Perry Mason (1957–1966): Season 2, Episode 12 - The Case of the Shattered Dream - full transcript

Oh, Breel?

It's the 15th.

I know, Walker. I
haven't got the money.

None of it?

No.

Fifteen thousand
dollars is a lot of money.

My luck has been bad and...

You wouldn't use that.
You could kill a man.

Oh, I wouldn't say that.

Would you, Jerry?

It would be
interesting to find out.



Please, Mr. Walker,

you've got to give me a chance.

I'll get you your money.

When?

Give me a week?

A couple of days, then?

Please, you won't regret it.

All right.

You've got 48 hours.

If I were you, I'd make
every minute count.

To the prodigal.

Well, Hans, been
behaving yourself lately?

Mm-hm.

I'm the soul of virtue.



No gambling?

No other complications?

I've been much too busy.

Irene, I've been a
tremendous success

as a diamond broker.

I was a fool for so many years.

You, a fool?

I can't imagine you
being a fool, Hans.

Unless it would be over
a woman or a gamble.

A fool to be a diamond cutter,

to work for a salary.

Do you still have
your Pundit Dream,

the uncut diamond?

Mm-hm. I still have it.

Let me see it again,
darling, will you?

I think I may
have a buyer for it.

All right.

As a matter of fact,
I have it right here.

I was going to take it to
Schoenbeck in the morning

to see if he
could cut it for me.

Like an old friend,
seeing it again.

I think I know every
little tricky grain in it.

Do you have a
buyer for it, Hans?

I think maybe, perhaps.

Yes.

How much?

I'll try to get 15,000, Irene.

Fifteen thousand?

Why, if the Dream's
cut properly, it's...

You know, it's a very
difficult stone, very risky.

Sure, it can be worth 80,000,

but if it shatters in cleavage,

it won't be worth being
swept up from the floor.

No, no, no, 15,000,
but safe, guaranteed.

How did you know I
needed money right now?

At least 50 good
carats if it's a point.

Obviously, my dear, you can
make a most handsome profit.

Adolph, what do you think?

I have seen this stone before.

It is the Pundit's Dream,

a very difficult stone.

Virginia, if properly cleaved,

it can bring at least $100,000.

With this one, the
risk is very great.

I wouldn't try to cleave
it. Too dangerous.

Everything seems
to be too dangerous

for you now, old man.

Hans, perhaps I
shouldn't take the risk.

Things are...

Well, things haven't been
going very well since father died.

I have to run this business
all by myself, you know.

Listen, my dear, there
isn't really any risk.

I'll cleave it myself.

I've studied it very carefully.

We can get an opinion
from Schoenbeck or Hillary,

or whatever expert you want.

This is your chance
to make a big profit.

Yes, it is, isn't it?

Oh, it could solve so
many problems for me.

Just think, Adolph,

if I could sell this stone
for even $60,000...

You really think
it will work, Hans?

Darling, I promise you.

Oh, I want to believe you.

Then do.

Well, even if I did buy it,

I can't raise the
30,000 right away.

How much can you get?

Oh, probably half.

Well, that's splendid.

Fifteen thousand now,
fifteen thousand later on.

Miss Bedford will accept.

You won't regret it, darling.

That's a picture

of my husband, Hugo,
and my little girl Kathy,

taken two years ago
in Chicago, Mr. Mason.

Do you think that you'll
be able to help me?

Well, Mrs. Werner,

if your husband
disappeared 18 months ago,

why have you waited
until now to try to find him?

But I have tried, as
much as I was able.

You see, Kathy and I
inherited a joint trust fund

of $90,000 from my father.

Hugo persuaded
me to let him invest

the fund so the
value could increase.

Now, what did he
do with the money?

Well, he gambled it all away.

I didn't even know about
it until after he left me.

He said he was leaving
the town on business.

He's a diamond expert, you see,

a cutter and broker.

Did you notify the police?

That would have meant
scandal, Mr. Mason.

But you must have
made inquiries?

Well, yes, I did.

