Original subtitles

Bye.

Come on, come on. What are you worrying about? Nobody will find out and nobody

will know.

The contract's in the bag, I guarantee you.

If anybody's got trouble, it's me.

This partnership thing is like trying to ride a dying horse.

I need that money. You, my friend, owe me $50 ,000.

I never guaranteed who would get the contract. I only said our report would

it so that Universal wouldn't.

Well, now you're talking sense. Suppose I meet you at... Yes, Terry.

Universal Aviation, Mr.

Pierce. What?

Right outside and mad.

Wait till I buzz and then send him in.

Did you hear that?

Well, we knew we'd have to fade some of the music, but he can't know and it

won't make any difference.

Just stay on the line. I'll get back to you.

Mr. Pierce, sir. Sit down.

Oh, but Mr. Pierce... Sit down, Lloyd, and listen.

Universal Aviation is a company with net assets of more than $100 million.

On behalf of the board of directors and the stockholders, I run that company.

You, Lloyd, may know the right time of day.

More than that, I wouldn't swear to.

Mr. Pierce, I protest.

Sit down.

You're a fast -talking promoter.

Who lashed onto a bright young scientist and formed a two -bit independent

reliability testing outfit, whatever that is. Why, I don't know.

But my engineering department saw fit to employ your company to test some

designs for the Deimos project.

A project with a total potential value in excess of one half a billion dollars.

Less than a day before our bid is due, we discover by some strange fluke that

our bid is going to be so high.

We haven't a chance to win that contract.

Mr. Pierce, that's the way things happen. The fortunes of war. I'm

sorry you lost that contract.

But I haven't lost it.

Well, you just said.

I asked for and was given a week's extension in which to submit our bid.

But that means... An investigation, Mr. Lloyd.

Mr. Pierce, are you accusing me?

Yes, I am.

If one of my departments is found to be at fault...

I'll fire the whole kit and caboodle of them.

But if, as I'm led to believe, it's that outfit of yours, look out.

Now start that genius partner of yours double -checking that report he wrote.

He may have to explain it in court.

Universal's held up their bid and gotten an extension.

How do I know why?

Could be anything.

Some fluke, Pierce said.

Maybe somebody smelled something in the report.

If they question too closely and double -check, you and I may go to jail.

Don't give me that, friend. If I go to jail, you're going with me.

That'll be $5 .38, sir. Personal check for $25. Cash it. May I see your

license, please?

Everything all right, Mr. Lloyd?

You're looking a little peaked. I feel it.

I don't think I've ever seen you buy a bottle before.

What are you going to do, drown the trouble?

Why not?

Here you are.

Thank you.

Station 3706, Cashback King.

213769, Brown 14.

That's right.

Yeah, sure, I'll hold on.

Sir, would you be kind enough to fill out this credit application for me,

please? What for?

Oh, just routine for our records, your name and your address.

Are you stalling me?

Excuse me?

Who are you talking to?

Look, telecredit's just a routine electronic... Oh, forget it.

That's him, officer. That's the guy with the pony license and the bad check.

Him.

Terrific, isn't it? You can spot a pony license or a bad check in five seconds.

Yeah.

Can I help you with your problem, Mr. Lloyd?

Thanks, Joe.

You already have.

That's how it works.

Well, that's wonderful.

Excuse me, Mr. Lloyd.

Yes, Terry. Mr. Garrett would like to see you in his office. I think he has

lawyer with him. He said it was important.

Of course.

Well, thank you, Mr. Fortney.

Thanks for your time and trouble. I'll be seeing you soon. Thank you, Mr.

Right.

What's... The electronic check approval, and who's Mr. Fordney?

Oh, he's the fellow I met at the club. He's selling something.

I guess I'll see Dwight.

Often.

After you see him, will I still be working here?

Everybody's wondering, huh?

Well, we haven't exactly been setting the world on fire.

Our boy Dwight is a walking brain.

Real smart, sure.

But he's not the only one around here who can figure things out.

Don't ever sell Austin Lloyds short.

