All language subtitles for Perry Mason S05E26 The Case of the Borrowed Baby.DVDRip.NonHI.en.CBS

♪♪

Why the sigh? I thought
the dinner was excellent.

It isn't the dinner.

- I'm merely letting out my breath.
- Your breath?

I've been holding it
ever since we sat down.

Do you realize that this is the
first meal we've had in weeks

that hasn't been interrupted by a
frantic phone call from someone...

The office or a worried client?

I almost wish I'd specialized in
something a little less strenuous

than criminal law.

You know you don't mean that.

No, but I do wish we didn't
have to finish that brief tonight.

I was hoping you'd forgotten.

And if I had?

Like a good, dutiful secretary,
I would have reminded you...

maybe.

Anyway, we haven't more
than a couple of hours' work.

And then...

Waiter, may we have
the check, please?

This'll just about clear off
my desk. Won't it, Della?

Except for that article you
promised the Quarterly Law Review.

Oh, that's not due
for a month yet.

You know, these lulls are too
rare not to take advantage of them.

Suppose tomorrow you
begin a small bonus vacation,

say about week.

Perry.

There's someone in
here. Do you hear that?

Yes.

Oh, my goodness.

This is the darnedest
thing I ever heard of.

Della, are you sure all
the doors were locked

when you went to dinner?

Yes, I just checked again,

and all the doors
are still locked.

And yet here inside and
perfectly at home on my desk...

- Leander.
- Leander?

These notes were
pinned to his blanket.

"My name is Leander."

"Please, please
don't let anybody,

not even the police,
take me away."

That's odd, to say the least.

This one's even odder.

"E-V-M 13 - W 19 -

C-O-R-N

S 2T."

We'd better get this
to a cryptographer.

That's his formula, Paul.

Oh.

We have to find this
baby's parents fast.

Otherwise I'll have
to turn him over to...

whoever you turn babies over to.

You can't do that, Perry.

That's just what the
note asked you not to do.

Della, how can I take
care of a baby that size?

I can.

I told you I'm living at
Helen Leslie's house

while she and her
family are in Europe.

They should have
everything there that I need.

Hey, look.

He's laughing.

Of course he is.

He knows you'll do
the right thing, Perry.

What is the right thing?

Legally I'm entitled to take

whatever measures
I deem necessary

to protect a client's interest,

but who's my client?

Leander, of course.

Unfortunately,
Leander's a minor.

In fact, he's just about the most
minor minor I've encountered.

Well, not much to go on here.

I can have these checked
for latent fingerprints,

but that's about it.

Here, would this
medal help, Paul?

Regulation St. Christopher's.

What's this?

An electric automobile.

What's that noise?

Mrs. Cosgrove. Mrs. Cosgrove?

Oh, Mr. Drake, I didn't
realize anybody was here.

I'll do this later.

No-No, would you come in a
minute, please, Mrs. Cosgrove?

Good evening,
Mr. Mason, Miss Street.

How long have you been
working on this floor tonight?

Why, an hour or so, I'd say.

Started with Crespo &
Company, as I always do,

and then came here.

Well, now, what's this?

Oh-h-ho.

Would you look at the little
darlin', smiling like a tiny angel?

Surely never knew you
were married, Miss Street.

Oh... I... I'm not.

She's yours, Mr. Mason?

Well, no. No, and just to
keep the record straight,

this "she" happens to be a he.

- Oh?
- Uh... not mine, either.

Holly, did you loan your
passkey to anyone tonight?

Oh, no, that's
strictly forbidden.

Is there something wrong?

Did you see any
strangers in the hallway?

I saw no one,

but I did hear footsteps
about half an hour ago...

A woman's, from the heel clicks,

and in a great hurry.

Running down the
stairs, they were.

Well, thank you very much.

Not at all.

This is quite a mystery.

You can say that again.

What now, Perry?

All right, Della,
the baby's yours...

at least until we see
what develops tomorrow.

Here, Paul, take the
baby, will you, please?

- Who, me?
- Yes.

B-But I'm liable to drop him.

Oh. I have to get the keys. Yes.

Uh, Della, here,
you better hold him.

Paul, a fine father you'll make.

I don't understand any of this.

Nor do I.

But it's the baby, all right.

It's the same basket,
no doubt of that.

But is it the right baby?

