06x06 - The Case of the Dodging Domino

[bunniefuu]

[theme music playing]

And so I hope you'll find
these estimate satisfactory.

I personally had them prepared
by our very ablest man,

Mister, uh, well, whoever it was.

And as my late boss,
good old Jess Devro, used to say,

"When you're sending in the A team
with all the horses behind you..."

Well, you know the sort of thing
he used to say, Lita.

Why do you supposed I wanted you
to take this

instead of just a secretary?

Oh, who's trotting the estimates
over to Phoenix?

They ought to be there
before the weekend.

Clem Sandover, I believe.

- Who?
- In accounting.

You know, that Mr. Sandover whose dumpy
little wife used to be Mr. Devro's boss lady.

- In accounting?
- He's been with us almost years.

Mr. Sellers says he's the only man
in the company

who's never had an expense-account trip.

All right, all right.

You're the # spark plug now,

so spin the wheels,
roll 'em down the runway.

Your necktie is crooked, Mr. Banks.

[door opens, closes]

Sandover?

Sandover!

Sandy?

Sandy?

White paper, three reams;
yellow, two;

ledger books, seven.
Now let's see.

I have one full box
of black pencils,

four red,
one, two, three extra pen fillers,

seven air-mail stamps,

and a full roll of ¢.

Sandy, old boy,
what in the name of--

Level of my sherry is precisely
at the top of the letter S.

Sandover, why the devil
don't you answer?

Shh, Mr. Sellers,
we're busy counting paperclips.

And let me warn you-- if a single one
is missing when my desk buddy returns--

All right, never mind.
Here, Sandy, you won't need this.

I'm having a briefcase loaded
with all the estimates.

Yes, I expected that, sir.

I'm taking along
some work of my own, that's all.

Oh. Well, if you're a little overweight
on the plane...

I plan to travel by rail, sir.

Well, there's still a letter from Mr. Banks
with your instructions being typed.

- I'll tell Lita to--
- Yes, sir.

I've already made arrangements
to pick it up from Miss Krail.

Mr. Sellers, you don't think my old roomie
would overlook anything, do you?

You don't think he'd fail
to pack in an extra timetable

or make a note of how many erasers
he's leaving in the second drawer?

Enos, shut up.

Sandover, we want you
to have some fun on this trip.

Forget the work.

You find yourself
the fanciest hotel suite

and the thickest T-bone steaks
in town, all on us, mind you-- all on us.

And when they turn on
those bright lights,

you just tell the nearest bartender--

I-- I rather thought I'd stay
at the YMCA, sir.

[laughs]

Well, good luck, Sandy.

Don't you worry, Mr. Sellers, I'll be back
at my desk at : Monday morning.

Thank you.

[recording]
White paper, three reams,: yellow, two,:

ledger books, seven.
Now let's see.

I have one full box
of black pencils,

four red,
one, two, three extra pen fillers,

seven air-mail stamps,

and a full roll of ¢.

[recording continues]

"The level of my sherry,"
he said--

Listen to this. It's true.
"The level of my sherry

is precisely at the top
of the letter S."

- [women groaning]
- So help me!

[all laughing]

Haven't you girls any work to do?

I know you haven't, Mr. Watterton.

It's a man's world, Miss Krail.

I do not take orders
from lady straw bosses.

Hey hey.

Was that Miss Krail?
Is she back in her office?

Pining for you.
Pining for you!

- Miss Krail?
- Yes.

Everything's here all ready for you,
Mr. Sandover.

- These are the letters for you to carry.
- Thank you.

- Lita?
- Yes?

I'm all packed,
all ready to go.

All right. Goodbye.

Well, I-- I just wanted to make sure
that you hadn't changed your plans.

About what?

Oh, well, Sandy, there's so many things
that I ought to be doing this weekend.

But you fly down there
quite often, you said.

And you said you might
even leave early tomorrow

to be in Phoenix around noon.

And what if I do, Sandy?

Do you have something to tell me

you don't want anybody
to know you're telling me?

Well, yes, as a matter of fact I do.

I-- I have several more tidbits
about people in the office.

- But that's not what I meant.
- It's not?

You promised you'd be there.

Lita, remember the money
I mentioned I was coming into?

Well, you're the only one
who can advise me.

