08x14 - The Case of the Ruinous Road

[bunniefuu]

(theme song playing)

WOMAN:
Oh, Mr. Marshall,

Mr. Pierce left word
he wanted to see you

-the moment you came in.
- Where's Adam Conrad?

Why, in his office, I suppose.
Shall I ring him for you?

This invoice from two weeks ago

on that Santa Monica
high-rise job,

did you disapprove it?

Yes, I did.

The materials are below
specifications.

- Whose specifications?
- Mine.

Three years out of engineering
school, you think you know

all the answers,
don't you, Conrad?

Enough to do the job
I'm paid to do.

The job I order you to do,
the way I order you to do it!

Even if it's wrong,
Mr. Marshall,

as this is wrong?

Get this straight, kid.

I've been senior engineer with
the Pierce Construction Company

for years, it's almost as
long as you've been alive.

After you succeed in bootlicking
your way into my job,

you'll call the sh*ts.

Until then, I approve
or disapprove invoices!

I turned down that invoice
at Mr. Pierce's direction.

You were at
the construction site.

The boss' fair-haired boy
with the clean hands, huh?

Does your magic slide rule show
how long

we've been doing business
with this outfit-- years?

years without a complaint,

without one single case of
defective material or failure?

The materials were below
specification.

Which you casually or
accidentally pointed out

to Ed Pierce
while I was out, huh?

Mr. Marshall, I don't know why
it is you resent me,

but I don't think it's fair
to the company to let it affect

the jobs we were both
hired to do.

Oh, you're so right, kid--
jobs-- with an "s".

Because it's gonna be a cold,
cold day

before I let you shoehorn me
out of mine!

What do you take me for, Pierce,
a complete fool?

This isn't an access road,
it's a jigsaw puzzle!

By the time you finish grading
half a mountain range

to get that road in, there won't
be enough money left in

the construction budget
to pitch a tent

much less put up the buildings!

Oh, come in, Joe.

Mr. Osmond, none of us knew

the planned county highway
would be rerouted.

I'm not interested in
the County!

I am interested in Osmond Acres!

It's all because of that
new recreation park.

They had to change their county
highway because of the park.

We had to make new plans.

Park or no park, I want that
access road in there

and within the budget!

Now, you let the costs get out
of hand on this job,

and I'm canceling
the entire contract

with your construction company,
Pierce!

Beefing about budget already?

Legitimate beef, Joe, the
figures are too far out of line.

Too far for what?

Too far for accident,

carelessness
or just so-so planning.

Itchy fingers?

Almost ten percent over budget
on the last job we did for him.

We're barely started,
this one looks worse.

And this time he has me tied
to a default clause.

I can't afford it, Joe.

If I find proof somebody's been
padding bills

or taking kickbacks, I'll swear
out a complaint to the D.A.

The D.A. can't tell us where
to put an access road

we suddenly gotta have.

Osmond's title to his tract
acreage included an option

somewhere for an access road,
didn't it?

Yeah, the old Manzana place.

Manzana...
You could have saved miles, Joe,

miles going through the canyon.

The geologist's report warned us

the canyon was a potential
headache:

there's bad slippage,
a need for drains,

lots of bulldozing for terraces.

I want a preliminary survey
through the canyon.

I want the survey
and a rough cost estimate

on my desk Monday morning, Joe.

- Conrad!
- Yes, sir?

The Osmond building project,

get the maps, bring 'em over
to my office.

You're gonna get your shoes
dirty this weekend.

Hold on, Joe.

Wait a minute.

Joe, you got
a half-a-dozen kids here

who can manhandle a transit.

Adam's never even been out
there.

Why bother him with a job
like that?

When I stop laying out the
engineer's work at Pierce,

it'll be because I'm dead...
or because you fired me.

Bring in the maps.

I'll tell you what I want.

You deliberately k*lled
a weekend for Adam Conrad. Why?

Nights, weekends, that eager
beaver's always working.

This weekend, I don't want
anybody around,

especially Adam Conrad

because I intend
to find out for sure

whether somebody has his hand in
the cookie jar,

if I have to turn the office
upside down and inside out!

(shrieks)

- What happened?
-(woman sighs)

Are you hurt?

Only my pride.

Well, I want you to know

I don't usually give rod men
this kind of treatment.

You're a very civil engineer,
sir.

(thunder crashes)

Ooh, it's gonna pour in
a moment!

- Well, that's that.
- What do we do?

I'm gonna get soaked
to the skin,

but there's no reason why
you should.

Come on. Let's get out of here.

I think I spotted a house on
the other side of the hill.

Your house is lovely,
Miss Keith.

Please call me "Marguerite.”

Yes, I've lived here
all my life.

I love this old house.

