All language subtitles for Perry Mason s01e21 Green-Eyed Sister.eng

My key, if you please.

- Here you are, Johnson.
- Thank you.

Good night.

That's him, Mr. West. Room 234.

Thanks.

What'd he do?

He talked too much.

What's going on?

Come on. Come on, Stanley.
Wake up.

Stanley? My name's Johnson.

- Since when?
- Who are you?

- Police?
- My name's Arthur West.

Private investigator.

Well, if you're not with the law,
what do you want?

Fifty thousand dollars you embezzled
from the Texas National Bank.

That was ten years ago, I--

Yes, I know it was.
And you had a partner, Ned Bain.

He's a pretty big man now,
highly respected.

I always wondered
how Bain made his money.

Didn't know he was financed
by the Texas National.

I don't get it. Spell it out.

Bank's like an elephant:
It never forgets.

They'd pay me plenty
to know how Bain made his money.

Then why don't you tell them?

Because Bain would pay a lot more.
Quite a lot.

What you need, J.J., is a manager.

Well, if it's blackmail,
you can count me out, mister.

I'd rather do time.

For once in your life,
you're gonna do as you're told.

By the time we're through,
you'll be able to swim in this stuff.

[CLATTERING]

[DOORBELL BUZZES]

STANLEY: Hello. Bain residence?
WOMAN: Yes, who's calling?

This is J.J. Stanley calling Ned Bain.

BAIN:
I'll take the call, Harriet.

Is that you, J.J. ?

STANLEY: Ned, is this line private?
BAIN: Of course.

What's the problem? Money?

STANLEY:
They're on to us, Ned.

The bank hired a private detective
to trace us, and they're closing in fast.

They can prove
we embezzled that money,

STANLEY:
I've got ways.

Ned, I have nothing to lose,
but you've got a family.

You've gotta do something
to stop them.

BAIN: This private detective.
Will he do business?

STANLEY: I think so.
I'll find out and call you tomorrow.

Then you can square things directly.

BAIN: Do that, J.J.
I'll expect your call tomorrow.

Well, Miss Bain?

Now will you believe
what I told you is true?

It's a lie.

My father would never steal.

I'm sorry, Miss Bain,
I'm only an agent.

That isn't my property or yours.

[SOBBING]

[DOOR CLOSES]

[SIGHS]

[PHONE BUZZES]

Yes, Gertie?

There's a Miss Bain here
to see Mr. Mason.

I'll be right out.

GERTIE: I'm sorry, Mr. Mason is
in court. May I take a message?

Could I help you? I'm
Mr. Mason's secretary, Della Street.

It's terribly urgent and private.

I've just got to see him.

Well, I'm afraid
that's impossible right now.

Mr. Mason's in court.

Well, when will he be back?

Well, as soon as the trial's over,
he's flying to Europe.

I'm awfully sorry.

[HARRIET SOBS]

Would you like
to come into my office?

I'm sorry to make
such a fool of myself.

Would it help you to talk a little?

Thanks, but I've already taken up
too much of your time.

Oh, you let me worry about that.

Cigarette?

Thank you.

Here, let me.

About six months ago
I met Addison Doyle.

He's a writer
and comes from an old Boston family.

He's a friend of my stepsister, Sylvia.

At first I thought
he was just being kind.

But now...

You're in love.

Yes. We're engaged to be married.

In the beginning, I thought
he was attracted to Sylvia.

She's blond and beautiful,
with a lovely figure, and...

Well, she's everything
I wanted to be but wasn't.

How does Mr. Mason fit into this?

Miss Street, my father
is being blackmailed.

About an hour ago,

a private detective named West
played me a wiretap recording.

It implicates my father
in an embezzlement

with his old partner, J.J. Stanley.

How did you become involved?

Well, my dad suffers
from an acute heart ailment.

I look after him
and take care of his calls.

I...

Oh, Miss Street,
I can't take a chance.

Besides the concern for my father,

I'm afraid that Addison will call off
the marriage if there's a scandal.