And I have reason to
believe that he's here,

here in Los Angeles right now.

Mrs. Werner,

why do you want to
find your husband now?

Oh, I don't want
anything for myself,

but he's got to pay back

the money that he
stole from my child.

Well, first, we'll
have to locate him

before we take any legal action.

I'll put the Drake
Detective Agency on it.

Oh, uh, Mr. Mason, I, uh...

I'm not prepared to
pay you right now.

I thought that if
I could find him,

uh, maybe I can arrange...

Yes, it's... It's all
right, Mrs. Werner.

We'll work it out.

You can be reached
at your hotel?

Yes. Thank you very
much, Mr. Mason.

Goodbye.

Bye.

Bye.

Did you notice the
perfume she was wearing?

Mm-hm.

Eternity,

$150 a half ounce.

Seven-high straight.

Well, ha-ha.

That cleans me out for tonight.

I'd like to get back at you,

if you'd advance
me a little credit.

For just till tomorrow.

I'll have more cash then.

We'll have a game tomorrow.

I dropped $15,000 here tonight!

Breel, Jerry Morrow
was asking about you.

You know Morrow. Walker's boy?

Hello?

Virginia, this is Hans.

Oh, is anything wrong?

No, nothing personally, my dear.

I've just had an urgent
call from Miss Bedford.

She's got to have
the rest of the money

for the Pundit Dream right away.

Oh, but you said I didn't
have to pay it for 30 days.

Hans, I-I can't possibly
borrow any more from the bank.

How 'bout Schoenbeck?

He's an old friend
of your father's.

Ask him, Virginia.

Well...

all right, dear.

I'll call him first
thing tomorrow.

Bless you, darling.
You've saved my life.

Very dangerous. Very.

Is this yours, Breel?

Yes.

You recommend cleaving,

not sawing? Yes.

Yes, I do.

And you, Adolph?

I recommend nothing.

I think it is disaster.

It's probably the
best approach, Breel.

Then you recommend
cleaving, like that?

If it must be done, yes.

Will you lend me $10,000
on it, Mr. Schoenbeck?

No, Miss Trent. No?

But I'll buy a
half interest in it,

right now, for $10,000.

Virginia, no.

Don't give it away.

It could be worth
practically nothing too.

Schoenbeck, if I cleave it now,

will you lend her the money?

If it is successful.

All right.

Let's set it up.

I don't know any
other kind of gambling

where you can lose so quickly.

We had to try.

A hundred thousand
dollars one moment,

chips and splinters the next.

Oh, Hans, what can we do?

They're worth something.

A few thousand, anyway.

I'll take them downtown.

Hans.

Well, Mrs. Werner?

It's Hugo.

Calls himself Hans
Breel these days.

No, wait. Wait, I
must talk to him.

I'm sorry.

Are... Are we
going to follow him?

Don't have to.

He lives at the
Prescott Apartments.

Now, Mrs. Werner, I'm
gonna drive you to your hotel.

You're to wait there
till Mr. Mason calls you.

You understand, Mrs. Werner?

Those are Mr. Mason's orders.

Yes, I understand.

Okay.

Well, try to call
again, will you, Gertie?

Thank you.

What else did
you find out, Paul?

Well, this Hugo
Werner or Hans Breel,

whatever he calls
himself these days,

quite a character.

Man about town,
lover, gambler. And?

And he works out of,
uh, Trent and Company,

a swank jeweler on Wilshire.

And his gambling's
got him in pretty deep

with a character
named Bill Walker.

He owes him a bundle.

Hello?

Oh, is this Mr. Breel's
message service again?

Well, this is the Perry
Mason office, and...

Oh, he did.

Well, thank you very much.

He got your message
over an hour ago.

And hasn't answered the call.

What about Mrs. Werner?

No word from her either.

That's funny.

Paul, are you sure you told her?

Yes, Gertie.

Oh, put him on.

Mr. Breel.

Mr. Breel, this is Perry Mason.

I'm sorry I could not
return your call sooner.

What can I do for
you, Mr. Mason?