That tile, my father found it in
Italy and brought it back in

his ship especially
for the fireplace.

That little window was a port in
the Master's cabin of that ship

the Bonny Scot.

And these carvings
with the Manzana crest,

hand-hewn oak from
my mother's family home.

And this has-relief, sculptured
right onto the wall

by one of father's European
artist friends.

I remember watching him work on
it when I was a little girl.

- Did you say Manzana?
- Yes.

Your name is Keith--
Miss Keith.

I may be Miss Keith, young man,

but I did have a mother,
and her name was Manzana.

It's Spanish.

Then this is the old Manzana
house I've read so much about.

Yes, of course.

Part of the Manzana Estate.

Why are you so interested?

Well... the road.

What road?

That's what we were doing

when the rain caught us,

making a road survey
from the Osmond property.

Oh, no, there will be no road.

I don't care what provisions my
father put in the deeds

when he sold off parts
of the estate.

He had no way of knowing what
Manzana would come to mean.

The only way a road will ever be
built here is over my dead body.

Uh, Mr. Marshall, you know who
Quincy Davis is,

the famous columnist?

Well, about three years ago,

he and his wife were in Europe,
and she d*ed.

Before they left for Europe,

they spent their honeymoon in
a house,

a house belonging
to Miss Marguerite Keith.

Do you have a copy of those
cost-estimate figures?

Yes, sir, typing them now.

These clippings
from his column...

my girl,
the girl I'm engaged to,

she knew Davis' wife, and, well,
she saved these clippings

that were written while he lived
in the house.

Davis writes that he thinks

the house is over
a hundred years old.

He feels it should be
a landmark.

If you're looking
for a donation,

you ought to hit Pierce.

He flew up to San Francisco,
gets back this afternoon.

Miss Marguerite Keith's house
is in the canyon,

part of the Manzana Estate.

So?

Well, I wasn't able to survey

the entire estate
without trespassing,

but my girl and I were in
the house.

We saw the house
and the land.

It was raining.

You saw the runoff
of that rainwater, didn't you?

No matter where in that canyon
you put that road,

by the time we get through
terracing...

We'll have to bulldoze that
house out of the way.

My orders are to push that road
through, period!

I'll push it through.

When you hit Ed Pierce
for that donation

to save the old homestead,

you might show him
the Quincy Davis column.

It might ease his pain
when he loses his shirt

trying to put that access road
anyplace else.

(phone rings)

Adam Conrad.

Oh, hi, Hilary.

Yes, I was just talking
with him.

Well, in the old curmudgeon's
own words,

we're gonna have to bulldoze
that house out of the way.

All right, Miss Gray,
you knew my late wife,

you know Marguerite Keith,

and they're gonna put
a road or something

through her property.

You multiplied apples
and oranges

and came up with Quincy Davis.
I'm flattered, but confused.

I'm not sure why I'm here
exactly either,

except that I want to help
her... and Adam.

Adam says there's really nothing
anybody can do.

Well, naturally,
when there's nothing

anyone can do about something,

I'm the one to do it.
Who's Adam?

The man I'm engaged to.

Would you like me to memorialize

the fact in
my usual purple prose?

How about one
of Quincy's Quotes?

Mr. Davis,
you don't understand.

Adam made the survey for the
construction company

to put the road through
Miss Keith's property.

He doesn't even know
I came here to see you.

Boy, the conversation takes
more turns

than a merry-go-round.

Look, Miss Gray, I don't mean
to be rude or rush you,

heaven forbid, but I've got a
date with a platoon of martinis,

and you know how impatient
olives can get.

Don't you understand?

Miss Keith
doesn't want to sell!

Then she won't sell.

Well, they may force her to.

She insists that she doesn't
have to,

but I don't think her lawyer,
Perry Mason, agrees.

Apparently, when her father sold
parts of the estate,

the deeds provided
for buying land

for a road through the canyon.

Poor Miss Keith once renewed
those agreements

without realizing
what could happen.

So dear old Marguerite will
simply have to live

with a smelly road running past
her house. It's tough, but...

Not past her house.

They just plan to knock it down
and get rid of it!

Knock it down?

That's what I've been trying
to tell you.

To put the road in, they've got
to get rid of the house.

This, uh, engineering boyfriend
of yours,

Adam what's his name,

you sure he said they have
to tear the house down?

Yes, no matter where in that
canyon they run the road.

You see, I read those columns
that you wrote about the house.

I knew how you felt about it.

So I thought...

You thought what?

Well, maybe you'd call
this Mr. Osmond.

He owns the property.

He's the one that the
construction company's building

this whole thing for.

Osmond-- that's Archer Osmond,
isn't it?

Who's got all those other tracts
and houses for sale?

Yes. Will you call him?

