All language subtitles for Prosecution 1982

No.

No. No.

9

9

Emergency, which service? Police.

GET ME THE POLICE.

NOT SO FAST, YOU LINCOLN POOPS. Where's

the car?

What are you gaping at?

I should like to thank you for all your

care and kindness.

The whole of my life, I've never

been so miserable.

Uh, I wish you all

good day.

I hope forever.

Come along. Come along. What's keeping

us? I didn't know he was being

discharged today.

Discharged? He's been expelled.

There goes the old fox at last. What a

BEAUTIFUL SIGHT. BYE, SIR WILFRED. BYE.

BYE.

Do you think he'll be back again? If he

does, I'm leaving.

Oh, my, what a miserable day. Just

perfect for your homecoming.

You know, I always say it's worth having

the rain just to appreciate the sunshine

when it comes.

Oh, tell me. Is there too much draft?

Shall I shut the window? No. Just shut

up, will you?

Now you're being naughty again, Sir

Wilfred. We must keep our spirits up.

I just adore London. It's so eccentric.

Were you knighted at the palace, Sir

Wilfred?

No, at the zoo, I think.

Look, there's Harrods. I buy all my

stockings there.

Amazing.

You know, I almost married a law student

years ago, but he caught pneumonia and

went, just like that. Died of fright,

didn't he?

Careful now, Sir Wilfred. Remember

you've been flat on your back now for 2

months. Oh, stand back. Stand back.

Williams, my cane.

Here he comes.

Me. Me.

Everyone back to work.

What's the matter with you?

Well, I I was afraid after your heart

attack, but

but here you are, your old self again.

Any more of such sentimentality and I go

straight back to hospital. Not likely.

They won't take you back.

Williams, I'll put those in water.

Come along, Carter.

Look at this room.

Old,

ugly,

musty.

I never knew I could miss anything so

much.

As you too, Carter.

My still brother. Oh, thank you, sir.

I'm not a religious person, sir.

When they took you away in that

ambulance,

I lit a candle.

Oh, thank you, Carter.

No, actually, I was lighting it for

myself, sir.

I mean, if anything happened to you,

what would happen to me after all these

years? My knee.

I started with your first

murder trial, you know. Indeed, you did.

37 years ago, and still got the same

wig.

Fetch it, Carter, will you?

Yes, sir. I'm uh

I'm afraid we put it away, sir. Put it

away?

Oh,

in mothballs. Mothballs?

I suppose you thought I wasn't going to

practice again. Oh, no, sir. We have

several interesting briefs for you. A

divorce case, tax appeal, very simple,

excellent fees. Never that.

I'm sorry, Sir Wilfred, but you're not

to undertake any more criminal cases.

The doctors. Doctors? They've deprived

me of everything.

Tobacco, alcohol,

female companionship.

Carter. Yes, sir.

Then bring me a bigger box of mothballs.

And put me

away in two.

11:30, Sir Wilfred.

Time for a nap before lunch. Later.

Come now. Let's get you upstairs and

let's get you undressed and we'll lie

down.

We?

What a prospect.

Upstairs. Come along now.

No, no. Don't pull me. I I could strike.

Oh, you'd never do that. You might break

your cigars.

Oh, oh, what cigars? The ones you've

been smuggling.

How how did they get there? In hospital,

he'd hide the brandy, too. We called him

Wilfrid the Fox.

I'm confiscating these.

Yeah, just just one? No. Upstairs,

please.

Yeah, I mean

there's a puff

after meals. Not before, not during, not

after. Cigars to Wilfrid are I'm the

surprise, Carter. Some dark night, I

shall plunge a thermometer into her

heart.

Oh, no, sir. You mustn't walk up. We

have the lift now.

Well, that lift hasn't worked for a

year. Indeed, sir. That's why we had it

repaired for your return. The doctor was

adamant about it. He ordered it. Are you

sure that it's

Oh, yes, it's quite reliable now.

Shall we go?

Good morning, Mr. Brougham.

Ah,

Mayhew.

So, Wilfrid, I'm very good to see you

back on the job again. Nothing said yet,

only a few double civil cases.

Well, in that case, I think I might have

something interesting for you. I have my

client right here with me and uh

This is Mr. Leonard Vole.

And he's in quite a ghastly mess, I'm

afraid. Oh.

How do you do, Mr. Vole? Well, according

to Mr. Mayhew, not very well, sir. So,

Wilfrid, it's 11:45.

I know what the time is, Mayhew.

Sorry.

Nice to uh Mayhew.

Nice nice to meet you, my boy. My

pleasure, sir.

Here we are.

Now, come along, Sir Wilfrid.

Sir Wilfrid!

Sir Wilfrid! SIR WILFRID!

WELL, HE'S CONVALESCING. YOU really

can't accept any case of a criminal

nature. The doctor has requested all of

us TO SEE TO

UH

gentlemen Sir Wilfrid

No, he's all right, Carter. We're not

taking his brief. But Mayhew is a

Wilfrid. I'm sure he could do with some

advice.

Oh.

Yes. Well, I I I can give you 5 minutes,

couldn't I? I'll just be a couple of

minutes, Sir Wilfrid. I know. Mayhew,

just you and I, please. Thank you.

SIR WILFRID, your nap. You go ahead and

start it without me.

This is your fault, Mr. Carter. How can

you say that? I told you Excuse me, uh

but if it's anyone's fault, it's mine.

It seems silly to me now, but Mr. Mayhew

thinks that I might be arrested at any

moment. For what?

Well

for murder.

This woman, a middle-aged widow, was

living with a

a housekeeper in Hampstead. The

housekeeper claims that Mr. Vole visited

the widow the same evening she was found

dead. Struck in the back of the head.

I see. He seems to be a nice harmless

chap, simply caught in a web of

circumstantial evidence.

I wonder, could you perhaps

think of a line of defense?

I think best

with a cigar.

Oh, okay.

Yes, sir.

Yes, of course.

He is a man of good character,

an American with an excellent war

record. I know you'll like him.

She's confiscated the matches.

All right. Oops. Sorry.

Uh

I'll get you one. No, no,

no, no, no, no.

You don't know this principle.

This will take all our cunning.

Young man,

rather important point. If you could

just join us for a moment. Of course,

sir.

Thanks.

Sir? Give me a match. What?

Give me a match. I'm sorry, I never

carry them.

Oh my god.

You said I'd like him.

I do have a lighter, however.

Charming fellow.

Mr. Vole, you may or may not have

murdered a middle-aged widow, which has

saved the life of an old barrister. Why,

it's all so fantastic. I haven't

murdered anyone. My god. I hate violence

of any kind.

I'm only here because Christine, that's

my wife,

thought I might be implicated in some

way.

Do I really need two lawyers?

Excuse me, just it seems silly.

Mr. Vole, those who commit murder in

this country face the hangman.