Hello, Dwight.

Our private little war seems to be turning into a public exhibition.

I'm sorry, Austin.

You gave him no choice, Mr. Lloyd.

Oh, Mason, I know you called, but you'll have to understand the pressure of

business. Dodging is the word.

You deliberately avoided my calls.

Assume the offensive.

It's a good legal tactic.

Well, even the reinforcements are here.

Mr. Baker of Baker Avionics, Mr. Ned Chase, his chief reliability engineer.

I don't know how this concerns you, gentlemen, but welcome to the battle.

Austin, I've been offered a vice presidency of Baker Avionics.

Genius recognized, genius rewarded. Good for you, Dwight. Look, I want out,

Austin.

I want to dissolve our partnership.

You want to dissolve my marriage, too.

Accusations like that are one reason your partnership needs dissolution.

Solomon, come to render judgments.

Tell me, Mason, do you know all the answers?

Let's say I know enough of them to recognize lack of equity.

Dwight's contribution to this joint venture of yours has become increasingly

disproportionate. Bitter antagonism is grounds for dissolution of partnership

the courts.

Oh, now we're going to wave subpoenas at one another.

The company has assets.

Dwight agrees they're yours to keep.

Oh, fine.

Just enough money in the bank to meet the payroll and the current bills,

Dwight Garrett isn't the only reliability engineer in the field.

No?

Well, one even half as good wouldn't dream of associating with me unless I

offer him a substantial bonus.

The kind of money I don't have, Dwight doesn't have, and the company doesn't

have. Oh, come off it, Austin.

There must be somebody you can associate with.

Tell me, Mr. Myron Baker, with just a somebody, not a Dwight Garrett, would

company use us?

Well, I... I don't handle that end of the business.

Isn't that beautifully evasive?

Mr. Ned Chase is Mr. Baker's chief reliability engineer, and under those

circumstances, would you use us?

No.

Oh, look, Perry, maybe I... No, do I.

You made him your partner out of misguided sympathy.

Don't repeat the mistake.

All right, Mr. Lloyd.

In regard to the dissolution of partnership, and as a matter of record,

your answer.

As a matter of record, you'll have it.

In 24 hours.

Oh, Dwight.

Minds like yours sometimes frighten me.

You punch magic holes into a piece of cardboard and feed it into a computer,

out comes an answer telling you how to fly to the stars.

I wish life's problems were as easily solved as that.

Dwight, I'm Austin's wife.

I'm not a chattel.

You can't trade him half a partnership for me.

We both made a mistake.

You when you married him and me when I made him my partner.

He's no good, Bonnie.

Look, I... I know he's been lying and cheating and stealing from the company.

Well, then you should have asked him to leave a long time ago.

Just as I know he's been lying and cheating and...

He's stolen every chance for happiness you'll ever have.

Have I ever led you to believe that I thought you and I were anything but just

good friends?

I'm letting him go.

You, Bonnie.

You let him go.

My kind of partnership is different.

I'm in mine for life.

You love Austin?

Look at me.

Bonnie, I love you.

Tonight, tonight you love me.

What kind of a contract?

Well, it's a Mexican company, a top Latin American outfit in electronics.

They're expanding.

They're looking for a United States company to do their reliability and test

design work.

You think you can land the contract?

Well, if you'll meet their top man and look over the specs on the project, yes.

And, uh, if I do?

I'll sign any papers that Mason prepares.

When and where do I see this man?

Well, I'm expecting a telephone call at my house at four o 'clock.

You go home and pack a bag, say, for a two -day trip.

Come over to my house after four o 'clock and I'll make all arrangements.

Where do I go to see him?

Mexico.

Acapulco.

I'll go and pack.

Mexico?

That's right, honey, just think of us.

Just the two of us, one week in Acapulco.

All things are looking up, Bonnie. Money is coming in.

It'll be a second honeymoon, a second chance to prove to you that I can be a

good husband, that I love you.

To leave today? Well, I don't have any clothes.

Well, get them when you get there.

