All language subtitles for Perry Mason S08E18 The Case of the Telltale Tap.DVDRip.NonHI.en.CBS

I think you're looking for me.

Mr. Holman?

Won't you be seated, Miss Wynne?

This way.

I consider myself somewhat
of a judge of voices.

Yours had a...
whiskey-and-soda tone to it.

I ordered for you.

I don't drink.

Calories?

Maybe you're right.

It'd be a shame to
spoil a figure like yours.

Save the boy-girl
amenities, Mr. Holman.

I'm here to talk business,
not fun and games.

Well, there's no extra
charge for looking...

while I listen.

Now, go ahead, talk
business, Miss Wynne.

You are a private detective

with a highly
questionable reputation,

which includes
considerable skill

in tapping telephone lines.

No, I prefer my
clients to accept me

as a consultant in
electronic surveillance.

Electronic eavesdropping.

No. No, I install certain highly
specialized kinds of equipment.

A private, leased telephone
line locked in a desk.

- Can it be tapped?
- Yes.

Tapped so that whatever
is said on that telephone

at any time of the day
or night can be recorded?

Mm-hmm.

Tapped so that no one but me
has access to the recordings?

Whatever you want.

How do I reach
you when I'm ready?

Same number you
called to set up this date.

If I'm not around, an answering
service will pick up the call.

I'll call you back
within an hour.

Now... sit back, relax

while we go over the details.

I have an appointment.

The only detail I'm interested
in from you, Mr. Holman,

is the cost of your services.

Five thousand dollars.

What?!

Five thousand dollars.

In advance.

I'm not accustomed to
purchasing a pig in a poke.

How do I know I'm
getting what I pay for?

Uh, come with me.

- I - think you're
looking for me.

Mr. Holman?

Won't you be seated, Miss Wynne?

This way.

I consider myself somewhat
of a judge of voices.

Yours had a...
whiskey-and-soda tone to it.

I ordered for you.

I don't drink.

Calories?

- $5,000 in advance.
- Mm-hmm.

I'll call.

The housekeeper tells me

you're not going to
the movies with her.

I just don't feel
like it, Uncle Archer.

Well, you're not sick
or anything, are you?

No particular problem. I'm
just not in the mood, that's all.

Moods and women... beyond me.

That from the great
expert, Archer Bryant?

Nancy, your Uncle
Archer is a bachelor.

And bachelors are roués.

I confess to being both
wicked and profligate.

You know, I have a
season box at the Bowl.

It's, uh, a little dusty
and unused, but it's mine.

There's a concert of
some kind there tonight.

Interested?

And deprive some mature woman

of your charmingly wicked
and profligate company?

Still resentful because I fired
that man almost a year ago?

"Mature." Heh.

He was a little
too mature for you.

An opportunistic accountant

looking for personal advancement
by romancing my niece.

Uncle Archer,

I'm grateful to you for
taking me in last year

and giving me a home.

I know you mean
well, but I'm not a child.

I guess I'm not very good
at playing mother and father.

And I'm sorry.

But you won't have to put
up with it for very much longer.

I'm just a girl.

No prize package...
Just a plain, ordinary girl.

Just a plain, ordinary girl

to whom I turn over a
million dollars in a few months

when she attains her majority.

Excuse me.

Yes?

I'll be down in a minute.

My secretary's downstairs in
the study with some papers.

There's still time to dress.

No.

Evening, Vera.

Mr. Bryant.

If these letters are to
go out tonight, I'll, uh,

- I'll need your signature.
- What's all this?

Oh, that's a preliminary draft
of the comptroller's report.

I suggested to Mr. Darrell
you might like a chance

to glance over
it at your leisure.

Mr. Clyde Darrell... the young
genius with a bright future.

Amazing how he's come
along with the company.

Of course you've been a big help
spending so much time with him.

You know, this looks
pretty good, Vera.

It's better than good.

It's excellent.

Well, the enthusiastic
den mother.

Or are you mistaking
mentality for maturity?

He's almost ten years
younger than you are, Vera.

Would you sign these
letters now, please?

Well, what do you know?

Vera Wynne, the machine-like
executive secretary.

You know better than that.

Don't you, Archer?

He's busy, Mr. Forrest.

Well, I have the breakdown
and the stock analysis

for his selection committee
meeting tomorrow.

I'm sure it can wait.

I don't care what
you're sure of...

He wanted to see these
as soon as they were ready.

If you'll leave them
with me, I'll see that

Mr. Bryant gets them
the moment he's free.

