All language subtitles for Perry Mason S05E13 The Case of the Renegade Refugee.DVDRip.NonHI.cc.en.CBS

The director wanted me.

Larry Vander to
see you, Mr. Barlow.

Send him in, Miss Gibsone.

Thank you.

Sit down, Lawrence.

Formal, cold, tone
of impending doom.

I like you better when
you're friendly enough

to call me by my last name.

Lawrence Vander,
international reporter,

author, commentator.

More than a bit distressing
to have to add to that,

"Lawrence Vander, liar."

It becomes obvious I
might as well level with you.

I am not here
researching a feature story

on Space Associates Ltd.

I gathered as much
from your magazine editor

when I called and
checked with him.

The last he heard of
you, you were in Germany

covering a trade conference.

Cliff, I'm close
to what could be

the biggest story
in the past 15 years.

You remember Max Kleinerman?

Max Kleinerman.

One of the top Nazis
in Hitler's Germany?

Only vaguely.

The Allies caught him
and before they could even

photograph him or
fingerprint him he escaped?

Supposedly he was killed

in the Battle of the Bulge?

Yes, yes.

I have proof in black and white

Max Kleinerman was not
killed in the Battle of the Bulge.

What?

After he escaped, somehow
in the confusion of the fighting,

he substituted identification
and uniform with a dead soldier

and he got away with it.

Max Kleinerman is
in the United States

in Los Angeles, an
executive working

in your company.

It was something he saw,

something he
heard at the office.

As if...

As if the sky were
about to fall down on him.

When he came home
from work, I was startled.

I told him he looked
like he'd seen a ghost.

All he could say was...

was, "Yes, if the
dead past is a ghost,

I've seen it."

How long ago was this?

Two weeks.

Mr. Mason, my husband
hasn't been the same since.

He hasn't slept;
he jumps at noises.

He keeps looking behind him

as if someone were about
to reach out and grab him.

Mrs. Merrill, exactly what
do you want me to do?

I think something in his
past has caught up with him,

and he plans to... to...

To leave you?

That...

or he plans to commit suicide.

Your husband
and I are strangers.

I'm an attorney,
not a psychiatrist.

He must think you can help him

or he wouldn't be
coming to see you.

I saw the notation on his desk.

That's why I came early.

He has an appointment
with you this afternoon.

What time was that, Della?

2:00, Harlan Merrill,
Space Research.

That's my husband,
Mr. Mason, Harlan Merrill.

Harlan? Mr. Merrill?

Oh, I beg your
pardon, Mr. Barlow.

I should like the sale
of the American Division

of Space Research Associates Ltd

to be a smooth and
orderly transition.

This, I suspect, will require

the fullest cooperation
of everyone.

Harlan, you and our
treasurer, Mr. Fillmore,

will have the financial
records ready.

How soon will the bonding
company's accountants

finish the audit on
that shortage, Emery?

I would say by the
end of next week, Cliff.

Fine.

Now, our plant supervisor,

Buck Osborn.

Arthur Hennings, chief engineer.

The production staff of the new
company will be in on Monday.

Yes, Miss Gibsone?

There's a gentleman
waiting in Mr. Merrill's office.

He says it's important.

Excuse me, please.

Miss Dunbrack, on the
matter of the security checks...

All the executive checks are in,

down through the
departmental foreman.

Good.

Now, before I forget,

for those of you who signed
up for the retreat tonight,

the weekend schedules are ready.

I'll have traveling
directions available

for anyone who needs them.

Forged passport, phony
identifications to match.

The money, please.

Bon voyage, Mr. Smith.

Hey, wait a minute.

These papers, are they...

Good as gold,
Mr. Smith. Good as gold.

In the birth of new
citizens of the world,

I'm an expert midwife.

You'll find the birth
certificate in there

is a work of art.

Good luck.

Oh, excuse me.

Only take a minute of
your time, Mr. Merrill.

I'm getting up some material

on the war background of
the company's executives.

Where did you serve, Pacific?

I'm sorry... Or was it Germany,

Normandy, Battle of the Bulge?

I'm very sorry but there's
an important meeting.

They're waiting for me.

Perhaps we can
discuss this later.

Excuse me.

Mr. Merrill? Yes.

How do you do? I'm David Gideon.

How do you do?

Uh, your receptionist was
good enough to suggest

that I wait in the law library.

I hope you don't mind.

No, not at all, sir.

