01x35 - The Case of the Lazy Lover

[bunniefuu]

Why did Bertie
have to park
his car there?

Because he is
inconsiderate
and selfish.

Hello, hello, hello!

Ah, what a welcome sight.

May I assume
that a share

of this pale restorative
is for me?

Naturally.

You didn't think Mother
was going to swill all of it,
did you, Bertie?

Well, of course not,
my dear Patricia.

Though I would admit
your mother is a woman
of infinite capacity,

though not
necessarily for martinis,
you understand.

Droll, Bertie.
Very droll.

Oh, Lucille, do you suppose
cook could hold up
dinner a bit?

I kept Bob Fleetwood
working so late,

I asked him to join us.

If, uh... If it won't
cause an upheaval,
you understand.

Of course not.

Thank you.

By the way, Bertie,

your car's blocking
the driveway pretty badly.

I had to clip the hedge
to miss it.

I know, I thought
I was going out again.

I... I'll move it
presently.

Well, it could be
pretty dangerous

for somebody who
doesn't know the drive.

All right, my dear.
All right.

Call off the dogs.
I'll move my car right now.

[ENGINE STARTS]

Lucille! Pat!

BERTIE: Lucille!

What happened?
Who is it?

It's Bob!

Bob Fleetwood?
That's right.

Here, put him over here.

What's wrong?

I don't know.

I found him lying
in the driveway by the hedge.

Oh, no.

No, you couldn't have
hit anyone!

Is he hurt badly?

I think he's dead.

Anything interesting
this bleak Monday morning?

This little item on top

might bring you
a ray of sunshine.

Just this bare,
naked check?

Just that bare,
naked 2,500 clams.

Della,
when it's over 1,000,

you don't
refer to them as "clams."

They become "dollars."

"Lucille Faxon Allred,


Los Angeles."

Now, that's
what really puzzles me.
What?

There's a wire here
from the same woman

that came
just a little bit ago,

only this
is from Mountain View.

Let me see it.

"Please accept check
for $2,500

"as retainer to represent
my daughter, Patricia Faxon,

"or myself
if the need should arise.

"Lucille Faxon Allred."

Isn't she married
to Bertrand Allred?

Yes, the mining man.

A pretty slick operator,
I understand.

Here.

What do you want me
to do with it?

Well,
it's drawn on our bank.

Just deposit it
to my special account.

Ask the cashier
to give it a good, close look.

You don't even know
what she wants you to do.

I don't even know if it's
her check, we can always

give her back her money

if it turns out to
be something I don't
want to handle.

Oh, and before you go,

see if you can get her
on the telephone.

Information,
I'd like Bertrand Allred,



[TELEPHONE RINGS]

Hello?

DELLA: Mrs. Allred, please.

She's not at home.
Who's calling?

Mr. Perry Mason,
the attorney.

Can you tell
me when she will be home?

Well, is it
anything important?
Can I take a message?

Just have her
call Mr. Mason, please.

Yes, well, all right.
I'll tell her.

Mrs. Allred's check.

Good as gold,
I wish we had
a dozen of them.

In fact, I gathered,
it didn't even make
a dent in her account.

[TELEPHONE BUZZES]

Yes, Gertie?

Hold on just a minute.

Mr. Bertrand Allred
is here.

Send him in, please,
Gertie.

He didn't waste any time
getting here.

Good morning, Mr. Allred.

Come in, won't you?

Delighted to meet you.

Heard a great deal
about you, of course.
Who hasn't?

Please sit down.
Oh, Miss Street,
my confidential secretary.

Delighted.

How do you do?

Are you representing
my wife, Mr. Mason?

Why do you ask?

I should be quite frank
with you, Mr. Mason.

But, if you don't already
know this, I hope you will
regard it as confidential.

My wife has run away with
Bob Fleetwood, my secretary.

Actually, secretary
was a misnomer. He really
was my right hand.

When was this?

Night before last,
Saturday night to be exact.

It really stunned me,
Mr. Mason.

What is it exactly you are
here to see me about,
Mr. Allred?

If Lucille wants a divorce,

heavens knows I shan't
stand in her way,
much as I would regret it.

But if you could just
persuade her to come back

and go about it
a little less sensationally,
you know.

Are you concerned
only about the newspapers?

Well, to tell the truth,
I need Bob.

I am dissolving a partnership
with a man named Jerome,

and actually, Bob was much
closer to many of the details
than either Jerome or myself.

And all you want me to do,

if I should happen to
be in touch with them,

is urge them to come back.

I will cooperate with them
in any way they wish.

Very well.

If the opportunity arises,

I'll be glad to pass along
your message, Mr. Allred.

