09x20 - The Case of the Scarlet Scandal

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Perry Mason". Aired: September 21, 1957, to May 22, 1966.*
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Defense attorney Perry Mason defends dozens of falsely accused people during courtroom drama, and he manages to clear all of them, usually by drawing out the real criminal on the witness stand.
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09x20 - The Case of the Scarlet Scandal

Post by bunniefuu »

You scared the devil out of me,
Moose.

Nobody ever got the devil out of you.
You're all devil.

Since when does our sheriff patrol
in his own car and in civilian clothes?

You haven't changed,
have you, Elaine?

You always did know the best way
to win an argument:

never be on the defensive.

What do you want, Moose?

Are you gonna psychoanalyze me,
talk about old times or put me in jail?

Arrest d*ck Bayler's wife?

No.

No, I'm no brighter than I was
when we were in high school, Elaine,

but I'm not stupid either.

Will you get out of the way?

Wait a minute.

You're too smart to be fooling around
with this two-bit musician.

Why don't you just turn around?

There's nothing at the end of this road
but trouble for you.

You don't know what trouble is.

Do you wanna keep that badge?

Then keep your dirty ideas
in your dirty mind.

[PLAYING CLASSICAL MUSIC]

It's beautiful.

I'm gonna call it
"Concerto for Cynthia."

Don, darling,
I thought it was for Mrs. Bayler.

Oh. She's my patron.

You're my girl.

Do you know what?

What?

Maybe, just maybe,
I'm in love with you.

Get your things and get out.

I don't take orders from you.

I'll leave when Don tells me to
and not before.

Look, you've got no right
to come ba--

No right?

This is my cottage, my wine,
my candles, and you're on my time.

This place you own, not me.

Oh, you do have some pride.

That's a surprise. Good.

Your girlfriend can pack your things.
You're getting out of here tonight.

But first, you're coming with me.

We have an appointment
at Scarlet Point.

Wait a minute.
What's got you screaming at high C?

What have I done?

What's changed all of a sudden?

Come on. Now!

Don't go, Don. You don't need her.

With your talent,
you don't need anyone else.

Something's wrong.
I better find out what it is.

Start packing my things.

Don, you don't know who you're
to meet or why or what set her off.

- Don't go.
- Darling, do as I tell you.

Please.

Get in.

- Tell me what this is about.
- Why don't you tell me

about the lies you made up to regale
your beatnik friends at Natasha's?

Elaine, I swear
I've never said a word.

You swear. You liar.

Put this money in this envelope.

And read this.

"Your husband will learn
of monkey business with Hobart

unless you leave ,
Wednesday night

in barricade pipe stanchion
Scarlet Point.

Fink about this and you are dead.”

Have you gone to the sheriff?

Moose?

And give him something to show
to my husband?

Nobody's gonna know about this
but us.

I know who's pulled this extortion.

Nobody holds me up
and gets away with it.

Elaine, that guy could be here.

Waiting.

Let's leave the money and b*at it.

[g*nf*re]

I thought people were awake at dawn
up here in the backcountry.

Bayler's estate
is the biggest one on the lake.

Why don't you admit it, Paul?

California's most brilliant
private detective is lost.

California's most brilliant attorney
isn't much help.

No wonder we can't find anyone.
They're all here.

No parking here.

We're from out of town, officer.
We're looking for the Bayler Estate.

You up here to see Mr. Bayler?

- Yes, I'm his attorney.
- Well, he's up with the sheriff.

Come on, I'll take you in.

Oh, come on now, honey.

I don't wanna give you a hard time,

but I picked up Hobart
right after I heard the sh*ts.

- Is my son awake?
- You saw them leave the cottage.

She made him go with her.

All right, if she made him go with her,
then he didn't wanna go, right?

And they argued, right?

Well, she busted in on us.

- She was jealous.
- No.

In fact,
she told me to pack Don's things.

Well, then I thought
she was throwing him out.

That made him mad.

I know what phonies like you
are made of, Hobart.

No-talent bums

who trade on a pretty face
and a good line to take the gullible,

who figure
world owes them something

because they can daub a brush
or sing a song or play a piano.

- Why did you k*ll her?
- I didn't k*ll her!

And I don't have
to answer your questions, Mr. Bayler.

You'll answer.

When I get through with you,
you'll answer.

Don couldn't have fired that p*stol.

I tried to teach him to sh**t

and he can't hit a -foot target
from feet away.

- How did you know it was a p*stol?
- Well, it sounded like a p*stol.

So from a quarter mile away,
you heard the sh*ts.

Somebody tried to blackmail her,

saying there was something between
her and me. Well, there wasn't.