Is that silly? No, sir. I I I I didn't

mean

Mayhew, you explain to him. You know I

am a solicitor. Mr. Vole is a Wilfrid is

a barrister. And only a barrister can

plead a case in court. The fact is

I made a statement to the police. They

seem quite satisfied. They seem

satisfied. He made a statement and

thinks that's the end of it. You are a

principal suspect.

Why? Why why should I be arrested for

something I haven't done?

Relax, Mr. Vole. You are now in the

hands of the finest barrister in London.

Mayhew,

I may have taken your cigar, but I'm not

taking your case.

Who's that, Wilfrid? I submit we call

her Mr. Brogan Wood. A very able man.

Oh, Carter. Sir? Ask Mr. Brogan Wood to

come to me as soon as he leaves the

court.

Yes, sir. Sir Wilfrid, I have never

known such insubordination since I was a

nurse in the front lines during the war.

Oh, thanks very much.

What what what sort of work do you do? I

worked at all sorts of jobs.

Mechanics, mostly. I like working on

cars the best, picking up new gadgets

for them. Yeah.

I see.

But you're not working now. No.

How did you get to know Mrs. French?

On Oxford Street.

One day I I I saw this old lady carrying

a lot of

Old lady?

Well, she wasn't in her 50s, wasn't she?

Well, she's carrying a lot of packages

and then right in the middle of the

street, she dropped them. She was trying

to pick them up and I saw this bus

coming towards her. I yelled at her and

she managed to get to the curb in time.

Well. And then? Well, picked up the

packages for her. I wiped some of the

mud off her hand, tried to calm her

down.

she was grateful. Well, you'd have

thought I tried to save her life. And

then? Well, then she asked me to come

and see you. And so you went?

Well, I thought it would be rude to

refuse.

She seemed

very lonely. Her husband had been in the

colonial service and died at the age of

45. Poor guy, heart attack.

Please.

Not while I'm speaking.

And so

Well, um

And and then

you saw her quite quite frequently.

Yeah, we'd um

sip sherry and uh

play Canasta.

You know, it's really weird to

think of her now

lying there in that living room

murdered.

Oh, I'm sure you they moved her by now.

Not to have done so would be unfeeling

and unlawful

and unsanitary.

Uh

you you say that he was still in her her

place on the night of the murder?

Oh, yes, but I left before 9:30. The

housekeeper claims that Emily French was

still alive when she came back at 10:00.

How much money did you get out of her?

Nothing. Not a cent. The truth.

How much? Why should she give me any

money?

Cuz she was in love with you.

Excuse me, sir. It just

it's ridiculous. She liked me. She um

Yeah, she even pampered me like an aunt,

but that's all.

I swear it. Why didn't you tell her you

were a married man? I did tell her. Did

you take your wife to see her? No.

Why not? Well, because uh

Well

she was under the impression that

Christine and I didn't get along too

well. Did you give her that impression?

No, she seemed to want to believe it

that way. Did you never corrected that

impression? I was uh

afraid she'd lose interest in me.

Because she was rich. Yes, I suppose so.

And you were after her money.

I

Were you?

Yes, in a way. I I

I was hoping for a loan, that's all, for

an invention of mine.

That's all it would have been.

Is that so bad?

The housekeeper was out.

Just you

and that lonely woman in the empty

house.

How easy it would have been to do it.

No.

When I left her, she was alive.

I know things do look bad for me.

But I swear to God I didn't do it.

You do believe me, don't you?

You're wrong, Mr. Vole.

Things don't look bad for you.

They look absolutely terrible.

You have no alibi, no witness.

Just my wife. The testimony of a devoted

wife, I'm afraid, does not carry much

weight.

Ah. Mr. Mayherne, come in, come in. So

good to see you out of the hospital.

Glad to get rid of it. Ah, you know

Mayherne.

This is client.

Mr. Leonard Vole. The Emily French

murder. Indeed.

How do you do? Ah, not too well, I'm

afraid. He's no alibi. He's a hot

potato. And delivering is right in your

lap. Much obliged. Your best defense

will be lack of motive.

He's sponging on her. Why kill her off?

No motive, no money, I'm afraid.

You'll have to sue for your fees. I'll

simply put a lien on his 80,000 pounds.

What 80,000 pounds? Why, the 80,000

pounds that Mrs. French left you.

Left me?

They found her will this morning.

Congratulations.

My God, you've got to be joking.

80?

I can't believe it.

I've got to call Christine right away.

This inheritance

doesn't make things look any better for

me, does it?

I wouldn't think so.

So now they'll say I did have a motive.

I would think 80,000 pounds a very

handsome motive.

Excuse me, sir. There are two gentlemen

here asking for Mr. Vole. The police?

Yes, sir.

Tell them to come in. Yes, sir.

My God.

Is this it? I'm afraid it may be, my

boy. But I had no idea she'd leave me

any money.

How can it be a motive? Now, don't

worry. Mr. Mayherne will bring all that

up in court. Ah.

Chief Inspector Hearne.

Congratulations on your promotion. Oh,

thank you, Sir Wilfrid. Sorry to disturb

you in your chambers. Oh, not at all. We

have your dangerous Mr. Vole here. You

are Leonard Vole? Yes.

I have a warrant for your arrest on the

charge of murdering one Emily French. I

must warn you anything you say will be

taken down and may be used in evidence.

Pardon me.

I've never been arrested. Do I have to

be handcuffed? That might be necessary.

I'll go to the station with you, see

you're properly charged.

Will you explain to my wife? Of course.

I can't believe this is happening.

Well.

Did you give him your monocle test? Yes,

I did. And? Curiously enough, he came

through with flying colors.

Hm. Ah, excuse me, Sir Wilfrid, but Miss

Plimsoll has issued an ultimatum. If

you're not in bed in 1 minute, she will

resign.

Hm.

If you refuse to take proper care of

yourself, sir,

I will be forced to resign, too.

Blackmail.

All right, Carter.

I'll

go quietly.

It's been

a bit hectic this morning.

Ah, Miss Plimsoll, how alluring you

look. Like a caged cobra. How do I

manage to resist you?

Wilfrid, would you care to question Mr.

Vole's wife? Sorry. I'm in no condition

to cope with weeping women

who want a dozen handkerchiefs. No.

That will not be necessary.

How do you do?

I am Christine Vole.

Madam.

I'm Wilfrid Robarts.

This is Mr. Mayherne.

Who has some rather bad news for you,

I'm afraid. Don't be afraid. I'm quite

disciplined.

He's been arrested, hasn't he?

And charged with murder.

I told him he would be. You show

extraordinary

fortitude.

My friend here

will take on your husband's defense. Oh.

You will not personally defend Leonard.

Well, regrettably not.

My health, you see.

I've heard you described as the champion

of the hopeless cause.

Perhaps this cause

is too hopeless.

Sir Wilfrid.

I intend to have a very serious

discussion with Dr. Harrison. It was a

great mistake to let you come back here.