I may want to live differently now--
quite differently.

I'm even stopping off on the way to the train
to buy a new sport jacket.

[chuckles]

Mr. Sandover, your wife is here.

My wife?
What in heaven's name?

She said she stopped by
because you didn't pack your sweater.

All right, all right. Thank you.

I told her she could put the sweater
in one of your bags.

I showed her where
the luggage was in the office.

I said all right. Thank--

Beth, here, give me that.

Of all the things
I don't need on the desert.

I didn't mean to disturb you.

But I suppose I didn't
kiss you goodbye this morning.

All right. There. Now run along, dear,
for heaven's sakes.

Sandy, I ran into Frank Sellers
in the hall downstairs.

He said he was surprised to hear
I hadn't wanted to go to Phoenix with you.

He said the company
would gladly have paid--

Beth, how you could have worked here
all of these years

and still be so stupid and gullible--

Sandy, you're upset about something.
You know you are.

You didn't eat your breakfast this morning
and last night you talked in your sleep again

about waterskiing, of all things.

Please leave me alone. Go home.

Sandy, of course I'll be
in Phoenix tomorrow.

I've already made my reservations.

[whistle blowing]

$ bills,

one, two, , more,

plus the $ , and the $ ,

makes $ , exactly.

The perfect embezzlement.
[chuckling]

You may say that Rome
wasn't built in a day,

but neither was Fort Knox;

neither was the treasure of the Incas.

The undiscoverable acquisition
of $ , ,

bill by bill, month after month,

year after year,
is a financial feat

worthy of Clem P. Sandover--

C.P. Sandover.

C.P.S.

Yes indeed,

if Croesus, Kreuger, Rockefeller

could afford to brag a little,

well, in due time,

why not the perfect embezzler?

I only make these notes
because someday

people may recognize the...

, ...

$ , .

What the-- how in the name--

[train whistle blowing]

Oh.

[brakes clanking]

- [exhales]
- [phone ringing]

Hello?

Who? Who?

Oh, Mr. Sandover.

Listen-- Sally, listen to me.

You handle receipts--
incoming receipts.

I thought you were on a train somewhere.

Look, I got home late
and I do have a date tonight, so--

Sally, did we get any money today?
Was any cash received in the office?

Cash?
Just the one loan deposit.

That wad? I mean, how much?
How much was it?

$ , ,
but you already know about that.

I already know?

Look, Mr. Sandover,
I really didn't pay any attention to it

after I saw your initials on it
and your forwarding slip

when you sent it on to the bank.

Let me try to remember.
There may have been some other smaller--

Mr. Sandover?

Get the bags.

Beth, it's me.
Don't get all excited now.

I just missed my train, that's all.

But I have something
to attend to this evening. I'm taking the
car.

Missed the train?
But that was hours ago, Sandy.

For heaven's sake,
what happened?

I'll explain later, dear.
I'll fly down to Phoenix in the morning
instead.

- But Sandy--
- Look, there's nothing to be alarmed about.

I thought you were going out to dinner
with Dorothea this evening.

Well, yes, but later, so I really wanted
to use the car myself, but...

Oh. Oh, I'm sorry.

- Sandy, this is Perry Mason.
- Oh.

I've always wanted to meet you,
Mr. Sandover.

Your wife and I are very old friends.

Yes, of course.

She's always talking about people she
used to know when Mr. Devro was alive.

Sandy, Perry was nice enough
to come by on his way home from work

to give me some professional advice.

Oh, all right, Beth,
if you're thinking of a divorce,

that's no reason to call in
such an expensive lawyer.

- Sandy!
- I never handle divorces.

No, I only stopped by to--

We were discussing
something quite different.

All right, never mind.
Oh, put them right over there.

Has anyone else been here this evening?
Anyone called?

Just Enos Watterton. He wanted
to make sure you got away all right.

- I didn't know then you'd missed the train.
- Enos Watterton?

- Oh.
- Sandy-- Sandy, if you won't tell me,

will you please tell Perry
what's been upsetting you so lately?

I mean, that's part of the reason
I wanted to talk to him.

Oh, for heaven's sakes, Beth,
I don't care what you do.

- Sandy!
- Driver, wait.

Taxi, taxi!

[jazz playing]

Sellers, Sellers.

