09x07 - The Case of the Hasty Honeymooner

[bunniefuu]

Thank you, little lady.
I'll be right back.

[ENGINE REVS]

[ENGINE REVS]

Now, here's a beauty.

I could give you
a real good deal on it.

Oh, no, no,
that's too rich for my blood.

[KICKING TIRE]

Say, how much for this little beauty
right here, huh?

It's a one-owner special,
marked down to .

I don't have time for horse-trading,
boy.

There's bills right here,
tax included.

Take it or leave it.

[SIGHS]

I'll take it.

- I'll get the papers for you.
- Thank you, sonny.

Mister--

Don't say nothing.
Don't even move.

Just stand right there
and let me look at you.

Heh, huh, I didn't believe
it was possible,

but you are even more prettier
than your pictures.

Aw, Millie, I sure am glad to meet you.
I'm Luke Tolliver.

I should have known from your letters
how you'd talk.

Oh, I meant every word I wrote, too,
ma'am, you'd better believe that.

- I believe you, Lucas.
- Lucas?

Oh, now, doesn't that sound
just a little stand-offish?

Why don't you call me Luke?

That's more simple,
like the kind of man I am.

You know, just a simple man
with a simple taste.

MILLIE:
Oh, I'm such a boob.

Here, I've been thinking about
your coming for weeks now,

and I let you stand in the doorway
like a stranger.

[CHUCKLES]

Uh, heh...

You know, you sure do have to hand it
to modern science,

bringing you and me
together like this, huh, heh?

That little old computer clicked off
our numbers just right, didn't it?

Course you're lonely, I suspect,
and I'm lonely, and...

Well, we're going to hit it off.

Look, I have been here for years.

You ain't been around
for more than a week

and I swear, you can think up
more questions

to ask about this place than...
Well, than I can find answers for.

Fifty-two dozen eggs, heh.

[HUTCH SIGHS]

At cents a dozen,
seven days a week, minus feed...

Do you know that's most $ a week
just from eggs?

[PHONE RINGING]

HUTCH:
Hello?

Hmm.

Uh, like I said in my letter,
uh, this fellow has the way of Satan,

and, uh, I ain't changed my mind.

Oh, you go right ahead, Hutch.
Don't pay no attention to me.

I'll call you back.

[LUCAS CHUCKLES]

You make these little old felts
sort of like a hobby, do you?

I bet if you was to get hold of
a regular distributor and work at them,

you might make important money.

Don't you ever think about
anything else?

What's eating on you, Hutch?
How come you don't like me?

I've been watching you
this past week,

and I can see myself
before I got the call.

I used to hunger after money,
chase after women, drink.

That's how I got myself crippled up.

I climbed up on a rodeo bronc
when I was full of liquor.

I don't drink, Hutch.

No, but you lust after women,
and all you talk about is money.

Look, look, look.
Uh, I just made this one.

Right from the book,

"The idols of the heathen
are silver and gold."

But the book also says,
"Money answereth all things."

That reminds me, Hutch,

how much do you figure
this little old ranch is worth, huh?

Of course, it is a long way
out of town,

but, um, subdivision is getting
closer all the time.

What's it to you?

Are you planning on buying it?

Buying it? Heh. Not hardly.

Luke, you'd better get washed up.
Dinner's ready.

Oh, I'm coming right along, Millie.

Here, Hutch, heh, I'll be seeing you.

- You talk too much.
- I ain't been talking enough.

You ought to hear me
when I get started.

You watch how you speak to me.

What are you going to do,
fire me?

LUCAS:
Coming, honey?

"Honey"? Heh.

Thank you very much, ma'am.
I, uh, found just what I was looking for.

Ahh, ha, I do declare, Millie,
if you ain't something special.

You cook almost as good
as you look.

I bet you stay awake nights

just thinking up things
to make me happy.

It pleases me if I please you,

because, well, I've been thinking, uh...

About you and me?

Well, ever since I've been spending
these past few days here

on this nice little spread of yours--
It's all you said it was in your letters.

Well, it isn't anything big or fancy,

but my husband did leave it to me
free and clear.

I expect he left piles of insurance.

Well, uh, he did the best he could.

Well, you've got money and property

and you yourself, you're lots more
than I ever counted on.

Why, thank you, Lucas.

[PLATE CLINKS]

- Oops.
- Millie, I--

I don't want no secrets between us.

I don't want you thinking
that I'm something that I ain't.

Well, what is it, Lucas?

Well, you don't know nothing about me
at all.

Like for instance
that I got trouble with my liver.

