09x15 - The Case of the Bogus Buccaneers

[bunniefuu]

[SIGHS]

Mmm.

[DRONE FROM TV]

[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]

It's been a long day, hasn't it?

You've been dishwasher
and housemaid,

chauffeur and gardener,
haven't you?

And in a few moments,

your own buccaneer
will be coming home.

What you need is just a touch
of Bennet magic.

Try Bennet's
new magical Romantique,

at drug stores and beauty salons
everywhere,

Romantique will help you capture
your buccaneer.

[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]

Oh, so it's you, huh?

Well, now,
that's a -karat surprise.

Well, this is me, Grace.

I wanna know
what's holding up the dough.

Is that so?

Well, I guess I'm just gonna have
to fill you in on a few little facts, baby.

[DOOR SLAMS]

[DOORBELL BUZZES]

Well, better late than never,
my friend.

- I'm one of the Bennet Buccaneers--
- Yeah, I know, and I'm Little Egypt.

Come on in.

Ma'am, I wonder if you'd mind
answering a few questions for us.

Cut out the dumb act, baby,
and give me the dough.

Look, lady, I gave you everything
I'm supposed to give you.

- You've got my money! Give it to me.
- I don't have anything.

You're a thief! And you've got it.
Now, I know you've got it.

All right.

Okay, you just cool it, mister. Cool it.

I'm making a phone call.

- Lady, I'm getting out of here.
- Oh, no, you're not.

[GRACE SCREAMS]

[GRUNTING]

[GRACE SCREAMS AND GRUNTS]

[GRACE SCREAMS AND GRUNTS]

Operator, quick, get me the police.

Hold it.

Okay, jump in.

BUCCANEER:
What for? What's up?

Never mind. Come on.

There's another one.

POLICEMAN:
Hold it there.

Halt or I'll fire.

- Hey, what's--?
- Inside.

Now stand over there with the others,
no talking.

You're positive about the money,
Mrs. Webb?

That Knapp woman paid me her rent
a couple of hours ago.

She had a roll of bills,
must have been - or $ .

They're clean. Nothing that could
have been a m*rder w*apon.

The m*rder w*apon
was under the body,

a -inch steel hook.

v.- Where's Lieutenant Drumm?
- Over there.

Thank you, officer.

- Lieutenant Drumm?
- I'm Lieutenant Drumm.

Oh. I'm Kean. Harlan Kean.

I'm the producer
of the Bennet Buccaneer Show.

You wanted to see me?

I understand you hired these men.
Do you have a list of names?

Oh, yes, of course.
Here. There are six in all.

Lieutenant,
I really ought to call my office.

This is a very sensitive matter.

With the wrong kind of publicity...

Um, ahem.

Lieutenant, would you mind
not saying anything to the newspapers

until I have time
to prepare a release?

I'll make it worth your while.

This isn't a television show, Mr. Kean,
it's m*rder.

You sit over there,
I'll call you when I need you.

[MIKE GRUMBLING]

Look, guy, look, I'm an actor.
I'm in between jobs.

The employment office
put me onto this

because it's like no work, no check,
you follow?

I took it,
but I don't know nothing else, nothing!

Have him join the others
and no talking.

Mrs. Webb.

All right, sergeant.

BRICE:
All right, first man, Charles Strout,

step forward.

Too tall.

BRICE:
Stand aside.

Second man, Michael Woods.

WEBB:
Well, he's about the right size,

maybe a little chunky.

DRUMM:
Did he have any money on him?

BRICE:
Five dollars and cents.

Where's your hook?

BRICE:
Step back.

Next man, Tony Polk.

WEBB:
Well, he stands sort of like him.

Did he have any money on him?

Three hundred dollars and cents.

Hey.

Hey, he told me he was broke,

gave me a hard luck story,
that why I gave him the job.

DRUMM: Where did you get
the money, Mr. Polk?

- I borrowed it.
- Where's your hook?

- I dropped it.
DRUMM: Where?

Look, I don't know.

WEBB:
That's him.

She scratched his face, see?

I saw him hit her with that hook.
I saw him k*ll her!

Steve, I've been a parole officer
for what, years now?

Yep.

So take it from me,
nothing surprises me anymore.

I see a no-good bum straighten out
and become a mensch, a man.

I see a nice kid from a good family
go from petty theft to grand larceny.

Does it upset me?
Do I worry about it?

It's just part of the job.

I know, Abe.
You're a tough operator,

strictly business,
never get emotionally involved.

In fact, you didn't finance
this sandwich and this cup of coffee

because you wanna talk
about Tony Polk, no.

This is just a, uh, social call, huh?

So an actor I'm not.

Steve, about this boy, Tony.

All right, he's no angel.
He won't win any medals for tact.

He's got a record.

