09x17 - The Case of the Vanishing Victim

[bunniefuu]

How soon can I roll, Dolby?

It's a long haul to Salt Lake City,
I'm taking it alone.

All ready.
I'm just buttoning her up, Mr. Fielding.

Why don't you let me fly you up?

You get some rest
and then take the last leg.

Jud, I'll grant you,
you flew a hundred missions in Korea,

and I'll grant you,
you taught me to fly,

and I'll grant you,
you're a better pilot than I am.

But grant me the right to go solo
when I want to.

Okay, boss. Be stubborn. You want
me to check the weather for you?

I'll get it in Operations. I'm going IFR,
and I want to phone in my flight plan.

- You trust me to do that?
JUD: Oh, you'd better--

Never mind. I'll be right in.

Jud, bring my flask, will you?

How's she sound, Al?

- Fine.
- You sure? Did you check everything?

Listen, I probably have more air time
in her than you have,

and when I say she's right,
she's right.

Yes, sir, Mr. Dolby. Yes, sir.

Where's Stacey, Jud?

He's filing his flight plan,
Mr. Kavanaugh.

Oh, I came out
on the hope I could catch him.

You're flying with him
to the convention in Salt Lake?

Heh, thanks, but no thanks.

I'm gonna check in at International
in half an hour,

relax with a martini
and a hovering hostess.

I like to think of myself as an ex-pilot.

Which way to Operations?

I'm going there.
I'll tell him you're waiting.

Okay, thanks.

FAA has my flight plan.
I'll leave it with you.

- I just posted the weather.
- Right.

It looks clear from here to Vegas,

but you might run into a little rain
on your final leg.

Uh-huh, thanks, Dolby.

- Here you are.
- Oh!

Thanks.

[SIGHS]

That'll put hair on your chest.

That's what your wife said you'd say.

My wife.

My considerate, loving, tender...

She'd like to see me dead.

When she gave me that
and your suitcase,

she asked me to remind you
to call her.

STACEY: Tell her I was in a hurry.
Tell her I forgot.

If there's one thing I can do without
right now, it's another argument.

That sauce, you can do without
that too, you know.

So ll can.

JUD: Oh, Mr. Kavanaugh
is out by the plane.

- He wants to talk to you.
- He's here? Okay.

He comes on a little strong for me.

STACEY: Jud, I like you,
but sometimes you meddle.

You talk too much.

Come on. I wanna take that plane
and climb to around , feet,

where the air is clean and clear
and I can be alone.

Morning.

- You're representing the FAA here?
- That's right.

I'm Lieutenant Drumm,
Los Angeles Police Department.

MAN: Homicide?
DRUMM: That's right.

The plane crashed
outside of Los Angeles,

but we have jurisdiction
since any overt act causing it

would've had to have taken place here
before the takeoff.

I'm not questioning your jurisdiction.
I'm wondering why you're here.

We've hardly begun
the investigation,

and we haven't reported
any overt acts.

I called the police.

- Why?
CLERK: Because I knew Mr. Fielding,

and the couple of drinks he took out
of that flask wouldn't affect his flying.

And then
that last radio transmission.

The report said he felt sick
and sleepy.

What about mechanical failure?

CLERK: Mr. Fielding kept his plane
in A shape.

He was a nut about it.
So it was always ready to go.

That still doesn't rule out pilot error.

Have you found the flask
he drank from?

Not yet.

Uh, I was told they were bringing in
my husband's things.

- You're Mrs. Fielding?
- Yeah.

Well, there they are.

That's all?

MAN: All we've sorted out
of the wreck so far.

Everything was pretty badly b*rned,
including the body.

- Oh, uh, where have they taken him?
MAN: The morgue.

What were you looking for,
Mrs. Fielding? Anything in particular?

I'm Lieutenant Drumm,
Los Angeles Police Department.

No, nothing special.

Why should you even ask?

MAN: Everything we find
will be turned over to you

eventually, Mrs. Fielding,

after we conclude the investigation.

Thank you.

BRICE:
Lieutenant.

Could this be it?

- Well, what do you think?
- That's it.

That's the one he drank from.

Is Mrs. Fielding certain
her husband rented Apartment C?

The detective she hired verified it.

"Mr. and Mrs. Shelby Farr, C."

"Carlton Towers, Wilshire Boulevard.
ac”

I don't have to remind you about
the laws governing this kind of thing.

What if it's the wrong apartment?

Shelby Farr, Stacey Fielding.
Same initials.

Let's try the key.

What have I got to lose, ah,
except my license?

Well,

if this is his apartment,
Stacey Fielding sure knew how to live.

It's his apartment.