Well, actually,
it's rather difficult

to discuss on the telephone.

Perhaps you could
drop by my office?

I'm sorry, that is
out of the question.

Well, suppose I
come by to see you.

Tonight?

Yes, tonight.

But it's almost 9:30 now.

I can be there in half an hour.

You cannot give me an
idea of what this is all about?

No, I'm sorry, Mr. Breel.

I'll see you at 10.

Yeah, gunpowder.

Paul. Hm?

Perry... I smell that too.

It's called Eternity.
Sarah Werner uses it.

Eternity, huh?

That can be as long as it
takes to squeeze a trigger.

Better find her, Paul,
the sooner the better.

Okay. Let's get out of here.

See you later, Perry.

Oh, uh...

May I use your phone?

Yes.

I'd like to report a murder.

Oh. Come in.

What time is it?

Quarter to 4.

I found Mrs. Werner
at the bus depot.

She was waiting for
the 3:10 to Chicago.

Sit down, Mrs. Werner.

Where were you early last night?

Out.

Obviously.

Out where?

Walking.

Up the stairs to your
husband's apartment?

Or did you ride the elevator?

You don't understand.

I'd like to understand.

I'd like to understand
why you didn't call us

and tell us what you'd done.

I asked her that.

I can explain it.

I did go for a walk.

A long walk.

And then I...

Then I went to Hugo's apartment.

I rang the bell, and
there was no answer.

I thought he was out.

And then just...

Just before leaving, I...

I turned the doorknob.

The door was open.

And I went in.

Go on, Mrs. Werner.

He was dead.

Th-there was a burned
smell in the room,

and there was a
gun on the floor.

What time was this?

I don't know. I don't
know what time it was.

What about the gun?

Did you touch it?

No, I...

I'm... I'm afraid of guns.

Then did you leave?

Yes.

You closed the apartment
door when you left?

Yes.

Completely closed it?

Yes.

Then you decided to run away.

How much evidence
do you think you left

in your husband's
apartment last night?

But I didn't leave any.

Didn't you touch anything?

The doorknob, the table,

any of half a dozen
other objects in the room?

But...?

But how would they know
that they're my fingerprints?

Mrs. Werner,

you're the wife of
a murdered man.

Don't you realize the police
are going to investigate you,

whether you're here in
Chicago or at the North Pole?

I didn't know.

I...

What shall I do, Mr. Mason?

Did you kill your husband?

I don't want a
shake of the head,

I want you to look at
me and say it out loud.

No.

No, no, no, no, I didn't.

I loved him, I...

I know that...

That he took my money,
and... And he walked out on me.

But his gambling was a sickness.

He just couldn't help himself.

I loved him.

Please,

what shall I do, Mr. Mason?

I think you'd better
call the police.

The police?

Well, if they prefer any
charges against you,

we'll rush them
into an early hearing

and then try to take
them off balance.

The phone is right
there, Mrs. Werner.

What's their number?

What is it, Jack?

There's a Paul Drake outside.
He wants to talk to Mr. Walker.

He's a private detective.

He does a lot of
work for Perry Mason.

Tell him I'm not here.

Oh, um, wait a minute.

Tell him I'm not here, but, uh,

Mr. Morrow will talk to him.

You play this hand.

I'll kibitz.

Uh, Mr. Morrow?

That's me.

I understand you
work for a Mr. Walker.

I'm very anxious to
get in touch with him.

You can't. He's in Vegas.

He was in town yesterday.

That was in the morning.

He left in the afternoon
on the 5:30 flight.

What's wrong, buster?

I'm just trying to remember
where I know you from.

You don't know me from Adam.

I think Mr. Mason
would like to talk to you.

No, thanks. Come on,
boys. Let's play cards.

Hey, Drake.

I think I'll take you
up on that invitation.

I've always been curious
about this Mason fellow.

All right, I'll call him

and tell him to
meet us at the office.

Where were we?

Your bet.

Oh.

Now, I think there's
a couple of things

that ought to go on
the record, Mr. Mason.

