divorce you?

That was just talk.

He didn't mean it.

If we go back now
and apologize...

You expect me
to apologize?

What difference
does it make?

Do you realize what
it means if you don't?

I told you, I can't go on
working in Joe's parking lot.

There are other jobs.

You listen to me.

The only job
I'm interested in

is one that leads
to my old man's money.

Even if I have to go back
as a glorified office boy

at a hundred bucks a week.

You really would go back.

You bet I would.

Now, come on, Sue Ellen.

Greg.

Why don't you go out
to the bar and cool off?

Sue Ellen's not going
anywhere with you

until you both calm down.

(door slams)

Oh, now,
look, honey.

You were making a good living
here before you married him.

You don't need Greg
or his family.

You're going
to cut loose from them,

do you hear?

No, Joe. I can't.

I can't let it end like...

No more talk.

Please, Joe.

Oh, darling. Why don't
you go over to the couch

and sit down, huh?

I'll get you something
to help you relax.

Come on.

(piano playing in other room)

(door opens, closes)

He says, "I know you would,"

but I said, "I can't
find the first one."

(men laughing)

At that rate, you'll reach the
blackout stage in record time.

Now, you've
had your drink.

I don't want you
to have another one.

Are you my nursemaid?

It's a little late
for that.

What are you trying
to do to that girl, Greg?

Bartender!

I asked you a question.

And if I don't
answer it, Joe?

Get out.

Do you mean that?

You know exactly
what I mean.

All right, I'll leave.

What time is it?

Almost : .

(phone rings)

Hello? Yes?

Yes, Greg?

It's all over
between Sue Ellen and me.

Good. I'm glad you came
to your senses.

You won't regret it.

Good night, son.

See you later.

At home.

I knew when the chips were down,

that creature he married
would show her true colors.

Now I can concentrate
on these reports and my trip.

Ah. We can get along to the
club. You mind driving me?

No, sir.

Oh, just one last thing.

(phone rings)

Mason speaking.

Oh, yes, Walter.

Perry, I'm sorry
if I interrupted you.

That matter we discussed,
the partnership?

I thought you might want
to reconsider.

No, I went ahead with it.

I had the papers drawn up
this afternoon.

Well, I'll be tied up here
for half an hour or so.

At the club?

I'd be delighted to.

I'll bring the papers with me.

Right, Walter.

(footsteps approach)

Well, this is certainly
a poor substitute

for the chicken cacciatore
you promised me.

A client?

Walter Frazer.

I wonder what will happen

when his investment company
is under the management

of an overage
juvenile delinquent.

AMANDA:
Peter?

Oh, it's you.

I thought

for a moment it might
have been a burglar.

There've been some burglaries
in the neighborhood, you know?

Peter drove Father
to the club.

Are you alone?

All alone, Amanda.
I like it that way.

You poor, stupid fool.

The biggest,

most important choice
of your life.

You left that wonderful girl

and came running home
to your father.

Father was right...

He certainly was
in betting

that you'd take
the course

of least resistance,
the easy way.

Your father only gambles
on sure sh*ts.

Loyalty and service
mean nothing to him.

Peter's worked for
him for years,

but that doesn't
mean anything.

Greg isn't fit
to be an office boy.

Give a partnership to Greg.

Partnership?

May I have the keys?

To Peter's car.

You took them when you chased
off after Sue Ellen.

What partnership?

In the company,
with my father?

Go on, get the
feel of it.

Make sure your
father's chair

isn't too big for you.

(door opens, closes)

(car door closes)

(engine starting)

(car drives away)

* *

(crickets chirping)

Thank you. Good evening,
ladies and gentlemen.

This is your host Joe Medeci.

It is now my pleasure

to introduce
a very talented young man

who'll entertain you
with a new kind of rhythm.

Cary Duncan.

(piano begins playing jazz)
(gasps)

Hello.

You all right, miss?

Oh, yes.
Yes, I'm fine.

I'm sorry.

(doorbell rings)

Greg... are you here?