Uh, Mr. Mason was
unexpectedly detained in court,

will be for an hour or so.

He asked me to
apologize for him.

He'll be back as
quickly as possible.

Well, I-I... I can't wait.

I haven't got time.

Well, I'm sorry, Mr. Merrill,
but the delay was something

Mr. Mason really couldn't help.

Look, uh, Mr. Gideon,

I'm gonna have
to go away tonight

and I'll be gone
for a long time,

and there's some things

that I must absolutely
get done before I go.

Do you suppose
you could help me?

Me?

Well, I'll do whatever I can,

but I'm not a
practicing attorney yet.

All right.

Look, here's a complete
list of my assets...

Property, insurance, securities.

I want everything put in
my wife's name right away,

just as if I were
never coming back.

Well, there's no
problems with that.

There are regular
transfer instruments.

Of course, you need
your wife's signature.

No, no, without her knowing.

Oh. Oh, that's different.

Uh... Well, in that case,
you'd need quitclaims

deeding your interest
in real property.

And on the insurance, you'd
have to cash the policies

and buy securities,

listing your wife
as legal owner.

And on securities, that...

No, look, that would
take days, weeks.

I told you, I haven't got time.

I must be gone by tonight.

Oh. Yeah, well,
there's still a way.

A power of attorney
in Mr. Mason's name.

He could do all of it for
you acting on your behalf.

Could we, uh, do it right away?

Well, yes, yes, I
suppose so, sure.

If you'll wait in
the next office,

I'll have it drawn up in a few
minutes. Good. Thank you.

I'm very sorry, Mr. Mason,

but if I had known
about his wife,

I certainly would have kept
him here until you got back.

But he was in such a hurry,

he was almost, well,
almost desperate.

This was a mistake, David.

You mean I was wrong
about the power of attorney?

No, not wrong.

If that's the way he wanted
his problems handled,

this is fine as far as it goes.

"As far as it goes"?

I must have a letter
of instructions with it.

Specifically detailing
his desires and intent.

But he told me.

And you told me.

Now, suppose he
changes his mind.

Suppose there are
prospective heirs

or other interested parties

who'd want to
contest these actions.

We'd be legally
responsible and liable. I see.

Your next
appointment is waiting.

Did you get ahold of Paul?

No, he's out on another case.

But he's supposed to
call in, in an hour or so.

Mr. Mason, please,
all this is my fault.

Maybe if I hurry, I can catch
Mr. Merrill before he leaves

and get that letter.

All right, David, catch him.

But bring him back
here, I want to talk to him.

As for the letter, I
know you meant well,

but just for the time being,

suppose you leave the
practice of law to me?

What do you say, legal beagle?

Yes, sir.

Thanks.

"Tonight. 6:00. Here."

Mr. Merrill. What do you want?

Sorry, sir, but I've
got to talk to you

about that power
of attorney. Forget it.

Forget it. I said forget it. Oh,
no, see, Mr. Mason wants to talk...

Please, Mr. Merrill,
you don't understand.

It's very important... I'm
gonna take care of that.

I'm gonna take care
of it myself tonight.

Don't try to stop me!

Della, David.

Is Mr. Mason in?

When will he be back?

No, no, no,

I'll come back to the office
and wait for him there.

All right, bye. Thank you.

♪ ♪

Oh, it's you.

Well, of course it's me.

Well, wait a minute,
where are we?

Is this some sort of a
resort hotel or what?

Resort hotel?

No, this is the St.
Francis Retreat.

A small group of us from
the office come here regularly

on weekend retreats.

You haven't been with the
company long or you'd know about it.

Then it could be any of you.

What?

What's wrong with you, Harlan?

Look, may I stay here
with you, Mr. Barlow?

There's nothing I can
do about it, Harlan.

You'll have to
speak to Father Paul.

He's the superior.

Go inside and take
the stairs to the left.

Good luck.

Mr. Merrill, you're
here for the first time.

Most of the 90 men
making the retreat

have been here before.

It's an experience
they look forward to,

has a great deal of
meaning for them.

I'm sure you wouldn't want

to spoil it for them
or for yourself.

You're of a different faith.

But for the next 50 hours,

you'll be like most
of the rest of them

in the chance to stop and take

a sort of personal inventory,

to think instead of to speak.

Find a little rest for the body,

and if we're lucky,

maybe a little
tonic for the soul.

Mr. Barlow will be
your retreat captain.

I'll see that a room
is prepared for you.