No.

Vox Populi--
the voice of the people.

They'll do the calling.

Give me the Composing room.

The voice of the people?

Jack, this is Quince.
Do me a favor, huh?

Yeah, I know it's late,
but be a buddy.

Look, pull my column out
of tonight's paper.

I'll have a brand-new one for
you in half an hour.

Can do? Good boy.
Thanks, Jack.

Adam...

A-D-A-M.

Like in the Garden of Eden.

Last name?

Oh, wait a minute, I'm not sure.

Do you want to help Marguerite?

Conrad.

Adam Conrad.

Don't worry, Mr. Osmond.

There's nothing we can do
about the column in the paper,

but it'll be all right,
I promise you.

I told you what we'll do,

and I'm sure
it will satisfy everybody.

Yes, you make the call now.

I'll let you know what happens.

Good night.

You wanted to see me, Ed?

Adam go home?

About an hour ago,
just before you got back.

Before the bulldog edition
of that paper hit the streets.

You've seen this?

Quincy Davis?

Yeah, I read it.

Osmond's just about in orbit.

He says his phone
hasn't stopped ringing

since the paper came out
with this column.

Threats to boycott, even picket
the houses he has up for sale.

I can imagine.

Way that paper paints him,
he's like some kind of a monster

ready to throw little
old ladies out in the cold.

It doesn't exactly improve
my image either.

An entire canyon,
and I have to run a road

right through
this woman's living room.

Oh, that's a mistake;
nobody said that.

What was said?

Well, I, uh,
I just admitted to the kid

that no matter where we put
the road in that canyon,

we'd have to bulldoze the house
down

to make way for drains
and terraces.

"We" and "bulldoze.”

You did use the expression, Joe,
"We would have to bulldoze?"

We got a right to the property.

We have a right to it.

You ordered a road,
you get a road.

I don't have enough trouble
with Osmond, oh, no.

You have to turn
into a stupid guardhouse lawyer.

"You want a road, boom,
you get a road, boom boom."

Oh, come on, get off it, Ed.

This isn't the first collection
of antiques

we've shoveled under
in years.

You can't build for tomorrow
and worry about yesterday.

Did it ever occur to you

that there was absolutely
no necessity

to talk about bulldozing?

That an arrangement
could be made

before the road went in
to move the house?

Move it intact to another part
of the estate?

Well, I...

I guess I didn't
think it out that way.

You didn't think, period.

Osmond's calling the press now
to get them off our necks,

and to tell them we plan
to move the house,

not bulldoze it to rubble.

What about the old lady?

I called and explained
your mistake to her.

I assured a site would be
cleared and landscaped

and her house lifted off its
present foundation and moved

intact and unharmed to its
foundation in the new site.

If it can be moved.

I'm sure it can.

I'm sure because you personally

are going out there
to the house right now,

and if it takes you all night,

all night crawling

on your stomach under
and around that house,

you're going to tell me it can

and how it can be moved.

All right, Ed,
so I made a mistake.

So take away my good conduct
medal.

Only, just remember this,

I didn't go running
to the newspaper.

All I did was mention it

to that little
itchy-fingered genius of yours

He's the one who went slobbering
to Quincy Davis.

You know, that's the second time

you've inferred that Adam Conrad
was a thief.

You said that somebody
might be getting kickbacks

from the subcontractors,

that somebody
might be padding the budget

and swiping what's left over.

All right,
I spent the weekend going

through that office
from top to bottom.

You know what?
You were right, Mr. Pierce.

But not "might.”

Somebody is.

There is a crook
in this company,

and I can prove it.

Mr. Pierce.

Uh, come in, sir.

Thank you.

You remember Hilary.

Yes, of course.

Mr. Pierce, if you're here
to ask Adam

about that column, it was...

We were just discussing it
when you rang.

I was going to call and explain.

Well, I did come here
for an explanation, all right,

but...

Adam, I don't understand it.

After all the trust
I had in you,

all the plans I had for you
with the company...

Why did you do it?

- Mr. Pierce, it wasn't
his fault. -Be quiet, Hilary.

I'll accept full responsibility
for the consequences of...

Young man,

Joe Marshall is at Miss Keith's
tonight

to see about moving,
not tearing down her house.

Now, before Joe left,
he showed me the-the evidence.

I felt I owed it to you

to tell you to your face,
not over the phone.

- Evidence?
- Adam,

I have no choice but to turn it
all over to the authorities.

But I admitted
I went to see Davis.

So maybe that's wrong,
but it's not a crime.

And I am not talking about
any newspaper column.

I mean evidence

about your embezzling money
from the company,

altering invoices and bills,
padding accounts.

You mean, Joe Marshall
says something.

Without asking me,
you think I'm a thief?