That's what we have to find out.

I realize you can't remember
all the incoming calls, Gertie,

but was there an unusual one,

possibly from a woman
late this afternoon?

And you told her?

I see.

Yes, that's exactly
what I wanted.

Thanks.

Gertie was at the
switchboard at 5:30

when this woman called asking
where I could be reached tonight.

Did Gertie say you'd
be working tonight?

Did the woman give her name?

No, but at least part
of the mystery is solved.

She wasn't just leaving
the baby in an empty office.

Uh, Paul, let me take a look
at that again, will you, please?

Here.

Hold out your hand.

- Too hot?
- Too hot for what?

For the baby, stupid.

Why don't you ask him?

Paul, do you happen to
know any antique car fanciers?

Yeah, one... man
named Amos Berry. Why?

Let's pay a call on Mr. Berry...

that is, if Della can
get along without us.

Certainly we can get
along. Can't we, Leander?

You sure you don't want me
to call the Nurses' Registry?

Who needs help
with one small baby?

All right.

We'll be back in the morning.

Good night, Mother.

Night.

Tell me, Leander...

where's your mommy?

Come in.

Hi, Ginny.

What are you doing here, Lester?

I'm just paying
a friendly visit.

You don't seem
very happy to see me.

How did you find me?

Oh, I always keep track
of the people I'm fond of.

I'm very fond of you, Ginny...

in spite of the
mistake you made.

Mistake?

Sure.

Not cutting me in on
this in the beginning.

I told you a long time
ago I'd find you a kid.

It was my idea, remember?

Where is the kid?

Bedroom?

There's no baby here.

Oh, huh.

What is this?

For your pet poodle?
Come on, Ginny.

Let's cut out the games
and get down to business.

If by business, you
mean blackmail, Lester,

you've got the wrong person.

Blackmail? Ginny, heavens, no.

I mean a partnership, 50-50
on what we make out of the kid,

and that won't be hay, Ginny,

because I've got some angles
that you never even thought of.

You've got this
all wrong, Lester.

The only thing I want
is to be left alone.

Alone. Sure, alone with
a suitcase full of money.

Now, Ginny, I'm in this.

Whether you like it of
not, I'm in this all the way.

What are you doing?

I'm going to call the police
if you don't get out of here.

Oh, all right, the police.

We'll both tell them some
very fascinating things.

Want me to dial it for you?
What is it, O for operator?

Let go.

- Sure.
- Let go.

And get shot? I don't think so.

I'll take this.

Now, be nice, Ginny. Be nice!

Here, here, what's all this?

Who are you?

Wh... None of your business.

I'll show you whose business.

Let go of her, you
little pipsqueak,

or I'll poke this
clear through you.

Ginny, please tell her how
much you want me to stay.

Get out.

Get out of here.

Only, we're still
partners, Ginny.

Remember that... still partners.

Scum.

Should we report him?

No. No, he's not important.

Did everything go all
right, Mrs. Cosgrove?

Oh, yes, exactly
as we planned...

Safe and sound in
Mr. Mason's hands.

How can I ever thank you?

Time enough for that after you
do whatever it is you have to do.

Yes.

I better get started.

I'll, uh, be back
sometime tomorrow.

Good luck, dear.

Mrs. Cosgrove, he
wasn't crying or anything?

He was having the
time of his young life.

Mr. Berry?

Mr. Berry?

No need to shout.

I can hear as
well as I ever did.

Besides, the place is
closed this time of night.

Oh, it's you, Mr. Drake.

Rust.

Ain't been greased
in 30, 40 years.

Miracle she'd run at all.

Ought to be a Humane
Society for old cars,

same as for dogs and cats.

Mr. Berry, I'd like you
to meet Mr. Mason.

- How's that?
- Mr. Mason.

Wants to buy a car, eh?

Well, come back in the morning.
You can have your pick, Mr. Basin.

Stanleys, Packards, Franklins...

Uh, Mason, Mr. Berry, not Basin.

Needn't shout. I can hear you.

Actually, Mr. Berry, all we
want is some information.

How's that?

Can you tell us the name
of the electric brougham

on this St. Christopher medal?

Real old timer.

Detroit Electric?

Land's sake, I believe it is.

A genuine rarity, Mr. Jason.
A Kerrick Electrocar.