You have been
most generous
with your time.

[DOOR CLOSING]

Now, let's see if
Paul Drake can come in.

I want to find this
Lucille Faxon Allred.

You mean you're going to
represent her when you don't
even know what she wants?

I don't know what
she wants, Stella.

But any woman married
to Betrand Allred
can use some help.

I'm so glad
you could come,
Mr. Mason.

Did you hear
from my mother?

Yes, I heard from her.

Mr. Mason...

Well, you see,
Mr. Mason,

I thought it was silly
to retain a lawyer

and not
explain anything to him,

so I'm going to
tell you all about it,

and I'll
do whatever you say,

even if you think
I should go to the police.

You probably don't realize,

but you're a very
singular person,
Miss Faxon.

Go ahead.

Well, the night before last,
Saturday,

I...

I hit a man with my car!

You know we have
some high hedges
in front of our place?

Yes.
Well, that night,
Bertie parked...

Your father?

No, no, he's my stepfather.

He parked his car
so that it stuck out
in the driveway,

and I had to swerve
to keep from hitting it.

I don't quite understand.

I was driving pretty fast,

and, well, I felt
this sort of

a--a thump,

and I thought
it was the hedge,

and then later, when Bertie
went out t-to move his car,

he found Bob!

Was he injured badly?

Yes,
we thought he was dead!

And then he came to,

but he didn't know
who he was or anything.

You mean he had amnesia?

Mmm-hmm.

Bertie was going to
take him to the hospital,

and then he said,
"What if he should die?"

Well, I'd be charged
with manslaughter

and maybe even prison!

Go on.

So--so Mother and Bertie
took him away some place,

but I don't know where!

And what did you do?

I stayed here, but...

But what?

[CRYING]
I don't know, Mr. Mason.

It just doesn't seem
right letting Mother
get all involved

just to cover up for me.

And besides,

if Bob does die,

I'm not going to
try to hide it,

and if he doesn't,
what do we gain?

And the way things are,

I don't exactly
trust my stepfather.

What do you mean,
"The way things are"?

Well, Mother's
divorcing Bertie,

and he's
pretty upset about it.

You see,
she has quite a fortune,

and it isn't
community property.

Has it occurred to you,
Miss Faxon,

that you might not have
hit Fleetwood with your car?

But if I didn't,
what happened to him?

Suppose someone
slugged Fleetwood

and then
left him lying there

where he would have been
if you had hit him.

D-do you think Bertie
tried to k*ll him

and put it on me?

I don't know,

but if he did,
it means he's dangerous,

and the danger
could extend to your mother.

Well, looks like
you ran into the rain.

Uh-huh.
What did you run into?

Pay dirt.
Mrs. Allred is registered

at the Mountain View Motel.

How long will it
take us to get there?

About an hour. Sooner,
if this rain lets up.

Oh, hello, Della.

Hello.

[DOOR CLOSES]

You sure
this is the right unit?

This is it.

But shouldn't we
check at the office
before we go in?

I don't think
that will be necessary.

Face powder.

I guess
we're a little late, Paul,

but they haven't
been gone long.
It's still warm in here.

Ice cubes
haven't quite melted.

That room's been occupied.

Fleetwood?

Probably.

There are
only two glasses.

Apparently, Mr. Allred
wasn't with them.

His daughter told me

the three of them
went away together,

and Allred told me
his wife and Fleetwood
ran off together.

Now, who's telling
the truth?
A good question.

See what you can
find out from the manager,
I'll wait in the car.

Okay.

Perry, they left
about 20 minutes ago.

The manager remembers
hearing their car pull out.

And earlier, Mrs. Allred
went to the office and
put through a call to

El Paseo 67729.

When we get back to town,

get your men started
looking for Fleetwood
and Mrs. Allred again.

Put a tail on her husband
when you locate him.

Okay.

Mr. Mason,
this is my mother.

I'm relieved to see you,
Mrs. Allred.

How do you do, Mr. Mason?

A bit confused,
at the moment.

According to your husband,
you ran away
with Bob Fleetwood.

Why, that's preposterous
to think such a thing!

I see.

Then, where is
Bob Fleetwood?

I don't know.

You were with him at
the Mountain View Motel,
weren't you?

Yes.

Then, what happened?

We were sitting
in the motel room last night

waiting for my husband
to arrive, having a drink.

Bob seemed
perfectly comfortable,

but then he excused himself
and went into his room.

Through the bathroom?
Yes.

When he didn't come back
for such a long time,
I began to get worried,

so I called to him,
and he didn't answer.

I went into his room,
and he'd gone.

Just walked out
through the door,

taken my car,
and driven away.

Had Fleetwood
regained his memory?