Look, Miss Wynne, I am
the treasurer of this company,

not the office boy
delivering the morning coffee!

Now you ring and
let him know I'm here!

He asked not to be disturbed.

Oh, but of course
you're free to ignore that

and barge right in, if you like.

The door isn't locked.

Who's in there anyway?

Is it the whiz kid
of So-Cal Mutual?

Is it Mr. Darrell?

Have you arranged
for the heir apparent

to get some undisturbed
apple-polishing in?

Is that why Mr. Bryant
can't be disturbed?

I'll tell him you were here...
That you were rather...

rather petulant at not seeing
him at your convenience

and that you refused
to leave the reports.

Good morning, Mr. Forrest.

Good morning, Miss Wynne!

Good morning.

I saw these and thought
you might like them,

so I stopped and picked
'em for you on the way over.

How lovely!

And how thoughtful of
you, Mr. Jarvis. Thank you.

My pleasure, Miss Wynne,
my pleasure, believe me.

Uh-huh. Excuse me.

Ian Jarvis is here.

ARCHER: Send him in.

Go right in, Mr. Jarvis.

Oh, and, uh... thank you again.

Oh, gentlemen.

Gentlemen, good
morning, good morning,

and a very good
morning to you, Archer.

Jarvis, your stock brokerage...

how much business do we
give you in an average year?

Well, that's a strange question.

I-I don't know just offhand.

In the last ten years, never
less than $5 million gross.

And it has gone as
high as seven and a half.

Clyde Darrell, our
new comptroller.

An enterprising executive

who doesn't have
to be told what to do.

I've heard about
you, Mr. Darrell.

I've been looking forward
to meeting you. And, uh...

Paul Drake, a
private investigator

I found it necessary to employ.

Look... i-is something wrong?

Wh-What's the matter, Archer?
Why did you send for me?

Twice a month, on the
analysis and recommendation

of a selection committee,

I adjust the portfolio of
this company's holdings

by buying or selling stock.

The best small
mutual in the country!

I advise all my own clients
to buy in. You know that.

My decision to purchase
a particular stock

can artificially inflate the
open-market value of that stock.

So we buy from contract brokers

in small blocks
across the country

to keep the price down, at
least until our needs are met.

Two weeks ago, Mr. Jarvis,

a list of securities
identical with this company's

was purchased in
New York and Boston.

By the time our orders
had been filled, uh,

the prices had begun
to rise in Chicago.

Sure, sure. I remember the
stuff was up two to three points

before I could place
your orders here in L.A.

A person or persons with
advance knowledge of our plans,

by buying before
us and then selling

after our purchases
had raised the price,

netted over a hundred thousand
dollars in less than a day.

A leak that cost this company

over a quarter of
a million dollars.

And I employed
Mr. Drake to find that leak.

Mr. Bryant, using a leased
phone line here in this office,

made a conference
call to six brokers

across the country
the evening before.

That same evening, after
receiving Mr. Bryant's call,

one of those brokers
made some calls of his own

to other brokers in
Boston and New York.

You made those
calls, Mr. Jarvis.

And I have proof of how much
each of those brokers you called

kicked back to you, proof
that will stand up in court.

How much was it
worth to you, Jarvis,

breaching your trust?

Enough, I hope,

because it's the last
chance you're going to get.

That'll be all.

They're truly lovely.

Thank you again.

You knew what was going to
happen inside there, didn't you?

Of course.

I wonder if Nero
smiled at the Christians

before he tossed
them to the lions.

Call me if you
need anything else.

Thanks, Paul.
You did a good job.

You paid a good price
for it. Miss Wynne.

How did it go?

Well, he was
furious with Jarvis,

and, uh, very pleased with me.

Pleased with my
concern for the company,

pleased with the way I did what
I did without having to be told.

Clyde!

Oh, Vera, how do
I say I'm grateful?

Hadn't been for you, I
wouldn't have known, I-I...

Mmm. Thank you.

Thanks for everything.

Mr. Holman, if that
equipment is ready,

bring it with you tonight.

Meet me in the
basement garage at 8:00.

Mr. Holman?

Follow me.

This way.

Now, that's the transmitter.

Now you say you
don't want anybody else

to have access to
the recording but you?

That's right.

Well, then, the
receiver can't be further

than a 150 feet away from
the transmitter in the phone.

How about my desk
in the next office?

Uh. Well, why not?

Every time the leased phone
in your boss' desk is used,

the equipment here in your
desk will automatically record

both ends of the
telephone conversation.

