Perry Mason (1957–1966): Season 3, Episode 25 - The Case of the Irate Inventor - full transcript
After inventor James Frazer tells his wife Thelma who is visiting his lab he knows she is cheating, he disappears for nearly three months. Thelma asks her friend Lois Langley to join her on a day out but first stops at her husband's business to visit some co-workers which Lois notices through the windows. James' business partners, Robert and Arthur Hayden, decide to exercise a buyout clause in their business agreement so Thelma Frazer, who has had no contact with her husband, consults Perry Mason. As it happens, James returns only to find his workshop ablaze and Thelma's dead body inside. He's charged with murder and Perry takes on his defense. James was working on an aircraft anti-collision device and had gone away so as to complete his work. It had also become obvious to him that someone had access to his workshop and suspected that someone was stealing his ideas. Not surprisingly Thelma's lover, Calvin Boone, had also produced an anti-collision device that is virtually identical to James'. It's left to Perry to find the real killer.
You're home early.
Where are you going?
Where have you been
all afternoon, Thelma?
I had lunch with Lois.
I told you.
You didn't have lunch with her.
All right, I didn't.
I was taking care of something.
Not something.
You've been seeing
someone for a long time now.
That's not true.
So now you're gonna
pack your little bag
and take a little trip?
You're gonna sulk?
This is a little more
than just a sulk, Thelma.
I've had enough of
this kind of life with you.
You're leaving me?
At least a separation.
A divorce can be worked
out later in a civilized way.
I'm going to take this
opportunity to do some work
on my anti-collision device.
In privacy.
And what does that mean?
Who's been going
through my papers?
You know no one can get in here
when you lock the door.
Somebody did.
Your car is blocking
the driveway.
James, I don't want a divorce.
It's not your choice, Thelma.
Now, your car.
You won't get rid
of me so easily.
I hadn't anticipated
that it would be easy.
Please get your
car out of the way.
It's been three
months now, sergeant,
and all you can tell me
here at Missing Persons
is no report and no trace yet.
You haven't heard
anything, have you, lady?
No.
No arguments? No warnings?
He just disappeared?
Look here, sergeant,
if you're presuming
this is simply a case
of abandonment...
Our experience is, when
they leave this way, ma'am,
that's what it is.
That's rather
unlikely, sergeant.
James Frazer is
in love with his wife.
Besides, he has a great
many responsibilities
he wouldn't neglect
under any circumstances.
Are you a relative, ma'am?
No, I'm just a
friend and neighbor.
Then what do you think happened
to your husband, Mrs. Frazer?
Maybe he was in an accident
and had a loss of memory.
Maybe he's in a
hospital somewhere.
That's routine check, ma'am.
We'd know by now if
any of that was the case.
Well, I want to find out
what's happened to him.
A man doesn't just disappear
off the face of the
earth, does he?
Sometimes, ma'am.
And sometimes under it.
We aren't giving
up looking for him.
I'll only be a few
minutes, Lois.
You're an angel
for coming along.
Oh, don't be silly.
I told you I'd spend
the day with you.
Go ahead.
Thelma?
What did you come here for?
Well, not just to
see you, Calvin.
I also have to speak
to the Haydens.
You mustn't be
seen in my office.
If they even suspected about
us it would mean real trouble.
Okay, darling.
All right.
See you tonight.
Yes?
Who?
Oh, yes, send her in.
And tell my brother to come in.
Not quite perfected yet.
Thelma, you look exquisite.
If I didn't know better,
I'd say Jim's absence
is agreeing with you.
Your registered letter
came this morning.
What does it mean, Robert?
Just a formality
about the contract
between Jim and us.
Sit down, Thelma.
It sounds ominous.
Not at all.
Simply request
Jim to show up here.
See, we've been developing
this anti-collision device.
Might need his expert touch.
What about the contract?
You've been married to Jim
for almost three years, Thelma,
hasn't he told you the
details of our partnership?
I know he owns 40
percent of the company
and you two own 60 percent.
That's right.
What's the penalty if
Jim doesn't show up?
Well, there is no
penalty as such,
but you must realize that
Jim is the engineering genius.
The inventor in our company.
We need him to handle
his end of the firm,
just as Arthur
handles production.
I handle sales.
And what happens if he doesn't?
Something bad?
"If within the three month
period you, James Frazer,
"have not assumed
your partnership duties
"at the company's
place of business,
"this is to notify you that
said three month period
"is concluded at 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday, February 2nd."
That's tomorrow.
That's right.
Is everything all right
with you, Thelma?
Is there anything we can do?
Yes, you can tell
me what Jim forfeits
if he doesn't show up
at the plant by tomorrow.
He doesn't forfeit
anything, Thelma.
What if he's ill or
sick somewhere?
Then why hasn't he let us know?
What if he's dead?
What makes you say a
thing like that, Thelma?
The invading object
has to get too close
before it triggers the alarm.
It's still a tremendous piece
of work by Calvin Boone.
Done by himself without
benefit of Jim Frazer.
It's still a calculated risk
if we're thinking of
him to replace Frazer.
Calculated risk?
Frazer gets 40
percent of millions.
All we have to give
Boone is 1,200 a month.
Boone developed the
invention up to this point,
why can't he finish it himself?
Imagine eliminating
aircraft collisions.
That's only the beginning
of the unlimited possibilities
of the anti-collision principle.
Do you mind driving
downtown with me, Lois?
Of course not. Where to?
First I have to pick up
something at the house
and then to a lawyer.
It's quite clear what the
involuntary sales clause
means, Mrs. Frazer.
Well, from what little I
know of business practices,
it seemed to me that some
kind of forfeit is involved.
No, not really a forfeit.
Gives the other members
of the partnership
the right to buy out
James Frazer's interest.
And the registered letter?
Puts Frazer on notice
and the Hayden
brothers on record.
At 5:00 tomorrow afternoon,
if your husband hasn't
appeared at the factory offices,
they can buy him out.
For how much?
Well, there is a formula
in the agreement,
arrived at five years ago.
Evaluation of the company
is put at $100,000.
And they can buy
out all 40 percent
for $40,000?
That's right.
But the company's
worth millions,
and they're developing
an anti-collision device
that will be worth
many more millions.
Isn't there any way to
stop them, Mr. Mason?
Well, I don't know.
I've only given this
document a cursory reading.
Well, perhaps you
can find something
or think of something.
They're trying to
take advantage of me.
This, uh, disappearance of
your husband, Mrs. Frazer,
has he ever done
anything like that before?
Well, no.
That's what frightens me so.
We've always been so close
and had such a
wonderful relationship.
Was he working on
anything in particular
when he disappeared?
You mean, like the
anti-collision device?
Not that I know of.
And you do have Missing
Persons working on it?
I went to them this
morning for a report.
They've accomplished
exactly nothing.
All right, Mrs. Frazer,
I'll, uh, go over these
papers this evening.
Thank you, Mr. Mason.
Goodbye. Goodbye.
Goodbye, Miss Street.
Mrs. Frazer.
Let's put Paul
Drake to work, Della.
Sometimes the mills
of the police department
grind exceedingly slow.
Come on in for
some coffee, Lois.
Oh, thanks dear, but I
think I'll paddle off home
and get outside a cold martini.
Lois?
Yes?
Where is he?
What's that?
I said, where's Jim?
Where's Jim?
Well, how should I know?
There are millions of
dollars involved, Lois.
This is no time for
stupid pretenses.
I don't understand, Thelma.
Why do you think that
I know where Jim is?
Because you've been seeing
him behind my back for months.
Did you think I didn't know?
Thelma, you're out of your mind.
I want him home.
So you tell him he'd
better show up before...
Make it tonight.
Thelma! Thelma!
Thelma.
Thelma!
Thelma!
Jim?
What is it, Jim, is
anybody in there?
Thelma. Oh, no!
No, you can't do anything!
Go on, get out!
You'll only kill yourself!
She left this partnership
agreement and letter with me.
I advised her on the
basis of a quick reading
that your position was
vulnerable, but then,
you know the provisions
under involuntary sales.
Yes, I-I think so,
but then I've never been
too bright about legal matters.
I promised to check
the contract thoroughly
to see if there
was some loophole.
That's why I'm here.