No.

I--I don't know.

What time did he leave?

What time?
About a quarter to nine.

Oh, Mr. Mason,
this whole thing
has me so upset.

I'm afraid I'm not very
clearheaded in an emergency.

How did you get back here
from the motel?

I brought her.

Mother called me
here earlier

when Bertie
didn't show up at the motel.

Had he been there?

Yes,
off and on all weekend.

He was keeping an eye
on Bob Fleetwood.

[KNOCK ON DOOR]
What time did you arrive
at the Mountain View?

MASON: Why, hello.

This is Lieutenant Tragg,
of Homicide.

Mrs. Allred, her daughter.

Are you
Mrs. Allred's lawyer, Mason,

or are you
just acting as an MC?

I happen to be her attorney,
Lieutenant.

When was the last time

you saw Robert Fleetwood,
Mrs. Allred?

You're entitled
to the reasons
for any questions

before you answer them,
Mrs. Allred.

Very well.

Your car was found
at the bottom of a canyon

completely wrecked.

Fleetwood was
in that car and dead.

Dead?

Oh, then he must have...

I last saw him
about a quarter of nine
last night, Lieutenant.

I think you and your
daughter had better
come into headquarters.

Now, wait a minute,
Tragg,

there's no
justification for that.

Isn't there?

The car was in neutral.

Nobody drives down
a steep grade like that.

Somebody stopped the car,
got out, released the brake,

and let the car
plunge down the grade

and through the guardrail.
In other words,

Fleetwood was m*rder*d.

Your client
left the Mountain View Motel

with Fleetwood
in that car,

and about a half an hour
later, she returned
alone and on foot,

at which time,
her daughter
picked her up.

Now, you, uh, still think
there's no justification?

[KNOCK ON DOOR]

I'll, uh, get that.

I'm afraid there's
been a mistake,
Mrs. Allred.

You mean
it wasn't my car!

Yes, it was your car.
The facts remain the same.

But there was
a mistake in
identification.

The dead man
wasn't Fleetwood.

Who was he?

He was your husband.

You'd better come along.
Oh, no.

Mother!

Paul said he's onto
something big,

and he's staying with it.

In the meantime,
he said he found out

that Mr. Allred had
received severe blows
on the head

before he went
over the cliff.

In fact, these
could have been
the ones that k*lled him,

[INTERCOM BUZZES]
but the police
can't be sure yet.

Yes, Gertie?

Oh, good, put him on.

Hello, Paul.

Perry,
I think we found Fleetwood.

PERRY: Where?

Up the canyon
from Mountain View

about eight miles east
in a small ranch house.

Is he all right?

Well, he's still got amnesia,
if that's what you mean.

Now, listen, there's a turnoff
on a little side road.

A man by the name of Overbrook
has the ranch.

You'll see a sign.

Good, Paul.
We'll see you
when we get back.

PAUL: Okay, Perry.

We get back
from where?

How would you like
to be married for
a couple of hours

to a fairly
nice-looking man
about 40 years old?

[VEHICLE APPROACHES]

[GROWLS]

[BARKING]

[DOOR BUZZING]

Good boy.
That's enough. I hear it.

[BARKING]

Mr. Overbrook?

Yes?

Is Robert here?
Robert Fleetwood?

Robert?
Yes.

It's her husband,
the man that
lost his memory.

Oh, sure, come on in!

[GROWLS]

It's okay, Prince.
They're all right.

How'd you know
he was here?

We've been tracing him
bit by bit.

Is he all right?

Yes'm, I reckon
he's been sleeping,
mostly.

I'll go get him.

Just a moment,
Mr. Overbrook.

Chances are Mr. Fleetwood
won't recognize us.

It's happened before.

Sometimes if we
appear suddenly,
he snaps right out of it,

so don't tell him
who we are.

Okay, sure.

Well...

You're a fine boy, Prince.

OVERBROOK: They're right
in here,

they just want
to talk to you.

Robert!

Oh, Robert,
we were so worried about you!

What is this?
Who is she?

Don't you remember me?
I'm Mabel, your wife.

You are not.

I never saw her before
in my life.

How do you know?

Well...I just feel it.

I know, dear.

That's the way it was
last time, don't you remember?

DELLA: Come on, let's go home.

Come on. Come on.

Come on, Robert.

In view of certain
past accusations, Lieutenant,

I'd like this instance

of my cooperation
with the police duly noted.

Remember, I turned Fleetwood
over to you.

Oh, would carved in stone
be satisfactory,

or shall we
etch it in bronze?

Whichever's more expensive.

I also think
it would be no more than fair

to tell me
just what Fleetwood told you.

Oh, I think
you have that coming to you.