Like the $15,000 that
Hans Breel owed Walker?

No, almost anyone in Vegas
could have told you that.

Then what things, Mr. Morrow?

Well, that about ten days ago, a
woman came to see Mr. Walker.

She showed him a picture.

What kind of picture?

Of a man and a little girl.

This woman asked if
Mr. Walker had seen the man.

She called him Hugo Werner.

What did Mr. Walker tell her?

He told her that he didn't know
anyone named Hugo Werner.

I see.

She said something about

making sure she got
some money from him

if she had to follow him to
the end of the Earth to get it.

Does this interest
you, Mr. Mason?

Yes, it does.

Now, Mr. Walker doesn't like

to get messed up
in an affair like this,

but he doesn't have to go
blabbing to the police either.

Just like you don't have
to poke into the business

we had with Hans Breel.

Tell me something, Mr. Morrow.

Sure.

How do you stand with
the money Breel owed you?

We've written it off.

When you asked him for it,

did he say where
he hoped to get it?

He said some gal
had an uncut diamond

that he was going to sell
and make some money with.

Just, uh, some girl? He
didn't mention any name?

It wasn't our business.

Thank you, Mr. Morrow.

That's okay, counselor,

I like to make friends
when it doesn't hurt.

You never know when you're
gonna need one in a hurry,

especially a good lawyer.

Why so preoccupied, Paul?

One of the guys
in that poker game.

Nah, it couldn't have
been Bill Walker.

They wouldn't lie to
me right to my face.

Did he say the 5:30
plane to Las Vegas?

Yeah, I'll check the flights.

Oh, that, uh, girl with
the uncut diamond

that Morrow mentioned, her
name's, uh, Irene Bedford.

She lives at 813 West
Serrano, apartment 5-B.

Wonder if she'll
mind my calling on her

before breakfast.

Probably.

I am going to bed. Good night.

I think you should,
but before you do, uh,

will you check on these for me?

Good morning.

So that's it, Mr. Mason.

I signed Hans' contract,

and he sold the Pundit Dream
to Virginia Trent for $15,000.

As you can see, he was to
get ten percent of the sale price.

I'm afraid you're
wrong, Miss Bedford.

This contract actually

assigned title of your
diamond to Breel.

He agreed to pay you
90 percent of all proceeds

he might derive from any
sale, not to exceed $15,000.

Isn't that what I just said?

No.

Breel could have sold
the diamond for any sum

and still have paid
you only $15,000.

What if he did sell it for more?

I guess there's a
price on everything.

Even love.

He was a compulsive gambler.

I understand that,
night before last,

he lost $15,000 in a poker game.

Fifteen thousand dollars?

Where would Hans
get money like that?

You mean, it was mine?

You mean, Virginia Trent
paid him the $15,000,

and he lied to me
about her not being able

to pay for 30 days?

One would think
you're hearing this

for the first time,
Miss Bedford.

When do you think I
would have heard it?

Let's go see Virginia Trent.

Oh, uh, will you be long?

Two and a half minutes.

Time me.

Fifteen thousand?

Yes, that's what Hans told me.

You know what happened
to the Pundit Dream?

It shattered.

That's tough luck,
but it doesn't affect me.

Now, look, you're
not trying to renege?

Oh, no.

No, it was a firm deal.

Only it was for 30,000.

Hans said he
couldn't get it for less.

Hans told me he
couldn't get more than 15.

Why, I already gave him 15,000.

He said you needed
the balance right away.

That's why he took a
chance and cleaved the stone.

Only...

Well, I'm sorry, Miss Bedford,

but it's going to be a long time

before I can pay you
the rest of the money.

I didn't even get
the first part of it.

I can't ask you for the balance.

I'm afraid Hans didn't
always tell the truth.

Did you know he was married?

Yes, I knew.

Did you see him last night?

No.

Some unidentified person went

to his apartment last
night, after he'd been shot,

and apparently left the
door open upon leaving.

Liebchen?

Have you seen the papers?

Do you know, uh...?

Do you work here?

Yes.