Well, it's... It's academic
now anyway, Mason.
I-I've returned.
It's just that since I'm in
jail I can't get to the office.
Well, that's no excuse.
The terms are explicit.
If you don't show
up by 5:00 today,
you could be bought
out by your partners,
jail or no jail.
But I-I can't get there.
I'm charged with murder.
Well, let me suggest
that you get in touch
with your attorney.
Uh, have him call me.
I'll be very glad
to pass on to him,
uh, any observations I
might have on the contract.
Mason?
I don't have an attorney.
Who's representing you
on this murder charge?
No one.
I guess I, uh, will need
an attorney, won't I?
Would you represent me?
Did you kill your wife?
No.
No.
You disappeared
for three months.
The evening you returned
she was murdered.
Why did you come back?
I, uh...
I-I suddenly
remembered that clause
in the agreement and...
And then there were
some notes I needed
to finish my latest invention.
What notes? Where were they?
Relating to radar
sensitivity in my workshop.
Did you get them? No.
Then you were not in your
workshop at all yesterday.
No, I-I haven't been there
since I left three months ago.
Why did you disappear then?
I'd found out that my wife
was seeing at
least one other man,
and I wanted to get away
to finish this project
I was working on.
It was a most
important piece of work.
Your wife said that you and she
had never had any trouble.
That you had had a
wonderful marriage.
Oh, we did...
for at least the first day
or so of the honeymoon.
That was three years ago.
What man was she seeing?
I don't know.
How can you be sure
there was anyone?
There were so many lies,
and evasions, and
evidences of guilt.
I didn't care who it was, Mason,
it was the fact that... That
there was somebody, that...
That was the terrible thing.
I know how busy you are,
but if you could find the
time to defend me, I'd...
I'd be very grateful.
Here, Mr. Frazer.
Sign this.
Sure, but, uh, what...?
What is it?
Power of attorney.
What's it for?
To clip a few wings.
Before I forget,
do you think you could
get to the filing cabinet
in my workshop at home?
I, uh, gave Lieutenant
Tragg my key.
I guess he didn't
run across the one
I suspect Thelma had made.
I'll see what I can do.
Now, I think we'd better
go through your whole story.
Where you've been,
when you came back,
and so on.
Oh, all right.
Well, when I left
town three months ago
I, uh... I drove north
up Sepulveda...
Most of the three months
he stayed at the Wayfair,
a little motel
north of the valley.
Working on his invention.
It's about an hour's
drive up Sepulveda, Paul.
Registered under his own name?
No, under the name
of James Freeman.
All right, what do you
want me to do there?
Pack his belongings.
Clothes, papers, everything.
Bring them here? Mm-hm.
Then start a check on that
woman neighbor Lois Langley.
Also do some digging
into the Hayden brothers.
They're Frazer's partners.
I, uh, hope the police don't
get to the Wayfair motel
ahead of me.
They won't.
They don't know about it.
Which means they,
uh, might resent
our getting there ahead of them?
If there's one thing
the police want
that our client
has in his effects,
we'll give it to
them, of course.
Uh, Paul,
I'm particularly interested
in this invention
Frazer's working on.
All right, Perry,
I'll get right on it.
Goodbye, beautiful.
Here it is.
Of course, I don't
understand what it's all about,
but it's just the
way you wanted it.
Oh, this is fine.
And, um, now about the check.
Mm-hm.
In the amount of one dollar.
Will you please tell
me what I'm buying?
Della, I can only tell you
that you're a very rich woman.
At least for the afternoon.
Now, don't spend your
money too recklessly.
Well, good morning, lieutenant.
Oh, uh, Mr. Mason, Miss Langley.
How do you do?
Neighbor?
Yes, I was home last
night at the time of the fire.
Please, excuse me.
Oh, lieutenant, if
there's anything I can do.
You finished with
your experiment?
Yes, almost.
We, uh, have an
arson man coming.
You working on the, uh...?
Oh, just running an errand.
What kind of an errand?
I'm gonna get some
notes out of the file cabinet.
Well, I'm sorry, Perry,
we entered the file cabinet
and we're holding the contents.
Experimenting, lieutenant?
Yes, you might say that.
Uh-huh, ah, you know how
to open that door, Perry?
Oh, it looks like something
an inventor might contrive.
No doorknob, no lock.
Just that slot.
But it does have a key.
Uh-huh.
You know how it works?
No, but I know how to work it.
May I? Go ahead.
Pretty clever, isn't it?
It's better than a key
or a combination lock.
Actually, that's fool proof.
It would seem so.
I got it from Frazer
and there are no duplicates.
His, uh, wife was
found in here, you know.
What makes you think in
terms of arson, lieutenant?
Thelma Frazer was dead
before the fire started.
Somebody killed her,
brought her in here,
and set the fire to
cover up the murder,
and only Frazer had the key.
I'm sorry my brother
isn't here, Mr. Mason.
He would have
enjoyed meeting you too.
Thank you.
Watch the cigarette lighter.
That's our latest invention.
Not quite perfected.
Of course, it has
other applications.
Anti-collision.
Yes, very perceptive.
Sit down, Mr. Mason.
Thank you.
Is it, uh, Mr. Frazer's
invention?
No, as a matter of
fact it's a development
of one of our bright
young engineers.
Mind telling me who he is?
His name is Calvin Boone.
He's under long term
exclusive contract.
Signed a new
deal with him today.
I'd like to meet this
bright young man.
Ask Mr. Boone to step
into my office, please.
Have you discussed
Mr. Boone's new contract
with Mr. Frazer?
No.
Should I have?
Well, isn't he a
partner in the company?
Five o'clock today,
that's less than a half hour,
he'll no longer be a partner.
You're deliberately
taking advantage
of a technicality
in your agreement.
Mr. Frazer cannot assume
his duties here today
because he's under arrest.
Fortunes of war, Mr. Mason.
Yes?
Oh, thanks, never mind.
Calvin Boone's out
of the office just now.
I'd like you to meet him
next time you're out this way.
Oh, Arthur, meet Mr. Mason.
He's representing Jim Frazer.
My brother Arthur, Mr. Mason.
How do you do?
I take it then your intention
is to buy Mr. Frazer's interest
for $40,000?
That's right.
The papers are already prepared.
A more equitable
amount would be,
say, $300,000, wouldn't it?
What if it is?
What if it's worth
double 300,000?
Can you give us one good reason
why we should pay him
more than we have to?
The contract is tight,
legal, and definitive.
You can't break it, Mr. Mason.
Oh, I don't wanna break it.
Now, as James Frazer's attorney,
I'm asking you for $300,000
for his partnership interests.
I've heard of some of your
courtroom maneuvers, Mason.
We're dealing
now with contracts,
words on paper.
You can't twist them around.
Then you refuse to buy
at the $300,000 figure?
That's right.
And you, sir?
I refuse also, Mason.
Thank you, gentlemen.
Mason, uh, what's
this all about?
Read your partnership
agreement very carefully.
I'll be at my office
in the morning.
Well, it was no great problem.
The manager, a Mrs.
Nicholas, let me in,
and that package was wrapped
just as you see it.
I don't know what's in it.
What progress downtown, Paul?
Not very good.
There's a quiet
air of confidence
emanating from the D.A.'s office
and Homicide's lip is buttoned.
How was she killed? Shot.
Who's gun?
Frazer's. Motive?
I can't find out.
What about other
men in her life?
I've got operatives
on it, Perry,
but I have nothing
to report yet.
All right, Paul, I want you
to check on the whereabouts
of the brothers Hayden at
the time of the murder and...
Good evening, Perry Mason.
Also a bright young engineer
by the name of Calvin Boone.
Okay. One moment please.
Uh, anything on Lois Langley?
No, nothing I've been
able to dig up yet.
Paul, Mr. Stewart Connor.
Oh, that's the, uh,
that's the operative
assigned to Lois Langley.
Yeah?
Well, is he there now?
Good, thanks for calling,
and stay right
with Lois Langley.
There's a bright young
engineer named Calvin Boone
in Lois Langley's
house right now.
Well, frankly, Miss Langley,
I was a little
surprised at your call.
And you were wondering.
Well, I was wondering if you had
perfected the invention
you were working on.
Miss Langley, what do you
know about the invention?
