05x15 - The Case of the Roving River

[bunniefuu]

(theme song playing)

What about tonight?

Can I see you?

Please, Neil, don't
start that again.

I told you on the way up,

it's finished
between us.

Because you don't
still care for me?

Or because you're afraid
to stand up to your mother?

Everything
all right, Judy?

Oh.

Fine, Uncle Matt.

Neil, drive us
to the river.

Yes, Mr. Lambert.

(birds chirping)

Are you
Mr. Farrell?

Yes, Harvey Farrell.

This is my attorney,
Ralph Ordway.

FARRELL:
I know Mr. Lambert,
of course, but I don't think

I've met you,
Miss, uh...

Judy Bryant.

Bryant. Bryant!

Oh, yes, you own land
around here somewhere.

I happen to own the
land we're standing on,

the land you seem
ready to build on.

Ralph?

Miss Bryant is
your neighbor.

Those stakes
and the connecting line

represent
the boundary line

between your property
and hers, Mr. Farrell.

The boundary of my
property happens to be

the Rodero River there,
not those stakes there!

I want you get your
men, your equipment

and yourselves
off my property.

I have Mr. Farrell's
deed of conveyance
to this property,

from the boundary
line to the river.

I'm also familiar
with the trust fund
that holds your deed.

ORDWAY:
Your property goes
to that line,

and not to the river.

If anybody's trespassing,

Miss Bryant, why,
I suggest it's you.

Uncle Matt?
I tried to tell you
on the telephone,

but you wouldn't listen.

I checked it out
at the courthouse myself.

These men are telling
the truth, I'm afraid.

We could accommodate
any misunderstanding,
if you'll just...

It isn't a case
of misunderstanding,
it's a case of theft--

you're trying to steal
my property, and
I won't let you.

Do you understand?

I won't let you
get away with it.

Unfortunately, your deed
is ambiguous on the key issue.

It doesn't say
whether we're dealing

with a meander line
or a boundary line.

Meander line?

When you survey public land
bordering on a river,

instead of defining each
twist and turn of the river,

the surveyor picks
two prominent points,

or monuments,
as they call them,

and marks the course of the
river between those two points

as a straight line,
or a meander line.

David, you've looked over
the documents.

What's the disparity
between the river
and the survey line?

Uh, the river is more than
feet from the survey line.

Well, there's no secret
about that, Perry.

That feet was
mainly marshland when
the river was surveyed.

Well, since that time,
the Rodero River

has dried up a bit and moved
a little, that's all.

The river was my boundary.

Since it's dried up
and moved away,

does that mean
that the new dryland

can be sold, it
doesn't belong to me?

GIDEON:
Oh, no, no. You see,

the California
Civil Code provides

that when there
is accretion--

the forming of new land
by natural causes--

the new land still
belongs to the original
owner of the riverbank.

That's very legal
and complicated.

What do we do?

MASON:
Della,

prepare the papers
for two suits--

a temporary injunction
to stop construction,

and an action in ejectment
to, uh, recover possession.

Right away, Perry.

MASON:
David, perhaps you'd like
to hop up to Manzana Valley

and get these suits filed,

then locate Frank Deane.

He's the district
forest ranger

and an expert on
repairing accretion.

You can fly back with us today

if, uh, the papers'll be
ready in time.

Mr. Mason, this meander
or express boundary line,

how do you prove which it was?

Well, it's a question of intent.

The success or failure
of your lawsuit

will depend upon the testimony
of the surveyor.

That's why

I asked Mr. Drake
to come by.

Miss Bryant,

do you know the name of the man
who made the original survey?

JUDY:
Yes. Amos Bryant.

Amos Bryant?

My stepfather.

Actually, my real name
is Judith Starkey.

Where is your stepfather now?

I don't know.

He deserted us years ago.

I haven't seen or heard
from him since.

DRAKE:
Perhaps your mother would know
where to locate him.

You'll have to ask her.

I'll get right on it.

We could make a settlement
and avoid litigation.

Since Farrell bought
from the state certain land--

land he now believes
to be his own--

and is prepared to spend
considerable money

to develop that property
as a resort area,

he might wish to avoid any cloud
on the title of that land.

No settlement, Mr. Mason.

You see, even before
I found out about Farrell,

I was contacted about my land.

An offer to buy?

Yes.

If I can show clear title
up to the river,

I can sell my land for
a quarter of a million dollars.

* *

Oh, David, this is
Judy's mother, Chloris Bryant.

David Gideon.

How do you do,
Mrs. Bryant?
How do you do?

I'm sure you're angry
with me at the moment, Judy.

