01x28 - The Case of the Daring Decoy

[bunniefuu]

Oh, Mr. Conway.

What are you doing in here?
Well, I...

Where's Miss Eastman?

She just stepped out
for a minute.

So did I,
but you stepped in.

What are you after in here?

Nothing.

Nothing, Mr. Conway,
honestly.

Miss Eastman, why would Miss Calvert
be in my private office?

Well, I just came in to straighten out
your desk for you.

Well, there wasn't anything
to do outside,

so I thought while
you were out of your office,

I'd just straighten out
your desk for you.

How long has Miss Calvert
been employed by us?

A year. Almost a year.

What department before this?
Accounting.

No contact
with Warner Griffith?

Warner who?

Miss Calvert wouldn't have had
anything to do with Mr. Griffith,

but perhaps we'd better
send her back to Accounting.

Then perhaps we'd better.

Hello, Warner?

Warner, it's me, Rose.

I've got them, Warner,
the papers you wanted.

All right.
I'll wait for you.

Period, paragraph.

We'll be able to take care
of the new order of business in Texas

as soon as the annual stockholders'
meeting is out of the way.

That is, providing that
I'm re-elected, of course.

Miss Eastman.

I've turned my files
in this desk inside out.

Now, there's no doubt that Rose Calvert
has managed to steal

the confidential
Texas documents.

These are of great importance.

Who are you?

How did you get in here?
What do you want?

Amelia Armitage.
The outer door was open.

To speak to you.
Well, it's after hours.

Well, I realize that,
but unfortunately this can't wait.

What are you doing to protect yourself
and the company

against Warner Griffith?

What do you know
about Warner Griffith?

Well, I know that
you and Mr. Griffith

are fighting
for control of Cal-Texas.

Go on, madam.

Therefore, Mr. Conway,

shouldn't you be doing something to combat
Mr. Griffith's activities?

Something about getting
yourself re-elected?

There are 3,419 stockholders,
including myself.

Most of them
own a few shares

and they're dependent on
the dividends they're paid.

Griffith would
bleed them white.

And you help them.

Tell them your side.
Don't lose touch with them.

Good night, Mr. Conway.

Wait a minute, madam.

Uh, Mrs...
Uh, miss.

Miss.

I'm not married, Mr. Conway.

Information, I'd like the night number
of Cal-Texas Explorations.

It's on Wilshire.

...providing this meets with the approval
of the board of directors.

Period, paragraph.

[RINGING]
Also regarding the...

Conway speaking.

WOMAN: Mr. Conway,
I have information

which can be
a tremendous help to you

in your fight
for control of Cal-Texas.

Oh, really?

I've got a list of the proxies

Warner Griffith
has already obtained

and the names of the stockholders
who gave them to him.

Would it help you?
Well, of course it would.

Who is this speaking, please?

I'm sorry.
I can't give you my name.

Do you know
you're being followed?

Why, no.
You are, and I believe your phone is tapped.

That's why
I've got to take precautions.

All right,
what do you suggest?

There are six phone booths
in the Empire Drug at Welton and La Brea.

Go to the one
farthest from the door.

At exactly 8:15,
that phone will ring.

Well, this is real
cloak-and-dagger.

If nothing has
gone wrong,

that call at exactly 8:15
will direct you to me.

[PHONE RINGING]

Hello?
WOMAN: Mr. Conway?

Speaking.

Meet me at the Hotel Red Fern,
room 709.

When?
Now.

Well, now, just a minute.
Do you want to lose everything to Griffith?

I'll be there in 10 minutes.

Seven, please.

[DOORBELL BUZZING]

Hello?

Anybody in here?

You walked down from
the seventh floor, huh?

Seventh floor, miss.

CONWAY: So my first thought was to get in touch
with our corporation counsel.

I finally found Mr. Varnell
at the Bar Association dinner.

Rather a stroke of luck
that you were sitting

at the same table
with me, eh, Mason?

I must tell you again
how much Mr. Conway appreciates this.

Smith and Wesson .38,

Serial number
C for Charlie, 48809.

Well, what do you think?

I think it wasn't very bright of Mr. Conway
to remove the g*n.

I told you
I wasn't thinking clearly.

When I recognized it
as belonging to the company,

I... Well, I guess
I panicked.

Now, how well did you know
this Rose Calvert?

Look,
I didn't k*ll the girl.

I--I wasn't there more than two or three minutes
at the most.

Now was there, uh...

Was there anyone
in your office

when you received
this first phone call?