Well, you don't know
all about me, either.

Uh, like, sometimes I get train-sick.

Oh!

Ha, well, then it's all right.
It's all out in the open.

I'll just keep on taking my calomel
and you stay off of them trains.

[MILLIE CHUCKLES]

Now, what else
were you going to tell me, Lucas?

Well, the truth is, Millie,
that right now I'm down on my luck.

I don't have nothing to offer you at all

but a strong back
and, uh, a loving heart

and, uh, a wish to work hard
to make you happy.

Aren't those the important things,
Lucas?

I mean, I have this place
and a little money put away,

but it's no life for me, alone like this.

I ain't got nothing compared to you.

What difference does it make?

I know that if you were a rich man,
everything you had would be mine.

Well, uh, if you aren't
just about the most...

If I ain't the luckiest boy in the world.

[LAUGHS]

Yes, sir, Mr. Mason, when my old
buddy-buddy Clay told me

that you were just about
the best lawyer in all Los Angeles,

I said to myself right flat-out,
"That's the man for me."

[CHUCKLES]

Uh, nothing but the best,
I always say.

You travel first-class, you save
money in the long run, right?

- Clay is given to slight exaggeration.
- Heh.

Whoo-eee, you don't have to
tell me nothing about that old kid.

You know, him and me
was in the w*r together.

Did you know that he was one
of the nicest lyingest dogfaces

in the whole Pacific?

- But you still trust his judgment.
- Indeed I do, sir.

Else why would I take the time to drive
way over here from the next county

just to talk to you.

Mr. Mason, sir,
I want you to draw me up a will.

[DOOR OPENS]

Uh, pardon me.
There's a message from Paul

on the Sacramento case
and he'd like an answer.

I'm practically leaving now, ma'am.

Oh, Mr. Tolliver, Miss Street.

Happy to make you acquaintance,
ma'am.

How do you do?

If you'll pardon me, Mr. Tolliver...

In the meantime you might give,
uh, Miss Street

a list of your relatives
and beneficiaries.

Oh, no, it ain't for me
I want the will drawn up, sir,

it's for Millicent Barton Tolliver.

Is she meeting you here?

LUCAS: No, sir, she was all tied up,
so I told her I'd attend to it for her.

Uh, you see, I'm leaving
everything to her as my wife,

and she's leaving everything
to me.

Heh, well, Mr. Tolliver, it will be
necessary for her to sign the will

in the presence of witnesses.

Heh, yeah, we got to get a witness.

Well, I'll take care of that,
if you'll just do up the will now.

Millicent Barton Tolliver, it'll be,

and I'll be back in touch with you
just as soon as we get married.

MASON:
Now, wait a minute.

I thought you said
the will was for your wife?

She will be, any day now,

and you'll be amongst
the first to know, sir.

I'm very happy to make
your acquaintance, ma'am.

Thank you.

DELLA: A will for his wife? Heh.
Before they're married?

[SIGHS]

[CLEAR THROATS]

I think it's time, don't you, Millie?

Time for what, dear?

Well, I've been around here
the best part of a week now,

and I ain't got a doubt in my mind,
SO...

So, I, uh...

It ain't much,
it ain't nothing like you deserve,

but if you was to put that on,

you'd make me the proudest
and happiest fella in the whole country.

Why I'd just, heh...

And then later on when I had a chance
to take over this ranch--

Well, Lucas, I think it's just beautiful.

[CAR APPROACHING]

Hutch?

Uh, I've been watching them
since I talked to you on the phone.

- What's going on?
- Well, ah,

I don't know, Mrs. Munford,

but, uh, this Tolliver is
a whole lot different

from what Millicent said
he's supposed to be.

Honey drips from his mouth.

He don't talk money to her,

and you can bet he didn't talk to her
about needing a good lawyer.

You sure about that?

That's what prompted me
writing to you, ma'am.

I heard him call this guy in L.A.,

asked about a good lawyer,
I hope I did right.

Would I have come here all the way
from San Francisco if you haven't?

Whatever else she is, she's a client.

We can't have her taken in
by this Tolliver.

You're a good woman,
Mrs. Munford.

Like the book says,
"To forgive is the best revenge."

I'm...

I'm also thinking of what's best for me
in the long run.

I'm going to find out exactly
what's behind all this,

and I think the place for that
is my husband's office.

I'll keep my eyes wide open, ma'am.

You do that, Hutch.

Alice!

Why didn't you let me know

you were coming down from
San Francisco, darling?

I didn't know it myself until I checked
your reports this morning.

That's when I found our computer
had made a mistake.