I should have taken you directly to some

far off resort like Bermuda. Never.

Just wanted to see me in those nasty

little shorts.

Now.

Put these on, if you please.

Both tops and bottoms.

I'll make your bed.

I must say I feel rather sorry for Mr.

Vole. That wife of his sounds absolutely

horrid. Hm, foreigner.

I think English girls are so much more

caring and sensible. My mother, oh, I

come from Dorset. My mother used to say

that no self-respecting Dorset man would

ever dream of marrying a foreigner.

Have you ever stayed in Dorset? Oh, I do

so love it.

Such a happy, happy childhood.

Oh, well, my career now takes me to so

many places, I've no time to be

homesick.

No.

No, that isn't true.

Sometimes I feel just

so lonely, you know.

So lonely.

Oh, but one must keep busy. One must

keep active. I think you'll agree with

me there.

It's so rewarding, you know, to be in

the service of those who need

professional care.

Do you like fish?

All of us must do what we do best in

this world.

And so I remain content.

Sir Wilfrid. To the club, Wilkins. Yes,

sir.

Forgive my haste, but my nurse might be

following on her broomstick.

You must understand, Mrs. Vole, that

your husband's entire defense depends on

his word and yours.

Unfortunately, the judiciary

are often skeptical of a man accused of

murder supported only by the word of his

adoring wife.

Always. Indeed. He's quite right. Oh, I

say. Aren't these beauties?

Yes, well No, no, you go on, my dear

fellow. Question this charming lady. I I

won't interrupt you.

Yes, well

I take it then that you knew that your

husband had been seeing Mrs. French

regularly.

I knew it from the day he came home with

a pair of green socks she had knitted

for him. See?

Pair of socks.

Well, it's

quite natural.

Almost endearing. Leonard can be very

endearing.

He has a way with women.

I only hope he will have an all woman

jury.

He will be acquitted in triumph.

You knew she'd left him money in her

will?

A great deal of money.

Your husband had no previous knowledge

of this?

Is that what he told you? Surely not

suggesting anything different.

I do not suggest anything.

Quite obviously

Mrs. French looked upon your husband as

a

son or nephew.

My God, what hypocrites you are in this

country.

Oh.

I'm sorry if I shocked you, Sir Wilfrid.

No, no, not at all. Please go on.

There.

Is that more comfortable for you, Sir

Wilfrid?

Hope you don't mind this. Doctor said I

should take a stroll twice a day. I

don't mind in the least, but I don't see

what more I can tell you. Well, let's go

back to the night of the murder. Your

husband came home before 9:30.

Is that correct? Is that what he said?

Yes.

Then it is correct. He came home before

9:30.

We want the truth, Mrs. Vole. You are

going to be under oath.

Yes.

The truth

and nothing but the truth.

Mrs. Vole, do you love your husband?

Leonard thinks I do. Well, and do you?

Am I already under oath?

Mrs. Vole, whatever your gambit may be,

do you know that under English law you

cannot give testimony against your

husband?

How very convenient.

The prosecution will attempt to hang

your husband.

A husband who loves you. Loves me.

Leonard worships the ground I walk on.

I assume that you love him as much.

You want to know too much.

Alfie, just a minute, gentlemen.

Don't worry.

If Leonard needs an alibi, I shall be

very convincing.

There will be tears in my eyes when I

speak.

You are a very remarkable woman, Mrs.

Vole.

And you are satisfied,

I hope.

I'm damned if I'm satisfied.

I want your honest appraisal. Do you

think Leonard Vole is innocent? I don't

know.

I'm sorry, but of course I'll do my very

best.

You needn't concern yourself.

I shall take it on from here.

Sir Wilfrid,

you may wish to know that I have called

Dr. Harrison and given him a complete

report on your shocking behavior.

Give me a match.

Sir Wilfrid,

Did you hear what I said?

Give me

a match.

Excuse me.

Sir Wilfrid,

I want you to know how grateful I am,

sir, that you are going to represent me.

I struck a bargain with my doctors.

They'll let me go on with the case if I

go off for 6 months to Bermuda. Thank

you, sir. Let's hope we'll both be the

better for it. Would you put these on,

please?

What for? Because these are the clothes

you wore on the night of the murder.

We'll circulate a photograph and hope

that a witness might have seen you

leaving Mrs. French

to verify the time.

By the window, please. We really need

this.

Uh half face.

My wife knows what time I came home.

One more in profile, please. I just

can't understand why Christine hasn't

come to see me.

It's been over a week. I'll pick up the

negatives later, thank you. Right.

Now, wait just a minute.

Are you keeping something from me?

Is Christine all right? All things

considered, Mr. Vole, I think your

wife's taken it very well.

It must be damn tough on her.

We've never been separated before.

Not since we first met. Was that in

Germany?

Right.

I was with the Air Force stationed

outside of Hamburg.

I met her in a nightclub.

She was waiting on tables and hoping to

land another job, acting in the theater.

And you brought her over here? Yes. I

rented a flat on Earl's Court Road.

And uh

when she saw it for the first time,

she was so happy. She just broke down

and cried. Heartwarming.

She lost all her family in the war.

I'm all she has. Oh, yes, yes.

I understand that. Huh, you don't really

know how she feels about me, but you'll

find out when she testifies.

Mr. Vole, I'm not putting your wife in

the witness box.

Why not?

Due to the following, the complexity of

our language,

prosecution might

catch her out.

We hear that maybe Mayhew's for the

prosecution. We can't afford to take any

chances. He's good? Formidable.

Interesting man, Mr. Mayhew.

I take great pleasure

in beating him.

Officer,

but Christine must give evidence. You

must trust me, if only because I'm a

mean, ill-tempered old man who hates to

lose. Let us wish each other good luck.

Sir Wilfrid, you don't understand. I

can't face this without Christine.

I need her.

Without her I'm nothing. You understand?

It's really rather touching the way he

counts on his wife. Like a drowning man

clutching at a razor blade.

Silence!

Is your name Leonard Vole?

Yes.

You are charged on indictment that on

the 14th day of September, 1954,

you murdered Emily Jane French.

Vole, are you guilty or not guilty?

Not guilty.

Members of the jury,

you are sworn to try this case on

evidence.

You must shut out everything from your

minds except what takes place in this

court.

You may proceed for the prosecution, Mr.

Mayhew. May it please your Lordship.

I appear in this case with my learned

friend, Mr. Barton, and for the defense,

Sir Wilfrid.

Sir Wilfrid Robarts and Mr. Brogan

Moore.

I I trust that we are not to be deprived

of the learned and stimulating presence

of Sir Wilfrid this morning.

My Lord, may I assure my learned friend

that Sir Wilfrid is in the El Belly and

will be in his seat shortly.

You may proceed, Mr. Mayhew. Thank you,

my Lord.

The facts in this case are very simple.