[phone ringing]

Yes?

Who?

Oh, Sandy--

Ha! Well, I guess we all
miss a train once in a while.

I'll catch the first plane
in the morning, sir.

The only reason I bothered you
was to double check

to make sure that I have all the papers
they'll need in Phoenix.

What?

I mean in the briefcase, sir.

I had the impression that you
put everything in there yourself and--

Well, as a matter of fact,
I didn't actually.

But I'm sure you've got it all.

Then who did, sir?
Who else touched the briefcase?

Sandy, for gosh sakes, if you'd stop
worrying about things that aren't important,

you wouldn't overlook
the things that are.

Yes, sir.
I didn't mean to make you angry, sir.

You've already wrecked my evening
with that deposit money you forgot.

There was a message waiting for me
when I got home.

You should have sent that money
to the bank the minute it came in.

You know our insurance doesn't cover

leaving a wad like $ ,
around the office all night.

But about that $ , , sir--

I know you're sorry.
Well, skip it.

The bank's sending an armored truck
to meet me downtown.

They'll take the money off our hands.

Oh, what are you doing, sir?

I'm on my way down to the office
to turn the money over to them.

Now goodbye, Sandover.
Go to Phoenix.

[door opens]

[panting]

[sighs]

[footsteps approach]

Okay, boys, that's it.
Be right with you.

Hello, I was given this number
to reach Miss Krail tonight.

Oh, Lita, is that you?
Lita, I tried to reach you before

to tell you I got your message about
double checking that cash that came in today.

No no no, you don't need
to do anything about it. I'll handle it.

Just wanted to say thanks
for calling it to my attention. That's all.

Good night.

Lita.

[sighs]

[elevator humming]

[sobbing]

Lita.

[Sandover's voice]
The perfect embezzlement.

It may be said that Rome
was not built in a day.

Well, neither was Fort Knox;

neither was the treasure of the Incas.

The undiscoverable acquisition
of $ , ,

bill by bill, month after month,

year after year,
is a financial feat

worthy of Clem P. Sandover...

[jazz playing]

[clock ticking]

- Having trouble?
- Oh no.

I do this for exercise.
It helps my strawberries get ripe.

Anybody home over there?

I haven't the faintest idea. Why?

Oh, I'm looking for real estate.

Well, you can have any of mine,
this truck included.

You know this is the second time
in three weeks

that I've missed the early market?

You know how long I've been asleep
in that cab waiting for it to be light enough

to fix this thing?

[jazz playing]

[song repeating]

[engine revving]

Lita Krail m*rder*d?

She-- she can't be.
She just can't be.

Beth, why are you so frightened?

Last night you told me that you didn't like
her,
that you didn't trust her.

It's just that I can't believe it.

I'd like to talk to your husband.

He's-- he's gone out already.
I-- I don't know where.

Beth, last night I came over here
because you were upset

about receiving a letter
and a couple of phone calls.

You thought it was a man on the phone.

The letter was typed
and it was unsigned.

But in plain nasty language,
they all said the same thing:

"Stop trying to bleed me or else."

I-- I shouldn't have called you.
I was scared.

- But it wasn't that important.
- Yes it was.

Obviously someone thinks
you're a blackmailer.

Now you did remember
that the man used the word "office."

And until last year,

your whole life has been tied up
in your job with Devro & Banks.

Since then Lita Krail has had that job.

Well, this morning I sent Paul Drake
out to talk with Lita

before she went to work.

But now, you see,
Lita's dead

and so everything's different.

- [Beth] Thank you.
- [lighter flicks]

Why did you leave your job?

Was it because Jess Devro d*ed?

Yes.

I mean no.

You see, Sandy'd been after me
ever since we were married two years ago.

He couldn't stand it

that I had a more important position
in the firm than he did.

Did he ask you
to give up all your old friends?

You know, your marriage
kind of came as a surprise.

I know that Jess was surprised.

He always thought--

well, frankly, he thought
that you cared for someone else.

Perry, stop it.

If I'm unhappy, or even if you think
I've made mistakes,

it's still my business, isn't it?

I'm responsible,
so please just leave me alone.

Beth, a m*rder has been committed.

Now you do need help.