Thank you, Father.

Mr. Merrill, we never did
get to talk about Germany

and the Battle of
the Bulge, did we?

The dinner bell.

Just a reminder,

after dinner, except for
the Franciscan fathers,

we're not permitted
to speak with anyone

for the balance of the retreat.

Remember, no talking, gentlemen.

It'll be 10:00 in a few
minutes, Mr. Merrill.

Time for lights out and bed.

I was gonna look
for you, Father.

I-I wanted to talk to you.

That story you told
me to get in here,

a little less than
the truth, wasn't it?

I'm sorry. I...

That bad?

Oh, I've...

I've fallen so low,

dug a hole for myself so deep

there's-there's no place to go.

I knew a man once who
had an amazing philosophy.

He always used to say
if you dig straight down,

you'll reach the
center of the Earth.

Keep on digging, you
continue in the same direction,

but now you're climbing up.

Up from what to what?

From fear, Mr. Merrill,
possibly to hope.

Oh, not what-what
lies behind me.

The past doesn't have to
make the future impossible.

Unafraid...

courage to face the impossible.

No, Father, your St.
Francis, hair shirt or no,

did not have to face the
living hell that faces me.

They had to cauterize his eye.

Sear it with a white-hot iron

lifted from the fire.

I'm sure he was
afraid, Mr. Merrill.

But they say that he
smiled and spoke softly,

"Brother fire, God
made you beautiful,

"strong and useful.

I pray you'll be
courteous with me."

Lights out.

I'll go pack and leave.

Oh, you don't have to go.

Would you still say
that, Father, if you knew

that I came here to kill a man?

Sleep well, Mr. Merrill.

Hey, what are you doing?!

I don't know what's
going on here,

but remember where we are.

You know what road this is

and where that exits,
don't you, Perry?

St. Francis Retreat.

A man runs away to a retreat.

A desperate man knowing
someone is ready to expose him

either removes
himself by running away

or else runs to that someone

if he knows who
that someone is...

And removes him.

He dead, Paul?

Yeah. Is this Harlan Merrill?

No. He's a well-known
newspaperman.

His name's Lawrence Vander.

Your client, Mr. Merrill,
fought with Vander

and said he came
here to kill a man.

All right, Mr. Mason,

suppose this unfortunate
death were not accidental.

You spoke to Merrill?

Do I think he's a murderer?

Mr. Merrill's a funny
sort of paradox.

A man who believes
he's deeply in debt,

knows he can't pay his
debt, yet goes on and on

hoping to pay it anyway.

You're describing a man

obsessed with
guilt about his past.

Yes, Mr. Mason.

Regardless of what Mr. Merrill
might have been in the past,

I was not describing a
man who is a murderer now.

Hello, Andy.

Father Paul, this is Lieutenant
Anderson of Homicide.

Lieutenant.

Father. Perry.

Father Paul, I'll
take my men away

in just a few minutes,

but I'm afraid I'm
gonna have to leave

some plainclothesmen behind.

They have orders to
stay out of everyone's way.

We'll be back Monday
when the retreat is over.

Thank you, Lieutenant.

That's very considerate.

I would like to talk to the
men from Space Research,

away from everyone
here on the retreat,

if that's possible.

Very well, Lieutenant.

Arrangements have been made

at the conclusion of the retreat

to escort you all back to the
offices of Space Research.

We will see you there
and talk to you then.

You may as well know now...

we've discovered from
notes in his suitcase

that Lawrence Vander
was a newspaperman

on the trail of a long-missing

Nazi war criminal.

Someone he believed
was one of you five men.

Secondly, Lawrence Vander
did not die accidentally.

He was dead before he fell.

Murdered.

David, where did you find this?

On Mr. Merrill's desk.

The second sheet of a pad.

Someone used the
top sheet to draw a map.

The impressions went through.

Someone else was clever
enough to use graphite dust

to make those
impressions legible.

That's how you got
here. How we got here.

And someone was careless
enough to use this second sheet

to write you a note.

I don't know what
you're talking about!

"Merrill, the deadline is past.

You didn't pay. Now I talk."

I'm gonna have to turn this over

to the police.

Do you understand
what that means?

Mr. Merrill, I can't help you

by illegally
suppressing the truth.

But I can help you

by seeing that the
truth is brought out.

Now, you were being blackmailed.

Yes. By Lawrence Vander?

Oh, I don't know.

I, uh...

There were four notes
like that, just like that.