What do you mean,
Mr. Berry, "a genuine rarity"?

Only six of 'em ever made.

Traction millionaire in Chicago.

Used to build 'em for a hobby...

back in '15, '16...

You must have heard of him...

Leander Kerrick.

Leander?

Is Mr. Kerrick still alive?

No. His widow is, though.

Lives in a big place they
bought in Beverly Hills

when he retired.

She's got one of these.

Tried to buy it from
her, but she wouldn't sell.

Said she was still using it.

Berry's Antique Cars.

Who?

A Mr. Raisin?

You know, that has to be for me.

Uh, thanks. Hello.

I keep hearing sounds outside.

I think someone's
trying to get in the house.

All right, Della.
We'll be right over.

Come on, Paul. Thank
you very much, Mr. Berry.

Not at all, not at all.

Raisin?

Funny name for a fellow to have.

- Who is it?
- It's us, Della.

Thank goodness you're here.

You all right?

Just scared half out
of my wits. That's all.

More noises?

Yes, outside the kitchen door

and then back outside
the bedroom again.

Of course, it could
be just my imagination

or the wind, a wild
animal or some...

- He got in.
- And how.

Perry, it's been jimmied.

Never mind the window.

Didn't the baby even cry out...

Della?

- Paul, call the police.
- What for?

What for? Della,
kidnapping comes under...

Leander's all right.

Didn't I tell you I
could take care of him?

Snug little place, isn't it?

Paul, look over there.

Ah, looks like the
one on the medal.

Yeah, just like I remembered...

Tiller instead of a wheel, and
look at that vase of flowers.

You men there,
what are you doing?

It was our understanding that this
was the property of Mrs. Leander Kerrick.

I'm Mrs. Kerrick's cousin.

Oh, yes, Mr. Jarvis Baker.

You are also her business
manager, aren't you?

But just who are you?

My name's Mason.
I'm an attorney.

Now, her secretary
refused me an appointment,

but perhaps you can arrange
for me to see Mrs. Kerrick.

See her? About what?

Her grandson.

Follow me.

Wouldn't you say this story of yours
was rather incredible, Mr. Mason?

A baby mysteriously
locked in your office

with only a note saying
his name was Leander?

Yes, quite incredible,

but the baby also had
something else with him...

A St. Christopher medal.

Dolly, are you all right?

That belonged to my
husband, Mr. Mason,

and then to my son Lawrence.

We wondered why it wasn't
among his effects after his death.

And now, miraculously, it turns
up around a foundling's neck.

You seem quite hostile to both
the baby and to me, Mr. Baker.

Why?

- Because I don't...
- Perhaps I can explain.

- Lenora.
- Yes, Mrs. Kerrick.

Will you bring in our
other caller, please?

This is...

What did you say your
name was, young man?

Menke, ma'am, Lester Menke.

I have an idea they're
already acquainted, Dolly,

with each other and
with Virginia Talbot, too.

I'm afraid I don't
follow you, Mr. Baker.

Mrs. Kerrick does.

Would you repeat the
offer you just made me,

for Mr. Mason's benefit?

Well, it... it wasn't an offer.

I merely asked the
lady what she'd give

if I could prove that Lawrence
Kerrick had a baby son

and if I could find him
and the mother for her.

Only you seem to have already
found the baby, Mr. Mason.

You've got Ginny's baby?

I have a baby.

Who is Virginia
Talbot, Mrs. Kerrick?

Lenora knows more
about her than I do.

I've seen her, at least.

She was a nurse at the rest
home where Lawrence died

and where Mr. Menke
claims he was employed.

You can check with
Dr. Hogathy, Paul Hogathy.

He's the head man out there,
Oak Hill Sanitarium, near Riverside.

And you do know where
Virginia Talbot can be found?

Mr. Mason, I think this little
drama has progressed far enough.

Drama?

"Plot" may be a better word,

a plot to foist a
spurious baby on a...

Excuse me, Dolly,
but I must say it...

On an extremely
vulnerable old lady.

Perhaps you're an
innocent party to all this,

perhaps not.

In any event, I suggest you
disassociate yourself as soon as possible.

Thank you for your
suggestion, Mr. Baker,

but I've no intention
of withdrawing

until I'm completely satisfied

as to the identity of this
baby I've been entrusted with.