I have to believe
my own eyes, Adam.

What in the name of...

So, you find something wrong

and right away,
you decide I did it?

Look, Adam, I-l just...

All right, tomorrow morning,

your office, : .

You'll have my explanation,
and my resignation.

Adam, what are you going to do?

I'm gonna find out
just what this is all about

and why Joe Marshall accused me.

But if you go looking for him...

I'll b*at the truth out
of him if I have to.

Adam.

♪♪

♪♪

- Wait a minute, Adam.
-(engine starting)

Mr. Conrad!

(gasping)

Don't you even wait
for an invitation anymore?

- Miss Keith is an old friend.
- (shutter clicks)

She called me immediately
after she called you.

Well, in that case,
maybe you'll see

that she doesn't do
any more cleaning tonight.

Ever seen such a tidy m*rder?

It's my house.

I didn't ask for a m*rder in it.
All I did was

straighten things up a bit.

You're sure you didn't touch
the body?

It's lying exactly as it was
when you first found it?

I did not touch him.

I put a sheet over him,
that's all.

Know who it is, Andy?

An engineer named Marshall.

What k*lled him?

A blow to the head.

And it looks like we've
just found the m*rder w*apon.

When you called,

you might have said
the emergency involved m*rder.

Do they think you did it?

Oh, my, no.

Then, why did you call us?

Because it's my fault,
that's why.

Your fault?

It wouldn't have happened

if I hadn't spoken
to that nice young man as I did.

I didn't realize how strongly

I'd influenced him
against his own company's plans.

You have to help me, Perry.

Help you?

Help you what?

Why, help me protect

that nice young boy,
Adam Conrad,

when the police find out
he k*lled Mr. Marshall.

Adam, please let me take you
to a doctor.

Later.

(doorbell rings)

I'm Perry Mason.

This is my associate,
Paul Drake.

We're looking for Adam Conrad.

I'm Adam Conrad.

I'm Marguerite Keith's attorney.

She asked me to come.

This is Hilary Gray.

Come in.

Marguerite's all right,
isn't she?

Yes, but she's worried
about you.

Looks like she has
a good reason.

Must've been some fight.

Fight?

What is this?
Just why are you here?

Mr. Conrad, I'd like to hear
your version of what happened

at Marguerite's house tonight

because in a matter of minutes,

the police will be ringing
your doorbell.

The police?

You're way ahead of me,
Mr. Mason.

Something's happened
that I don't know about.

All right, start with what
you do know about.

Well, I-I went out there
about : this evening,

- guess.
Why?

Because Mr. Pierce came here
and said that Joe Marshall

had accused Adam
of all sorts of things.

So, you went looking
for Marshall?

Yes, I'm still looking.

MASON:
Go on, you went to Marguerite's.

Well, when I got there,

the place was dark,

but I thought I saw
a flashlight inside.

So, I-l went in,

and next thing I knew,
I was flat on the floor.

You didn't see who hit you?

No, no, but it must've
been Joe Marshall.

- Who else could it have been?
- Then what?

Well, I thought I heard
a car drive away.

Then I realized where I was.

I guess I was just coming to.

When I was able,
I stumbled out to my own car

and went looking for Marshall,
but I never found him.

Were the lights on when you
arrived at Marguerite's house?

No, no, I told you it was dark.

I thought I saw a flashlight.

You didn't turn the lights
on when you left?

No. Why?

You'd probably have found
Joe Marshall right there.

He was lying dead
on the living room floor.

(doorbell rings)

I assume you've alerted
Mr. Conrad

as to why we're here, Perry.

Why are you here, Lieutenant?

Well, we'd like Mr. Conrad
to come downtown

and answer some questions.

Found a coffee machine.

Here.

Look, Miss Gray,
Perry Mason's with Adam,

and he'll take care of him.
Don't worry.

Now, take a sip of that.

Ah, feel better?

Okay, maybe we can find out
what this is all about.

I should never have gone
to see Quincy Davis.

Quincy Davis, the columnist?

Well, Quince is
a friend of mine.

Why did you go to see him?

For support.

I certainly got it.

More than I bargained for.

Yeah, old Quince can be
quite a boy.

I didn't mean for him
to print all those things.

You can ask him yourself.

Yeah, maybe I can.

(groans)

Oh, what do you want?

Oh, isn't anything private
to a private eye?

How are you, Paul?

What-what time is it?

It's late, and I apologize,

but I have to talk to you.

About nothing important, I hope.

That piece you wrote about
Marguerite Keith's house.

So I did a good turn
for posterity.

Give me the Pulitzer Prize
and go away.

Only...

put it down quietly.

Quince, your column
stirred up a tornado.

You're sitting on
a m*rder story now.