And she was gonna leave the money
at the Point

and try to find out who did it.

Sol put the money in a pipe stanchion
and that's when I heard the sh*ts.

You liar. The sheriff
didn't find any money there.

Now, listen, I'm warning you, honey,
this guy is not worth protecting.

You're just getting yourself in
deeper and deeper.

Now, suppose we make a deal.

You give me the straight dope

and you can go right back to Natasha's
and be there in time for work.

I've told you what I know.

It's just not what you wanna hear.

- What's his girlfriend doing here?
- You are gonna have to hold up

until Mr. Bayler comes out.

Now, keep it quiet or I'll make you wait
outside the building.

MAN :
I think you're...

MAN : Perry Mason?
MAN : Bayler's attorney.

MAN : Did you fly up?
MAN : DA know you're here?

Maybe Bayler called Mason

to assist the DA
in prosecuting the k*ller.

He k*lled her.

Unless there's something we can do,
the business can wait.

No, I want you to stay, Perry.

Life goes on.

I'll sign the contracts you brought up.

You're a hometown kid, Cynthia.

And you're not gonna let us down.

You're not gonna let
a crumb bum like this

get away with k*lling a fine lady
like Mrs. Bayler.

He didn't do it.

[SIGHS]

Okay. You can go.

Mr. Bayler,
I'm terribly sorry about your wife.

But Don didn't k*ll her.

You speak when you're spoken to.

Don't talk to her like that, Bayler.

It burns you up, doesn't it?

Because there's
at least one human being in town

that won't start singing
when you give the downbeat.

You watch what you say.

All right, get him out of here.

MAN :
Here they come now.

- Did you confess, Hobart?
MAN : How about it, sheriff?

MAN :
What's Mason doing in there?

Don't you see what's happening?

He's an outsider.

They're gonna make a scapegoat
out of him.

He has rights.

He does have rights, doesn't he?

The girl is right, d*ck.

Her friend
was being physically abused.

He didn't have benefit of counsel.

Her friend?

That's put with Victorian quaintness.

MASON: Their relationship
has nothing to do with it.

It has everything to do with it.

Elaine kept cash,
I don't know how much, in her room.

There's not a dollar there now.

I figure she went down there
to pay them off.

A variation of the badger game?

BAYLER:
Exactly.

She probably used the money
to bait them.

And when she threatened to put him
in jail, that phony musician k*lled her.

[g*nf*re]

My son.

I told you I wanted to see Howard
as soon as he got up.

Yes, sir, but he was not in his room.

- Get him.
- Yes, sir.

[g*nf*re]

MARK: Your father wishes to see you,
Mr. Bayler.

Mr. Bayler.

Mark, when you mister me,
you're mad.

Now, what did I do?

Your father doesn't know it,
but you weren't home at all last night,

and it's not the first time.

Well, as long as he doesn't know it.

That idiotic target sh**ting,
I owe that to Cynthia Perkins too.

She probably
can't write her own name legibly,

but she won a national p*stol match

and became Scarlet Center's
celebrity for a week.

Elaine told her
to stay away from him.

I didn't know we had company.

Son, this is Perry Mason
and Paul Drake.

- My son, Howard.
- How do you do?

Let's go inside, son.
I have to tell you something.

I, uh, think we better go.

Oh, wait.

We'll get down to business soon
as Ed Kesko gets in from Sacramento.

MASON: We'd like to check in
at the hotel anyway, d*ck.

My secretary
is due with the papers we'll need.

I'm sure you and your son
could use the privacy right now.

What is it?

It's about your mother, son.

What did she do? Leave you?

What happened?

- Is she dead?
- I'm sorry, Howard.

I guess you didn't know my stepmother
very well, Mr. Mason.

I had gotten used to the idea
that, one way or another,

she wasn't gonna be around here
much longer.

Howard.

But, uh-- Well, uh, I'll tell you, Cynthia,
a m*rder case takes a lot of time.

Charlie, please,
I've been to three different lawyers

and they all say the same thing.

Not much of a compliment to me
coming here

after you run out of lawyers.

Charlie, is everybody in this town
afraid of Bayler?

Of course not.

But, uh, Cynthia, what you really need
is a good criminal lawyer.

The best one in California
is in town right now, Perry Mason.

Maybe if you could raise
the money, uh...

Mason, Drake,
how the devil are you?

Glad you're here. Your boss
is coming apart at the seams.

Maybe you can calm him down.
I tried, but without success.

Well, I can feel for him.

He tries to play the tough operator.

But the truth is,
he loved Elaine and needed her,

even though
she did give him a hard time.

Perry. Come on back in here.
I wanna talk to you.

Ed, you too.