This is Adolph Van
Beers, Mr. Mason,

a very old friend and worker.

Mr. Van Beers, why didn't
you say something last night

about knowing Hans?

What was there to say?

Hans was dead.

You were calling the police.

I did not shoot him, Mr. Mason.

So, what was there to say?

Gonna try a case?

Oh.

Hi, Perry. Hi, Paul.

Just been to police
headquarters.

Any luck?

Well, they've just
booked Sarah Werner

for the murder of her husband.

Have they?

Apparently, they've established
her at the scene at the time.

And they've got a
piece of a motive,

what with the money angle,
and then checking back

on Hans Breel,
alias Hugo Werner,

alias two or three other names.

Are you sure they don't
have something more?

They moved pretty fast.

They may have.

And if I sound cryptic,
so did Lieutenant Tragg.

Well, what did Tragg say
that sounded so cryptic?

Well, as near as I can remember,

quote:

"The police were
looking for Sarah Werner

even before they
knew she was in town."

Unquote.

Would you tell us the cause
of death, please, doctor?

Death was caused by a 9
mm bullet through the heart.

And the time of death, sir?

Between 7:45 and
9:15 p.m., April 6th.

Thank you, doctor.

Your witness.

Doctor, may I ask if death

might have occurred
at a quarter of ten?

No, sir.

How 'bout 9:30? No, sir.

As a matter of fact,
there's only one chance

in 100,000 it was after 9:00.

The area of extreme probability
was between 8:15 and 8:45.

Thank you, doctor, that's all.

Well, the fingerprints

of the defendant,
Mrs. Sarah Werner,

were found on a magazine
rack near the body.

Thank you, lieutenant.

Cross-examine.

Those were the only fingerprints

you found of the defendant
in the room, lieutenant?

Yes, sir.

Other places where fingerprints
would normally be found

had been wiped clean.

Thank you, lieutenant.

You may step down, lieutenant.

And I've been a, uh, diamond
importer and wholesaler

for nearly 25 years.

I have offices in Amsterdam,

New York and
here in Los Angeles.

Defense recognizes the witness

is a qualified expert
in the diamond trade.

Thank you, counselor.

Now, Mr. David, would
you tell us, please,

what transpired in your office
on the evening of April 6th?

Well, I was working late,
and, uh, about half past 9,

a woman knocked
at my front door.

I let her in.

She had an uncut
diamond to sell me.

And now, Mr. David,

I ask you to look
around this courtroom

and tell us if you
recognize the woman

that tried to sell
you that stone.

Yes. That's she.

Let the record show

that the witness is pointing to
the defendant, Sarah Werner.

Now we know what Tragg
meant when he sounded cryptic.

Cross-examine.

No questions.

You may step down.

So I examined the Pundit
Dream and gave my opinion.

I said it would be
very dangerous

to try to cleave the stone.

Now, let's proceed very
carefully, Mr. Schoenbeck.

After you examined the
stone, what happened?

Well, there were a few words

with Adolph and Virginia,

and then Hans...
I beg your pardon.

Hugo Werner said
he would cleave it.

He said he had studied it and
knew he would not shatter it.

And this is the same stone

that you had just
finished examining,

the Pundit Dream?

Yes.

All right, what happened then?

He set everything up
and struck the stone.

And then?

The stone shattered
into fragments.

Now, Mr. Schoenbeck,

you have been qualified
here as an expert.

There was no mistaking
the Pundit Dream

when you examined it, was there?

No, I could not mistake it.

I show you now
this uncut diamond,

marked in evidence, which
has been identified here

by the expert, Lawrence David,

as having been presented
to him by the defendant.

I ask if you recognize this?

Recognize it?

Why, that is...

That is... Go on,
Mr. Schoenbeck.

It's the Pundit Dream.

Whole, in one
piece, not shattered.

Yes, but I saw it!

I saw him lift the
hammer and strike.

It is the Pundit Dream.

But that doesn't
seem very logical,

does it, Mr. Schoenbeck?