Why, you're scared to death
thinking that your husband

is in some way mixed up
with Lita Krail or even--

I don't know anything about it!
So please just get out, Perry.

We-- we don't need you.
Please just get out.

[door opens, closes]

Any luck yet on the guy
with the strawberries?

No, not so far. I'm checking out
the license number

- and my men are checking the markets.
- What about the necktie?

Well, there was a cleaning tab on the label
and we're running it down as fast as we can.

I gave my men a head start
before I reported what I had to the police.

All right, Paul.
I want one of your men to watch that house.

- Don't leave till he gets here.
- All right.

Oh, you heard about the Lita Krail thing.

Shocking, isn't it? Very shocking.

Such a pretty creature.

How did you hear about it,
Mr. Banks?

Oh, the police just called
a few moments ago.

Routine-- check the employer.
That sort of thing.

I wasn't in town
when Jess Devro d*ed last year, Mr. Banks.

I still miss him.
Best friend, you know? Very best.

It happened here in the office, didn't it?

He was alone, working late.

As I recall the newspaper story,

one of the cleaning women said
that she heard him talking to someone

about an hour before he d*ed.

She said his voice
sounded very angry.

I'd quite forgotten.

Mason, what does this have to do
with Lita Krail?

The stroke may have been the result
of a fight with someone.

Mason, you've got the wrong foot
in the mouth entirely.

Oh, sure, Lita Krail may have been
# girl in the big firm, but--

Did Lita earn just her salary here

or do you think she had
another source of income?

I don't follow.

Well, for keeping quiet
or arranging deals here and there.

Beth Sandover tells me
that the job

was a regular funnel
of gossip and influence,

- if a woman so wanted to use it.
- And so she did, your friend Beth.

Lita's told me
what a big snoop she was.

It's her husband
who was the snoop-- Sandy.

Of all the creepy
calculating guys I've had to stand--

Now now now now, Frank,
sticks and stones.

Oh, Mason, you know Sellers?

How do you do?

Frank Sellers?
Jess Devro told me

that you were the one who would probably
run the company when he stepped down.

You mean Devro & Sellers
instead of Devro & Banks?

Now Mason, you've been
sh**ting apples off my head

ever since you came in.

I'm curious as to who's
being blackmailed around here

and by whom, that's all.

- Blackmail? What kind of a--
- All right, all right, Sellers.

It's a stormy morning--
police, m*rder and all that.

- [phone ringing]
- We can't blame Mr. Mason

if he doesn't recognize
a big happy family when he sees one.

Excuse me, sir. I'm sorry.
I have a call outside for Mr. Mason.

Thank you.

- Gentlemen.
- Anytime. No offense.

All part of the game.

Hello?

Yes, Paul?

Who?

Is there an Enos Watterton
working for the company?

He phoned to say
he had a headache this morning.

He's probably at home, Paul. Why?

That necktie that Lita Krail was holding
in her hand belongs to Enos Watterton.

I don't know how she got my necktie.

Look, can't you understand?
When a guy drinks a little--

But you admit she was over here last night
and you took her home a little before : ?

I didn't even get into her house.

- She-- she had something else to do.
- Like what?

I don't know. A couple of hours earlier,
she asked me to call Sandy Sandover's wife

just to make sure
that Sandy had left for Phoenix.

Then later she got a call
from Mr. Sellers about something.

Why did she want to know
that Sandover had left town?

Search me.

Although she did say she thought
it was about time

she fixed Sandy's wagon.

All right, Paul, you'd better
take Mr. Watterton down to headquarters.

They'll want him
as a material witness.

How can I explain it?
Look, fellas, you gotta believe me.

I was wearing a brown tie last night,
not a red one.

This was a red one
with a little figure on it.

I don't own such a--

Wait a minute.

- Was the figure sort of gray?
- That's right.

I think that's one of the ones
I left at the office.

Sure, that's it. You know, in case--
in case I lined up something kind of special.

At the office,
where anyone might have taken it?

Yeah. I mean no.

A couple of months ago,

Sandy spilled some soup and--
that's it.

That's the tie I loaned to Sandy.

Beth, I have to see him.
Everything points in one direction.

Now if you want me to help your husband
before the police get here--

Perry, I don't know what I want--
just time to think, please.

Beth, stop that sniveling.