Medical testimony will prove that Mrs.

Emily French was murdered

by a blow from a blunt and heavy

instrument.

It is the case for the prosecution that

this blow was struck

by the prisoner,

Leonard Vole.

This is ridiculous.

I've got a bit of nervous heart burn.

I always get it first day of the trial.

240 over 130. You shouldn't be here at

all.

I should be in the courtroom. Trial's

begun. Syringe, Mr. So

Now, be a good, brave boy, Sir Wilfrid.

It may interest you to know that I am

descended from a warrior family which

traces its brave past back to Richard

the Lionheart.

You're to have a calcium injection

daily.

A tranquilizing pill every hour.

And in case of a sudden pain or

shortness of breath, pop one of those

nitroglycerin tablets in the black box

under your tongue. And I'll leave you

some drops as well.

That's enough, doctor. The judge will be

asking for a saliva test. Ah, we better

get that thermos cocoa with me.

Helps me to wash down the pills.

Let me see that, please.

My learned patient is not above

substituting brandy for the cocoa.

Oh, it is cocoa. Hmm.

So sorry.

Yes, take care of that, doctor. Now, Sir

Wilfrid, in the courtroom you must avoid

overexcitement. Watch your temper. Keep

both your voice and your blood pressure

down. Oh, it's all right, thank you,

doctor. As we're quite safe with the

pills and the cocoa.

How long, Carter?

We therefore place the time of death at

between 10:00 and 10:30 p.m.

That is just before Janet Mackenzie

called us. Was the severe blow to the

back of the neck the cause of death?

Yes, sir.

Death was instantaneous, caused by one

blow from a heavy and blunt instrument.

No other signs of a struggle? No, sir.

One blow. Would that indicate to you

that the murderer had taken her by

surprise?

My Lord,

I am taken by surprise of my learned

friend who has attempted to solicit from

the witness an opinion

and not a fact. Quite so.

Mr. Mayhew, it seems that Sir Wilfrid

has joined us just in time to catch you

on a point of legal procedure. Please

rephrase your question. My Lord, I

withdraw the question.

Did you say

the room gave the impression that a

robbery had taken place?

Yes, the window was broken with glass on

the floor and fragments were found

outside. The fragments outside, however,

were not consistent with the window

having been forced from the outside. So

what you are saying is that someone had

attempted to make it look as if the

glass had been forced from the outside.

My lord,

I must object. My lord, Freddy, you're

putting words in the witness' mouth. You

answer your own questions.

The presence of the witness would be

super

Superfluous.

Quite, quite. Don't you think so, Mr.

Myers? Yes, indeed, my lord.

Was any of the lady's property missing?

Nothing, according to the housekeeper.

Is it not your experience, sir,

that burglars usually

burgle when they break into a house?

Yes, sir. Did you produce a jacket,

Inspector?

Yes, sir.

And is it is that the jacket?

It is, sir. I propose that that be

tagged exhibit one. Where did you find

it, Inspector? It was found in the

prisoner's flat. I handed it to our lab

to test for blood stains. Did you find

blood stains? Oh, yes, sir.

But there were an attempt had been made

to wash them out. What tests did the

laboratory make? First, to determine the

stains were human blood,

and then to

classify the group or type. And were the

stains of a particular type?

Oh, yes, sir.

They were type O. Did you test the blood

of the dead woman? We did, sir.

That was also type O. Thank you very

much, Inspector. Inspector, is it not

possible that a burglar might enter an

empty house

and then suddenly encounter

Mrs. French and strike her, and then,

discovering that she is dead, panic,

flee without taking anything? Yes, sir,

it's certainly possible. My lord, I must

submit that it is entirely impossible to

guess what goes on in the mind of an

entirely imaginary burglar. You're quite

right, Mr. Myers.

Please let us confine ourselves to the

facts, Sir Wilfrid. When you questioned

the prisoner as to the stains on his

jacket, did he not show you a recently

healed scar on his wrist and tell you

that he cut himself while slicing bread

with a kitchen knife? Yes, sir, that is

what he said. Did his wife not tell you

the same? Yes, sir. But afterwards, she

told us

just yes or no, if you please. Did his

wife tell you he had cut himself while

slicing bread?

Yes, sir.

I'll ask you to examine this knife.

Will you please test the edge with your

finger? No, carefully, oh, carefully.

Do you agree that that knife is razor

sharp? Yes, sir. Such a knife could

inflict a cut which would bleed

profusely. It might, sir. Now then, you

say that the blood on the prisoner's

jacket, the blood of Mrs. French,

are the same type, O. Correct. If the

prisoner's blood should be of the same

type, O, then the stains on his jacket

might very well resulted from the knife.

Did you analyze the prisoner's blood?

No, sir.

I have a certificate, North London

Hospital,

that the blood is certified to be type

O.

Call Janet Mackenzie.

Silence.

Take this in your right hand and read

aloud what's on this card.

I swear by almighty God that the

evidence I shall give

to this court shall be the truth, the

whole truth,

and nothing but the truth.

Thank you, madam.

Is your name Janet Mackenzie? Yes. Were

you companion housekeeper to the late

Mrs. Emily French? I don't think he

could get through the trial without his

medicine every hour.

her housekeeper. I've no opinion of

so-called companions, poor feckless

bodies afraid to do a bit of honest

work. But you did know her

very well. 10 years.

She trusted me.

Many is the time I'd prevented her from

doing a foolish thing.

Will you tell us, in your own words,

what happened on the evening of

September the 14th?

It was a Friday.

And my night out.

And I went off to see my niece, a

5-minute walk.

I'd promised to take her the pattern, a

paper pattern, and I'd been there for a

while when I remembered I forgot it.

So I walked back to the house in the

rain.

The phonograph was playing in the

sitting room.

Mrs. French was laughing.

She was in THERE WITH HIM. NO, THAT

ISN'T TRUE. I heard them.

Are you quite certain you heard Mr.

Vole? I. He visited her often enough.

So I went up to my room and I fetched

the pattern, and then I heard this

noise, crashing glass and a thump, and

then another thump.

And and and what did you do? I was

frightened.

So I ran down to the sitting room,

and there she was, dead.

And everything tossed hither and yon.

Did you really think a burglary had

taken place?

Oh, my lord, I must object. Yes, quite

right. I will not allow that question to

be answered, Mr. Myers.

How much did you know about the

prisoner? I knew he needed money.

Not that he'd ever asked her for it, he

was too clever for that. Were you aware

that he was a married man? No, no,

indeed, we were not. Janet! My lord, I

must object. What Mrs. French knew or

did not know must be pure conjecture

on the part of the witness.

I will put it this way.

You formed the impression

he was a single man. Why?

Well,

the books she ordered

about women who'd married men years

younger than themselves, about Disraeli

and and his wife.

I knew what she was thinking. I'm afraid

we can't admit that. Why?