Don't you think you're underestimating
yourself and your fiancé?

Sometimes I'm very realistic.

My mirror has left me few illusions.

Here.

Why don't you start the story
from the beginning?

I'll try to see Mr. Mason
before he leaves.

- This is more than just a pleasure trip.
- I know that, Perry.

Give me one logical reason
why I should cancel my flight

at five minutes' notice
just to take on Harriet Bain's case.

I can give you many reasons.

Some of them may be
a little feminine...

I thought so.

I have got the solution
to the whole thing.

What is it, Paul?

You take on the Bain case,

and I'll pinch-hit for you
at the lawyers' conference in London.

MASON:
That's good.

Perry, this is serious.

Besides that, marriage is the only
chance for happiness this girl has.

And if her father should be implicated,
her fiancé walks out.

- That's right.
- Maybe she'd be better off.

There's plenty of other men
in this state she can choose from.

Not for Harriet Bain.

She signed a retainer.

There you are. It's all in the notes.

All right.
Who's doing this blackmailing?

A private detective named West.

Arthur West. She'll need plenty of help
if she's mixed up with that character.

- You see?
- Yeah.

Apparently the head of the
Paul Drake Detective Agency

doesn't think much of him.

I don't.

He's as smooth as a rattlesnake
and twice as deadly.

He makes a show of trying to
beat down the blackmailer's price,

acts for the victim, delivers the payoff,
then charges the client a nominal fee.

- So he gets paid both ways.
PAUL: Mm-hm.

Of course, this tape recording
could be faked.

Our first problem
is to locate J.J. Stanley.

- How will that help?
- You can't cross-examine a tape.

Paul, do you know where
this West lives?

Yeah, the, uh, Colegrove Apartments.

Stake out the apartment,
have him tailed.

- I think he may lead us to Mr. Stanley.
- All right.

- Do you want me to call Miss Bain?
- Have her meet me right away.

We're going over to see West.
I wanna hear that recording myself.

- And Della?
- Yeah?

I want you to pick me up a small
magnet, not over three inches long.

It has to fit into a cigarette package.

A toy magnet?

Yes, but the strongest one
they've got.

And perhaps you'd better delay
my plane reservation.

I already have.

I might've known.

STANLEY: Ned, I have nothing
to lose, but you've got a family.

You've gotta do something
to stop them.

BAIN: This private detective.
Will he do business?

STANLEY: I think so.
I'll find out and call you tomorrow.

Then you can square things directly.

BAIN:
Do that, J.J.

I'll expect your call tomorrow.

Don't touch it, Mr. Mason.

Before we do business,
I wanna examine that tape.

- Why?
- To make sure it hasn't been spliced.

Spliced?

Tapes can be faked
as well as composite photographs.

I can assure you it hasn't.

In this matter,
I prefer to use my own observation.

Or we're not buying.

All right, I'll show it to you.
But don't touch it.

That's about it.

Don't touch it, Mr. Mason.

I didn't see any splice marks.

Now, let's hear it again.

Okay.

You told Miss Bain
that J.J. Stanley wants 25,000.

- How much will he take?
- I think 20.

And you?

Well, the usual professional fees.
I'll leave it up to you.

All right, let's hear it.

[SILENCE]

There's nothing more we can do
until Mr. West discovers

what's wrong with that tape.

There's nothing wrong with the tape,
I assure you. I'll check the recorder.

All right.
I'll be in my office when you're ready.

I've had West's apartment watched
for the last four hours.

- So far, he hasn't left the building.
- Good.

DELLA:
What happened?

Well, I managed to mess up
the blackmail recording.

Well, how'd you do that?

The recording was erased
by holding a magnet close to the tape.

I don't understand.

All the words on a tape recording
can be wiped clean

by passing it near or through
a magnetic field.

It's a process called degaussing.

Isn't that tampering with evidence?

Oh, that tape had to be a copy.

By erasing the copy,
I think I can force Mr. West

to reveal where he keeps
his master recording.

[PHONE BUZZES]

Yes, Gertie?