Anything you want, another trousseau.

Don't say no, honey. Please, I beg of you.

I don't know. I just... Things will change, honey. You won't be

sorry.

Do you have the airplane tickets?

Oh, that reminds me.

I'm going to be tied up right until flight time. But, honey, you can run a

couple of errands for me, huh?

Go to the Beverly Hills Airline office and pick up the tickets. Pay with this

check for both of them.

One way.

One way?

We're coming back by boat.

Our own boat.

Two weeks of easy sailing up the coast of L .A.

You're going to buy a boat? A fantastic buy. $7 ,500 for a thing of beauty worth

three times that.

The owner's in trouble. He needs cash.

$10 ,000. Go and cash this at the bank. Get $100 bills. He insists on being paid

that way.

We'll need the rest for expenses up the coast.

That's so much money to carry.

Oh, put it in your purse and forget it.

One more thing.

A radio receiver for the boat. I ordered one at Hillman's. Will you pick it up

for me?

Where will I meet you?

At the airport. I'll pick up my ticket if I'm late and you've already boarded.

This is happening so fast.

Not fast enough if you don't get to the bank before it closes.

See you in a couple of hours.

Thank you.

Yes, we can cash this company check for you, Mrs. Lloyd.

Just a matter of confirming your identification, that's all.

Here's my driver's license.

Thank you.

Here, you can be endorsing it.

All right.

Station 77425.

Zebra 359653.

Mr. Rodriguez will be waiting for you when you land.

All these papers are for him. Some confidential material on financing he

What about my ticket?

You can pick it up at the airport.

Rodriguez will have your hotel accommodations all set. You'll be

brief when you get there.

Well, I guess that's it.

I hope I can swing it for you.

Oh, Dwight, before you go, will you get me that glass of water and bottle of

pills from the table there, please?

Thank you.

Will you be all right?

Oh, don't worry. I've had these ulcer attacks before.

Why don't you be back from shopping soon?

I'll give you your regards.

This is an emergency.

Get me the police, fast.

This is Austin Lloyd, 3506 Vista Haven.

Send an ambulance, fast.

He poisoned me.

Dwight Garrett poisoned me.

That's station 467 -3872.

A cashback.

Zebra. 3 -5 -9 -6 -5 -3.

A brown.

I'm in such a hurry. Couldn't I just... It's a regular routine.

Yes, that was... Brown 3.

Aerospace Reliability Associates.

Station 4 -6 -7 -3 -8 -7 -2.

Stand by for code 2.

Yes. Yes, I'm standing by. I'll wait.

Look, I'll pay you in cash.

I'm already late.

Just one more moment, ma 'am. That's all.

This is Sergeant Parnell, Special Agent.

Madam?

Thank you.

Passengers for flight 330, please board immediately at gate 5.

Danny.

What are you doing here?

I'm going to Acapulco, but... One -way tickets.

Flight Garrett.

Lieutenant Anderson, Los Angeles Police.

Are you Mrs. Austin Lloyd?

Well, yes, I am. What's wrong?

I'll have to ask both of you to come downtown with me.

Well, if it's about this money, don't ask me. Ask Austin Lloyd.

Well, that's impossible, Mr. Garrett.

Austin Lloyd has been murdered.

Austin called the police and said I tried to poison him?

He identified you specifically.

By name.

And then the police called your office.

They were told you were on your way flying to Mexico.

Andy, Lieutenant Anderson, just happened to be at the airport.

And when the squad car boys found Lloyd's body, the police radioed Andy

picked you up.

Oh, this Mr.

Anderson, he was looking for me, too.

Well, that's what's amazing.

The way the bunco squad picked you up is almost as if they knew in advance

exactly where to find you and the fact that you'd have all that money on you.

It's more than amazing, Paul.

It's as though it had been carefully planned.

However, regardless of how or why, the fact remains that you're both being held

in suspicion of murder.

All right, me.

Maybe they think they have some sort of a case against me, but why Bonnie?

Ten thousand in cash in her purse, his wife.