A guy named Joe Marshall.

He was k*lled tonight
at Marguerite's house.

The police are beginning to
point the finger at Adam Conrad.

Hilary Gray's boyfriend?

I kind of hoped you might have
some notion nestled among

that mess of martinis.

Got a call before,
when the paper came out.

I thought it was
just another crank.

Yeah, this is the guy
he told me about.

You know, Paul,

when you've been around
a while as we have,

you begin to think sneaky.

Come here.
I'll show you something.

It'd be sad if that old house
got knocked down, but not so sad

that someone should get k*lled
over it, right?

Look here, Paul.

This is the Manzana estate,
Marguerite's place,

and here's Osmond's new tract.

Originally, the highway was
gonna swing up,

and they planned
to tie it in here.

But now this, this little strip
is a county park,

forcing the highway to go
out this way instead.

So they have to bring their
access road down here

through Marguerite's place or
take the long way around

out here at the end
of the property.

That's logical.

But where does the sneaky part
come in?

Well, don't you get it?

Look, you see all this?

Land planned for subdivision.
It's just waiting.

Now, if the access road to
Osmond Acres were to go in here,

the long way, it would open up
this entire area.

It belongs to a man named
Harley Leonard.

Now there's a man who should
have a real interest in

what happens to Marguerite's
house, in anything,

to prevent a road going
through her place.

But, Quince, isn't that
farfetched to think...

Farfetched? Paul, it's this
suddenly acquired,

brand-new little county park
that caused the rerouting

of the highway and created
the whole problem, right?

According to the person who
called me before,

the only reason it became a park
was because the land was donated

for that purpose, given to the
county for nothing...

by a man named Harley Leonard.

Mr. Leonard, a friend of mine
suggested you might give us

a scoop on putting
an access road through

to a landlocked piece
of property.

Your friend was obviously
referring

to the Archer Osmond property
that borders mine?

Mr. Leonard, do you plan to
develop the property

which borders Osmond's?

Eventually.

How deeply were you interested

in the location
of Osmond's road?

Enough to donate a strip of land
to the county for a park?

It's a game
like anything else.

And who set up the rules you
play by, Mr. Leonard?

What was your relationship
with Joe Marshall?

I never heard of him until
I read the morning paper.

That's a safe statement.
He sure can't challenge it now.

Now look here,

there's a lot of difference
between encouraging somebody

to get a road moved and m*rder.

Encouraging someone to get
a road moved, Mr. Leonard?

What does that mean in
your game, bribery?

You'll have to excuse me,
gentlemen, I'm very busy.

Joe Marshall found proof of what
Adam Conrad was doing.

Go on, look at it.

Proof of Adam Conrad's chiseling
and petty graft.

True or not,
it's beside the point.

What do you think the point is?

The access road, Mr. Pierce.

How does this affect
the access road?

Is there a motive for Adam
to try to influence

the positioning of that road?

I have the answer
to that one, Perry.

Marshall's death had nothing
to do with the road.

He was k*lled because he'd found
out too much.

The kickbacks, Andy?

Even if it were true,

that's not enough for motivation
for m*rder.

Do you think a jury would
believe that a man would k*ll

to hide $ , or $ ,
in kickbacks?

Would another $ , be
more convincing?

We didn't find
the entire $ , ,

only $ , of it.

Where?

In an envelope.

$ , in small
unmarked bills

with a printed note saying

that the remaining $ ,
would be sent on delivery.

This envelope, Lieutenant,

how does it tie Adam Conrad in
with Joe Marshall's death?

There was some writing on the
back of the envelope,

writing identified
as Joe Marshall's.

It was a statement,
dated the day he d*ed,

that he'd found the envelope
taped on the inside

of a roll of blueprints...
in Adam Conrad's office.

And where did you find
the envelope?

An hour ago we found it hidden
under the seat

in Adam Conrad's car.

Conrad's been arrested and
charged with criminal homicide.

That , bucks they found was
Harley Leonard's.

Leonard withdrew $ , in cash
from his bank;

the exact number of bills and in
the exact denominations

as the money Andy found.

He found it, all right,
hidden in Adam Conrad's car.

Perry, I've got just a whisper
of a lead,

but if it pans out, I think

I can prove that Harley Leonard
knew

and had personal contact
with someone

inside the Pierce outfit--
Joe Marshall.

Paul, do you have a contact
at the State Department?

- Sure.
- Good.

Della, what time does
the hearing start?

We're on the calendar for :
this afternoon.

That should give you enough time
for some digging

at the County Clerk's office.

Digging for what?

The actual identity

of the persons hiding behind
a fictitious name.

Why, is something wrong?

No, no. County Clerk's office...

State Department.

In a few hours, Adam Conrad
faces a preliminary hearing on

a charge of criminal homicide.