Mr. West is on the phone.

Put it on Mr. Mason's private line.

Mason speaking.

You have?

When may I hear it?

Right.
Tomorrow morning at 9 will be fine.

Then he did have another copy
of the tape.

[PHONE BUZZES]

- Yes?
GERTIE: Miss Bain to see Mr. Mason.

- And she's pretty upset.
- Thanks, Gertie.

I'll bring her in.

All right, Paul,
I'll check with you later.

Oh, Mr. Mason, it's out in the open.

Sylvia was mad because
I brought you into the case

and she told Dad.

What was your father's reaction?

He says the whole thing's a fraud.

He's going to fight, Mr. Mason,

and would like to see you
as soon as possible.

Good. Your father here?

I'm sorry to cause you
so much trouble,

but would you mind
coming out to the house?

Dad's a sick man,
he's had heart trouble for years.

Of course I'll come out to the house.

Hello, airline reservations?

This way, Mr. Mason.

Oh, how's Father?

He's much better. Dr. Fisher just left.

Is this Mr. Mason?

Oh, yes.
Mr. Mason, my sister, Sylvia.

How do you do?

This is just a storm in a teacup,
Mr. Mason.

Unfortunately, I wasn't consulted.

I'm afraid my stepsister
is a little impulsive at times.

- Has Addison arrived?
- Of course.

Addison Doyle's
a fixture around here.

I suppose you know
that he's Harriet's beloved?

Sylvia, please.

[MAN CHUCKLES]

Enter the villain.

Mr. Mason, this is my fiancé,
Addison Doyle.

I've heard a great deal about you.

All good, I hope.

Harriet,
Mr. Mason came to see Father.

Of course.

That recording's a lie, Mr. Mason.

If I could get my hands
on J.J.'s neck--

What's your connection with him,
Mr. Bain?

I'm in oil, Mr. Mason.

Ten years ago, J.J. backed me
on a wildcat strike, and I was lucky.

He got back every dollar,
and more.

When did you last see him?

About six months ago.

He started to hit the bottle
and landed in skid row.

I gave him a few handouts
and I thought it was quits.

- You going to pay him off?
- Not one cent. Why should I?

If necessary,
would you go to the police?

I have Harriet's happiness
to think of, Mr. Mason.

Also Sylvia's.

A scandal wouldn't help.

You've a completely free hand
to get back that tape.

Good.

I'll be here tomorrow
after I've dealt with Arthur West.

Oh, uh, by the way, Mr. Bain,

do you happen to know
J.J. Stanley's address?

No. Not even a phone number.

[S YLVIA LAUGHING]

DO YLE:
She's none the wiser.

BAIN:
Harriet.

- Will you excuse me, Mr. Mason?
- Of course, Miss Bain.

Well, that was a swift conference.

Yes, it was.

Now, if you'll excuse me,
I'll get back to town.

[DOOR CLOSES]

Who dragged Mason into it?

Harriet.

What, on her own?

Sylvia, dear, you must be slipping.
I thought you controlled her.

[DOORBELL BUZZES]

- Who is it?
- Ned Bain.

You were stupid to get mixed up
with someone like West.

He forced me to do it.
It wasn't my idea.

Uh-huh.

What are you gonna do?

You know my philosophy, J.J.

Never put off for tomorrow
what you can do today.

Or rather, tonight.

Take me back to the corner
of Los Feliz and Vermont.

[ENGINE STARTS]

[TAPPING ON DOOR]

- Hi, Perry.
- Hello, Paul.

- I've located J.J. Stanley.
- Well, where is he?

In the apartment across the hall
from West. Number 2B.

Are we picking up Harriet?

No, she said she'd meet us
at West's apartment.

All right, Miss Street,
we're on our way.

Uh, if this is gonna be a showdown,
maybe I'd better tag along.

I might come in handy.

Thanks, Paul.
I don't expect any trouble.

"Perry Mason.

If I'm a few minutes late,
the door is unlocked.

Make yourself at home.
Arthur West."

