Original subtitles

Thank you.

Don't worry, son. I'll get you out of here.

Hold on.

Are you all right?

No.

No, I'm not.

Reggie? Reggie, you okay? Oh, you keep away from me.

Reggie, honey, listen, please. Is it my fault that dumb schmagegi of a pilot let

you off into the wind?

Dumb pilot, my foot.

It's you, you and your crazy mixed -up stunts.

Nothing, not a red cent for this whole schmear.

Because you had to hire some cut -rate flyboy who doesn't know his ups from his

downs. You know what they're going to pay me for missing the field in front of

the stands?

A zero.

A bid.

Fat zero.

Reggie, Reggie, listen to me. The publicity.

Just look at all the photographers taking my picture. Oh, you're some agent

right. Reggie, Reggie, please.

This is it. The end, period. This is my last paper. So why don't you just go

ahead and find yourself some other little crazy mixed -up girl?

Because me, me, I am turning square.

Reggie, please.

Reggie, listen to me. Listen to me. Listen to Benny boy. Reggie.

Reggie, honey, it's your whole career. Reg?

Okay, okay, okay, okay. So we've hit some clinkers the last few times. I mean

it, Ben. I have had it no more. It is about time that I face the fact that all

these crazy stunts are not the way to break into pictures. My career is a

a great big zero.

Will you please shut up and listen? I tell you this time, I've hooked a real

live one. I said stop it, Ben. I mean it. Okay, okay, okay, okay.

This is the address. They expect us at 10 o 'clock tomorrow morning. They

spotted you riding that Brahma bull in the rodeo last week.

And wear something pretty, huh?

I forgot to mention the money.

It's $5 ,000 if you qualify.

But, you know, if you're not interested.

Oh.

Are you sure this is the right address?

I mean, they teach swimming here, right? And I already know how to swim, so what

could they possibly want me for?

Someone's coming. Now, remember, I'll do all the talking.

Oh, Mr. Lucas, right on time. And this must be Miss Lansfield.

How delightful to meet you. I'm Douglas Hamilton, Victoria Dawn's husband.

How do you do? I've been a fan of your wife's for many years.

Wonderful. That'll please her so much. If you'll step right this way, we'll get

down to business matters.

Well, that's wonderful, Mr. Hamilton.

If you don't mind, Mr. Lucas, we prefer to interview your client alone.

But I, uh... Believe me, it's to Miss Lansfield's advantage.

If she qualifies, it could be the opportunity of a lifetime.

But she must be on her own. Starting right now.

Miss Lansfield, I want you to meet Lillian Keeley, Victoria's sister.

Also a partner in our little enterprise.

How do you do?

Turn around, please.

What? I asked you to make a simple turn.

Could you do that, please?

Now without your shoes.

Fine.

How tall are you, Miss Lansfield?

Oh, 5 '7". That's without heels.

And your weight?

Oh, 124 pounds the last time I looked.

Oh, Miss Lansfield, would you mind walking to the other side of the room?

I'm not a robot. Would somebody please tell me what this is all about?

All in due time, Miss Lansfield.

Oh, you do swim, don't you? Oh, like a fish.

And dive?

Yeah, sure, a little.

You'd better test her from rocks.

Call the airport. Tell them to have a plane ready for me in 15 minutes.

And a car waiting for us on the island.

Where?

Look, would somebody please tell me what's going on?

You're auditioning, Miss Lansfield, at Catalina Island. And for now...

That's all you need to know, shall we?

Mr. Hamilton, I am freezing.

If you take any pictures, I'll be nothing but goosebumps.

I assure you, Miss Lansfield, I didn't fly you here to take cheesecake.

Well, then why are we here?

So we can judge your form when you dive from the next formation of rocks above

us.

Oh, you are out of your mind.

Dive, yes, but not from that ledge.

It's perfectly safe.

And I'm willing to pay you extra for this part of the audition.

Shall we say $50 for each dive you make?

How many dives do you want?