Quite a bit.
I'm kind of a silent partner
in Hayden research.
You see, I advanced
Robert quite a bit of money
when they started out.
I see.
So it's understandable
I should be interested
in your invention, isn't it?
Well, I've just one little
final problem to solve
and then it's done.
That last problem
seems to have been
escaping you for weeks.
I've been working on it.
Oh, really, Mr. Boone,
don't you mean
you've been working on Thelma?
I drove out to the plant
with her yesterday afternoon.
I don't understand.
Well, I waited
in the car for her
while she went upstairs.
I saw her in your office.
It was rather romantic.
Miss Langley, it's
not what you think.
Oh, heavens, I hope that it is.
Mr. Boone, let's be
honest, shall we?
That isn't your
invention at all.
It's Jimmy Frazer's,
and you've been using Thelma
to get at his notes and sketches
on that anti-collision device.
Did you, uh,
succeed in getting
the last part from him?
Well, how could I?
He just came home last night.
I mean last night.
At the Frazer's house.
About, uh, 20
minutes before the fire.
Didn't Jimmy bring the
final notes home with him,
and didn't Thelma let you
into the workshop to get them?
Of course not, how could she?
Nobody could get in.
Oh, come, Mr. Boone.
Thelma must have had
a duplicate key all along.
How else could she leak
bits and pieces of the invention
to you from time to time?
What do you want with me?
The company has a chance...
to get rid of Frazer.
The company doesn't need him
if you get the last
part of that invention.
And you want me
to get it from Frazer.
Well, what if he
hasn't got it himself?
Well, let's hope he does.
What if he hasn't
solved the last problem?
Or what if he didn't
bring it home last night?
And what if he did?
And what if you're trying
to keep it for yourself?
No, Mr. Boone,
if you haven't got
it already, get it.
You know, I really would
hate to tell the police
about seeing you at
the house last night
just before the fire.
Where did you get it?
James Frazer's effects.
It's the invention
he's been working on
for the last three months.
Ours works at four inches.
This works at six feet.
Frazer says if that works
on an augmented scale,
the problem of air
collisions is solved.
But how did you get it?
We've been working
on that same principle.
Calvin Boone.
Coincidence, isn't it?
Can't be a coincidence.
Then either Mr. Frazer
stole from Mr. Boone,
or Mr. Boone stole
from Mr. Frazer.
Must have been Boone
who did the stealing.
What difference
does it make anyway?
It belongs to the
company. Does it?
Yes.
Mason, we took your advice
and studied the
partnership agreement.
According to the
involuntary sale provision
we were absolutely
within our legal rights.
At 5:00 we bought Frazer out.
Here's our check for $40,000.
Sorry, I can't accept it.
Why not? It's certified.
At 5:00 yesterday afternoon
James Frazer no longer owned
any interest in the company.
He'd already sold it.
Sold it? How could he?
Oh, he could, all right.
You were so preoccupied with
the involuntary sale provision
you overlooked the
voluntary sales provision.
I remember now there is one.
That's why you asked us
for $300,000 for his interest,
wasn't it?
According to the
voluntary sale provision,
he must offer us
the chance to buy
before he can sell
it to someone else.
To whom did Frazer
sell his interest?
Miss Street.
Well, that doesn't
change the fact
that Frazer developed
this invention
while he was still
a partner on salary
with the company,
so it belongs to
the partnership.
Oh, the, uh, last part
of the voluntary sale
provision says, uh,
"In the event of the disollution
"of the partnership,
"all inventions on which any
of the partners are working,
"but, uh, those which have
not been reduced to patent,
"shall be the
property of the person
working on such invention."
Mason, we want that
anti-collision device.
We'll make trouble.
Not by talking about it.
Pardon me, Mr. Mason,
did, uh, Frazer say
he's got that distance
problem solved?
You've seen as much of
it as I have, Mr. Hayden.
Where were you last night
at the time of the
murder, Mr. Hayden?
You, Mr. Hayden?
Well, Mason, we're stuck
with a messy situation
involving patents and law suits.
You're stuck with a murder.
Yes, sir, this is the
murder weapon,
it has my mark on it.
It's registered in the
name of the defendant,
James Frazer.
I see. I show you now
this flat rectangular
piece of metal
and ask if you can identify it.
Yes, that has my mark on it too.
Yes, but would you tell
the court, please, what it is?
It's an electronic key.
You can't duplicate
it without having
this precise key as a model.
And what door does
this electronic key open?
The only door to the workshop
behind the defendant's house.
And where did you find the key?
In the possession
of the defendant
at the time of the arrest.
I see.
I call your attention
now to these shoes
and ask you to examine them.
Yes, sir.
The defendant was wearing them
at the time of the arrest,
approximately 9:15
on the night of the
murder and the fire.
All right, but what else is
special about these shoes?
Well, spectroscopic analysis
show that parts of the leather
had been soaked with gasoline.
A particular brand of,
uh, green dye gasoline,
called, uh, Emerald.
Is this Emerald
gasoline sold locally?
No, it's a new brand.
It's being, uh, tested
in the outlying districts.
Your witness.
Lieutenant, you indicated
that a locksmith
could not open the door
of that workshop without a key.
Unless he broke down the door.
Oh, isn't it true
that there is a way
to duplicate the key
by way of making
an electronic analysis of it?
Yes, it could be done that way.
Thank you, lieutenant.
That will be all.
Step down, lieutenant.
In my opinion, this fire
was deliberately set.
Traces of gasoline
in the floor and
baseboard, matches.
Spontaneous combustion
was impossible where
this fire originated.
I see. I show you now
this burned match
and this matchbook
and ask if you recognize it?
Yes, sir, found in the workshop.
Yes, sir, that, uh,
partially burned one,
my identifying mark is on it.
A comparison
analysis of the torn end
proves it to be from
this book of matches.
Paper was ignited,
which lead to the gasoline
and, uh, this particular match
failed to ignite the paper,
so it was tossed aside.
Well, the Emerald gas
station is down the hill.
I watched him
coming from the station
with a gasoline can.
And was this man a
regular guest at your motel?
Oh, yes, sir.
Uh, he had been for
almost three months.
And what was his name?
Well, he called himself
James Freeman,
but that's him over there,
the one you call James Frazer.
Let the record show
that the witness is pointing
to the defendant James Frazer.
Now, Mrs. Nicholas, I
show you this matchbook
and ask if you recognize it?
Sure, that's one of mine.
I had to pay to get that
Wayfair Motel printed on there.
You can't get them
anywhere else but my motel.
I see.
Would Miss Lois
Langley please stand up?
Mrs. Nicholas, would you look
at Miss Langley standing there?
Yes, sir.
Have you ever seen her before?
Oh, yes, sir, twice
or three times.
Where? At the Wayfair.
My motel.
Would you explain
to this court, please,
how you happened to
recognize this woman?
Well, she came to visit
Mr. James Freeman.
Uh, that is James Frazer,
that one over there.
You may sit down, Miss Langley.
Thank you, Mrs. Nicholas.
Your witness, counselor.
Now, you said the defendant
brought the Emerald gasoline
back to the motel in a can.
That's correct.
Were you aware, Mrs. Nicholas,
that Mr. Frazer was engaged
in building a
model of some sort?
Yes, sir.
Now, was it possible
that he bought the gasoline
in a can to use for
cleaning tools and parts?
Well, it's possible,
but I can't prove it
one way or the other.
Thank you, Mrs.
Nicholas, that will be all.
The witness may step down.
I call Miss Lois Langley
to the stand, please.
The defendant spoke
to you on what day?
November 2nd, two
days after Halloween.
Go on, Miss Langley.
What did he say to you?
Well, he asked me to
keep an eye on Thelma
and said he'd get
in touch with me.
Did he say why he wanted you
to keep an eye on his wife?
Yes, he wanted to know if
she was seeing other men.
And if so, who.
I never stopped hoping
I was wrong about her.
Well, you saw the
defendant yourself
at the Wayfair
Motel, didn't you?
Yes.
What for?
Well, he didn't wanna
come back to town,
so he asked me to do
certain things for him.
I understand. Now, Miss Langley,
did you have a conversation
with the deceased on the...
The day of her death?
Yes.
Would you tell
this court, please,
the gist of that conversation?
