All language subtitles for Perry Mason S08E14 The Case of the Ruinous Road.DVDRip.NonHI.en.CBS

Oh, Mr. Marshall,

Mr. Pierce left word
he wanted to see you

- the moment you came in.
- Where's Adam Conrad?

Why, in his office, I suppose.
Shall I ring him for you?

This invoice from two weeks ago

on that Santa
Monica high-rise job,

did you disapprove it?

Yes, I did.

The materials are
below specifications.

- Whose specifications?
- Mine.

Three years out of engineering
school, you think you know

all the answers,
don't you, Conrad?

Enough to do the
job I'm paid to do.

The job I order you to do,
the way I order you to do it!

Even if it's wrong,
Mr. Marshall,

as this is wrong?

Get this straight, kid.

I've been senior engineer with
the Pierce Construction Company

for 25 years, it's almost as
long as you've been alive.

After you succeed in
bootlicking your way into my job,

you'll call the shots.

Until then, I approve
or disapprove invoices!

I turned down that invoice
at Mr. Pierce's direction.

You were at the
construction site.

The boss' fair-haired boy
with the clean hands, huh?

Does your magic slide
rule show how long

we've been doing business
with this outfit... 15 years?

15 years without a complaint,

without one single case of
defective material or failure?

The materials were
below specification.

Which you casually or
accidentally pointed out

to Ed Pierce while
I was out, huh?

Mr. Marshall, I don't know
why it is you resent me,

but I don't think it's fair to
the company to let it affect

the jobs we were
both hired to do.

Oh, you're so right,
kid... Jobs... with an "s."

Because it's gonna
be a cold, cold day

before I let you
shoehorn me out of mine!

What do you take me for,
Pierce, a complete fool?

This isn't an access
road, it's a jigsaw puzzle!

By the time you finish
grading half a mountain range

to get that road in, there
won't be enough money left in

the construction
budget to pitch a tent

much less put up the buildings!

Oh, come in, Joe.

Mr. Osmond, none of us knew

the planned county
highway would be rerouted.

I'm not interested
in the County!

I am interested in Osmond Acres!

It's all because of that
new recreation park.

They had to change their county
highway because of the park.

We had to make new plans.

Park or no park, I want
that access road in there

and within the budget!

Now, you let the costs
get out of hand on this job,

and I'm canceling
the entire contract

with your construction
company, Pierce!

Beefing about budget already?

Legitimate beef, Joe, the
figures are too far out of line.

Too far for what?

Too far for accident,

carelessness or
just so-so planning.

Itchy fingers?

Almost ten percent over budget
on the last job we did for him.

We're barely started,
this one looks worse.

And this time he has me
tied to a default clause.

I can't afford it, Joe.

If I find proof somebody's
been padding bills

or taking kickbacks, I'll swear
out a complaint to the D.A.

The D.A. can't tell us
where to put an access road

we suddenly gotta have.

Osmond's title to his tract
acreage included an option

somewhere for an
access road, didn't it?

Yeah, the old Manzana place.

Manzana... You could
have saved miles, Joe,

miles going through the canyon.

The geologist's report warned us

the canyon was a
potential headache:

there's bad slippage,
a need for drains,

lots of bulldozing for terraces.

I want a preliminary
survey through the canyon.

I want the survey and
a rough cost estimate

on my desk Monday morning, Joe.

- Conrad!
- Yes, sir?

The Osmond building project,

get the maps, bring
'em over to my office.

You're gonna get your
shoes dirty this weekend.

Hold on, Joe.

Wait a minute.

Joe, you got a
half-a-dozen kids here

who can manhandle a transit.

Adam's never
even been out there.

Why bother him
with a job like that?

When I stop laying out the
engineer's work at Pierce,

it'll be because I'm dead...
or because you fired me.

Bring in the maps.

I'll tell you what I want.

You deliberately killed a
weekend for Adam Conrad. Why?

Nights, weekends, that
eager beaver's always working.

This weekend, I don't
want anybody around,

especially Adam Conrad

because I intend
to find out for sure

whether somebody has
his hand in the cookie jar,

if I have to turn the office
upside down and inside out!

What happened?

Are you hurt?

Only my pride.

Well, I want you to know

I don't usually give rod
men this kind of treatment.

You're a very
civil engineer, sir.

Ooh, it's gonna
pour in a moment!

- Well, that's that.
- What do we do?

I'm gonna get
soaked to the skin,

but there's no reason
why you should.

Come on. Let's get out of here.

I think I spotted a house
on the other side of the hill.

Your house is
lovely, Miss Keith.

Please call me "Marguerite."

Yes, I've lived
here all my life.