The first two were
just, well, nasty notes

that said that somebody
knew who I was

and then... the third one
ordered me to take $5,000

out of the company's safe

and-and-and leave
it at a certain place.

And did you?

No, I... I couldn't.

That's when I decided to
disappear, run away again.

And I came to your office

and I met Mr. Gideon.

The fourth note, this one?

I found it on my desk
when I was clearing it off.

The impressions
were deep and I...

The blackmailer
had been careless.

You thought you could find him

and put an end
to the blackmailing

for good. Yes.

By killing him?

No, Mr. Mason,

I-I swear I didn't kill him.

Why were you being blackmailed?

I can't tell you that.

Who are you?

Mr. Merrill,

if I just know the
truth, I can help you.

Mr. Merrill?

I was an American
officer in Germany.

And in the Battle of the Bulge,

my outfit was run over.

No sleep for days and nights.

They were coming at us
from everywhere, and I...

I panicked and ran
and deserted my men

and left them there to die.

I-I was running down this road.

There was a rolling
barrage coming behind me

and the bursts were
getting closer and closer

and... I fell off the
road into-into this field,

then came the explosion.

When I came to,

my dog tags had
been clipped and...

I was laying there in
a field of dead men.

And I was marked the
same as the rest of them.

Your name?

Lieutenant Philip Kuyper,
First Lieutenant, Infantry.

0-1-6-3-8-1-6-6,

Army of the United States.

Merrill, or Kuyper,
stayed hidden in France.

Then, after the war,
he left the country

on a tramp steamer and
jumped ship in Mexico.

And then he crossed the
border back into the United States

and started a new
life with a new name.

And then about a month ago,

Space Research hired
him here in Los Angeles.

A man like Merrill must've
found it hard to live with himself.

Knowing that he had
run away like that.

Well, looking at him and
listening to him, you just knew

that he had died inside
a million times since then.

Perry, something's puzzling me.

The inconsistency
of the blackmail?

That puzzles me, too.

Well, Vander couldn't
have known the truth.

He must've thought that
Merrill was the missing Nazi.

Merrill, aware of his past,

allowed himself
to be blackmailed,

to be pushed into running away.

But the blackmailer
was completely fooled.

He thought he had Kleinerman.

Then Barlow, Osborn,
Hennings or Fillmore...

One of them must be the Nazi.

And the murderer.

Sure, if Merrill isn't both.

Mr. Drake, you're
absolutely sure

of that name, serial
number and organization?

Absolutely, Colonel.

Then there must be some mistake.

The story you told me is
backwards, completely false.

What?

These are authenticated
division records.

Lieutenant Kuyper didn't
abandon any platoon.

Quite the contrary.

He showed extreme heroism

by running out in
face of enemy fire

to bring back a wounded soldier.

Oh, no.

What's more, we have
eyewitness statements

from two of his own men,
both of whom survived,

who saw Philip Kuyper

killed in action.

Mr. Merrill, would you
come inside, please?

You, too, Perry.

Thank you, everyone,
for your help.

Sorry if we inconvenienced you.

You're free to go now.

Mr. Merrill, I think you know

why I couldn't let
you go with the others.

One moment, Andy.

Are you aware that
Harlan Merrill claims

he is not the Nazi Lawrence
Vander was looking for?

Perry, we know who
Harlan Merrill isn't,

and we know who he is.

Are you also aware

that a bonding company
is auditing the books

because $50,000 may
have been embezzled

from Space Research Associates?

Not $50,000, Perry.

$55,000.

$5,000 of which we
found carefully hidden

in Harlan Merrill's suitcase,

in the trunk of the car

in which he obviously
planned to run away.

Mr. Merrill, you're under arrest

for the murder of
Lawrence Vander.

Death was due to
composite occipital fractures

inflicted by three

penetrating blows
of a jagged rock

on the head of the victim.

There was direct
laceration of the cerebellum.

Contrecoup lacerations
of the undersurface

of the temporal
and frontal lobes

with massive
subdural hemorrhage.

Doctor, I show
you now, this rock,

marked People's exhibit three,

which was found by the
police on the rosary path

above the road where the body
of the deceased was discovered,

and I ask if you
have examined it.

Yes, sir.

We found on it blood,
skin tissue and hair

matching that of the decedent.

The shape of the
rock exactly matches

the destructive markings
of the penetrating wounds.

The wounds themselves
contain mineral traces identical

with the material
composition of the rock.