What's the catch?

Does seem a little anxious
for us to search the apartment.

I think we'd better just go--

[HARRIET SCREAMS]

- He's dead.
- Who, West?

No.

No, I think it's J.J. Stanley.

His body is in the kitchen.

It's a trap, and we fell right into it.

Here.

West will be here any moment
expecting to find us with the body.

I'm gonna check
Stanley's apartment.

When West turns up,
pretend to be reading that note.

How will I let you know
when he gets here?

When you hear the elevator stop,
give two rings on Stanley's doorbell.

[DOORBELL BUZZING]

MASON:
Hey.

You could've waited for me.

Mr. West just arrived.
He left this note for you.

I'm sorry I'm late,
I just came from a card game.

Oh, I didn't know
you were a gambler.

I'm not. For me, poker's no gamble.

Make yourselves at home.
I'll put on some coffee.

And I thought you were smart.

It's an emergency.
Give me the police.

When he's finished, you better
call the airline and cancel my trip.

Right.

Well, I've finished with him,
Lieutenant Tragg. Killer did a neat job.

- What killed him, doctor?
- Internal haemorrhage.

Found a couple of puncture wounds,
probably made by an ice pick.

Any idea when he died?

From his body temperature, I'd say
sometime around 3 a.m. this morning.

Don't hold me to it
until I've made an autopsy.

Oh, thanks, doctor. I'll keep in touch.

Lieutenant, I found this
across the hall in Apartment 2B.

Check it out with the crime lab
for prints.

Well, Mason,
what's your story this time?

Coincidence, or just bad luck?

- Hi, Paul.
PAUL: Hi, Perry.

Well, what did you get?

Tragg took West down to headquarters
and he sang like a bird.

That type usually does.

We've got to locate that tape recording
before Tragg gets it.

- You're sticking your neck out, Perry.
- Why?

Tragg knows that you searched
J.J. Stanley's apartment

with Della standing guard.

Harriet Bain talk?

No. West rigged the tape recorder
by the door

with the timer set to go at 9:00.

Then police have a record
of every word that was said.

That's right.

That could be
a pretty strong witness.

And that's not all.

Tragg sent a crew
down to Bain's house.

They fingerprinted the whole family.

[PHONE RINGS]

Yes? Yes, Della.

What?

All right, tell her
I'll be there as soon as I can.

Bain just had another heart attack.

Doctor thinks this one might be fatal.

I'll see you.

Well, I thought
we'd lose him an hour ago,

but he's tough as nails.
He'll pull through.

How did this attack take place,
doctor?

Shock or sudden exertion.

If he'd taken a walk,
would that be a factor?

Mr. Bain couldn't even walk
to the bathroom

with his heart condition.

You certain?

In medicine, nothing is certain.

Oh, by the way,
I found this under his pillow.

It hardly makes for good resting.

May I?

Do you think--?

This had better be kept
in a safe place.

Harriet, did you leave the house

or did you see your father
leaving your house

at any time last night?

No.

[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]

Uh, Miss Bain, did you, at any time,
leave this house last night?

- No.
- You're certain of that?

Uh, little Miss Galahad
is protecting my honour.

She has a perfect alibi, Mason.
She was at my apartment.

- Addison.
- Oh, it was perfectly proper.

Good night.

Uh, do call again.

- Mr. Mason--
TRAGG: Hello, Perry.

Well.

I see you've got--
Oh, that tape's rather bulky, Perry.

It just spoils the whole cut
of your suit.

Oh, by the way,

you do represent the Bain family,
Perry.

- Yes, I do.
- Well, then your job is just starting.

I'm arresting your client,
Harriet Bain.

- What for?
- On suspicion of murder.

Your fingerprints
are all over that ice pick.

[KNOCKING ON DOOR]

- May I come in?
- Yes, of course.

Park on the couch
if there's room there.

Excuse the mess, the service
in this place is simply hopeless.

I've just come from the jail.

A visit from you
might've been helpful.

Oh, skip the violins, Mason.