I mean, you can't take a diamond

and shatter it and then put it
back together again, can you?

No, that's impossible.

Well, let's retrace
our steps then

and see if we can
solve this mystery.

After you had
examined the diamond,

what did you do with it?

I gave it back to him.

And then?

Then we talked,

and Hans set up the
cleaving operation.

He had the diamond and then...

He must have switched stones.

Just a moment.

Your Honor, I move
to strike out the words,

"he must have switched stones"

as not being responsive
to the question,

as being a conclusion
of the witness.

I ask the court to
caution the witness

not to volunteer statements.

Objection sustained.

The reporter will strike
the witness' last answer.

I can understand your sense
of excitement, Mr. Schoenbeck,

and your unfamiliarity
with court procedure.

Please, limit your answers
to the questions asked.

Yes, Your Honor, but that's...

That will be all,
Mr. Schoenbeck.

Thank you very
much. Your witness.

Mr. Schoenbeck, what happened

to the fragments of
the shattered diamond?

Hans put them in a bag

and said he would take
them downtown to a dealer.

Now, you said
something about words

between you,
Virginia and Adolph.

Would you please
explain who Adolph is?

Adolph Van Beers.

He's a diamond
cutter from Holland.

He came here to this
country with Virginia's father,

August Trent, long
before Virginia was born.

Some years ago, Adolph cleaved

the Emerson Star
diamond for Mr. Trent.

He shattered it.

It cost Mr. Trent
a small fortune.

Adolph has been
gun-shy ever since.

Gun-shy?

Well, you know,

afraid to cleave a large stone.

He's lost his nerve, like
a flyer after an accident.

And also he has a
terrible guilt complex.

He's a mass of neurosis.

You, uh... You seem to have a
slight accent, Mr. Schoenbeck.

Are you from
Holland also? Yes, sir.

Have I seen you before? No.

I seem to have heard
your voice before.

Have I ever talked to
you on the telephone?

No.

Didn't you telephone me
on the night of the murder,

identify yourself as Hans
Breel and make the statement...?

No. No, sir.

I did not telephone you

on that night or
any other night.

Thank you. That'll be all.

You may step down,
Mr. Schoenbeck.

Miss Bedford, you were
acquainted with the deceased,

known to you as Hans Breel,

on a personal as well
as a business basis?

Yes, sir.

As a matter of fact, you
knew him well enough

to authorize him to dispose
of your uncut diamond

called the Pundit Dream? Yes.

You knew he was a married man?

Oh, yes.

And did you know to
whom he was married?

You mean, here
in the United States

or in Amsterdam
before he came here?

His marriage in
the United States

was not his first marriage?

Oh, no.

And as a matter of
fact, he was still married

to his first wife when
he came to this country

and married the
defendant in this case?

That's right.

He said he told her when
he left her in Chicago.

No. No, he never
did. I didn't know.

I didn't know, Mr. Mason.

If it please the court,

I should like to submit
these photostatic documents.

A marriage license
and certificate,

received from Amsterdam,
Holland, issued to Piet Verlan,

alias Piet Hofer,
alias Hugo Werner,

alias Hans Breel,

and ask that they be marked
in evidence for the people.

Cross-examine.

Miss Bedford,

in a conversation
you had with me

the day after the murder,

did we not discuss
the fact that Hans Breel

had tricked you into
signing a contract

which permitted him to
sell the Pundit diamond

for any sum he wished,

but that he was
obligated to pay you

not more than $15,000?

Yes, you saw the contract
and pointed out to me

that I had practically given him

power of attorney
in the diamond.

And then we found out that
he sold the stone for $30,000?

Yes.

And that you hadn't received
a penny of that money?

Not then.

Not then?

You mean, you have since?

Yes, I got a check in the mail
yesterday morning for $15,000.

I had to sign an
endorsement and a bill of sale

to Virginia Trent.

Miss Trent paid you this money?

Oh, I don't know.
It wasn't her check.

Whose check was it?

Adolph Van Beers'.

No further questions.

Court adjourned until 2:00.