I am sorry. I...

I'm afraid
I had to be here.

Despite our
slight disagreement,

I am the sole executor
for the trust fund

that controls
your properties.

You made that
quite clear

when you ordered me to
stop seeing Neil Gilbert.

Judy, I did what
I thought was best,

even though you
don't feel that way.

Darling, Neil is a nothing.

I don't like him;
I-I don't trust him.

Didn't you like Amos Bryant
years ago, either,

even though he was
the only father I ever knew?

Judy, please,

get the chip off your shoulder.

After years,
you ought to be
willing to admit

that Amos Bryant
was no good, either.

Judy, please, let's not
go on like this.

Mother...

Will you excuse us, please?

David and I have
to see the forest ranger.

Uh, Mr. Deane.

(door opens and closes)

DEANE:
Hey, Seth!

(rock thuds)

Seth Tyson,
come on ashore!

Yeah!

What?
I want you to meet
some folks up here.

(groans)

Miss Bryant, David,
I'd like you to meet

Manzana Valley's
one and only
true celebrity,

a real desert rat,
Seth Tyson.

Hello.
Hello.
Howdy.

Seth, uh, there seems
to be some question

about this
property here.

I've, uh, been going
over it with Miss Bryant.

Property?

Now, lookee here,
young fella,

you done woke me up
with some tomfool nonsense

about worthless real estate?

DEANE:
No, no, no, nothing
like that, Seth.

How long you been
in these parts, Seth?

Oh, , years,
seems like.

DEANE:
Seth, has...

this Rodero River
always been the same here?

I mean, always
in the same riverbed?

I should say not.

Why...

rther
than , years back,

this here river
was twice as wide.

Clear back as far
as them there stakes back there.

What do we do now, David?

Well, that's up
to Paul Drake.

The suits are filed; I think
Mr. Mason can prove accretion.

Now he has to prove intent.

Which means that
Paul has to come up

with the original
surveyor-- your stepfather.

Your mother didn't
keep tabs on him,

but she had a
pretty good idea

where the detective
might find him.

Yeah, there he is--
Amos Bryant.

Over there at the
table with Paul Drake.

Daddy.

Now, wait a minute,
let me remember.

Susie.

Sure, that's it. Susie.

How are you, baby?

No.

I'll see about rooms
for you and Mr. Bryant.

Oh, Mr. Drake, I...

Eh, don't worry.

I'll leave orders
to have it filled.

And next time you see
your stepdaughter,

her name's Judy,
not Susie.

Mr. Bryant, my name's
Ordway, Ralph Ordway.

How are you?
Mind if I buy
you a drink?

I'd like to talk
to you for a minute.

AMOS:
Well, sure, sit
right down, sit down.

ORDWAY:
Waiter?

You called and asked me
to come here alone. Why?

How long have you
been standing there?

A moment or so.

Might've been years.

You're not exactly the stuff

that little girls' dreams
are made of, are you?

These things happen,
Judy, you know that.

I'm just sorry things
turned out the way they did.

Uh, I wanted to talk to you
about your lawsuit

and my testimony.

What about it?

Well, now, don't
get excited, Judy.

That was a meander line
I surveyed, not a boundary.

That land belongs to you,
right up to the river.

It's true,
and I can prove it,

even though the field records
were destroyed a year ago.

Well...

it's just that I...

can't go into court
and say so.

Why not, if it's the truth?

Well, things have been
pretty rough for me

the past few years.

I'm pretty deeply in debt
to some people

who can make
a lot of trouble for me.

These trials take
a lot of time,

and they're written up
in the papers.

They... the people
I owe the money to...

well, they might be able
to find me.

You wouldn't want me to get
in that kind of trouble,

would you?

But I suppose
if your debts were paid,

you'd be able to testify.

Even the truth has a price,
hasn't it?

Well, winning that case

could mean a lot of money
to you, couldn't it?

What are you
trying to tell me?

: , tomorrow night.

Now, put the money
in a box and wrap it,

so nobody'll know
what it is.

(wry chuckle)
Nobody?

Well, there's some people

I wouldn't want to know
about the money...

and you wouldn't
want people to think

that you were paying me
to testify, would you?

You know where
that big rock is

down by the bend
in the river?

Leave the package there,
and I'll pick it up.

: , by the rock

at the bend in the river.

How much must I pay
to liquidate your debts?

Oh, about... $ , .

Ah, now,
don't get upset.

Th-This'll be enough
to straighten me out,

at least for a while.

Oh, yeah.

(shivers):
Whew!

Morning, Miss Bryant.