Before we took him to General
Hospital for observation,

Fleetwood said that he was
walking along the hedge

of the Allred place
Saturday night,

and something hit him.

And now, while he can remember
everything up to that point,

he can't remember
a thing since.

Mmm-hmm.

That's the way he'd react
if he had true amnesia.

[DOOR OPENS]

MASON: Mrs. Allred.

Thanks for bringing
my client up here.

One good turn
deserves another.

Lieutenant Tragg
still maintains

that you left the motel
with your husband.

Lieutenant Tragg is wrong!
I didn't!

And no one could possibly
have seen me in that car!

I wasn't there!

You said
Fleetwood left the motel

about a quarter to nine

and Pat picked you up
about a quarter after.

Now, I was there at 9:00.
Where were you?

I told you I wasn't very
clearheaded in an emergency.

When I was left alone
at the motel,

the only thing
I could think of

was to get away,
to get back home.

I ran down to the road
to try and get a hitchhike.

That was a rather
foolish thing to do.

Mr. Mason,
I was frightened!

Of what?

Not "of what,"
for Pat.

I went through that
whole ordeal with
Bob Fleetwood

just to protect her!

She's my daughter,
Mr. Mason.

She's the only thing
in the world I care about.

Then...

What happened
when you went out to
the road to hitchhike?

Well, pretty soon
I realized how
foolish it was,

so I went back
to the motel to try
and telephone a taxi.

Before I could do that,
my daughter arrived.

What was your
general feeling
about your husband?

Well, a woman, naturally,
likes to feel

that the man she marries
is rather special.

At first, anyway.

Then to realize,
gradually, day by day,

more clearly,
more inescapably,

he's cheap,
common, greedy,

a liar and a cheat,

both professionally
and personally...

Well, it's a pretty
bleak experience,
Mr. Mason.

I can well believe it.

I was going to divorce him,

even though he threatened
to make it the most
shameful case ever tried.

I understand you have
a considerable fortune

which wasn't
community property.

Do you think
he might have been
willing to k*ll you for it?

He might have.

I didn't k*ll him,
Mr. Mason.

And if I had,

it wouldn't be
because I was afraid
he might k*ll me,

if that's
what you're getting at.

I wasn't getting at it,

but let's say
the District Attorney will.

My man at headquarters
picked something up, Perry.

Fleetwood's girlfriend
came to see him
at the hospital.

Brought him cigarettes
and a razor.

Who is she, Paul?
Her name's Bernice Archer.

She lives in an apartment
out on Laurel.

How long did she stay
at the hospital?

About half an hour.
Then she went home?

Uh-huh.

I think we should call
on Miss Archer, Paul.

Well, you don't need me,
do you?

Yes, I want you
to question her.

Just say
you're a detective,

but not whether
you're police or private.

Maybe it'll help
get information.

[DOOR BUZZING]

I'm Paul Drake, a detective.
I'd like to talk to you.

May I see
your credentials, please?

Surely.

Just a minute, please.

I see,
a private detective.

That's right.

And this gentleman
with you?

My name is Mason.
I'm an attorney.

Oh, you're
Perry Mason?

That's right.

Well, gentlemen,
I don't know what
I can do for you,

but if you want to come in
for a few minutes,
I suppose it's all right.

Excuse me.
Mmm-hmm.

Thank you, Miss Archer.
We just want some information.

So I assumed.
Won't you sit down?

Thank you.

Now, Miss Archer,
is it too personal a thing

to ask if there's
a romantic attachment

between you
and Bob Fleetwood?

I'm very fond of him,
and I think it's mutual.

And naturally,
you were quite upset

when he called you
earlier today.

Oh, but I'm afraid I wasn't,
Mr. Mason.

Why should I be upset?

You must have known
by the papers

that he'd run away
with another woman,

that her husband
had been m*rder*d.

When he called and told you

he had amnesia
and was in the hospital,

then you weren't upset?

I don't quite understand.

It's perfectly simple.

Bob's had brief spells
of amnesia before.

The first thing
he told me
was not to worry,

that he wasn't
mixed up in anything.

Well, Miss Archer,
you were entirely right

when you said you wouldn't
be able to help us.

Thank you again.

Good night.

Good night, Mr. Mason,
and good luck
with Mrs. Allred.

You'll certainly need it,
won't you?

Why?

It won't be easy
to get her off, will it?

She's obviously guilty.

Why are you so sure?

Who else could it be?

Mr. Allred obviously
went out there secretly

in the rented car,

so no one knew he was there
except his wife and Bob.

Bob didn't do it,
so she must have.

Well, those are
the only people we know of

who knew where Allred was.