But a k*ller?

That that boy k*lled a woman,
I don't believe it.

Why, Abe, because he's married
and has a baby coming?

That doesn't change the facts.

He ran when a police officer
tried to pick him up.

He had over $ on him
that he said he borrowed

from an unknown friend.

He left the m*rder w*apon
in the dead woman's apartment.

He was identified by an eyewitness
as the k*ller.

Every piece fits neatly in place, huh?

You going to stop looking?

Abe, of course not.

There'll be a complete investigation.

But I can't invent another suspect
because you decide to ignore the facts.

Abe, he's an ex-con.

He walked into that apartment,
saw a lot of money lying around,

he k*lled a drunken woman
when she started screaming.

You know what he needs?

A chance to live that night
over again.

Steve, I know what he needs.

And with a little luck and a lot of nerve,
I'm gonna get it for him.

Perry!

TONY:
I told the cops my story.

I told Abe Heyman.

I told that fuzzy-faced kid
they sent down

from the public defender's office.

Now you're all ears.

What is this, your day
to show your face to charity cases?

You find some way to write me off
on your income tax?

Or do they give you merit points
at the Bar Association

for making calls
on enemies of the people?

I mean, what's in it for you?

Why are you so anxious to help me?

Well, give me an answer.

Are you finished? I've heard about
all the hearts and flowers I can take.

- Nobody asked you to listen.
- Sit down.

Sit down.

Now, let's understand one another.

I'm not here for your sake.

I'm here because Abe Heyman,

a rare man
who lives his job hours a day,

believes in you.

Logic tells me
he's misplaced his trust.

It's clear enough
that you're arrogant,

that you're full of self-pity,
that you're rude--

I don't want any lectures.

MASON:
Sit down, Mr. Polk.

Now, let's get one thing
out of the way.

Did you k*ll that woman?

No. I hit her,
but not hard enough to hurt her.

And not with the hook.

- Why did you hit her?
TONY: Look, I'd been to maybe six

or eight other places
with the free samples.

Every one of the people
were surprised to see me

and thanked me and that was that.

But this dame was a nut.

The TV set was on
to the Buccaneer Show

when she opened the door,

and she acted
like she was expecting me.

She grabbed my samples,
she went tearing through them,

cussing and screaming at me.

She scratched my face,
all the time yelling about her money.

Like I took a dime from her.

- Where did you get the money?
- Look, I served my time

because I ran bets for a bookie,
not for robbery.

You've been out of work
for two months.

You told the man who hired you
that you were broke.

Now, where did you get that money?

I borrowed it.

Where did you get the money?

I got it from the bookie
I used to work for.

Consorting with felons,
it's a violation of parole for both of us.

But if I rat on the guy,
the cops are gonna be all over him.

Now, he was decent to me.
I don't wanna get him in trouble.

Get him in trouble?

No one could be in more trouble
than you are.

That doesn't make any difference.

He'd never admit
that he gave me the money

or that he even saw me.

As soon as he reads in the papers
that I've been arrested,

he'll probably take off.

This is the first time you'd gone out
on a promotion.

Who told you what to say?

That Kean fella, the producer.

He gave us a spiel,
and then he handed out the list.

And the name of Grace Knapp
was on your list?

Well, it was on the one
I ended up with.

See, there was this guy,
I think his name's Mike.

And he wanted to swap lists
with me.

He said that he knew somebody
that had a place on my list

and wanted to surprise them.
So we traded.

That's when I got the Knapp woman's
apartment.

Tony,
why did you run from the police?

See, if you've got a record,
you're used to getting bounced

anytime anything goes wrong
within miles of you.

You'd lose your temper,
hit some crazy dame,

cops come at you
with sirens and a spotlight.

I ran.

Mr. Mason, my wife Beth,
this is k*lling her.

She worked for Abe Heyman
in his office.

Well, Abe okayed
our getting married.

Ever since I walked out of prison,
I've been straight. I paid up.

I've been paying ever since.

Now, Beth's gotta pay.

My baby isn't even born yet.
My baby's gotta pay.

So I swear to you I'm not guilty.

Beth's all alone.
I mean, she's still a kid.

Hello? I'm sorry, I know it's late,
but is Mr. Mason still there?

This is Beth Polk. Mrs. Tony Polk.

[BETH GRUNTING]

[BETH WHIMPERING]

Hello?

The line's dead.

You let out a scream
and I'll brain you.

Who are you?

Never mind, just give me the dough.

- Dough?
- Yes, big eyes, the , bucks.

Pick it up, sister, I mean right now.

You must be crazy.

I don't know anything
about $ , .

I don't wanna hurt you.

- I don't want to--
- I don't have any money!

[WHIMPERING]

DOUGLAS:
Baby, if you're faking...