Well, come on.

Well, I guess at a time like this,
you just gotta make allowances.

I'll be right back.

I just talked to that Cynthia Perkins.

She had the gall to call you here.

I'll give it to you straight, Perry.
You're not to see her.

I told the girl in the sheriff's office
in your presence

that I wouldn't consider
defending Hobart.

I'm here for a brief vacation
and a few hours of business.

As soon as you've signed contracts,

Paul and I
will be moving up the coast to fish.

But, d*ck,

I don't like being ordered around
any more than you do.

Now, come on, fellas, there's no sense
in this kind of arguing.

Shut up.

That girl has been turned down
by one lawyer after another,

and now she's trying to reach you.

MASON:
No reason why I shouldn't do that.

I pay you a $ , retainer
each and every year,

and that's reason enough.

Not reason enough for me.

You have an obligation to me
as my attorney.

Yes, I do.

But it's not going to conflict
with my obligation

as an officer of the court,
as a citizen and as a human being.

You listen to me.

MASON:
No, you listen to me for a change.

There's a mob psychology
building up here.

I saw it in the streets this morning.

I saw it in the sheriff's office.

I see it here
in the newspaper you own.

Headlines read by every potential juror
in this town.

It couldn't be more obvious.
He's convicted before he's tried.

He k*lled Elaine.

If you help him in any way,
you'll pay for it.

You understand?

Yes, d*ck.

I understand.

That's more like it.

You know, what I've always liked
about you, Perry,

you're tough, but you're practical.

To, uh, ahem...

To justice.

Your retainer will be returned in full
in the mail tomorrow morning.

Now, wait a minute.

What's wrong?

MASON:
We just drank to justice.

The truth of the matter is,

she's not as blind as she looks.

If he tries to defend
that coffeehouse bum in my town...

This may be hard to believe, d*ck,

but there's a few people around
that you can't buy.

How would you know?

I pay you to open doors
in Sacramento,

not to open your mouth around me.

MUSIC PLAYING OVER RADIO]

Howard, your radio.

[MUSIC STOPS]

I didn't dare hope you'd defend Don,
Mr. Mason.

Let me make myself
clearly understood, Cynthia.

I haven't said I'd defend him.

As I told you, when you
got off the train this afternoon,

by tomorrow at this time,

Paul and I will be at the other end
of two fishing lines.

Of course you will.

Cynthia and Hobart--

- What's his first name?
- Don.

Cynthia and Don are gonna tell me
everything that happened

the night of m*rder.
You take down every word.

Then with Paul,
we'll go over the transcript,

and then we--

I'm sorry to keep you waiting.

Oh, that's all right, sheriff.

I suppose everyone has to wait
an hour and minutes.

I take it you're Hobart's lawyer,
Mr. Mason.

Well, I'm only consulting with him.

Come on,
it's minutes before he eats,

so you'll have to make it short.

That won't be enough time.

Well, that's okay by me
if he wants to miss chow.

I'm overwhelmed
by your cooperative attitude, sheriff.

Sorry, ladies,
nobody else sees the prisoner.

No, it's important that I get
Miss Perkins and Mr. Hobart together.

Sure, you'd like to get them together
so he'll lie and she'll swear to it.

No dice. Just you.
Those are my orders.

Who gives you your orders, sheriff?

MOOSE:
You wanna see the guy or don't you?

Now, before you say anything,
Mr. Hobart,

I want you to know
I'm not gonna be your lawyer.

So don't tell me anything
you want kept confidential.

Just tell me what you've told the police
and what you are going to tell them.

I gotta get a lawyer.

I'll try to get you one.

Now, you were saying
that you and Cynthia were alone.

Right.
That's when Elaine came in there

and started screaming like Lucia.

Had she been angry with you
before?

Not that mad.

I mean, uh...

Well, to tell the truth, Mr. Mason,
she'd been bugging me lately

because I hadn't been
turning out the symphony.

Yeah, see,
she set me up at the cottage,

gave me food, money,
you know, patron of the arts.

It was darned decent of her,
but, uh...

But she expected you
to be her lover.

Oh, no, no.

Elaine Bayler was quite a woman,
Mr. Mason,

but, uh, she didn't cheat,
at least not with me.

No, it was just that--

Well, she expected me to sit down
and write music

as if all I had to do
were to turn on a faucet and let it pour.

I had to live.

It's not easy to play jazz piano all night
at Natasha's

and to write your symphony all day.

What happened
when you left the cottage?

Uh, Elaine showed me the note.

Describe the note
as you remember it.

Well, uh, it was made up of letters
cut out of newspapers.