The wire's good for four hours.

Battery is good for
ten times that long.

Playback, reverse
and erase switches

are marked clearly
on the recorder.

What do I do with the
equipment after I've finished?

Throw it away. I don't care.

Belongs to you, you
know. You bought it.

And it can't be traced to me.

You know, you never did
have that drink with me.

With what you earned tonight,

I'm sure you'll be able
to console yourself.

I left the hall doors unlocked.

Don't let yourself
be seen leaving.

Oh, I not only won't
be seen, honey.

I wasn't even here tonight.

Um... Uh, good
night, Miss Wynne.

This is Nero.

I'm sure you remember.

I remember.

There's a meeting of
the selection committee

tomorrow afternoon,

and a new stock list to be
called out tomorrow evening.

So?

If you had that list,

could you place
orders in the East?

A transaction like that would
have to be on a cash basis only.

$200,000 cash will
be delivered to you

by bonded messenger
tomorrow afternoon.

And the profits...
if there are any?

The original capital
is to be returned.

The profits to be
evenly divided.

You keep your share. The rest...

To the private bank
account of Mr. Archer Bryant.

This is different
than the last matter

I handled for Clyde, Perry,

so I suggested he tell
you the story himself.

Mr. Darrell, you believe
someone has embezzled money

from your company?

$200,000 in cash.

And why haven't you
gone to the police?

Well, the only evidence that
money is missing is evidence

that, uh, one of the
company executives,

including me, is responsible.

Occasionally, the company
uses large amounts of cash.

Clyde, as comptroller,
signs the checks.

I signed a check for
$200,000 just the other day.

As of this morning, not
one red cent in the cash box.

The company books must
show why the money was needed.

Miss Street, as far as the
company books are concerned,

there's no record of that
check ever being prepared,

no record the check was signed,

no record of cash
being obtained,

no record of what
happened to that cash.

But the bank records show that
$200,000 in cash was paid out.

Who receives the cancelled
checks from the bank?

I do, first.

Then the checks
go to Elliot Forrest,

the company treasurer,

and then they're handled
by about, uh, six people

in the accounting department.

But by you, first.

So you could destroy
that cancelled check?

Yes, Paul, if I
were the embezzler,

I could destroy the check.

But in a day, two
days at the most,

the, uh, books would
show up unbalanced.

Remember, the bank does
have a record of that check.

The embezzler must know that,
and must be counting on that one

or two days.

Which means the
embezzler's gonna have

- to get hold of that check.
- Paul,

can we have that
check at the bank

chemically treated
before they send it out?

No reason the bank
shouldn't cooperate.

Check treated?

When it comes to you, Monday,

say nothing about it,

let it be handled like
the rest of the checks.

We can identify anyone
who so much as touches it.

Or doesn't. If somebody
tries to destroy it

before it makes the
complete rounds,

we'll know who that somebody is.

Have you, uh, spoken to
Mr. Bryant about this yet?

By the time I called the
bank for confirmation,

Mr. Bryant was on his way to
the selection committee meeting,

and the office is closed
for the rest of the day.

But he should be
back in the office

in about a half an hour to make
the, uh, stock purchase calls.

I could see him then
if you think I should.

No. No, I don't
think you should.

We'll pick up the last 5,000
shares here in Los Angeles.

Any questions?

Everything's clear and
complete, Mr. Bryant.

Fine. Good night.

Mr. Bryant.

Well?

A memo I had
written... this one.

A recommendation to you
regarding certain procedures.

I wanted to rework
it over the weekend

before I gave it to you.

Very commendable.

Well, good night, sir.

Good night. Uh, be sure and
lock the front door when you leave.

Yes, sir.

Pick up the last 5,000 shares

here in Los Angeles.

Any questions?

Everything's clear and
complete, Mr. Bryant.

Fine. Good night.

Hello? This is Nero again.

Did you get the
envelope and the cash?

Yes, they were
delivered this afternoon.

Here's the stock list.

Call for you, Mr. Mason.

Mason.

Perry, I know you didn't
want to be disturbed,

but Clyde Darrell
says it's urgent.

Mm-hmm. Mr. Darrell?

Mr. Mason, it happened again.

No, no, no. Not
more money stolen.

Another leak in the
stock purchases.

Well, I've got the early
market quotations right here.

It stands out like a sore thumb.

Somebody found out what stocks

we planned to buy
and bought themselves.

Hold on a minute.

Paul, that leased phone
line in Bryant's office...

Can it be tapped?