Seven thousand in cash in an envelope in your pocket, his partner.

Plus reservations for two and a flight out of the country.

Your computer mind should be able to add that up.

One answer for both of you.

Remeditated murder.

Well, how do I plead you?

Guilty or not guilty?

Dwight? He was smarter and a lot more devious than I ever suspected, but he

won't get away with it, Perry.

Won't get away with what?

Austin. He planned all this.

Every step of the way.

The money, the trip to Mexico, tying Bonnie and me together.

And his death?

He planned that, too.

Don't you see? He deliberately had me hand him the poison he took to kill

himself, and then he called the police.

All right.

I'll have Paul start checking out your stories.

But there's one thing I think you ought to know.

According to the preliminary autopsy report, Austin Lloyd was strangled to

death.

I'm sorry, Mr. Drake, but I have it right here on this memo.

The man who called in for the two reservations side by side on the flight

Acapulco identified himself as Dwight Garrett.

A lot of nerve she had, I can tell you that.

In the middle of getting her check approved, she ups and bamboos us out of

leaving me with the radio all wrapped up. I know.

But the man who phoned earlier and ordered the radio, that was the woman's

husband, wasn't it? Austin Lloyd? Oh, no.

The man who called me was named Garrett.

Dwight Garrett.

Money, whatever it takes, you just name it, Perry.

We'll do anything we can to help Dwight Garrett.

You read both reports. What do you think, Myron? No, it doesn't matter. How

would I think? I'm not an engineer, I'm just an administrator.

The report could be Greek for all I know.

Ned?

I just can't believe it.

Can't believe that it was done or that Dwight Garrett did it?

Both. Universal Aviation was almost fooled into basing their bid on it?

Almost. But the substitution was not good enough.

Is that why you can't believe that Dwight was responsible for it?

I'd be willing to swear he had nothing to do with it.

Why not?

Dwight Garrett is an engineer, is a...

Mathematician as a scientist. He's tops in his field. In a class by himself.

Oh, maybe his socks don't always match, but that brain of his... He's done work

for you? On six different projects.

And each report was a thing of beauty. Not a single error.

Dwight just doesn't make mistakes.

Not even deliberately?

What could he possibly hope to gain?

According to the district attorney, his partner's wife, for one thing.

By altering a report?

By profiting from the altering of that report, as Baker Avionics did profit.

But not Dwight?

Yes, Dwight.

What? Baker Avionics needed Dwight Garrett's brains desperately.

He agreed to accept the job of vice president in charge of planning.

As a bonus, the deal included 5 ,000 shares of Baker stock.

Worth about $10 a share now.

Yes. If your company, instead of Universal, received the Demas

How much would the Baker stock then be worth?

Five times its present value, at least $50 a share.

Well, that's ridiculous. I never even considered what the stock would or

wouldn't be worth to me.

The district attorney will claim otherwise.

But let's get back to those checks.

I told you.

Austin called me to make sure I'd leave the house in time to get to the bank

before it closed.

I'm trying to remember from the notes that I took.

Was it then he told you the name of the man who would meet you, the man who

wanted to sell you his boat?

Yes. Um, Rudolfo Aragon.

There was no Rudolfo Aragon. There was no boat for sale.

And? You guessed it.

No Rodriguez to meet you and no Mexican electronics company to confer with.

The checks that Bonnie cashed, did you sign them?

I suppose so.

You don't know?

Sometimes Miss Clover handed me a stack of papers and checks to sign, and

sometimes Austin gave me checks to sign.

They took both of our signatures.

I usually just sign them. The checks that Bonnie cashed, Austin Lloyd did not

sign.

That's impossible.

Austin Lloyd's signature on those checks was a forgery.

You mean my signature was valid and his was forged?

Oh, come on, that doesn't make sense.

Yes, it does, if you consider the district attorney.

I suppose he'll try to pin that on me, too.

Don't you understand?

Forging those checks would be added proof that you had altered the report.

the basis for your alleged motive.

He'll do more than try.