Well, she accused me
of having had an affair
with her husband,
and she made it clear
that she wanted him
back in town by that night.
So, what did you do?
Well, I telephoned him
and relayed the message.
I told him he'd better get home
if he wanted to
safeguard his holdings
in the Hayden Research Company.
And did you see the
defendant that evening?
Yes.
Where and when?
He was coming out
of his workshop...
while it was burning.
And his wife Thelma Frazer,
the deceased, was inside?
Yes.
So he said.
I see.
Thank you, Miss Langley.
To you, counselor.
Just a moment if you
will, please, counselor.
I see it's getting
close to 5:00.
If you intend anything more
than a very brief
cross-examination,
I'd like to adjourn
until morning.
Defense has no objection to
the adjournment, Your Honor.
Very well, then,
court will recess until
9:30 tomorrow morning.
How does it look?
Burger's building a nice case.
He making it seem
you and Miss Langley
were having an affair.
Anything to it?
No, she told the truth.
I, uh... I asked her to
keep an eye on Thelma.
Was it possible for anybody to
get hold of your workshop key
long enough to make an
electronic analysis of it?
No, not unless it was Thelma
at night after retiring.
Did you ever give the
workshop key to her?
No.
All right.
We'll get a resolution
on it tomorrow,
one way or the other.
Perry, I finally got
hold of Calvin Boone,
and I told him about
Frazer's electronic device.
I gather the Haydens
had already told him
about Frazer's
latest addition to it,
but Boone denied
any kind of stealing.
We have time for a bite to eat
before it gets dark.
Fine.
Calvin Boone?
I wanted to see how it worked.
I couldn't believe it.
All right, Della.
You wanted to steal it.
No, it's too late for that now.
I just wanted to see how Frazer
solved the problem.
Well, he didn't.
But it's working now.
It's stationary. Radio waves.
At least, that's how
Frazer explained it to me.
Do you know what that means?
Yes, it will work like this,
but not traveling
at high speeds.
In a way, it's the model
Frazer was working on.
We had it especially
fixed to make it operate.
Apparently it was successful
enough to get you here.
Haven't you, uh,
been pretty foolish in
doing all these things?
How much do you know?
I'm talking about using
someone as a crutch
when you can stand by yourself.
Weren't you second in
your class at Cal Tech?
Yes.
With an excellent
scientific potential?
Why did you steal
from James Frazer?
I don't know.
I guess I was afraid.
I guess I had no
security in my ability.
I don't know.
How did you get access
to Frazer's notes and papers?
Through Thelma.
Do you want me to tell
you about the whole mess?
The whole sordid mess?
Is that what you want?
Miss Langley, the prosecution
has sought by innuendo
to establish an illicit
relationship between you
and the defendant.
Is there any truth to
such an insinuation?
No.
Now, these, uh,
errands Mr. Frazer
asked you to do for him,
why did you do them?
Well, why shouldn't I have?
You profess to be a
friend of Thelma Frazer.
I was.
Yet you spied on her,
reported her activities
to her husband, and
dissembled to her.
With a friend like you
a woman wouldn't need
many enemies, would she?
Now, exactly what did you report
to the defendant, Miss Langley?
There were two men
Thelma was seeing.
Who?
Calvin Boone.
Who else?
Robert Hayden.
How often was she
seeing Robert Hayden?
Quite often.
At home?
Yes, and at several
of the large and popular
restaurants and nightclubs.
Had she been seeing him
before her husband left town?
Yes.
Now, how did you come by
this information, Miss Langley?
She told me.
She had no
hesitation in telling me.
Or her husband.
She liked men.
That's what drove Jimmy away,
he couldn't stand knowing
she was seeing other men.
Your Honor, the
prosecution objects.
This is not proper
cross-examination.
Counselor is on a
fishing expedition.
I move that that answer
be stricken from the record
on the grounds that it's hearsay
and deals with
matters not covered
on direct examination.
On the contrary, Your Honor.
It goes to show the
bias of this witness
and the state of
mind of the defendant.
Well, it may or may not be
proper cross-examination,
but it is pertinent evidence
and, uh, I'm going to allow it.
At least to the
extent of showing
the defendant's state of mind.
Miss Langley, did
you ever see exhibit A,
this key which opens
the workshop door?
No.
You mentioned another name
in connection with
Thelma Frazer.
Calvin Boone.
Did he ever show you
this key, or its duplicate?
No.
Now, isn't it true that
shortly before the fire
you saw Calvin Boone
at the Frazer residence?
Yes.
And didn't you
threaten Mr. Boone
the day after the
murder with exposure
if he didn't procure
the last part
of the anti-collision invention
from Mr. Frazer's workshop?
Certainly not. Why should I?
What concern was that of mine?
Didn't you tell him that
you were a silent partner?
And that it would inure
to the company's benefit
if Mr. Frazer were bought out?
Well, I am not a partner.
Silent or in any other way.
This whole story is ridiculous.
Then what was your motive?
I had none. I told you.
Why did you
telephone the defendant
and urge him to
come back to town?
I've already told the court.
Thelma asked me to.
Now, what happened on the
night of the murder, Miss Langley?
How did you discover
that Calvin Boone
was stealing the
anti-collision invention
from Mr. Frazer?
Did Boone tell you? No.
Did Thelma Frazer tell you? No.
Was, uh, Robert Hayden
at the Frazer residence
that night, Miss Langley?
Yes, I saw him.
He didn't know that I saw him.
He probably was keeping
a date with Thelma.
What time?
Oh, uh, right after Boone,
about 20 minutes
before the fire.
Miss Langley, do you
know Arthur Hayden?
No.
Not even by sight?
Can't you recognize him
now in this courtroom?
No.
Would Mr. Arthur
Hayden please stand?
Recognize him, Miss Langley?
No.
The murderer had to have access
to the workshop.
Now, the prosecution
has made quite a point
of the unique electronic
lock on the door.
Wasn't it possible that
Thelma Frazer herself
had a duplicate key?
Well, I wouldn't
know about that.
Well, I think we
can be pretty certain
that Mrs. Frazer did
have a duplicate key.
Wasn't she, uh, maintaining
Calvin Boone's interest in her
by feeding him the
invention bit by bit?
That has nothing to do with me.
When did you find out
Calvin Boone was
stealing the invention?
You're repeating
yourself, Mr. Mason,
I told you I didn't.
Now, Miss Langley,
we can call Calvin
Boone to the stand
to testify to your
conversation with him.
Wasn't it a conversation
that put the lie to your
seeming disinterest
in consolidated industries?
Tell us actually what
happened that night
in the Frazer
home, Miss Langley.
Not in the workshop.
In the house.
Did you face Mrs. Frazer
with your knowledge of
her affair with Calvin Boone?
No, no, I didn't.
Did she persist in trying to
link you with her husband?
No.
Now, you stated
that the deceased
told you that she
and Robert Hayden
saw each other frequently.
Visited certain popular clubs
and restaurants together.
Which ones, Miss Langley?
Oh, uh, Briggos,
and, um, La Legra Supper Club.
Now, you must know that all this
can be verified
by an investigation.
I think you've lied,
haven't you, Miss Langley?
I think you've lied
about Robert Hayden
being with Thelma
Frazer at these places.
I think Robert Hayden
was at the Supper Club
and Briggos, but with you.
Or were you with Arthur Hayden?
All right.
All right, I do know Arthur.
How well?
Very well. What of it?
What does that mean?
It means we now
understand your interest
in having Frazer
ousted as a partner.
You wanted a larger
share of the profits
for Arthur Hayden.
All right, suppose I did?
Suppose I did want him out?
Then that brings us to, uh,
why you called James Frazer
and told him to get back to town
on the pain of losing
his partnership.
The very thing you didn't want.
Unless, of course,
something had happened
that made it the
lesser of two evils.
Something like
murder, Miss Langley.
Even if it was because
Thelma was dead,
and I'm not saying it was,
but even if it was,
why would I want
him to come back?
To involve him in it.
To throw the onus
of murder on him.
It all fell into place very
neatly didn't it, Miss Langley?
You had access to those
Wayfair Motel matchbooks,
and the Emerald gasoline
sold only out of town.
Did you run out of gas
on one of your trips there?
You're making up a whole plot.