If it isn't asking too much,

exactly what is it we're gonna
try and prove?

The truth isn't always
on the surface, Paul.

Sometimes you have
to dig for it.

That house will always mean
something special to me.

Aside from which, historically,

I think
it's an important landmark.

I understand. Now how did you
first learn

of the danger threatening
the house, Mr. Davis?

Miss Gray dropped by my office.
She told me.

BURGER: That's Hilary Gray,
the defendant's girlfriend?

But I want
to make it very clear.

All she ever asked me to do was
to make a phone call.

And did you make that call?

No, I, uh, thought
there was a better way

to reach the man
we wanted to convince.

I wrote a column.

Who did you want to reach.
Mr. Davis?

Archer Osmond.

Telegrams, phone calls,

the street outside
blocked with cars.

I tell you it's simply
staggering

the effect one column can have.

And what did you do,
Mr. Osmond?

I called Mr. Davis and told him
it was all a mistake,

that we did not intend

to bulldoze that house
into a pile of rubble.

I told him I would personally
pay, personally,

to have the house lifted from
its foundations

and moved to whatever spot
on her estate she chose.

This was after I'd talked
to Ed Pierce.

Well, from what we found out,

the person in our office
who was stealing

never personally contacted any
of the people he hit up

for kickbacks,
just anonymous phone calls.

BURGER: Well, how were these
kickbacks made, Mr. Pierce?

The money was put in an
envelope,

taped to the inside
of a roll of blueprints.

Inside a roll of blueprints?

The blueprints were sent by
messenger to our office.

Adam Conrad received and checked
out all blueprints

before they were distributed.

I see. Mr. Pierce, on
the night of the m*rder,

you sent the decedent,
Joe Marshall,

out to Marguerite Keith's house,
is that right?

Yes, that's right,

to see what would be needed
to move the house.

And what did you do,
that night, sir?

I went to Adam Conrad's
apartment,

told him I'd-I'd found out
he was the thief.

And now, after Mr. Pierce had
gone, Miss Gray,

the defendant Adam Conrad
also left, is that correct?

Well...

Just yes or no, Miss Gray,
answer my questions yes or no.

Now, did Adam Conrad leave?

- Yes.
- By himself?

- Yes.
- To see Joe Marshall?

Yes.

And naturally, when he left,
he was perfectly furious?

- No.
Mildly angry?

- No!
- A little upset perhaps?

No!

No? I see.

He'd just been told
he was going to prison,

so, naturally, he was calm,
placid, totally unaffected.

Adam went out there to get
the truth out of Joe Marshall,

not to k*ll him.
Don't you understand?

Adam wouldn't k*ll anybody.

Of course you're right.

He just went for--
as you say-- the truth.

- Yes, the truth.
- From Joe Marshall?

Yes.

Joe Marshall had been
telling lies,

and now he had
to tell the truth?

Yes!

Even if Adam had
to force it out of him?

Yes, even if Adam...

Thank you, Miss Gray.
That will be all.

No further questions.

The defense has no questions.

I realize it was wrong,

cleaning up the house the way
I did, straightening things.

I'm , I'm very sorry

But you see, it was,
it was such a shock

to come home and find...
find what I did.

Yes, I understand.

Now, where were you coming home
from, Miss Keith?

I had a pass to the theater.

So when Joe Marshall came
to see you that night,

you weren't home?

No. I'd gone to the show
that night.

And when you returned from the
theater, did you see a man

come running out of your house,

and then get in a car
and drive away?

Yes.

And did you recognize the driver
of that car,

the man who had just run
out of your house?

Yes... I recognized him.

Would you point out that man

to this court,
please, Miss Keith?

That young man, Adam Conrad.

What the...?!

Drive to the next corner,

turn right, and pull up
when I tell you to stop.

Now listen, officer...

Stop the talking. Let's move.

Why don't you cops stop
rousting me?

I ain't done nothing.

That's enough. All we want
to know is the payoff.

What?

How much did he pay you?

I don't know
what you're talking about.

About a week ago, you delivered
a roll of blueprints...

At night.

...to the Pierce Construction
Company.

The man who sent those
blueprints...

DRAKE:
... the man you just now saw...

...how much did he pay you to
forget that delivery a week ago?

Well, he, he paid me
a hundred bucks.

Thank you for coming,
Mr. Osmond.

Mason, Miss Keith.

Look aren't we all supposed
to be in court

in less than an hour?

Yes, Mr. Osmond, we'll be there.

I have a few things I'd like
to clear up with you.

Is it right for me to be here?
I'm a witness.

The timing may be somewhat
inopportune,

but this is
simply a business meeting.

Now, Osmond Acres is

the fictitious business name
of a partnership.