No.

Did you, uh, see anyone at
the drugstore who knew you?

So there is actually no proof
of those phone calls?

Whether you believe it or not,
Mr. Mason, a woman called me.

Well, I'm not
making this up.

Did you recognize her voice?

Well, it sounded familiar.

I--I think
I've heard it before.

Where?

Was it Rose Calvert's voice?

I don't think so.

What about that woman who walked
into your office earlier this evening?

Do you recall her name?

Wait a minute.

Now I know why that voice
sounded familiar.

It was Mrs. Griffith.

Warner's wife?
Well, that's impossible.

Maybe so, Varnell,

but it's the first thing
that's made sense.

If Conway is being
framed by Griffith,

Griffith would have to use
someone he could trust.

Della, get hold of Paul Drake.

See if he can locate
Warner Griffith.

Have Paul turn this,
uh, g*n over to the police.

Really, Mason,
is that advisable?

Well, it's evidence.
The police are entitled to it.

Well, you do
what you feel is best.

Well, I think,
under the circumstances,

we'd better get Mr. Conway
out of circulation for a while.

Someplace he can stay
out of sight.

How about one of those motels
on Tracy Boulevard?

Good.

Mr. Conway, you're to use your own car
and register under your own name.

In the meantime, I want
to talk with Mrs. Griffith.

Mason, I'm afraid
it'll be impossible

for Mr. Conway
to do as you ask.

If he disappears now,
he may lose control of Cal-Texas.

If he doesn't,
he may lose his life.

You can't imagine
how flattered I was

to get a call from you,
Mr. Mason.

I've always been
an admirer of yours.

Well, thank you.

I know I must apologize for intruding so late
in the evening, Mrs. Griffith.

Not at all.
I'm flattered.

Now, what
can I do for you?

You might start by telling me
why you phoned my client, Dan Conway,

earlier this evening
and led him into a trap.

I did no such thing.
What gave you that idea?

Now, Mrs. Griffith, we're reasonably
intelligent people.

You used a telephone.
Calls can be traced.

But I didn't use this...

I walked into it,
didn't I?

Then you admit it?

What else can I do?

Isn't it fortunate
there were no witnesses?

Do you intend to deny you made those
phone calls to Conway?

Of course.

All right.

Now, just for
my own information,

why did you send him
to room 709 of the Red Fern Hotel?

Why did I do what?

This is no joking matter,
Mrs. Griffith.

A woman has been m*rder*d.

Who?

The police haven't
identified her yet.

What has all that
to do with me?

It has to do with
your instructions to Conway.

I didn't have a chance
to give him any instructions.

He was supposed to be
at the Empire Drug

at exactly 8:15
to get my call

and he wasn't there.

He was there.
He took a call.

Not mine.

Someone pretending to be you?

I thought his office phone
was tapped.

Why would you
want to help Conway?

Wouldn't that be
against your husband's best interests?

My husband's interests
are no longer mine, Mr. Mason.

Where is Mr. Griffith?

I haven't the slightest idea.

Did you see him today?
No.

And the next time I see him,
it'll be in court.

Take a look at that.

One of his hobbies
is photography.

I won't comment
on the others.

I found three poses
like that

in an undeveloped
roll of film in his camera.

Fascinates you, too, huh?

When Warner left Cal-Texas,

he employed this girl
for some part-time work,

that proxy thing.

What's her name?
Rose Calvert, Mrs.

Uh, but she's separated
from her husband.

Where does she do
this part-time work?

At your husband's office?

I don't know.
But if you're interested,

she lives at the Sorrento Arms,
apartment 319.

Thank you.

Now, about those proxies
for Dan Conway.

Well, I can't give them to him now.
Why not?

Well, if there's been a m*rder, as you say...
There has.

Well, I can't afford to
have anything come out

that would jeopardize
my position with my husband.

I'm gonna light up
enough fireworks in court.

May I?

I promise not to show it
to your husband.

I don't know
what you see in her.

She's the kind that'll run
to fat in another 10 years.

I don't think
she'll have that problem now.

Good night.
Good night.

[DOORBELL RINGING]

Mr. Calvert?

What do you want?
Who are you?

Name's Mason.
I'd like to talk to you.

At this time of night?

Who'd you say you are?
Perry Mason.

It's very important,
Mr. Calvert.

Oh, yeah.

Now I place you.

You're a lawyer.

If you're here about Rose...
I am.

Well, I'm not gonna
give her a divorce.

I told her that.