This was the murder
weapon, Mr. Burger.

Thank you, Doctor.

Now, Mr. Barlow, let
me get this straight.

You said that Lawrence Vander

was not doing a magazine article

about Space Research Associates.

That he admitted to you
that he was actually searching

for a notorious
long-supposed-dead

former Nazi named
Max Kleinerman.

Is that correct?

That is correct.

Vander stated that the Nazi
had assumed a new identity

and was actually one of the
executives of my company.

I think that'll be
all, Mr. Barlow.

Thank you, sir.

Your witness.

Mr. Barlow,

did the decedent tell you
why he believed Kleinerman

was an executive
of your company?

Yes, sir.

Vander was on assignment
in Berlin when he learned

that Max Kleinerman's
wife had died.

He went out to her place

and accidentally stumbled
across a letter she'd received.

From Kleinerman.

Did he show you that letter?

Yes.

Did the letter say
where Kleinerman was,

what he was doing, who he was?

No, not... not exactly.

Even though the contents

proved it was obviously
written by a husband to his wife,

the letter was unsigned.

A rather moving statement by a
man who had found for himself,

at least, religious
peace of mind.

It had reference to a series
of talks with a Father Paul.

It was postmarked the same
zone as the St. Francis Retreat.

So, Vander must have
investigated all the people

that participated
in those retreats.

Yes.

The only organized
group at the retreat

that weekend of the
murder who had been there

before Max Kleinerman's
letter had been postmarked,

was a group of Space
Research executives.

Mr. Barlow, aside from
the weekend of the murder,

had the defendant
Mr. Merrill ever been

at even one of those retreats?

Why... why, no.

No, he was new to the company.

That was the first
retreat he ever attended.

I see.

That's right.

Lawrence Vander
had access to the files

and studied them
at his own request.

I show you an
authenticated photocopy

of a security check report
on one of the executives

of Space Research.

I ask if you can recognize
it, Miss Dunbrack.

Yes. It's a copy of
the security check

on Harlan Merrill.

I put the original of this in
the files about an hour or so

before Lawrence Vander
went through the files.

Then it's possible

that this particular report
was removed from the files

before it was even seen

by any of the executives
of Space Research.

Yes.

Aside from this report that
you're holding in your hand,

was there anything
unusual in any of the reports

on any of the executives
of Space Research?

No, sir.

Would you mind
reading this report

to the court, please?

"Impossible to grant clearance
to subject Harlan Merrill.

"Birth place, school
records fictitious.

"No verifiable material

further than 15 years
back in subject's life."

Thank you, Miss Dunbrack.

I think that'll be all.

Mr. Fillmore, we heard
from a previous witness

that Lawrence Vander had
access to the company files.

That he may have taken
the defendant's records

from those files.

Did Lawrence Vander know
about the money embezzled

from Space Research Associates?

Yes, sir, he did.

He overheard me
telling Mr. Barlow about it,

but he promised to keep it
as confidential information

until after the bonding
company had finished their audit.

But did he ever ask
you any questions

about the stolen money?

Yes, sir, he did.

Knowing that I was
treasurer of the company,

I had access to the funds
and the books of the company.

He wanted to know if
there was any other person

that had such access.

And what did you tell him, sir?

Well, I told him there
was one other person,

the assistant to the controller,

Mr. Harlan Merrill.

Mr. Harlan Merrill,
the defendant,

in whose car $5,000 of
that stolen money was found.

Thank you, Mr. Fillmore.

That'll be all.

The two of them were fighting...

Harlan and the dead man.

Oh, I separated them,

then I went back to bed.

Thank you,
Mr. Osborn. That'll be all.

Your witness.

No questions.

You may step down, Mr. Osborn.

I call Arthur Hennings
to the stand, please.

That night, the evening
talk so stimulated me,

I was unable to sleep.

It was late, past midnight.

I went downstairs to
the library for a book.

The doors to the
patio were open.

I could hear what sounded
like two angry voices outside.

There was an outcry.

Then silence.

I saw a man coming
away from the rosary path.

He stopped, tossed
something into the bushes,

and then rushed away.

I was curious.

I went down to see what it
was that he'd thrown away.

It was the rock that was
used to kill Mr. Vander.

And who was the
man, Mr. Hennings?

The man who threw
that rock into the bushes

and then ran away?

It was the defendant,

Harlan Merrill.

He had no right to do it. I
don't care what anybody says.