- That's impossible.
- I agree.

I've run these cards through
three times

and I've gotten the same answer
three times.

Lucas Tolliver should never have been
put in touch with Millicent Barton.

In fact, he should have gotten
a form letter rejecting his application.

Why? What's wrong with him?

Tell me the truth, Guy.

Have you ever looked at this form
he filled out?

Oh, I'm sorry, dear.
I've been so darned busy.

The mail's been heavy
and the women drive me nuts.

I'll bet they do.

[SIGHS]

Guy, it's our responsibility
to watch out for our clients.

One or two more slips like this

and I'll be back selling cosmetics
door-to-door

and you'll be handing out
patent medicine

and ice cream sodas
in that all-night drugstore.

I don't disagree with your conclusion
that possibly we've made a mistake,

but don't you think to a certain extent
we're borrowing trouble?

Are we?

Do you know that all our penniless
client has talked about since he arrived

was how much the ranch is worth
and how much income it brings?

Well, that's a normal concern.

Is it normal, too, for one
of our prospective bride-grooms

to need a good attorney?

- Who told you that?
- Hutch.

We're not letting it go any further.
We've got to protect our position.

"Happy Future Association."

Then you brought Lucas Tolliver
and Millicent Barton together?

My husband handled their case.
I had nothing to do with it.

I was in San Francisco at the time.

Uh, what is it exactly
that you want from me?

- My wife thought--
- Uh, Mr. Mason, I happen to believe

that we run a legitimate
and honest business,

fulfilling genuine and heartfelt needs,

bringing hundreds of lonely people
into contact,

- filling otherwise empty lives.
- I'm sure of that, Mrs. Munford.

We take a personal, individual interest
in every client.

We're keenly interested in the outcome
and in their future lives.

Well, it isn't necessary to sell me--

What my wife means is--

We got to greater lengths
than any other agency.

We're even pioneered in
the computerized data analysis.

So if, rarely, we make a mistake,
you can see that--

Mistake?

I gather you're referring to...

Lucas Tolliver and Millicent Barton

should never have been brought
together. We admit that.

If you're considering
any legal action...

Legal action against
the Happy Future Association?

You could cause us embarrassment,

jeopardize our future ability
to help lonely people.

Dear, Mr. Mason hasn't suggested

that he's about to take legal action
on Tolliver's behalf.

- Have you?
- haven't made any suggestions.

But you have been retained
by Lucas Tolliver?

- In a sense.
- What for?

That would be a violation of ethics
to discuss that.

Mr. Mason,
I hope you understand our concern.

We've been very fortunate
in Happy Future.

But other agencies such as ours
have had cases where they've had...

Well, tragic consequences.

And everything about Lucas Tolliver,

his attitude, his questions,
his actions...

He doesn't measure up to
the information he gave us.

Well, what do you want me to do?

Stop this marriage before it's too late,
for their sakes and for ours.

If two adults in full possession
of their faculties meet

and decide they're soul mates,
computer or no computer,

whether or not they marry
is their decision.

But consider the consequences.

If I learn of anything incriminating
against either party,

I'll take all the action necessary
to protect Millicent Barton

or my client, as the case may be.

LUCAS:
Woo-hoo!

[LAUGHING]

- Lucas!
- Huh?

They're watching. Put me down.

Oh, well, let them watch.
Let them watch.

I aim to carry my new bride
right across that threshold.

Here we go. Here we go!

Ha, ha. Woo-hoo.

[BOTH CHUCKLE]

All right, scatter. You got work to do.

Well, all I know, Perry,

Luke Tolliver and I were mustered
out of the Army together after the w*r.

Uh, that's World w*r ll.

And when he walked in here
I hadn't seen him in years.

But why send him to me?

Because he said he wanted a lawyer
to, uh, make out his future wife's will

and you're the first one
that popped into my head.

A will for a future wife.
That still sounds funny to me.

Sounds like the Luke Tolliver I knew.
Never missed a trick. Great operator.

We had steaks and ice cream,
all the other outfits were on K rations.

All because Luke was a genius
at making what he called, uh,

"genuine" captured Japanese flags.

Heh-heh-heh, excuse me.

Well, it looks like your Mr. Tolliver
isn't quite the rube

he'd like you to think he was.

Why did he want to create
that impression?

[PHONE DIALING]

Uh, is Mr. Mason there, please?

Come sit over here, honey.

Well, come on, come on, sit down.

Oh, hello there.
Is that you, Mr. Mason, sir?

Miss Della done told me
I might catch you over at Clay's.

Mr. Tolliver,
we were just talking about you.