As many as it takes to convince me you either qualify for our little venture or

you don't. We don't have much time, Miss Lansfield.

Yes or no.

Keep it dry.

I'll be back.

Well, anytime you're ready, Phoebe.

Am I doing okay?

That's $150 you owe me.

You want me to try a half gainer next time?

No, that's enough.

Then I'm doing all right.

You have one more test event.

And the judge doesn't like to be kept waiting.

darling.

Just glide along.

Let the water be your friend.

Let it love you.

She keeps her left arm too stiff.

Kicks like a dead fish.

In other words, you approve.

Charlie, get to work on her kick.

She has absolutely no strength in her ankles.

You can count on me, Miss Dawn.

Does she know the setup yet?

I wanted your approval before I gave her the tails.

I approve.

an intensive training schedule, and remember, Doug, there are only ten days

until the new moon.

Lillian, darling, you are looking well.

Something must be agreeing with you. Want to tell your big sister about it? I

don't know what you mean.

You poor, innocent you.

I'll drive you back, Richard. You all right?

Dr. Devlin can drive straight enough.

Coming, Georgie?

Whatever you say, Miss Dawn.

Been lovely meeting you, Miss... Lancefield. Reggie Lancefield. I like

style, honey.

You're going to make a fine stand -in.

Where? Thank you.

Excuse me, but did she say I was going to be her stand -in? Yes.

And when is that supposed to happen? In ten days, when my sister, on an impulse,

wins the channel between Catalina Island and the mainland.

Mark?

Mark?

Yes, I'm sorry.

Do you think my mousy sister is trying to steal my husband away from me?

Charlie, I'm depending on you.

Get her in shape.

Nothing to worry about. I'll take care of it.

I came as soon as I got your message. What's up?

This is.

What's this?

It's your commission, Ben. They don't want you hanging around waiting for it.

But you haven't even done the job yet.

Now, Ben, please, just take it. Take the money and don't ask any questions.

Now, they made me promise that I wouldn't tell you anything more.

Now, it's late and I have to go because they're waiting for me.

Reggie, Reggie, wait a minute. You're my client. I've got a contract with you.

Nobody is squeezing me out of any deals.

I can only tell you that it had something to do with Victoria Dawn

Look, it's a gimmick to get her back in the national spotlight again and to make

her chain of school the largest in the country.

Now, I don't even know any more details than that.

Now, Ben, inside the envelope is a double your commission.

So, uh, just no hanging around and no questions, huh?

I just lost my curiosity.

Lansfield?

I don't believe that I know you. I didn't think you'd remember me.

I'm Paul Drake. I pulled you out of that tree when your parachute got caught.

I found this. It has your name on it, and I thought it might be a good luck

charm. It is, it is. I've had it for many years.

It looked like a kind of expensive piece of good luck, and I didn't want to take

any chances with it. I looked up your address, checked with your landlady, and

she said you'd probably be here.

Mr. Drake, I can't tell you... Reggie, don't forget your appointment.

You don't want to be late.

But I... Why don't you just run along? Don't keep your friends waiting. I'll

Mr. Drake a drink and say your thank you for you.

Thank you, Mr. Drake.

I'll call you back.

Sit down.

Mr. Drake, sit down.

Haven't I seen you around? Are you connected with the studio?

No.

Oh, the bank! That's where I saw you. Mr. Lucas, I'm a private investigator.

Oh.

Hey, wait a minute. Can I ask you a question about a job?

About maybe you're doing a job for a friend of mine.

Go ahead and ask. Well, supposing this agent friend of mine got himself a

client, you see, and he got the client a job.

A good job.

Only instead of collecting his commission after the job, the client

agent friend off before the job.

Pays him twice his commission, then asks my agent friend to flee the scene.

You get the picture?

I'd say your agent friend was being dealt out of a high -stakes game.

Yeah, that's it.

That's exactly it.