Mr. Drake.
Uncle Matt,

could I see you alone
for a moment?

It's important, please.

All right. Go on up
to the office.

Excuse us, please.

Sure.

Matt...

I need $ , in cash,

and I need it
right away.

$ , ? But...

Please, Matt,
no questions.

Oh, Matt, please?

Judy, you know
what you mean to me.

No, please, I...

I'm not trying
to pry.

It's just that I would like
to know if there's anything

I can do to help you.

No, Matt, nobody can help me.

What I'm going to do...

I have to do alone.

(knocking)

Oh, Matt, what is it?

It's your mother's birthday
today.

I'm having a little surprise
party for her down at the inn.

I'd like to have you come.

I'm sorry. I have a date.

All right.

Matt...

I really do have

to be somewhere else
tonight, honestly.

I'll try to join
the party later.

Fine.

Can I borrow a car about : ?

I'll have Neil bring one
up to you.

(car horn beeps twice)

If you want to play golf,
you'd better hurry up.

Coming!

I borrowed
some clubs for us.

Well, hi.
Hi.

Oh, just a sec.

(sotto voce):
Okay.

(car door closes)

(car horn beeps thrice)

* *

Isn't Judy having
dinner with us?

She, uh, she may
join us later.

Matt, is there
something wrong,

something you're
not telling me?

No, no, of course not.

* *

* *

* *

(indistinct police radio
transmission)

No question about
it, Mr. Mason.

It was a homemade
b*mb in this box

that k*lled Amos Bryant.

No accident,
that's for sure,

and not much
likelihood a su1c1de.

Then you're left with m*rder,
Sheriff Vincent.

Yeah, that's, uh, that's
kind of a specialty of yours

down in Los Angeles,
ain't it, Mason?

But seems like you're
up here on some sort of

a property lawsuit,
ain't that right?

Our chief witness scheduled
in that trial tomorrow

unfortunately happens
to be your m*rder victim.

They tell me all sorts of things
happen in a m*rder trial

in the big city--
things like, oh...

tampering with
the evidence,

some smart-alecky lawyer
fussing with the witnesses--

well, just pulling
all sorts of shenanigans.

Wouldn't want that to happen
up here, Mr. Mason.

No, sir, I wouldn't
like that at all.

Looks like my boys
are all through here.

I... guess I can go.

See you around.
Ma'am.

(indistinct radio transmission)

Brr! Can get
mighty cold

under that there
desert sun.

Yes, sirree.

(chuckles)
I, uh... found this
next to the tree.

What do you
make of it?

Ah, it's a small piece
of wood shard,

probably from the same box

the sheriff's piece of wood
came from.

The box that held the b*mb.

Now, Paul, I'd like you
to search this area.

Anything the sheriff
hasn't picked up, anything

that looks as if it came
from that expl*si*n,

tag it with the time, date,
place and your initials.

Maybe the sheriff had
reason to be worried.

Perry, are we here
on an ejectment action

or on a m*rder trial?

Della's right, Perry.

The last person
in the world

Judy Bryant would k*ll
would be her stepfather.

After all, his
testimony was worth

a quarter of a million
dollars to her.

Suppose someone starts wondering

whether,
in that ejectment trial,

Amos Bryant had decided
to testify for his stepdaughter

or against her.

I spent a small fortune
having that land resurveyed,

in petitioning the state
to accept the survey findings,

and finally in purchasing
the property.

No, Mr. Mason,
I appreciate your position,

and I certainly want to be fair,

but any delay now would be
prohibitively costly to me.

In obtaining
the restraining injunction,

plaintiff posted a bond
to indemnify you

against such loss.

I'm asking only that there
be no objection tomorrow

to my motion
for a one-week continuance.

One week, Mr. Farrell.

Certainly that can't hurt you.

I don't know.

Come now, Mason.

You're not only
wasting our time,

but you're wasting the court's
time with such a motion.

Isn't the court
the better judge of that?

Your case,
such as it was,

rested on the testimony
of one witness,

Amos Bryant.

He's dead.

A week's continuance
isn't going

to bring him
back to life

No, Mr. Mason,

Ralph's right.

Any delay now would be
financial harassment

your client's bond
couldn't possibly cover.

The answer, I'm afraid,
has to be no.

Seth?

Seth Tyson?

Yeah.

My name's Paul Drake.

I wonder if you'd
join me for a drink.

I'd like to talk to you
for a few minutes.

I understand they've got
some real good lemonade
up at the inn.

I'm sorry, son.
I got no time.

You see, I'm just about

to take my sporting
constitutional.
Your what?