I love this old house.

That tile, my father found it
in Italy and brought it back in

his ship especially
for the fireplace.

That little window was a port
in the Master's cabin of that ship

the Bonny Scot.

And these carvings
with the Manzana crest,

hand-hewn oak from
my mother's family home.

And this bas-relief,
sculptured right onto the wall

by one of father's
European artist friends.

I remember watching him
work on it when I was a little girl.

- Did you say Manzana?
- Yes.

Your name is
Keith... Miss Keith.

I may be Miss Keith, young man,

but I did have a mother,
and her name was Manzana.

It's Spanish.

Then this is the old Manzana
house I've read so much about.

Yes, of course.

Part of the Manzana Estate.

Why are you so interested?

Well... the road.

What road?

That's what we were doing

when the rain caught us,

making a road survey
from the Osmond property.

Oh, no, there will be no road.

I don't care what provisions
my father put in the deeds

when he sold off
parts of the estate.

He had no way of knowing what
Manzana would come to mean.

The only way a road will ever be
built here is over my dead body.

Uh, Mr. Marshall, you
know who Quincy Davis is,

the famous columnist?

Well, about three years ago,

he and his wife were
in Europe, and she died.

Before they left for Europe,

they spent their
honeymoon in a house,

a house belonging to
Miss Marguerite Keith.

Do you have a copy of
those cost-estimate figures?

Yes, sir, typing them now.

These clippings
from his column...

my girl, the girl
I'm engaged to,

she knew Davis' wife, and,
well, she saved these clippings

that were written while
he lived in the house.

Davis writes that he thinks

the house is over a
hundred years old.

He feels it should
be a landmark.

If you're looking
for a donation,

you ought to hit Pierce.

He flew up to San Francisco,
gets back this afternoon.

Miss Marguerite Keith's
house is in the canyon,

part of the Manzana Estate.

So?

Well, I wasn't able to survey

the entire estate
without trespassing,

but my girl and I
were in the house.

We saw the house and the land.

It was raining.

You saw the runoff of
that rainwater, didn't you?

No matter where in that
canyon you put that road,

by the time we get
through terracing...

We'll have to bulldoze
that house out of the way.

My orders are to push
that road through, period!

I'll push it through.

When you hit Ed
Pierce for that donation

to save the old homestead,

you might show him
the Quincy Davis column.

It might ease his pain
when he loses his shirt

trying to put that access
road anyplace else.

Adam Conrad.

Oh, hi, Hilary.

Yes, I was just
talking with him.

Well, in the old
curmudgeon's own words,

we're gonna have to bulldoze
that house out of the way.

All right, Miss Gray,
you knew my late wife,

you know Marguerite Keith,

and they're gonna
put a road or something

through her property.

You multiplied
apples and oranges

and came up with Quincy
Davis. I'm flattered, but confused.

I'm not sure why I'm
here exactly either,

except that I want to
help her... and Adam.

Adam says there's really
nothing anybody can do.

Well, naturally,
when there's nothing

anyone can do about something,

I'm the one to do
it. Who's Adam?

The man I'm engaged to.

Would you like me to memorialize

the fact in my
usual purple prose?

How about one of
Quincy's Quotes?

Mr. Davis, you don't understand.

Adam made the survey
for the construction company

to put the road through
Miss Keith's property.

He doesn't even know
I came here to see you.

Boy, the conversation
takes more turns

than a merry-go-round.

Look, Miss Gray, I don't
mean to be rude or rush you,

heaven forbid, but I've got a
date with a platoon of martinis,

and you know how
impatient olives can get.

Don't you understand?

Miss Keith doesn't want to sell!

Then she won't sell.

Well, they may force her to.

She insists that
she doesn't have to,

but I don't think her lawyer,
Perry Mason, agrees.

Apparently, when her
father sold parts of the estate,

the deeds provided
for buying land

for a road through the canyon.

Poor Miss Keith once
renewed those agreements

without realizing
what could happen.

So dear old Marguerite
will simply have to live

with a smelly road running
past her house. It's tough, but...

Not past her house.

They just plan to knock
it down and get rid of it!

Knock it down?

That's what I've
been trying to tell you.

To put the road in, they've
got to get rid of the house.

This, uh, engineering
boyfriend of yours,

Adam what's his name,

you sure he said they have
to tear the house down?

Yes, no matter where in
that canyon they run the road.

You see, I read those columns
that you wrote about the house.

I knew how you felt about it.

So I thought...
You thought what?

Well, maybe you'd
call this Mr. Osmond.

He owns the property.

He's the one that the
construction company's building

this whole thing for.

Osmond... that's
Archer Osmond, isn't it?