Good day, Mrs. Kerrick.
May I have the medal, please?

Thank you. Excuse me.

Now, as for you, Menke...

I'm going. You'll
be hearing from me.

Jarvis, Mr. Mason is
a well-known lawyer.

Wouldn't it have been better
to have cooperated with him?

Perhaps the baby
really is Lawrence's.

You must never allow yourself to
think that, Mrs. Kerrick, because...

it can't be.

We explained that, Dolly.

Yes, I...

suppose you have.

Mr. Mason?

I have an idea.

How about you and
me making a deal?

You got the baby,
and I got the mother.

The baby is actually
Lawrence Kerrick's, then?

What difference does it make

as long as they think it is?

You just leave that to me.

What I'm likely to
leave to you, Mr. Menke,

is a chance to appear before the
Grand Jury and testify under oath

as to what you know or
do not know about the baby.

Paul, I'd like you to take
my car and follow that man.

His name is Menke. I want all...

I know... Friends,
background, record, if any.

Right, the whole works.

- Mrs. Kerrick?
- Yes.

Come in, won't you?

Mr. Mason said you
might be paying us a visit.

A painted hussy... Blonde,
brassy, and hard as nails.

- I beg your pardon?
- That's how I pictured you.

Instead, you're a lady.

Thank you. I hope so.

Would you like to see the baby?

Come on, honey.

Oh, goodness, goodness.

What do you have?

Lookie here.

Turn around here, hon.

Isn't he adorable?

Yes, quite adorable.

Does... Does he
resemble your son?

How can you do a
cruel thing like this

to a defenseless...

Mrs. Kerrick, what
are you talking about?

I'm... I'm just
Mr. Mason's secretary.

Didn't he tell you?

No, he simply gave me this

and said if I wanted to see the
baby that had been wearing it,

I'd find him here,

but it makes no difference.

It's still a cruel thing to do,

to try to trap me this way,

but I... I won't be trapped.

You tell Mr. Mason

that I never want to see

or hear of this baby again.

Never.

Poor little fellow.

It looks like
nobody wants you...

except me.

Oh, I-I'm sorry.

I, um... I thought Florence
was here alone, Dr. Hogathy.

Well, she was, until I trapped
her a couple of minutes ago.

Ginny, you're looking
very well indeed.

Thank you.

As a matter of fact, so
well, I begin to have hopes

that you will come back
here to work with us again.

Well, I...

I haven't made any
plans yet, Doctor.

Well, keep us in mind.

Now, if you ladies
will excuse me,

I have some work to attend to.

What is it, Ginny?

Oh, Florence, I'm in trouble,

even worse trouble than before.

The baby?

Yes, I went to Yuma last night,

and this morning I called on the doctor
you said helped when Leander was born.

Dr. Barrington.

Only, Florence,
Dr. Barrington's dead.

That's too bad,

but why did you want
to see him, Ginny?

To help me prove that
Leander is really mine.

He is mine, isn't he?

What a funny thing to ask.

You know how I was when...

Well, when he was born,

only half conscious
after the fall I'd taken.

Ginny, you're being ridiculous.

Of course Leander is yours.

I know because I was there.

But... But why, after all this
time, do you have to prove it,

I mean, if you're putting
him up for adoption?

That was the idea,
before he was born,

but now, after these months,

I... I can't let him go.

I just can't,

and I won't let anybody
take him away, either.

Someone's trying to take him?

Somebody's following me,

watching the bungalow court
in Hollywood where I'm staying,

and the other night
a woman came,

and she said if I didn't have
Leander adopted immediately,

she'd have the
police take him...

because he wasn't
really my baby.

- Who was that woman?
- I don't know,

but that's why I've just got to
prove, some way, he's mine.

Oh, if only we'd
registered the birth.

Oh, but Ginny, that was
part of what you wanted.

That's why I told Dr. Barrington your
regular doctor was going to take over.

He'd leave the
registering to him.

It looks like I'm your
only chance, doesn't it?

I'm the only one
who really knows.

But I can't have you
lose your license.

I should've gone straight
to Mr. Mason anyway.

Mr. Mason?

Don't worry.

I won't mention you,
no matter what happens.

He's a lawyer, Florence.

He's the one who'll just
have to investigate everything.

That's all I can do now.