- You're married?
- Heh, huh.

Surprised about that, huh, heh?

You know,
I've been so busy courting,

uh, I haven't had a chance
to get back to you.

There was a little old favor
I wanted to ask you, Mr. Mason,

just so that everything's hunky-dory
before we go on our honeymoon.

I was wondering if you'd had
a chance to do Millie's will?

Yes, Mr. Tolliver, we have it ready.

But I expect some straight answers
when I see you.

Ooh, why not tomorrow night?

Millie and me, we're gonna have
a real old-fashioned

Oklahoma wing-ding down here
on her ranch.

And you and me, we could hoist a few
and then chew the fat.

Our ranch, Lucas.
We're married, remember?

Heh, as if I could ever forget.
Well, what do you say?

We'd sure like to have you folks
come down.

There's going to be
a whole passel of Millie's friends.

Oh, Clay's coming over here too.
I just asked him.

We're gonna have a ball, heh!
What do you say?

I don't know, Mr. Tolliver.

We won't promise,
but we'll do our best.

I sent you the will earlier today,
special delivery.

Congratulations, Mr. Tolliver.

[MASON HANGS UP PHONE]

Married?

Paul, do you have a contact,

- a good contact, in Tulsa?
- The best.

Would you call him?

I think we've reached a point
where we need to know

a little more about Lucas WW. Tolliver.

Swing your partner round
and round.

[SQUARE DANCE MUSIC
PLAYING ON RECORD PLAYER]

Lift her gently off the ground.

[GUESTS CHEERING
AND LAUGHING]

Everybody, promenade his belle.

Now do that stretch
you know so well.

Promenade around that ring.

Now grab your honey
and let's all swing.

[LAUGHING]

That's the way, that's the way.

Pass to the middle
with that pretty little thing.

Ladies, curtsey. Gents, all bow.

Let's take a rest right now.

Woo-ee!

I'm all steamed up, I tell you.
Oh, thank you, Hutch, thank you.

Oh, no, you'd better not drink anything
so cold while you're still warm.

[GLASS SHATTERS
THEN MILLIE GASPS]

LUCAS: Oh, well, don't give it
any mind. I'll get us another.

Hutch, did you ever see such
a considerate little wife?

Clean it up, Hutch.

Heh, I'd sure like that little old dipper
when you get through.

Why, you just help yourself, Pop.

- What did you call me?
- Pop.

You are my father, you know.
That is, my stepfather.

Heh, come on down here a minute,
would you?

Excuse us, folks, heh.

- Who are you, anyway?
- Larry Dunlap's my name.

Cora was my mother.

Oh, if Cora had a son,
she'd have told me.

You didn't give her much of a chance,
did you?

- What are you doing here?
- I'm here to get what's coming to me.

You took Ma's estate, everything.

Why, you even took her jewelry.
Now that's gone too.

Cora's will was probated,
all legal and proper-like.

If she had a son,
Cora cut you out of the will, not me.

Well, sir, I'm cutting myself back in,
right now.

Because I know what you're up to.
I know how you operate.

Listen, sonny.

I feel like having myself another dance
and when I get through,

you'd better be miles away
from here.

Because as far as I'm concerned,
Cora Dunlap's son just doesn't exist.

I just got a report from Tulsa.

There's a lot of oil there, and guess
who owns a healthy share of it?

Lucas W. Tolliver.

So he wasn't a poor boy.

He was married once before
to a Cora Dunlap.

Six months after their marriage,
Cora d*ed from eating wild greens.

Her death was ruled accidental.

And right after she d*ed,

Lucas just happened to find oil
on the farm she left him.

There are ten rigs
pumping it right now.

Here's a full report.

Della, wasn't the Tolliver party
supposed to have been tonight?

DELLA [OVER PHONE]:
But you said you didn't want to go.

Well, I've changed my mind.

[SQUARE DANCE MUSIC
PLAYING ON RECORD PLAYER]

[PEOPLE CHEERING
AND APPLAUDING]

Where's your husband?

He's in the barn,
making a phone call.

MILLICENT:
What have you done to me?

What have you both done to me?

Guy, I know.

I know about Lucas.

And you've known all along.

I'm married to a m*rder*r
and I've got to get out of it right now.

- Wait a minute, now--
- "He's just right for you," you said.

"Nothing wrong with him
but liver trouble.”

- Perfect match, you said.
- Millicent, please, listen.

- We can work this thing out. Ah--
- Oh, no. I'm through.

- Finished. Right now.
- Millicent, please, listen...

Millie, honey, where you all been?