In these days of fancy
industrial espionage,

any phone can be tapped

if a guy's willing
to risk going to jail.

Could you find out
about Bryant's phone?

Sure.

It's Saturday afternoon.

The office is probably closed.

Could you do it today?

Yeah, I can get
everything I need.

All right, Clyde, we're
heading back for shore.

We'll meet you in front of
your building in about an hour.

That's it.

Radio transmitter
inside the phone?

That's what the
R.F. Indicator shows,

that's what it's got to be.

Paul, would it be difficult
to put an ordinary tap...

Not a radio transmitter...
On this leased line?

That's what I looked for first.

There are half-a-dozen places

where any two-bit keyhole
peeper could have spliced in.

Could you, uh,
locate the receiver

with that R.F. Indicator?

No. Receivers don't
transmit a signal.

The receiver picking
this up could be anywhere

within a radius of a
city block from here.

No way in the
world to locate it.

Well, there it is.

Transistorized FM transmitter,

the author's byline
in capital letters.

Do you want me to take it out?

No, leave it alone.

We may need it to
show what happened,

and we don't want to frighten
people away prematurely.

Paul, when you
said, "author's byline,"

did you mean you know
who installed this tap?

This tap does its own talking.

An investigator who
lost his license years ago

for a job exactly like this one.

Character named Glen Holman.

I'd rather Mr. Holman
did the talking.

You think you could
locate him now?

Well, I can try.

That's all I can tell you.

Thanks.

Well, same story here as every
other place else we checked.

Holman closed up shop,
packed, and left town this morning.

Mr. Mason, don't you think

we ought to talk
to Elliot Forrest?

The company treasurer?

Well, don't you see?
Those checks that I signed...

The treasurer prepares
all those checks.

Now, it's-it's hard to
believe, but it is possible

that it could have been Forrest.

Even if it was, it
doesn't necessarily mean

that the same person arranged
to have that phone tapped.

Well, who else could it be?

When Forrest prepared
checks and vouchers,

did they come directly to you?

No. They went
to Mr. Bryant first.

And after he initialed
and okayed the voucher,

I signed the check.

Is it possible
Mr. Bryant may have

not only initialed the voucher,
but prepared the check?

What?!

Well... no. That
doesn't make any sense.

Why would he tap
his own phone line?

I didn't say he did.

I intimated he might have.

Just as Forrest might
have done one or both acts.

Well, I can't understand
Forrest trying to frame me.

And why would
Mr. Bryant want to do it?

Better ask yourself
that question, Clyde.

Sincerely yours,
etcetera, etcetera.

And I think that should
about do it, Vera.

I'll take these to the
office, type them up,

then personally run
them down to the airport

to make sure
they get off tonight.

Good night, Mr. Bryant.

Vera, there's something
I think you ought to know.

I am retiring.

My doctor's full of
nonsense about a trick heart.

Oh, not that he thinks

I've got the proverbial
foot in the grave,

but he has warned me that
I should do more than think

about turning my job
over to somebody else.

Are you convincing
me or yourself?

What does that mean?

That you're one step ahead

of the board of
directors in the east...

A disenchanted
board of directors.

Dear Archer, a slightly
overage playboy.

And dear Vera,

with her deep sense of loyalty,
her warmth and compassion.

I just hope Elliot Forrest
appreciates your virtues

as much as I have when
he's running the company.

I wouldn't trust him
to run a, a streetcar,

much less the company.

Do you have
someone else in mind?

That young protégé
of yours perhaps?

Yes, Clyde Darrell.

Now?

Darrell.

Oh, he's very smart
but he has a lot to learn.

I'll teach him.

Why, you are
emotionally involved.

If that means I love
him, yes, Archer.

And Clyde?

I couldn't feel the way I do

if I doubted for one moment
that what I felt wasn't shared.

I'm sorry, it's out
of the question.

And please see that those
letters are mailed tonight.

I've known for a long time

that you were on
your way out, Archer,

long enough to
plan very carefully,

so don't do anything stupid
about that recommendation

until you've had
time to, to think

and, uh, to remember.

Good night, Archer.

I'm glad you called,
glad you came over.

Do you realize it's two whole
days since I saw you last?

Now, Nancy
darling, listen to me.

This is important.

Has your uncle said anything
about me or mentioned me?

Uncle Archer?

No, nothing.

I haven't even told him
that we're seeing each other.

Why not?

We have nothing
to be ashamed of.

You're a grown woman.

You know your own mind.

We love each other.

I don't know why
we just can't tell him.