Look,
I haven't got all night, you know.

Hey.

I didn't mean to shake you up.

It's my dough and I want it.

I can't find it.

Now, for the last time,
where's the G's?

And I mean now--

[POLICE SIREN WAILING]

You, there! Stay where you are.

We'll have a fingerprint detail here
in a few minutes.

Don't touch anything.

Thank you.

This money he wanted,
did he talk about any particular sum?

He said he wanted $ , .

Well, he could have made a mistake.
This could be the wrong apartment.

BETH:

I had the feeling he knew who I was.

MASON:
Did he mention Tony by name?

No, I don't think so.

I think we spotted him out there,
but we lost him.

He's still in the area somewhere.

Don't worry, ma'am,
we'll stick close.

Perry, she can't stay here alone.

I'll take her home with me.

I still feel there's a pattern somewhere,
Paul.

- I can't put it together, but it's there.
- Mr. Mason, Lieutenant Drumm says

- he'll be finished in about five minutes.
MASON: Thank you, sergeant.

Well, Grace Knapp moved
into the apartment three days

before she was k*lled.

According to the landlady, she brought
nothing with her but luggage.

All right,
does that suggest something?

Obviously the apartment was a setup,
but for what? m*rder?

Or something
that backfired into m*rder.

Of course there's also the money.

Grace expected Tony,
demanded money.

This man who att*cked Beth
last night

demanded money
and thought she had it.

Well, it's not much of a pattern,
but it's all we have.

All right, check the rear door,
the passageway,

and then we'll be through. I think the--
Hello, Perry, Paul.

Thanks for accommodating us,
Steve.

Oh, it's the least I could do, Perry.

Your client accommodated us,
fingerprints on the inside of the door.

Steve, he didn't deny being here.

Paul, he denied using the hook on her,
and his fingerprints were all over it.

Oh, lieutenant,
found this on the desk in the bedroom.

Do you have any information
on Grace Knapp?

Where she came from,
what she was doing here?

DRUMM:
Your client took off with her purse,

driver's license, identification.

We're checking her laundry marks
and luggage.

We ought to hear something soon.
Perry, take a look at that.

If that isn't a piece of dramatic irony.

She writes a fan letter,

and some guy dressed
in a buccaneer outfit

comes in and kills her.

Now, there's a heck
of a coincidence.

Is it also a coincidence that my
client's wife was att*cked last night?

Coincidence or not,
ours is a clear-cut case.

That's a job for the robbery detail.

Well, thanks, Steve.
We'll keep in touch.

DRUMM:
Perry.

I thought you wanted to look around.

I have. Paul?

Uh, thanks, Steve.

What turned you on?

The pattern, Paul.

PAUL:
The letter, that fits?

Not yet, but it's a piece.

Tony said the TV was on
with the Buccaneer Show.

Tony arrives as a buccaneer.

Grace Knapp writes a fan letter
to the Buccaneer.

It was nice of you to let us use
the fan mail, Mr. Kean.

Glad to do it. Anything to help.

Tell me,
how did Grace Knapp's name

get on your original
master promotion list?

Over , people sent in cards.

Their names were picked at random
and put on the list for free samples.

Uh, could I see the card
that she mailed in?

Heh, I'm afraid not.

Our mail volume is too great
to hold postal cards.

Keeping track of fan mail
takes a full storage room.

Um, why do you want the card?

Because Grace Knapp was in that
apartment for only three days.

So?

Never mind. Tell me,
suppose she didn't mail in a card.

Could someone else
put her name on the list?

For what possible reason?

Look, Mr. Drake,
I feel sorry for the Polk boy in a way,

but my sponsors are raising the roof
because, through no fault of mine,

we're in the middle of a m*rder.

Now, I just want to see this thing
cleared up and forgotten.

And so do I, Mr. Kean.

Listen. "Dear Buccaneer,
I can't wait for your show.

You're in my mind constantly,

and I think of you
as my own buccaneer

who someday I will meet."

Hello, Beth. How are you feeling?

Much better, thanks.

I'm afraid
Della's feeding me too well.

Did you find the letters
from Grace Knapp, beautiful?

No, and we've gone through
hundreds of these.

But we do have this.
Here, read these.

"Dear Buccaneer,

you remind me of Marvin Elders
who used to sit across from me

in plane geometry
at Waterton High."

"I've been telling my wife
that you look just like my sergeant,

and that maybe
since you're in show business,

you've changed your name.

It's been years.

But if you're not
Sergeant Marve Elders,

you look enough like him
to be his brother.”

And this tops it.

"Dear Buccaneer,
I don't know if you remember me,

but I could swear I remember you
when we worked in the sawmill.

I forget the last name,

but my chum was named
Marvin or Mervin,

and we were awfully close
back in Waterton."