You made up the
plot, Miss Langley.
After you killed Thelma Frazer.
No, there wasn't any murder.
A person has the right to
protect themself. There...
What person?
What person?
What person called the defendant
and told him to come home?
What person needed help
in setting the frame up
against the defendant?
And carrying the
body to the workshop?
What person called
Arthur Hayden for that help?
I refuse to answer...
on the grounds that
it may incriminate me.
Then we're agreed in principle.
Mr. Frazer doesn't
want to hold any rancor.
And we revert to the
status of six months ago.
I think that's very
generous of you, Jim.
I think so too.
Mason, why did Miss
Langley lie about me?
She was trying to implicate
everybody connected
with the murder
to protect herself and Arthur.
What did happen
between Thelma and Lois?
Miss Langley told her
story at headquarters
just an hour ago.
It seems that Mrs.
Frazer really believed
that you and Miss Langley
had been seeing each other.
Oh, there was never
anything between us.
Oh, incidentally, Mr. Mason,
the reason I never told you
that I'd asked Lois to
keep an eye on Thelma
was because, well, I
was ashamed of myself.
In any event, Mr. Frazer,
your wife believed that
you and Miss Langley
had been seeing each other
and that she knew
where you were.
Miss Langley denied this.
Your wife was so desperate
to get you back in town,
that she took your gun
out of the library desk
and threatened her with it.
Then it was accidental homicide?
That's what Miss Langley says.
The gun went
off in the struggle.
Well, anyway, I'm
glad it's all over.
Well, it may be all
over for all of you,
but it's certainly
not over for me.
Oh, what's unfinished
as far as you're
concerned, Della?
A little matter of my 40
percent in the company.
That's right, you own it.
Of course, I don't
mean to be mercenary.
I'll gladly give up my
interest for the purchase price.
Well, how much?
One dollar.
Just exactly what I paid for it.
That's the least I can expect
if I'm going to give up
the idea of being rich.
Where are you going?
Where have you been
all afternoon, Thelma?
I had lunch with Lois.
I told you.
You didn't have lunch with her.
All right, I didn't.
I was taking care of something.
Not something.
You've been seeing
someone for a long time now.
That's not true.
So now you're gonna
pack your little bag
and take a little trip?
You're gonna sulk?
This is a little more
than just a sulk, Thelma.
I've had enough of
this kind of life with you.
You're leaving me?
At least a separation.
A divorce can be worked
out later in a civilized way.
I'm going to take this
opportunity to do some work
on my anti-collision device.
In privacy.
And what does that mean?
Who's been going
through my papers?
You know no one can get in here
when you lock the door.
Somebody did.
Your car is blocking
the driveway.
James, I don't want a divorce.
It's not your choice, Thelma.
Now, your car.
You won't get rid
of me so easily.
I hadn't anticipated
that it would be easy.
Please get your
car out of the way.
It's been three
months now, sergeant,
and all you can tell me
here at Missing Persons
is no report and no trace yet.
You haven't heard
anything, have you, lady?
No.
No arguments? No warnings?
He just disappeared?
Look here, sergeant,
if you're presuming
this is simply a case
of abandonment...
Our experience is, when
they leave this way, ma'am,
that's what it is.
That's rather
unlikely, sergeant.
James Frazer is
in love with his wife.
Besides, he has a great
many responsibilities
he wouldn't neglect
under any circumstances.
Are you a relative, ma'am?
No, I'm just a
friend and neighbor.
Then what do you think happened
to your husband, Mrs. Frazer?
Maybe he was in an accident
and had a loss of memory.
Maybe he's in a
hospital somewhere.
That's routine check, ma'am.
We'd know by now if
any of that was the case.
Well, I want to find out
what's happened to him.
A man doesn't just disappear
off the face of the
earth, does he?
Sometimes, ma'am.
And sometimes under it.
We aren't giving
up looking for him.
I'll only be a few
minutes, Lois.
You're an angel
for coming along.
Oh, don't be silly.
I told you I'd spend
the day with you.
Go ahead.
Thelma?
What did you come here for?
Well, not just to
see you, Calvin.
I also have to speak
to the Haydens.
You mustn't be
seen in my office.
If they even suspected about
us it would mean real trouble.
Okay, darling.
All right.
See you tonight.
Yes?
Who?
Oh, yes, send her in.
And tell my brother to come in.
Not quite perfected yet.
Thelma, you look exquisite.
If I didn't know better,
I'd say Jim's absence
is agreeing with you.
Your registered letter
came this morning.
What does it mean, Robert?
Just a formality
about the contract
between Jim and us.
Sit down, Thelma.
It sounds ominous.
Not at all.
Simply request
Jim to show up here.
See, we've been developing
this anti-collision device.
Might need his expert touch.
What about the contract?
You've been married to Jim
for almost three years, Thelma,
hasn't he told you the
details of our partnership?
I know he owns 40
percent of the company
and you two own 60 percent.
That's right.
What's the penalty if
Jim doesn't show up?
Well, there is no
penalty as such,
but you must realize that
Jim is the engineering genius.
The inventor in our company.
We need him to handle
his end of the firm,
just as Arthur
handles production.
I handle sales.
And what happens if he doesn't?
Something bad?
"If within the three month
period you, James Frazer,
"have not assumed
your partnership duties
"at the company's
place of business,
"this is to notify you that
said three month period
"is concluded at 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday, February 2nd."
That's tomorrow.
That's right.
Is everything all right
with you, Thelma?
Is there anything we can do?
Yes, you can tell
me what Jim forfeits
if he doesn't show up
at the plant by tomorrow.
He doesn't forfeit
anything, Thelma.
What if he's ill or
sick somewhere?
Then why hasn't he let us know?
What if he's dead?
What makes you say a
thing like that, Thelma?
The invading object
has to get too close
before it triggers the alarm.
It's still a tremendous piece
of work by Calvin Boone.
Done by himself without
benefit of Jim Frazer.
It's still a calculated risk
if we're thinking of
him to replace Frazer.
Calculated risk?
Frazer gets 40
percent of millions.
All we have to give
Boone is 1,200 a month.
Boone developed the
invention up to this point,
why can't he finish it himself?
Imagine eliminating
aircraft collisions.
That's only the beginning
of the unlimited possibilities
of the anti-collision principle.
Do you mind driving
downtown with me, Lois?
Of course not. Where to?
First I have to pick up
something at the house
and then to a lawyer.
It's quite clear what the
involuntary sales clause
means, Mrs. Frazer.
Well, from what little I
know of business practices,
it seemed to me that some
kind of forfeit is involved.
No, not really a forfeit.
Gives the other members
of the partnership
the right to buy out
James Frazer's interest.
And the registered letter?
Puts Frazer on notice
and the Hayden
brothers on record.
At 5:00 tomorrow afternoon,
if your husband hasn't
appeared at the factory offices,
they can buy him out.
For how much?
Well, there is a formula
in the agreement,
arrived at five years ago.
Evaluation of the company
is put at $100,000.
And they can buy
out all 40 percent
for $40,000?
That's right.
But the company's
worth millions,
and they're developing
an anti-collision device
that will be worth
many more millions.
Isn't there any way to
stop them, Mr. Mason?
Well, I don't know.
I've only given this
document a cursory reading.
Well, perhaps you
can find something
or think of something.
They're trying to
take advantage of me.
This, uh, disappearance of
your husband, Mrs. Frazer,
has he ever done
anything like that before?
Well, no.
That's what frightens me so.
We've always been so close
and had such a
wonderful relationship.
Was he working on
anything in particular
when he disappeared?
You mean, like the
anti-collision device?
Not that I know of.
And you do have Missing
Persons working on it?
I went to them this
morning for a report.
They've accomplished
exactly nothing.
All right, Mrs. Frazer,
I'll, uh, go over these
papers this evening.
Thank you, Mr. Mason.
Goodbye. Goodbye.
Goodbye, Miss Street.
Mrs. Frazer.
Let's put Paul
Drake to work, Della.
Sometimes the mills
of the police department
grind exceedingly slow.
Come on in for
some coffee, Lois.
Oh, thanks dear, but I
think I'll paddle off home
and get outside a cold martini.
Lois?
Yes?
Where is he?
What's that?
I said, where's Jim?