Lots of others might
have known.
You, for instance.

Oh, well,

you can grasp at straws,
of course.

Good night, Mr. Mason.

Coming, Paul?

Mmm-hmm.

Good night.

What's he doing here?

I was very disappointed

at your loss of memory,
Fleetwood,

and Mason
thinks he can help you.

I don't think you can.

Well,
I'll be happy to try.

Now, as I understand it,
since last Saturday night,

when you were
hit on the head,

you couldn't
remember a thing
that happened to you

until you talked
to Lieutenant Tragg
yesterday.

However, Monday,
you made a phone call

from Mountain View
to Westgate 69811.

What of it?
Why shouldn't I
call my girl?

You didn't even know you had
a girl then, Fleetwood,
let alone her phone number.

Withholding information
in a m*rder looks even worse

when you could be
the k*ller yourself.

All right.

All right,
I'll tell you.

I'll tell you
what a spot I was in.

Bertrand Allred
was about to
steal a fortune

from his partner,
Stanley Jerome.

How?

Well, they had bought
a mining property.

Allred forged
a fake report
of the survey

showing that
it was worthless.

Well, on Saturday night,

I stumbled across
the true report

showing that it
was worth millions!

You told Allred
you found this?

Yeah, that was my mistake.

I was so surprised,
puzzled, when I saw it,

I blurted out,
"What's this?"

Well, when I saw his face,
I knew what it was.
He'd started after me.

I turned to run.
I didn't get very far.

He must have hit me.
Anyway, I blacked out.

I think he thought
I was dead.

And the next thing
you remembered?

I came to
in the living room with
the two women in hysterics,

Pat thinking that she'd
k*lled me with her car.

I must have been in a state
of shock, and I was scared.

I couldn't think of
anything else, until I came
up with the amnesia thing.

That was when Mrs. Allred
took you to
the Mountain View motel?

That's right.

Mr. Allred stayed
with us at the motel
until Sunday night.

Then Monday night,
Allred came back
to k*ll me,

and I think he was gonna
k*ll his wife, too,
while he was about it.

Anyway, he pulled a g*n,

he made his wife get into
the trunk of the car...

In the trunk?
I know, but he did.

He made me drive.

Go ahead.

Well, as we started down
the mountain road,

we were creeping along,
going downgrade in low gear.

Suddenly, I gave it the g*n,
then I slammed the brakes on!

Allred was sitting
next to me, sideways.

It threw him off balance.
He slammed into the dash.

I grabbed the g*n
and conked him with it
before he could get up.

Well, I don't ever
want to go through
anything like that again.

After that, you went to
Overbrook's farm.
That's right.

Why?

Well, Overbrook
had lost some money, too,

quite a bit of it
in a deal with Allred.

He said that if he ever
came on his property,
he'd k*ll him.

Overbrook didn't know me,
so I figured I'd be safe.

Anyway, I drove the car
up there, I pulled it off
into a muddy field,

and then
I headed for the house.

Leaving Mrs. Allred
in the trunk?

Oh, no,
I was gonna let her out,

but when the car stopped,
she managed to open the trunk.

How could she do that?

I don't know!
Maybe it wasn't closed.

Anyway, she jumped out
and she took off.

I called to her,
but she kept
right on running.

Since you were
so afraid of Allred...

I think that's
enough for now.
But I want to ask...

I said you could
hear his story,

I didn't say you could
cross-examine him.

You'll have a chance
for that in court.

[DOOR CLOSES]

Just a friendly word

before you get
yourself out on
a limb for Mrs. Allred.

Just before you got here,
I received information

that completely confirms
Fleetwood's story
in every detail.

And he has no knowledge
of that information yet.

Are you gonna tell me
what it is?

Well, that's for
the District Attorney to say.

And the State will further
prove that a witness found
tracks in a muddy field

which show unmistakably

where the m*rder car drove in,

where Fleetwood left it
and walked to the house.

Where the defendant,
Lucille Allred, jumped
from the trunk,

ran out to the road,

and where she then walked
back and got in the car.

Where the car turned
around and drove away.

And incidentally where
her lipstick was discovered
lying on the ground.

All these facts,
the State will prove
in support of its contention

that Lucille Allred

did willfully and with
malice and forethought,
drive her husband

to the edge
of the mountain cliff,

disengage the gears
of the car and then send him
over that cliff to his death.

Do you wish to make an
opening statement, Mr. Mason?

Defense will
reserve its remarks

for the presentation
of its case, your honor.

I call Robert Fleetwood
to the stand, please.

[SPECTATORS MURMURING]

And what happened then,
Mr. Fleetwood,

after you left
the Overbrook place

with Perry Mason
and Miss Della Street,

the woman who claimed
to be your wife?