Come on, let's show these folks
how to dance.

- Oh, no!
- Millie, come on, let's dance.

[LAUGHS]

[LAUGHS]

Let go of me.

Millie, everybody's watching.

- It's a great party, Millicent.
- Thank you.

Here you are, honey.
That ought to make you feel better.

I expect that dance was too much
of a storm.

[CLAY CHUCKLES]

All right, let's get the party rolling, now.
Come on.

[SQUARE DANCE MUSIC
PLAYING ON RECORD PLAYER]

I don't feel so well.

Lucas!

[GROANS]

Millie!

- Millie!
- Somebody get a doctor.

[GUESTS MURMURING]

Clay, what's happened here?

Millie got overheated from dancing,
I think

and she had something to drink and
then she got awfully sick and fainted.

Oh, no.

- What did she have to drink?
- Just lemonade that Lucas gave her.

Perry, I think she's dying.

[ENGINE STARTS]

You ain't running out on me,
Mr. Mason?

Not now when they got me charged
with a m*rder I never done.

You need a lawyer, certainly,

but as I told Clay when he asked me
to see you, I'm not that lawyer.

Now, why not?

That jalopy of yours,

the hick movie clothes,
even cornpone accent, is phony.

I can't defend a man I can't trust
and who apparently doesn't trust me.

LUCAS:
All right, Mr. Mason.

I have been playing a part
but I had my reasons, good reasons.

- And they were honest.
- Honest?

Posing as a simpleton
and a poor man?

Well, I'm not rich.
Not real rich, anyway.

Not yet.

Well, how did I know that some
woman wouldn't wanna marry me

just for my money and not for love?

Did you tell Millicent
that you'd been married before?

Oh, you found out about Cora.

Well, the circumstances were...
I didn't want to upset Millicent.

You didn't tell Millicent
that you had a stepson.

I never knew that.
She never told me.

You show up here posing
as a poor man.

You insist I draw up
a will immediately.

You marry a wealthy widow.

The ink is hardly dry on that will,

when she dies of mercuric chloride
poisoning.

Dies after drinking a glass of lemonade
you gave her at your wedding party.

I know. I know.

You also know that you stand to inherit
everything she had,

a ranch worth perhaps $ , .

I didn't k*ll her, Mr. Mason,
I didn't know Millicent very long,

but, well, I grew very fond of her.

I didn't k*ll her, and that's the truth.

Look, I'm in the worst spot
I've ever been in, in my life.

I need a good lawyer.
I need him bad. You know that.

Now, please, don't let me down.

Don't let you down?

All right, Lucas, just one thing.

Don't let me down.

This simple country boy is in reality
an actor of consummate skills.

Now, he came here playing the part
of a kindly, generous soul,

whose only interest, he says,

was to find a woman
who would love him for himself alone.

But he had one other requirement in
a prospective bride: money, property.

Now, we shall prove that
Millicent Barton Tolliver's quick death

was not the first
to leave our actor a widower.

Her m*rder followed
an established pattern.

Her k*ller had struck before.

Well, they finished dancing
and they came off the dance floor.

- It was a warm night--
- Mr. Clay,

what did the decedent
and the defendant do then?

- Then she had the lemonade.
- Oh, I see.

She went to the bar,
and she ordered a lemonade,

not a beer or liquor or a soft drink,
but lemonade.

- Well, no...
- A tray was passed with lemonade,

- and he selected a glass?
- Uh, no--

- She called a waiter for it.
- It wasn't...

Well, Mr. Clay, where did she get this
poisoned lemonade, the fatal potion?

He handed it to her.

Who, Mr. Clay? Point him out to us.

The defendant.
She was thirsty, I guess--

No further questions.

Uh, Mr. Clay, you testified
you saw the defendant

- hand lemonade to the victim.
- Yes, sir.

MASON:
Where did he get it?

Did he go to the bar
and ask for lemonade?

Not beer nor liquor nor a soft drink,
but lemonade?

No, sir.

A tray was passed with lemonade
and he selected a glass?

No, sir.

- He called the waiter and asked for it?
- No, sir.

Then, Mr. Clay, where did he get it?

Where did he get this poisoned
lemonade, this fatal potion?

Well, he went over and picked it up
and he handed it to her.

Picked it up? Where?

It was on the bench
right next to the record player.

MASON:
And this was immediately

- after they'd finished dancing?
CLAY: Yes, sir.

So that while they were dancing,
someone else

could have filled the glass
or replaced it or added something to it?

Yes, sir, they certainly
could have, sir.