And you're not the sole owner
of Osmond Acres?

No, I'm not.
The land is held in the name

of a limited partnership,
true enough.

But I'm the general partner.

Your limited partner,
is he, by chance,

named Ronald Litt?

The names of the actual partners
operating under

a fictitious name is a matter
of public record

in the County Clerk's office.

It's also a matter
of public record

that the limited partnership
faces possible insolvency

because of the unusual costs

and unexpected delays
in starting Osmond Acres.

That is my business.

And your partner's.

Now, I spoke to Mr. Litt.

He's worried.

Well, there's no need
to play games.

Sure, I offered to buy him out
at cents on the dollar.

Would you be interested
in helping him

save all his investment?

Go on.

I have a contract...

an agreement by Miss Keith,

to deed to you whatever portion
of Manzana Estate

you will need
for your access road.

Without any more fuss?

What's the joker?

The fulfillment
of two covenants:

first, in accordance with
your own expressed desires,

that you move her house, intact,

to a designated place
on the property.

And the second covenant?

Moving of the house is to start
at : tomorrow morning

and you will issue to the press

a public announcement
of this transaction--

issue it to the press today.

Where's the papers?

Right here, Mr. Osmond.

One other thing--
Adam Conrad and his employer--

please try to heal
the breach between them.

OSMOND:
All right, I promise.

If they don't put Adam Conrad
in the gas chamber for m*rder.

We found blood
and a few strands of hair.

Both blood and hair matched that
of the decedent Joe Marshall.

What else did you find on this
crowbar, Lieutenant Anderson?

One set of fingerprints--

identified as those of
the defendant Adam Conrad.

Thank you, Lieutenant Anderson.

Cross-examine.

Where was Joe Marshall k*lled,
Lieutenant?

In the living room
of the Keith house.

And where was the crowbar found?

Outside, where it had been
tossed into some bushes.

That's merely an assumption,
isn't it, Lieutenant Anderson?

Maybe it wasn't tossed,
maybe it was just dropped,

or left or placed
in the bushes

but its presence in those bushes
is a fact, not an assumption.

Based on such facts, then is it
your contention, Lieutenant,

that Adam Conrad confronted the
decedent in the living room;

that they fought, that he struck
the decedent with the crowbar;

took the incriminating envelope
with the $ , ;

hid the envelope in his car;

tossed, placed, dropped or left
the crowbar in the bushes

and drove off?

That's the way
the facts seem to add up.

Lieutenant, did I understand
you to testify

that there was a struggle?

No, but I'm sure there was,

even though the living room
had been, uh, straightened up.

MASON: So, in the heat of a
struggle with the decedent,

Adam Conrad reached out,

and in the living room of
a house occupied by a woman,

there happened to be
a crowbar present?

There was
a storage room in back,

with plenty of tools in it.

He could've
gotten the crowbar from there

before he went
into the living room.

Now, these other tools--

could one of them have been
used as a m*rder w*apon?

Could have, but wasn't.

The defendant didn't
handle any of them.

MASON:
How do you know that?

ANDERSON: Well, we checked
everything for fingerprints.

We found Miss Keith's,
her gardener's,

those of a handyman
she used now and then--

none of the defendant's.

But his prints
were on the crowbar?

No question of it.

Along with Miss Keith's,
the gardener's,

and the occasional handyman's.

No, just his.

Lieutenant, how many years have
you been on the police force?

years.

Tell me, Lieutenant,
in all those years,

have you ever seen
or heard of a m*rder*r

who wiped
a m*rder w*apon clean before

not after he used it?

No further questions.

No re-direct, Your Honor.

The witness is excused.

If it please the court,

the state believes
that it has presented

a prima facie case and it moves,

at this time,
that the defendant Adam Conrad

be bound over for trial
in Superior Court

on a charge of
criminal homicide.

Your Honor, we had anticipated

that the district attorney
would call another witness.

He has not, and we believe
his testimony is of importance.

JUDGE:
Who is this witness?

Harley Leonard.

BURGER: Your Honor, the
prosecution has no objection

to calling Mr. Leonard.

Mr. Leonard, did you go to

Marguerite Keith's house
that night?

Absolutely and
categorically, no.

Were you in the living room of
that house with a crowbar

when Joe Marshall arrived,

and did you,
in the course of a struggle,

strike and k*ll Joe Marshall
with that crowbar?

Again, absolutely and
categorically, no.

When you heard
the defendant drive up,

did you lie in wait for him,
knock him down,

place his fingers on
the wiped-off crowbar,

toss the crowbar
into the bushes,

hide the envelope of money
in the defendant's car

and drive away?

No... no, no.

And was the $ ,
in that envelope

money you sent to Joe Marshall?