Look, Mr. Drake, if you got in on this, there could be important dough, lots of

dough. Of course, there's nothing now, so you'd sort of have to spec it. What

you say?

Mr. Lucas, I don't speculate.

A hundred dollars a day in expenses.

If your friend is interested, have him get in touch with me.

Please relax.

It's the only way. We have no alternative.

Doug, I'm frightened.

Are you sure this is the only way to get rid of Victoria?

Once and for all. The end.

Doug, you make everything so clear. So easy.

Looking for a Victoria Dawn's cabin?

You buy them a lot of visitors, too.

Oh, please.

Please, I must find her.

Well, turn left at the next empty gin bottle. You'll find her.

Do you want me to show you there personally?

Thank you.

Miss Dawn, I... I don't think you ought to go through with the plan.

Not make the swim.

Why not?

Well, I just don't think you should.

You don't think I should?

Oh, you don't think I could.

Well, I didn't say that.

As a matter of fact, you didn't.

Then there's so much you didn't say.

So very much.

I don't have any idea what you mean.

Charming. Really charming.

You mean you would throw away the chance to earn $5 ,000 just to save my life?

Then you know?

Of course I know.

Let me guess what happened.

My sister? My husband?

So clumsy. So obvious.

You caught them embracing.

No?

Kissing?

Ah, come on. Admit it now.

Well, I... And then you heard them talking.

Lillian. Dear sweet Lillian.

She probably said something about, now we'll be rid of Victoria for good.

Well, how did you... And you thought they were going to do away with me.

Well, I really don't see anything so funny about it.

Of course you don't. You don't know what they're talking about.

Divorce.

What? My husband's going to divorce me.

And that's how they plan to get rid of me.

get what they both deserve.

Each other.

Well, you don't seem very upset about it.

Upset? I'm delighted.

You just tossed the whole thing right out of your mind.

Oh, boy.

But you, you know, I am grateful to you.

You, I know how much that money means to you. And to think that you would risk

it just to warn me.

Reggie?

even lucky charms.

Oh, yes.

Yes, I do. In fact, the one I usually wear has a broken clip.

My hair.

Wear mine.

I've worn it for all my swims.

It's ensured to be my substitute for at least half the distance.

It's only right you should have it. You see?

It has my initials on it.

Now, I think we're ready for a little...

Public fight between husband and wife on the Isle of Catalina.

Come along, Victoria.

No need to make a spectacle of yourself.

You can tell me your feelings on the flight back to Long Beach.

I wouldn't go anywhere with you.

But darling, I have an appointment in the morning.

Go away.

I wouldn't fly in a plane with you.

What are you going to do? Swim back?

Why not?

I'm Victoria Dawn.

Maybe you think I can't do it.

Or maybe you think I'm too old.

Now, Victoria, no one said anything like that.

No. all of you. You think I'm a has -been.

I'm all washed up, huh?

Well, I'll show you. Take it easy, Victoria.

It's been years since you swam the channel.

You're not the girl you... You're not in condition.

Would you like to place a little wager on that husband, dear?

Charlie, get her back to the motel.

Sober her up and get her on the boat tomorrow.

I've got to fly back tonight, Dr. Devlin.

Brilliant.

Crowder, can you get me a boat?

Now? Right now.

I suppose I can, but don't you think you're... No, shut up. Just find one.

Get a boat and follow me.

She's getting ready to swim the channel now.

For the love of Pete, the crazy dame's really going to do it. Who's got a boat?

Come on, I do.

But I bet she doesn't go through with it. 50 bucks says she does.

Come, Charlie, come.

We better not stop here. They'll probably see us. First things first.

We'll get the show on the road just as soon as you have some of this hot broth

inside to fortify it.

But, Charlie... There's Dawn's orders.

Look up every half hour.

Here they come.

Get going, kid.

I'll see if the ruling section doesn't get too close.

Let's go.

Barry. Good evening. You can take your arm out of this flame when you do me a

favor and turn on the radio.

The 10 o 'clock news is something I'd like you to hear.