They brought me
to police headquarters.

I think that's all.
Cross-examine.

How did it happen

that all your identification
and personal effects

were on Allred's body
when it was found,

and that you had nothing
whatever on your person

when you arrived
at police headquarters?

He took all that
stuff off of me

the night
he hit me in the head.

Why?

I don't know.

You could never tell
what was on Allred's mind.

You didn't put
these articles in
his pockets yourself

after you had
knocked him unconscious?
No!

Isn't it true
that you could simply

have walked out of
the motel on Mrs. Allred

any number of times

between Saturday night
and Monday night?

I don't know.
I guess I could.

Wasn't the real reason

you didn't
walk out of that motel

the fact that you knew
there were millions

in the true mining report,

and that you thought
there might be an opportunity

for you
to k*ll Bertrand Allred

and then cheat Stanley Jerome
and Mrs. Allred

out of their share
of this property?

No.

No further questions.

BURGER: Lieutenant Tragg,
you were present

when a diagram was made
of the Overbrook property,

this diagram, which has been
enlarged onto this blackboard?

Yes, I was.

Can you tell us,
of your own
personal knowledge,

whether this sketch
includes all the tracks

that were found
in that area?

Yes, I can.

We recorded every track,
sign, and indentation

in the whole area
for 100 yards around.

We even put in
the dog tracks.

Thank you, Lieutenant.

Mr. Overbrook, have you
had much experience
as a tracker?

Yes, sir,
I was born in
big game country

and I worked as a guide
quite a spell

and I've tracked
for the police
a time or two.

I wonder if you'd step down
to the board, sir,

and tell us
everything you saw and did

on the morning
when you went out

to backtrack
Robert Fleetwood.

Well, yes, sir.
All right, sir.

You see,
this was the next morning

after Mr. Fleetwood
had been to my house.

See, now,
this is my house,

and I came out here,
and this is, um,

oh, Mr. Burger, do you mind
if I just use my hands?

Go ahead.

Well, you see, I came out here
and I started there,

and I picked up...
These are
Fleetwood's tracks

as he came from the car
the night before

up to the house.
Okay.

And this
is where I started

and backtracked him
around to here,

where the car
had been sitting.

The car was about there?

Well, yes,
just about like that.

Now, this is where
it backed up and
turned around

and drove off
down the road, of course.

Like this.

Yes, sir.

Now, when I got
to this point,

I could see right here

that some woman
had jumped down from
the back of the car,

right from the trunk,
and run down to the road.

These are her footprints.

And then, from here,

she walked back up
from the road
and got in the car.

Wait a minute,
as an experienced tracker,

it was beyond question
clear to you

that the woman
jumped from the car,

ran to the road,

and then walked back up
and got in the car again?

Yes, sir.

Fella wouldn't have
to be much of a tracker
to tell that,

not in that soft ground.

All right, after you'd found
these tracks and everything,
what did you do next?

Well, I figured the sheriff
ought to know about this,

so I walked back up
along here,

these are my footprints

as I went back up
to my little farm road,

and then along here,
and I got a load of
scrap lumber

and I brought it back
and I spread it out along here

so that people
could get out there

without messing things up.

Now, let's see,
this would have gone
something like this?

Yes. Yes, sir, that's...

That's fine.

All right, what then?

Well, then I went back
in my house

and telephoned the sheriff.

Thank you, sir.
You may take your seat.

Yes, sir.

In the witness stand,
Mr. Overbrook.

[CHUCKLES]
Yes, sir.

Mr. Overbrook,
in your opinion,

could anyone
have gotten from that car,

to it or away from it,
without leaving tracks?

[LAUGHS]
Not unless he was a bird.

Cross-examine.

If those are your tracks,
you'd better tell me now.

But they're not mine!

I don't know whose they are,
but I've told you the truth.

Does counsel
wish to cross-examine?

Yes, I beg your pardon,
Your Honor.

I do have one question.

Mr. Overbrook,

you say that no one
could get to or
from the car

without leaving tracks.

Now, suppose a very
light person in
sock feet, say,

making every effort
to conceal his tracks,

well, do you mean
such a person

could find no path
to that car

which wouldn't
be clearly evident?

Mr. Mason, the way
the ground is around there,

and there's
hardly any grass at all,

I'm sorry,
it just couldn't be done.

Thank you, Mr. Overbrook.
That's all.

JUDGE: You may step down.

That's our case,
your honor.

I move that the court
dismiss this case

and free the defendant
from custody.

There's certainly no evidence
sufficient to show

that she's
in any way connected

with the death
of the deceased.