Members of the jury, it is quite

possible for a woman to read Disraeli

without contemplating marriage to a

younger man.

Concerning her will, she had it revoked,

the old one,

and a new one drawn up. I heard her

telephoning her solicitor, and so did

he, he was right there. You actually

heard Mrs. French discussing her new

will

with him? Yes, he was to have all of her

money. No one else meant to her what he

did.

When did this take place? September the

8th. It was a week to the day before she

was murdered. Thank you.

That concludes my examination.

Not just yet,

Miss Mackenzie.

You have given us testimony about two

wills.

In the old one, who was to receive the

bulk of Mrs. French's estate? I was. And

in the new one, only a small annuity for

you, and the rest to the prisoner,

Leonard Vole. A wicked injustice if he

ever touches a penny of that money. I

can quite understand that you feel

antagonistic

to the prisoner. Me?

Antagonistic?

He's a shiftless, scheming rascal, but I

am not antagonistic to him. His

friendship with your mistress cost you

the bulk of her estate. I never liked

him. Your candor is most refreshing.

You say you heard them on the night of

September the 14th,

what did you hear them say?

They were laughing. What did the

prisoner say? Just laughing. Quite sure

about that, are you?

I. The door was closed. Open, it was

open a wee crack.

You passed the door quickly. Long enough

to to hear. Well, come, come, Miss

Mackenzie. I'm sure you don't want to

suggest to the jury that you were an

eavesdropper. It was him.

I know it. And did you see him? Did you

actually see him?

Her. What?

I could see her, but I knew he was

there.

Why? Because you heard him?

Yes. Under the National Health

Insurance, Miss Mackenzie, did you apply

for hearing aid? For what?

For hearing

aid?

What did you say? My lord, I must object

to the way this question is being put.

I'll repeat the question, my lord.

I ask you, in a normal tone of voice,

audible to the open court, did you apply

to the National Insurance for a hearing

aid? Yes, I did. Did you get Not yet.

But yet you state that you could hear

the prisoner's voice

in a room beyond. What?

No more questions, my lord.

Perhaps you could help me, your

lordship. I played for the hearing aid

over 6 months ago. Frau Helene

Mackenzie,

considering the rubbish being talked

about these days,

you have not missed anything.

Over we go.

Enough, please your lordship.

I should like to call upon our final

witness for the prosecution,

Frau Christine Helm.

Christine Frau Christine Helm.

Frau Christine Helm.

This way, madam.

Please remove your glove, madam. Take

this in your right hand and read aloud

what's written on this card.

I swear by almighty God that the

evidence which I shall give shall be the

truth, the whole truth,

and nothing but the truth.

Thank you, madam.

My lord,

I should thought it only too obvious to

point out to this court

that

the witness summoned here by the

prosecution is the wife

of the prisoner, Leonard Vole,

and therefore

My lord, I must call my learned friend's

attention to the fact that I summoned

Christine Helm, not Christine Vole. Your

name is in fact Christine Helm. Yes,

Christine Helm. And you've been living

as the wife of the prisoner, Leonard

Vole. Yes. Are you actually his wife?

No.

We went through a form of marriage in

Hamburg, but

I already had a husband living somewhere

in East Germany.

He is still living today.

But you never told Mr. Vole.

It would have been stupid to tell him.

He would not have married me, and

I would have been left to starve over

there in the rubble. Thank you. My lord,

there's proof of a marriage between the

witness and Leonard Vole. There is no

proof whatsoever of an alleged previous

marriage. My lord,

the alleged previous marriage is

extremely well documented.

I have a certificate.

Mrs. Helm,

is this the certificate of your marriage

to one Otto Ludwig Helm?

The ceremony having taken place in

Breslau

on April the 18th, 1942?

Yes, this is the paper of my marriage. I

would like to see that certificate.

Having had the benefit of Sir Wilfrid's

opinion, you may proceed, Mr. Myers.

Thank you, my lord.

Mrs. Helm,

are you willing to give testimony

against the man you have been calling

your husband? I am willing.

In the night in question, you stated to

the police that your husband returned

home before 9:30. Did he in fact return

home before 9:30? No.

He returned at 10 minutes past 10.

CHRISTINE, WHAT ARE YOU SAYING? THAT'S

NOT TRUE. YOU KNOW IT'S NOT TRUE.

AS YOUR counsel will tell you, Vole,

you'll very shortly have an opportunity

of speaking in your own defense.

Now then,

Mr. Vole returned at 10 minutes past 10.

What happened next? He was breathing

hard, very excited.

He took off his coat and looked at his

sleeves.

They had blood on them. Go on. I said,

"What has happened?" And what did the

prisoner say to that? He said,

"I have killed her." CHRISTINE, WHY ARE

YOU SAYING THESE THINGS? WHY ARE YOU

LYING? SILENCE.

SHE'S AWFUL, that one.

I've known it all along.

Sir Wilfrid, would you like me to

adjourn for a few minutes? Your lordship

is most gracious.

I pray

let the witness continue. We're all of

us so caught up in the suspense of this

horror picture. Perhaps he had his

innings talking as my proof.

I don't care.

Proceed, Mr. Myers.

Thank you, my lord.

Mrs. Helm, is it true that

you told the police

that the prisoner returned home before

9:30?

Yes, because Leonard wanted me to say

that. But you've changed your story

since then. Why?

I cannot go on lying to save him.

He married me,

and I was grateful to him for getting me

out of Germany, always.

What he has asked me to do, I have done,

because I was grateful to him. But not

because you loved him. No.

I never loved him.

So it was out of gratitude to the

prisoner

that you gave him an alibi in your

statement to the police. Yes. Now you

feel you were wrong to do so. It is

murder.

That woman was a harmless old fool,

but

I cannot be an accomplice to murder for

him.

I cannot do it.

I will not do it. So this is the truth.

He returned home after 10 with blood on

his sleeves saying, "I killed her." That

is the truth. That is the truth before

God.

That is the truth

before God.

Thank you.

Mrs. Vole

or Mrs. Helm,

which do you prefer to be called?

It does not matter. Oh,

does it not?

In this country we are inclined to take

a rather more serious view of marriage.

However,

Frau Helm,

it would appear that when you first met

the prisoner,

you lied to him about your marital

status. I was desperate to get out of

Germany. You lied, did you not? Just yes

or no, please. Yes. Thank you. And then,

subsequently, when you were arranging

the marriage, you lied

to the authorities. I did not tell them

the truth because

to them.

Yes. In the ceremony of marriage itself,

when you swore

to love, to honor,

and to cherish your husband,

that too was a lie.

Yes. And then, when the police

questioned you about this wretched man

who believed himself married and loved,

you told them

I told them what Leonard wanted me to

say. You told him that he was at home

with you by 9:30.

And now you say that was a lie. Yes.

A lie. And when you said he had

accidentally cut his wrist, again you

lied. Yes. And now, today, you tell us a

new story entirely.