Who had no right
to do what, David?

Burger producing a
surprise eyewitness

like a rabbit out of a hat.

Are you suggesting Mr. Hennings

should not have been
permitted to testify?

No, no, not that,
but we should have...

you should have been
informed before the hearing.

Burger acts as if the
two of you were enemies

instead of officers
of the court,

both trying to discover truth.

Not enemies, David...

Adversaries.

When both sides
properly prepare a case,

the adversary system
can effectively guarantee

the revelation of all the
facts bearing on an issue.

The more experience
you have with it,

the more you'll find it a
surprisingly scientific method

of trial practice.

Well, in my humble
opinion, Mr. Mason,

you're a courtroom genius,

but where are you going to
find a rabbit to pull out of a hat?

Right over there.

Perry?

Reports from
Paul Drake's office.

The material on all the
Space Research executives,

plus another wire
from Mr. Drake himself.

Has he located the
two eyewitnesses

the colonel spoke of?

Just finished
talking to the first,

flying to Florida
to see the second.

What did the first
man have to say?

He confirmed
the colonel's story.

Said he personally saw

Lieutenant Philip
Kuyper killed in action.

I... I don't understand.

It's not a question
of understanding,

but of facing the truth.

Paul Drake spoke to an officer

in the historical section
of the War Department.

Records were carefully searched.

An eyewitness was interviewed.

But I'm Philip Kuyper.

Philip Kuyper is dead.

Well, there-there must be
some mistake, Mr. Mason.

I-I'm telling you the truth.

In court, you heard
a responsible,

God-fearing witness
swear that he'd seen you

at the scene of the crime
disposing of the murder weapon.

I told you, I'm
telling you the truth!

Now, if you think I'm a liar
and a murderer, all right!

Harlan!

With whom are you angry?

Oh, I don't know. I don't know.

Myself, I guess.

And it's not anger.

It's-it's-it's shame
and disgust.

I'm sorry I talked that
way... to you, Mr. Mason.

I...

I know you did
the best you could.

Hearing's only half over.

Why the past tense?

Past tense.

The past has a way of
becoming the present, doesn't it?

When I ran away, I
borrowed from the future.

Books have got to be balanced.

The bill is long overdue, and...

I got to pay it.

By...

dying for a crime
you didn't commit?

You sound like you
actually believe me.

Look...

whoever you are,
whatever you are,

you're entitled to a fair trial.

You're entitled to counsel
of your own choice.

As your counsel, I regard
every bit of evidence,

no matter how devastating,
in the light of the assumption

that you are not guilty,

and will never be guilty

until the verdict of a
jury can be affirmed

by the highest appellate court
to which your case can be taken.

Harlan...

that overdue bill...

Maybe we can get an extension.

Extension of time?

Mr. Merrill's
creditor is himself.

The conscience
deep down inside him.

Man with a conscience

is a man who can be helped.

You know, Mr. Merrill's story

is very much like
another story I know.

This is the story of a young man

who used to love
to laugh and sing.

One day, he decided to
go off and fight in the war.

He made quite a show
of it, leaving to fight.

You might almost say
he had a brass band

to see him off.

Did he prove to be a coward?

Mostly, I guess, in the
eyes of his neighbors.

You see, a short distance
out of town, he got sick.

Desperately sick.

He crawled back into town,

oh, a figure, a
ridiculous figure,

in everybody's eyes.

And in his despair, he prayed?

Yes, he prayed, Mr. Mason,
and found an answer.

The church he was praying
in was a dilapidated ruin.

He decided himself
to rebuild that church.

Did he?

In a funny sort of way, yes.

He was caught stealing materials

from his own father
to rebuild the church.

Now the poor boy was even more
a source of ridicule than before.

Not just a phony and
a coward, but a thief.

Sick, despised,

disowned, discredited.

But that's not the
end of the story.

No. I guess, actually,
it's the beginning.

You see, in his shame
and degradation,

the laughing, singing boy...

Whose name was
Francesco Bernardone...

Found himself.

The world now knows
him as St. Francis of Assisi,

the founder of our
Franciscan order.

Father Paul...

you know the true identity of
Max Kleinerman, don't you?

We deal with men here

on a confidential
basis, Mr. Mason.

Don't pry, please.

But you know the man's heart.

I'm not after his name,
just your opinion of him.

I'm afraid that leads

in the same
direction, doesn't it?

You opinion as to whether or not

he might reveal
his own identity,

the fact that he
was a former Nazi.