An altered report that could bring you a personal profit of a quarter of a

million dollars.

Death was the result of asphyxia, brought on unquestionably by a manual

strangulation. With the victim dazed, as the decedent was in this case, from the

ingestion of a massive dose of barbiturates, the murderer must have

against the victim's larynx until he was dead.

A massive dose of barbiturates, Doctor.

Was the dose large enough to have caused death if no strangulation had occurred?

I would say so, yes.

Now, let's suppose then that the murderer discovered his victim

call for help and tried to subdue him physically.

What effect would such a struggle have had on the victim?

If the murderer's arm was across the victim's throat, it would cut off the

oxygen. The retention of carbon dioxide in the respiratory system would,

strangely enough, act as a powerful stimulant.

And the murderer would have had to use still more force.

That's right.

And causing him to strangle the victim he had intended to kill with the

of drugs. Thank you, doctor. That'll be all.

Cross -examination.

This ingestion of barbiturates to which you referred, doctor, was it any one

particular barbiturate?

Yes, barbitol.

Barbitol is a slow -acting barbiturate causing in what is known as toxic

Dizziness, headache, nausea, ataxia, inarticulate speech, mental confusion,

finally, coma.

Fatal coma, doctor?

Generally, where there is death, it occurs in from two to seven days.

Obviously, much can happen in that time.

Obviously.

Thank you, doctor.

No further questions.

I have no redirect, your honor.

And the witness is excused.

I call Roscoe Pierce to the stand, please.

Yes, I warned Austin Lloyd that I was having that report carefully double

-checked. I told him that if sabotage was determined, I'd personally file

charges. Did you see Dwight Garrett in his office that day? No, not in the

office. But I did see him the next night in a restaurant.

Alone, sir?

No, he was... he was with Mrs. Lloyd. The co -defendants were together.

Was Mr. Lloyd there?

No.

Nobody asked or suggested that Dwight Garrett alter that report on Deimos.

Nobody. I didn't suggest anybody had, Mr. Baker.

Now, as to that working agreement between Mr.

Garrett and your company, though later committed to paper at the time it was

agreed on, it consisted essentially of an oral agreement between you and Mr.

Garrett bound by a handshake, right?

That's right.

And it was arrived at, of course, while he was still working on the demon. No,

Mr. Baker, not while he was still working on the report.

It was a day, maybe two days afterwards.

But surely the terms you ultimately shook hands on must have at least been

discussed while he was working on the report.

That's possible. I'm not sure.

Well, then let's move on to something you can be sure about, Mr. Baker.

Now, assuming that your company received that demon's contract,

Would you estimate for the court what the 5 ,000 shares of stock Dwight

was to have received would have been worth at the end of six months?

About a quarter of a million dollars.

Yes. Mr. Lloyd, the decedent, asked Dwight, Mr.

Garrett, if it was Mr. Garrett's intention to dissolve their partnership.

And what did the court offend and answer?

Yes. What happened then, Mr. Chase?

Well... Then the decedent, Mr. Lloyd, asked Dwight another question.

And what was that other question?

Whether Dwight was also trying to break up Lloyd's marriage.

And Miss Clover, who had keys to Dwight Garrett's office?

Only Mr. Garrett himself.

That was part of the security arrangements.

And what about the safe in Mr. Garrett's office?

The same thing.

Only Mr.

Garrett himself could open it.

And now referring to the typewriter in Mr. Garrett's office, did anyone other

than Mr. Garrett ever use that machine?

No, sir.

In his office once, I started to type something on it. He shouted at me. He

me he never had and never would allow anyone else to touch that machine.

About a week before Austin Lloyd was murdered, did you inadvertently witness

altercation in which Austin Lloyd was involved?

Oh, yes.

I was in my office, and the door to his must have accidentally been left open.

Anyway, Mrs. Lloyd was in there with him.

They got into an argument, a pretty nasty one from the tone of their voices.

Anyway, Mrs. Lloyd finally said to her husband, I just don't love you, I don't

even respect you.