The question is, Frau Helm,

were you lying then, or are you lying

now, or are you not in fact a chronic

and habitual liar?

The other pill under the tongue.

My lord, is my learned friend to be

allowed to bully and insult this witness

in this manner?

Mr. Myers, this is a capital charge, and

within the bounds of reason, I would

like the defense to have every latitude.

Indeed, the witness has violated so many

oaths that I'm surprised the testament

did not leap from her hand when she was

sworn in here today. I doubt there's

anything to be gained by questioning you

any further.

That will be all, Frau Helm.

Mrs. Helm,

do you know the meaning of the English

word

perjury? Yes, it means to swear false

under oath. And are you aware that in

this country the penalty for perjury is

a very heavy term of imprisonment? Yes,

I am aware.

Mindful of this,

do you say that the evidence you have

given is the truth, the whole truth, and

nothing but the truth?

So help me God.

Thank you.

That concludes the case for the

prosecution, my lord.

Sir Wilfrid, are you ready for the

defense?

My lord,

members of the jury,

the prosecution very ably presented

against the prisoner, Leonard Vole, a

case of the most overwhelming

circumstantial

evidence.

You heard the evidence

of Janet Mackenzie, a worthy and devoted

housekeeper, who suffered two most

grievous losses.

First,

the death of her beloved mistress.

And second,

being deprived of an inheritance of

80,000 pounds, which she had fully

expected to receive.

May I express my sympathy to her

on both these

mishaps.

And finally, most damaging of all,

the prosecution has produced a surprise

witness, one Christine Helm,

whom the prisoner married and removed

from the rubble of her homeland to the

safety of this country,

giving her his love

and the protection of his name.

Although a wife cannot give evidence

against or harmful to her husband,

her marriage to him has proven

fraudulent and bigamous.

I'd ask you to consider this marriage

for what it is worth.

This, then, is the prosecution's case.

It is now the turn for the defense.

We could present a variety of witnesses

to his character,

his war record,

the lack of any criminal association in

the past.

However, I will call upon the only one

witness who can shed light upon this

tragic riddle, the prisoner himself. I

call upon Leonard Vole.

Silence.

Take this in your right hand and read

aloud what's written on this card.

I swear by almighty God that the

evidence I shall give will be the truth,

the whole truth, and nothing but the

truth.

My name is Leonard Vole.

It is? Did you or did you not, on the

night of September the 14th last,

murder Emily French?

I did not.

Silence.

Have you in fact concluded your

examination of the witness, Sir Wilfrid?

My lord, the prisoner has now endured

three days of the most profound mental

agony and shock.

The defense feels his faculties should

be spared for the cross-examination.

Silence.

Hello.

When you first made the acquaintance of

Mrs. French, were you employed?

No.

You had money then in savings?

Nothing. Did you receive any money from

Mrs. French? No, not a penny.

Did you expect to receive any? No, sir.

Did you know that she had left you money

in her will?

No, sir.

When you went to visit Mrs. French for

the last time,

did you wear a trench coat and a hat?

Yes, I did. Was it this coat and hat?

Yes.

My lord, um

the defense circulated this poster in

the hope that a witness would come forth

who had seen the accused leave Mrs.

French's house at the time stated.

Unfortunately, the effort was without

result.

However,

the defense will be pleased to hear

that a witness has now come forward

who saw the prisoner wearing this hat

and this coat.

Lamentably,

it was not on the night of the murder,

but exactly 1 week before.

Were you or were you not in a travel

agency in Regent Street on the 8th of

September

inquiring about schedules and prices of

foreign cruises?

What if I were?

That isn't a crime. Oh, no, no,

certainly not.

Many people go on a cruise

if they can pay for it.

But you couldn't pay for it,

could you, Mr. Vole? No.

And yet you came into this travel agency

Oh!

With a lady.

A blonde.

A honey blonde, I understand.

Tell me, please,

how on earth did you expect to pay for

such an expensive and luxurious cruise?

I don't know. It was a You don't know?

Perhaps I can tell you.

On that very day,

you heard Mrs. French alter her will,

leaving you the bulk of her money. I

didn't. I knew nothing about the will.

And in the afternoon,

you set about making plans to dispose of

the money. No.

There was nothing like that.

I uh

Well, I I met this girl at a pub. I

can't even remember her name, and uh

we had a couple of drinks, we left

together.

We went past this display window, and

there were posters of blue seas and

palm trees, and we went in.

Uh man gave me sort of a funny look

because I was dressed a little shabby,

and uh

it irritated me, so I

kept asking for the swankiest tours,

you know, all deluxe

cabin on the boat deck, just

putting on an act. An act?

An act,

when you knew you were going to inherit

80,000 pounds? No, it was nothing like

that. I didn't think of killing anybody

or

inheriting any money. Just a coincidence

that Mrs. French was killed only 1 week

later?

I did not kill her. Then why did

Christine Helm testify as she did in

this court?

I don't know why.

I don't know

No, I still call her my wife.

She must be losing her mind. She seemed

remarkably sane and self-possessed to

me. So, insanity, then, is the only

reason you can think of? I don't

understand it.

Damn it.

What's happened? What's changed her?

I can't tell you

unless,

of course, you're speaking the truth.

She says you came home

with blood on your clothes. I cut my

wrist. You cut your wrist and didn't

clean it. No. You came home at 10

minutes after 10. That's not true.

You've got to believe me. You've got to

believe me.

You've got to believe me.

And you murdered Emily French. I didn't.

I I swear to God, I didn't.

I've never hurt anyone,

ever.

I

Oh God.

It's a nightmare.

It's a It's

ghastly.

Horrible nightmare.

Good evening, Sir Wilfrid. How did it go

today?

Uh Sir Wilfrid, I'm from Hawkes and

Hill. I brought your Bermuda shorts

along for a fitting. My My what?

I think you better slip into them now,

Sir Wilfrid, otherwise we'll never have

them ready for tomorrow. Tomorrow, my

dear man, I'm in the middle of a murder

trial.

But it'll be all over by tomorrow

afternoon, and the boat train doesn't

leave until 9:40. Well, you work it out.

You know my shape, you stabbed it often

enough.

But Sir Wilfrid, you must go upstairs

and have a nice lukewarm bath and your

calcium injection, and there's still a

great deal of packing to be done.

Ridiculous talk about boat trains.

How do we know?

The jury may be out for days.

Not in this case, I'm afraid.

Seems cut and shut.

I watched them when Frau Helm was on the

stand.

They didn't like her. True, they didn't

like her, but they believed her.

They liked Leonard Vole, but they didn't

believe him. I must say, the travel

agency business with the blonde didn't

help matters.

Cigar, Wilfrid?

Wilfrid, do you think she lied?

Do you?

I don't know. I'm not sure. Well, I am.

She lied.

The only question in my mind is why.

What's her game? What's she up to?