Said she'd be k*lled
if she told about it

and to leave $ ,
in the barricade pipe at Scarlet Point

or they'd tell her husband
she'd been carrying out with me.

- She had the money with her?
- Yes. Yeah.

She gave me an envelope to put it in
and told me to stick it in the pipe.

MASON: And you did.
- Uh-huh.

Did you hear or see anything unusual
during that time?

A car went by, I think,
on the main road.

Yeah, I heard it.

And then after I put the money
in the pipe, I heard the two sh*ts.

But if she were right there,

why didn't you see who fired the sh*ts
or hear them run away?

She wasn't right there.
She backed the car around

to hide it in the bushes,
so it wouldn't be seen.

She wanted to wait there
and see who took the money.

That's why she picked me up,
to be a witness.

What did you do
when you heard the sh*ts?

Well, I ran down the road
toward the car.

And that's when the sheriff
grabbed me.

Was he in his car?

No, he was standing over Elaine.

And he put his fist in my mouth
before I could say a word.

Mr. Mason,
I've told them everything I've told you,

but they've got their minds made up.
They're gonna k*ll me.

- Did they find the g*n?
- I don't know.

Don, do you have a g*n?

No.

Well, uh, there are a few g*ns
in the case at the cottage.

Belong to Mr. Bayler, I guess.

Mr. Mason, I wouldn't know
a . target p*stol from a shotgun.

I hate g*ns.

And I'll be back to see you
tomorrow.

Try to get some sleep.

- Uh, sheriff.
- Sleep? Ha.

With this hanging over me?

Oh, Mr. Mason, I forgot to tell you.
Ed Kesko came by to see me.

- Why?
- I don't know.

I've talked to him a few times
at Natasha's, but...

Did he ask you any questions?

No, just talked.

Oh, he did ask about the money,
how much money there was.

All right. Good night.

Now, sheriff,
I suggest you feed Mr. Hobart.

That's a joke.
I told you he was gonna miss chow.

If he does,
I'll hit you with a court order,

petition for a change of venue,

and advise the press
that you're abusing your prisoner.

And if you think that's a joke, try me.

AARON:
I wouldn't do that if I were you.

This is snake country, friend.

You ought to be wearing boots if you're
gonna tromp around in this brush.

You're right. Thanks.

- My name's Aaron.
- Paul Drake.

You're working
on the Bayler m*rder?

Yeah. Aaron, uh, you know this area?

Pretty well.

Well, if you could spare
about an hour of your time

and maybe show me around
and answer a few questions,

it's worth $ .

Doesn't hardly seem right.

All right, .

Put your money away.

You fellas used to living in the city
got a set against a man doing a favor

for a stranger.

And what do you figure that means?

Well...

These tracks are deep.

They were made by a heavy car,
I'd guess the Bayler car.

Now, these tires are smaller,
lighter impression,

and they go up to the dead end.

Now, it's my guess that after the
heavy car went up toward the Point,

the lighter car that had gone
to the dead end backed out here.

This fresh gash in the tree
and the blue paint

would indicate
that whoever backed out

was in a hurry and drove a blue car.

That's pretty good, Mr. Drake.
Pretty darned good.

Thirty feet.

That tell you anything, Mr. Drake?

No, not yet.

But that broken branch
would indicate

that a car with a high antenna
for transmitting was here.

That's smart.

Good figuring.

Not really.
I knew the sheriff was here last night.

Now, from those tracks in the road,

the position of Mrs. Bayler's car
and those b*llet holes,

the sh*ts must have been fired
from someplace over there.

AARON:
Sheriff.

Sheriff, this is Paul Drake.

What do you want, Drake?

Just some information.

If you want information,
read the papers.

Sheriff, I'd like to cooperate with you.

Anything I don't need any more of,
it's cooperation.

Now, clear out.

Aaron, see he gets back to the road,
will you?

That sheriff is gonna die young.

He stays mad.

I bet those sh*ts were fired
from over there.

I'd like to know if they turned up
the money or the blackmail note yet.

I have learned a few things
from you today, Mr. Drake,

so I'm gonna tell you some back.

They haven't found the money yet
and I'm not sure they ever will find it.

They did find the note, though,
in the car.

Don Hobart told the truth about that
anyway.

And right over there
is where the sh*ts were fired.

How do you know that?

Well, for one thing, I picked up
these two . cartridges over there.

Well, I'll be.

Do you know if the g*n's turned up?

Not yet.

Aaron, Lady Luck smiled on me
when I found you.

It's nice to meet one person
in this town who's on our side.

Now, those are the first two mistakes
you've made today, Mr. Drake.

You didn't find me, I found you.

And I'm not on your side.

Now, I'm Moose Dalton's
lab technician,

fingerprint expert and ballistics man.