You've looked through
through .

Want to see more?

Nope, I've seen enough.

- Gee, thanks, mister.
- Thank you.

Uh, where can I make a collect call
around here?

- Collect?
- Uh-huh.

Right there.

Hello?

Oh, yes, put him on.

Hello, Paul, any luck?

Number one,

the Bennet Buccaneer,
Martin Eldridge, was Marvin Elders

before he left the radio station here
five years ago.

Steve Drumm just informed me that
they've finally placed Grace Knapp.

She's from Waterton.

Another one of those coincidences.

I know that too.
But here's the topper.

The Buccaneer not only had another
name while he was in Waterton...

That's great, Paul.

See you tonight.

Well, once again,
it's time to say goodbye.

Good night, good night.

See you next week.

[MUSIC PLAYS OVER SPEAKER]

I thought Mr. Eldridge's charms
didn't reach you, Della.

Well, he's much better in person.

DELLA: Ooh.
ELDRIDGE: Oh.

Well, hello there.

Mr. Eldridge, I'm Perry Mason.

The lady you've just bumped into
is Miss Street, my secretary.

My pleasure and my apologies,
Miss Street.

Harlan said you'd be here tonight,
Mr. Mason.

Martin,
I thought the tempo of that last num--

Oh, hello.

Oh, this is Mrs. Eldridge.
Ann, this is Miss Street

DELLA: Hello.
- and Mr. Mason.

Miss Street and I just had
a very happy accident.

Oh. You should be paid
for doing that on camera.

The other girls get paid.

Mr. Eldridge, I wonder if I might
talk with you for a few minutes.

Pardon me, maybe later,
Mr. Mason.

MASON:
Did Mr. Kean tell you

that I've taken Tony Polk's case?

ELDRIDGE:
The, uh, boy who was arrested?

Well, uh,
can we talk in my dressing room?

The girls will excuse us.

MASON:
Excuse me.

Would you care for some coffee?

Was there something in particular,
Mr. Mason?

Did you tell the police
you were married to Grace Knapp?

How did you find that out?

Well, she was blackmailing you,
wasn't she?

[SIGHS]

You can't imagine the shock,
hearing from her after five years.

She agreed to a divorce when I left
if I gave her everything.

Well, I gave her everything,

and she conveniently forgot
about the Mexican divorce.

I assumed that--

Oh, Mr. Mason, Grace was--

Her death doesn't change the fact.
Grace was a tramp.

She found out where you were

and threatened to expose you
as a bigamist.

Yes.

Ruin my career, the show,
everything.

Mr. Mason, is there any way
I can persuade you

not to say anything?

Just until I can find a way
to tell Ann.

- Your wife doesn't know?
ELDRIDGE: No.

No, I didn't wanna tell her
about Grace and me.

I didn't see any reason to.

Think of the position
it would have put her in,

our marriage declared illegal,
publicly.

Who else knows about this?

ELDRIDGE:
Harlan. Uh, Mr. Kean.

Well, he knows Grace
was blackmailing me,

but he doesn't know why.

How did he find out
about the blackmail?

I went to him for money.

You paid her off?

Mr. Mason,
they told me you'd arrived.

I'm Harlan Kean.

Martin, I think you'd better go out.

Ann thinks you should reshoot
the last take.

My star.

Can I pick them or can't I?

I sell everybody on an unknown,

build him into a big name, and all
of a sudden he's being blackmailed

and the woman's m*rder*d.

And you gave him the money
to pay the lady off.

Hmm,
I gave him a loan and a sermon.

I told him I wouldn't try to satisfy
a blackmailer with money.

With what would you satisfy
a blackmailer, Mr. Kean?

[LAUGHS]

I see what you mean, Mr. Mason.

No, no, no, not me. No.

After all,
I did give him the money, didn't I?

How will it affect your show
when it becomes general knowledge

that your star is a bigamist?

Abi--

So that's what she had on him.

That boozy hellion.

One look at her,
you could see she was a nothing.

MASON:
You knew her, then.

[CHUCKLES]

No, Mr. Mason, I didn't know her.
I saw her.

I talked Martin into going over there
with me,

not knowing
what hold she had on him.

And I had a look at her,
then Martin changed his mind,

- wouldn't let me go in and talk to her.
- Thank you, Mr. Kean.

Oh, Mr. Mason.

Just what does it take
to keep you quiet

till this m*rder thing's
out of the way?

Well, not too much, Mr. Kean.

Only the assurance
that it's in the best interest

of both my client and justice.

MASON: Well, welcome home.
- Hi.

DELLA:
Waterton must have agreed with you.

- Beth, you're looking fit.
- Well, she ought to.

I've got her on my prenatal
blue-plate special.

Mothers must have their milk.