You know, your client today
may be a bereaved widow,

apparently, before Stacey Fielding
rode that plane down,

she was a wronged wife.

Mrs. Fielding admitted
she and her husband

didn't have an idyllic marriage.

What are we supposed
to be looking for?

Well, hidden assets.

Long before the plane crashed,
I was retained by Mrs. Fielding.

She's suspected for some time
that there should be more money

in their joint accounts
than there actually is.

And we're going to find it here?

She said we'll find a safe
with over $ , in it.

Then why didn't she come with us?

She had to go to the airport.

They're bringing in the wreck.

Wow.

If this is Mrs. Shelby Farr,

Stacey Fielding sure must have loved
being Mr. Farr in his free time.

Nice. Very nice.

That is a masterpiece
of understatement.

Heh, what Stacey Fielding
used to fill this

could hardly qualify
as hidden assets.

But this could.

Well, it's empty.

We're too late.

No, Paul, I think we're just in time.

For what?

To serve as patsies.

Paul, I have the feeling
that we have been set up.

Now, suppose there was
a large cash sum in that safe

as Mrs. Fielding suspected.

Her husband's dead,
he couldn't have taken it.

Yeah, well,
Mrs. Farr must have had a key.

We can't count her out.

- Photographer's name on the back?
- Yeah.

I think you'd better find Mrs. Farr,
or whatever her name is.

Mrs. Fielding told you
she'd never been here.

But she could have come
before we arrived

and taken what was in that safe.

She could have.

And if the Internal Revenue Service
accused her,

she could swear she knew nothing
about any money,

that we came here as her agents.

Of course, we're only speculating.

I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.

There's still Mrs. Farr to consider.

Are you sure he left already, Clay?

How long ago?

Well, do you have any idea where
he could have gone from your place?

[DOOR OPENS THEN CLOSES]

Never mind, he just came in.
Thank you.

- Well, that sounded urgent.
- Mm-hm, it is.

Your client, Mrs. Fielding,
has just been picked up by the police.

- On what charge?
- m*rder.

They claim she k*lled her husband.

Get hold of Paul. Have him meet me
at police headquarters.

DELLA:
She isn't there, Perry.

I checked.
Mrs. Fielding hasn't been booked.

Tell Paul to make that
the district attorney's office.

Steve?

What's going on, Steve?

They said Mrs. Fielding was picked up
on your instructions.

That's right, Perry.

But you haven't booked her.
Now, why?

I'm just following orders.

MASON:
Then where is Mrs. Fielding?

In there with Hamilton?

Mrs. Fielding, this is Perry Mason.

Don't say another word,
Mrs. Fielding.

Don't answer any questions.

Insist on your right
to have your attorney present.

[DOOR CLOSES]

[THUDS]

- Did you tell him?
- Nobody told him anything.

Demand that I be present.

This is a private office.

This is a public office,
paid for by the taxpayers.

Well, it's not open to the public
at this hour.

The reporters are here, the
photographers are here, and I'm here.

And I'm telling you that Mrs. Fielding
has every right to see her lawyer.

She's been advised of her rights.

would like to see my client.

Since when does a person
hire an attorney to defend them

before they've been accused
of a crime?

If she's not charged with anything,
let me take her home.

I didn't say that.

MASON: If you have any ideas
about holding her without charge,

maybe you'd like to see how quickly
I get hold of Judge Kent

and be back here
with a writ of habeas corpus.

BURGER:
Now, wait a minute.

Are you or are you not
going to charge my client?

Steve, take Mrs. Fielding down
and book her for m*rder.

MASON: We'd better have
an understanding right at the start.

The only way I can defend you
is by your being perfectly candid.

Well, I would assume
that would go both ways.

Of course.

Then tell me, how much money
was in my husband's hideaway.

I told you the state
of the company's books.

There should be at least $ , .

I went to the apartment, Mrs. Fielding.
I found an empty wall safe.

There was no money, nothing.

Mr. Mason, there were quantities of
ethical dr*gs missing from inventory.

Now, Stacey's story was, someone
inside the plant was stealing from him

and peddling the rare dr*gs outside
of the country. But I know better.

He was disposing of them
and hiding the money.

I'll grant the possibility,
but it's not in the apartment.

Ah, that's what bothers me.
Then, where is it?

That's what bothers me.

What ought to be bothering you

is that you're charged
with your husband's m*rder.

Mr. Mason, losing that money,

now, that is a reality.

And losing your life isn't?

[CHUCKLES]

I can't quite figure you out.

You sound just like Stacey.

Don't you like me, either,
Mr. Mason?

Whether I like you or not
isn't relevant.

I don't choose my clients
on that basis.