Certainly, Paul.

I was wondering what to do to pass the time.

she was still in the water, still determined to swim the Catalina Channel

did once before ten years ago.

Former actress and Olympic star Victoria Dawn tonight is somewhere between

Catalina Island and the California mainland, trying to duplicate the feat

first brought her into national prominence.

Paul, Victoria Dawn, is that what you wanted me to hear?

Can I drop in a minute and talk to you about the girl who started me digging

into this? The girl named Reggie Lansfield.

I think she may be in trouble.

You look cold, kid.

I'm just tired.

I'm freezing.

It won't be much longer.

All you have to do is take one more boat.

Meantime, you better have some of this.

Charlie! Charlie, I'm getting cold!

Come on, Charlie!

Let's not play games, will ya?

Get up here.

I can't believe it.

Here, grab this, right?

It's so cold.

Come on, swim to me.

Reggie, you're going to be all right. I was right behind you all the time, baby.

All the time.

You'll be all right.

Hey, let's get out of here.

up, Miss Dawn.

I've got to talk to you.

You've got a lot of explaining to do.

I know you're in here.

And I'm not going to leave until I get my money.

You see, you see, your little scheme didn't work.

What a coincidence.

Still lost?

No. No, it's... Why don't we talk about it in my room? I promise you won't have

to leap through a window.

Well, well, Paul Drake.

Here for the cure, I take it? No, not this time, Andy. Just a social call.

Victoria Dawn? Yeah, I was kind of curious about her swim from Catalina.

She crossed the finish line, all right.

Somebody killed her, bludgeoned her to death.

I wonder, Paul, you wouldn't by any chance know the identity of the very

attractive young lady who climbed out the back window and ran away.

Yes, Paul, we have it. Reggie Lansfield.

Harry, she's going to need a lawyer.

All right, Paul, where do I begin?

The fog came. We got lost.

We didn't realize it until it was too late.

I searched the area for ten minutes.

You were alone?

No one else was with you?

No one.

We'll give you your instructions.

She did. Victoria doing herself.

When? You called me at the boathouse earlier.

Charlie, someone was trying to kill you tonight.

The police found evidence that your launch was rigged with dynamite. That's

lie.

Who are you covering for, Charlie?

It's a lie.

You're lying.

You're lying.

You're right, Dillon.

After Paul finishes checking on the sale of dynamite, see if he can find out if

any of the names I listed were in the vicinity of their boathouse in the last

hours.

Dillon, the man I've been waiting for is just leaving Charlie's shop room. I'll

call you when I can.

Noting your patient's temperature, Dr. Devlin.

Who are you?

Oh, my name is Mason. I'm an attorney.

At the moment, I'm assisting a friend in the investigation of Victoria Dawn's

murder. Well, Mr. Mason, Charlie Shaw is a friend, not a patient.

And Victoria Dawn, has she been called a patient of yours?

I suppose so, yes.

I've been treating her off and on for the last two years.

Doctor, did Victoria Dawn tell you that very much? No, no.

Mr. Mason, our confidence is exchanged between the doctor and this patient of

privilege. That privilege, if it exists at all, is one Victoria Dawn might find

difficult to invoke. You don't have to tell me that.

I found the body.

Oh, I left strict orders that Charlie's not to be disturbed by you again.

My sister was such a vital person.

So spontaneous and alive.

One felt she never wasted a minute of her life.

She never stopped competing.

Not even against your sister?

What made you say that?

Victoria and I had a very close relationship.

What is it you want, Mr. Mason?

Information.

Regarding a girl named Reggie Lansford.

I never heard of her.

Lillian, this is fantastic. They're searching for the girl.

Who are you?

What are you doing here?

My name is Mason, Mr. Hamilton.

My presence here is due to an interest I share with you.

Concerned for the whereabouts of Reggie Lansfield.

I told him we'd never heard of such a person.

That wasn't too bright.

Of course we heard of Miss Lansfield.