I... I didn't know you...

Now, look here, Mr. Mason,

I don't know
what you're talking about.

What money? To whom?

I remind you, you're under oath.

Was that your money?

I just finished telling you

I don't know
what you're talking about.

Have you ever seen the person
in this photograph?

Did you pay $ , as part
payment of a $ , bribe

to have the Osmond Acres
access road

routed along
the edge of your property?

Yes.

You paid the money not to Adam
Conrad, but to Joe Marshall.

That's right.

No further questions.

Your Honor,
the District Attorney's Office

is perfectly aware
of the witness's complicity

in this bribery business,

and intends
to take appropriate action.

As a matter of fact, this
subject will be fully aired

at the m*rder trial itself,
if the defendant is bound over.

Well, I'll admit that
I have entertained the thought

that the defendant
was involved in the bribery,

that this was probative
as to his possible motive.

Your Honor,
it certainly appears probable

that whoever is involved
in the bribery here

is also the embezzler
who was working

inside the Pierce company.

Now, may I remind the court--

whether it is Adam Conrad
who was the embezzler

trying to cover up evidence
of that fact,

or whether the dead man
was the embezzler

trying to shift the blame
onto Adam Conrad

the result was the same:

a confrontation
between the two men

ending in a struggle
which resulted

in the death of Joe Marshall
at the hands of Adam Conrad.

No! No! That's a lie!

Your Honor, the prosecution
has already moved

that the defendant
be bound over.

All right, Mr. Mason,
I presume you will

present your defense
at this time?

We will not present a defense,
Your Honor.

Well, in that case,

the defendant will be bound over
to Superior Court

to stand trial on the charge of
criminal homicide.

The complaint
will be so endorsed.

(engine starts)

Is it all right?

♪♪

(creaking)

Good evening, Mr. Davis.

You must have
read the press release

Mr. Osmond
sent to your newspaper,

announcing that the house

is going to be moved
in the morning.

Here you are,
tearing up floorboards.

A destructive
souvenir hunter, Mr. Davis.

I'm disappointed.

Well, the, uh...
the disappointment is mutual.

I didn't think you'd let them
bind Conrad over for trial.

Not what I'd call
an adequate legal performance;

at least not for
the renowned Perry Mason.

I'm sorry I didn't live up
to your expectations.

Go ahead, Paul.

Maybe Mr. Davis
brought that crowbar here

to re-enact the crime, Perry.

To try to find out for himself

what really happened here
the night of the m*rder.

No, Hamilton, he's much
too sophisticated for that.

Surely you remember.

He and his wife honeymooned
here in this house,

before they left for Italy,
three years ago.

(floorboards creaking)

It was Italy,
wasn't it, Mr. Davis,

where you took your wife
from here?

Yeah, yeah, I was, uh, doing
an assignment for a magazine.

I remember reading a very sad
story you wrote

about her illness and death
over there.

(floorboards creaking)

L-Look, I-l don't know
what this is all about, uh...

All right, technically,
I guess I'm a trespasser.

If you want to arrest me,
come on, let's...

Please, Mr. Davis.

You don't want to leave
now, do you?

There's nothing here that
you're afraid of, is there?

Stop it.

Please, make him stop it.

Is that what you were doing,
pulling up the floorboards,

when Joe Marshall walked
in on you that night?

Is that why you had to k*ll him?

No, stop it...
stop it, stop it!

Stop it!

Will we find your wife
there, Mr. Davis?

No! No! She d*ed in Italy!

But the only record of her death
is the story you wrote.

And according to the State
Department's Passport Division,

you left for Italy, three years
ago, all by yourself.

I couldn't let them
tear the house down,

don't you understand that?

And I couldn't
let them move it, either.

I tried to tell Marshall...
when he walked in on me, I...

I tried to tell him,
to explain that...

it had been an accident.

You've got to believe that.

I was drunk;
I didn't mean to k*ll her.

It was an accident.

He said that...

...that he'd go to the police

unless I made it worth his while

to keep his mouth shut about...

uh, about her being buried here.

Yeah, I shut his mouth for him.

I shut it for good.

But how did you figure out

it had nothing to do with
the road or our company

but was connected
with the house itself?

It was a little far out,

but the only answer that fit.

You know,
Marshall liked kickbacks.

He could have been bought off
for very little.

His being m*rder*d
only made sense

if the stakes were
a great deal higher.

Quincy's stakes were high,
all right.

The cold-blooded monster,

sending me a ticket
to go to a show

so he could get into
my house and to... dig.

For three years.

For three years, I lived
with that under my feet.

But you knew nothing about it
until now, Marguerite.

It's past.

Have you thought of moving?

How about the top floor

of the tallest apartment
building in town?

(theme song playing)