Where's Jim?
Well, how should I know?
There are millions of
dollars involved, Lois.
This is no time for
stupid pretenses.
I don't understand, Thelma.
Why do you think that
I know where Jim is?
Because you've been seeing
him behind my back for months.
Did you think I didn't know?
Thelma, you're out of your mind.
I want him home.
So you tell him he'd
better show up before...
Make it tonight.
Thelma! Thelma!
Thelma.
Thelma!
Thelma!
Jim?
What is it, Jim, is
anybody in there?
Thelma. Oh, no!
No, you can't do anything!
Go on, get out!
You'll only kill yourself!
She left this partnership
agreement and letter with me.
I advised her on the
basis of a quick reading
that your position was
vulnerable, but then,
you know the provisions
under involuntary sales.
Yes, I-I think so,
but then I've never been
too bright about legal matters.
I promised to check
the contract thoroughly
to see if there
was some loophole.
That's why I'm here.
Well, it's... It's academic
now anyway, Mason.
I-I've returned.
It's just that since I'm in
jail I can't get to the office.
Well, that's no excuse.
The terms are explicit.
If you don't show
up by 5:00 today,
you could be bought
out by your partners,
jail or no jail.
But I-I can't get there.
I'm charged with murder.
Well, let me suggest
that you get in touch
with your attorney.
Uh, have him call me.
I'll be very glad
to pass on to him,
uh, any observations I
might have on the contract.
Mason?
I don't have an attorney.
Who's representing you
on this murder charge?
No one.
I guess I, uh, will need
an attorney, won't I?
Would you represent me?
Did you kill your wife?
No.
No.
You disappeared
for three months.
The evening you returned
she was murdered.
Why did you come back?
I, uh...
I-I suddenly
remembered that clause
in the agreement and...
And then there were
some notes I needed
to finish my latest invention.
What notes? Where were they?
Relating to radar
sensitivity in my workshop.
Did you get them? No.
Then you were not in your
workshop at all yesterday.
No, I-I haven't been there
since I left three months ago.
Why did you disappear then?
I'd found out that my wife
was seeing at
least one other man,
and I wanted to get away
to finish this project
I was working on.
It was a most
important piece of work.
Your wife said that you and she
had never had any trouble.
That you had had a
wonderful marriage.
Oh, we did...
for at least the first day
or so of the honeymoon.
That was three years ago.
What man was she seeing?
I don't know.
How can you be sure
there was anyone?
There were so many lies,
and evasions, and
evidences of guilt.
I didn't care who it was, Mason,
it was the fact that... That
there was somebody, that...
That was the terrible thing.
I know how busy you are,
but if you could find the
time to defend me, I'd...
I'd be very grateful.
Here, Mr. Frazer.
Sign this.
Sure, but, uh, what...?
What is it?
Power of attorney.
What's it for?
To clip a few wings.
Before I forget,
do you think you could
get to the filing cabinet
in my workshop at home?
I, uh, gave Lieutenant
Tragg my key.
I guess he didn't
run across the one
I suspect Thelma had made.
I'll see what I can do.
Now, I think we'd better
go through your whole story.
Where you've been,
when you came back,
and so on.
Oh, all right.
Well, when I left
town three months ago
I, uh... I drove north
up Sepulveda...
Most of the three months
he stayed at the Wayfair,
a little motel
north of the valley.
Working on his invention.
It's about an hour's
drive up Sepulveda, Paul.
Registered under his own name?
No, under the name
of James Freeman.
All right, what do you
want me to do there?
Pack his belongings.
Clothes, papers, everything.
Bring them here? Mm-hm.
Then start a check on that
woman neighbor Lois Langley.
Also do some digging
into the Hayden brothers.
They're Frazer's partners.
I, uh, hope the police don't
get to the Wayfair motel
ahead of me.
They won't.
They don't know about it.
Which means they,
uh, might resent
our getting there ahead of them?
If there's one thing
the police want
that our client
has in his effects,
we'll give it to
them, of course.
Uh, Paul,
I'm particularly interested
in this invention
Frazer's working on.
All right, Perry,
I'll get right on it.
Goodbye, beautiful.
Here it is.
Of course, I don't
understand what it's all about,
but it's just the
way you wanted it.
Oh, this is fine.
And, um, now about the check.
Mm-hm.
In the amount of one dollar.
Will you please tell
me what I'm buying?
Della, I can only tell you
that you're a very rich woman.
At least for the afternoon.
Now, don't spend your
money too recklessly.
Well, good morning, lieutenant.
Oh, uh, Mr. Mason, Miss Langley.
How do you do?
Neighbor?
Yes, I was home last
night at the time of the fire.
Please, excuse me.
Oh, lieutenant, if
there's anything I can do.
You finished with
your experiment?
Yes, almost.
We, uh, have an
arson man coming.
You working on the, uh...?
Oh, just running an errand.
What kind of an errand?
I'm gonna get some
notes out of the file cabinet.
Well, I'm sorry, Perry,
we entered the file cabinet
and we're holding the contents.
Experimenting, lieutenant?
Yes, you might say that.
Uh-huh, ah, you know how
to open that door, Perry?
Oh, it looks like something
an inventor might contrive.
No doorknob, no lock.
Just that slot.
But it does have a key.
Uh-huh.
You know how it works?
No, but I know how to work it.
May I? Go ahead.
Pretty clever, isn't it?
It's better than a key
or a combination lock.
Actually, that's fool proof.
It would seem so.
I got it from Frazer
and there are no duplicates.
His, uh, wife was
found in here, you know.
What makes you think in
terms of arson, lieutenant?
Thelma Frazer was dead
before the fire started.
Somebody killed her,
brought her in here,
and set the fire to
cover up the murder,
and only Frazer had the key.
I'm sorry my brother
isn't here, Mr. Mason.
He would have
enjoyed meeting you too.
Thank you.
Watch the cigarette lighter.
That's our latest invention.
Not quite perfected.
Of course, it has
other applications.
Anti-collision.
Yes, very perceptive.
Sit down, Mr. Mason.
Thank you.
Is it, uh, Mr. Frazer's
invention?
No, as a matter of
fact it's a development
of one of our bright
young engineers.
Mind telling me who he is?
His name is Calvin Boone.
He's under long term
exclusive contract.
Signed a new
deal with him today.
I'd like to meet this
bright young man.
Ask Mr. Boone to step
into my office, please.
Have you discussed
Mr. Boone's new contract
with Mr. Frazer?
No.
Should I have?
Well, isn't he a
partner in the company?
Five o'clock today,
that's less than a half hour,
he'll no longer be a partner.
You're deliberately
taking advantage
of a technicality
in your agreement.
Mr. Frazer cannot assume
his duties here today
because he's under arrest.
Fortunes of war, Mr. Mason.
Yes?
Oh, thanks, never mind.
Calvin Boone's out
of the office just now.
I'd like you to meet him
next time you're out this way.
Oh, Arthur, meet Mr. Mason.
He's representing Jim Frazer.
My brother Arthur, Mr. Mason.
How do you do?
I take it then your intention
is to buy Mr. Frazer's interest
for $40,000?
That's right.
The papers are already prepared.
A more equitable
amount would be,
say, $300,000, wouldn't it?
What if it is?
What if it's worth
double 300,000?
Can you give us one good reason
why we should pay him
more than we have to?
The contract is tight,
legal, and definitive.
You can't break it, Mr. Mason.
Oh, I don't wanna break it.
Now, as James Frazer's attorney,
I'm asking you for $300,000
for his partnership interests.
I've heard of some of your
courtroom maneuvers, Mason.
We're dealing
now with contracts,
words on paper.
You can't twist them around.
Then you refuse to buy
at the $300,000 figure?
That's right.
And you, sir?
I refuse also, Mason.
Thank you, gentlemen.
Mason, uh, what's
this all about?
Read your partnership
agreement very carefully.
I'll be at my office
in the morning.
Well, it was no great problem.
The manager, a Mrs.
Nicholas, let me in,
and that package was wrapped
just as you see it.
I don't know what's in it.
What progress downtown, Paul?
Not very good.
There's a quiet
air of confidence
emanating from the D.A.'s office
and Homicide's lip is buttoned.
How was she killed? Shot.