We hired her to masquerade as Victoria for half the swim.

My wife was out of condition.

My sister -in -law and I talked her into using the girl.

We did it for her own good.

Were I the review with Miss Dawn three days ago when she bought two sticks of

dynamite from the Highland Ammunition Store?

Wait a minute. Are you implying Victoria had something to do with blowing up her

own motor launch?

I imply nothing. I'm stating a fact.

And if she planned to have someone else on board at the time the launch blew up,

someone who looked very much like her, and if the body were damaged beyond

recognition, it might have developed a nice insurance policy for someone.

If that was Victoria's intention, and Reggie came to the same conclusion,

you see what it means?

Reggie must have gone to the cabin, confronted Victoria with her suspicions,

killed her in a fit of anger.

Hello?

Oh, yes, just a moment.

It's for you, Mr. Mason.

Hello?

Speaking.

My tea.

They picked up Reggie Lansfield on a highway heading north at 80 miles an

She was in a borrowed car.

Now, Doctor, you say it was approximately three in the morning when

the cottage of the decedent Victoria Dawn at your palisade's rest home and

Miss Dawn dead on the floor.

Did you call the police immediately, Doctor?

Not myself, no. One of our male nurses, Ernie Craig, followed me into the room.

He called the police.

Now, you say that you knocked at the door of Decedent's cottage before you

entered, Doctor? That's right.

Then apparently you expected to find Decedent inside the cottage.

But isn't it true to the contrary that at that moment you believed she was

swimming the Catalina Channel?

Oh, I knew she wasn't.

I'd driven her from the airport to the rest home earlier.

In any case, I couldn't believe she would even try it.

What do you mean by that, sir?

She was no longer capable of swimming the length of a pool, much less the

Catalina Channel.

Nobody who really knew her could for a single moment believe she would even

attempt such a swim.

No, no, that isn't true. I really believed she could swim.

Maybe not the whole channel, but at least halfway.

That's why I invested money to keep the school going.

And why I financed the channel swim.

Doug, Mr. Hamilton, assured me it would work. That she could do it.

We couldn't let Lillian in on the whole story, all the details.

We were afraid she might somehow give it away.

In other words, this was nothing but a publicity stunt.

Yes. I think you better tell us the details of it, Mr. Hamilton.

After the staged argument on the island, Reggie, the defendant, Miss Lansfield,

changed places with Victoria.

Victoria flew back with us to the mainland.

But she didn't get off the plane with the rest of you at the airport.

No. She stayed hidden on the plane. A little later, Devlin left with her. And

then Dr.

Devlin was supposed to take her...

Back up the coast later and take her out a short distance in a small boat where

she could then apparently complete her swim?

That's what Lillian was led to believe.

Actually, no.

You see, if Victoria did swim the channel, well, it would be worth

space, all right. But how much?

On the other hand, if it could appear she hadn't completed the swim, that she

might have drowned in the channel.

And then she would later miraculously reappear. Yes.

Devlin was to drive herself on the coast, listen to the radio until he

search was well underway.

Devlin would let her out.

She'd wade out into the surf and stagger back up on the coast and collapse on

the front porch of some beach home. But now, what about your substitute swimmer,

the defendant? What was supposed to be happening to her while all this was

on?

We built a special compartment on Charlie's boat.

Charlie was to fish her out of the water and hide her aboard the boat while the

search was going on for Victoria.

I gather this entire plan was never actually put in operation.

No. When we returned to the mainland, I went to my apartment waiting for word

Victoria was lost to join the search.

Instead, there was a radio broadcast saying that Charlie's boat had blown up.

You see, the first report said nothing about Charlie and Reggie being picked

Well, it looked like they'd been...

been killed in the accidental explosion.

And what did you do after you heard this radio broadcast?

I was just ready to leave my apartment when the phone rang.

It was my wife, Victoria.

She'd heard the radio broadcast about the explosion.

And what did she say?

Well, it was... It was strange.