On the contrary,
your honor,

the evidence here
is beyond dispute.

Somebody had to drive the car
out of that field

and back up the highway
and off into the canyon.

An eyewitness's testimony
put the defendant at that car,

and her own footprints
in the muddy field

irrefutably
confirm that testimony.

BURGER: The purpose
of this hearing

is only to prove that a crime
has been committed

and to show reasonable
grounds for believing

that the defendant
committed that crime.

I've not only proved that,

I've proved that no one else
could have committed it!

Yes, your evidence is ample,
Mr. Burger.

Motion denied.

However, I see
we've reached the noon hour,

and court will adjourn
until 2:00 this afternoon.

Defendant remanded
to custody of sheriff.
Stand adjourned.

[GAVEL FALLING]

Lunch, Perry?

We'll grab some sandwiches
along the way.

Along what way?

We are going to Overbrook's
to examine those prints.

Do a little reconnoitering.
Come on.

[BIRDS CHIRPING]

Perry,

why were you
so easy on Fleetwood?

Well, he's lying
about Mrs. Allred,

but until I know why,

pushing him
could do more
harm than good.

And he couldn't have
driven the car away himself

because he left
just one set
of footprints

leading from the car
to the house.

Now, from here to there,

where the trunk of
the car would be,
it's about six feet.

Coming and going.

That's right.
Perry, I hate to say this,

but how could Fleetwood
be lying about your client?

After all, he knew nothing
about the tracks coming back

when he said
she ran away from the car.

DELLA: Maybe they're his
girlfriend's, Bernice Archer
came out here.

She could have...

No, no, no,
we checked her thoroughly,

just as
the police must have.

She was positively in town

all Monday evening
and all Monday night.

I tell you, to me,
it just looks hopeless.

Maybe not.

Della?

Hmm?

Start here
and run toward the road.

But the car was here.
There aren't any prints here.

I know.
Try it anyway.

Run?

Run, starting here.

Come on, now.

[SIGHS]
Well?

What Paul said

may change the whole
conception of this thing.

Better get back
to court.

What I said?

What'd I say?

Your honor,
I strenuously
object to this.

Counsel has had
every opportunity to
examine Miss Archer.

For him to
recall her now...

Your Honor,
I can now
definitely state

that if I'm permitted
this cross-examination,

I can bring out evidence

which will
exonerate the defendant

and completely refute
Robert Fleetwood's testimony.

Well, in that case,

the situation
becomes quite different.

The Supreme Court has held

that the order of examination
of witnesses

is exclusively
in the discretion
of the trial court.

JUDGE: It has also held
that the trial court exists

for the purpose
of doing justice

and not for enabling lawyers
to practice legal gymnastics

at the expense
of the equities.

Court's going along
with Mr. Mason here.

Miss Archer,
take the stand again, please.

[SPECTATORS MURMURING]

Now, Miss Archer,

just a few questions about
the night of the m*rder.

Certainly, Mr. Mason.

You previously testified

you spent the evening
with your sister?

Yes.

Did you get
any telephone calls at
your sister's house?

Telephone calls?
Not that I remember.

Well, is the phone number

Olive 17723 familiar to you?

Yes,
that's my sister's number.

I have a record here
of a long-distance call

put through to you
at that number

on Monday,
the night of the m*rder.

Now, I ask you now,

did you speak to
Robert Fleetwood that night?

I may have.

Well, did you
or did you not?

Yes, I did.

PERRY: Now, Miss Archer,
when you spoke
to Mr. Fleetwood

on the phone
the night of the m*rder,

did he tell you
he needed your help?

No.

Did he tell you
he wanted to involve
Mrs. Lucille Allred

in a m*rder already committed
or in process or planned?

No.

Did you drive
to the Overbrook place,

Miss Archer,
sometime just before dawn

the morning after your visit
with your sister?

And weren't yours
the woman's tracks
found near the car?

No, they were not.

Wasn't this the scheme

Robert Fleetwood evolved
to implicate the defendant,

Mrs. Lucille Allred?

No.
No?

Then was it your scheme,
Miss Archer?

That's all.

Your Honor,
now for a point of proof,

I would like
to have Mr. Overbrook

return to the witness stand.

Mr. Overbrook, please.

Now, Mr. Overbrook,
would you kindly explain

how the tracks
of this woman

prove that she ran
from the car to the road

and then walked back
to the car from the road?

Well, they just show it,
is all.

You see, they start
there at the trunk...

No, no, Mr. Overbrook,
what I mean is this,

how do these tracks prove
that this woman

first didn't walk
to the car from the road

and then run from the car
to the road?

Well, I, uh...

Gosh, Mr. Mason,
I reckon she could.