Oh, she'll come to her senses
pretty quickly. She, uh...

She has a good thing
here with me.

See, this house
is all paid for.

Not a cent of mortgage on it.

Oh, sure, she still likes to have
some fun and she's young,

but I figure it's better to have
your house paid for than to...

When did she leave you,
Mr. Calvert?

It'll be seven months,
February 9th.

I may have bad news for you.

Bad news?

I'm trying to
identify a woman

who was m*rder*d several hours ago
in Los Angeles.

m*rder*d?

It may have been your wife.

m*rder*d? Rose?

No, you're wrong.

Perhaps I am.

I located you from a return
address written on a letter

sticking out of Mrs. Calvert's
mailbox at the Sorrento Arms.

Is it your wife?

Yes.

Was she, uh... She doing
some modeling in LA?

Is that why
she's dressed like this?

Possibly.

I shouldn't have
let her leave me.

I figured

if she got all that making fun
out of her system, you see,

then she'd still be
here with me.

m*rder*d.

This house is all paid for.
Not a cent of mortgage on it.

I--I told her just before she left.
I said, "Rose, this...

"This is security for you,
for the rest of your life."

[DOOR OPENING]

Oh, I didn't expect you
back from Ellendale so soon.

Traffic was light.

May I have some coffee?
I could use a cup.

I made a gallon.
Trouble?

Mmm-hmm.
Conway?

Tragg has an all points bulletin
out for his arrest.

Where did you leave Conway?

Glade Motel, unit 22.

By the way, Paul says
Tragg's raising you-know-what.

He wants to know
where you got the g*n.

Where's Paul now?
In your office.

He has a friend with him.
A Mr. Warner Griffith.

Shall I get my pad?

Oh, no, you don't.
You've done enough today.

Straight home.

Who's going to do your dishes?

You will, tomorrow.
Have a good night.

Good night.

[DOOR CLOSING]

Hi, Perry.

Mr. Griffith, Mr. Mason.

This is a great pleasure,
Mr. Mason.

I understand you've been looking for me.
Yes, I have.

I hope I won't seem
presumptuous if I ask why.

Haven't you read the sunrise
edition of the paper?

I assume you're referring
to the m*rder in room 709.

I'm referring to the m*rder
of Rose Calvert.

Now, you must have
recognized her picture.

Why didn't you
go to the police?

Well, I just saw the headlines
as I got to my club.

Mr. Drake was waiting for me.

I thought I was being very
cooperative in coming here.

Did you know Rose Calvert while you were associated
with the Cal-Texas Company?

Why, of course.

Who paid for room 709
at the Hotel Red Fern?

Why did Rose Calvert
register under an alias?

Why did she, Mason?

I have a theory.

Be my guest.

A theory that
you might be the m*rder*r.

Oh, really?

A theory that
you used Rose Calvert

as your contact
in Conway's office.

That she finally
delivered the goods.

That your relationship
with Rose

was a great deal
more intimate

than that
of employer-employee.

That your wife
found out about it

and threatened you
with a divorce.

That you realized,
at that moment,

that Rose Calvert was
no longer useful to you,

but was actually a liability.

What time was Miss Calvert
m*rder*d, Counselor?

Paul?

The coroner established it
between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m.

Now, isn't that a shame?

Your beautiful theory
right out the window.

My plane reservations.

I've been in Phoenix, Arizona
since early yesterday morning.

Just got back about 1:00.

How could I have k*lled her
from Phoenix?

Unless I stuck pins
in a voodoo doll.

Now did she
die that way, Mason?

[INTERCOM BUZZING]

Yeah?
MAN: Mr. Burger,

Lieutenant Tragg and Mr. Mason
are on their way in.

Good.

Sit down, Mason.

Thank you.

And thank you for sending
Lieutenant Tragg

to issue
a personal invitation.

I just wanted to make sure
you got it.

I'm going to ask you
some questions, Mason.

I want some
straight answers.

Where's Daniel Conway?

As a matter of fact,
I don't know.

I haven't spoken
with him this morning.

Next question?
The g*n.

It checks out as the m*rder w*apon.
How did you get it?

That information is confidential
for the time being.

Uh-huh.

Well, you're right in form,
Mason.

Misusing the basic safeguards of the law
to suit your own purposes.

I turned the g*n over
to Lieutenant Tragg

as soon as I learned
it was a possible m*rder w*apon.

And withheld the identity
of the decedent.

I didn't know her identity,
not positively.

Would you have me speculate
on a matter like that?