Why do the police think
you're guilty?

They found his flask in the plane
and, uh,

I had filled it for him
to take on the trip.

The police say
it was loaded with veronal.

They say you added it to the whiskey

knowing he'd drink it during the flight,
fall asleep and crash.

Now, did you?

No.

did not.

When was the last time
you spoke to your husband?

When he left in the morning.

I sent a message
with Jud Bennett, his pilot,

asking Stacey to call me
before he took off, but he didn't.

Do you know why?

Sure. He simply didn't feel like it.

Oh, Jud covered for him,
very nicely as usual,

told me he started to
but an old friend had come by

and Stacey conveniently forgot.

Who was the friend?

Reed. Reed Kavanaugh,
an old wartime buddy.

This Kavanaugh was
flying with him?

No. No, Jud said
that he had reservations

on a scheduled flight to, uh, Denver,
I think.

Is Kavanaugh from Denver?

Ah, I don't know. Seems to me
he has a wife or an ex-wife living there.

Now, you say you filled the flask,

but I understand
your husband left from his office.

How did he get the flask?

Jud Bennett took it from me
at the house along with Stacey's bag.

Your husband was an important man
in his field.

When it came to developing complex
dr*gs, there was no one better.

There was only one area
that he came up short.

As a human being.

Does Burger have a case?

I'm afraid so.

This mysterious friend,
Reed Kavanaugh.

Who is he? How does he fit in?
And where is he now?

I don't know, but his airline reservation
wasn't picked up.

Were you able to trace that picture
in the Farr apartment?

Her name is Laraine Keely,

and she worked for Stacey Fielding
as a, it says here, lab technician.

Where is Miss Keely now?

No one seems to know.
She hasn't been to work.

I have a man watching her place
in case she comes home.

It's a bungalow court
on Marica Drive.

I feel as if we were in the middle
of a magician's convention.

Every time we turn around, someone
or something seems to disappear.

And we need time.

The secret is to misdirect
the attention of the audience

while pulling a rabbit out of a hat.

Yeah, but the best magician in the
world can't pull a rabbit out of a hat

unless there's one already there.

MAN: The final radio message
prior to the crash

and the information we received
from the operations clerk

indicates pilot failure
as the cause of the crash.

Would you read that final
radio message to the court, please?

The transmission was interrupted.

The voice was hesitant and slurred,
but the actual words were:

"Sick, awfully sick. Read me.

Try and put down. Sleepy.

Down, go down. Sleepy.” That's it.

CLERK: Lots of times Mr. Fielding's
wife would drop his gear off

with the flask in it,

and he'd have a snort,
said it helped him keep awake.

Once she forgot to put it in and
he called and really gave her what for.

But you have no way of knowing

whether his wife sent the flask
on the day in question?

Yes, sir. He and Mr. Bennett there,

they mentioned
that she'd sent it out to him.

I remember
because Mr. Fielding said--

Well, he said,
"She'd like to see me dead.”

After I had the fingerprints developed,
Mr. Burger,

I had the contents of the flask
analyzed by our laboratory.

And what were the findings?

The whiskey in the flask contained
a lethal concentration of veronal.

BURGER:
Now, lieutenant, were you present

when the medical examiner
conducted tests

on the remains found in the plane?

I was, and as his deposition showed,

there were traces of veronal
in some of his organs.

BURGER:
Thank you. Cross-examine.

Lieutenant Drumm,
I'm particularly interested

in those prints
you say you developed.

Now, besides the prints of the
defendant and those of the decedent,

what other prints were on that flask?

Well, there were quite a few,

but some of the prints were smudged,
Mr. Mason.

Were the smudged prints
superimposed on the others?

- Yes.
MASON: Then those prints,

which may have been made
by a person or persons unknown,

were placed on the polished flask

after that flask was handled
by the defendant,

by Mr. Bennett and by Mr. Fielding,
is that correct?

Mr. Mason,
I can't testify to that, heh

MASON: Lieutenant,
I'm not trying to trap you.

I'm merely suggesting
that the decedent

may have offered a drink
to someone else.

That for all we know,
the flask was passed around

before he boarded the aircraft.
Now isn't that possible?

Objection, Your Honor.

Mr. Mason is leading the witness,
calling for a conclusion.

Withdraw the question.

Lieutenant Drumm, is it possible
that one of the strangers

whose fingerprints
are superimposed on that flask

may have been the last person
to handle it?

Mr. Mason, it's obvious
that the decedent handled it last.

There's no record of anybody else
being poisoned by veronal,

and also,
the flask was found in the airplane.

MASON: Lieutenant,
will you please answer my question?