Who's got all those other
tracts and houses for sale?

Yes. Will you call him?

No.

Vox Populi... The
voice of the people.

They'll do the calling.

Give me the Composing room.

The voice of the people?

Jack, this is Quince.
Do me a favor, huh?

Yeah, I know it's
late, but be a buddy.

Look, pull my column
out of tonight's paper.

I'll have a brand-new
one for you in half an hour.

Can do? Good boy. Thanks, Jack.

Adam... A-D-A-M.

Like in the Garden of Eden.

Last name?

Oh, wait a minute, I'm not sure.

Do you want to help Marguerite?

Conrad.

Adam Conrad.

Don't worry, Mr. Osmond.

There's nothing we can do
about the column in the paper,

but it'll be all right,
I promise you.

I told you what we'll do,

and I'm sure it will
satisfy everybody.

Yes, you make the call now.

I'll let you know what happens.

Good night.

You wanted to see me, Ed?

Adam go home?

About an hour ago,
just before you got back.

Before the bulldog edition
of that paper hit the streets.

You've seen this?

Quincy Davis?

Yeah, I read it.

Osmond's just about in orbit.

He says his phone
hasn't stopped ringing

since the paper came
out with this column.

Threats to boycott, even picket
the houses he has up for sale.

I can imagine.

Way that paper paints him,
he's like some kind of a monster

ready to throw little old
ladies out in the cold.

It doesn't exactly
improve my image either.

An entire canyon,
and I have to run a road

right through this
woman's living room.

Oh, that's a mistake;
nobody said that.

What was said?

Well, I, uh, I just
admitted to the kid

that no matter where we
put the road in that canyon,

we'd have to bulldoze
the house down

to make way for
drains and terraces.

"We" and "bulldoze."

You did use the expression,
Joe, "We would have to bulldoze?"

We got a right to the property.

We have a right to it.

You ordered a
road, you get a road.

I don't have enough
trouble with Osmond, oh, no.

You have to turn into a
stupid guardhouse lawyer.

"You want a road, boom,
you get a road, boom boom."

Oh, come on, get off it, Ed.

This isn't the first
collection of antiques

we've shoveled
under in 25 years.

You can't build for tomorrow
and worry about yesterday.

Did it ever occur to you

that there was
absolutely no necessity

to talk about bulldozing?

That an arrangement
could be made

before the road went
in to move the house?

Move it intact to another
part of the estate?

Well, I...

I guess I didn't
think it out that way.

You didn't think, period.

Osmond's calling the press
now to get them off our necks,

and to tell them we
plan to move the house,

not bulldoze it to rubble.

What about the old lady?

I called and explained
your mistake to her.

I assured a site would
be cleared and landscaped

and her house lifted off its
present foundation and moved

intact and unharmed to its
foundation in the new site.

If it can be moved.

I'm sure it can.

I'm sure because you personally

are going out there
to the house right now,

and if it takes you all night,

all night crawling

on your stomach under
and around that house,

you're going to tell me it can

and how it can be moved.

All right, Ed, so I
made a mistake.

So take away my
good conduct medal.

Only, just remember this,

I didn't go running
to the newspaper.

All I did was mention it

to that little itchy-fingered
genius of yours

He's the one who went
slobbering to Quincy Davis.

You know, that's the second time

you've inferred that
Adam Conrad was a thief.

You said that somebody
might be getting kickbacks

from the subcontractors,

that somebody might
be padding the budget

and swiping what's left over.

All right, I spent
the weekend going

through that office
from top to bottom.

You know what? You
were right, Mr. Pierce.

But not "might."

Somebody is.

There is a crook
in this company,

and I can prove it.

Mr. Pierce.

Uh, come in, sir.

Thank you.

You remember Hilary.

Yes, of course.

Mr. Pierce, if you're
here to ask Adam

about that column, it was...

We were just discussing
it when you rang.

I was going to call and explain.

Well, I did come here for
an explanation, all right,

but... Adam, I
don't understand it.

After all the
trust I had in you,

all the plans I had for
you with the company...

Why did you do it?

- Mr. Pierce, it wasn't his fault.
- Be quiet, Hilary.

I'll accept full responsibility
for the consequences of...

Young man,

Joe Marshall is at
Miss Keith's tonight

to see about moving, not
tearing down her house.

Now, before Joe left, he
showed me the-the evidence.

I felt I owed it to you

to tell you to your face,
not over the phone.

- Evidence?
- Adam,

I have no choice but to turn
it all over to the authorities.

But I admitted I
went to see Davis.

So maybe that's wrong,
but it's not a crime.

And I am not talking about
any newspaper column.