(gasps)

Greg.

(door opens, closes)

What have you done?

What have you done
to my son?!

(clatters)

I didn't k*ll him! I didn't!

I don't believe you.

MASON:
Mr. Frazer,

look around you.

The safe's open.

The reports.

Just a moment, Mr. Frazer.

Connect me with Lieutenant
Tragg, please. Homicide.

"A forced window in the library
indicates

"the house may have been entered
by the same burglar

"who has terrorized
the fashionable beach community.

"Although the safe was open,

the $ , it contained
was untouched."

cr*ck a safe and leave
grand-- that's a new wrinkle.

At the scene of every one
of those burglaries,

the police found imprints
of a torn tennis shoe.

The same mark was found outside
the Frazer house last night.

Young Mrs. Frazer insists
she saw no one,

and I certainly saw no one
when Frazer and I

drove up
to the house.

You say the clock smashed in
the struggle stopped at : .

How long does it take to drive
from the Club Baroque

to the Frazer home?

Mmm, about minutes.

Paul, how good are you at
finding a needle in a haystack?

I got a pretty good magnet.

I'd like to locate a man

in a brown and white
tweed jacket,

about , tall
and heavily built.

According to Sue Ellen,

he's the one person
who can prove

she left the Club Baroque
last night at :

at the start
of the second floor show.

Now they're making
a plaster cast of a footprint.

This morning
it was fingerprint men

and photographers
all over the place.

Why are they wasting
all this time?

My son's been m*rder*d.

They aren't
wasting time.

The whole series
of robberies may be
related to the m*rder.

The police want to find the
k*ller as much as you do.

Why didn't they arrest
that girl last night?

Why did they let her go?

Why do you dislike
your son's wife so much?

I don't dislike her
or like her.

She doesn't exist for me
as a person.

She's just something bad
that happened to Greg.

When he met her, he left me
and left his job with me.

Gregson Frazer--
a parking lot attendant.

Walter, you're one

of the most successful
businessmen I know,

an uncanny judge of people,
outside your own family,

but I think you're wrong
about Sue Ellen.

My son, too, I suppose.

Yes. I think you
tended to see in Greg

what you wanted to see,
not what was really there.

I'm sorry, Walter.

All right,
I'll prove to you

that I was right
about that girl.

Here.

Now that's not what
I was looking for.

Is that the $ , that was
in the safe last night?

Yes.

You always keep
that much cash in your safe?

No, no, only when I'm going
on a business trip.

I sometimes use cash
in some of my deals.

Deals. This was to have been
a big deal.

Geological reports.

I was due in Texas
this morning.

Texas.

The police have looked

through everything
there, you know?

What?

Perhaps I left it... in my desk.

(drawer opens)

Thank heavens it's here.

I was hoping to spare Greg.

Spare him for what?

Those were taken
a couple of months ago.

Sue Ellen?

On the balcony
of a man's apartment.

You know the man?

His name's Medeci.

Pictures of my
daughter-in-law

visiting another man
in his apartment

at : in the morning.

The first time that I ever
set eyes on Greg

was at the bar in
the club... drunk.

He'd walked out on his
father's business,

and he must have been
drinking steadily for days

before he staggered
into the Baroque.

Strange beginning
for a courtship and marriage.

Why does one person fall in love
with another?

It just happens, Mr. Mason.

He'd left his father then

before the two of you
were married?

Yes.

And this job he had
for a while?

He had borrowed company money
to bet on the horses.

I used my savings
to pay it all back,

but of course, they fired him.

That's when Joe gave him
the job in the parking lot.

Two months ago,
were you in Medeci's apartment

at : in the morning?

I wanted to talk to Joe about...

About what?

A private matter.

Mrs. Frazer,
I wonder if you understand

how serious your position is.

Do you think I k*lled Greg?

It doesn't matter what I think.

It's what the police may think.

Mr. Mason, I swear

I had nothing to do
with my husband's m*rder.

I know absolutely nothing
about it.