And what did the decedent answer to that?

Well, he got pretty upset.

He shouted at her, sure, but I...

I bet you respect Dwight Garrett and love him, too.

Well, just at that moment, Mr. Garrett himself came in the room.

He was on his way to see Mr. Lloyd. That was just when Mrs. Lloyd was answering

her husband.

Yes.

She said, I do respect Dwight Garrett as a matter of fact.

And what's more, I've never thought about it before, but maybe you're right.

Maybe I love him, too.

Well, there we were, the two of us.

Mr. Garrett and me seeing and hearing everything through that open door, just

when Mr.

Lloyd reached across the desk and slapped his wife hard across the face.

The electronic computer has already recorded on it information from every

driver's license in the state. Now, where a license is used to cash a check,

electronic check approval can establish whether a check is good or bad before

it's even cashed.

An especially built computer can generate an electronic answer in just

seconds. So it was your company that notified the police about Mrs. Lloyd.

Good, yes.

For a $10 ,000 check as cash, and immediately after, two more that call

back over the purchase price, bells start ringing, so to speak. And our

department lost no time in notifying the police.

What a frame -up.

Lloyd deliberately sent his wife out with a batch of phony checks.

Each one made out to a place using your system, and each one would cash back.

Especially knowing that one of them was for an airline ticket, which would tell

the police she was going to be at the airport at a particular time.

He wanted her stopped and arrested.

Mm -hmm. Also Dwight.

Both of them loaded with money. The secret lovers.

Waiting for a phony report to earn themselves a fortune.

Robbing the company, poisoning the husband, making it look like accidental

or suicide, then taking off together.

Sounds like a pretty grim picture to me.

Unless you can prove that it was Austin Lloyd and not Dwight Garrett who forged

the checks.

Oh, Mr. Mason can prove that.

Catch, Perry.

Maybe I can, Dylan.

It's a long shot, but maybe I can.

I am a little world made cunningly of elements.

I gather you found a cunning element.

An elusive element.

Now, Lieutenant, setting aside for a moment the matter of fingerprints, of

airline seats, of hotel reservations, I show you this exhibit, which is

an authenticated blow -up of two checks.

The first, the top one, is the check for $10 ,000 which was cashed on the day of

the murder by Mrs. Bonnie Lloyd, the co -defendant.

The second check, the bottom one, is a routine business check of Aerospace

Reliability Associates. Now, Lieutenant, can you tell this court if the

signatures on these two checks are genuine?

Objection, Your Honor.

The question calls for the opinion of a witness who has not been qualified to

testify as an expert on handwriting.

If it please the court, I'm trying to establish a prima facie case.

I realize that for a trial or before a jury, it might be necessary to produce a

handwriting expert.

But I think for our purposes, this witness is perfectly competent to answer

those questions.

Two lives are at stake, Mr. Berger. I'm in no hurry to shortcut the fullest

measure of justice for their protection.

Neither am I, Mr. Mason.

I resent your implication that I am.

If the district attorney assures this court that Lieutenant Anderson is a

competent expert in the whole field of homicide investigation...

We will stipulate for the purposes of this hearing only and subject to cross

-examination that such are his qualifications.

I so assure the court.

So stipulated.

Objection withdrawn.

Well, Lieutenant, on the routine business check, both signatures are

The $10 ,000 check has Dwight Garrett's authentic signature, but the name of

Austin Lloyd is forged.

I see.

Now, Lieutenant, did you also examine the other two checks that Bonnie Lloyd

tried to cash that day? Yes, sir. Austin Lloyd's name...

is also forged on them. Still referring to the three checks that Bonnie Lloyd

had, was there anything else distinctive about them?

Well, yes, sir. They're different from the routine business checks Miss Clover

always typed on her typewriter.

That's this typewriter?

Yes, sir. Miss Clover's typewriter. The routine business checks, like this lower

check in the blow -up, were typed on Miss Clover's typewriter.

Yes, sir. Now, what about the other checks?

The...

Upper check in the blow -up and the two checks that Bonnie Lloyd had.