Would you say that someone else,
whose fingerprints are unidentified,

could have handled that flask
after Mr. Fielding did?

Well, I would say that a number
of people may have handled it,

but the decedent
was clearly the last one to do so.

Well, sir, uh, Mr. Fielding's friend,
Mr. Kavanaugh, dropped by to talk.

So I left them at the plane,

uh, parked the car,
and came back to town.

Let's get back to the flask,
Mr. Bennett.

You say the defendant gave it to you.

Yes, along with some other things,
and told me to be sure he got it.

BURGER: Was that the extent of your
conversation with Mrs. Fielding?

No. She asked me
about Mr. Fielding's business.

I told her that I worked for him,

and I couldn't talk
about things he told me.

What else
did the defendant talk you about?

She asked me if I knew somebody,
uh, a Mrs. Farr, I think it was,

and I said I didn't.

One moment, please.

Your Honor, I have an objection

to interpose to this entire line
of testimony,

but if it's agreeable
to the court and counsel,

will withhold it until after
the answers have been made.

If it then seems the objection is proper,
will make it.

- Is that all right with you, Mr. Burger?
- Quite all right, Your Honor.

I'm sure when counsel hears
the testimony,

he won't put forth any objection.

Mr. Bennett, to repeat, what else
did the defendant talk to you about?

Well, she asked me if I liked her.

I think she was trying to get me
to help her find out what was going on.

She said that some dr*gs
were missing from the plant,

and did I know who'd taken them.

BURGER:
Go on, Mr. Bennett.

JUD: Mr. Fielding had told me
and Miss Keely,

one of his lab technicians,

that he had a feeling that his wife
was taking dr*gs from the inventory

and maybe selling them
out of the country.

Of course, I didn't tell Mrs. Fielding,
the defendant, that.

Thank you, Mr. Bennett.
Cross-examine.

Your Honor, I now wish to present
the objection which I discussed

before this line of testimony began.

- The witness may stand down.
- Hmm.

Go ahead, Mr. Mason.

If the court please,
I object to any proof being introduced

tending to connect the defendant
with any crime

until it has been shown
that a crime has been committed.

It is necessary for the prosecution
to prove a corpus delicti

before there can be any evidence
tending to connect the defendant

with such a crime.

Mr. Burger?

Your Honor, I certainly don't need
a refresher law course

from defense counsel.

I'm perfectly familiar
with the rules of corpus delicti.

But let me point out
that we have here a dead man

who was k*lled
by means of poisoned whiskey,

and that whiskey,

according to the prima facie
presumption of circumstantial evidence

was deliberately prepared
for the decedent by the defendant.

MASON: Your Honor, I'm afraid
counsel misunderstands my objection.

I'm pointing out
that there is no corpus delicti

because there is no proof
that the body found in the plane

was that of Stacey Fielding.

Who are you suggesting it was,
Mr. Mason?

I think it was Mr. Reed Kavanaugh,
Mr. Fielding's friend.

BURGER:
But there's no possible proof of that.

MASON:
No, there isn't, Mr. Burger.

But I do know that Mr. Kavanaugh
didn't use his airline reservation.

And there's no indication of that,

either in the evidence
or in the police investigation.

You didn't give the police enough time
to make a proper investigation.

BURGER:
Because you pushed me into--

Your Honor, Mr. Mason has made
a completely unsupportable statement.

He has absolutely no proof
of his contention.

MASON: Your Honor, I believe
that Stacey Fielding is alive.

But for his own reasons,
he chose to disappear

when he learned that the charred body
in the plane was identified as his.

Mr. Mason, I think you have an
obligation to explain this thing further.

MASON: Your Honor, I respectfully
submit that I will gladly do so

if the district attorney will explain
where Stacey Fielding's car is,

since we have testimony
that it was parked at the airport,

if the district attorney will produce
Reed Kavanaugh for questioning,

and if the district attorney will show
any positive identification of the body.

JUDGE:
Mr. Burger?

BURGER:
Your Honor, may I have a moment?

Your Honor,
we've been unable to find the car,

and we're conducting a search
for Mr. Reed Kavanaugh.

But we believe
that he will be found soon and alive.

Did you make any effort
to check the teeth of the decedent?

Yes, Your Honor.

But apparently,
Mr. Fielding didn't go to the dentist--

Will you please give me
a straight answer, Mr. Burger?

The dental chart does not match
in every detail.

Mr. Burger,

I feel that institution of
this entire proceeding was premature.

I'm gonna sustain
Mr. Mason's objection.

This case is dismissed,

and the defendant is released
from custody.

This court stands adjourned.

Della's all ready.
You were sure right about this thing.