Thank you, Mr. Clay, that's all.

Uh, just a moment, Mr. Clay.

You say you didn't actually see
who filled the glass.

That's right, sir.

SNELL: It could have been anyone
at the party, including the defendant?

Yes, sir.

But you did see who gave her the
lemonade and it was the defendant?

Yes, sir.

SNELL: It couldn't have been
anyone else but the defendant?

No, sir.

No further questions.

Yes, when the defendant contacted
Happy Future about six months ago,

he wrote that he was a lonely widower
in search of an attractive wife.

Attractive.

Did he stipulate
any other qualifications?

Yes, he said she had to be
at least well-to-do.

And so the computer
ground out Millicent Barton.

And then the defendant arrived
in the community,

and they were married
shortly thereafter.

Tell me,
when did you first begin to suspect

that things were not altogether right
with that marriage?

Objection, Your Honor.

- Mr. Snell is leading the witness.
JUDGE: Sustained.

I'll approach it another way.

Now, you testified earlier
that, uh, your wife arrived unexpectedly

from your San Francisco office.

Now, what brought her here?

She had discovered
something alarming

about the Barton-Tolliver match.

SNELL:
And what was that?

Their punch cards
were not compatible.

[ALL LAUGH]

If there is another outburst
of this nature, I'll clear the court.

A man's life is at stake here.

What did you do
when she made this discovery?

My wife and I voiced our concern
to Mr. Tolliver's lawyer

and asked him if there was information
he could give us on Tolliver.

And who was Mr. Tolliver's
attorney at that time?

Mr. Perry Mason.

- And what did he tell you?
- Objection.

He said that if Mrs. Tolliver
were in any danger,

he would take steps to protect her.

- Your Honor, objected to as irrelevant.
JUDGE: Sustained.

Strike the question and the response.

Mr. Munford, if the punch cards
were not compatible,

why did you bring Millicent Barton
and Lucas Tolliver together?

Machine error, Mr. Mason.

My wife didn't discover it until
after Mr. Tolliver arrived here.

Still, you took no action.

Instead you stood by while she signed
a will at the behest of the defendant,

a will leaving everything
she had to him.

Isn't that correct?

Oh, I didn't know anything
about the will until Millicent told me,

the night of the party.

Did you advise Millicent Barton
of your mistake?

GUY: No.
MASON: Why not?

Well, our detailed investigation
of Mr. Tolliver's background

didn't show anything wrong.

Did not your detailed investigation
show that Mr. Tolliver,

far from being a poor man,
was a moderately wealthy one?

Objection.

MASON:
No further questions.

Now, while you were overseas
serving your country,

your mother met and married
Lucas W. Tolliver?

Yes, sir, that's right, sir.

Then I got a letter said Ma was dead,
poisoned from eating wild greens.

Objection.

The testimony is immaterial
and irrelevant.

Your Honor, I intend to show
by this testimony and other evidence

that the defendant's behavior
in this case is part of a pattern

indicating premeditation.

Your Honor, the district attorney's
intentions are clear.

But that does not excuse his attempt
without proper foundation

to lead a witness to produce
gossip, hearsay, opinion,

- and personal prejudice.
- Sustained.

- Strike the question and response.
SNELL: I'm sorry, Your Honor.

Now, Mr. Dunlap, do you know
of your own knowledge

that Millicent Barton Tolliver

knew of the fate of her predecessor,
your mother?

- Oh, yes, I told her.
SNELL: When?

LARRY:
At the party, the night she was k*lled.

SNELL:
And what was her reaction?

She went all to pieces.

- She looked scared to death.
SNELL: Your witness.

Now, then, Mr. Dunlap, you testified
that the defendant, not you,

inherited your mother's entire estate.

- He talked her into it. I blame him.
MASON: You do?

You don't blame the fact
that your mother told friends

that she had disowned you
after you were convicted on a charge

of felonious breaking and entering?

And wasn't that sentence
then suspended

when you agreed to enlist
in the Armed Forces,

from which you have just been
separated for the good of the service?

Objection.

The witness's past
is not an issue here.

- The validity of his testimony is.
JUDGE: Overruled.

That's got nothing to do with it.

There's still what he done
to my ma and to me.

What did he do to you?

He turned my own ma against me

so he could make off
with everything she had.

Now, then, Sergeant Woodward,

was your investigation of the defendant
confined to Tulsa, Oklahoma?

No, sir. I also investigated
a report from Springfield, Missouri.

SNELL: Would you tell the court
the results of that investigation?

Yes, sir.

I learned that two years
before moving to Tulsa,

the defendant met and married
his first wife in Springfield.