Why?

Sir Wilfrid, I hope that in your final

speech tomorrow, you won't let yourself

get too emotionally involved. You must

think of your physical condition. He's

right.

I want to see you save yourself. This

isn't going to be your last case. Yes,

it is. But till it's over, I'm still a

barrister, and my client's life's at

stake. That's all that matters. He's

alive.

He's a right to expect the best that I

can give.

If I can't stand up to make my last plea

for him,

I'll make it sitting down.

If I feel out of breath,

I'll take a pill.

I'll take two pills.

I'll take the lot.

And the box as well.

Yes. I'm calling for Sir Wilfrid

Robarts' office. You have. Holy moly.

And who is this? None of your business.

I've got something here to sell you. No,

I'm sorry, but the Leonard Vole case.

Leonard Vole? I've got the goods on his

wife. Uh yeah, just a moment. There's a

woman who says that she has the goods on

Mr. Vole's wife.

Wilfrid Robarts here. Meet me on Tilbury

Street by the docks, number 27. Seventh

floor. I'll wait an hour. Bring plenty

of money.

And come alone. Uh Who is it?

Damn.

Drunken witch.

Every murder trial, we always get some

of them.

Always with some ultimatum. Meet me at

Tilbury Street

down by the docks.

Bring plenty of money.

Bold as that.

Bold as that.

Bold as

What?

I'm not going on some wild-goose chase.

In my condition, just the cause of some

drunken harridan. Sir Wilfrid, you

you're coming with me, Mayhew.

Good heavens, Sir Wilfrid, where are we?

It looks positively sinister. Steady,

Mayhew.

Ah, here we are, Williams. Slow down.

I don't like this.

I don't like this at all.

This is the place.

You stay here, Mayhew. No,

I can't let you go up there alone. It's

far too dangerous.

I'm coming with you.

She wants to see me alone.

And she shall. Very well.

But if you're not back in 10 minutes,

I'm coming after you.

Second floor, I believe.

Careful, old friend. Stay calm.

Mind you don't trip, Sir Wilfrid.

Well, well.

So, Wilfrid Robarts.

Who are you?

Never you mind.

I wouldn't have recognized you without

your wig.

You look lovely in them wigs, you do.

Oh, thank you.

What about your little friend?

Care for a drink?

No, thank you.

What have you got for me?

Letters. That's what I've got.

Letters that wife of his wrote.

You mean letters written by Christine

Vole to her husband? Her husband?

Don't make me laugh.

Poor bloody chump. He's been doing good

and proper, he has.

And these letters prove it. May I see

them? You can see one, and then I want

some money.

A hundred pounds. A hundred pounds? Take

it or leave it.

All right. Lovely beauties.

You see.

You can take that piece of glass out

now.

Are they authentic? They are all right.

Where did you get these?

What difference does it make as long as

she gets what's coming to her? What have

you got against her?

He is.

I'll give you something to dream about,

mister.

Want to kiss me, darling?

No, I didn't think you would.

Did Christine Vole do that to you?

You could say as much.

Chap I was going with

got to seeing her on the sly.

And I caught them together.

Told her what I thought of her, didn't

I?

And he gave me this.

I've waited years to pay her back. And

now it's come.

I'm deeply sorry, madam.

HA!

I'LL BET. WILFRID!

ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT, UH

I'LL I'LL be with you.

Madam,

I'll drink your whiskey now.

What about Leonard Vole?

You may sit down.

Since the defense has called but one

witness, it has the right to be heard

last.

Therefore, Mr. Myers, if you are ready,

let us have the final speech for the

prosecution. My lord,

members of the jury, I believe the only

conclusion

to be drawn in this case is a verdict of

guilty against the prisoner.

I will now

in the course of

I think you had better begin again, Mr.

Myers. That is, if Sir Wilfrid is at all

interested in our proceeding. I am,

indeed. And I now ask that the case of

the defense to be reopened.

I'd like a witness to be recalled. My

lord, I must strenuously protest.

Evidence of the most startling nature

has come into my possession only last

night.

The course my learned friend proposes to

take is is quite unprecedented.

I anticipated my friend's objection, and

I'm prepared to meet it with ample

precedent. Case The Crown against

Stillman on page 463,

1926.

I feel

case

42.

The Crown against Porter, August 11th,

1930.

Winchester Assizes on page 261.

And further,

the case of Sullivan, I'm sure my

learned friend will remember, since you

were prepared for the prosecution. I

did. Yes.

Oh.

Yes, I do recall now. What is this new

evidence you have, Sir Wilfrid? Letters,

my lord.

Letters Christine Heil My lord, the

prosecution continues its objection. If

my memory serves me right, in the case

of your own objection in The Crown

versus Sullivan, your objection was

upheld.

Your memory, for once, serves you ill,

Mr. Myers.

My objection was overruled at the time

by Mr. Justice Swindell,

as yours is now by me.

Call

Christine Heil.

Call Christine Heil.

Call Christine Heil.

If you've still got your doubts about

Vole, I don't mind betting you a very

small box of cigars.

This is Helm.

You appreciate that you're still on

oath. Yes.

Do you know a man named Max? I don't

know what you mean.

It's a simple question. Do you know a

man named Max? Certainly not.

Oh, that's a fairly common name. Maybe

you mean you've never known a man by the

name of Max?

Perhaps in Germany, but that was a long

time ago. I shan't ask you to go back as

far as that. Just a few weeks. To

September the 20th last. What have you

got there?

A letter.

I suggest that on the 20th of September

you wrote a certain letter I don't know

what you're talking about.

addressed to a man named Max. I did

nothing of the sort. The letter was but

one of a series written to the same man.

These are lies. All lies. You would seem

to have been on, let us say, on intimate

terms with this man. Sir Wilfrid, that

isn't true. The prisoner, in his own

interest, will remain silent.

I'm concerned

only with one particular letter.

"My beloved Max, an extraordinary thing

has happened. I believe all our

difficulties may be ended." This is a

forgery.

It isn't mine.

It isn't even my letter paper. It isn't?

No. I write my letters on small blue

paper

with my initials on it.

Like this?

This happens to be a note from my tailor

for a pair of extremely becoming Bermuda

shorts.

Wilfrid the Fox, that's what we call him

and that's what he is.

Now, Mrs. Helm, you've been kind enough

to identify your letter paper. Would you

care to have an expert identify your

handwriting?

Damn you.

DAMN YOU. SIT DOWN, MRS. HELM.

DAMN YOU. MRS. HELM. LET ME GET OUT of

here.

Let me go. Mrs. Helm.

Usher, give the witness a chair.

Sir Wilfrid, will you now read the

letter so that jury can hear it?

"My beloved Max,

an extraordinary thing has happened. All

our difficulties may soon be solved.

Leonard is suspected of murdering the

old lady I told you about.

His only hope of an alibi depends on me.