Drumm nearly bowled me over
in the corridor.

They're set to rearrest Mrs. Fielding
on a trumped-up charge

as soon as she leaves
the courtroom.

Well, one thing about Burger,
he's predictable.

Let's go, Miriam.

Uh, Your Honor,
may we see you a moment?

Yes, of course.

Well, Mr. Mason?

Your Honor, if you wish,

I'll explain the reasoning
on which I based my assumption

that Stacey Fielding isn't dead.

I'd rather not hear it. I don't wanna
become biased, and you know that.

Very well, Your Honor.
Will you excuse us?

- What are you doing? Why are we--?
- Be quiet and listen.

I want you to go to the women's lounge
on the third floor.

Della's waiting for you there.

Then go down the rear stairs,
take a taxi to the train station.

Transfer to another cab,
then go directly to the Carlton Towers.

Here's your key to Apartment C.
I want you to stay there.

- Will you kindly tell me--?
- Now, don't leave that apartment.

Order any groceries
in the name of Mrs. Shelby Farr.

I don't understand.
I mean, truly, I don't understand.

Do you think Stacey is alive?
Is that it?

- Miriam, I want you to hurry.
- All right.

They're still in there.

Better go in there
and make some excuse.

Make sure that Mason and that
woman don't go out the rear door.

Yes, sir.

Uh, just a moment, Mr. Mason.
, uh, have to detain you.

Detain us for what, Steve?

I can't believe you, Perry.

You're aiding and abetting a felon.

Why, not at all.

We're just taking my secretary
to lunch.

I'm afraid your secretary
will have to go to lunch without us.

I'm going to Denver to try
and locate Reed Kavanaugh,

and you just might want to talk
to Laraine Keely.

I just got word she's back at her place
on Marica Drive.

[KNOCKING ON DOOR]

LARAINE: Come on in.
I'm in the shower, Mrs. Waterman.

I have your rent
if you wanna come in and wait.

[MUSIC PLAYING
ON RECORD PLAYER]

I'll be right out.

Would you mind turning off
the record player, Mrs. Waterman?

[MUSIC STOPS]

[GASPS]

I'm sorry to intrude, Miss Keely.
The door was unlocked.

Who are you? What do you want?

My name is Mason.

I'm Mrs. Fielding's attorney.

I'd like to ask you some questions.

Get out. And I mean now.

Miss Keely,
I think you can help my client.

I wouldn't raise a finger for her.

Now, take off, Mr. Mason.

You haven't answered
my questions as yet.

How would you like to be picked up
by the police for breaking in?

For being a Peeping Tom,
trying to as*ault me?

That would give us both an opportunity
to talk to the police now, wouldn't it?

Okay. Let me get a robe on
and I'll give you ten minutes.

Thank you, Miss Keely.

[DOOR OPENS THEN CLOSES]

[DOOR SHUTS]

Miss Keely?

Miss Keely?

[ENGINE REVS]

Della,
Laraine Keely just ran out on me.

Call Paul's office. Have him alert
their Sacramento contact.

I want a car traced through the DMV.

Did you get the license number?

Only the first two letters, E-Q.

But the car is a red convertible,
late model, white vinyl interior.

My guess is, she'll try to get rid of it.

And you want them to watch
the Motor Vehicles' registrations

to see if the title transfer
comes through.

Mm-hm.

Why did she run away, Perry?
What's she afraid of?

When we find out where she is,
maybe we'll find the answers.

[MUSIC PLAYING
OVER SPEAKERS]

Table for one?

Well, it's a little too late for lunch
and a little too early for dinner.

But in my business, when you get
a chance to eat, you take it.

Right this way, please.

What business are you in?

I'm a private detective.

Right here.

I'm looking
for, uh, Mrs. Ruth Kavanaugh.

I'm Mrs. Kavanaugh.

I think you already knew that,
didn't you?

Well, let's say I suspected it.

Uh, may I have, please,
a very dry martini,

and the best steak you have,
medium rare?

What do you want with me?

Just to ask you a few questions about
your husband, that's absolutely all.

Anything that I can tell you
about my so-called husband

now is ancient history.

- Now, won't you sit down?
- Thank you.

I haven't seen Reed, not once,

since he went back on active duty
with the Air Force three years ago.

- He was a pilot?
- World w*r ll, Korea.

Vietnam this time.

Well, I guess
I came to the wrong place

if you haven't had any contact with him
in the past three years.

He might even be dead.

I didn't say I hadn't heard from him.

I said I hadn't seen him.

My attorney was in touch with him
just a few weeks ago.

He agreed to come to Denver tonight

to be served papers
in our divorce case.

Uh, do you know where?