Who's gun?
Frazer's. Motive?
I can't find out.
What about other
men in her life?
I've got operatives
on it, Perry,
but I have nothing
to report yet.
All right, Paul, I want you
to check on the whereabouts
of the brothers Hayden at
the time of the murder and...
Good evening, Perry Mason.
Also a bright young engineer
by the name of Calvin Boone.
Okay. One moment please.
Uh, anything on Lois Langley?
No, nothing I've been
able to dig up yet.
Paul, Mr. Stewart Connor.
Oh, that's the, uh,
that's the operative
assigned to Lois Langley.
Yeah?
Well, is he there now?
Good, thanks for calling,
and stay right
with Lois Langley.
There's a bright young
engineer named Calvin Boone
in Lois Langley's
house right now.
Well, frankly, Miss Langley,
I was a little
surprised at your call.
And you were wondering.
Well, I was wondering if you had
perfected the invention
you were working on.
Miss Langley, what do you
know about the invention?
Quite a bit.
I'm kind of a silent partner
in Hayden research.
You see, I advanced
Robert quite a bit of money
when they started out.
I see.
So it's understandable
I should be interested
in your invention, isn't it?
Well, I've just one little
final problem to solve
and then it's done.
That last problem
seems to have been
escaping you for weeks.
I've been working on it.
Oh, really, Mr. Boone,
don't you mean
you've been working on Thelma?
I drove out to the plant
with her yesterday afternoon.
I don't understand.
Well, I waited
in the car for her
while she went upstairs.
I saw her in your office.
It was rather romantic.
Miss Langley, it's
not what you think.
Oh, heavens, I hope that it is.
Mr. Boone, let's be
honest, shall we?
That isn't your
invention at all.
It's Jimmy Frazer's,
and you've been using Thelma
to get at his notes and sketches
on that anti-collision device.
Did you, uh,
succeed in getting
the last part from him?
Well, how could I?
He just came home last night.
I mean last night.
At the Frazer's house.
About, uh, 20
minutes before the fire.
Didn't Jimmy bring the
final notes home with him,
and didn't Thelma let you
into the workshop to get them?
Of course not, how could she?
Nobody could get in.
Oh, come, Mr. Boone.
Thelma must have had
a duplicate key all along.
How else could she leak
bits and pieces of the invention
to you from time to time?
What do you want with me?
The company has a chance...
to get rid of Frazer.
The company doesn't need him
if you get the last
part of that invention.
And you want me
to get it from Frazer.
Well, what if he
hasn't got it himself?
Well, let's hope he does.
What if he hasn't
solved the last problem?
Or what if he didn't
bring it home last night?
And what if he did?
And what if you're trying
to keep it for yourself?
No, Mr. Boone,
if you haven't got
it already, get it.
You know, I really would
hate to tell the police
about seeing you at
the house last night
just before the fire.
Where did you get it?
James Frazer's effects.
It's the invention
he's been working on
for the last three months.
Ours works at four inches.
This works at six feet.
Frazer says if that works
on an augmented scale,
the problem of air
collisions is solved.
But how did you get it?
We've been working
on that same principle.
Calvin Boone.
Coincidence, isn't it?
Can't be a coincidence.
Then either Mr. Frazer
stole from Mr. Boone,
or Mr. Boone stole
from Mr. Frazer.
Must have been Boone
who did the stealing.
What difference
does it make anyway?
It belongs to the
company. Does it?
Yes.
Mason, we took your advice
and studied the
partnership agreement.
According to the
involuntary sale provision
we were absolutely
within our legal rights.
At 5:00 we bought Frazer out.
Here's our check for $40,000.
Sorry, I can't accept it.
Why not? It's certified.
At 5:00 yesterday afternoon
James Frazer no longer owned
any interest in the company.
He'd already sold it.
Sold it? How could he?
Oh, he could, all right.
You were so preoccupied with
the involuntary sale provision
you overlooked the
voluntary sales provision.
I remember now there is one.
That's why you asked us
for $300,000 for his interest,
wasn't it?
According to the
voluntary sale provision,
he must offer us
the chance to buy
before he can sell
it to someone else.
To whom did Frazer
sell his interest?
Miss Street.
Well, that doesn't
change the fact
that Frazer developed
this invention
while he was still
a partner on salary
with the company,
so it belongs to
the partnership.
Oh, the, uh, last part
of the voluntary sale
provision says, uh,
"In the event of the disollution
"of the partnership,
"all inventions on which any
of the partners are working,
"but, uh, those which have
not been reduced to patent,
"shall be the
property of the person
working on such invention."
Mason, we want that
anti-collision device.
We'll make trouble.
Not by talking about it.
Pardon me, Mr. Mason,
did, uh, Frazer say
he's got that distance
problem solved?
You've seen as much of
it as I have, Mr. Hayden.
Where were you last night
at the time of the
murder, Mr. Hayden?
You, Mr. Hayden?
Well, Mason, we're stuck
with a messy situation
involving patents and law suits.
You're stuck with a murder.
Yes, sir, this is the
murder weapon,
it has my mark on it.
It's registered in the
name of the defendant,
James Frazer.
I see. I show you now
this flat rectangular
piece of metal
and ask if you can identify it.
Yes, that has my mark on it too.
Yes, but would you tell
the court, please, what it is?
It's an electronic key.
You can't duplicate
it without having
this precise key as a model.
And what door does
this electronic key open?
The only door to the workshop
behind the defendant's house.
And where did you find the key?
In the possession
of the defendant
at the time of the arrest.
I see.
I call your attention
now to these shoes
and ask you to examine them.
Yes, sir.
The defendant was wearing them
at the time of the arrest,
approximately 9:15
on the night of the
murder and the fire.
All right, but what else is
special about these shoes?
Well, spectroscopic analysis
show that parts of the leather
had been soaked with gasoline.
A particular brand of,
uh, green dye gasoline,
called, uh, Emerald.
Is this Emerald
gasoline sold locally?
No, it's a new brand.
It's being, uh, tested
in the outlying districts.
Your witness.
Lieutenant, you indicated
that a locksmith
could not open the door
of that workshop without a key.
Unless he broke down the door.
Oh, isn't it true
that there is a way
to duplicate the key
by way of making
an electronic analysis of it?
Yes, it could be done that way.
Thank you, lieutenant.
That will be all.
Step down, lieutenant.
In my opinion, this fire
was deliberately set.
Traces of gasoline
in the floor and
baseboard, matches.
Spontaneous combustion
was impossible where
this fire originated.
I see. I show you now
this burned match
and this matchbook
and ask if you recognize it?
Yes, sir, found in the workshop.
Yes, sir, that, uh,
partially burned one,
my identifying mark is on it.
A comparison
analysis of the torn end
proves it to be from
this book of matches.
Paper was ignited,
which lead to the gasoline
and, uh, this particular match
failed to ignite the paper,
so it was tossed aside.
Well, the Emerald gas
station is down the hill.
I watched him
coming from the station
with a gasoline can.
And was this man a
regular guest at your motel?
Oh, yes, sir.
Uh, he had been for
almost three months.
And what was his name?
Well, he called himself
James Freeman,
but that's him over there,
the one you call James Frazer.
Let the record show
that the witness is pointing
to the defendant James Frazer.
Now, Mrs. Nicholas, I
show you this matchbook
and ask if you recognize it?
Sure, that's one of mine.
I had to pay to get that
Wayfair Motel printed on there.
You can't get them
anywhere else but my motel.
I see.
Would Miss Lois
Langley please stand up?
Mrs. Nicholas, would you look
at Miss Langley standing there?
Yes, sir.
Have you ever seen her before?
Oh, yes, sir, twice
or three times.
Where? At the Wayfair.
My motel.
Would you explain
to this court, please,
how you happened to
recognize this woman?
Well, she came to visit
Mr. James Freeman.
Uh, that is James Frazer,
that one over there.
You may sit down, Miss Langley.
Thank you, Mrs. Nicholas.
Your witness, counselor.
Now, you said the defendant
brought the Emerald gasoline
back to the motel in a can.
That's correct.
Were you aware, Mrs. Nicholas,
that Mr. Frazer was engaged
in building a
model of some sort?
Yes, sir.
Now, was it possible
that he bought the gasoline
in a can to use for
cleaning tools and parts?