[DELLA LAUGHS]

I got in about an hour ago,
and the office had something for me.

They've been trying to subpoena
the buccaneer

who traded lists with Tony,
Mike Woods,

- but we haven't been able to find him.
- We must find him.

Maybe the newspapers can help us.

PAUL: I've already planted a story,
and I have some other plans.

From his landlady,
we got a list of his friends,

and Wood does have some legitimate
claim to being an actor.

He's done six or seven bits
on the Bennet Buccaneer Show.

So we're working on that aspect too.

There you are.

Now, would you like a menu
or are you just visiting?

Bring him the best steak
in the house.

Now, don't overdo it. If I know Paul,
his expense account will reflect

the arduousness of his labors.

[PAUL CHUCKLES]

Well, if you've seen this,

you'll wanna buy me steak
for a month.

From the Waterton Times-News.

MASON:
Grace was as much a bigamist

as Martin Eldridge.

The husband has a record
from bunco to mail fraud.

BETH:
That's him. I know it's him.

Why are you afraid of Harlan Kean?

Ann, I owe him a lot.

You owe him nothing.
He's done pretty well for himself.

All he ever thinks about is the show.

Well, I'm thinking about you,
about us.

Darling, please,
let's stop while we're ahead.

There'll be another show,
another place.

Darling,
I have a contract with Harlan.

I can't walk out.

You have a contract with me,
a marriage contract.

Darling, I've had it with the Buccaneer,
with Harlan Kean,

with those silly women,
with the pressures every week,

and now all this publicity.

We'll talk this all out, I promise.

DOUGLAS:
Okay, glamor boy,

now you wanna keep
that pretty face of yours,

- better hand over the money.
- What?

Who are you?

The kid they're holding for m*rder
doesn't have the dough.

Grace was supposed to get
G's from you.

Well, I gave Grace the money,
as agreed.

I don't have the money.

DOUGLAS:
You'd better not be lying

because I'll get back to you,
Buccaneer.

Honey, I'm Mike Woods.
I'm here to read for a part.

Oh, yes, Mr. Woods. Go right in.

Mr. Randolph is expecting you.

How do you do, Mr. Randolph?
I'm Mike Woods.

I know. I've been trying
to get a hold of you for days.

- We're holding a part for you.
- Oh, I'm sorry. I was out of town.

My girlfriend told me
that you asked for me.

I got here as quickly as I could.

I guess the publicity
didn't hurt anything, did it?

[CHUCKLES]

Say, by the way, I've got
to square myself with the DA first.

I've gotta let him know
I'm on hand to testify.

- Sit down, Mike.
- Thank you.

PAUL:
You're gonna read for us.

Uh, this is our producer.

Mike Woods meet Perry Mason.

Mm-hm, yeah, I might have known it.

Great big agency like this,
you don't have to call me.

Look, I don't have to stay here,
you know.

You're gonna hold me here,
it's just like kidnapping.

We're gonna hand you a subpoena,
Mr. Woods.

After that,
you may depart any time you like.

This will bring you to court.

I'd advise you
to know the right answers.

What answers? I'm clean.

Why did you leave town?

MIKE:
Oh, come on, now, Mr. Mason,

let's not make a great big deal
about this.

I was gonna come back for the trial.
I didn't bug out.

The only reason I did leave
was because of this publicity.

I wanted to see my face
and my name in print, there.

"Young actor missing.

Defense attorney seeks
material witness in m*rder case.”

Huh?

Well, what's the matter?
It worked, didn't it?

Look, an actor goes on an interview
for a job.

Right? You listening?

You know what he hears?

Do you know what he always hears?

"I'm sorry, we're looking for a name."

For a name, he's looking.

Now, what is a name?
How does one get a name, huh?

From publicity, that's all.

Because talent don't mean a thing.

So when this thing comes along,
man, it was made-to-order.

Mike, the night of the m*rder,

you talked Tony Polk
into trading lists with you.

Yeah, I got a couple of friends
on his route.

I checked out the list.
You weren't known to anyone on it.

Oh, yeah,
they moved just two weeks before.

They didn't get a chance
to let me know.

Oh, you can do better than that,
Mike.

You'd better get up on your lines

before you get on that stand
under oath.

You know, there's a very funny thing
about us actors.

You take away the script,

man, we are speechless.

[CHUCKLES]

Paul?

Let's thank John Randolph
for the use of his office.

All right.
Perry, do you believe Woods?

About his leaving town?

It's a rather dubious story.

Well, at least we found him.

Now, if the police can just pick up
Clayton Douglas...

Well, she was a strange one.

There three days,
and drinking like a fish all the time.

And her TV is turned up
so as I had to bless her out about it.

Never washed a dish, I don't think.

And always on the telephone.

To top it off,
she was banging that door shut

or opening it for air.