I'd have you smelling brimstone
through a nail hole

if it was up to me.

And that may be
just closer than you think,

because this time,

Lieutenant Tragg and I figured the way
you'd figure, Mason.

You wouldn't send
your client out of town.

That would be
resorting to flight.

And you wouldn't try to
hide him here under an alias.

That would be secreting.

No, the way you'd figure it,

the best way
to conceal your client

would be to have him register
at a middle-class motel

using his right name
and driving his own car.

Lieutenant.

Believe me, Perry.

We've looked high and low and
we just can't find this girl.

You've got to find her,
Paul.

She didn't barge
into Conway's office

on the night of the m*rder
just by chance.

Well, stranger things
have happened.

Well, how would she know
Conway was there?

It was after hours.
Everyone else in the building...

[INTERCOM BUZZING]

Yes?

DELLA: Sorry to bother you,

but there's a Miss Amelia Armitage
here to see you.

Armitage?

She's a stockholder
in Cal-Texas.

Oh, tell her
to see Mr. Varnell.

He's their company's attorney.

We've our own headaches.

Maybe she can solve them.

She claims she's the one who talked to Conway
in his office that night.

Now, do you still
want her to see Varnell?

Bring her right in, Della.

You, uh,
want me to shove off?

No, no, you stay.
Get a chair, will you, Paul?

Sure.

MASON: Come in, please.

Mr. Mason,
I really appreciate this.

I know how busy you are.

Miss Armitage, Mr. Drake.

How do you do, Mr. Drake?
How do you do?

Sit down, won't you?
Thank you.

I understand you go to trial
on Thursday.

Yes, we do.

How are Mr. Conway's chances?

Excellent.

I'm so glad.

He impressed me as being a very bright
and intelligent man.

He is.

Now, I understand you were in Mr. Conway's office
on the night of the m*rder.

That's right.

What time was this?

Well, it was around 7:00.

And just as I was leaving the office,
the telephone rang.

Perhaps it was wrong of me,

but I... I did
a little eavesdropping.

I heard Mr. Conway make that appointment
to go to the drugstore.

Go on.

Well,
it sounded so intriguing,

I followed him there.

Now, I saw him
enter a phone booth

and I believe it was
the second one from the end.

After a few seconds,
the phone rang.

What time was that?

Around 8:10.

Miss Armitage,

would you be willing to tell
that story on the stand?

Well, of course.

I've already told Mr. Burger,
the district attorney.

Have you?
What did he say?

Well, he suggested that
I come and talk to you.

I see.

Thank you.

Thank you very much
for coming by.

What's wrong?

You read about those
phone calls in the papers.

I did not!

Do you realize if you'd told that story
on the stand,

you'd be guilty of perjury?

I know that
Mr. Conway is innocent.

MASON: How?

Well, I...
I just know it, that's all.

I'm afraid our courts don't recognize
womanly intuition as evidence.

Thank you again,
Miss Armitage.

I'm sorry I wasted your time,
Mr. Mason.

I'll see you out.

No, please, don't bother.

[DOOR CLOSING]

She was only
trying to help.

That kind of help could put
Conway in the gas chamber.

What made you suspect
she was lying?

Mmm, her story about the phone calls
wasn't quite correct.

Then when she said
Burger sent her over here...

Well,
I learned long ago

to look Mr. Burger's gift horses
right in the mouth.

Check on that girl, Paul.
Sure.

I'm going over
to see Conway.

And we will prove that
the defendant, Daniel Conway,

did willfully m*rder Rose Calvert
on the night of January 20th.

That he went to her hotel room with
just that thought in mind.

After you've
heard the evidence,

ladies and gentlemen
of the jury,

the State will ask you for a verdict of m*rder
in the first degree.

Then the morgue attendant
asked me if I recognized the body.

It was Rose, my wife.

When did you first learn
of Mrs. Calvert's death?

Well, a man came to see me
around midnight.

He had a picture
of Rose and...

I don't know
where he got it.

He said that she was m*rder*d.

I--I couldn't believe it, so I got in touch
with the sheriff's office.

And you told the sheriff that this midnight visitor
had showed you a picture,

which you identified
as your wife?

Yes, sir,
and I wanted to find out

whether it was true
that she was m*rder*d.

Because that's what your
midnight visitor had told you?
Yes, sir.

That's all.

I have no questions
of this witness,

but I will stipulate
I was the midnight visitor

referred to
by the prosecution.

You may step down,
Mr. Calvert.