I mean evidence

about your embezzling
money from the company,

altering invoices and
bills, padding accounts.

You mean, Joe
Marshall says something.

Without asking me,
you think I'm a thief?

I have to believe
my own eyes, Adam.

What in the name of...

So, you find something wrong

and right away,
you decide I did it?

Look, Adam, I-I just...

All right, tomorrow morning,

your office, 8:00.

You'll have my explanation,
and my resignation.

Adam, what are you going to do?

I'm gonna find out just
what this is all about

and why Joe Marshall accused me.

But if you go looking for him...

I'll beat the truth
out of him if I have to.

Adam.

♪♪

♪♪

Wait a minute, Adam.

Mr. Conrad!

Don't you even wait for
an invitation anymore?

Miss Keith is an old friend.

She called me immediately
after she called you.

Well, in that case,
maybe you'll see

that she doesn't do any
more cleaning tonight.

Ever seen such a tidy murder?

It's my house.

I didn't ask for a
murder in it. All I did was

straighten things up a bit.

You're sure you
didn't touch the body?

It's lying exactly as it was
when you first found it?

I did not touch him.

I put a sheet
over him, that's all.

Know who it is, Andy?

An engineer named Marshall.

What killed him?

A blow to the head.

And it looks like we've just
found the murder weapon.

When you called,

you might have said the
emergency involved murder.

Do they think you did it?

Oh, my, no.

Then, why did you call us?

Because it's my
fault, that's why.

Your fault?

It wouldn't have happened

if I hadn't spoken to that
nice young man as I did.

I didn't realize how strongly

I'd influenced him against
his own company's plans.

You have to help me, Perry.

Help you?

Help you what?

Why, help me protect

that nice young
boy, Adam Conrad,

when the police find
out he killed Mr. Marshall.

Adam, please let me
take you to a doctor.

Later.

I'm Perry Mason.

This is my
associate, Paul Drake.

We're looking for Adam Conrad.

I'm Adam Conrad.

I'm Marguerite Keith's attorney.

She asked me to come.

This is Hilary Gray.

Come in.

Marguerite's all
right, isn't she?

Yes, but she's
worried about you.

Looks like she
has a good reason.

Must've been some fight.

Fight?

What is this? Just
why are you here?

Mr. Conrad, I'd like to hear
your version of what happened

at Marguerite's house tonight

because in a matter of minutes,

the police will be
ringing your doorbell.

The police?

You're way ahead
of me, Mr. Mason.

Something's happened
that I don't know about.

All right, start with
what you do know about.

Well, I-I went out there
about 11:30 this evening,

- I guess.
- Why?

Because Mr. Pierce came
here and said that Joe Marshall

had accused Adam
of all sorts of things.

So, you went
looking for Marshall?

Yes, I'm still looking.

Go on, you went to Marguerite's.

Well, when I got there,
the place was dark,

but I thought I saw
a flashlight inside.

So, I-I went in,

and next thing I knew,
I was flat on the floor.

You didn't see who hit you?

No, no, but it must've
been Joe Marshall.

- Who else could it have been?
- Then what?

Well, I thought I
heard a car drive away.

Then I realized where I was.

I guess I was just coming to.

When I was able, I
stumbled out to my own car

and went looking for
Marshall, but I never found him.

Were the lights on when you
arrived at Marguerite's house?

No, no, I told you it was dark.

I thought I saw a flashlight.

You didn't turn the
lights on when you left?

No. Why?

You'd probably have found
Joe Marshall right there.

He was lying dead
on the living room floor.

I assume you've
alerted Mr. Conrad

as to why we're here, Perry.

Why are you here, Lieutenant?

Well, we'd like Mr. Conrad
to come downtown

and answer some questions.

Found a coffee machine.

Here.

Look, Miss Gray, Perry
Mason's with Adam,

and he'll take care
of him. Don't worry.

Now, take a sip of that.

Ah, feel better?

Okay, maybe we can find
out what this is all about.

I should never have
gone to see Quincy Davis.

Quincy Davis, the columnist?

Well, Quince is
a friend of mine.

Why did you go to see him?

For support.

I certainly got it.

More than I bargained for.

Yeah, old Quince
can be quite a boy.

I didn't mean for him
to print all those things.

You can ask him yourself.

Yeah, maybe I can.

Oh, what do you want?

Oh, isn't anything
private to a private eye?

How are you, Paul?

What-what time is it?

It's late, and I apologize,

but I have to talk to you.

About nothing important, I hope.

That piece you wrote about
Marguerite Keith's house.

So I did a good
turn for posterity.

Give me the Pulitzer
Prize and go away.

Only... put it down quietly.

Quince, your column
stirred up a tornado.