She said, Doug, it's the best thing that could have happened.

You'll... You'll never see me again.

And she hung up.

Now, it's customary for a business built around a single individual or

personality to carry life insurance on that individual.

Did the Victoria Dawn Swim School carry such insurance on your wife?

Yes, and that's what I thought you were talking about.

The insurance.

If Reggie had been killed, it would look like Victoria had been killed. That

money would have... could have... Bill was out of trouble.

All right, now, after your wife...

Told you this on the phone and then hung up on you. What did you do?

I started driving south, looking for Devlin's car, hoping to spot them, to

Victoria that I wouldn't let her go through with it.

I never found them.

Well, when did you first find out that Charlie Shaw and the defendant had not

been killed in the explosion?

On the car radio, coming home about 3 .30 in the morning, I stopped, called

hospital, talked to Charlie in his room.

That's when I knew I'd never see Victoria again.

Why do you say that?

It was Victoria herself.

There were growing signs of mental deterioration. And what's the

all of that to your phone conversation with Charlie Shaw?

I could believe it when Charlie told me, Victoria Dorn deliberately tried to

kill Reggie and me.

You're referring, I suppose, to earlier testimony indicating that the explosion

on the boat was not accidental.

but was in fact caused by dynamite set off with some sort of timing apparatus?

I'm talking about the fact that Victoria Dawn checked out the boat before we

used it.

She must have been the one who planted the dynamite to kill Reggie.

And you?

Yeah, I was there. And if it wasn't for Reggie, uh, Miss Lansfield, who has more

guts than anybody I know, well, we'd have both had it.

Exactly what do you mean by that?

Well, I didn't want the kid to know about the getting lost bit, Victoria

the channel, so Victoria Dawn fixed it so that she wouldn't find out and louse

up the whole deal.

Fixed it, Mr. Shaw? Yeah, she put some kind of medicine in the broth that I

to Reggie, the kid.

Victoria Dawn put it in herself.

She wanted the kid to pass out fast and not give herself away when I pulled her

aboard the boat and put her in the special compartment.

You mean the medicine didn't work?

It should have, but she just kept right on swimming, tired and exhausted.

I'll bet she'd have tried to swim the whole channel if I'd let her.

That's when I dove in and tried to get her back to the boat.

That's when it happened, the explosion.

Now, was it instantly apparent to both of you that you had just barely escaped

murder attempt?

No, not to me at first, no.

But Reggie, Miss Lansfield, she didn't have to get hit on the head to get the

picture.

Boy, was she mad, boiling mad.

All the way back to Shaw and to the hospital where they dropped me off.

Can you tell us anything that she said or did to indicate that she was as angry

as you claim?

What do you mean? I just told you she was boiling mad.

Yes, but that's an opinion, Mr. Shaw. The court is only interested in facts.

Did she say anything?

I'll say she did.

She kept yapping about how Victoria Dawn double -crossed her and tried to kill

her. She'd make Victoria Dawn pay for what she'd done.

I'm telling you the truth if you don't believe me.

Just ask that agent friend of hers, Ben Lucas.

Okay, okay, okay. So the girl was upset, so she said a lot of things. Nobody can

blame her for that.

Yes, but did she specifically threaten Victoria Dawn?

Well, she may have said something here and there about it.

I want a direct answer, Mr. Lucas. Did she threaten Victoria Dawn?

Yeah.

After you left Charlie Shaw at the hospital, what did you do?

Well, I dropped her off home.

Did you go up to her apartment with her?

No, no, no. She said she wanted to take a hot bath and go to bed, so I didn't

even bother going up. I just dropped her off.

Now, exactly what time was that, Mr. Lucas?

About 1 .45.

Yeah, a quarter to 2 in the morning.

I guess it was just about 2 .45 in the morning.

Would you describe for us what happened, please, Mr. Craig?

I was the male nurse on duty for the night, which means I was supposed to

the grounds.

Well, I saw the defendant.