I don't understand.

If I make it clear
to this man in court

that his continued silence

may cause an innocent
man to go to the gas chamber,

would he then reveal
his true identity?

At the close of yesterday's
testimony, Mr. Hennings,

you made a startling and
unexpected statement.

That with your own eyes

you saw the defendant
dispose of the murder weapon

at the scene of the murder.

Yes, sir, I...

I saw it from the porch
outside the lounge.

Let me ask you
a simple question.

Is there any doubt in
your mind, any doubt at all,

that Harlan Merrill

killed Lawrence Vander?

Seems rather a strange question.

I told you what I saw.

Isn't it possible that when
you saw the murder weapon,

you visualized the
whole sequence of events,

so that in retrospect the
defendant only appeared

to have thrown something away?

No, that's not what happened.

Couldn't you have
been honestly mistaken

in having seen him throw
the murder weapon away?

In, uh, seeing him on that path?

I was not mistaken.

And I'm just as positive
I'm not mistaken.

The defendant
swears he's innocent.

And, Mr. Hennings,
I believe him.

All right.

Let's try once
more, Mr. Hennings.

Could there have been
certain circumstances

which made it
necessary for you to claim

that you saw the defendant
on the path that night?

I have no idea what
you're talking about.

Well, isn't it true,

that if Mr. Merrill were guilty,

it would have solved
a problem for you?

Look at the defendant,
Mr. Hennings.

That man is not a murderer.

"Grant that I may not

so much seek to
be loved as to love."

I'm sure you know this portion

of St. Francis'
prayer, Mr. Hennings.

"For it is in giving
that we receive,

"it is in pardoning
that we are pardoned,

"and it is in dying

that we are born
to eternal life."

Mr. Hennings,

you have the life of
Harlan Merrill in your hands.

Now,

did you see him
throw that rock away?

Did you see him on that path?

No.

Very well, you lied.

Why?

'Cause I was afraid.

I was afraid to face the truth.

I'm not afraid now.

I'll take what comes.

Lawrence Vander
was looking for me.

My real name is Max Kleinerman.

Quiet.

Quiet in the courtroom.

Proceed, Mr. Mason.

Did you kill Lawrence Vander?

No.

Do you know who did kill him?

No.

Between the
discovery of the murder

and the time you told your
story to Lieutenant Anderson,

were you contacted
by a blackmailer?

Yes. There was a
note in my suitcase

as I packed to
leave the retreat.

What were the
contents of that note?

Someone knew who I was

and would expose me
unless I told that story

about seeing Merrill on
the path with the rock.

Now please, Mr. Mason,

I honestly thought
Merrill was guilty,

or I would not have lied.

Believe me.

Who sent you that note?

I don't know.

Your Honor, at this time,

I should like to recall Miss
Winifred Dunbrack to the stand.

Are you married, Miss Dunbrack?

No, I'm a widow.

I use my maiden name.

Keeping company with anyone?

No, I'm afraid not.

Never had a date
with Buck Osborn?

Oh, yes.

Yes, just once.

Mr. Barlow? No.

Mr. Merrill? No.

Emery Fillmore? No.

No, Miss Dunbrack?

Santa Barbara, three months ago?

San Diego, two months ago?

Ojai, one month
ago? Shall I go on?

Well, yes, we have
been seeing each other.

We kept it a secret.

You see, we plan to be married.

That's very interesting.

May I ask what you
plan to do with the wife

and two children Emery
Fillmore now has in Virginia?

In discussing your
marriage plans,

that little fact apparently
slipped his mind.

Miss Dunbrack,

Lawrence Vander did not take
the security file as you suggested.

You took it.

Now, to whom did
you give that file?

I gave it to Emery Fillmore.

My wife and I have
been separated

for seven years, Mr. Mason.

Divorce is out of the question.

I'm afraid that the
idea of a marriage

existed only in Miss
Dunbrack's imagination.

Giving you
Mr. Merrill's security file

didn't just exist
in her imagination,

did it, Mr. Fillmore?

No, it wasn't.

I asked for that.

Harlan Merrill had only been
with the company a short while,

when he mentioned a place that
he had visited in East Germany.

And then later, when I asked
him if it was during the war

that he was in Germany,

why, he almost
became frightened,

and swore up and down

that he'd never been
in Europe in his life.

Well, I forgot about
the whole incident

until I heard Vander
telling Cliff Barlow there

about his search
for the missing Nazi.