Suppose I testify that he was not at

home with me at the time of the murder,

that he came home with blood on his

sleeves,

that he admitted to me that he killed

her.

Leonard says he would never let me leave

him.

But if this succeeds, he will be leaving

me.

They will take him away forever and I

will be yours.

I count the hours, my beloved, until we

are together.

Christine."

Silence.

Will you go back to the witness box,

Mrs. Helm?

I now

ask you again,

Christine Helm,

did you write

this letter?

Before answering, Mrs. Helm, I wish to

warn you. If you have already committed

perjury in this courtroom,

I must advise you not to add to your

crime.

I

wrote

the letter.

I keep asking myself, Sir Wilfrid, which

is the harder, your head or your

arteries?

Well, all I can say is you you better

stop chancing your luck. Well, we're all

packed, Doctor. The luggage is in the

car.

Oh, I hope the jury doesn't take all

afternoon.

I concede.

Congratulations.

Not yet.

Oh, come now, it's all over.

Wrapped up neat and tidy.

What's wrong?

Everything.

It all looks a little too neat.

Too tidy.

And that's

precisely what's wrong with it.

You're not worried about the verdict,

are you? It's not their judgment.

But what isn't it?

It's mine.

Put up, Vole.

Members of the jury, are you all agreed

upon your verdict? We are.

Do you find the prisoner at the bar,

Leonard Vole, guilty or not guilty?

Not guilty, my lord.

SILENCE.

SILENCE.

LEONARD VOLE,

YOU ARE FOUND not guilty of the charge

and are hereby discharged and free to

leave the court.

Be upstanding.

All persons who have anything to do

before my lords, the Queen's justices of

the Central CRIMINAL COURT, MAY DEPART

HENCE.

God save the Queen.

Thank you, sir,

for everything.

You were wonderful. Let's say we were

lucky all around.

The warder has your belongings there.

They'll take you to sign the papers and

they'll release you. Right. I'll go with

you. I brought your hat and coat. Let's

go quickly

before they change their mind.

He's quite chipper, isn't he?

Only an hour ago he had one foot on the

gallows and the other on a banana skin.

Lord would be pleased, Wilfrid.

Aren't you?

Not yet.

We've disposed of the gallows,

but there's still that banana skin

somewhere

under somebody's foot.

Wait in here, madam, till we get rid of

the crowd.

Come on, break it up.

Are you ready, sir, because Miss

Plimsoll will be waiting.

If if it is still us, the Coco Carter,

but I'm still beyond her jurisdiction.

You British can get so emotional. I

apologize for my compatriots.

Oh, that's all right.

I don't mind being pushed around or

called names, but

I do have a run now in my nylons. In

case you're not familiar with our prison

regulations,

no silk stockings allowed. Prison?

Will I go to prison? Indeed, you'll

certainly be charged with perjury, tried

for it,

and to prison you shall go. Well,

it won't be for life, will it? If I were

the judge, it would be.

You loathe me, don't you?

What a wicked woman I am.

And how brilliantly you exposed me.

The great Sir Wilfrid Robarts did it

again.

Well,

let me tell you something.

You didn't do it alone. You had help.

What are you driving at?

Leonard is free

and we did it.

We? We.

You remember the first time I came to

see you,

and you told me that no jury would

believe an alibi given by a loving wife,

no matter how much she swore that her

husband was innocent.

That gave me the idea. What idea? The

idea

that I should be a witness.

But not for my husband, no.

For the prosecution.

That I should swear that Leonard was

guilty and that you should expose me as

a vicious liar.

Because

only then would the jury believe

that my husband was innocent.

So,

now you know the whole story, Sir

Wilfrid.

I'll give you something to dream about,

mister.

Want to kiss me, darling?

I suspect you something.

I've never lived.

Thank you for the compliment.

It is a long time since I was an

actress.

But I have never played such an

important part. And all those blue

letters? It took me hours to write them.

To invent Max.

There never was a Max.

There never has been anyone but Leonard.

Only Leonard. Oh, my dear.

Why couldn't you have trusted me, worked

with me truthfully,

honorably?

We would have got him off. I could not

take that risk.

You see, you thought he was innocent.

I knew you knew he was innocent.

I understand.

No, Sir Wilfrid. You do not understand.

I knew he was guilty.

God. God.

That can't be true.

I wish to God it was.

But Leonard did come home a few minutes

past 10.

He did have blood on his sleeves.

And he did tell me that he had killed

that woman.

He pleaded with me.

I knew

only I could save him.

You

You did save him.

A murderer. Again, Sir Wilfrid. You do

not understand.

I

love him.

I told you she was an actress.

And a good one.

I knew she would do something for me,

but I just didn't know what.

Or how. Leonard, darling.

Fooled you completely, didn't she?

No.

It was you, Vole,

who really fooled me. After the

37 years.

To be so blind.

So

stupid.

Easy. We both got out of it alive.

Better take a pill.

There's still a court in England.

They're not through with you yet. But

surely they are. You know that.

You did too good a job, Sir Wilfrid. You

got me off. I can't be tried again.

That's the law. Somehow and someway,

you'll pay for this. I agree.

Let's double your fee to begin with.

And how about a new hearing aid for

Janet Mackenzie?

And for you, my dear, 5,000 pounds to

pay for your perjury trial. That ought

to get you off easy.

Oh, thank God it's over.

I could never go through that again. But

now

I've got you back. Uh Christine,

Christine, I think that there's

something really that we have to face

and the sooner the better. What? Well,

what what are you talking You and I.

You and I, uh we've been pretending here

all along. In the trial, I mean.

For everyone. We don't want to pretend

anymore. Not to each other. We've

changed. We don't want to go back to the

way things were.

But Leonard, I

Believe me, I have absolutely no

regrets, but it's over.

No.

We've only 20 minutes to catch the boat

train, so we'll

Oh my god.

You can't leave him.

You can't leave me.

No. I saved your life getting you out of

Germany. You saved my life here in this

courtroom. Now we're even, right?

Leonard,

darling, how much longer are we going to

have to stay here?

I'm most anxious to get out of this

place. We'll be leaving in a minute. Oh,

no.

That's one of the few true statements

that was made. You see, we did meet at

the travel agency.

Oh dear God, please listen to me.

I love you.

NO, CHRISTINE, LET'S NOT MAKE IT ANY

WORSE, or they might try you as an

accessory. And you know what that means.

LET THEM.

I DON'T CARE WHAT THEY DO.

BUT if they must try me, let it be for

She

She killed him.

No.

She executed him.

A remarkable woman.

Better bring back the luggage and you

can dismiss the car.

We won't be leaving now,

will we?

No.

Thank you,

Miss Plimsoll.

Get Brogan-Moore out to my chambers

directly.

And have me you there, too. We're

appearing for the defense in the trial

of Christine Vole.

Come on, old man.

SIR WILFRID,

YOU FORGOT YOUR BRANDY.