But the truth never hurt anybody.

And I'm willing to wait
until after the trial

to put Don Hobart in a gas chamber.

Now, here is the pipe
where Hobart put the money.

Here's where the sh*ts were fired.

Here's where Mrs. Bayler's car
was parked

and here's where the sheriff's car
was parked.

Now, I walked back through the woods
on this side to the dead end road

where the little blue car turned in

after the Bayler car had gone up
to the Point.

Someone had been there
before me.

And as the matted track was erratic,
it must have been at night.

Good job, Paul. Darned good job.

I'm impressed.

Even though I must say,
I'm still laughing

about your encounter
with Mr. Aaron Chambers.

Yeah, well, I'm not.

Even though I'll admit, I was only the
second best detective out there today.

You're positive
they haven't found the w*apon.

Well, they hadn't when I got back,
and it was almost dark by then.

That could be bad. Very bad.

- Why?
- Well, it can't hurt Hobart.

He was picked up at the scene
and he didn't have the g*n.

So whoever k*lled Elaine Bayler
must have carried it off.

Well...

- Let's go.
PAUL: Where to?

Why, to find the g*n.

There's supposed to be a g*n case
in here.

I just hope
there's no g*n missing from it.

Because if there is,
your client could have taken it.

That won't be necessary, Mr. Drake.

- Aaron.
- I heard a car coming,

thought I'd wait and see who'd be
visiting here this time of night.

- Well, my name is--
- Oh, I know you, Mr. Mason.

Been reading about you for years.

Now, that pretty lady there,
I don't know her.

- Miss Street, this is Mister--
- Chambers.

I think you were interested
in that g*n case, Mr. Mason.

[AARON PLAYING PIANO]

MASON:
Well, they're all here.

At least we know
if Hobart did fire the sh*ts,

he didn't use a g*n
he had access to.

Would seem that way, wouldn't it?

Of course, this isn't the only place
he could've gotten a g*n.

You play beautifully.

I'm amazed at your touch.

Do you have any other talents, Aaron,
like, uh, maybe skydiving?

Nope. Tried it once and didn't like it.

Well, thanks for everything,
Mr. Chambers. I enjoyed meeting you.

Well, my pleasure.

Well, see you folks around.

Good night, Aaron.

Good night.

[RESUMES PLAYING]

All right, you can come out now.
They're gone.

You were telling me
why you came out here, Mr. Kesko.

Perry, what is the matter with you?

You haven't said one word
since we left Mr. Chambers.

I'm baffled, that's all.

PAUL: Yeah, Chambers has
the same effect on me.

MASON: No, it's not Chambers
that's bothering me.

That . target p*stol
has been fired recently.

But Don Hobart
couldn't have put it back in the case

if indeed it is the m*rder w*apon.

But that's great.

You subpoena the g*n,
and if it is the m*rder w*apon,

you can prove that Don
couldn't possibly have returned it.

No, Della, that's too simple,
too convenient.

- Paul?
- I'll be with you in a minute.

Perry.

Oh, come right in.
Here's a good table.

There.

Isn't Cynthia working tonight?

Oh, she'll be out.

She's got a little problem.
She's cooling him off back in her room.

Well,

you can see this is no place
for a guy with a headache tonight.

See, it's tourist weekend, this is.

If they're gonna have something
to talk about all winter,

then we've gotta put on a show
for them,

you know,
like make them feel Bohemian.

This is the show?

You don't think Abe over there
is an artist, do you?

He drives a laundry truck
during the week.

And these kids,
they hardly ever dance like this.

And most of the time
we put on, like, folk singing

with a small combo, of course.

And until the police wise up
and let Don Hobart go,

we're out a piano player.

I can recommend one.

Do you know Aaron Chambers?

Oh, sure. He came in here a few times
with Elaine Bayler.

He used to sit in with the combo,
plays trumpet.

Elaine Bayler come in often?

No, not lately.

She used to.

Until her old man, d*ck Bayler,
put the nix on it.

Said if I didn't keep her out of here,
he'd close me up.

What was bothering him?

Oh, Don Hobart, I suppose.

But Bayler was all wrong.

Hobart's not a bad kid.

I never had any trouble with him.

Believe me, if he k*lled Elaine Bayler,
then I'm a ballerina.

And besides,
Cynthia had a thing for him,

if you know what I mean.

Hey, Ed, baby.

Good evening.

I'm sorry we haven't been able
to get together, Perry.

But anything that's between
you and d*ck Bayler is...

Well, it doesn't mean
that we've got a feud.

Of course not, Ed. Sit down.

No, thanks, I'm just gonna have
a snort and get right back.