- Paul, Ginny says...
- Never mind, I heard.

We'll talk about
it later, all right?

Please.

All right, Paul.

Hello, I'd like to speak to
Mr. Jarvis Baker, please.

First, Leander...

Checked footprints at
every hospital in town,

no identification.

Second, Lester Menke... I
tailed him to his boarding house

and then had one of
my operatives take over.

- He's still there, as far as I know.
- Police record?

None in L.A., but we're
getting a report from New York,

where Menke used to live,

and the man I sent
out to the sanitarium

found that Menke did work
there up to several months ago.

He was a lone wolf
and not well liked.

What else did your
man find there, Paul?

Well, for one thing,
Lawrence Kerrick was there.

He was a semi-invalid,

subject to blackout spells

as a result of head injuries received
in a plane crash a couple of years ago.

He died of an embolism
resulting from the injuries.

What about Virginia Talbot?

One kind of interesting rumor...

That she and Kerrick were
married just before he died.

- Married.
- Somewhere in Nevada.

We'll try to check
it in the morning.

Hello.

Oh, just one minute. Paul.

Thanks. Hello? Yeah.

He did?

Where?

Thanks.

That's the man I
have tailing Menke,

says Menke's visiting
a Hollywood bungalow

rented by guess who.

- Virginia Talbot?
- Mm-hmm.

Perry, Leander wishes you luck.

Miss Talbot?

Lester Menke.

Must have just happened.
I can still smell gunpowder.

You. You.

Stop, or I'll shoot.

All right, Miss Talbot, let's just
see what did happen in there,

and remember...

And furthermore, Your Honor,

the State will prove that the defendant
and the deceased, Lester Menke,

were partners in
a cold-blooded plot

to try to foist off
a borrowed baby

on a wealthy and
socially prominent woman

on the pretense that the
baby was actually the offspring

of her late son,

that the fatal shooting

resulted from a quarrel

over the division of the
contemplated spoils of this plot,

and on the basis of this
evidence, Your Honor,

the State will move that the
defendant, Virginia Talbot,

be bound over for trial for
the murder of Lester Menke.

Sergeant Brice, I
show you this revolver,

already entered in evidence

and identified ballistically
as the murder weapon.

I ask if you recognize it.

Yes, it's the revolver I found
in the defendant's handbag

after I reached the scene.

What did the defendant say

about this discovery of yours?

Nothing. She was cautioned by Mr. Mason,
who was present, not to say anything.

Cautioned by Mr. Mason, really?

Did you further
investigate this revolver?

I checked to see if it was
licensed, and it wasn't.

Then I found the store
where it had been purchased.

Well, according to
my firearms register,

I sold that revolver
on... April 7th.

Just four days before it was
used to kill Lester Menke?

- Is that correct?
- Yes, I guess that's right, sir.

Now, would you look
around this courtroom

and tell us who the person was
who came into your store on April 7th

and purchased this
revolver from you?

That's the one back there,

the elderly lady
sitting on the aisle.

Sure, I got the gun for her,

I mean, people watching
her day and night,

trying to get in,

and a strange woman coming and
threatening to take her baby away.

Now, with regard to this baby
that she claimed was hers,

did you do anything?

Well, I... I suggested the
baby be put in a safe place

until she got certain
things straightened out,

so I took the baby
to Mr. Mason's office.

Mr. Mason?

Why Mr. Mason?

I've been his cleaning
woman for eight years,

and I know what a fine man he is

and how he's always ready
to help people in trouble.

Well, this seems to
disprove the old theory

about no man being a
hero to his cleaning woman.

But now on this same night,

when you left the baby
on Mr. Mason's doorstep,

so to speak,

did you have any contact with
the deceased, Lester Menke?

Yes, when I got back to
Miss Talbot's bungalow,

I found her struggling with him,

and believe you me, I
got him out of there fast.

But didn't he say anything
to you before he left?

Yes, but...

What did he say, Mrs. Cosgrove?

Must I answer that, Your Honor?

I'm afraid you must,
Mrs. Cosgrove.

Well, he said something
to Ginny to the effect that...

they were still partners
and she'd better not forget it.

Thank you, Mrs. Cosgrove.

I believe your description
of the defendant's actions,

when you went to her bungalow

to investigate what you thought
might have been a gunshot,

was that she ran out the
back door like a scared rabbit?