Ain't missed
an afternoon
in ten years.

Now, if you feel
you're up to it,

you're welcome
to join me.

(sighs) Look, old sport,
anything you can do...

Stop your jawin', boy,
and come along.

Say, Seth, I understand

you've been around
this valley a long time.

Yep, better than
years, I guess.

About, uh...

Say about, uh, oh, years ago,

didn't you help Amos Bryant
survey the river?

Yep.

That's enough practicing.

Right.

Well, come on.
Tee up, young fella.

We ain't got all day.

Uh...

you remember that
river survey?

Yep. I remember
lots of things.

I remember when Matt Lambert

was just a young man
in these parts.

Same Matt Lambert that now
owns that house on the hill

and the inn and most
of the valley around here.

Biggest developer
in Southern California--

yes, sir, that's Matt.

Like I said,
I knowed him

when he was just
out of college.

Yeah, he was a fine boy.

I remember when he went

prospecting for gold
with Pete Starkey.

He was Judy Bryant's
real pa, you know?

Good sh*t, son.

Now, you take that
Sheriff Vincent.

He used to deliver
milk back then.

Worked for old man
Ordway, Ralph's pa.

Ordway started farming
next to the river.

Ah, no luck at all.

(chuckles)
He was a scrawny kid,
that Ward Vincent.

He couldn't hardly lift
them buckets at all.

Well, that broke it, son.

Seth, once and for all,
will you or won't you

testify in court tomorrow
about that river survey?

Is that what you been
hinting at all day?

You should have come
right out and asked me.
Well, will you?

Of course, I'd be
glad to testify.

Say, son, you know,
you look all done in.

Come on. I'll buy
you a lemonade.

Well, there's a rapid fall
near the source

as there is in
the Rodero River
headwaters

above Manzana Valley.

The river will carry
down large stones,

rocks, even boulders.

You, uh, start out
with what appears to be

a newly formed
sand bar of sorts

and end up with a considerable
area of new land in time.

New land which makes it appear

that the river
has changed its course.

You personally examined
both the river and the land,

now the subject of litigation?

Yes, sir.

As an expert, what conclusion
have you come to

concerning that land?

Oh, it was unquestionably
created by accretion;

the gradual addition of

new land on old land

within the past
or years.

There ain't no question
of it, no, sirree.

That's no boundary line.

That there line's
a meander line.

And when you made that survey
with Amos Bryant,

the line was indicated
in courses and distances.

How far was it
from the river?

It weren't from the river,
mister.

It was plumb on it.

Why, that there river ran
a good feet further east

than it does now.

Thank you, Mr. Tyson.

Your witness,
Mr. Ordway.

Your Honor, may I have
a moment, please?

JUDGE:
Certainly, Mr. Ordway.

Mr. Ordway, the
court is waiting.

Yes, Your Honor,
excuse me.

But we had requested
certain information

from the
sheriff's office,

information that would have
considerable bearing

on the unexpected testimony
of the witness Seth Tyson.

If you have that testimony now,
would you please proceed?

Yes, Your Honor.

Amos Bryant made that
survey in March, .

That is right,
isn't it, Seth?

Oh, ' , ' , or...

I ain't too good on dates.

You know, years got a habit of
sort of sliding by pretty fast.

Even in a hospital?

AMOS:
What are you getting at?

You were in a hospital
down in Los Angeles,

admitted the last week
in February, .

Now, look here,
Ralph...

Not only didn't you
help Amos Bryant,

but you weren't
even in the county.

RALPH:
When that survey was made,

you were getting a
broken hip treated

for six weeks
in a hospital.

Counsel will approach
the bench.

You, too,
Sheriff Vincent.

My court
has been badly used

in what appears to be a flagrant
attempt to pervert justice.

I assure the court
I was totally unaware

of the witness' background.

Sheriff, how long have you known
about this hospital confinement?

Well, we just got the report in
not more than an hour ago.

Just after Mr. Ordway here
sent word

asking what we had
on Seth Tyson.

The kind of
a man Seth is,

wandering around the
desert by himself-- I...

I guess nobody'd ever known
about that six-week stretch

he put in the hospital.

Only now, Judge,
we've got a k*lling.

So, we started checking
everybody out pretty thorough.

MASON:
Your Honor,

we need time to review
the facts in this case.

I request
a -day continuance.

Just a minute, Judge.

Uh, like I said,
we've been doing some checking,

and we've come up
with some evidence,

a good deal of evidence,

including this $ , we found,

wrapped up in a scarf
belonging to Miss Judy Bryant.

No. That can't be!