Paul, I don't understand
why Della isn't here.

Well, she told me she was going over
to Beth's place

to get some of her things
before Beth goes to the hospital,

but that was over two hours ago.

I'll go check. Excuse me.

WEBB:
--she expected the White House.

And now, Mrs. Webb,
will you tell the court

what you saw
on the night of the m*rder?

Let's see.

I showed you at the doors,
how hers was open.

She was talking real loud
on the telephone, yelling.

And I started to come out
to tell her to hold it down.

And she just kicked the door closed
in my face.

I mean later, Mrs. Webb.

Please tell us what happened later
when you heard the disturbance

and saw the buccaneer
standing in the doorway.

Well, sir, she was screaming
at the top of her lungs

about him taking her money.

And she swiped him
with those long fingernails of hers,

scratched his face.

BURGER:
And what did he do then,

after she scratched his face?

Well, that was when he hit her
with that thing, that hook.

And she reeled back,
fell down on the sofa,

and she never made
another move after that.

BURGER:
Is that man you saw

leaving the m*rder room that night
in this courtroom today?

Yes, sir, he is. Right there.

I saw him k*ll her, all right.

Cross-examine, Mr. Mason.

Mrs. Webb,
were you standing in your doorway

when you saw and heard
all you testified to?

Yes, I was.

Was the door
to the decedent's apartment

wide open or just partially opened?

Like I showed Mr. Burger,
it was open enough

so as I could see what was going on,
clear and plain.

You saw the defendant
strike the woman with a hook?

WEBB:
Yes, like I said.

In which hand
was he holding the hook?

- The right hand.
MASON: Did he hold it over his head

and strike down with it
or was it held to the side?

I think it was over his head.

But it happened kind of fast.
It might have been to his side.

Mrs. Webb, it had to be to the side,

since the medical examiner
has testified

that the wound was horizontal
from left to right.

WEBB: I guess it was to the side,
come to think of it.

MASON:
But since the hook was held

in the right hand,

he would have had to backhand
the slash to make such a wound.

Yeah.

I remember now.

That's what he did.

His hand was pinned back
against his chest

when she was fighting him,
and he swung it out like that:

Now, Mrs. Webb,

you mentioned that the decedent
was talking on the telephone

shortly before her death,
yelling, I believe you said.

Can you recall the substance
of what you heard?

Something about, "Oh, it's you,"
and, "That's a -karat surprise."

What else did you overhear,
Mrs. Webb?

She said, "I wanna know
what's holding up the dough.”

MASON:
Thank you, Mrs. Webb.

Now, would step down, please,
and once more take the same position

at the door that you did
on the night in question?

Now, is the decedent's door open
as it was the night of the m*rder?

WEBB:
A little more.

All right, now hold the hook
in your right hand, please.

Now, place it across your chest.

Now, backhand with it.

Now, back out of the door,

close it after you and cross away.

Now, Mrs. Webb,

are you now willing to retract
your testimony?

No. Why?

It was like I said.

MASON:
Mrs. Webb, you may have thought

you saw all of those things happen,
but in reality,

you must have surmised
that they happened.

It's perfectly obvious
that you could not see the hook at all

when it was held in the right hand.

You couldn't even see it
when I, standing behind the door,

took the hook away
from the buccaneer

as soon as he put it
in his right hand.

It's a trick. You tricked me!

MASON:
Call it what you like, Mrs. Webb.

You couldn't see this hook
in this courtroom

any more than you could see it
that night.

He hit her, she fell down.

MASON: And she never made
another move after that.

How would you know, Mrs. Webb?

From the time the buccaneer
apparently struck

till the time the door was fully closed
was almost nine seconds.

Now, for all you know,
the woman could have been up

and yelling on the telephone
the next minute.

You stated flatly

that you saw Tony Polk
k*ll Grace Knapp.

Are you willing
to repeat that statement now?

BURGER:
Mr. Kean, you want the court

to understand that you gave
Martin Eldridge $ ,

for him to give Grace Knapp,
the decedent,

and that she, in fact,
received that money?

Objection.
No foundation to support the fact

that the decedent received
such a sum.

No such sum was ever found
in the apartment.

Well, of course it wasn't found,
Mr. Mason.

Your Honor, we intend to show

that this buccaneer element
introduced into this case,

including blackmail and related matters
not yet in evidence,

only tend to strengthen
the State's case.

We intend to show

that what happened that night
in that apartment,

when an ex-convict,
down on his luck,

was suddenly confronted
with a large sum of money

guarded only by a woman,
obviously drunk,

could have happened
in any apartment

- under similar circumstances.
- Before you show anything else,

it is necessary to show that
the decedent had received the money.

Objection sustained.

Very well.

Mr. Kean, when did you give
Mr. Eldridge the money?