I guess that's
the process server's business.

Attorney's Service Company?

I work for a Los Angeles attorney,

and we may need some papers
served here in Denver.

I understand you do most of the work
for the leading attorneys here in town.

Uh-huh, uh,
what about night service?

Oh, you do most of that too.

MAN: Mr. Kavanaugh,
your wife is suing you for divorce.

This is your formal notice.

- Mr. Reed Kavanaugh?
- Yeah, that's right.

Can you prove
you're Mr. Kavanaugh?

Do I have to?

And since when does it take two men
to serve papers

in a simple divorce case?

I don't have any idea who he is,
but you have been officially notified.

Good night.

Well, all right, mister, start talking.
Who are you?

Paul Drake, a private detective.
I'm on assignment for the attorney

representing Mrs. Stacey Fielding
on a charge of m*rder.

What do you want from me?

PAUL:
Answers to a few questions

about what happened
at the airport that night

when you didn't pick up
your reservations.

We thought it might have been you
on that plane, instead of Dr. Fielding.

DRUMM:
Thank you.

Thank you very, very much,
Mr. Drake.

- Thank him for what?
- For leading us to you.

- You were tailing me.
- Any law against it?

Hamilton Burger
would thank you too.

Mr. Kavanaugh, I have a court order
here to take you into custody.

- You mean I'm under arrest?
- As a material witness.

The extradition order
will be signed tonight.

We'll leave for Los Angeles
tomorrow morning.

Ah, I knew it. Something told me
I shouldn't come back to Denver.

Steve, have a heart, will you?
After all, I did find him.

Let me talk to him
for just five minutes.

Paul, I'm under orders.

You know what Burger would say
if he were here.

"Mr. Mason will get his chance
to cross-examine in court.”

If Mr. Burger decides
to put him on the stand.

[KNOCKING ON DOOR]

MIRIAM:
Jud.

Jud, I have to talk to you.

BRICE:
Mrs. Fielding?

You're under arrest
for the m*rder of Stacey Fielding.

PAUL: Why did that kooky client
of yours have to come out of hiding?

She should've known the police would
stake out any place she might go.

Mrs. Fielding said Jud Bennett lied
about her when he was on the stand.

Heh, she was going to talk him
into changing his story,

admitting he perjured himself?

Your people have any luck
with the log from the Fielding plane?

The only thing interesting
was eight trips to Mexico City.

I wonder
what Dr. Fielding was doing there.

That Denver plane
should be in by now.

What's the idea, sergeant?

Sorry, DA's strict orders.

Nobody gets through except authorized
representatives of the press.

He specifically mentioned you
and, uh, Mr. Mason.

It's up to your man now, Paul.

I hope he's a good one.

Best I have.

I wonder, could Mr. Kavanaugh
turn this way, please?

That's it.

Are you Mr. Kavanaugh?
Mr. Reed Kavanaugh?

Who else would I be?

Then this is for you. A subpoena.

You're to appear as a defense witness
for Mrs. Miriam Fielding.

He has treated us in this case

to a time-wasting exhibition
of legal hocus-pocus

which reaches a new low,
even for him.

We have seen this court deliberately
misled into granting a dismissal.

We have seen the defendant
spirited away and concealed,

and we are now in court
for a second time to achieve an end

which we surely should've achieved
the first time we were here.

Your Honor, there are various ways
of wasting the court's time,

including vituperative
personal recrimination.

Gentlemen, I don't intend to hear
any more of this from either of you.

What I'm about to request,
Your Honor, seems the simplest thing

that defense counsel, under
the circumstances, could grant me.

would like him to stipulate at least

to the testimony of those witnesses
who appeared at the first hearing.

Provided those witnesses
are recalled

and made available
for cross-examination,

we would agree to so stipulate.

Well, Mr. Burger?

Agreed.

Yes, sir, we'd located
Mr. Reed Kavanaugh in Denver.

Did you really?

Could that possibly be
the same Reed Kavanaugh

that was mentioned here
in this courtroom

as being possibly the dead man

in Dr. Stacey Fielding's
wrecked airplane?

Apparently.

BURGER: And was it your observation
that Mr. Kavanaugh was, uh,

completely alive?

I mean, breathing
and apparently in good health?

Your Honor, why should we listen
to second-hand testimony

when the witness himself
is able to testify

as to his breathing propensities
and state of personal well-being?

Do you intend to call Mr. Kavanaugh,
Mr. Burger?

I don't know, Your Honor.

MASON:
Your Honor, may I remind the court

that Mr. Kavanaugh is under subpoena
by the defense?

Unless he is put on the stand
by the prosecution,

the defense will request that he
be produced in court as our witness.