You're sitting on a
murder story now.

A guy named Joe Marshall.

He was killed tonight
at Marguerite's house.

The police are beginning to
point the finger at Adam Conrad.

Hilary Gray's boyfriend?

I kind of hoped you might
have some notion nestled among

that mess of martinis.

Got a call before, when
the paper came out.

I thought it was
just another crank.

Yeah, this is the
guy he told me about.

You know, Paul,

when you've been
around a while as we have,

you begin to think sneaky.

Come here. I'll
show you something.

It'd be sad if that old house
got knocked down, but not so sad

that someone should
get killed over it, right?

Look here, Paul.

This is the Manzana
estate, Marguerite's place,

and here's Osmond's new tract.

Originally, the highway
was gonna swing up,

and they planned
to tie it in here.

But now this, this little
strip is a county park,

forcing the highway to
go out this way instead.

So they have to bring
their access road down here

through Marguerite's place
or take the long way around

out here at the
end of the property.

That's logical.

But where does the
sneaky part come in?

Well, don't you get it?

Look, you see all this?

Land planned for
subdivision. It's just waiting.

Now, if the access road to
Osmond Acres were to go in here,

the long way, it would
open up this entire area.

It belongs to a man
named Harley Leonard.

Now there's a man who
should have a real interest in

what happens to
Marguerite's house, in anything,

to prevent a road
going through her place.

But, Quince, isn't that
farfetched to think...

Farfetched? Paul, it's
this suddenly acquired,

brand-new little county
park that caused the rerouting

of the highway and created
the whole problem, right?

According to the person
who called me before,

the only reason it became a park
was because the land was donated

for that purpose, given
to the county for nothing...

by a man named Harley Leonard.

Mr. Leonard, a friend of mine
suggested you might give us

a scoop on putting
an access road through

to a landlocked
piece of property.

Your friend was
obviously referring

to the Archer Osmond
property that borders mine?

Mr. Leonard, do you plan
to develop the property

which borders Osmond's?

Eventually.

How deeply were you interested

in the location of
Osmond's road?

Enough to donate a strip of
land to the county for a park?

It's a game like anything else.

And who set up the rules
you play by, Mr. Leonard?

What was your relationship
with Joe Marshall?

I never heard of him until
I read the morning paper.

That's a safe statement. He
sure can't challenge it now.

Now look here,

there's a lot of difference
between encouraging somebody

to get a road moved and murder.

Encouraging someone to get
a road moved, Mr. Leonard?

What does that mean
in your game, bribery?

You'll have to excuse me,
gentlemen, I'm very busy.

Joe Marshall found proof of
what Adam Conrad was doing.

Go on, look at it.

Proof of Adam Conrad's
chiseling and petty graft.

True or not, it's
beside the point.

What do you think the point is?

The access road, Mr. Pierce.

How does this affect
the access road?

Is there a motive for
Adam to try to influence

the positioning of that road?

I have the answer
to that one, Perry.

Marshall's death had
nothing to do with the road.

He was killed because
he'd found out too much.

The kickbacks, Andy?

Even if it were true,

that's not enough for
motivation for murder.

Do you think a jury would
believe that a man would kill

to hide $1,200 or
$1,300 in kickbacks?

Would another $25,000
be more convincing?

We didn't find
the entire $25,000,

only $10,000 of it.

Where?

In an envelope.

$10,000 in small unmarked bills

with a printed note saying

that the remaining $15,000
would be sent on delivery.

This envelope, Lieutenant,

how does it tie Adam Conrad
in with Joe Marshall's death?

There was some writing
on the back of the envelope,

writing identified
as Joe Marshall's.

It was a statement,
dated the day he died,

that he'd found the
envelope taped on the inside

of a roll of blueprints...
in Adam Conrad's office.

And where did you
find the envelope?

An hour ago we found
it hidden under the seat

in Adam Conrad's car.

Conrad's been arrested and
charged with criminal homicide.

That 10,000 bucks they
found was Harley Leonard's.

Leonard withdrew $10,000
in cash from his bank;

the exact number of bills
and in the exact denominations

as the money Andy found.

He found it, all right,
hidden in Adam Conrad's car.

Perry, I've got just
a whisper of a lead,

but if it pans out, I think

I can prove that
Harley Leonard knew

and had personal
contact with someone

inside the Pierce
outfit... Joe Marshall.

Paul, do you have a contact
at the State Department?

- Sure.
- Good.

Della, what time
does the hearing start?

We're on the calendar
for 3:00 this afternoon.

That should give you
enough time for some digging

at the County Clerk's office.

Digging for what?

The actual identity

of the persons hiding
behind a fictitious name.