If I'd been involved,
if... if I needed help,

believe me,
I'd come running to you.

(piano playing jazz)

The police have already
been here, Mason.

I can't tell you any
more than I told them.

Second floor show
did begin at : ?

Approximately.

We're usually five
or ten minutes late.

Did you happen
to see a man in
a brown tweed jacket?

Might have.
It was a busy night.

Say, what is all this?

Are you trying to pin
Greg's death on Sue Ellen?

(plays loud chord)

Sue Ellen couldn't k*ll anyone.

Cary!

She always stuck up for Greg.

Why don't you talk
to that family of his?

They all hated him.

Why don't you shut up?

You talk too much.
Now look, Mason,

as far as I'm concerned,
the newspapers are right.

Greg interrupted a burglar
at work

and got k*lled for his trouble.

The burglar got scared and ran.

That's all there is to it.

This is it, Perry,
Peter Thorpe's house.

Looks like he
has company.

Paul, I have
another job for you.

I think Frazer hired
a private detective
to tail Sue Ellen.

At least he had a man
make some pictures.

I'd like to know
who he is.

All right.

Mr. Mason.

Go ahead, Paul,
I'll get a cab.
Okay.

(engine starting)

Well, thank heavens
you're here.

What's happened?
Well, I'm not sure.

Amanda and I were
in the house

talking to the police

when I heard a car
start in the back.

Let's go.

That's all right.
We have enough now.

Take her downtown.

What are you
doing here?

I was about to ask you
the same question.

Well, we just finished talking
to Mr. and Mrs. Thorpe.

You see, from what
Mrs. Thorpe told us

and what we
already know,

there's not much question

but what this girl
k*lled her husband.

I heard something outside.

I looked out and I saw
a taxi driving away.

Then I heard another car
starting up in the driveway.

It was Sue Ellen.

She'd come back
after Greg's car, I guess.

Well, before
I-I could go outside

to see why she didn't
come in to say hello

the police were there.

They were all
over the place.

That's absolutely
ridiculous.

Sue Ellen couldn't
k*ll anyone.

When did Greg leave his car
here at your house?

Oh, he didn't,
I did.

If you recall, I was driving
Mr. Frazer's car last night,

since Greg had taken mine
earlier.

Then after we left
each other at the club

and you drove
Mr. Frazer home...

What's all this about cars?

What difference does it make?

Darling, I want this
to be clear for Mr. Mason.

Because you see, then I decided
to return Mr. Frazer's car

since it occurred to me
that he might need it

to drive
to the airport today.

My car still wasn't
at the house.

So I took Greg's car
to drive home in.

Peter, you are going
on and on like a fool.

You were out there, too,
then last night?

Oh, but that was after
you arrived.

Yes, I saw your car in the drive

and then I couldn't see any
reason for me to come inside.

AMANDA:
Peter, stop it.

Can't you spend one minute
thinking about that poor girl?

She's the one
that's in trouble, not us.

Why don't you just try to
pay a little more attention.

(doorbell rings)

Excuse me, Mrs. Thorpe.

I just wanted to tell you that
all our men have gone now.

You taking up tennis, Andy?

Lieutenant Tragg thought
you might want

to take a little closer look
at these, Perry.

We found them in the back
of Greg Frazer's car.

Notice the distinctive
torn sole

on the right shoe?

Is that why you arrested
the girl?

ANDERSON:
No, no.

But it's interesting,
isn't it?

These tennis shoes match the
tracks that have been found

after every one
of those robberies.

Any word from Paul?

Not yet.

Mr. Frazer's waiting
in the outer office.

Walter.

What is it you
wanted me for?

For five minutes.

Then you can do
what you want.

Won't you sit down?

I saw Sue Ellen
earlier today.

After I left here,
she called twice.

Unfortunately
I was out.

You're wasting my time with
matters that mean nothing to me.

They meant something
to Sue Ellen.

You see, she remembered seeing
a pair of tennis shoes

in the trunk of Greg's car.

Tennis shoes?