My engagement with Harriet
is quite unofficial.

In the circumstances,
it's better that way.

Isn't your walking out on Harriet
a little hard on your conscience?

[DO YLE SCOFFS]

Conscience is a luxury for a man
with a limited income.

And, uh, as you see, mine is limited.

I gather your writing
hasn't been very profitable.

For a man like myself,
with little talent,

a beer income
but, uh, champagne tastes,

the label "writer" has certain value.

A few sheets of paper,
battered typewriter, beard

work wonders
with the impressionable sex.

You're disarmingly honest.

Well, Mason, you're nobody's fool,
so why should I lie?

You know what I'm after
as well as I do.

Harriet's arrest
and the ensuing scandal

must've been
a great disappointment to you.

Oh, it was.
But, uh, there are compensations.

Sylvia?

Do you really think you can
make the switch in midstream?

Do I have to go into detail?

Let me give you a word of advice.

Go easy on the changeover to Sylvia.
It might backfire.

- Oh? How?
- She has very red claws.

She knows how to use them.

We don't have much time
to get to court, Perry.

Yes, I know.

Where's that copy
of Gross' Criminal Investigation?

There wasn't one in town. I wired the
publishers. There's a copy on its way.

All right.

BURGER: Morning of March 9th,
you were called to Apartment 2A

at the Colegrove Apartments

where you first saw the body
of the decedent, J.J. Stanley.

I was.

In the course of your investigation
was an ice pick discovered?

Yes.

Is this the ice pick?

Yes, it is.

If it please the court,
we should like this weapon entered

as People's Exhibit A.

Where was the ice pick discovered,
lieutenant?

TRAGG: In Apartment 2B,
occupied by the late J.J. Stanley.

Were you subsequently able
to establish

the ownership of the ice pick?

Yes, it was identified by Bain's cook
as one of her kitchen utensils.

And was it found
to bear certain fingerprints?

- Yes.
- Whose were they?

The defendant. Harriet Bain.

Was anything else found
in the apartment, lieutenant?

Yes, we found a cigarette lighter.

Were you able
to establish the ownership?

Yes, Mr. Burger.
You will notice the initials "H.B."

The defendant, Harriet Bain,
admitted it's hers.

People's Exhibit B,
if it please the court.

That's all, lieutenant. Thank you.

Your witness.

Lieutenant,
you've identified the ice pick

as property
belonging to the Bain household.

I did.

Now, an ice pick is a normal piece
of household equipment,

wouldn't you say?

Yes, of course.

It should hardly come
as a surprise

to find the defendant's fingerprints
on this piece of kitchen equipment.

True, but I wouldn't believe
that she'd be using it

in the, uh, deceased's apartment.

But you did find latent fingerprints
of the defendant's on the ice pick?

Yes.

Were these fingerprints developed
at the scene of the crime

or at police headquarters?

At police headquarters.

Now, was it possible
to transport the ice pick, uh,

without either destroying or impairing
those latent fingerprints?

Not only possible, Mr. Mason,
but it was done without any damage

or impairment to the latent prints
of Miss Bain.

Then, lieutenant,
it must've been equally possible

for someone
other than the defendant

to have transported the ice pick
from the Bain residence

to the scene of the murder
without disturbing the fingerprints.

Well, lieutenant?

Yes.

Now, if someone wanted to incriminate
the defendant,

the ice pick would've been
an excellent idea.

Yes, if you could get somebody
to believe it.

But you believed it, didn't you?

Just as you believed the cigarette
lighter was left by the defendant.

BURGER:
Objection.

Lieutenant Tragg simply testified
that he found the defendant's lighter

in the deceased's apartment.

No further questions.

Dr. Hanover, did you examine the body
of the decedent, J.J. Stanley,

to determine the cause
and the time of death?

- I did.
- What were your findings?

I found two puncture wounds
made from the front.

One penetrating the ascending aorta,
just above the heart.

The other piercing
the subclavian artery.

Would these wounds
have caused immediate death?

They would. From massive
internal haemorrhage within minutes.