I gave him a check.

Let's see,
it was the th, a Thursday.

I had to transfer some funds,
of course,

to make sure the check was good.

BURGER: Of course.
Did you do that the same day?

Well, no, it was too late.

Actually, I took care of it the next day
just before the bank closed.

BURGER:
But the check was cashed.

KEAN:
Yes, sir.

Then Martin Eldridge
could not have received the cash

to meet Grace Knapp's demands
until just a few hours

before she herself was k*lled.

Thank you, Mr. Kean, very much.
That's all I wanna know.

One moment, Mr. Kean.

There is something I want to know.

You told Mr. Burger
about the fatal door-to-door promotion,

but you didn't mention who selected
the addresses to be visited.

- Now, who did?
- I did.

MASON:
Was the list available

to a large number of people
in your organization?

No. And the name of the decedent
was not on the list, Mr. Mason.

Could anyone else have put her name
on the list?

No.

Martin, myself
and the buccaneers I hired

were the only people
who had access to the list.

MASON: But you did know
where the decedent lived.

- Yes.
- No further questions at this time.

Perry.

No answer at Beth's apartment
or at Della's,

and they haven't been to the doctor's
or the hospital.

That's not like Della.
She would have called.

Now, there's a : train
leaving here this afternoon,

and I'm going to be on it
with my dough.

Now, Eldridge don't have it,
but I know he got it anted up,

so that kid husband of yours
grabbed it when he k*lled Grace.

Now, come across.

He didn't k*ll her.

And he didn't take the money,
and I don't have it.

For the tenth time, I don't have it!

Now, I want that money.

It's no use, Beth.

Give it to him.

Della.

Come on.

You dirty little liar.

Get it and leave us alone.

It's in here.

Pretty smart. In there, huh?

Where?

Under the sink.

Way under the sink.

I don't see it.

I tell you, Grace and me just said
we were mister and misses

for business reasons.

She didn't wanna get married again,
not even to me.

She was a tough dame.

Just not too sharp on some things.

I was the one that recognized Elders.

Or Eldridge
as he calls himself on TV.

She didn't see
how that meant anything at all to her.

I had to line it up for her.

Then the blackmail scheme
was your idea?

Don't try to hang blackmail onto me.

In this state, Grace was entitled
to half of everything Marvin had.

MASON: You knew
about his second marriage, of course.

DOUGLAS: It was his idea
to get married again, not Grace's.

Listen, with all that jack
he's knocking down,

she only hit him for , .

Mr. Douglas, why did you break
into the Polk apartment

on two occasions
and make threats?

I should have known better.

I took Elder's-- Eldridge's word for it.

I didn't figure he'd welsh on us.

- Welsh?
DOUGLAS: Yeah.

Where's the money if Grace got it?
And why did she light into your client

if it was delivered
like it was supposed to be?

MASON:
Mike, you've worked several times

as an actor on the Bennet Buccaneer
Show, haven't you?

Yeah, I've worked the show.

Did you happen to become acquainted
with the show's star, Mr. Eldridge?

MIKE: Well, I spoke to him sometimes
on the set, sure.

MASON: Then you would say that
you are acquainted with Mr. Eldridge?

Well, yeah, sure.

MASON:
Could it be that you became

so well acquainted,
you and Mr. Eldridge,

that he hired you for another
and more confidential kind of work?

I don't know what you mean.

Well, isn't it true
that Mr. Eldridge hired you

to deliver the blackmail money
that night?

Didn't he have you add the address
of the m*rder apartment

to the list you traded to Tony Polk?

He told me he was having a fling
with this girl.

He told me he wanted to trick up
a surprise for her birthday.

So I put the address on my list.

Later he gave me this package
to mix in with the free samples.

I was supposed to go there
and give it to her.

You were supposed to?

Why didn't you, Mike?

I don't know.

MASON:
Did you decide not to go

when you opened the surprise
package and saw the money?

You did open it, didn't you, Mike?

And when you saw that $ , ,
you just decided to keep it.

And you traded lists with Tony Polk.

There was no ,
in that package.

It was , .

Look, I don't know anything
about any blackmail.

I sure didn't figure on any m*rder.

Yeah, I swapped lists with him, sure,
because I figured he was an ex-con.

And then Eldridge, when he found out
that the money wasn't delivered,

I could tell him that some other guy
went to that apartment. But that's all.

Harlan-- Mr. Kean had been telling me
all along I couldn't trust her.

So I decided to give Grace
just enough

to, uh, make her eager for the rest.

I thought maybe I could tease her
into a quiet Mexican divorce.

Then she was k*lled and--
Well, everyone seemed to think

that whoever had the money
was the m*rder*r,

so I kept quiet.

I suppose there's logic
of a sort to that, Mr. Eldridge.