- Nice to see you.
MASON: Oh, Ed,

I understand you were asking my client
about the money that's missing.

Well, yes, I did talk to him.

d*ck wanted me to check.

But there's no problem about that now.
The money has been found.

PAUL: Where?
KESKO: At Scarlet Point.

The sheriff was out there wandering
around alone and he found it.

How much money was there?

I think Moose said it was $ , .

You think this is a madhouse, huh?

I wouldn't trade places with Ed Kesko
for all the money.

He works for a madman
in a madhouse.

Every day of his life.

And now, it must be even worse.

You know why?

Because he introduced Elaine Bayler
to Don Hobart.

Pardon me.

Hey, listen, you take it easy.

I don't get it.
What does Bayler want?

His tinhorn police
decide they can't k*ll me

and get away with it,
so they pick up Cynthia.

I'll talk to Cynthia, Don,
but you better realize one thing.

There's nothing tinhorn
about this Police Department.

Give them credit for that.

Well, why does Bayler have it in
for us?

I can't believe they're acting
on Bayler's orders.

He may have influence
to bend the law, but he can't break it.

Then why can't I talk to her?

She's just a kid.
She's scared to death.

How could she help but be.

I sat in that cell and all I could think of
was a movie I once saw.

The cyanide pellets dropping.

All right, Mr. Mason,
you can see her now.

Paul, I'll meet you and Don
back at the hotel.

They're letting you out.

You belong in here.

You dragged Cynthia out
to your place.

You had her snowed
as bad as you fooled Elaine.

You...

Howard.

Come in here. Now.

I swear I'm telling you the truth.

Why didn't you tell me the truth
about following Don and Elaine Bayler

to Scarlet Point,

the truth about finding the g*n
and putting it back in the cottage,

and the truth about helping yourself
to part of the money?

I didn't touch the money.

They can't say I did.

They can't say I k*lled that woman.

No?

Can they say you lied to them
about your whereabouts?

Can they say
you left tire tracks down there,

that your car scraped the tree,

that Elaine Bayler warned you
to stay away from her stepson?

That the defendant
purchased . caliber b*ll*ts

the day prior to the m*rder.

The blackmail note
was written on her stationery.

That she threatened the decedent.

And driven by motives of jealousy,
greed and revenge,

Cynthia Perkins k*lled Elaine Bayler.

This is not the Scarlet Center
Community Theater.

There will be no applause
from the spectators

or there will be no spectators.

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

- No, Your Honor.
- All right, Mr. Woodmire,

call your first witness.

Yes, sir, I can identify those exhibits.

Those are the defendant's shoes.

Soil and heel imprint
were traced to the area

where the sh*ts were fired
at Scarlet Point.

And this.

That target p*stol
was a m*rder w*apon.

It had traces of face powder
and lint on it,

which matched the same two items
found in the defendant's pocketbook.

Your Honor, if the sole purpose
of the district attorney

is to show that the defendant
was at Scarlet Point

on the night in question,

and that she did remove that w*apon
from that place, defense will stipulate.

[SPECTATORS MURMURING]

The spectators will be advised that
any reaction to the proceedings here

is a prerogative of this court.

The bailiff is advised
that he will remove any spectators

who challenge that prerogative.

It was about two weeks
before Elaine...

Well, Elaine went down
to the target range

my son has on our place.

Miss Perkins, the defendant,
was there with him.

I heard some shouting,
so I went down there.

I hate to put you through this,
Mr. Bayler,

but what did you see and hear?

Elaine ordered her
to get off the place.

When she refused to leave,
Elaine called her some name,

and told her
to stay away from my son.

Well, the girl picked up
one of the target pistols.

She waved it at Elaine and she said:

"One day you'll talk that way
to the wrong person

- and you'll get yours."
WOODMIRE: Cross-examine.

Now, Mr. Bayler,

you said the decedent
called the defendant some name.

- What name?
- Well, it's not the kind of thing

you say in court.

But it is the kind of thing you say
in front of your son

and his invited guest.

Objection.

I don't know what you're objecting to,
Mr. Woodmire.

The conclusion is logical.

Objection overruled.

Did your wife, in your presence,

ever have an argument
with anyone else?

WOODMIRE: Your Honor...
- Before the district attorney objects,

I'll remind him that he opened the door
in a previous examination.

- Well, Mr. Bayler?
- I don't recall.

Well, Cynthia said
she wanted to leave Scarlet Center.

She said...

She said
she couldn't stand it any longer.

Did she say
why she wouldn't leave?

She said
because it'd look funny if she did.

WOODMIRE:
And what day was this?

The afternoon after the, uh, m*rder.