Well, there's that

and a lot of other questions
we'll want some answers to,

so it looks to me like
maybe Mr. Mason here is going

to need a lot more
than a -day continuance.

You see, I have a warrant here

for the arrest
of Miss Judy Bryant

for the m*rder
of Amos Bryant.

No.

No! No!

I don't understand it.

Why did Seth perjure
himself for me?

The way Seth tells it, he liked
you, and he wanted to help you.

He helped you
all right,

by giving you a
motive for m*rder.

A motive?

With his testimony,

you no longer needed
Amos Bryant's testimony.

Oh.

You admitted you
borrowed the $ ,

to pay your
stepfather's debts.

Instead of the money, Amos
Bryant was left a lethal b*mb.

And the $ , was found by the
sheriff, wrapped in your scarf

and hidden in the bottom
of your golf bag at the inn.

Mr. Mason,
I swear to you

that I put the money
in the box I left by the river.

I did not put it
in my golf bag.

You denied me the
chance to help

by acting without
my knowledge.

Agreeing to give the money to
Amos Bryant was not only clumsy,

it was unnecessary and stupid.
Now, why did you do it?

I don't know.

Everything was going wrong.

I was trying to forget Neil,

but he-he wouldn't
be forgotten.

My stepfather
turned out to be...

to be...

Mr. Mason, I thought
I was doing right,

but I was doing wrong.

Judy...

how did you happen to own
that land by the river?

Amos bought it for me.

Sort of a wedding present
when he married my mother.

Your stepfather made the
down payment on that land,

but he never contributed so
much as one other penny toward

its purchase.
What?

Your mother paid for
that land herself.

It was his fault,
not your mother's

that he ran out
on both of you.

But I guess you never
wanted to believe that.

Judy, you're a young,
attractive, and very nice girl

who's made independence
the prime thing in her life.

If this crazy world of ours
isn't to become unglued,

we'll all have to face
our need for one another.

Don't turn away
from help, Judy.

Right now, you
need it very badly.

* *

Well, that sure doesn't
leave much time for somebody

to come along and substitute
the b*mb for the money.

No, it doesn't,
does it, Paul?

Wait a minute.
That could only mean, then,

that somebody substituted
the box earlier,

before Judy even
brought it out here.

According to Judy,

from the time she wrapped
the money in that box

until she left it here,

the box was constantly
in her possession.

GIDEON:
But that's impossible.

She was playing golf
with me all afternoon.

I know, but
think back, David.

When you called for her,
she had the box with her.

She put it in her golf bag.

When you brought her back,
she took the box upstairs

to her room, put it
in her dresser drawer.

Now, until she delivered
the box here,

she never left her room

nor nobody came
to her room.

Doesn't that put you right back
where you started, Mr. Mason?

I mean, the substitution had to
be made right here by the river,

regardless
of how little time there was.

The way the lab men
reconstructed it,

that was a real
homemade b*mb.

Sort of an amateur job
anybody could slap together

after reading up on it.

I see. Now, about
the serial numbers

and the marks
on the money wrapper.

Can you identify them,
Sheriff?

Yes. These are off
of the $ , we found hidden

in the bottom
of the defendant's golf bag.

Thank you.

Your witness,
Counselor.

Sheriff, let me go back
over your testimony

covering this homemade b*mb
that k*lled the decedent.

Now, the b*mb was inside

one of the, uh,
Gracious Lady gift boxes.

SHERIFF:
That's right.

Was the expl*sive mechanism
of the b*mb so constructed

that someone could have taken
the cash out of the gift box

and replaced it
with the b*mb?

No. No. From what
the lab men found,

the glue and stuff, that b*mb...

That b*mb was built
right into the box.

Well, like I said.

I was camping out that night
near the reservoir,

and I heard
what they said.

Amos Bryant blackjacked
that girl

into persuading him
to agree to pay him

$ , if he'd testify
in her favor.

Now, is this before or after
the defendant became aware

that you could testify for her
concerning the river property?

Oh, she talked to me
about the lawsuit

before she met Amos that night.

And despite that fact,

the defendant did
not turn down this,

uh, this request for
the payment of money.

No. She agreed to pay.

Said she'd bring him the money
in cash at : the next night

and leave it near the big rock
at the bend in the river.

I want to remind
you, Mr. Lambert,

as a hostile witness,

you will answer
either "yes" or "no."

Now, once again,

was that $ ,
you gave Judy Bryant

the same $ ,
found in her golf bag?

Yes.

That was
in the morning.

Now, on the afternoon
of the m*rder,

did you have occasion
to go into the defendant's room

and did you there see her

wrapping one of the
Gracious Lady boxes

in wrapping paper?