Why, is something wrong?

No, no. County Clerk's office...

State Department.

In a few hours, Adam Conrad
faces a preliminary hearing on

a charge of criminal homicide.

If it isn't asking too much,

exactly what is it we're
gonna try and prove?

The truth isn't always
on the surface, Paul.

Sometimes you
have to dig for it.

That house will always
mean something special to me.

Aside from which, historically,

I think it's an
important landmark.

I understand. Now
how did you first learn

of the danger threatening
the house, Mr. Davis?

Miss Gray dropped by
my office. She told me.

That's Hilary Gray, the
defendant's girlfriend?

But I want to
make it very clear.

All she ever asked me to
do was to make a phone call.

And did you make that call?

No, I, uh, thought
there was a better way

to reach the man we
wanted to convince.

I wrote a column.

Who did you want
to reach. Mr. Davis?

Archer Osmond.

Telegrams, phone calls,

the street outside
blocked with cars.

I tell you it's
simply staggering

the effect one column can have.

And what did you do, Mr. Osmond?

I called Mr. Davis and
told him it was all a mistake,

that we did not intend

to bulldoze that house
into a pile of rubble.

I told him I would
personally pay, personally,

to have the house
lifted from its foundations

and moved to whatever
spot on her estate she chose.

This was after I'd
talked to Ed Pierce.

Well, from what we found out,

the person in our
office who was stealing

never personally contacted
any of the people he hit up

for kickbacks, just
anonymous phone calls.

Well, how were these
kickbacks made, Mr. Pierce?

The money was
put in an envelope,

taped to the inside
of a roll of blueprints.

Inside a roll of blueprints?

The blueprints were sent
by messenger to our office.

Adam Conrad received
and checked out all blueprints

before they were distributed.

I see. Mr. Pierce, on
the night of the murder,

you sent the
decedent, Joe Marshall,

out to Marguerite Keith's
house, is that right?

Yes, that's right,

to see what would be
needed to move the house.

And what did you
do, that night, sir?

I went to Adam
Conrad's apartment,

told him I'd-I'd found
out he was the thief.

And now, after Mr. Pierce
had gone, Miss Gray,

the defendant Adam Conrad
also left, is that correct?

Well...

Just yes or no, Miss Gray,
answer my questions yes or no.

Now, did Adam Conrad leave?

- Yes.
- By himself?

- Yes.
- To see Joe Marshall?

Yes.

And naturally, when he
left, he was perfectly furious?

- No.
- Mildly angry?

- No!
- A little upset perhaps?

No!

No? I see.

He'd just been told
he was going to prison,

so, naturally, he was calm,
placid, totally unaffected.

Adam went out there to get
the truth out of Joe Marshall,

not to kill him. Don't
you understand?

Adam wouldn't kill anybody.

Of course you're right.

He just went for...
As you say... the truth.

- Yes, the truth.
- From Joe Marshall?

Yes.

Joe Marshall had
been telling lies,

and now he had
to tell the truth?

Yes!

Even if Adam had
to force it out of him?

Yes, even if Adam...

Thank you, Miss
Gray. That will be all.

No further questions.

The defense has no questions.

I realize it was wrong,

cleaning up the house the
way I did, straightening things.

I'm, I'm very sorry.

But you see, it was,
it was such a shock

to come home and
find... find what I did.

Yes, I understand.

Now, where were you
coming home from, Miss Keith?

I had a pass to the theater.

So when Joe Marshall
came to see you that night,

you weren't home?

No. I'd gone to
the show that night.

And when you returned from
the theater, did you see a man

come running out of your house,

and then get in a
car and drive away?

Yes.

And did you recognize
the driver of that car,

the man who had just
run out of your house?

Yes... I recognized him.

Would you point out that man

to this court,
please, Miss Keith?

That young man, Adam Conrad.

What the...?!

Drive to the next corner,

turn right, and pull up
when I tell you to stop.

Now listen, officer...

Stop the talking. Let's move.

Why don't you cops
stop rousting me?

I ain't done nothing.

That's enough. All we
want to know is the payoff.

What?

How much did he pay you?

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

About a week ago, you
delivered a roll of blueprints...

At night.

To the Pierce
Construction Company.

The man who sent
those blueprints...

The man you just now saw...

how much did he pay you to
forget that delivery a week ago?

Well, he, he paid
me a hundred bucks.

Thank you for
coming, Mr. Osmond.

Mason, Miss Keith.

Look aren't we all
supposed to be in court

in less than an hour?

Yes, Mr. Osmond, we'll be there.

I have a few things I'd
like to clear up with you.

Is it right for me to
be here? I'm a witness.