We, uh, received an anonymous tip
and were checking it out.

We found the body in room 709
of the Hotel Red Fern

at about 8:40 on the evening
of January 20th.

Did you find any fingerprints
in the room?

Just one set.

A right hand
on the desk chair.

Could you identify
those prints?

Yes, we did.

They belonged to Daniel Conway,
the defendant.

Lieutenant, since there was
only one set of prints found in the whole room

and since the defendant has
the customary two hands,

couldn't we assume that
he made every possible effort

to remove all evidence
of his visit to room 709?

I object, Your Honor,

as calling for a conclusion
from the witness.

Sustained.

Later that same night,
Lieutenant,

did you receive
a package containing

a Smith and Wesson
.38 caliber revolver?

I did.

Is this the g*n in question?

Yes, it is.

Perhaps the jury would
care to examine the exhibit.

You heard
Mr. Fred Calvert testify

that verification of
the identity of the deceased

was made by Mr. Mason at about 12:00.
TRAGG: Yes. Yes, I did.

When did you receive
news of that verification?

About 7:00
the following morning.

I presume you received it from Mr. Mason.
No, I did not.

I got it from
Mr. Fred Calvert.

Your Honor, I object to this
whole line of questioning.

It's immaterial, irrelevant
and certainly incompetent.

Mr. Burger,
if you are insinuating

that Mr. Mason withheld
information from the police,

that is another matter than the one
we are concerned with

and I uphold
Mr. Mason's objection.

I have no further questions
for this witness.

Lieutenant Tragg,

a rather pointed implication
has just been made

concerning my behavior
in this case.

An implication that
I've been guilty of misconduct.

Now, I think we ought to clarify
that issue, don't you?

Yes, I do.

Now, when you first
spoke to Mr. Calvert,

what exactly did he say?

Well, he told me that you showed him
a picture of his wife.

Did he tell you at that time
that I knew it was his wife?
No.

Of course not, because
I had no way of knowing

at that time that the deceased
was Rose Calvert

or that she was the wife
of Fred Calvert.

I thought if she were,

her husband would probably go to the morgue
and identify her,

which apparently is
just exactly what he did.

If you want me to say that you did what any cooperative
citizen would have done...

Well, didn't I, Lieutenant?

What did you say, Lieutenant?
Yes.

Thank you, Lieutenant.

Miss Jordan, you're employed as an elevator operator
at the Hotel Red Fern?

Yes, sir.

And you have identified
Daniel Conway

as having
visited that hotel

on the evening
of January 20th?

Yes, sir.

I remember I was reading a book
at the time.

I left him off
on the seventh floor.

What time of day was this?

Around 8:30.

Thank you.

Miss Jordan, you say
you were reading a book

when you took the defendant
to the seventh floor?

That's right.

What was the name
of this book?

You Could Die Laughing.

[ALL LAUGHING]

Was it, uh...
Was it interesting?

Very. I couldn't put it down.

Well, if you couldn't
put the book down,

how could you possibly have recognized
the defendant's face?

Thank you, Miss Jordan.
That's all.

Your Honor,
I have a question on redirect.

Miss Jordan,

you didn't say
that you recognized

the defendant by his face,
did you?

No, sir.

How did you recognize him?

By his feet.

[ALL LAUGHING]

By his feet?

Yes, sir.

You see, I sit all day
at the elevator controls,

and I read when I'm not too busy, which
I'm never too busy, anyway,

so mostly
I see shoes and feet.

So it's kind of a hobby.
I study them.

Have you any documentation
for this unusual ability?

Well, not outside of the tests
they made of me at Stanford.

What were the findings
of these tests?

They called me phenomenal,
a quirk of nature.

[ALL LAUGHING]

Of course, there was
the write-up of me in Time Week,

when all those professors
from the University of Chicago

came to the hotel and...
That's all, Miss Jordan. I think...

Of course,
it was real easy with him

because I dropped him
on the seventh floor

and a little while later,

I pick him up
on the sixth floor.

And I said to him,

"You walked down a flight,
didn't you?"

That's all, Miss Jordan.
Thank you very much.

JUDGE: You may step down.

I call Warner Griffith.

Mr. Griffith,

you were a member
of the board of directors

of the Cal-Texas Explorations,
is that so?

Until about
four months ago.

And you had certain
policy disagreements

with the president and chairman of the board,
Mr. Daniel Conway?

That is correct.
I see.

Now, Mr. Griffith,

did you employ the deceased,
Rose Calvert,

as a part-time secretary
after you left Cal-Texas?