What I saw was none of your...

Yes.

And did you see and
can you identify

the person you saw driving away
from the site of the m*rder

moments before
the expl*si*n?

Yes, sir.

It was the defendant,

Miss Judy Bryant.

The night of the m*rder,
there was a birthday party

for the defendant's mother,
Mrs. Bryant.

Because of our lawsuit,

I felt that my presence there
might be embarrassing.

I, uh, take it you went
out then, Mr. Farrell.

Yes, I decided to drive
out along the river

and take another look
at the site of the resort

I had planned to build.

Such a beautiful,
clear night.

And did you go out there?

Yes. I parked across the river
to get a better vantage point,

and I studied the area
through my binoculars.

Now, will you tell the court,
please, what you saw that night

across the river,
through your binoculars?

I saw the defendant,
Miss Bryant,

uh, arrive, place her package
and leave.

I saw the decedent, Amos Bryant,

subsequently retrieve
that package.

I saw
the district ranger arrive,

and I witnessed the expl*si*n.

Counsel for the defense
will no doubt attempt

to create the belief

that after the defendant
left the package,

presumably containing the money,

someone else appeared and
substituted the b*mb package

before the decedent arrived.

Now, Mr. Farrell, this
is of vital importance.

I ask you, did you
have that package,

left by the defendant,
in constant observation

until the arrival
of the decedent?

Yes, I did.

Nobody showed up
in that area

between
the defendant's departure

and the arrival of the decedent.

The package
Amos Bryant picked up,

the one that exploded
and k*lled him,

was the identical package
left there by the defendant.

Judy Bryant was enticed
by the possibility

of a quarter of a million
dollar sale of her property.

But one man could
ruin that sale.

A man who would either
lie or tell the truth

only in relation to the amount
of money he was paid to do so.

And Heaven only knows
how large a share

of the quarter million

Amos Bryant would have
ultimately demanded.

It is the contention of
the prosecution, Your Honor,

that in fear of this man,

and in realization
that Seth Tyson

would testify
on her behalf,

this woman arranged a secret
meeting with the decedent,

and then did, deliberately
and with premeditation,

prepare and deliver the b*mb
that k*lled Amos Bryant.

Your Honor, we ask
that Judy Bryant be bound over

for trial in superior court

and charged with m*rder
in the first degree.

It would appear to me

that the prosecution
has satisfactorily

made out a prima facie case.

And I'm inclined
to so rule.

Mr. Mason,
do you wish to present

a defense
at this time?

Your Honor, with
the court's indulgence,

if I'm given permission
to recall just a few witnesses,

I'm prepared to waive
a formal defense.

No objections, Your Honor.

You may recall your witnesses,
Mr. Mason.

District Ranger
Frank Deane, please.

Mr. Deane,

I previously placed
in your possession,

tagged and identified, two
separate sets of exhibits.

The exhibits on this
tray, is that correct?

Yes, sir.

Now, you had certain tests
made on these exhibits.

Would you please
tell this court where

and by whom these
tests were made?

At the Forest Products
Laboratory,

Forest Service, United States
Department of Agriculture,

Madison, Wisconsin.

The tests were performed by
myself and the laboratory staff.

MASON:
Your Honor, this material was
discovered by Mr. Paul Drake,

Mr. David Gideon,
Sheriff Vincent and by me.

The prosecutor
has already stipulated

as to its authenticity
and to its source.

May I continue my
questioning before, uh,

entering them
as evidence?

JUDGE:
Proceed.

Now, Mr. Deane.

This first set
of exhibits was,

uh, found at the
scene of the m*rder.

Would you describe
this material, please?

Uh, remnants of the
wooden partitions placed

in the b*mb
that k*lled Amos Bryant.

They were used
to confine the dynamite

to the middle compartment and
to fix the dry cells in place.

They're southern pine,
rotary cut.

three-sixteenths
of an inch thick.

Portions of a, uh,
vegetable crate slat.

Anything else that
is distinctive

about these
pieces of wood?

Yes, they still contain residue

of excessive amounts
of glue used in,

uh, fastening the partitions
and the battery supports.

All right, Mr. Deane,

let's go now to this
second set of exhibits.

Uh, these from source X.

Have you examined
this piece of wood?

It's a piece of, uh,
vegetable crate slat.

The pieces of wood
in both sets of exhibits

were cut from the same
identical piece of wood

that you handed me
from source X.

And this container of glue,

how does it compare with the
glue found inside the b*mb?

The glue inside the b*mb
came from this container

given to me from source X.