Clyde, please.

He told me at dinner
tonight, he plans to retire.

It won't be long.

I'll tell him, I promise.

Please trust me... and love me.

You want me, Mr. Darrell,
just ring a couple times.

I'll be around.

Yeah, okay, thanks, Karl.

Vera, what's wrong?

I-I got your message.

"A matter of life
or death," it said.

Meet you here right away.

I-I don't understand.

Why did you trick me?

Trick?

I tried to help you.

I wanted so much for you

because I loved you,

because I thought you loved me.

But, Vera, I never
said anything...

No, no, that's right, Clyde,
you never said a word.

You never did a
thing to mislead me.

Stupid, stupid woman,

ten years older than
the man she wanted...

Wanted so badly,

she talked herself into
believing he wanted her.

But, Vera...

But to trick me, to use
me so despicably to steal!

Th-This is some kind of a joke.

Don't lie, admit it.

You stole $200,000
from the company

and you stole
the new stock list.

You're sick, you've
got to be sick.

Oh, oh.

Oh, I'm sick... but not you, no.

So full of
mealy-mouthed morality

but sneaking around
back doors to kiss his niece.

You're sick... you...
Sick with ambition!

I don't know how you
found out about Nancy

or what this whole nightmare
is supposed to mean,

but I'm just not going
to stand still and...

That's right,

I recorded every word
of this to hang you.

You... you stole the
money, you stole the list.

It was you.

It was "dear Vera," "nice Vera"
when I was trying to help you,

but it was "I love you, Nancy"

when she put her
arms around you.

"I love you, Nancy."

Yes, I tapped the telephone

to force Archer into
giving you his job.

You didn't know that, did you?

Maybe you wouldn't have kissed
her if you knew that, would you?

Yes, smart little
boy, an hour ago...

One hour ago I was going
to hand you the whole world.

Now I'm going to destroy you!

You're out of your mind.

No, no, stop it, stop
it, Clyde, stop it, stop it!

Aah!

Vera?

Vera... Vera?

Karl!

Karl!

The doctor on the third floor...

He's supposed to
be in the building.

Where is he?

I don't know, maybe
he stepped out.

Well, find a doctor, a-any
doctor, and find him quick.

- Mr. Darrell.
- Yes.

I think you'd better come
downtown with us now.

May I make a phone call?

Go ahead.

Hello, Mr. Mason.

This is Clyde Darrell.

I need your help.

The, uh, police are
taking me downtown.

I, uh, I just killed somebody.

Then when I... I saw the...

blood on my... on my hands, I...

I realized...

what had happened,
what I'd done.

Haven't you left something out?

I don't know what else there is.

The phone that you tore
loose from that drawer...

When did you pick it up again?

Pick it up again?

- Didn't you?
- No, I-I...

I told you. I-I stood up, and
then I ran out of the room.

- After, you mean?
- After what?

After you picked up the phone

and used it to bludgeon
Vera Wynne to death.

What?!

The injury she
received when she fell

was a superficial
bruise that dazed her.

Vera Wynne was killed by
having her skull smashed in.

That spool of recording
wire is the one found

in the recorder
contained in the desk

of the decedent, Vera Wynne.

The audio switch and receiver
attached to that recorder

were tuned to the same frequency

as the transmitter
secreted inside the base

of Archer Bryant's
leased telephone.

Thank you, Lieutenant.

At this time, Your Honor,
the State would like

to enter this spool
of wire in evidence

marked for the
People, exhibit seven.

May it please the court.

Is it the prosecution's
intention merely

to place the wire
itself in evidence,

or to make a matter of record

the conversations
recorded on that wire?

Mr. Burger?

Recorded on this
wire, Your Honor,

is a conversation between
the defendant, Clyde Darrell,

and the decedent, Vera Wynne,

which took place only
moments before she was killed.

It is this conversation

that I want to make
a matter of record.

Illegally obtained wiretap
evidence is violative

of the defendant's privilege
against self-incrimination.

Mr. Burger, the, uh, California
Penal Code does make it a crime

to tap or intercept a
communication by any instrument.

I'm certainly aware
of that, Your Honor.

But may I point out

that while this instrument
was installed inside the phone,

this is not a phone conversation

or communication
that was intercepted?

Furthermore, Your Honor,

there was no unreasonable
search or seizure

involved in obtaining
this recording.

This can considered sort
of an electronic eavesdrop,

and evidence from such a source

is just as admissible
as it would be

from an individual
eavesdropping outside a window.