You don't have to pretend to be loyal.

Mr. Sandover, you went out
to Lita Krail's cottage last night, didn't
you?

She lied to me.

She was up to something;
trying to get you into trouble.

She said she'd meet me in Phoenix.

She lied to me.
I bought a new sport coat.

I told her things--
things I never told anyone.

You thought she cared for you.
What did she do, laugh at you?

I didn't give her the chance.

She was asleep on the couch
with the door open.

I couldn't stop myself, Beth.
She'd lied to me.

I picked up an ashtray. I hit her.

I couldn't help it.
I hit her and hit her and hit her.

That's very interesting.
It explains a lot.

- You're trespassing, Lieutenant.
- Take it easy, Perry.

I have a warrant here.

Mr. Sandover, you understand
that anything you've said to me

that might have been overheard
by Lieutenant Tragg--

What difference does it make?
I k*lled her. I have to tell, Mr. Mason.

I k*lled her, yes.
And then I put a necktie in her hand.

She was always playing with neckties.

It was Enos's necktie.

Thank you, Mr. Sandover.

But suppose you tell us
all this down at headquarters, eh?

Now look here, Tragg--

It's too bad you didn't check sooner
with us, Perry.

You see, when this guy struck her,

Lita Krail had probably been dead
for over a half an hour.

The doctor found the b*llet
in her heart.

[Tragg]
My warrant is for Mrs. Sandover...

for m*rder.

Well, that's-- that's it, Perry.

I did go out there,

but I was with Lita only minutes or so.
It was sometime after : .

When did she call you?

Oh, it was a couple of hours
after you left the house that night.

She said there was something very urgent
that we should discuss privately.

And since it takes only a few minutes
to get out to her house, I--

Did she tell you that she'd also
received threatening phone calls?

I didn't believe her then
and I still don't.

All right.

But it wasn't just the blackmailing thing
she wanted to talk about, was it?

No. She said Sandy was going
to be in trouble over some money.

She didn't know what Frank Sellers
was going to do about it,

but it might be serious trouble.

And only she could
get Sandy out of it

if he'd quit his job
and we'd both move out of town.

In other words,
practically admit that we--

or I had been up to something.

What more proof did I need
that she was the one?

And you told her so.

And that's when
Lita brought out her g*n?

No, she lost her temper.
She tried to thr*aten me

with some silly little thing
she kept in her bureau.

That silly little thing
was the g*n that k*lled her.

And Beth, your fingerprints
are all over it.

Oh, Perry, I grew up
with too many brothers.

I told Lita she ought
to be spanked or worse.

I simply took the g*n away from her,
threw it down on the desk and walked out.

Well, I wish you'd told me
all that the next day.

How could I?

I drove home that night.
The lights were on.

So I went for a walk. I stopped
at Dorothea's and we talked a while.

And at : I went home.

I thought Sandy was asleep.

Then I heard the car come in.

What else could I think
the next morning

but that he'd taken the car out
after I had;

that he'd been out to Lita's
and he'd k*lled her.

Maybe Sandy had provocation

for what he did to Lita.

The police have check out his story,
you know.

He was seen drinking
in a Hollywood bar just before--

Well, it's not specifically
against the law

to try to k*ll someone
who's already dead.

Perry, you're making excuses
for Sandy.

Why?

To find out why you've made so many.

Not ever again.

Oh, Perry, I do need
my old friends back.

[sobbing]

[Hamilton Burger]
And what did the defendant then say to you

when you told her that her husband
was busy in the office

of the deceased, Lita Krail?

Well, she said, "That little alley cat,"

and-- and then another word
that I really didn't listen to.

I mean, everybody already knew
how much they hated each other

ever since Lita was given Beth's job.

- [Mason] Objection.
- Sustained.

Now Miss Adams, let's skip
to later that day, shall we?

To that night, as a matter of fact.

Did you have occasion
to contact the deceased then?

Yes I did.

You see, I got this crazy call from Sand--
Mr. Sandover--

about money deposits
and money in the office.

Well, I got home from my date
and I figured I'd better call Lita

and tell her about Sandy's call.

- So you actually phoned Lita's house?
- At : .

Then she said
she was too busy to talk.

And then I heard another voice--
hers, the defendant's--

saying, "Hang up that phone."