They were typed on Dwight Garrett's machine.

That's this machine?

Yes, sir.

Are you sure, Lieutenant? This is Dwight Garrett's machine?

Yes, sir. And now, what are the specific differences between checks typed on

Dwight Garrett's typewriter and checks typed on Terry Clover's typewriter?

There are many areas of identifiable difference between the two typewriters.

But notice in particular the chip letter N on Dwight Garrett's machine.

It's this typewriter, this check, the letter N.

All right, Lieutenant, now let's move along to this second exhibit.

This side is a blow -up of a page from the so -called Demas report.

This page was taken from the personal file copy in the safe of Dwight Garrett.

This side...

is a blow -up of the same page from the same report, only this one was taken

from the copy which went to Universal Aeronautics.

These two pages are supposed to be identical, but they are not.

Now, Lieutenant, what can you tell us about these two pages?

Both the original page and the substituted page were typed on the same

typewriter. Again, notice particularly the chipped ends.

That's Dwight Garrett's machine.

Dwight Garrett's typewriter.

So, Lieutenant, we can say that the substitute page of this Demas report and

three forged checks were all typed on a typewriter to which only one person had

access.

Yes, sir. The defendant, Dwight Garrett.

Thank you very much, Lieutenant.

You may cross -examine, Mr. Mason.

Lieutenant Anderson, in all your homicide experience, have you ever

a case where the drug barbitol was used to kill a person?

No, I don't remember any. Were there any other barbiturates in the house?

Why, yes. Almost a full bottle of secondol.

You heard the autopsy surgeon testify barbitol in fatal doses takes from two

seven days.

How fast does a lethal dose of secondol work, do you know?

About a half an hour.

Assuming Dwight Garrett wanted to kill Austin Lloyd, with bottles of both

barbitol and secondol available, Which would he have used?

Now, wait a minute, Your Honor.

I object to that as calling for a conclusion and an opinion of the

As I understand the laws of evidence, an expert may be asked to interpret facts

and express opinions for the enlightenment of the court. May I remind

Mason, this witness is a police officer.

He's not qualified as an expert toxicologist or psychologist.

And may I remind you, Mr. Berger, that by your own stipulation, he has been

qualified to this court as an expert in the field, the entire field of homicide

investigation. Oh, now, wait a minute.

Gentlemen, I agree the question calls for a conclusion.

Then as much as this man has been called as an expert, I'd like to hear his

answer. But, Your Honor... Just be seated, Mr. Berger.

All right, Lieutenant, answer the question.

Assuming Dwight Garrett knew the difference,

No, it wouldn't make sense for him to use a barbitol instead of second -all.

All right.

Now, let's reverse the coin.

Assuming Austin Lloyd wanted to make -believe he was being poisoned and was

deliberately trying to entrap Dwight Garrett, knew he could take the drug and

right after that call the police to play it safe, which drug would Austin Lloyd

have tricked Garrett into giving him?

The barbitol.

If the police were late or for some reason he couldn't get help, he'd still

plenty of time.

With the second all with such a massive dose, he couldn't be sure.

If it's possible that Austin Lloyd was responsible for the poisoning, why would

he have set up so elaborate a scheme?

I don't know, unless for some reason he wanted to frame Dwight Garrett. Suppose

Lloyd was in trouble and wanted to make it appear that it was his partner who

was responsible for the trouble.

Couldn't this have been part of such an attempt?

Oh, sure.

But if you're trying to say it was Austin Lloyd who altered that report,

out of line.

That had to be Garrett.

Only he could have used that typewriter. And whoever forged the report forged

those checks.

That's right.

Suppose I prove to you, Lieutenant, that is not right, but is wrong.

Now, this, according to your testimony, and not this, was the typewriter used

for regular business checks.

No, no, it's the other way around.

Then this and not this was used for the Ford's documents?

No, Mr. Mason, you've reversed it again.

Oh?

This then and not this?

This what?

Well, don't you know?

But, Mr. Mason, you... I didn't testify, you did.