The tennis shoes
with the distinctive tear

in one sole.

In Greg's car?

The police caught her
driving off in the car.

Found the tennis shoes
in the car.

Now the police think
that your son and Sue Ellen

were involved in the robberies.

Perry, maybe it wasn't...

Walter, if anyone was a burglar,

it was your son,
not Sue Ellen.

Everything you thought
and said about that girl

was completely wrong.

That job your son lost
because of the life you said

he was living with Sue Ellen--

he lost that job
because he embezzled money

to bet on horses.

It took every cent
of Sue Ellen's savings

to keep him
out of jail.

Amanda was right.

My stepdaughter said

that I was a blind,
stupid fool.

(phone rings)

Yes?

Just a minute.

It's Paul.
He's in Palm Springs.

Yes, Paul?

Perry, our man's name
is Lon Snyder.

He's about , tall and heavy.

He's wearing a tweed coat
right now.

Did you ask?

Well, is he positive?

All right, Paul.

Walter,

Sue Ellen needed
a witness

to back up her claim

she didn't leave
the club until : .

Paul Drake tells me the police
are now questioning

a man named Snyder.

Snyder was apparently
the man in the tweed coat.

Mr. Snyder did see your son's
wife leave the club...

but he swears it was at : ,

not : .

Perry,

are you convinced that Sue Ellen
didn't k*ll my son?

Yes, I am.

I'd appreciate it very much

if you would represent
my daughter-in-law.

I agreed to represent her
an hour ago.

The wall safe was open.

Mr. Frazer examined
the contents.

Everything was there,

including the $ , cash.

We searched the grounds
and found one clear footprint

outside the window.

The, uh, print of one
of those shoes there.

And where did you later
find those shoes?

Mrs. Frazer led us to them.

They were in the trunk
of her husband's car.

The car she drove on
the night of his death.

Thank you, Lieutenant.

Your witness.

Lieutenant, isn't it true that
the imprint of a tennis shoe

has been found on the premises
of each home

recently burglered
in the vicinity

of the Frazer estate?

It is.

Now, Lieutenant Tragg,
what time did you arrive

at the Frazer home
on the night of the m*rder?

Oh, uh, about : , I believe.

Thank you, Lieutenant.

That'll be all.

I asked Greg for the
keys to Peter's car--

he'd taken it when he
chased after Sue Ellen.

Then I went home.

Well, that is,
I started to go home.

BURGER:
But you changed your mind?

Yes, there was something I-I
wanted to discuss with Greg.

I'd driven a short way
when I decided to go back.

When I reached the
house, she was there.

The defendant
was at the house?

Yes, her car-- Greg's car,
the one she'd taken,

was parked in the driveway.

So I turned around
and went home.

And at what time was this,
Mrs. Thorpe?

Oh, around...
a little after : .

I was home before : .

Thank you, Mrs. Thorpe.
That'll be all.

You may cross-examine.

Mrs. Thorpe, did you know
of your father's intention

to make your stepbrother
a full partner

in his investment firm?

I heard something
about it

after Greg
left the house.

Is that what you returned
to the house to discuss

with your stepbrother--
his promotion and, um,

possibly your husband's
future under his authority?

I don't remember.

Well, what difference
does it make?

When I saw Sue Ellen was there,
I turned around and left.

The car Mrs. Frazer
had been driving

earlier in the evening
was there.

That's what you mean,

isn't it,
Mrs. Thorpe?
Yes.

And now, Mrs. Thorpe,
on the night of the m*rder,

what time did the defendant
leave the Frazer home?

Around : .

The decedent, Greg Frazer,

followed her
using your husband's car,

since Sue Ellen
had taken his car.

Now at what time did Greg
call his father from the club?

Well, about : .

He left the club
and came home about : .

You were
then alone.

Your husband
and your stepfather had left

in Mr. Frazer's car,
is that right?
Yes.

You spoke to the decedent and
left him alone in the house

while you drove away at, uh...

... : ,
in your husband's car.