Then Lita says, "I'm giving the orders
around here, dear."

And, "Oh, no you're not," says Beth.
And there's a real loud scuffle noise

and bam goes the receiver
right in my ear.

[Burger]
That will be all, Miss Adams.

- Counselor?
- No questions, Your Honor.

You may step down, Miss Adams.

[Burger]
I call Mr. Cyrus Potkin to the stand.

Oh. I-- I'm sorry.

[Bailiff]
Just one moment, please.

Will you raise your right hand?

Do you swear to tell the truth
and nothing but the truth?

And what was all that about?

Perry wanted me to see
if what the girl was wearing was really mink.

- It is.
- Typist in accounting, huh?

- Mm-hmm.
- We'll check her out too.

- Right.
- Goodbye, beautiful.

Oh, miss, tell Mr. Mason
if there's anything my wife needs--

- you understand.
- No, I'm afraid I don't.

Well, there must be a bill at least.

Tell him whatever is necessary to help--
anything--

I'll be glad to manage somehow.

- All--
- I have a little money saved.

All right, Mr. Potkin,
you've positively identified the Sandover
car.

You say it came from the cottage
and went past you

as you were working on your truck
in the dark.

Nearly ran me down, you mean.

Of course I was parked
on the only road out.

Yeah.

You heard the written confession
of the defendant's husband

introduced earlier by the prosecution
in order to clarify their case.

You heard Mr. Sandover's statement
that he drove that same car

- out to that same cottage.
- Yes, you bet.

I also heard he was only there
for a few minutes.

Look, mister,
after my truck broke down,

I worked a solid half hour
banging my knuckles in the dark

and there was no car going and coming;

just the one car leaving--
that's all.

After that I climbed into the cab
and took a snooze.

It is your contention then
that Mr. Sandover's brief visit

occurred after you went to sleep.

But, Mr. Potkin, how do you know
the length of time

you had been working on your truck
if you didn't have a watch?

I just know, that's all.

After all, you crawl under a truck
three or four times, the jack breaks--

What time did you arrive?

Well, I was headed for the : AM market,
so I figure I stopped--

You don't actually know then
whether you arrived at : ,

at : or even : .

Well, of course I know.
The way I figure it--

If you saw a house that close,
why didn't you phone for a tow truck?

What, spend $ to save $ ?
Now look here--

Now you don't actually know
if you arrived at : ,

at : or at : .
Now is that not correct?

[sighs]
Okay, mister.

That much I'll give you.

Beth Sandover requested
her release from the company, oh,

about a year ago
for personal problems.

It all seemed quite proper at the time.

At the time? Did something occur later
which threw a different light on it?

It did.

Lita-- the deceased, that is--
had made a number of remarks

regarding certain discrepancies she'd found
on taking over her job.

Well, women and business, you know?
I paid little attention.

Until just the day
before her death,

Lita handed me an itemized list

of certain kickbacks,
little deals involving promotions--

[Mason]
Objection.

Mr. Banks,
of your own personal knowledge,

what was Lita Krail's expressed opinion
of the defendant?

Oh, one of suspicion, bitterness.

Oh yes, I'd say
they quite hated one another.

Counselor?

Mr. Banks, did...

any of these allegations by Lita Krail

about the defendant
involve criminal acts?

Oh, nothing quite that extreme, perhaps.

Was your firm missing
any money last year?

Why, I really don't recall.

You don't recall?

Aren't the company books
now being audited?

Yes, the audit has been completed.

Books are in perfect order,
I'm glad to say.

- And last year?
- That was in perfect order too.

Now isn't it possible, Mr. Banks,
that Lita Krail

invented these things about the defendant
just to keep suspicion from herself--

suspicion of bigger things,

such as the identity
of the office blackmailer?

I'll object to that, Your Honor.

There's been no groundwork laid
for the subject of blackmail.

- I'm afraid I'll have to sustain that,
counselor.
- No more questions.

I just don't remember gossip much,
Mr. Burger.

Let me remind you that there were
other witnesses present, Mr. Sellers.

Now what did Lita Krail say to you
on the morning two days before her death?

Oh, she-- she said she thought
I ought to know

that Sandy-- Mr. Sandover there--
had been hinting around to her

about maybe getting his hands
on some money somewhere.