That's right.

What kind of work was this,
Mr. Griffith, confidential?

Extremely.

Having to do
with lists of proxies

you were gathering
for the upcoming meeting?

Yes, sir, but that wasn't
the most important work.

There was something
a great deal more valuable.

A great deal.

And what was that?

A white paper

having to do with
certain investigations

I'd been making of
Conway's recent field trips

and other information
Rose Calvert supplied me.

Would you tell us
about this information

and these investigations,
please, Mr. Griffith?

Objection, Your Honor.

In addition to the question being incompetent,
immaterial and irrelevant,

it also calls
for hearsay testimony.

It seems to me, Mr. Mason,

that this goes to
the question of motivation.

And I will therefore allow it.
Your objection overruled.

Go ahead, Mr. Griffith.

The white paper
concerned evidence

that Conway was turning over
to our competitors

information of oil leases,

which Cal-Texas has spent thousands
of dollars to compile.

Let me state the proposition,
Mr. Griffith.

It would be a matter of vital importance
to Daniel Conway

to know how much proof
you had against him,

to know
how much information

Rose Calvert had taken
from his office, wouldn't it?

GRIFFITH: Yes.
Your Honor...

Mrs. Calvert kept this white paper hidden
at her place of work,

room 709 of the Hotel Red Fern?
Yes.

So anybody looking for it
would have to tear the place apart

in order to find it, wouldn't he?
Yes.

Objection.

Your Honor, I've tried to be patient
during this interrogation,

but the district attorney has consistently been
leading the witness,

calling for opinions.

You're quite right,
Mr. Mason.

You will refrain from
this type of questioning, Mr. Burger.

But, Your Honor,

we've already proven that the white paper
represented a thr*at

to one man and to only
one man, Daniel Conway,

and that only Daniel Conway knew that Rose Calvert
had stolen it from him.

That's right.
She could have ruined him.

That's why he k*lled her.

[PEOPLE MURMURING]

[DOORBELL BUZZING]

Hello.
I thought you were going to come alone.

I brought Mavis along
for a little experiment.

What kind of an experiment?

You heard her
testify in court today

that she could identify people
by their feet or shoes.

Yes, I heard it.

That's what
I'd like her to test.

Not here, you're not.

Why not, Mrs. Griffith?

Because I don't want her
messing around in my closet.

We'll either do this here tonight
or in court tomorrow.

Now, it's up to you.

All right, go ahead.

Where are your shoes?

Here.

That's them.

These are the ones she wore
the day of the m*rder?

Hey, what is this?

Yeah, she got out
on the seventh floor.

She's got a good,
sturdy step.

She doesn't wobble
like most women.

Seventh floor?
What seventh floor?

It won't do, Mrs. Griffith.

You were at the Hotel Red Fern
on the night of the m*rder.

What's more, you were in room 709
and you searched room 709.

Well?

How can she remember
that it was that pair?

Why did you go
to the hotel?

I...

To have it out
with Rose Calvert.

I wasn't going to let her take
my husband without a fight.

Even if the fight
came to m*rder?

No, no,
I found her dead.

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

Is it?

I went up there
so angry at Warner,

I wouldn't have cared
if he'd been skewered alive.

I hated him.

And then I saw her dead.

And I thought Warner did it.
What can I do?

One second I hated him

and the next
I had to protect him.

Somehow I had to make sure
the police didn't think of him.

So you telephoned
Daniel Conway?

Yes.

You telephoned him
both times.

You tricked him into going to the hotel.
Yes.

But first you turned the room upside down
looking for evidence

that might link your husband
with the m*rder.

Did you find some?
No.

No, of course not.

Warner Griffith wouldn't be so careless
as to leave evidence around.

Then you wiped the room
clean of fingerprints

and then you telephoned the police
so they might find Conway with the body.

Now, do you still say you hate
your husband, Mrs. Griffith?

But it wasn't Warner,
Mr. Mason.

He was in Phoenix,
he said.

I know.

I know that's what he said.

Come on, Mavis.

[SOBBING]

Perry, there's no doubt
Griffith was in Phoenix.

No doubt?
None. My operative checked. He was there, all right.

But your hunch was right, too.

Time in Phoenix
unaccounted for?

Uh-huh.
About 6:00 to 11:00 the evening of the m*rder.

Check on that 6:00 to 11:00,
will you, Paul?

Okay.

[PEOPLE CHATTERING]

BAILIFF: All rise, please.

This court is now in session.