Now shortly after : ,
you returned.

Your Honor, I don't know what
kind of a stunt this is, but...

One moment, Mr. Burger.

I'm just as curious
as you are.

Mr. Mason?
Yes, Your Honor?

Would you be good enough
to explain to the court

just what it is

your secretary is
working on over there?

Certainly, Your Honor.

I believe it will become
increasingly apparent

as the testimony unfolds,

that the key issue
in this case

is the timetable of events.

This display is merely
a more visually graphic

representation
of that vital timetable,

and is not in any manner
intended as evidence.

Well, I see no objections
to its use.

Mr. Burger?

Well, certainly not, Your Honor.

If the defense feels
that it needs training aids

to visualize

how formidable our case is
against the defendant.

We will accept the prosecution's
acquiescence,

without the editorial.

Continue, Mr. Mason.

At approximately : ,
you drove past

the Frazer home
and saw Greg's car,

which the defendant
had been driving earlier,

now parked
outside the house.

At that time, did you
return to your own home?

Yes.

Thank you, Mrs. Thorpe.

No further questions.

Mr. Thorpe, you're employed
by Mr. Frazer, aren't you?

Yes, sir, I'm the
chief accountant.

What would you estimate
is the worth

of the Frazer company?

Oh, well, I-I couldn't
say precisely

without taking a look
at the books,

but roughly we handle
over $ million in investments.

$ million?

That's an attractive goal

for an ambitious young woman,
wouldn't you say?

And pretty frustrating
when she suddenly learned

that her husband meant
to get rid of her.

Your Honor.

Never mind, Counselor.

You're out of line,
Mr. Burger.

I apologize to the court,
Your Honor.

And I'm through
with this witness.

Mr. Thorpe, when the decedent
worked for his father's company,

was he ever any more
than a glorified office boy?

No.

Was he dishonest?

He was reckless,
always in debt.

Only weeks before his death,

he was after me
to loan him money.

Did he tell you
why he needed money?

Yes, he said that
he'd been gambling

and it would go hard on him
if he didn't raise it.

But he wanted
$ , .

I don't have that kind of money.

Not on my salary.

BURGER:
About two months before
the m*rder, Mr. Medeci,

at approximately the time
of the first burglary

that was characterized
by the tennis shoe imprints,

did the defendant visit you
at your apartment

at : a.m.?

Yes.

BURGER:
Would you tell
this court please,

what happened
during that visit?

She wanted some advice.

At : a.m., what kind
of advice did she want?

Well, that first burglary--
the newspapers printed a picture

of a set of very expensive
cuff links that had been stolen.

Sue-- Mrs. Frazer found them
in Greg's car.

Why was the defendant concerned
with those cuff links?

Well, she was afraid her husband
was mixed up in the burglaries.

When the burglaries
continued,

did it ever occur to you
that since the defendant

knew about the first one,
she might have been

implicated in the ones
that followed?

Objection, Your Honor.

I withdraw the question.

I'm through
with this witness.

Mr. Medeci,

did Greg Frazer
owe you $ , ?

There's no reason
to conceal it, yes.

A gambling debt?

Partially.

Some of it
was a loan.

On the night of the m*rder,

when the defendant
came to your office,

you gave her sleeping medicine.

At what time was that?

Just before : .

I gave her the pills
and left her in the office

and went out to announce
the : floor show.

What time did you return
to your office?

Shortly after : .

Just after the second
floor show started.

Shortly after : .

Did you look for the defendant?

Yes.

Uh, when I got back
to the office, she wasn't there.

That would be
about ten after : .

Let me see
if I have this straight.

The defendant awakened and left
your office at about : .

She drove away
at about : .

By : , you had
missed her in your office.

If she drove to the Frazer
home-- about a -minute drive--

she should've arrived there
at about : ?

Yes.

No further questions.

For now.

Those photographs
of Sue Ellen and Medeci

must have been taken
from the balcony out here.

The Medeci apartment
is right next door.

Now, Lon Snyder took this place
under the name Samson.