And what, in your opinion, would've
been the nature of the weapon?

Long, sharp, pointed instrument.
Possibly an ice pick.

Doctor,
are you familiar with this exhibit?

Yes, I examined that
at the request of the police.

And what did you find?

The wounds
penetrating the decedent's body

match this exhibit
in relation to size and depth.

Was that all?

No, I developed latent blood stains
made at the apex of the ice pick.

These match
the decedent's blood group.

It's group AB.

Doctor, would you explain for us,
please,

the phenomenon
known as post-mortem lividity?

Yes.
To the layman it resembles a bruise.

When the blood stops circulating,
it settles,

and the veins congest
in the lowest part.

The lowest from the standpoint
of body position.

Was there such a bruise
marking the body of the victim?

Yes, sir, there was.

This indicates that the body
had been lying on its back

at least two hours after death.

Well, what can you tell us
about rigour mortis?

It starts in the face,
three to five hours after death,

and gradually spreads downward.

For the entire body to be involved,
usually takes eight to 12 hours.

When I first examined Stanley's body,
only the face and arms were involved.

Well, from your examination, doctor,

were you able to reach a conclusion
as to the time of death?

Yes, sir. Between 2 and 3 a.m.

Thank you, doctor.

Your witness.

Dr. Hanover,

you base your estimate
of the time of death

on post-mortem lividity
and rigour mortis?

They're both factors.

Are these the only factors
in determining the time of death?

- No.
- What others are involved?

Ingestion of the last known meal,
body temperature.

How is temperature used
in determining time of death?

The body cools at approximately
one and one-half degrees per hour

for the first 12 hours after death.

Well, could your calculations
be in error

with any changes or alterations
in room temperature?

They could've been,
but they weren't.

I made a careful check
of the room temperature

and it was normal.

But changes in the room temperature
could have affected

your calculations
concerning the time of death?

- Yes.
- Thank you, doctor, that's all.

[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]

Your Honour,
with regard to my next witness,

I ask the court's indulgence.

Since this man
suffered a heart attack,

I ask permission to bring him into court
on a stretcher.

It's Father.

We object, Your Honour,
to this inhumane

and unnecessary treatment
of the defendant's father.

JUDGE: Is a physician in attendance?
- Yes, Your Honour.

And here's his certificate
from the police medical examiner

stating that Mr. Bain
is able to be questioned.

- Is he outside?
- Yes, Your Honour.

Well,
since the witness is already present

I will permit his admission.

Call Ned Bain.

Mr. Ned Bain.

Now, please take note however,
Mr. Burger,

that I shall regulate your examination

with strict regard
to the witness's health.

- He's a hostile witness, Your Honour.
- He has a reason to be, Mr. Burger.

CLERK:
Raise your right hand, please.

Do you solemnly swear the testimony
you're about to give

to be the whole truth?

BAIN: I do.
CLERK: State your name, please.

Ned Bain.

Mr. Bain, did you know the deceased,
J.J. Stanley?

- Yes.
- And he was blackmailing you.

He tried to.

Did he have substance and truth
to his allegation

that you embezzled money
from the Texas National Bank?

Should I repeat that last question?

I heard you.

Statue of limitations
has expired on the crime.

You can answer
without incriminating yourself.

Or my family?

How does the fact of an alleged charge
of embezzlement and blackmail

affect the defendant in this case,
Mr. Burger?

That will be explained
in my next question, Your Honour.

Did your daughter, Harriet,
know that J.J. Stanley's threat

to expose your past
was based on truth?

Oh, please, leave him alone.

I knew it was true.

When did you last see
J.J. Stanley alive?

Half past 11,
on the night that he died.

Thank you, Mr. Bain, that's all.

Your witness, Mr. Mason.

I have only a few questions, Mr. Bain.
Do you feel well enough to answer?

Of course, Mr. Mason.

Now, uh, why did you visit
J.J. Stanley?

- To pay off the blackmail.
- And what prompted this move?

Stanley called and suggested
that we could deal without West.