Mr. Griffith,

your white paper states

that company information
was delivered

into the hands of competitors
by Daniel Conway.

That's correct.

And did this information have to do with certain
fine buying opportunities?

You bet it did.

Then wouldn't it have been
good business practice

for Cal-Texas to have made arrangements
with a few smaller companies

in order to buy these lands
and leases for Cal-Texas?

And wasn't that in truth exactly
what Daniel Conway was doing?

If Conway was manipulating
things like that,

it wasn't apparent to me.

It's rather an obvious
business maneuver, isn't it?

As a man who aspires
to be president of Cal-Texas,

it should be obvious to you,
shouldn't it?

Well, there are wheels
within wheels.

Indeed there are.

Several thousand people
are involved

in these Cal-Texas
findings and explorations.

To, uh, satisfy
your own personal ambitions,

you've caused them to sacrifice, in part,
some of their security.

For, with this smear
of Conway,

the market value of
their stock has depreciated.

Now, that's true,
isn't it, Mr. Griffith?

Well, I...

Well, is it, Mr. Griffith?

Your Honor, this is unfair.

This is putting me in
a most embarrassing position.

It seems to me, you've placed
yourself in this position.

Answer counsel's question.

Yes.

Then, actually, this white paper
was just a cheap trick

to discredit Daniel Conway

and could not possibly have been a motive
for Rose Calvert's m*rder.

Now, if there was one thing
in that white paper

besides what I've mentioned,

tell the jury
and tell them now.

Your Honor, I object.

This question has already
been asked and answered.

I think counsel is entitled to a direct
statement from the witness,

but we don't have to belabor
the point, do we, Mr. Mason?

It needed stating, Your Honor.
I'm satisfied.

Now, Mr. Griffith,

you were aware that a g*n had been
purchased by the Accounting department

while you were still with
the Cal-Texas Company?

Yes.

And Rose Calvert worked
in the Accounting department?

Yes.

Have you seen
that g*n recently?

I don't mean
in court yesterday.

Yes.

Was that g*n in the possession
of Rose Calvert?

Yes.

She had taken it
from the Cal-Texas office.

Now, did she keep it in room 709
of the Red Fern Hotel?

I don't know.
Did she give it to you to hold for her?

No.

But you did
have access to it?

Yes, I... I guess so.

Rose Calvert was
an attractive woman.

Was there anything between you, other than
a business relationship?

Your Honor, I object.
Mr. Griffith is not on trial.

Your Honor,
I contend this is within the scope

of cross-examination.

I'm going to sustain
this objection.

Very well.

Mr. Griffith,

did you see Rose Calvert
on the day she was m*rder*d?

I was in Phoenix, Arizona.

There are five hours unaccounted for
on your day in Phoenix.

From 6:00 to 11:00.

You had time to hire
a private plane,

fly here,

return to Phoenix in time to catch a
scheduled flight back to Los Angeles.

Well, that's ridiculous.
I did no such thing.

Do you deny seeing
Rose Calvert or visiting her

on the day
she was m*rder*d?

The closest
I came to visiting her

was when I had to return from
Phoenix early in the morning.

I went to Rose's apartment house,
the Sorrento Arms.

She was supposed
to wait up for me,

but she wasn't there.

Did you take a letter from her mailbox
at the Sorrento Arms?

No.

Mr. Griffith,
there's been testimony

that a letter was sent
to Rose Calvert

and that it was in her mailbox
on the day she was m*rder*d,

and that letter seems
to have disappeared.

Now remembering
you're still under oath,

I ask you once again,

did you examine
that mailbox

and did you
remove such a letter?

I did not.

I--I can't say

that I acted like
a gentleman in this thing,

but I didn't remove
any letter.

And I didn't k*ll her.

Your Honor, if I may recall
a previous witness,

I believe I can prove
someone is lying.

Your Honor, I don't see why we must have
any more irregularity

in the conduct of this trial.

Mr. Mason has gone
far afield already.

What witness, Mr. Mason?

Fred Calvert.

I see no reason
why he can't be recalled.

Fred Calvert will
please come forward.

You may step down,
Mr. Griffith.

Thank you.

JUDGE: The witness needn't
be sworn in again.

He's still under oath.

Mr. Calvert,

when I went to visit you
on the night of Rose's m*rder,

I told you I'd gotten your address
from your wife's mailbox.

Do you remember that?

No. No, I don't.

You don't remember that?

Well, there were
so many things happening,

so many things.