Burger prepared
this case in a hurry,

but he built it
like a battleship.

We're in the process
of being sunk.

I'm sorry, Mr. Mason.
I lied to you.

The reason I took that stone...

I know why you took it, Sarah.
You took it for your daughter.

That's why you
tried to run away.

Yes.

Thank you for understanding.

Well, Paul?

Come on, let's have lunch.

I know you folks are in a hurry,

so I brought your
beverages first.

Are you having the
tea, Miss Street?

Mm-hm. Thank you.

And the coffee's mine.

And, uh, also the check.

Will there be anything else?

We have some very
nice strawberry shortcake.

Mm...

No, thanks.

Paul, are you...? Are
you sure of those facts?

Positive.

Jerry Morrow's boss,

William Walker, has been
in town the entire time.

He didn't go back to Las Vegas?

Nope, and I'd call
him a prime suspect

except for one thing:

he was in the poker game
at the time of the murder,

and he's got seven witnesses,
including Jerry Morrow.

Look, I... I know you
checked them thoroughly, Paul,

but did either of
them leave the room

for any length of time?

Nope, not even to telephone.

There was no phone in the
room, and nobody left the room.

Not even at 9:30 when
someone called you

at the office and said
he was Hans Breel.

Well, then, that phone call
was obviously an attempt

to establish a
false time of death.

Right.

Uh, Morrow's been
very helpful, Paul.

However, we'll still
keep an eye on him.

It's, um, been nice
having lunch with you,

but it's time to get
back to the courtroom.

It is the Pundit's Dream.

Now, it's been proven
that the stone the defendant

tried to sell to Lawrence
David on the night of the murder

was the Pundit Dream.

Do you now corroborate

the previous
testimony of the expert

that this is that stone?

Yes.

Then, the diamond

or paste or fused-glass fake

that Hans Breel struck
with a chisel and hammer

could not have been the
Pundit Dream, could it?

Obviously, it could
not have been.

Thank you, sir. Your witness.

Now, Mr. Van
Beers, isn't it true

that because you became
gun-shy and refused to take chances,

Miss Trent had to look
elsewhere for a diamond cutter?

Yes.

I...

She hired Hans because of me.

Where do you
live, Mr. Van Beers?

At 5 East Avenue H, in Fernwood.

Did Mr. Breel live at
the same address?

Yes, when he came
to work at Trent's,

I got him the apartment.

On the same floor as yours?

Yes.

Now, after Breel
shattered the stone

you thought was
the Pundit Dream,

did you attempt to
speak to him again?

No, I didn't.

Oh, come, now, Mr. Van Beers.

You mean to say, you
didn't even cross the hall

to ask him why his calculations
with the stone had gone wrong?

Yes, I did go to his apartment.

What time was that?

Around half-past 8.

All right, Mr. Mason.

I killed him.

I killed him

because I couldn't stand
what he had done to Virginia.

She had trusted him.

She had put her life,
her future, in his hands.

He had betrayed her.

Your Honor,

in view of the sudden
turn this case has taken...

Excuse me, Mr. Burger.

If Your Honor please,
I would like to continue

my cross-examination
of this witness.

You may continue, Mr. Mason.

Thank you. Mr. Burger?

Thank you.

Now, Mr. Van Beers,

when you went into
Breel's apartment

was the door closed?

Yes, the door was closed.

And while you were
in his apartment,

did you telephone me?

Yes.

Will you tell me how you
knew I had called him?

He had written a note with
your phone number on it

that he got from
his message service.

And when you left his
apartment, did you close the door?

No. I left it open a little.

But Mrs. Werner found the
door closed and left it closed.

I found it open, so you
must have been there

after Mrs. Werner and before me.

Well,

yes, I guess, uh...

I guess I was there
after she was there.

But Mrs. Werner found
her husband dead.

She took the diamond
from his pocket,

so he must have been
dead when you arrived.

Oh, oh, no!

And all those things
you told the police

to throw them off the trail.

The telephone call to me,
the fingerprints, the door,

even the $15,000 you
sent to Miss Bedford.