Well, she claimed it might
have something to do with Sandy's wife.

- But I didn't believe--
- That's all. Thank you very much, sir.

Your witness.

Mr. Sellers, you testified
that Lita Krail

sent you a message
on the night of her death

suggesting that certain monies
had not been deposited in the bank.

$ , in cash. That's right.

Was this a matter which could have
caused Mr. Sandover serious trouble?

Well, he was
the bookkeeper responsible, but--

Could Lita Krail have mixed up
that deposit in some way

so that he would have been blamed?

But she'd have had to do something
with the money itself

for anybody to really be in a mess.

No.

No, that money was still just lying there
in the safe when I went to get it.

[Mason] In your opinion, could Lita Krail
have been a blackmailer?

- Search me.
- It is true, is it not,

that six months prior
to your wife's death,

you were occasionally seen
in the company of other women?

My wife was an invalid
for years, Mr. Mason.

Yes. And I took care of her.

Anybody I was seen with was...

a good friend.

And if you think
there's anything like blackmail in that--

If it please the court,
defense counsel is once again wandering

into the briar patch
we've been trying to avoid.

Now in the interest
of the court's time--

Would you excuse me
a moment, Your Honor?

[whispering]

If it please the court,

the state has unearthed new evidence

which will, I am happy to say,
clarify once and for all

just exactly who was doing what.

On request of the District Attorney,
we just completed a more thorough search

of the defendant's house.

What did you find there, Lieutenant?

In several places
in Mrs. Sandover's dressing room

we found bundles of greenbacks.

[Burger] How much did it amount to
in money, Lieutenant?

$ , .

It's just about time.
You suppose he's going to show up?

Well, he will if my information's correct.

And Miss Adams here
made the message sound pretty urgent.

Thanks, Sally.

Well, here's to your friend Beth.

Mmm.

Perry, what about her fingerprints
on the g*n?

Their expert admitted that some
of the fingerprints were smeared.

I tried to argue that someone
could have picked the g*n up later,

picked it up with a handkerchief
and fired it.

There you are.

Sally, what's the big idea telephoning
a message to my house like that?

You know how my wife--

Mason.

'Evening, Mr. Banks.
Care for a drink?

[laughs]
Well, so you finally hit your target.

- All right, what's your price?
- The truth.

- You think it's in me?
- [Drake] It'd better be.

We've got enough on your and Sally to--

Never mind, Paul.
Have you been blackmailed because of her?

- Yes.
- By whom?

That's the trouble--
I don't know.

I thought it was Beth Sandover,
but now I'm not so sure.

I'd had just about enough
of this whole business, Mason.

I was going to call in
a private detective.

Did Lita Krail know that?

Well, I did call an agency the other day
from the office.

It's possible Lita might have heard me.

And was scared into action.

All right, how much blackmail did you pay?
How much have you paid in all?

$ , .

That's a long way from $ , ,
isn't it?

Della, you and I
have a few subpoenas to get out.

There's only one way
to handle the defense now.

No, sir, I'd say Sandy-- Sandover's job
wasn't too important.

Like me, just a bookkeeper.

Only Sandy hasn't got much future,
if you want my opinion.

- [Judge] We don't, Mr. Watterton.
- You'd better come inside.

- They'll call you in a minute.
- Oh.

I thought maybe a drink of water.

Well, we don't want
to lose our seats.

Come on.

Now tell us this, Mr. Watterton,

when the defendant worked
at Devro & Banks,

did you notice
any financial discrepancies

- which could be attributed to her?
- No, sir, I did not.

Did her husband
ever make any such mistakes,

either intentional or otherwise?

Sandy? He's not bright enough
to make mistakes.

[Judge]
I must caution the witness.

I just meant that Beth Sandover is not only
one of the most honest people I've ever met,

but she's also
got all the brains of the family.

[Judge]
Strike that last remark.

Your Honor, I'm through with the witness.

Cross examine.

No questions, Your Honor.

I would like to call
as my next witness

Mr. Frank Sellers.

Now look, let's get this straight.

In all my years of knowing her,

Beth Sandover never once used her position
at the office for her own private gain.

Just how would you account
for the $ ,

the police found at the Sandover house?