But it was just about midnight when I got
to your house, wasn't it?

Midnight? Yes.

And when I left,
what did you do?

Well, I went to the sheriff
in Ellendale

and we drove to LA and I identified
my wife, Rose.

That was about 7:00
in the morning, wasn't it?

Yes.

About 7:00.

But that's almost seven hours.

I drove from Los Angeles
to your house in just about an hour.

Why did it take you
all that time?

Well, it did, you know.

Was there something else
you had to do

before you went to see
the sheriff in Ellendale?

No.

What was in that letter,
Mr. Calvert?

Did you thr*aten your wife

because she had fallen in love
with Warner Griffith?

No.

But there was something
in that letter that would
direct suspicion toward you

so that you had to
drive to Los Angeles,
pick up the letter

and then drive back
to Ellendale.

That's what took so long, didn't it?
No.

You did a lot of traveling
on the day of the m*rder.

All right, you won't leave me alone.
I did it.

[PEOPLE MURMURING]

What did you do,
Mr. Calvert?

I did go and get
that letter,

but not for what you said.

It was because
I wanted that deed back.

What deed?

To my house.

I sent it to her

because I thought that
if I gave her my house,
she'd come back to me.

But when she d*ed...

Well, why should
her relatives get my house?

Why did you keep denying
that you went after
that letter, Mr. Calvert?

Well...

It's against the law,

tampering with the mails,
you know.

And besides, it was my letter
to begin with.

Why should I want
to k*ll her?

I wanted her back.
I loved her.

But she wasn't coming back.

You found that out when you
went to the Hotel Red Fern,
room 709, earlier that night.

About 7:45, to be exact,
wasn't it?

No.

Maybe you didn't intend
k*lling her.

Maybe you just wanted
to plead with her.

No, no.

But she wasn't going
to come back to you.

She got angry with you.
Did she thr*aten you with that g*n?

What g*n?

The g*n she kept in her hotel room,
the m*rder w*apon.

No.

You keep saying no,
just as you did previously,

but you don't mean it now
any more than you meant it
before, do you?

Your Honor, I protest.

You took that g*n
away from her.

You suddenly got angry
with her.

After all, you'd given her your house,
your mortgage-free house,

everything she could want
in life.

Now maybe the g*n went off
just by accident.

Just by accident?

No.

Your Honor, this is pure conjecture
on the part of the defense counsel.

Just a moment, Mr. Burger.

Your Honor, I ask
the court's indulgence.

What for, Mr. Mason?

I'd like the witness to step down
to clarify a point of identification.

All right.
Step down, Mr. Calvert.

Would you stand here
in front of the jury, please?

Uh, Miss Mavis Jordan,
please.

Miss Jordan is the elevator operator
at the Hotel Red Fern.

I'd like her to look at your shoes,
if you don't mind.

I loved my wife.

Honest, I did, Mr. Mason.

Just a moment, Miss Jordan.

I don't think we'll need
your identification.

I thought she'd come to her senses
and come back to me.

She wouldn't.

She was willing
to give up everything,

even the house.

Then you went to that hotel room
and you k*lled her?

Yes.

Just the way you said it,
Mr. Mason.

It was exactly
the way you said.

[PEOPLE CHATTERING]

[PIANO PLAYING]
You know, it was a funny thing.

What's that, Perry?

Oh, Calvert standing
in front of the jury,

Mavis staring at his shoes.

Yes, I wondered.
Why didn't you let her finish her identification?

He couldn't.
Well, why?

She couldn't.
Calvert was wearing a different pair of shoes.

Well, I'm glad
there's a happy ending.

Hello.
Well, hello there.

I know I should
apologize for intruding,

but I... I just wanted
to say congratulations.

Oh, thank you very much,

but I still have the annual
stockholders' meeting ahead of me.

Won't you sit down?

Thank you.

Uh, you don't have to worry about that
stockholders' meeting, Mr. Conway.

Well, why not, miss, uh...
Armitage.

Amelia Armitage.

Wait a...
Are you from Running Springs, Texas?

That's right.
Well, then your family owns...


of Cal-Texas.

Well, it looks like you
have it made, young fella.

I think
we'd better be going.

Good luck, Mr. Conway.
Thank you.

Uh, good night,
Miss Armitage.

Good night.

He's about 33, isn't he?

That's a good age for her,
don't you think?

What are you up to now,
Miss Fix-it?

Well, I just thought since they were both
so interested in Cal-Texas,

it would be a good time
for a merger.

Oh, come on.