From your examinations,
Mr. Deane,

would it be safe to say
that the b*mb

that k*lled Amos Bryant
was put together at source X?

DEANE:
I would say so, yes, sir.

Source X, Your Honor,
is a private workshop

belonging to one of the
witnesses in this case.

And I should now like to
recall him to the stand.

Yes, it's my workshop
at the golf course,

but that doesn't mean
that I made the b*mb.

Who else had access
to that workshop?

Anyone.

You got in, didn't you?

But is it not a fact that
you keep the workshop locked?

That you've issued
standing orders

that no one is
to go into it?

All right, I keep it locked,

and I keep everybody else out.

As golf pro,
that's my privilege.

As a golf pro, Mr. Gilbert,
let me ask you something.

Do, um, golfers
using caddy carts

to hold their bags and clubs

always keep those carts
close by them?

That depends
upon the player.

On your course,
for instance,

are there fairways
with dogleg turns

where players chip up
to the greens?

Take their putters only,
leaving the carts

on the fairways to be picked up
on the way to the next tee?

It's possible.

So, the carts are
actually unattended

on two or three of the holes
for periods of up to,

uh, ten minutes or more?

Yes, it's possible.

Mr. Gilbert,

how long have you
worked at the inn?

About, uh, three years.

And before that?

I was a touring golf pro

on a professional
tournament circuit.

A highly successful one.

You never did lose your

well-publicized
Gilbert touch, did you?

No. I...

I just gave up
the professional
circuit, that's all.

Just gave it up.

And what was your
last tournament?

The Reno Invitational, Calcutta.

In which you were the
prohibitive odds-on favorite.

But you bogeyed
the th and th holes,

then four-putted the th
for a double-bogey.

Despite the odds
and the fantastic sums of money

bet on you,
you only placed second

in the tournament,
isn't that right?

Yes.

My investigation indicates
the Reno gambling syndicate

lost a fortune on you.

Also that you bet heavily
surreptitiously on yourself.

But how did you bet,
Mr. Gilbert?

How did you bet on yourself?

To win or to lose?
What are you talking about?

I'm talking about how and why

the syndicate forced you
out of competitive golf.

And how and why they reached out

to use you
after you went to work

here in Manzana Valley.

I don't know what you mean.

Oh, I think you do.

I think you know all
about the syndicate.

I think you know
all about its plan

on building a swank and
respectable resort hotel

on the same property
Mr. Farrell purchased.

You were being pressured by the
boys, so you bribed Seth Tyson.

You didn't know about
Tyson's hospital stay,

and Tyson couldn't know a m*rder
investigation would reveal it.

So, he went along with you

when you bribed him to lie

about having helped Amos
Bryant with his survey.

No. Why should I do that?

To keep Mr. Farrell from
buying the property.

So you could deal
with Judy Bryant.

It was you, Mr. Gilbert, acting
as front man for the syndicate,

it was you who had
someone call Judy Bryant

and make her that quarter
of a million dollar deal.

No, no.

No?

The day before the ejectment
suit on Judy Bryant's property,

you withdrew $ ,
from your bank.

That same day, Seth Tyson
deposited $ , in his bank.

Now, do you deny you gave

Seth Tyson
that $ , ?

I never attached
any significance to it before,

but now that you ask, yes.

I remember Neil did approach
me about a group of men

who were interested in buying
some choice land in the valley.

I remember being very angry
about who they were.

Those men from Reno.

That's exactly what
I wanted to know.

Now, you, uh, play golf,
don't you, Mr. Lambert?

I do.

On the afternoon of the day
Amos Bryant was k*lled,

while Judy Bryant was playing
golf with David Gideon,

were you by any chance
on the golf course?

Why... why, yes, I was.

And Mr. Lambert, did you
by any chance know Amos Bryant

before Paul Drake brought
him back to Judy's trial?

Yes, I've known him
for about years.

I met him when he was making
the survey of the river.

Are you in any kind of financial
difficulty, Mr. Lambert?

Trouble? (chuckles)

No, not really. I...

A little overextended, perhaps,
but, uh, nothing very serious.

Then you don't stand
to lose every cent

you've personally tied up
in Manzana Valley?

Uh, no. I... I recently
acquired a half interest

in a group of
mineral land leases,

uh, for land that is rich
in lime deposits.

Now, a large chemical company is
giving us half a million dollars

for the mining privileges.

That's more than enough
to tide me over.

I'm working on
closing the deal right now.

Mr. Lambert, why didn't you
close the deal before?

Was it because you had to wait
until Amos Bryant was dead?