Are you holding Mr. Kavanaugh,
Mr. Burger?

BURGER: Well, as a matter of fact,
Your Honor, at this moment,

we don't know
where Mr. Kavanaugh is.

He left--
Escaped from the hotel room

where we were holding him
during the night.

However,
we have out a statewide bulletin,

and I'm sure
that it will be very soon--

Very well, Mr. Burger.

I think Mr. Mason's point
is well taken.

I'm going to continue this hearing
for hours

to allow the state time to apprehend
and produce Mr. Reed Kavanaugh.

Thank you, Your Honor.

This court will take a short recess.

[MURMURING]

Perry, we're in luck.
My contact in Sacramento

picked up a pink slip
from a used-car dealer in Fresno.

The name on it was Laraine Farr.

Did she give the Marica Drive address
or the Carlton Towers?

No, the address on the pink slip
was Alecran Street, Modesto.

You'd better take the back, Paul.

Laraine gave me the slip
once before.

What do you think we'll find inside?

I don't know.

I don't even dare tell you
what I'm hoping we'll find.

I thought you'd--

- You.
- I see you've had time to change

since we talked last, Miss Keely,
or should I say Mrs. Farr?

- What are you--?
- Doing here?

Well, I'm sure you read
the newspapers and listen to the radio.

So, what would I be doing here?

How did you find me?

MASON: I traced the laundry mark
on your towel.

[DOOR CLOSES]

That isn't
whoever you were expecting.

It's Paul Drake,
a private detective working with me.

Paul, this is Miss Keely.

Hi, I recognized you
from your picture.

You've got no right
to bust into my house.

Miss Keely,
my client is on trial for her life.

And you and your friend are playing
some kind of game with her.

I don't know what you mean.

MASON:
You know very well what I mean.

She's no more guilty of m*rder
than you or Mr. Drake or I.

She's guilty of ruining a man's life,

of nearly driving him out of his mind,
destroying him.

MASON:
Rationalize all you please,

but she did not k*ll him,
and she is charged with m*rder.

I haven't done anything to her.

MASON:
Not yet, but you will.

It's my impression that everything
you've done in the past few weeks,

every move you've made, has been
part of a carefully engineered plan.

A plan for what?

MASON:
A plan for a happy future.

But have you considered,
Miss Keely,

what kind of a future
it would really be?

Every waking hour,
you'd be conscious

that your happy future
had cost another woman her life.

You'd never be free of that realization,
not for a moment,

not if your happiness meant sending
Miriam Fielding to the gas chamber

for a m*rder she didn't commit.

Perry, our plane leaves
in half an hour.

If you wanna wait it out here,
I'll have to make a later reservation.

We're not going to wait it out, Paul.

We'll make the plane.
We're leaving now.

- We are?
- I've said all the things I came to say.

[DOOR CLOSES]

Perry, I don't get it.

All the trouble we went to, to locate
this girl, and we just walk away.

Paul, whoever she was expecting
won't come near her

as long as we're around,

and unless he does,
they won't be able to talk it over.

Talk it over
and decide which way to run now.

No, I don't think so, Paul.

When all else fails,
there's only one thing left to do,

and that's appeal
to someone's better instincts.

And hope he has some.

[ENGINE REVS]

[BELL RINGS]

BAILIFF:
All rise.

- No word at all?
- I waited as long as I could.

- But I alerted Gertie to--
- We should've heard by now.

BAILIFF:
Be seated, please, and no talking.

Well, Mr. Burger,
what do you have to tell us?

Have you located
our missing witness?

Yes, Your Honor, we have.

Mr. Kavanaugh was picked up
at a roadblock at the state line,

and he was driving a rented car.

As a matter of fact, that's how
we got a line on him, Your Honor.

He had to use his true name
and his driver's license

- in order to rent the automobile.
- And where is the witness now?

He's in custody.
The state police flew him down here.

And Lieutenant Drumm
is meeting him at the airport

in one of our police helicopters.

Very well, now, as soon as he, uh--

BURGER:
Oh, by the way, Your Honor,

there were two people
in that automobile.

Mr. Kavanaugh had a young woman
with him, a Miss Laraine Keely.

Better instincts.

Well, lieutenant, I, uh, presume
you have our missing witness.

DRUMM: No, Your Honor,
we have our missing victim,

Mr. Stacey Fielding.

[SPECTATORS MURMURING]

He's alive.

[GAVEL BANGING]

Your Honor,
I move for dismissal of the charges,

and ask that while you consider
my motion, we retire to your chambers

to discuss the fact
that there was a body in the plane

and that Mr. Burger may yet drag
my client back to court for a third time.