The timing may be
somewhat inopportune,

but this is simply a
business meeting.

Now, Osmond Acres is

the fictitious business
name of a partnership.

And you're not the sole
owner of Osmond Acres?

No, I'm not. The land
is held in the name

of a limited
partnership, true enough.

But I'm the general partner.

Your limited partner,
is he, by chance,

named Ronald Litt?

The names of the actual
partners operating under

a fictitious name is a
matter of public record

in the County Clerk's office.

It's also a matter
of public record

that the limited partnership
faces possible insolvency

because of the unusual costs

and unexpected delays
in starting Osmond Acres.

That is my business.

And your partner's.

Now, I spoke to Mr. Litt.

He's worried.

Well, there's no
need to play games.

Sure, I offered to buy him
out at 50 cents on the dollar.

Would you be
interested in helping him

save all his investment?

Go on.

I have a contract...

an agreement by Miss Keith,

to deed to you whatever
portion of Manzana Estate

you will need for
your access road.

Without any more fuss?

What's the joker?

The fulfillment
of two covenants:

first, in accordance with
your own expressed desires,

that you move her house, intact,

to a designated
place on the property.

And the second covenant?

Moving of the house is to
start at 8:00 tomorrow morning

and you will issue to the press

a public announcement
of this transaction...

Issue it to the press today.

Where's the papers?

Right here, Mr. Osmond.

One other thing... Adam
Conrad and his employer...

Please try to heal the
breach between them.

All right, I promise.

If they don't put Adam Conrad
in the gas chamber for murder.

We found blood and
a few strands of hair.

Both blood and hair matched
that of the decedent Joe Marshall.

What else did you find on this
crowbar, Lieutenant Anderson?

One set of fingerprints...

Identified as those of the
defendant Adam Conrad.

Thank you, Lieutenant Anderson.

Cross-examine.

Where was Joe Marshall
killed, Lieutenant?

In the living room
of the Keith house.

And where was the crowbar found?

Outside, where it had been
tossed into some bushes.

That's merely an assumption,
isn't it, Lieutenant Anderson?

Maybe it wasn't tossed,
maybe it was just dropped,

or left or placed in the bushes

but its presence in those bushes
is a fact, not an assumption.

Based on such facts, then is
it your contention, Lieutenant,

that Adam Conrad confronted
the decedent in the living room;

that they fought, that he struck
the decedent with the crowbar;

took the incriminating
envelope with the $10,000;

hid the envelope in his car;

tossed, placed, dropped or
left the crowbar in the bushes

and drove off?

That's the way the
facts seem to add up.

Lieutenant, did I
understand you to testify

that there was a struggle?

No, but I'm sure there was,

even though the living room
had been, uh, straightened up.

So, in the heat of a
struggle with the decedent,

Adam Conrad reached out,

and in the living room of a
house occupied by a woman,

there happened to
be a crowbar present?

There was a
storage room in back,

with plenty of tools in it.

He could've gotten
the crowbar from there

before he went
into the living room.

Now, these other tools...

Could one of them have been
used as a murder weapon?

Could have, but wasn't.

The defendant didn't
handle any of them.

How do you know that?

Well, we checked
everything for fingerprints.

We found Miss
Keith's, her gardener's,

those of a handyman
she used now and then...

None of the defendant's.

But his prints were
on the crowbar?

No question of it.

Along with Miss
Keith's, the gardener's,

and the occasional handyman's.

No, just his.

Lieutenant, how many years
have you been on the police force?

15 years.

Tell me, Lieutenant,
in all those years,

have you ever seen
or heard of a murderer

who wiped a murder
weapon clean before

not after he used it?

No further questions.

No re-direct, Your Honor.

The witness is excused.

If it please the court,

the state believes
that it has presented

a prima facie case and it moves,

at this time, that the
defendant Adam Conrad

be bound over for
trial in Superior Court

on a charge of
criminal homicide.

Your Honor, we had anticipated

that the district attorney
would call another witness.

He has not, and we believe
his testimony is of importance.

Who is this witness?

Harley Leonard.

Your Honor, the
prosecution has no objection

to calling Mr. Leonard.

Mr. Leonard, did you go to

Marguerite Keith's
house that night?

Absolutely and
categorically, no.

Were you in the living room
of that house with a crowbar

when Joe Marshall arrived,

and did you, in the
course of a struggle,

strike and kill Joe
Marshall with that crowbar?

Again, absolutely
and categorically, no.

When you heard the
defendant drive up,

did you lie in wait for
him, knock him down,

place his fingers on
the wiped-off crowbar,

toss the crowbar
into the bushes,

hide the envelope of
money in the defendant's car

and drive away?