And that night you paid him off
with money that your daughter, Harriet,

had withdrawn from your bank.

Yes.

Did Harriet know that you were going
to pay the money to J.J. Stanley?

Yes, she did.

In that case,
she had no possible motive for murder.

Thank you, Mr. Bain.

That's all, Your Honour.

BURGER: After you arrived
at the apartment house with Mr. Bain,

what happened?

I waited.

Did you notice anything
while you were waiting?

Well, like I told Lieutenant Tragg
in his office,

there was a foreign car behind me.

Now, what made you remember
this incident?

Well, I picked up my fare
at Los Feliz and Vermont

and I was tailed all the way.

Was there anything about the car
that you noticed?

Well,
I wrote down the licence number.

- Was that DHR-786?
- Yeah, that's right.

Your Honour,
I enter into exhibit for the state

a copy of a registration
for a Citroën sedan,

licence number DHR-786,

belonging to the defendant,
Harriet Bain.

Your witness.

Mr. Miller, you said the car was parked
a short distance behind you.

- Yeah, that's right.
- Did you see the driver's face?

No, it was too dark.

Then the driver could've been
a man or a woman?

Yeah.

In other words,
you couldn't say the car was driven

by the person whose name appears
on that registration slip.

Course not.

Thank you, Mr. Miller, that's all.

JUDGE:
You may step down.

BURGER: Mr. West, you were
acquainted with the late J.J. Stanley?

WEST: Yes.
- You found his body.

I did.

- You're a private detective, Mr. West?
- Yes.

- Licensed by the Police Commission?
WEST: Yes.

BURGER:
And you met the late J.J. Stanley

in your professional capacity
as a private investigator.

WEST: Yes.
- Would you tell the court, please,

how that came about?

Well, I was approached by Stanley
with a tape recording

purporting to be a phone conversation
between him and Ned Bain.

When I found out what was in it
I contacted the Bain family

and told them of its contents.

And what were the contents
of the tape?

We object on the grounds
that this is not best evidence.

The tape itself should be produced.

Well, Mr. Burger?

Your Honour, I intend
to introduce the tape in evidence

as soon as a proper foundation
has been laid.

Objection overruled,
you may answer the question.

Well, the conversation implied
that Stanley and Bain

were engaged in a bank embezzlement
ten years ago.

- In short, this was blackmail.
- It was.

A threat to Bain so serious
that his loyal daughter

might do almost anything to stop it.
Even murder.

Objection.

It's a leading question.
Calls for a conclusion.

JUDGE:
Objection sustained.

Mr. West, is this the tape
you gave me in my office?

It is. I signed it.

Your Honour, I enter this in evidence
as People's Exhibit D.

Your witness.

Mr. Mason.

Mr. Mason?

Uh, my apologies, Your Honour.

You're acquaintance with J.J. Stanley
was purely professional?

Yes.

- You had no personal ties?
- None.

Then your only connection with him
was as a private investigator.

Yes.

Was Mr. Stanley's apartment
opposite yours?

- Yes.
- A semi-furnished apartment?

Well, I don't go snooping around
other people's places, Mr. Mason.

- Even when you're paying the rent?
- I--

And buying the groceries
and supplying the drinks?

I made him a loan.

You mean,
you financed Stanley's blackmail.

- That's not true.
- Why did you buy him a deep freeze?

And why did you fill it with food?

And why did you keep Stanley
out of sight?

- That's not illegal.
- But tampering with evidence is.

- What evidence?
- Stanley's body.

I submit you placed
the decedent's body

in that deep freeze.

But I was playing cards
when he was killed.

Were you?

Or did you place the body
in the deep freeze

knowing it would alter
the apparent time of death?

And didn't you later remove the body
and place it in your own apartment,

setting a trap so that Miss Harriet Bain
would be accused of his murder?

That's not true.

Your Honour, I object.

Mr. Mason's statements are pure,
unadulterated speculation.

Have you any grounds
for these assertions, Mr. Mason?