Oh, that's right.

A scared rabbit.

I also believe you said that
after you heard the noise,

you got out your shotgun and
began a search for shells for it.

Yeah, my wife, she found
them in a kitchen cabinet.

How long did all this take?

Oh, three, four
minutes, I guess.

Or five or six?

Tell me, how long did it then take
you to reach Virginia Talbot's bungalow?

Oh, well, two or three minutes.

Making it anywhere
from six to nine minutes

after the shot
when you got there,

and yet you say Virginia Talbot

came running out
like a scared rabbit?

That's how she looked to me.

Didn't it strike you as strange

that someone would spend
six to nine minutes with a corpse

and then run like
a scared rabbit?

Now, Miss Wood, what
happened on the date

to which I have
drawn your attention,

that is, February
23rd of last year?

Ginny and Lawrence
Kerrick eloped.

Eloped? How do you know that?

Because I drove them
to a Justice of the Peace,

just over the Nevada line.

Did you consider that
one of your obligations

as head nurse of the Sanitarium,

to facilitate marriages
between patients and nurses?

I considered it an
obligation to a friend.

You may cross-examine.

By your use of the
word "elope," Miss Wood,

do you mean to convey
that no one but you

knew of the marriage,
at least for a time?

Yes.

Are you sure you told
no one else about it?

Well, I... I did tell one
person the next day... Paul,

I mean Dr. Hogathy.

Well, I was shocked.

I'd known, of course,
that they were friends,

but I had no idea it
would come to marriage.

What did you do when you
learned about the marriage?

I immediately informed
Mr. Jarvis Baker.

Why Mr. Baker?

Because, as the court-appointed
conservator of Lawrence Kerrick's estate,

he had placed him in my care.

I did the only thing possible.

I had the marriage annulled
as quickly as possible,

on the obvious grounds that
Lawrence was of unsound mind.

How did you get Miss
Talbot to accept this?

I pointed out to her that I
was Lawrence's conservator,

a fact she claimed she
hadn't known, and as such,

was in a position
to prosecute her

for taking advantage of
an incompetent person.

Well, we went out to see
Lawrence, to talk to him.

He was having one
of his blackout spells

and failed to recognize her.

Well, that did it.

She signed the necessary
papers without further protest.

I know I've done the worst
thing possible, Mr. Mason,

picking up the gun from
the floor and running,

instead of calling the police,

but I thought I
should find you first.

Your biggest mistake, Ginny,

was not coming to
see me a long time ago.

A long time ago.

Mr. Mason, I...

I really did think I wanted to
put my baby out for adoption.

I had been so upset
and... And unhappy...

That spur-of-the-moment marriage

and annulment,
poor Lawrence dying,

and then, when...

Well, all I wanted was...
Was to forget everything,

to never have to tell or explain to
my folks or anybody about any of it.

And then you saw your baby.

After I decided to keep him,

I still hoped that... that I'd never
have to tell that Leander was...

Was illegitimate.

He's not illegitimate, Ginny.

What I have to prove is that...

he's actually yours.

But I told you that doctor
in Yuma is dead... and we...

I mean, I deliberately
didn't register the birth.

Which is it, Ginny... I or we?

Please, Mr. Mason,

all this can't have anything to
do with Lester Menke's death.

It just can't.

Paul, I want you to fly to Yuma.

Check on
Dr. Barrington yourself.

He may have mentioned
the birth to someone.

All right.

Also check around
Ginny's cottage.

She says it was isolated,

may have seen another
man or woman there.

Will do.

Well, look who's here.

Oh, my darling.

Oh, my precious,
precious darling.

Mr. Baker, when did you
first tell Mrs. Leander Kerrick

about her son's marriage
and its subsequent annulment?

Not until a short time ago.

Why this wait?

Mrs. Kerrick is
an elderly person.

I didn't want her upset.

I wanted to protect her,

just as I was
protecting Lawrence.

Or perhaps protecting yourself?

I... I don't understand.

Oh, I think you do.

If Lawrence died
unmarried and without issue,

you'd be next in line to inherit
the Kerrick fortune, wouldn't you?

Are you intimating that I forced
the annulment of his marriage

to benefit myself?

You seem to have
been unusually quick,

as well as secretive,

about a matter that normally
takes weeks or even months.