I never thought about that.

Only... No, wait a minute.

After she got back
to the car, or in it,

how'd she get from there
around and into the trunk

without making any sign?

[CHUCKLES]

What if the car
wasn't there?

Huh?

Well, let me illustrate.

Suppose a certain woman
wanted to implicate
Mrs. Allred

and protect
Robert Fleetwood.

PERRY: Now, suppose
Fleetwood and this woman

invented this story
about Mrs. Allred
being in the trunk,

and early in the morning
after the m*rder,

this woman took a lipstick

of the same brand
Mrs. Allred carries

and went out to
where the car
had been sitting

and left
that lipstick there

in order
to confirm their story.

Now, wouldn't it be
quite evident

to this woman
when she got there

that if she walked
out onto that field,

she would
inevitably leave tracks?

Why, sure,
unless she was blind.

Well, suppose the woman
were bright enough

to have walked from here
up to here,

and then
by using a piece of brush

or something to stand on,

she was able
to cross this area here

where the car had been,

and then she had run along
here back to the road.

Now, if she had done that,

wouldn't she have
left the same tracks
that you discovered?

Well, she sure would,
and come to think of it,

there was a little bush
growing right there

that she could have stepped on
and jumped to that other spot

without leaving any sign,

because it was already
messed up on account
of the fact

that the car
had been parked right over it.

Then those tracks
could have been made

without anyone
having been in the
trunk of the car at all?

Well, yes, sir,
I guess you could be right.

Now, Mr. Overbrook,

is the telephone number
Olive 17723 familiar to you?

No, sir, I never
even heard the number

till you brought it up
here in court.

But Mr. Fleetwood called
that number from your house.

It's a very small house.
You must have heard him.

No, sir.

I see.

He must have made
the call while you were
out of the house.

Hmm.

Uh, Mr. Overbrook,

the day we called on you,
I noticed your dog, Prince.

OVERBROOK: Yes.

I also notice
they have his tracks

here on the sketch.

Well, anywhere I go,
Prince is always with me,

unless I give him
a job to do,

like watching the house
or something.

I see.

Now, would you explain
to this court

how it happens that there are
so many of Prince's tracks

in this area
where you left the car

and none at all
through here

where you
were going to the car?

Well, uh...

To tell you the truth,
I...I don't know.

I guess he was, uh,

I guess he was out
chasing a rabbit or something.

Isn't it a fact
that your tracks here

and your tracks over here

were made
at two different times,

and that Prince was with you
one time and not the next?

Of course not!
That's crazy!

How could it be when you
can see right there...

I'll tell you
how it could be.

On the night of the m*rder,

on Monday night,
when Fleetwood was in bed,

you left Prince
to watch him,

and right then,
without taking your dog along,

you backtracked Fleetwood
along here, to the car.

And lying
in the car unconscious

you found Bertrand Allred,
a man you hated,

a man
you had threatened to k*ll,

and you drove that car
out of the field

down to the highway,

and then you sent it off
into the canyon.

No, no!
I never done it!

And later,
you suddenly remembered

that while your tracks went to
where the car had been,

your tracks
did not return from the car,

so you got those boards

and laid them out
on the field like this.

And then you walked
out on those boards

to this point here,

stepped off, walked back,
towards the farm road,

making these tracks here
at that time.

And then you went
to your house.

Isn't that the truth,
Mr. Overbrook?

Isn't that exactly the way
you k*lled Bertrand Allred?

No, he was already dead!

He was dead when I got there.
I...I just hauled him away.

You can see the spot I was in
if they found him there.
I was afraid.

No, that's a lie!

That isn't true!
That's a lie!

He wasn't dead!
He was all right!

Actually, Paul started me
thinking right

when he mentioned
the woman's tracks
in reverse

as coming and going.

Well, I guess
I can't complain, Perry.

After all, you got
an innocent woman off

and you handed me
the m*rder*r.

I did?

Certainly.
Which one?

Why, Overbrook, of course.
Don't you see?

Fleetwood never
would have left Allred

if Allred were dead.

He expected Allred
to come to and drive away,

only Overbrook
got there first.

What if Allred was hurt worse
than Fleetwood thought

and really was dead?

Well, in that case...

On the other hand,
Overbrook could be
honestly mistaken.

He might have thought
Allred was dead
when he wasn't,

and the crash
could have k*lled him.

Thank you, Mr. Mason.
You've been a big help.

[CHUCKLES]
Any time at all, Mr. Burger.

All right,
who really did k*ll Allred?

Overbrook.

Burger had it right
the first time.

I just
couldn't bring myself

to the point
of agreeing with him.

Might establish
a dangerous precedent.

[LAUGHING]