So, you put two and two
together and decided to, uh,

get Mr. Merrill's file
from Miss Dunbrack.

What then?

Well, nothing as far
as I was concerned.

I gave the file to Vander.

And was it then you told him

about the money you believed
Mr. Merrill had embezzled?

Oh, yes.

And I was right about that, too.

They found $5,000 of the
money in his car, didn't they?

Are you a, uh, wealthy
man, Mr. Fillmore?

Hardly.

Most of the money I make
goes to take care of my family.

I keep out just barely
enough to get along on.

Ever heard of a company
called Bruce Electronics?

Why, yes.

That's a little ol' company I
organized a long time ago.

But it's inactive.

Completely inoperative.

Completely inoperative?

Except that it owns 5,000
shares of Howts Milling Company,

which in turn has a
brand-new $10 million parts

contract with Space Research.

A contract you were
responsible for approving.

Well, I...

5,000 shares at
ten dollars a share...

The exact amount of
the still missing $50,000.

Now, you embezzled that money
hoping your anticipated profits

from Howts Milling would
enable you to return it

to Space Research
before it was missed.

What upset your
plans, Mr. Fillmore?

The sale of the Space
Research American Division

and... the audit.

Practically had
one foot in prison.

You needed someone on
whom to place the blame.

Along came Vander...

looking for a
missing former Nazi.

And right at hand was the
only other person with access

to the money and to the books.

A man with a past he was hiding.

Conveniently perfect, wasn't it?

But... well, I thought
Merrill was the Nazi.

So you sent him
anonymous letters,

hinting at his past,
frightening him.

Then you tried to
blackmail him into stealing.

But it wasn't the money
you wanted, was it?

No. No. No.

I wanted him to steal
from the company,

then he would get caught.

But Mr. Merrill wouldn't steal.

So you decided to frighten
him into running away.

And just before you sent
him that last blackmail note,

you stole another $5,000

and hid the money
in his car, did you not?

Well, yes, yes, yes, yes.

But I... but-but I sent
Vander an anonymous note

telling him about the money.

But Merrill went after you

instead of running
away from you.

And Vander became suspicious
when Merrill showed up

unexpectedly at the retreat.

What happened that night

when Vander confronted
you on the rosary path?

Well... nothing.

What happened that night when
Vander suddenly confronted you?!

Well, nothing.

Nothing.

Except...

well, he told me that he knew
that Hennings was the Nazi.

That he'd figured out that...

that I was blackmailing Merrill,
because I had stolen the money.

And he threatened to
expose me to the police.

I offered to make
a deal with him.

Buy him off, give him my
share of the stock, anything.

Any kind of a deal at all!

And then he knocked me down
and I picked up a rock and I...

And then I figured

that when I threw him
over the cliff into the road

that everybody would think it was
an accident. Sit down, Mr. Fillmore.

Well, everybody should've thought it
was an accident! Sit down, Mr. Fillmore!

If everybody had've
thought it was an accident,

they would've...
they would've... they...

Oh, I'm so sorry.

Why didn't the security
check show something wrong

with Hennings' background...
Show that he was Kleinerman?

Well, like so many
others in the Hitler regime,

he hedged against
ultimate defeat

by carefully planning
his escape in advance.

He painstakingly created
a new identity for himself

in England, where he previously

had spent years going to school.

Mr. Mason, would you arrange

for Harlan to surrender
himself to the authorities,

and represent him at his trial?

Now, Perry?

Paul.

Uh, this, Mr. Merrill, is
the second eyewitness

to the death of
Lieutenant Philip Kuyper.

Lou.

Lou Kouffman. Yeah.

Hiya, Lieutenant.

I... I thought you were killed.

I-I thought you were all killed.

I-I ran away.

Sure, Lieutenant,
we all ran away.

Including you.

But you ran the other way,
right toward the Germans,

to pick up Corporal O'Connor.

He was wounded.

Uh, don't you remember?

Well, you picked him up

and just then a
mortar burst hit.

We saw it.

We saw the two of you
blown through the air.

Gosh, we-we figured
you were both dead.

Harlan, you suffered
shock and concussion

in that mortar blast.

When you came to, all
you could remember was

that you'd been running.

And in your dazed condition,

running meant just one thing.

For more than 15 years,

you've been living a lie you
created in your own mind.

Paying a debt that
didn't even exist.

Welcome home, Mr. Philip Kuyper.