According to the landlord,

he, uh, cleared out
the night of the m*rder

and hasn't been back.

You find something?

Plaster.

There's a hole bored through
to the next apartment.

Paul, how do you
like high altitudes?

You want me to jump
off the balcony?

No, I want you to take the next
jet plane to Houston, Texas.

Now, Mr. Snyder,
you testified that you had been

hired by Mr. Frazer
to investigate the background

and activities of his son's
wife, the defendant.

Is that correct?
Yes, sir.

Were you so engaged on the night
of Greg Frazer's death?

Not exactly.

As I testified,
I'd already turned in my report,

including her visit
to Medeci's apartment.

When you've watched somebody
for a couple of months, you,

well, sort of notice.

I understand that.

And where did you notice
the defendant

on the night of the m*rder?

At the Club Baroque.

I was just coming into the bar,

and she came out of a private
office and left the club.

I remind you now
of previous testimony

that the clock, which was broken
during the fatal struggle

in the m*rder room,
was stopped at : .

And I ask you,
at what time did you

see the defendant
come out of that room

and leave
the Club Baroque?

Around : .

Maybe five, ten minutes after.

That will do, sir.
Thank you very much.

Your witness.

Mr. Snyder,

at what other time or times

did you see the defendant
that particular evening?

About an hour later.

The : floor show had started

and I'd gone out
for a breath of fresh air.

I was coming in
to see the show, and...

well, I bumped into her,
almost knocked her over in fact.

We exchanged a few words.

It-it must have been
between : and : .

At : , Mr. Snyder?

Well, yes, that's right.

Now, you say you had completed
your report to Mr. Frazer

before the night
of the m*rder.

However, you took photographs
of the defendant and Mr. Medeci

as part of that report,
is that correct?

Yes.

From where were those
photographs taken?

From a balcony
next to Medeci's apartment.

And from your apartment,

you could observe anyone
who came to see Mr. Medeci.

Now, did the decedent
ever visit his apartment?

No, not while I was there.

This is a vital point
to the defense, Your Honor,

and needs clarification.

I request the court's
permission to interrupt

my cross-examination
of this witness

in order to recall Mr. Medeci.

Mr. Medeci, did the decedent,
Greg Frazer,

ever visit you
in your apartment?

Ah, I've lived there
a long time.

Had a lot of parties,
entertained a lot of people.

Who knows?
Maybe he did, maybe he didn't.

Perjury is the assertion
of a falsity under oath.

Penalties are severe
when it comes to perjury.

Would you care to reconsider
your answer, Mr. Medeci?

Well, I...

Perhaps I can
prod your memory.

MEDECI (on recording):
I've lived there a long time.

Had a lot of parties,
entertained a lot of people.

Mr. Mason,
is that a recording device?

It is, Your Honor.

But it's only to demonstrate the
ease of recording conversation

without being detected.

As your apartment was bugged,
Mr. Medeci,

and your conversation recorded.

What?

Now, you did have a conversation
with Greg Frazer

in your apartment,

did you not?
All right, so he came to see me.

So, I forgot.

Is there any crime in that?

No.

No, crime in that,
Mr. Medeci.

According to this timetable,

the defendant left
the Frazer home

in Greg's car at : .

Which meant that she arrived
at the club

at : .

Is that when
you saw her?

Yes.

She claims
she didn't leave the club

to return to the Frazer home
until : .

Yet, Mrs. Thorpe

testified she saw
the defendant

at the Frazer home
at : .

That's a lie.

I gave Sue Ellen
two sleeping pills.

She took them.

She couldn't have left the club
that early.

Who else knew it was
safe to take that car?

Only one possible
person.

The person who gave her
those sleeping pills.

That would be you,
Mr. Medeci.

You drove Greg's car
to the Frazer home,

did you not?

Yes.

Amanda Thorpe left at : .

She returned at :
and saw Greg's car.

So, you must have
arrived at : .

About a minute drive.

So you left the club
at : .