Jump out of the window of Miss Dawn's cottage and try to run away.

I tried to stop her.

We struggled.

I stumbled, tripped.

She got away.

I show you now this uniform jacket, which has been marked for

ask if you can identify it.

Yes, I can.

It's mine. I was wearing it that night.

Can you explain these stains, Mr. Craig?

Yes, those stains were made while we were struggling, before I tripped.

Thank you, Mr. Craig.

Your witness, Mr. Mason.

Ever hear of Dr. Carson?

Why, yes.

The morning after the night on which you tripped and stumbled.

Did you see Dr. Carson for treatment of an injured shoulder?

A shoulder you told him you injured in a wrestling match?

Well, yes, I suppose I did.

Was the defendant running away as you testified?

Or did you accost her, attempt to force your unwelcome attentions on her, and

did she, by the use of...

Jiu -jitsu?

Free yourself by throwing you to the ground?

Now, look, sir, I don't think you... Did you or did you not lie when you

testified she was running away? That you tried to catch her?

And that she got away when you tripped and stumbled?

No further questions.

The blood on this jacket and the bloody fingerprints on the windowsill of the

decedent's cottage are both of the same type as that of the decedent.

What about the fingerprints, Lieutenant Anderson?

Well, the fingerprints on the windowsill...

And the fingerprints on this plastic insignia are those of the defendant,

Lansfield. Thank you, Lieutenant.

I now show you this metal bookend.

I recall to you the testimony of the medical examiner, who said that the

decedent died from repeated blows on the head with a blunt instrument, and his

further testimony that in all probability, this bookend was the murder

Now, did you have this bookend examined, and if so, with what results?

We found traces of both blood and hair matching that of the decedents.

And we also found bloody fingerprints where the bookend had been held.

Whose fingerprints, Lieutenant Anderson? The defendants.

Reggie Lansfield.

Well, I stumbled over her body.

And the bookend was just lying there on the floor.

Well, I guess I must have been in a daze because I don't remember picking it up.

But I suppose I might have.

Then there came a knocking at the door.

That was Devlin.

And the window was open, so... So you jumped out, leaving bloody fingerprints

the sill and all over that male nurse's jacket.

Reggie, when you do something, you do it good.

Let's review the times again.

Now, at 8 in the evening, you started your swim.

According to the radio reports, the boat blew up at 11.

Ben fished you out of the water.

Now, what time did you get to shore?

At 1 in the morning.

You left Charlie at the hospital?

At 1 .30, and then Ben drove me to my apartment, and that was about 1 .45.

Now, the car you used, where and when did you get it?

I borrowed it about 15 minutes later.

How long did it take you to drive up to the restroom?

One hour is hard driving, I checked it.

So you got there at three.

My being scared and my being caught speeding out of town, it all fits.

Like a noose around my neck, doesn't it?

No, Reggie.

Fortunately, it doesn't all fit.

Reggie Lansfield, masquerading as Victoria Dawn, dove into the channel and

to swim at about eight.

Now, shortly after that...

Doug Hamilton, his sister -in -law, and Dr. Devlin with Victoria Dawn aboard,

flew from Catalina.

Now, you landed at Santa Monica Airport, I believe. That's right.

Shortly after that, you and Victoria Dawn slipped out of the plane into your

and you drove her away.

Yes. The plan was that you were to drive her south, where she would later

pretend to swim ashore.

That was the plan. In relationship to Santa Monica Airport, where is your rest

home?

About 30 miles away.

South, east, north.

You drove 30 miles north knowing that you would later have to drive the same

miles south?

And go on even further south, down the coast? We had plenty of time.

For what?

Well, Mr. Thorne insisted on returning to the rest home.

See, I merely obliged her.

And were you obliging her when you procured passports to South America a

earlier? Passports for you and your wife?

The truth is... The truth is, Dr. Devlin, you're not married. And the

Mrs. Devlin on this fraudulently filled -out passport application is a picture

of Victoria Dawn.