But not when the
electronic eavesdropping

involved an illegal trespass.

The trespass that
had to take place

when the equipment
was installed.

That equipment was installed,
Mr. Mason, by Vera Wynne,

and, therefore, does not
involve an illegal trespass.

And she admits as much
right here on this recording!

An unsworn, recorded voice
not subject to cross-examination.

Vera Wynne may
have had the right to put

the receiver and the
recorder in her desk,

but not the right to
have a transmitter placed

inside a phone belonging
to the phone company

and locked in the
desk of her employer.

Objection sustained.

When the Lieutenant said, uh,

Mr. Darrell would
have to go with him

to the police department,
Mr. Darrell made a phone call.

Now, nobody told
him to make that call.

In other words, it was voluntary
on his part, is that correct?

And he didn't ask
to be left in private

while he made the call, did he?

In other words, nobody
could conceivably accuse you

of trespassing simply because

you overheard that
phone conversation?

What?

To the best

of your recollection, Mr. Lewis,

what were the exact words
Mr. Darrell used on the phone?

"Mr. Mason, this
is Clyde Darrell.

"I need your help.

"The police are
taking me downtown.

I... I just killed somebody."

Well, was the tip worth our
coming all the way out here?

The car drove went
over the road in the dark.

Plunged about 200 feet down,

almost got lost in
some trees and bushes.

The driver was killed instantly.

Do they know when it happened?

Not for sure till
they do an autopsy,

but they guess in the
neighborhood of a week.

I assume what
brought us out here

is the identification
of the body.

I got the tip

when they checked
out the car license,

but I wasn't sure, so
I didn't say anything.

But one of the policemen
who climbed down

to pull him up got a good
look and recognized him.

Glen Holman, old
Mr. Wiretap himself.

Paul, Della's at the office.

Call her for me,
would you, please?

Sure.

Operator, this is
PD-one-two-four-six.

I'd like to speak

with Madison Five,
one-one-nine-oh, please.

Beautiful, this is
Paul. Hold it a minute.

Perry wants to talk to you.

Della, I want to
talk to Ian Jarvis.

That's right, the stockbroker.

See if you can
have him in the office

by the time Paul and I return.

Give him this message exactly.

Tell him I know an
excellent defense attorney

who specializes in
evasion of income tax cases.

Income tax evasion, my eye!

Mason, I got a good mind to
slap a slander suit against you!

Then I suggest
you sue, Mr. Jarvis.

Unless they've changed the law,

truth is still a perfectly valid
defense to a charge of slander.

What truth?

Don't try running one of
your courtroom bluffs on me!

Archer Bryant cancelled
his business arrangements

with your company because
you breached your trust.

Not nice, but hardly illegal.

And in case you want to know,

I also invested the $200,000
Vera Wynne sent me.

Still no crime.

And since I made both
investments within the month,

and since there's
still some time

before income
tax reports are due,

I'd say you're just
a little premature

in accusing me of any evasion!

And there were no other
investments before those...

Other investments over a period
of, uh, oh, say, one full year?

Nonsense. Absolute
nonsense, and you know it!

I understand you're
building a $10 million

high-rise office
building downtown.

Yeah, well, don't
tell me that's illegal.

Here, over your signature,

appended under
oath before a notary,

is a copy of the financial
statement you used

to set up your
construction loan.

Do those figures accurately
reflect your gross income

for the past few years?

Why... of course they do.

The, uh, brokers in
New York and Boston...

Mr. Drake's operatives
have been in touch with them.

Do your gross income figures

represent the amounts
they've paid you?

Paid you in the last year?

Paid you for your
personal account?

Mr. Jarvis.

When I put you on the stand,

you won't be able to turn
your back and walk away.

You'd better not
put me on that stand.

Because if you do,

I'll have to tell about the last
call Vera Wynne made to me,

made the night she was killed.

The call telling me not to put

half the profits in
Archer's account.

You see, she told
me she might have

some trouble with her "partner,"

and if she did, she wanted me
to put the money in his account...

in the account of Clyde Darrell.

Miss Bryant,
approximately a year ago,

after the death of
your mother and father,

you came to live with
your uncle, Archer Bryant.

And shortly thereafter,

you and an accountant
employed by your uncle

became interested in each other.

Isn't that correct?

We had a few
dates, nothing more.

Yes, but at that time,
your uncle, Archer Bryant,

who is also your legal guardian

and the trustee of the
estate your father left you,

did interfere, didn't he?

He... fired the man,

and refused to let
me see him anymore.