No... no, no.

And was the $10,000
in that envelope

money you sent to Joe Marshall?

I... I didn't know you...

Now, look here, Mr. Mason,

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

What money? To whom?

I remind you, you're under oath.

Was that your money?

I just finished telling you

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

Have you ever seen the
person in this photograph?

Did you pay $10,000 as part
payment of a $25,000 bribe

to have the Osmond
Acres access road

routed along the
edge of your property?

Yes.

You paid the money not to
Adam Conrad, but to Joe Marshall.

That's right.

No further questions.

Your Honor, the
District Attorney's Office

is perfectly aware of
the witness's complicity

in this bribery business,

and intends to take
appropriate action.

As a matter of fact, this
subject will be fully aired

at the murder trial itself, if
the defendant is bound over.

Well, I'll admit that I have
entertained the thought

that the defendant was
involved in the bribery,

that this was probative
as to his possible motive.

Your Honor, it certainly
appears probable

that whoever is involved
in the bribery here

is also the embezzler
who was working

inside the Pierce company.

Now, may I remind the court...

Whether it is Adam Conrad
who was the embezzler

trying to cover up
evidence of that fact,

or whether the dead
man was the embezzler

trying to shift the blame
onto Adam Conrad

the result was the same:

a confrontation
between the two men

ending in a struggle
which resulted

in the death of Joe Marshall
at the hands of Adam Conrad.

No! No! That's a lie!

Your Honor, the prosecution
has already moved

that the defendant
be bound over.

All right, Mr. Mason,
I presume you will

present your
defense at this time?

We will not present a
defense, Your Honor.

Well, in that case,

the defendant will be
bound over to Superior Court

to stand trial on the
charge of criminal homicide.

The complaint will
be so endorsed.

Is it all right?

♪♪

Good evening, Mr. Davis.

You must have read
the press release

Mr. Osmond sent
to your newspaper,

announcing that the house

is going to be
moved in the morning.

Here you are,
tearing up floorboards.

A destructive souvenir
hunter, Mr. Davis.

I'm disappointed.

Well, the, uh... the
disappointment is mutual.

I didn't think you'd let them
bind Conrad over for trial.

Not what I'd call an
adequate legal performance;

at least not for the
renowned Perry Mason.

I'm sorry I didn't live
up to your expectations.

Go ahead, Paul.

Maybe Mr. Davis
brought that crowbar here

to re-enact the crime, Perry.

To try to find out for himself

what really happened
here the night of the murder.

No, Hamilton, he's much
too sophisticated for that.

Surely you remember.

He and his wife honeymooned
here in this house,

before they left for
Italy, three years ago.

It was Italy,
wasn't it, Mr. Davis,

where you took
your wife from here?

Yeah, yeah, I was, uh, doing
an assignment for a magazine.

I remember reading a
very sad story you wrote

about her illness
and death over there.

L-Look, I-I don't know
what this is all about, uh...

All right, technically, I
guess I'm a trespasser.

If you want to arrest
me, come on, let's...

Please, Mr. Davis.

You don't want to
leave now, do you?

There's nothing here that
you're afraid of, is there?

Stop it.

Please, make him stop it.

Is that what you were doing,
pulling up the floorboards,

when Joe Marshall
walked in on you that night?

Is that why you had to kill him?

No, stop it... stop it, stop it!

Stop it!

Will we find your
wife there, Mr. Davis?

No! No! She died in Italy!

But the only record of her
death is the story you wrote.

And according to the State
Department's Passport Division,

you left for Italy, three
years ago, all by yourself.

I couldn't let them
tear the house down,

don't you understand that?

And I couldn't let
them move it, either.

I tried to tell Marshall...
when he walked in on me, I...

I tried to tell him,
to explain that...

it had been an accident.

You've got to believe that.

I was drunk; I didn't
mean to kill her.

It was an accident.

He said that...

that he'd go to the police

unless I made it worth his while

to keep his mouth shut about...

uh, about her being buried here.

Yeah, I shut his mouth for him.

I shut it for good.

But how did you figure out

it had nothing to do with
the road or our company

but was connected
with the house itself?

It was a little far out,

but the only answer that fit.

You know, Marshall
liked kickbacks.

He could have been
bought off for very little.

His being murdered
only made sense

if the stakes were
a great deal higher.

Quincy's stakes
were high, all right.

The cold-blooded monster,

sending me a
ticket to go to a show

so he could get into
my house and to... dig.

For three years.

For three years, I lived
with that under my feet.

But you knew nothing
about it until now, Marguerite.

It's past.

Have you thought of moving?

How about the top floor

of the tallest apartment
building in town?