She was Agnes Frost,
aged , parents deceased.

She was k*lled in an automobile
accident.

And what were the circumstances
surrounding this accident?

Mr. Tolliver stated at the inquest

that he was driving his wife
to see a doctor.

The car apparently stalled on a
railroad track as a train approached.

Mr. Tolliver testified that he was not
able to get his wife out of the car.

The autopsy revealed she was
under heavy sedation at the time.

SNELL: What was the inquest verdict?
- That death was accidental.

SNELL:
Can you tell us to what extent if any

the defendant profited
from this accident?

He collected $ , from
a life-insurance policy on his wife.

He also inherited from his wife
a house and acre farm

which he sold for $ ,
before moving to Tulsa.

Thank you, sergeant.

Your witness, Mr. Mason.

I'm beginning to wonder if you're
capable of speaking the truth.

You lied to your wife.

You lied to me
and you're lying to yourself.

We've been trying to investigate
everyone you've been in contact with

since you came here,

but perhaps we should have spent
our time investigating you.

I know what you must think.

Can you honestly say
you've told the truth to one person

since you've been here?

Well, I told the truth to you.

Sometimes I told the truth to Millie.

You told her about your money
and your former wives?

No.

I did tell her about my liver, though.
Oh, I've had it a long time.

It gets all jumpy and uneasy
when I'm upset.

Like now. Calomel.

It's an old home remedy, you know.

Ah. Heh.

Doc laughs at me when I take it,

but it's the only thing
that seems to give me real relief.

You told Millie
you were taking calomel?

I wanted to be honest.

Look, Mr. Mason, please,
please don't give up on me now.

The only reason I didn't tell you
about Agnes was...

Well, you almost quit on me when
you found out I had one other wife.

I figured if you knew there'd been two,
I'd have lost you for sure.

Lucas, are there any more wives?

- You know, if another one appears...
- There are no more.

That's the truth.

He wanted to know
what the ranch was worth,

uh, the income from the cattle,
uh, the truck garden,

- uh, the poultry and--
- I see.

Well, then, would you say his interest
in the ranch was entirely mercenary?

Objection!

The question is leading
and suggestive

and like much of
the district attorney's examination,

- borders on prejudicial misconduct.
- That, sir, is your opinion.

That is also my opinion, Mr. Snell.
Objection sustained.

I apologize, Your Honor.

No further questions.

Now, Mr. Hutchinson,
this hobby of yours,

the financial prospects of which
seemed to interest Mr. Tolliver,

would you tell us about it?

Well, heh, it's nothing much.

It's an old process
for making fine felt.

Uh, they taught it to me
when I was in the hospital.

You've already testified to that effect.

I'm interested in the chemical solution
you said you used in the process.

- What is the solution?
- Bi--

Bichloride of mercury.

Bichloride of mercury.

That's the lay term
for mercuric chloride, doctor?

Yes. It's also known as
corrosive sublimate.

A deadly poison, whatever you call it.

But aren't there some beneficial
mercury compounds?

Oh, yes.
Mercurochrome, certain oxides.

Even home remedies?

You must be thinking of calomel?

Yes, calomel actually
is mercurous chloride.

Then isn't it very similar to the poison,
mercuric chloride?

DOCTOR: Uh, it contains
the same basic elements, yes.

But bichloride is deadly, whereas
calomel is a harmless home remedy.

Normally, yes,
but under certain conditions,

mercurous chloride, calomel,
may be changed into mercuric chloride

and become poisonous.

Under what conditions, doctor?

Oh, prolonged storage,
particularly in a damp place.

Or in acid solution.

A solution such as citric acid?
Orange juice or, uh, lemonade?

Well, yes.

Mrs. Munford, what prompted you to
come down from San Francisco?

- My husband explained all that.
- I'm asking you, Mrs. Munford.

Well, Roy Hutchinson wrote to me.

Why should he write to you?

He was working for Millicent Barton,
wasn't he?

No, he worked for me
and my husband.

On Millicent Barton's ranch?

It wasn't her ranch. She rented it.

MASON: Oh, I'm sure you're mistaken,
Mrs. Munford.

I am not.

Guy inherited that ranch
several years ago.

With him in Los Angeles and me
in San Francisco, we rented it.

Mrs. Munford, I have here a photocopy
of a transaction handled

by Valex Realties six months ago.

For $ and other valuable
consideration,

transferring to Millicent E. Barton all
title and interest to a ranch known as...

I can't believe it.

You mean you were
completely unaware

that your husband had disposed
of the property?