Amos Bryant, alive or dead,

never had the
remotest connection

with me or my business affairs.

I couldn't settle it
because it was simply

impossible before now,
that's all.

Who is Pete Starkey,
Mr. Lambert?

A friend--
my best friend.

For years we... we prospected
in this valley in the old days.

Pete Starkey was also Chloris
Bryant's first husband,

the father of Judy Bryant?

Yes.

Mr. Lambert, your half interest
in the mineral land leases,

from whom was it purchased?

Why, from Seth, Seth Tyson.

Sure, I sold Matt a half
interest in the lease I owned.

Glad to.

Why, this here valley'd
be nothing but raw desert

if it weren't for the
likes of Matt Lambert.

MASON:
How and when did you acquire

this particular mineral lease,
Mr. Tyson?

Part of an old California
Spanish grant.

Picked it up a long time ago
from the estate.

Didn't cost but peanuts
in them days

to latch on to
a -year lease on land

that was worse than worthless.

Got ahold of this one in, uh...

oh, late April or ' .

Just after I got out
of that Los Angeles hospital.

You, uh, purchased the lease

because of the lime deposits
in the land?

Nope.

Thought I found me a gold mine.

Only trouble was, didn't have
no gold on it, not an ounce.

As far as them lime deposits go,
I...

I didn't know about them

till just about
a couple of months ago.

You mentioned to my
investigator, Mr. Paul Drake,

that you knew Matt Lambert
when he and Pete Starkey

prospected together
in the good old days.

I gather then,

you also knew
Pete Starkey.

Sure, I knew Pete real well.

Yes, as a matter of fact,
in checking back,

I discovered it was you
who found Pete Starkey

in the desert--
found him dead and buried him.

Exactly when
was that?

Yeah, well, let's see now...

Ooh...

Yeah, February .

Poor old Pete must have fallen.

Been dead for days
when I found him.

Just after that, I went
to that hospital in L.A.

You were there
from the last week in February,

after you found
and buried Pete Starkey,

through the first week in April,

after which you found

and purchased the
mineral land lease.

That's right.

Right and, uh, most convenient.

Ms. Chloris Bryant,
would you stand, please?

And would you please
hold up that letter?

Now, that's a letter from
Pete Starkey to his wife,

telling her
he'd found

or thought he'd found
a rich gold claim.

And telling her
of a surveyor

who helped him mark out
the land he hoped to lease.

That letter is dated March,
, a month after you said

you found him dead
in the desert and buried him.

A month after.

Yeah, there must be
some mistake.

You may sit down, Mrs. Bryant.

You k*lled Starkey,
stole the survey

and then purchased that lease
in your own name.

Now, I checked deeper
into those old

Los Angeles hospital records.

You were admitted
February, ,

for a treatment of an old hip
break that had to be reset.

You were discharged

April, , it's true,
that's what the records show.

But it's also true,
as one of the old nurses

and a former resident
at the hospital will testify,

that you were permitted
to leave the hospital

before your hip was put in a
cast for a period of ten days.

Ten days during the month
of March, Mr. Tyson.

Yeah.

For nothing.

For a lease that was worthless.

But later, when the land turned
out to be really valuable,

you had to find Amos Bryant

and somehow settle with
him, is that correct?

Well, I... I arranged
for Farrell to find out

about the meandered
river property.

And I knew that if he bought it,

Judy would... Judy would fight.

And I felt sure that would
bring Amos out in the open.

Only trouble was...
how to settle him for good.

So's he or nobody would have

any reason to get
too curious about me.

And then you saw the opportunity
to settle him for good...

at Judy Bryant's expense.

I heard
Amos blackmailing the girl.

So, I knew how, when and where
she was gonna pay him off.

I watched her from then on.

Now, making that b*mb
and changing it

for the box of money
out in the golf course,

that was easy.

But then I had
to make sure that...

everyone would figure
she had a reason--

that she really
would k*ll the man

who could hand her a quarter
of a million dollars.

I had to fix that and I did.

I let Neil Gilbert bribe me,

so she wouldn't need
Amos to testify.

It almost worked.

Almost.

Yes, sir, I k*lled once before.

I k*lled Pete Starkey.

Yes, and I k*lled Amos Bryant.

The land is unquestionably
yours, Miss Bryant.

This agreement
Mr. Mason drew up

not only compensates
you adequately

but also in a
very real sense,
makes you my partner.

The property doesn't
belong to me.

It belongs to my mother.

But your mother
wanted the agreement

in both your names, Judy.

Mother, what am I
gonna do with you?

(theme music plays)