Well, I happen to have a
lot of good friends in Nevada.

Anyway, what
difference does it make,

as long as Miss Talbot
agreed to the annulment?

When did you first
tell Mrs. Kerrick

that the defendant
claimed to have a baby?

I didn't.

She learned about
the baby, just as I did,

from Lenora Graves.

You are Mrs. Leander Kerrick's
secretary, I believe, Miss Graves?

Yes.

Would you tell us, please,

what your connection
was with the deceased,

with the defendant, and with
the baby purported to be hers?

Well, I got a call from a man named
Menke, wanting to see Mrs. Kerrick

about locating
Lawrence's baby son

and also the mother,
Virginia Talbot.

I told Mrs. Kerrick of this,

and she decided to see him.

Then I told Mr. Baker.

And what did you do then?

There were two things I thought
I'd better check on myself...

The time the annulment
degree was entered in Nevada...

-35 p.m., February 29th...

And the time of
Lawrence's death...

3:15 p.m. later that same day.

What was the purpose of this?

Well, I thought
if we could prove

that even if there was such
a baby as Mr. Menke claimed,

it was certainly illegitimate,

the marriage having been annulled
before Lawrence Kerrick died.

And on the basis of this
idea, what did you do next?

I located Miss Talbot

and told her she'd lose her baby

if she persisted in trying to foist it
off on Mrs. Kerrick as her grandson.

And what was her
reaction to this?

She told me to leave.
That's the last time I saw her...

until sometime later, of course,

after she was
arrested for murder.

He went back to sleep.

You must have really stretched
out your cross-examination, Perry.

Hamilton was sure he'd
finish up by mid-afternoon.

Well, he wasn't, which
gives us some hope.

It must be Paul.

What's the good word, Paul?

Disaster on all fronts,
both here and Yuma.

- That bad?
- Take here, first.

Nothing, absolutely nothing on
Paul Hogathy and Florence Wood,

except that he's a refugee
doctor from Hungary

and they're in love.

We did manage to get a
partial line on Lester Menke...

Two convictions in the East

for operating a black-market
baby adoption racket.

That's a disaster?

It is when you
hear the Yuma part.

Menke was seen several times

hanging around
Ginny's cottage there.

Which could make it seem as if
he and Ginny were really partners.

Mm-hm.

I found a friend who had
done some investigating there

a couple of weeks ago.

Wouldn't tell me anything except
that he was hired by Jarvis Baker.

I half expected that.

Now, here comes the shocker.

It wasn't easy to check

because, of course,
Dr. Barrington is now dead,

but where do you
suppose the doctor was

on the day Ginny says
her baby was born?

In Mazatlan, Mexico, fishing.

- Wonderful.
- Wonderful?

But, Perry, that
proves Ginny was lying.

Look, suppose she and
Menke borrowed some...

Paul, do you have a portable
ultra-violet lamp at your office?

Yeah.

Good, let's put it to
work, along with this.

- And what's that?
- Why, it's a subpoena.

Now, Dr. Hogathy,
I would like you to...

Please, Mr. Mason, not
"Doctor" in this country.

Only in my native Hungary.

- You're not certified in California?
- Not yet.

I don't practice at the
Sanitarium. I only manage it.

Then certainly you'll
recognize this ledger?

Why, yes.

It is the Sanitarium's
vital statistic ledger,

the one you
subpoenaed last night.

Would you kindly read this
item under February 29th?

"Lawrence Kerrick, 32.

"Cause of death...
cerebral embolism.

Time of death... 3:15 p.m."

Now, would you read the time
again, please, under ultra-violet light?

Why, it has been altered.

Originally it was
2:15 instead of 3:15.

Thank you.

Which means, Your Honor,

that Lawrence Kerrick
died exactly 20 minutes

before his marriage to
Virginia Talbot was annulled

in Nevada at 2:35
p.m. that same day.

Now, did you alter this
record, Mr. Hogathy?

No. I would have
no reason to do that.

All right!

Yes, I did it, but I had
to protect the family.

Mr. Baker has always
been so nice to me,

and I... I just couldn't bear to
see him lose his inheritance.

But how did you think that
changing the record would affect that?

Well, it would make her baby... If
she really had one, which I doubt...

Illegitimate.