They weren't to protect you

because you didn't
kill Hans Breel.

No, I tell you, I did it!

Adolph, no, you mustn't!
He's trying to protect me!

Order! There will be
order in this courtroom.

Young lady, what's
the meaning of this?

If it please the court,

I think I can
clarify the situation

if I'm correct in assuming
that Mr. Burger intends

to call Virginia Trent
as his next witness.

I certainly do so intend.

Now if you will
permit, Mr. Burger,

and with the
permission of the court,

I should like first to
recall Miss Irene Bedford.

Mr. Burger?

I have no objections,
Your Honor.

You may step down.

Miss Bedford to the stand.

You realize you're still
under oath, Miss Bedford?

Of course.

Now I'd just like to
clear up a few points.

Did Hans Breel telephone you
on the afternoon of the murder

to tell you he had
shattered the Pundit Dream?

No.

That's odd. It is?

Well, Breel was in
dire need of money,

so he devised this scheme.

He would make it seem as
though he had shattered the stone.

Virginia would get
hurt, you would get hurt,

and he would keep
the real diamond

without anyone knowing it.

Neat trick, wasn't it?

Fascinating.

But you had to know
the stone was shattered,

so it would have been illogical
for him not to have called you.

He didn't call.

Hm.

Uh, do you, uh...? Do you
recall showing me the contract

between yourself
and the deceased?

Yes, you were nice
enough to interpret it for me.

In matters like that,
I'm a complete innocent.

Now in your testimony earlier,

you talked about giving
Breel virtual power of attorney

in the diamond.

Yes, you pointed that out to me.

But I never used the
phrase "power of attorney."

Who did?

I can't remember.

Another attorney?

Yes.

When did you see him?

It must have been
some time that day,

the day Hans was killed.

Why?

Something must have prompted you

to see an attorney,
Miss Bedford.

Was it after Hans called

and told you he'd
shattered the stone?

Yes.

Then the attorney
verified the fact that

whatever Hans wanted
to do, he could do,

and you had no recourse?

Yes.

Then you went to
Hans' apartment?

No.

Aren't you lying
again, Miss Bedford?

He had double-crossed you.

First, out of $15,000,

then out of the balance

after he shattered the stone,
so you went to his apartment.

No, I knew about the stone. I
knew he had switched stones!

Hans told me!

Told you when? When I saw him.

At his apartment?

Yes!

I didn't kill him.

I knew that if I
admitted speaking to him

or going to his apartment,
you'd suspect me.

I didn't kill him.

He told me about the diamond

and how he could get
rid of it in another city

and how much more
money we could get for it.

Then why did you
accept the $15,000 check

from Adolph Van Beers?

What?

The check he sent you yesterday?

Why would you have
signed a bill of sale

if knowing the
diamond was intact?

You wouldn't have.

When you faced
Breel with that gun,

why didn't you take the
diamond away from him?

It was there in his pocket.

If, as you say, he
had told you about it,

why didn't you take the
diamond away from him?

You're trying to trip me up!

No, Miss Bedford,
you tripped yourself up.

You're so tangled in lies,

I don't believe you know
the truth from fiction.

I hated him!

He wanted to get rid of me!

Besides lying and cheating,
he wanted to get rid of me!

You...

You were still in love with him?

Oh, y-yes.

That's why I killed him.

That's why I killed him!

It's of no use.

There's too much risk.

I haven't cleaved a
stone in so many years.

Please, Adolph, if you don't
cleave the Pundit Dream,

no one else will.

But, liebchen, one
needs a firm hand,

a sharp eye.

Other things measure a
man's stature, Mr. Van Beers.

Important things like
dignity, self-respect, courage,

a mind that's not
filled with doubt.

Virginia wants that
for you above all else.

Even if you fail.

Perfect!

They should be worth
$40,000 to $50,000 each.

So, Adolph, you have
not lost the master's touch.

Congratulations.

Oh!

Well, you won't make expenses
on this case, Perry, but...

it's dividends like that
that make it all worth while.