Don't you really know which is which?

Your Honor, I object.

Mr. Mason is making a farce of judicial procedure.

And he knows better than that.

The question has been asked, and this witness answered it.

Now, what else in the name of justice can Mr. Mason possibly want?

Only to be sure, absolutely sure, that our procedure is in the name of justice,

Mr. Berger. And what, Mr. Mason, you name it, please, can we do to make you

sure, sir?

Permit Lieutenant Anderson to type a few samples from each typewriter for

comparison. By all means.

Here, Mr. Mason.

Play your little game.

Lieutenant, would you be good enough, please, to type a few lines on Mr.

Garrett's typewriter?

I don't understand it. The N.

It isn't chipped.

Try the other machine. Try Miss Clover's typewriter.

The

N

is chipped on this machine.

These machines were carefully checked out before they were brought into court.

It's obvious they've been tampered with. Of course they have. I tampered with

them. While you conveniently diverted the court's attention, I exchanged the

elements in the typewriter like this.

Watch.

Now they're right.

Mr. Mason, what's the purpose of all this? It wasn't necessary, Your Honor,

use the defendant's typewriter in or out of his office.

The element, not the typewriter, has the chipped end.

With the defendant's attention diverted, as the court's just was, anyone could

have exchanged elements and have used the marked element in any similar

typewriter. Tell me, Lieutenant, who else besides Mr. Garrett had regular

to that office and that typewriter?

Well, the dead man, of course, and... and Terry Clover.

I did not forge those checks.

What about the substitute pages in the reliability report?

No, I never did any reports.

Not ever? At any time or place?

Well, I... Where did you work before you came to Aerospace Reliability

Associates? I worked for Myron Baker.

See, I'm not a technical man, an engineer. I just run a company.

For profit? Well, naturally.

But your company has lost money the last two years.

Well, it's the space age. See, things change fast.

You need new ideas, new people.

That's why I contracted with Dwight Garrett.

These numbers with the C and the B, they refer to types of materials?

I believe so. And each material type is found in specifications sent by the

government? Yes.

Had there been a recent project, one where your company and not Universal

Received a C -Spec amendment?

Yes, I believe there was.

Whoever forged the substitution pages in the report was not aware that the C

-Spec, which he chose in a desperate hurry, was one that Universal didn't

and one that Aerospace Reliability didn't have.

And that forger could only be one person.

All right.

All right!

I gave the wrong spec to Austin.

He did the actual forging, not me. Just as he forged the checks, changing his

own signature after using the element from Garrett's typewriter.

Now, why did you conspire with Austin to alter that report?

I knew Mr. Baker was going to replace me.

I couldn't let that happen.

I thought everything would be all right if I got the company of the Deimos

project. But Universal wasn't fooled. Austin was in trouble. He threatened

Yes.

I went along with the idea to frame Dwight and Austin's wife.

Make it look like Dwight had altered the report.

Stolen from the company and was running away with Austin's wife.

You gave him the $50 ,000, then what?

Did you hide in the next room? Did you hear him send Dwight away?

Did you see him take the pills? Did you hear him call the police?

I knew I'd never be safe.

Never have one moment free from fear.

It was all arranged.

All ready for him.

including someone to take the blame.

He was getting weak and dizzy, and I

just leaned over him and put my arm against his throat and

pushed and pushed and pushed and pushed.

Austin Lloyd was desperate. He needed time, a chance to get out from under

He faced prison all by himself.

Your partnership was on the rocks. He knew how you felt about his wife. He

knew that without your slide rule and your drafting board, you were a classic

example of the absent -minded professor.

Oh, come on. Not that bad.

Oh, the check for Mr. Mason. I assume you've given it to him.

Mr.

Mason, I don't know how we can ever really thank you. I do.

A nice fat fee for representing us.

You deserve it and I can afford it.

Here you are, Miss Street.

I don't think you'll have to telephone the electronic check approval company.

I'm afraid that isn't so.

What's the matter?

You've forgotten to sign it.