The suggestion's well taken.
This court stands recessed.

Mr. Burger,
bring Mr. Fielding with you.

Your Honor, may I address
a few questions to Mr. Fielding

to clear his wife of any hint
of complicity in this m*rder,

whoever the victim may be?

Mr. Fielding,
it's been testified you drank

from the flask your wife filled
with whiskey.

Now, did you suffer any ill effects
whatsoever?

You mean any symptoms
of veronal poisoning? None at all.

Then the veronal had
to have been added to that flask

after Mr. Fielding drank,

which means Miriam Fielding had
no opportunity whatsoever to do so.

And therefore, could have
no connection with the m*rder.

Yes, I agree. Yeah.

Your point seems conclusive to me,
Mr. Mason.

As soon as we reconvene, I'll dismiss
the charges against Mrs. Fielding.

Now, Mr. Fielding, what did happen
that day at the airport?

Nothing remarkable.

After I filed my flight plan,
Reed Kavanaugh and I decided

that we had so many things to discuss,
plans to make,

that we would drive to Salt Lake City
together rather than fly separately.

I gave my flying things and the key
to the plane to Jud Bennett,

and Reed and I left.

And where did you first learn
of the crash and that you were dead?

STACEY:
When we reached Las Vegas.

It was in all the papers.

But what did you think
when you read the stories?

Why, that Jud Bennett had crashed
and been k*lled.

When you read that the body
was b*rned beyond recognition

and was identified as you,

you decided to stay dead?

It was fortuitous,
but it fit into a long-range plan

to disappear with Miss Keely under the
names of Mr. and Mrs. Shelby Farr?

That's true.

I decided to take advantage
of a fortunate, for me, circumstance.

I didn't think Jud would mind,

until I learned he was alive
and had testified against my wife.

- What did you think, then?
- I didn't know what to think.

I knew I wasn't in the plane,
and Jud Bennett wasn't.

So who was?

Will you come to the judge's
chambers, please, Mr. Bennett?

Miriam, what are you doing here?

Where is everybody?

In the judge's chambers.

What are you doing here?

I came down from Modesto
to help you get out of this.

- Oh.
- You may not believe it,

but your husband and I and Laraine
worked it all out last night

after your attorney left.

Oh, I believe it. He's here.

MASON: You're the only one
who knows who d*ed in that plane,

because you're the one
who k*lled him.

No one else could possibly
have added veronal to that flask,

not before the pilot took off.

BURGER: Who was it, Bennett?
Who was the dead man?

Was it your partner in the drug thefts
from Mr. Fielding's company?

The one who borrowed that plane
for trips to Mexico

to sell what you'd stolen?

It was Al Dolby, the mechanic
who worked on the plane that day.

Tell us, Mr. Bennett,

why did you k*ll him?

Our racket was all washed up.
I knew that.

I knew that Mrs. Fielding was onto it.

I wanted to quit, but Al, heh,
he liked the money too well.

And I knew
that he'd blow the whistle on me

if didn't agree to just one more trip.

Mr. Bennett, I think you're gonna
make just one more trip,

and this time,
no one can take it for you.

We'd better get going.

The game starts in half an hour and
we've got that freeway traffic to buck.

Let me sign one more check,
Paul, and we'll leave.

Uh, while you're at it,

Della made a mistake on my expense
account for the Fielding case.

She shorted me exactly $ . .

did not make a mistake.

That $ .
was listed as miscellaneous.

There were no vouchers.

A private detective's miscellaneous
is always legitimate, Della.

Oh, I didn't question the $ .

It was the cents
that bothered me.

All right, I'll confess.

It's going to cost exactly $ .
to pay for some golf clubs I ordered.

Knowing Paul,
we're getting off cheap.

He could have had his eye
on a new convertible.

Give him the check, Della.

Thank you.

DRUMM:
Well, hello there.

I'm in luck. I caught you here.

I have something to deliver.

Let me guess. It's a subpoena.

No, not this time, Paul.

Something that'll give Perry a lot
of pleasure, and my way of making up

for the fact that I stole Mr. Kavanaugh
from Paul in Denver.

We're even on that score, Steve.

We had you mistaking Della
for Mrs. Fielding.

What's the surprise?

It's Perry's usual ten tickets

to the Police Department's
Child Guidance Fund.

Mm-hm,
and I have a surprise for you.

I already have the check made out.

All you have to do is sign it, Perry.
It's right underneath.

Good for you, Perry.
It's a good cause. The best.

You're right, Paul.

- Here you are, Steve.
- Thank you, Perry. Very generous.

And, uh, here is Paul's.

Your ticket, Paul.