WOODMIRE:
Take the witness, Mr. Mason.

Howard,

where were you on the night
of your stepmother's death?

HOWARD:
Most of the time at home.

- All night?
- No, sir.

MASON: Did you sleep there?
- No, sir.

MASON:
Where were you?

At Natasha's.

MASON:
All night?

I rode around a while.

Did you, uh, go near Scarlet Point?

HOWARD:
No, sir.

Well, I went by the cottage

because I knew Cynthia was there
with Don Hobart.

But I didn't go in.

MASON: Did you see anyone else
on the road?

Anyone who could identify you
and set the time?

HOWARD:
Well, I parked.

I sat there a while.
I don't know how long.

I saw the sheriff came by
a couple of times.

He wasn't in his patrol car.

MASON: He was alone?
HOWARD: Yes, sir.

Did you see anyone else?

Yes. Ed Kesko.

Uh, he was coming away
from the Point.

Well, I tried to talk to the defendant
about Mr. Bayler's son,

but she wouldn't discuss it.

She said it's a free country

and I'll see her dead
before I'll let her tell me what to do.

Your witness, Mr. Mason.

Mr. Kesko, do you concur
with Howard Bayler's testimony

that he saw you in the vicinity
of the cottage near Scarlet Point

on the night of decedent's death?

Well, yes, I did drive by.
I was going to Natasha's place.

Do you wanna tell the court
about your arrival at the Bayler home

on the morning
after Mrs. Bayler was sh*t?

Well, I didn't say
that I had been in town.

Uh, Mr. Bayler had been trying to
reach me in Sacramento

and he was upset already.

And I, uh--

So I just didn't correct the impression
that I had been in Sacramento.

But I didn't say
that I had been there.

What do you do for Mr. Bayler
in Sacramento?

I'm a registered lobbyist
for his interests.

You fix things for him
in Sacramento and elsewhere?

WOODMIRE:
Objection.

Mr. Mason,
it is hardly a virtue for a lawyer

to drive thumbtacks
with a sledgehammer.

- Objection sustained.
- Yes, Your Honor.

I have no further questions
for the witness at this time.

But I reserve the right to recall him
if it should be necessary.

Well, when I talked to Elaine,
the decedent,

I could see she was real upset
and in a hurry to get to the cottage.

MASON: Objection.
JUDGE: Sustained.

Well, let me put it this way.

What did you do after she drove off
toward the cottage?

MASON: Well, I cruised the road
a few times past the cottage.

I was concerned about her.

Uh, first time by, her car was there.

Second time, it was gone.

So I went on to Scarlet Point.

That's, uh, when I heard the sh*ts.

I ran toward the sounds
and I saw what had happened.

I knew I couldn't help Elaine,
so I went back to my car to radio in.

And I ran into Don Hobart.

JUDGE: I'm going to anticipate
the defense here, sheriff.

Did you see the defendant
in the area?

MOOSE:
No, sir.

It wasn't until the next day that
we started smelling something fishy.

Aaron Chambers walked the area
with a private detective

and they came across some tire tracks
and a bruised tree.

That tied in with the heel prints
that we found

near the expanded cartridges.

So we started looking for the car.

And meanwhile, we investigated
the purchasers of . b*ll*ts.

That led us to the defendant.

Her car checked,
the shoes found in her closet checked,

and the note which we found crumpled
on the floor of the car

matched with her stationery.

Sheriff,

I show you this envelope,
state's exhibit two.

Can you identify it?

Yes.

That's the envelope containing $ ,
which I found at the scene.

It was on a rock outcropping
covered by a slab of granite

about feet from the place
we found the expanded cartridges

and the heel prints of the defendant.

You may cross-examine, Mr. Mason.

You made a mistake
when you arrested Mr. Donald Hobart,

- didn't you, sheriff?
- I never said I was perfect.

Sometimes you make a mistake
and you correct it.

But when you find a suspect
on the scene of a m*rder--

The point is, Sheriff Dalton,

if you made a mistake one time,
obviously caused only by your zeal

and without regard
to any other influence,

you could have made a mistake again,
right?

- Objection.
JUDGE: I got the point, Mr. Mason.

Objection is sustained.

Let me ask you about finding
the $ , in the package.

Two thousand.

But I thought
that when the blackmail note was read,

it said , .

Well, we figure
that Mrs. Bayler only put , in

since her purpose
was to bait the blackmailer,

not to pay her off.

Then you do not believe that, originally,
there was $ , in the envelope

and that someone
removed part of it.

MOOSE: It's speculation,
but that's our judgment.

Now, as I understand it,

you just happened
to be going by Scarlet Point,

you just happened
to look under a slab on a rock,

and there it was, the $ , .