I wouldn't.
I don't know anything about it.

To your own personal knowledge,

does the defendant gamble?
Does she follow the races?

Of course not.

How can you be so positive, Mr. Sellers?

Because I know Beth--
for years.

We could never do anything about it,

but, well, I-- I know Beth.
That's all.

Did her husband have any private source
of income that you might know of?

Sandy?

Well, he's sure no gambler.
I can tell you that.

What else can you tell us about him?

Plenty.

He's conniving and selfish,
little and mean.

Only the money
is relevant here, Mr. Sellers.

Now could the defendant's husband
have connived somehow to steal that money?

Well, not from us.

He's too cautious.

On top of that,
he's just plain stupid.

He goes over and over
every pin in that double-entry mind of his.

In my opinion,
Sandy's got less imagination

than any bookkeeper in the world.

That's not true!

But it's my work that kept
Devro & Banks running. Yes, for years.

Me, Clem Sandover.

I asked about the money,
Mr. Sandover.

It's my money.
Yes, every penny--

dollar by dollar, month after month.
Don't you understand?

My $ , .

I embezzled it.

Your Honor, I was about to object
to this line of questioning, but I--

And I would agree
with the objection, Your Honor.

I'll withdraw the question

since the witness is obviously lying
just to protect his wife.

No, that's not so.
I did it.

Don't you understand?
You've got to believe me.

Year after year
I worked on my plan.

I was so clever with the books
that no one even guessed.

No one even noticed a wrong decimal,
a wrong--

Didn't Jess Devro even guess?

What?

Your former employer who d*ed
so suddenly of a stroke one night.

You know, we're also here
to talk about m*rder, Mr. Sandover.

- But Mr. Devro--
- Lita Krail's m*rder.

Oh, but Lita I can tell you more about.
She was a blackmailer.

She even got information
out of me about people.

- I never told that before.
- Why not?

Are you that anxious
to implicate your wife?

No. I was confused.
I was worried about the money.

I mean, I confessed
to everything else I knew--

going there and striking her
the way I did--

but they said
she was already dead and--

And by that easy
and intentional confession,

you hoped to remove yourself
as a suspect of her m*rder, isn't that right?

No one would k*ll a person twice.

A man as methodical as you
might have done it, Mr. Sandover,

if you'd been trapped.

Trapped?

Yes.

Perhaps you went out there
and fought with Lita.

Perhaps she just laughed at you
and ordered you out.

Then you saw her g*n.

The next thing you knew
she was dead at your feet.

But when you started to leave,
there was a truck outside.

It had just broken down.

And it stayed there and stayed.

No, wait, I was seen in a bar
at : .

The police confirmed that.

It's less than a ten-minute walk
to that bar and that alibi.

Now you couldn't leave your car
forever at Lita's.

But when you went back
the truck was still there.

And that's when you created
your second desperate alibi.

And then you let your car be seen
by driving away.

She lied to me.

Is that why you k*lled her?

Because she lied to you?

Lita's not important.

Do you know how long
it took me to plan that embezzlement?

Oh, yes indeed,

you can say that Rome
wasn't built in one day.

No, and neither was Fort Knox.

Oh, I want you
to understand

how complex it is--

the undiscoverable acquisition

of $ , .

Oh, I tell you, it's a financial feat
worthy of...

Well, I did it.

I did it. Won't you listen?
Won't you understand?

I embezzled that money.

Me! Clem P. Sandover.

I-- I did it!

I was so surprised when Frank here
came out

and said all those awful things
about Sandy.

Well, I'm sorry
I couldn't have warned you, Beth.

But I had Mr. Sellers well primed,
and Mr. Watterton.

And narrowly led them
into contempt of court just to help.

Well, it had to be done.

There was just no other explanation
for all the things that happened

and the circumstantial evidence
against you

could equally have applied
to your husband.

Sandy admitted that Devro
almost caught him last year,

which of course
is what caused Devro's stroke.

I know.

You can't be loyal forever
to your own mistakes, Beth.

It's just that I'm so terribly sorry
for Sandy, that's all.

You shouldn't be.
He's in a nice comfortable place

where he can do what
he really wants to do for as long as he
likes.

What's that?

Oh, he's writing a book
about the perfect embezzlement.

[theme song playing]