She planned to disappear.

We were going away together.

We were in love, Mr. Mason.

Did you plan to live on love? My investigation shows you to be virtually

penniless. She had funds deposited in South America.

Funds? Funds from where?

Swimming school.

Yes, I knew she had systematically embezzled from her own company.

It wasn't hard to discover after I had access to the books.

How much was missing?

Over a quarter of a million dollars.

How were you able to keep the company from collapsing, from involuntary

bankruptcy? Victoria's sister.

Lillian invested.

To help her sister?

The sister she loathed? No, but that...

Now, was Lillian Keeley investing in her sister's company or in you?

Hi.

I never loved anybody but Victoria.

It was a sham, my paying attention to Lillian.

A sham to keep her investing.

To keep Victoria out of serious trouble. Everything was twisted in her mind. She

didn't mean to hurt anybody.

She meant to hurt you, her husband.

She meant to kill Reggie, a stranger.

And Charlie.

How do you explain what she had planned for Charlie?

Planned for me?

No, you got it all wrong. It was planned for the girl, Reggie.

Or is this the hard luck guy? The wrong place at the wrong time.

Is it possible you weren't excess baggage, but a target of murder?

No, it doesn't figure.

If the girl was lost, that's all she needed.

Two square debts to her sister and husband.

Yeah, the insurance.

We got them all off the hook.

Then why plant explosives to blow up the boat?

What? You testify Victoria Dawn doctored the broth you fed Reggie.

Yeah, the sedatives.

To make sure you'd have Reggie on the boat, a boat she rigged to blow up.

Now, if Victoria Dawn wanted Reggie Lansfield to disappear, why confine

to just medication?

You all waited for a night, a night heavy with fog.

You've admitted you lost Reggie in the water a few times.

Victoria Dawn knew that would happen if she poisoned that broth.

Reggie would go under, drown, be swept out to the open sea.

There'd still be insurance.

And you'd still be alive.

She liked me.

Even after you started blackmailing her?

You've got no right to say that.

Were you unaware of Victoria Dawn's embezzlement, unaware the money wasn't

squandered, but had been transferred intact to South America?

How should I know? What was the price of your silence? A cash payoff?

Or were you to be the lucky prince consort sharing her wealth in exile?

With whom did she really plan to run away?

You or Devlin?

Never Devlin.

She never really liked him. Not Devlin. But you said she liked you.

Yeah, me.

Loved you?

Yeah, why not?

As you loved her.

Maybe I did. So what?

A love so intense it became a consuming hatred when you realized the truth.

No. Badly injured, you ignored the pain, drove your car to the rest home,

confronted Victoria, and you killed her.

I was in the hospital.

Ben and the girl, they drove me to the hospital.

Drove you there, let you off, but didn't take you in.

And the hospital was right around the corner from your apartment and your car.

I was in the hospital.

Yes, but not till later.

They let you off at 1 .30. The hospital admission records show you weren't

admitted until 3 .10.

No. Time to drive to the rest home, kill Victoria Dawn, drive back, walk into

the hospital, and be admitted.

So drunk she didn't know what she was saying.

She was so mixed up.

Then she told me the truth.

The whole truth, that it was Devlin. Said it always was Devlin.

And then she laughed in my face.

She laughed and laughed and kept on laughing.

Till I picked up the bookend and hid it.

But, Reggie, I've made a reservation for the four of us at a nice restaurant.

But it's my career, Della, my career.

This is what I've been waiting for. Close -ups, everything. It's a chance of

lifetime. Yeah, but that doesn't mean you can't go out and have a little fun,

does it? How about it? Dinner?

Nightclub?

Well... Reggie, Reggie, you're on. They're waiting for you.

Look, I know how much he owes you, all of you, but this is a big break. Please,

please don't loss it up for the kid, huh?

All right, everybody.

Places.

Quiet.

Rolling.

Some break.

Why don't you have the guys with the knives that are blindfolded?

Hey, that's wonderful.