I had no idea.

I'd like a chance to explain
about the ranch.

- You see--
- We'll return to that.

But first you might be able to enlighten
us on another important subject.

Lucas Tolliver's liver.

- What?
- There's the bait. Watch Snell.

Lucas Tolliver's liver trouble.

You, uh, were aware of it,
were you not?

Mr. Tolliver noted it on his application
to your, uh, Happy Future service.

Now, surely
you read those applications.

Your Honor,

if Mr. Mason is deliberately
attempting to confuse this court,

well, then, at least as far as
I'm concerned, he's succeeded.

He took it.

SNELL: Where's he going?
What's his explanation?

Now, we've been treated
to courses in felt-making,

real estate transfers and chemistry,

but I draw the line at the discussion
of the defendant's internal complaints.

Your Honor, the question of my client's
liver trouble is quite germane.

I'll admit the confusion
has seemed monumental,

but when we accept one simple,
integral fact, it all becomes quite clear.

The defendant, Lucas Tolliver,
was not the m*rder*r.

He was, in fact,
the intended m*rder victim.

Now consider, as the prosecution
pointed out, Your Honor,

the defendant came here
posing as a poor man,

hiding his other two marriages
in order to win a loving wife.

That is what he claimed, and,
strangely enough, that was the truth.

Far from being a fortune hunter,

his fortune was being hunted
by Millicent Barton.

Your Honor, is this Mr. Mason's
idea of cross-examination?

- It sounds more like a lecture.
- You asked for an explanation.

I'm giving it to you.

Mr. Snell, I'm going to allow it.

- You may continue, Mr. Mason.
- Yes, Your Honor.

Now, Mr. Munford,

think back to the night of the party.

After talking to Mr. Tolliver's stepson,
Millicent Barton Tolliver spoke to you.

What was the substance
of that conversation?

She was terribly upset.

Larry Dunlap had told her
that Lucas had poisoned his mother.

And she believed that she was married
to a wife-m*rder*r.

What else was said?

I told her I was shocked
as she was. Uh--

You were shocked?

Yes, you see, Happy Future
had brought them together--

But you already knew
all about Lucas.

If necessary, we can subpoena the
records of your detailed investigation

of Lucas Tolliver before he was
put in contact with Millicent Barton.

Therefore, you had to know.

But when my wife and I
came to see you

it was because
we were terribly concerned.

MASON: Your wife was concerned
for the reputation of your company.

But that wasn't exactly
what was bothering you.

- No, I was concerned for--
- Concerned for Millicent?

Or that your plan for fleecing
Mr. Tolliver might fail?

You were concerned
the night of the party, weren't you?

Didn't Millicent say she was frightened
and wanted out of the marriage?

She may have.

That would have destroyed the plans
you and Millicent had carefully made,

finding the right man,
transferring the property

so she could appear wealthy.

At first you only intended
to fleece Lucas Tolliver.

But now you had to k*ll him.

Millicent and I loved each other.

Why would [ k*ll her?

You didn't intend to k*ll her.

You intended to k*ll Lucas Tolliver

by giving him a fatal dose
of bichloride of mercury,

so it would appear the liver medicine,

the calomel already in his system,
had been changed by lemonade

into poisonous mercuric chloride.

What were your thoughts,
Mr. Munford?

What were your thoughts
when Lucas picked up the fatal potion

and instead of drinking it himself,
handed it to the woman you loved?

I didn't mean to k*ll Millie.
I didn't mean to.

I didn't mean to.

Buddy-buddy,
you really did me a good turn

when you put me on
to Mr. Mason here.

Well, then, do me a good turn. Put me
on to one of those oil strikes of yours.

Ha, I'll do that. I'll sure do that.

I'm going to clue you in, too,
Miss Della.

Oh, well, I have about $ to invest.

She's a real plunger.

Honey, anybody looks as pretty
as you do, doesn't need any money.

All you've got to do is
find yourself a rich husband.

Before you introduce Della
to a friendly computer,

we have one more legal
transaction, Lucas.

Ah, the ranch.
You have the papers, Mr. Mason?

Just as you wanted.

You've given up all claim
to the property to Mrs. Munford.

Well, that's only fair.

Well, there goes $ , .

You know, I've never known
a woman yet

who could handle money by herself.

A woman needs a man around,

somebody to do things for her,
someone to...

Ha, you know,
I've been thinking lately,

before I get head back home, maybe
I ought to just stop off at that ranch

and see if I couldn't bring a little
comfort to poor Miss Munford.

Poor lady's been awful broken up
lately.