Miss Graves,

the law expressly states
that any issue of marriage,

even though it be later
annulled, is legitimate.

So you see, it really made no
difference when Lawrence Kerrick died.

Did anyone else know of
your having altered the record?

No, but afterwards, I tried
to tell that man Lester Menke

about the times,

to show him that if Virginia Talbot
had a baby, it would do her no good,

but he just laughed at me.

And so you caught him in
Virginia Talbot's bungalow

later that night and killed him

so he couldn't laugh again?

No.

No, I didn't kill anybody.

I swear.

And I swear I knew nothing of
what Lenora had done, nothing.

Mr. Baker,

did you or anyone in your employ

ever try to enter a house
occupied by Miss Della Street?

Uh, well, you see...

What were you looking for, a certain
St. Christopher medal, perhaps?

Well, I admit I was watching what
happened to the baby that night.

And do you also admit to
suppressing information,

which an investigator of
yours had found in Yuma?

No. There wasn't
anything to suppress.

All that man found was
the name of someone

who visited Miss Talbot
several times down there.

- Who was that, Miss Florence Wood?
- Yes.

I would have come forward

if I'd thought it
would help prove

that Ginny didn't kill
Menke, but it wouldn't.

All it would do would
be to get me in trouble.

Miss Wood, when Ginny asked
you the name of the doctor in Yuma,

why did you conveniently select

one who had died shortly
after the time of the baby's birth?

But it was Dr. Barrington.

On the day the baby was born,

Dr. Barrington was in
Mazatlan, Mexico, fishing.

No. No, I was with Ginny myself.

I was the one who delivered
the baby, Mr. Mason.

I drove Florence to Yuma
so she could be with Ginny

the last couple of weeks
before the baby was born.

You knew about
the expected birth?

Well, Ginny did not know. I did.

I dropped Florence off,

and as I was turning
the car around,

she came running
out of the cottage.

She had found Ginny
unconscious by the stone fireplace.

- A fall?
- Yes.

I rushed in,

and as Ginny began to
recover consciousness,

the baby started to
come prematurely.

I felt there was danger,

and certainly no time to reach a
doctor with the necessary qualifications.

Fortunately, I had some
sanitarium supplies in the car...

Drugs, instruments.

Of course, for me to do all
this was completely irregular,

even illegal.

Now I can never practice
here in the United States.

Who else besides Florence
Wood knew about this?

How about Lester
Menke? Did he know?

Yes. Somehow Lester
had traced Ginny to Yuma

and had been
watching her cottage.

How much had you paid him to
keep quiet up to the time of his death?

$6,000, all I had in the world.

And when he wanted more, you
had no alternative but to kill him.

No, Mr. Mason,
I didn't kill him.

I submit you did.

I submit you followed him
to Virginia Talbot's bungalow,

where you fought with him

over possession of the revolver
he'd taken from her, and then you...

No. No, that's all wrong.

I killed him.

I...

I was waiting for
Ginny when he came.

I told him he'd have to leave
Paul... Dr. Hogathy... alone,

or I'd report him to the police,

but he wouldn't listen.

He wouldn't believe me,

so I went to the phone.

He took out a revolver...
Ginny's... And came after me,

and we... we struggled,

and... and the gun went off,

and I ran out the back way

and kept running...

until now.

I believe this belongs
to you, Virginia.

Oh, you're quite right, Paul.

Menke was working
every possible angle...

Mrs. Kerrick, for
finding Leander,

Jarvis Baker and Lenora Graves

in hopes they might pay
him for not finding Leander,

and Hogathy for
keeping quiet about him.

What do you suppose
will happen to Hogathy?

I imagine, under
the circumstances,

the Board of Medical Examiners
will deal quite leniently with him.

What about Florence?

Didn't I tell you, Ginny?

She's my newest client.

Mr. Mason, how can I ever
thank you for all you've done?

Plenty of time for that later.

The thing to do now is to
get Leander safely home.

Come on, Virginia.

Come on.

Goodbye,

and thank you.

Well, I'd sure hate
to be Jarvis Baker

when Mrs. Kerrick
gets through with him.

Oh, I'm sure she realizes

he was only doing what
he thought best for her.

Della, why all the tears?
Everything turned out pretty well.

Wouldn't you cry, too, if...

you lost the only
baby you ever had?

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