Two thousand dollars
that all your deputies

were unable to find after two days
of searching, is that correct?

I don't know what you're getting at
but that's right.

If the court please,

I wish to request a two-hour recess

for the purpose of preparing
a demonstration vital to my case.

I've been on the bench for years,

and this is the longest
preliminary hearing I can recall.

But since we're setting records,
I'll go along with you.

This court stands adjourned
until : this afternoon.

All right, Paul, saw it off.

Next thing you know,
Moose Dalton will have me booked

- for destroying county property.
- You'll have to take that chance.

Ha. We'll have to take that chance.

I ask you once more, sheriff,

has this envelope been tampered with
since it came into your possession?

I put it right in the car
and took it back to my office,

where I counted the money
in the presence of witnesses

who signed on the face of it there.

I put the money back
inside the envelope,

sealed it and put it into the safe.

Sheriff Dalton,
I take your word, of course.

But since the envelope
was found outside,

it might have been damp.

And since
it must have been put there hurriedly,

it might have had mud on it.

Now, did you take the envelope
you found,

and once you got to your office,
transfer it to another envelope?

No. I told you, no.

Did you count the money
when you found it?

Well, I looked inside,
I saw it was money.

But I didn't count it
till I got back to my office.

Your Honor, I'd like to recall
Donald Hobart for cross-examination.

JUDGE:
You may stand down, Moose.

Mr. Donald Hobart, come forward.

Mr. Hobart, you are still under oath.

You may proceed, Mr. Mason.

Now, Don, is this the same envelope
the decedent gave you?

The same one she told you to place
in this pipe stanchion?

Yes, sir, I'd say this is the envelope.

Will you show the court
what you did with the envelope

in following
Elaine Bayler's instructions?

- I put it in there.
- Now, would you do it again, please?

Your Honor, I'd like to recall
Sheriff Dalton to the stand.

[SPECTATORS MURMURING]

MAN:
He was just up there a minute ago.

I will have order here.

You're still under oath, Moose.

What is your belief as to how
the envelope got from this stanchion

to where you tell us you found it?

Well, Aaron Chambers and I
walked the ground.

And we figure
that what happened was,

the defendant was waiting there
for the payoff.

And she saw the money
put in this stanchion.

So in the time
that it took the big car to back up,

the defendant
went back down the road

and sh*t the decedent
as she had threatened.

Now, when she heard me coming,
she put the g*n in her purse

and waited for Donald Hobart
to be picked up.

Then she went back to the stanchion,
took out the package,

but by that time,
I had the spotlights on.

And so not taking any chances,

she hid the envelope
to be picked up later

and b*at it.

She didn't wanna get caught
with the money,

but she didn't mind getting caught
with the m*rder w*apon.

Now, let's see if that theory holds up.

Will you take the envelope
out of the stanchion, please?

So much for your theory, sheriff.

What do you think of this theory?

That Elaine Bayler
was k*lled by someone

who knew
she would go to Scarlet Point,

that she was k*lled because
she knew who her blackmailer was

before the sh*ts were fired.

And the blackmailer knew
he'd been discovered.

That the k*ller had access
to the stationery used

for the extortion note.

That the k*ller knew the defendant
had purchased . cartridges.

That the k*ller had access
to the m*rder w*apon.

But, Sheriff Dalton, the k*ller,

as K*llers always do,
made a mistake.

He described the m*rder w*apon
before it was found.

He k*lled her not only because
she was throwing him out,

not only because he could no longer
trade on nonexistent talent,

he k*lled her because Elaine Bayler
was aware of his duplicity.

"When I get through with you,
they're gonna put you under the jail."

That's what she said.

"You're gonna wish you were dead."

She told me.

Was she right, Mr. Hobart?

My favorite. Royal coachman,
real rainbow-k*ller.

You can fool around
with itty-bitty trout all you want.

I go for the big ones.
Now, I can just feel it.

There's a great, big, beautiful,
- or -pound, large-mouthed bass

just lying out there in those weeds

waiting to pounce on my favorite
spoon. They can't resist it.

Well, I'm all packed.

As soon as your train leaves,
Paul and I will be out on the lake.

Did you have any trouble
with your ticket?

No, no, I just didn't buy it.

I'm going to be riding back with you.

Now, wait a minute.
You don't like fishing. You said so.

It's not that we don't want you with us,
but you're gonna have to cut bait,

-and I just can't...
- And I thought we decided that I--

Now, just a minute,
if you'll let me explain.

I was just about to buy the ticket
when I heard something,

- and I had to come right back here.
- Something important?

The fishing season ended.

Yesterday.
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