And in order to avoid
a repetition of this...

unpleasant occurrence,
when you became interested

in the defendant, Clyde
Darrell, and he in you,

wasn't it decided between you

that at least for the
time being your...

new relationship would
be kept surreptitious?

Objection, Your Honor.

Prosecutor's use of
language is prejudicial

and an expression of
Mr. Burger's opinion,

not the witness's testimony.

I certainly didn't mean to
characterize, Counselor.

"Surreptitious," "clandestine"...
Both words mean the same.

"Surreptitious" goes far beyond

the word "clandestine,"
Mr. Burger.

The word has connotations
of stealth, lack of authority,

and even fraud.

Objection sustained.

Miss Bryant...

were your frequent
meetings with the defendant

a matter of open
knowledge, or...

Not to characterize
the word in any way...

Were they secret?

We've known each
other less than a month.

I saw no reason to create
any problems about Clyde's job

- because he was seeing me.
- Thank you.

Precisely and
exactly, if you please,

on the night Vera
Wynne was murdered,

- did you see the defendant?
- Yes.

Can you tell us exactly where?

Just outside the back door.

Just outside? Does
that mean one foot,

two, three, six, ten
feet outside the door?

A few feet.

Two. Maybe three.

And why did he want to see you?

He did call, didn't he, and
say that he wanted to see you?

Yes, he called.

He wanted to know if Uncle
Archer knew about the two of us.

But he didn't like it, though.

He wanted to go
right in and tell him.

And while you were
slipping out the back door

to see the defendant,
where was Uncle Archer?

In the study, with Vera Wynne.

And meanwhile,

two or three feet
outside the back door,

after you had reassured
the defendant that your uncle

knew nothing
about the two of you,

exactly what happened?

Clyde kissed me.

And did he say anything
to you at that moment?

He told me that he loved me.

Vera told me, most emphatically,

that she was in love
with Clyde Darrell.

And in this connection,
what did she seem to believe

about Clyde Darrell?

Oh, she also told
me, most emphatically,

that he was in love with her.

I see. Now, Mr. Bryant,

you finished the letters
you were dictating,

you talked to the decedent
for a few moments,

noting the strange pressures

with which she seemed
to be threatening you

in her effort to get you
to promote the defendant,

and then the decedent left.

- What happened then?
- Oh, I suppose it was

a minute or two after
that... After Vera left...

That I left the
study to go upstairs.

Well, when I
stepped into the hall...

Go on.

Well, I was surprised
to see Vera there.

You mean she hadn't left?

No. Very strangely,

she was coming from
the back of the house.

From the back?

From the service porch, perhaps?

Yes. She walked
right straight past me

to the front door
and out of the house,

almost in a... a daze.

Almost as if she might have
heard something at the back door

and had been shocked by it?

Objection.

I withdraw the
question, Your Honor.

Mr. Bryant, let's get
back for a moment

to the $200,000 check.

Did you okay that check, sir?

Yes, I did.

Vera gave it to me along
with some other checks.

We were about to purchase a
considerable amount of stock

and we very often
employ large sums of cash,

so I saw nothing unusual,

particularly since
it was attached

to the usual justifying voucher

from our treasurer,
Elliot Forrest.

I did not prepare that check.

I did not prepare that voucher.

I had nothing to do
with the theft of $200,000

from the company. Nothing.

Thank you, Mr. Forrest.

Your witness.

Mr. Forrest, in your experience,

was this the first instance
of a large sum of money

being missing from your company?

Well, the first real instance.

Real? Was there a prior
shortage that wasn't real?

Well, about a year ago, I was
preparing a financial statement

and found over $750,000 missing.

Well, naturally, there
was quite a fuss.

That is, until
Mr. Bryant discovered

it was all a bookkeeping error.

- Your error?
- Don't be ridiculous.

Uh, our then comptroller,
a man who was unfamiliar

with our methods,
it was his error,

although he denied it.

This comptroller...

was it by chance
the same gentleman

who was keeping company at
that time with Miss Nancy Bryant?

Not that I was aware of.

But Mr. Archer Bryant
did fire this man?

Yes. Because of the
mistake the man made.

Is it possible there
was no mistake?

That's ridiculous.

Is it possible the money
was actually stolen...

and later returned?

- What?
- Later returned.

Returned to balance the books,

so the thief
wouldn't go to prison.

I just told you.

The man made a mistake.

The man was fired.

Because of the mistake,

not because he was
seeing Miss Bryant?