If the court will allow,
I think an examination

of this deep freeze will reveal traces
of the decedent's rare AB-blood group.

In view of the gravity of this charge,
Mr. Burger,

I find this matter most germane
to the case,

and herewith order
that the court will adjourn

to the decedent's apartment
to inspect this deep freeze.

Hey, wait a minute.
Let me have that.

This looks like a blood stain.

There's more there on the bottom.

Well, maybe it dripped
from a meat package.

Dr. Hanover,

wouldn't placing the body
in that deep freeze

change the apparent time of death?

Yes, Mr. Mason, it would.

Your Honour, I further submit
that Harriet Bain was physically unable

to have placed the dead body
in that freezer.

I fully concur.

Then your calculations
could be an error, doctor.

Yes, Your Honour.

Under the circumstances,
I order an immediate examination

of these blood stains.

And I further order, Mr. Burger,
that you hold Arthur West

on suspicion of murder.

What?

Hi, Sylvia. Mason.

I just read the news.
When will Harriet be released?

I'm expecting a phone call
any minute.

That's pretty smart figuring, Mason.
But, uh, what was West's motive?

Twenty-five-thousand dollars
in payoff money.

[PHONE RINGS]

Bain residence.

Oh, yes, he's right here.
For you, Mr. Mason.

Thank you.

Yes?

Yes, Della.

He has?

Good.

Good, yes, thanks.

All right, I'll tell them.

Well, that winds it up, Miss Bain.

Harriet was released ten minutes ago.
She's on her way home.

Addison,
I think that under the circumstances

it would be more tactful if you
weren't here when Harriet arrives.

Oh, of course.
Yes, I-- I think you're right, Sylvia.

Well, I'll-- I'll call you in the morning.

Good work, Mason.

MASON:
Light?

Here's your killer, lieutenant.

And his motive: $25,000.

Well, Doyle,
you almost had us fooled.

Thank you.

Well, I'll take that light now, Mason.

[KNOCKING ON DOOR]

- Hi.
MASON: Hi, Paul.

Tell me you're still gonna try to make
that conference of lawyers in London.

I might, if I can ever get there.

- Will you drive me out to the airport?
- Sure.

Perry, the reason I dropped by
is something puzzles me.

I know that you suspected Doyle

when you saw a copy
of Dr. Gross' Criminal Investigation

in his apartment.

But what was in the book
that clinched things for you?

It cites an identical case of retarding
body temperature by freezing.

And by the way,
thanks for getting it to court on time.

You're welcome. But, Perry,
if the motive was money,

why didn't Doyle wait
till he'd married Harriet or Sylvia?

Well, the $25,000 was a sure thing.

Harriet's inheritance,
in the event of a scandal,

was conjectural.

And besides,
Sylvia was upsetting his plans.

How?

Paul, Sylvia Bain
wouldn't have had Doyle as a gift.

All she wanted was to break his hold
on Harriet.

- Then she was helping little sister.
- Right.

Perry, what is going to happen
to old man Bain?

Well, although the statute of limitations
has run out on his crime,

if the bank brings a civil suit
they can recover the money he took

plus any profits he made
as a result of his embezzlement.

I'm back, Perry.

Back? I thought you were going
to the beauty parlour.

I did. I just had to meet someone.

Would you do me a favour, Perry?

MASON:
Mm-mm.

- What is it?
- Well, there's a client outside.

Oh, no, you don't.

It won't take but a minute.
She, uh, just wants a little advice.

No. My plane takes off in an hour.

Please.

Bring her in.

Mr. Mason will see you now.

I wanted to say thank you personally,
Mr. Mason, before I left town.

You're going away?

Yes,
Harriet's taking a vacation in Europe.

And my plane leaves in an hour.

Taking the polar route to London,
by any chance?

Why, yes.

Della managed to get me a seat
on the plane.

Hm. What a remarkable coincidence.

Well, Miss Machiavelli?

Well, with this new hairdo
and new outfit,

a girl needs an escort.

I just couldn't think of a better one
for the trip.

After you.

Shall we?

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