You sent just enough money, then,
to test her reaction.

Now, let us consider
that Grace Knapp was known

for a quick and violent temper,

and that she received no money at all
that night.

She was hardly the person to hide her
feelings in such a situation, was she?

- Hardly.
MASON: And she had been drinking.

Let me suggest, Mr. Eldridge,
that after her disappointment,

she contacted you and forced you
into an immediate interview in person.

- No.
MASON: You've already admitted

that it was important, vital to you,

that your second wife remain ignorant
of your bigamous state.

So you went to that apartment,

that only you, Harlan Kean
and Mike Woods knew about,

she flew into a murderous rage,

and you took up the hook
the defendant had dropped,

and you used it.

No, that's impossible.

MASON:
Impossible? Why impossible?

Well, I told you before,
I was doing a show that night.

We weren't working at the studio.

We did a live location stunt,
out in the Valley

at the opening
of some shopping center.

There was legal trouble
about a guest spot

and they had to cut it.

When Grace was k*lled,

I was singing to about , people
out there.

The, uh, live portion started at...

Um, I think it was at : .

When you drove to the
shopping center for the broadcast,

did you encounter
especially heavy traffic?

Well, uh...

Well, I didn't notice.

I wasn't driving.

- Your wife drove you?
ELDRIDGE: No.

I drove with one of the men
in the crew.

We had to go into the studio
for makeup and costume.

My wife always watches the show
at home.

Now, we've heard testimony

that Grace Knapp was overheard
that night

having a very heated exchange
on the telephone,

presumably delivering
some sort of ultimatum.

Now, Mr. Eldridge,

with whom would she most logically
have had that sort of exchange?

I---

I don't know.

Most logically.

Wouldn't it have been with you?

Okay, she called me, all right.

I left my script at the house
and we had to go there and pick it up.

The phone was ringing
when I walked in.

Was your wife aware of the call
and who it was calling?

The show was already starting.
I could hear the music out in the den.

I don't think she even knew
I was in the house.

MASON:
What did Grace Knapp tell you?

Well, she, uh...

Well, she was furious,
unreasonable.

I tried to tell her
that I did send the money, that--

Well, that there must have been
some mistake.

You mean about the delivery
of the wrong gauntlet?

Yes, I--

Well, she said
the buccaneer had been there.

So after the defendant left
that apartment,

Grace Knapp was still alive?

BURGER:
Your Honor, I strongly object.

Defense counsel is leading
this witness into a conclusion.

JUDGE:
Oh, I think the counsel

is within the limits
of proper questioning, Mr. Burger.

Just be careful, Mr. Mason,
you remain within those limits.

Yes, Your Honor. But I must confess
that, worse than leading the witness

into stating a conclusion,
I was leading him into an outright lie.

The telephone conversation
overheard by Mrs. Webb

took place before the defendant's visit
to the m*rder apartment.

So how do you explain
Grace Knapp's outrage

over the defendant's failure
to deliver the money

some minutes before his arrival.

All right.

I didn't know about the call.

Mrs. Eldridge,
your husband testified

that he received a phone call
from Grace Knapp,

and he contradicted his testimony
and denied knowledge of the call.

But you were there in the house.

I'm going to ask you
for the truth of the matter.

Did your husband
take that phone call?

I want to caution you,
you're under oath.

No.

No, he didn't take any phone calls.

You took that call from the decedent

and learned for the first time
that your husband was a bigamist.

Ann, don't say anything else.

You went to the decedent's apartment
after the defendant left, wasn't it?

Yes, I came to give her what money
and jewelry I had.

I couldn't get in touch with Martin,
and I needed time.

I came up the back as she told me.

She was a wild woman,
drunk and obscene.

She didn't even look
at what I brought.

She showed me
the marriage license

and then she came at me
with that awful hook.

She grabbed me by the hair.
I fought back

and I got the hook from her.

And then I hit her.

I grabbed her purse
with the marriage license in it,

and I ran.

And I've been running ever since.

[BABIES CRYING]

I don't care, I'm not even gonna try
to be modest about it.

He's marvelous.

I agree with you, Beth.
Look at the intelligence in those eyes.

That boy has got to be,
at least, a little bit Irish.

Irish he's not.

If he were,
he would have been born talking.

But handsome he is.

Well, it's obvious there aren't
any impartial observers among us,

except me.

And as one of his three godfathers,

I'll admit to the fact
that he's a very special baby.

Mr. Mason,
I'd like to talk about my bill.

I got it, but it's marked paid.

Now that Abe found me a job,
I can--

Ah, I've talked it over with Clay
and with Abe,

and we decided
we didn't want our godson

starting out with any liabilities.

Perry Abraham Terrence Polk
starts life free and clear.

Agreed?