It had nothing to do with her.

Your Honor...

I should like to recall Miss
Nancy Bryant to the stand.

I'd just moved in.

We hardly knew one another.

I didn't want to make an issue
out of disobeying my uncle.

Uncle Archer insisted that
the man was too old for me

and interested in
my money, not me.

Your father's estate...

A million dollars,
in other words...

To be turned over
to you in two months.

Yes.

Do you consider yourself a fool?

What?

Do you consider yourself a fool?

No.

Do you love Clyde Darrell?

- Yes.
- Do you consider him a fool?

N... No!

Or a fortune hunter?

Well, that's ridiculous.

Quite ridiculous.

Now, why did you
ask him to trust you?

To wait, and not
let your uncle know

you were seeing one another?

Please, Mr. Mason, I...

Your uncle is the
only family you have.

Are you trying to protect him?

Five weeks ago, just
before your first date

with Clyde Darrell,

you went to your bank to check
on an item in your statement.

You were surprised, weren't you,

to learn from one
of the bank officers

that the bank was the
depository of your trust funds,

as well as your private
checking account?

Oh, I didn't know.

Uncle Archer handled
the trust and so...

You were even more surprised,
according to the bank officers,

to learn that a year ago Archer
Bryant withdrew $750,000

from your trust account
for investment purposes.

Did your uncle tell you
about that investment?

But he must have put it back.

What's the difference?

Every penny was put back.

The bank said
everything was all right.

That accountant you
had dated a few times,

he was fired at the same time
your uncle withdrew that money.

Did it dawn on you
that Clyde Darrell

was also an accountant,

also worked for the company,

also might be somebody
your uncle wouldn't want you

to become fond of?

Archer Bryant embezzled
to cover gambling losses,

then stole money
from your trust account

to cover his embezzlement
from the company.

Along with Ian Jarvis,
your uncle has continued

to breach his trust,

continued personally to profit

at the expense
of the stockholders

and board members
who put their faith

- in his integrity...
- That's enough!

Leave her alone!

Glen Holman used
a radio transmitter

to tap your phone.

Why?

So he, as well as Vera Wynne,
could record your phone calls?

And what did Holman record?

Not one, but two
sets of outgoing calls

from you that night.

One was your regular company
phone call ordering stocks.

Now, the second
call, what was it?

A call to Mr. Jarvis to
place your personal order

for the same stocks?

Was that what Holman recorded?

Did he come to you with
that incriminating recording?

Did he try to blackmail you?

$50,000!

That's what he wanted. $50,000!

So you knocked him out...

drove his car to a secluded
spot on the cliffs near your home,

and pushed Glen
Holman to his death.

No, no, no, no!

We had a fight.

He... he knocked
me out of the car.

Then the car rolled
over the edge.

Don't you understand?
I didn't mean to kill him!

And Vera Wynne...
did you mean to kill her?

I came up the back way.

I-I took the private
elevator, see.

And she came, too, and
she started to scream.

She knew everything! Everything!

She was mad, I tell you.

She was out of her mind!

She came at me, and I-I
had the telephone in my hand.

Well, I... I... It
was an accident!

An accident?

Is that why you wore gloves
when you picked up the phone?

The phone wasn't wiped clean.

Clyde's fingerprints
were on it, but not yours.

Ian Jarvis and Archer
Bryant, partners in crime.

That's hard to believe.

You know, Paul, you and I
were in this room right here

- when Jarvis was kicked out.
- Sure.

You'd uncovered their little
game and I'd found the proof.

Archer had to light into
Jarvis, and Jarvis had to take it.

There was nothing they
could do but put on an act.

Mr. Mason, in court, if Uncle
Archer had made two calls,

wouldn't the wire recording
have had the second call

to Mr. Jarvis?

Why didn't you let them play it?

Well, that was our problem.

It didn't have either call.

Only a record of Clyde's
argument with Vera.

Burger played it
for me beforehand

to try to persuade me
into letting it be admitted.

Obviously, Vera was too smart

to leave all of that
recording around.

She probably, and logically,
cut off the earlier part...

The part with Archer's
calls... And then hid it.

Why did she pick on me?

Vera was a kingmaker.

She couldn't just fall in
love with an ordinary man.

It had to be a man
and a financial future

all rolled up into
one... A man like you.

Vera... Holman and my
charming and frightened uncle,

running on a
treadmill to nowhere.

Such a futile waste!

Why, Mr. Mason?

The answer was given
a long time ago, Nancy.

Answer a fool
according to his own folly.