Now, you didn't start
the second floor show

until : .

Mr. Medeci, a clock was broken

in the struggle with
the decedent at : .

Which puts you squarely
on the scene

of the m*rder,
at the time of the m*rder.

I didn't k*ll him, so help me.

All right, I was mixed up with
him in a couple of burglaries.

But I didn't k*ll him.

Greg was alive when I left.

Greg owed you $ , .

Desperate, he tried burglary.

At that point,

as you promised
Sue Ellen,

you spoke to Greg?

Yes.

In your apartment,

the two of you planned a series
of petty burglaries,

deliberately leaving the tennis
shoe marks at each one.

All as a prelude
to the one important burglary,

the one in which
you would recover your money.

It was the , we were after.

I drove up in Greg's car,

I left the mark
with the tennis shoe,

I left my-my gloves
in the trunk,

and then I went in.

Greg had already
opened the safe.

But you didn't take that , .

Why?

Well, Greg explained to me
about the partnership.

That it was worth
lots more money.

We didn't want to gamble
it against $ , .

You've got to believe me,
Mr. Mason.

I did not k*ll him.

Greg was alive when I left.

I will not take a m*rder rap!

Now, if the defendant,

if Amanda Thorpe,

if Medeci are all
telling the truth,

then somebody else
was at the Frazer home.

Somebody who followed
Medeci from the club,

parked out of sight

and wasn't seen
by Mrs. Thorpe.

When Medeci left,
that person went into the house

and found the safe open.

At that time,
Greg Frazer was still alive.

At : ,
the time the clock was broken,

Greg Frazer was k*lled,

and something was taken
from that safe.

Something was taken, wasn't it?

And then returned?

You heard the testimony.

The , wasn't touched.

No, it wasn't.

When Medeci left, you assumed
he had the , .

That was the plan
you'd overheard

when you bugged his apartment.

It never occurred to you
when you looked in the safe

that the $ ,
was still there.

In a plain, unmarked,
brown envelope.

No.

No, that wasn't what you were
looking for, was it?

You'd learned of something else
by bugging Medeci's apartment.

You'd learned of Walter Frazer's
business trip to Texas

to buy oil land.

Now, wait a minute, Mason, I...

Just before court convened,

I received a telephone call
from Mr. Paul Drake,

confirming the sale
of land recorded in Texas

the day following
Greg Frazer's death.

Choice oil lots secretly listed

in the geological reports
in Walter Frazer's safe.

But I didn't steal them.

No, Mr. Snyder.

You didn't steal them.

You simply photographed them and
then returned them to the safe.

Now, was that before or after
you m*rder*d Greg Frazer.

I didn't mean to k*ll him.

He jumped me.

It-it was self-defense.

You k*lled to rob a safe.

You missed $ , lying
unprotected in that safe.

Tell me, Mr. Synder.

How much were you paid
to photograph those reports?

$ , .

I still don't see how
you knew, Mr. Mason.

Well, it was
your father-in-law

who started me thinking
in the right line.

I remembered his first reaction.

His first words.

I'd just as soon not be reminded
of that again, Perry.

I've been trying to explain
to Sue Ellen

that a blind man often
accuses the whole world

of darkness.

I wasn't thinking of what you
said about Sue Ellen, Walter.

It was the words when you, uh,

first looked around the room.

You said, "The safe's open.

The reports."

Those geological reports made
a perfect setup for Synder,

or at least so he thought.

You see, Mr. Frazer,

he'd learned
of your impending trip

from the taped
conversations,

and he knew that Greg's
big burglary was planned

for that last night when
the maximum amount of cash

would be in your safe.

He never planned
on m*rder then.

Most murderers never do.

Only then, something
always seems to happen.

Greg jumped Synder, they fought
and Synder k*lled him.

Maybe Greg was trying

to make up for some
of the things he'd done.

You needn't say that,
Miss Street.

There are some
things that...

just don't need any
more explaining.

Thank you, Sue Ellen.

Thank you.

(theme music plays)