Well, it's possible,
but I can't prove it
one way or the other.
Thank you, Mrs.
Nicholas, that will be all.
The witness may step down.
I call Miss Lois Langley
to the stand, please.
The defendant spoke
to you on what day?
November 2nd, two
days after Halloween.
Go on, Miss Langley.
What did he say to you?
Well, he asked me to
keep an eye on Thelma
and said he'd get
in touch with me.
Did he say why he wanted you
to keep an eye on his wife?
Yes, he wanted to know if
she was seeing other men.
And if so, who.
I never stopped hoping
I was wrong about her.
Well, you saw the
defendant yourself
at the Wayfair
Motel, didn't you?
Yes.
What for?
Well, he didn't wanna
come back to town,
so he asked me to do
certain things for him.
I understand. Now, Miss Langley,
did you have a conversation
with the deceased on the...
The day of her death?
Yes.
Would you tell
this court, please,
the gist of that conversation?
Well, she accused me
of having had an affair
with her husband,
and she made it clear
that she wanted him
back in town by that night.
So, what did you do?
Well, I telephoned him
and relayed the message.
I told him he'd better get home
if he wanted to
safeguard his holdings
in the Hayden Research Company.
And did you see the
defendant that evening?
Yes.
Where and when?
He was coming out
of his workshop...
while it was burning.
And his wife Thelma Frazer,
the deceased, was inside?
Yes.
So he said.
I see.
Thank you, Miss Langley.
To you, counselor.
Just a moment if you
will, please, counselor.
I see it's getting
close to 5:00.
If you intend anything more
than a very brief
cross-examination,
I'd like to adjourn
until morning.
Defense has no objection to
the adjournment, Your Honor.
Very well, then,
court will recess until
9:30 tomorrow morning.
How does it look?
Burger's building a nice case.
He making it seem
you and Miss Langley
were having an affair.
Anything to it?
No, she told the truth.
I, uh... I asked her to
keep an eye on Thelma.
Was it possible for anybody to
get hold of your workshop key
long enough to make an
electronic analysis of it?
No, not unless it was Thelma
at night after retiring.
Did you ever give the
workshop key to her?
No.
All right.
We'll get a resolution
on it tomorrow,
one way or the other.
Perry, I finally got
hold of Calvin Boone,
and I told him about
Frazer's electronic device.
I gather the Haydens
had already told him
about Frazer's
latest addition to it,
but Boone denied
any kind of stealing.
We have time for a bite to eat
before it gets dark.
Fine.
Calvin Boone?
I wanted to see how it worked.
I couldn't believe it.
All right, Della.
You wanted to steal it.
No, it's too late for that now.
I just wanted to see how Frazer
solved the problem.
Well, he didn't.
But it's working now.
It's stationary. Radio waves.
At least, that's how
Frazer explained it to me.
Do you know what that means?
Yes, it will work like this,
but not traveling
at high speeds.
In a way, it's the model
Frazer was working on.
We had it especially
fixed to make it operate.
Apparently it was successful
enough to get you here.
Haven't you, uh,
been pretty foolish in
doing all these things?
How much do you know?
I'm talking about using
someone as a crutch
when you can stand by yourself.
Weren't you second in
your class at Cal Tech?
Yes.
With an excellent
scientific potential?
Why did you steal
from James Frazer?
I don't know.
I guess I was afraid.
I guess I had no
security in my ability.
I don't know.
How did you get access
to Frazer's notes and papers?
Through Thelma.
Do you want me to tell
you about the whole mess?
The whole sordid mess?
Is that what you want?
Miss Langley, the prosecution
has sought by innuendo
to establish an illicit
relationship between you
and the defendant.
Is there any truth to
such an insinuation?
No.
Now, these, uh,
errands Mr. Frazer
asked you to do for him,
why did you do them?
Well, why shouldn't I have?
You profess to be a
friend of Thelma Frazer.
I was.
Yet you spied on her,
reported her activities
to her husband, and
dissembled to her.
With a friend like you
a woman wouldn't need
many enemies, would she?
Now, exactly what did you report
to the defendant, Miss Langley?
There were two men
Thelma was seeing.
Who?
Calvin Boone.
Who else?
Robert Hayden.
How often was she
seeing Robert Hayden?
Quite often.
At home?
Yes, and at several
of the large and popular
restaurants and nightclubs.
Had she been seeing him
before her husband left town?
Yes.
Now, how did you come by
this information, Miss Langley?
She told me.
She had no
hesitation in telling me.
Or her husband.
She liked men.
That's what drove Jimmy away,
he couldn't stand knowing
she was seeing other men.
Your Honor, the
prosecution objects.
This is not proper
cross-examination.
Counselor is on a
fishing expedition.
I move that that answer
be stricken from the record
on the grounds that it's hearsay
and deals with
matters not covered
on direct examination.
On the contrary, Your Honor.
It goes to show the
bias of this witness
and the state of
mind of the defendant.
Well, it may or may not be
proper cross-examination,
but it is pertinent evidence
and, uh, I'm going to allow it.
At least to the
extent of showing
the defendant's state of mind.
Miss Langley, did
you ever see exhibit A,
this key which opens
the workshop door?
No.
You mentioned another name
in connection with
Thelma Frazer.
Calvin Boone.
Did he ever show you
this key, or its duplicate?
No.
Now, isn't it true that
shortly before the fire
you saw Calvin Boone
at the Frazer residence?
Yes.
And didn't you
threaten Mr. Boone
the day after the
murder with exposure
if he didn't procure
the last part
of the anti-collision invention
from Mr. Frazer's workshop?
Certainly not. Why should I?
What concern was that of mine?
Didn't you tell him that
you were a silent partner?
And that it would inure
to the company's benefit
if Mr. Frazer were bought out?
Well, I am not a partner.
Silent or in any other way.
This whole story is ridiculous.
Then what was your motive?
I had none. I told you.
Why did you
telephone the defendant
and urge him to
come back to town?
I've already told the court.
Thelma asked me to.
Now, what happened on the
night of the murder, Miss Langley?
How did you discover
that Calvin Boone
was stealing the
anti-collision invention
from Mr. Frazer?
Did Boone tell you? No.
Did Thelma Frazer tell you? No.
Was, uh, Robert Hayden
at the Frazer residence
that night, Miss Langley?
Yes, I saw him.
He didn't know that I saw him.
He probably was keeping
a date with Thelma.
What time?
Oh, uh, right after Boone,
about 20 minutes
before the fire.
Miss Langley, do you
know Arthur Hayden?
No.
Not even by sight?
Can't you recognize him
now in this courtroom?
No.
Would Mr. Arthur
Hayden please stand?
Recognize him, Miss Langley?
No.
The murderer had to have access
to the workshop.
Now, the prosecution
has made quite a point
of the unique electronic
lock on the door.
Wasn't it possible that
Thelma Frazer herself
had a duplicate key?
Well, I wouldn't
know about that.
Well, I think we
can be pretty certain
that Mrs. Frazer did
have a duplicate key.
Wasn't she, uh, maintaining
Calvin Boone's interest in her
by feeding him the
invention bit by bit?
That has nothing to do with me.
When did you find out
Calvin Boone was
stealing the invention?
You're repeating
yourself, Mr. Mason,
I told you I didn't.
Now, Miss Langley,
we can call Calvin
Boone to the stand
to testify to your
conversation with him.
Wasn't it a conversation
that put the lie to your
seeming disinterest
in consolidated industries?
Tell us actually what
happened that night
in the Frazer
home, Miss Langley.
Not in the workshop.
In the house.
Did you face Mrs. Frazer
with your knowledge of
her affair with Calvin Boone?
No, no, I didn't.
Did she persist in trying to
link you with her husband?
No.
Now, you stated
that the deceased
told you that she
and Robert Hayden
saw each other frequently.
Visited certain popular clubs
and restaurants together.
Which ones, Miss Langley?
Oh, uh, Briggos,
and, um, La Legra Supper Club.
Now, you must know that all this
can be verified
by an investigation.
I think you've lied,
haven't you, Miss Langley?
I think you've lied
about Robert Hayden
being with Thelma
Frazer at these places.
I think Robert Hayden
was at the Supper Club
and Briggos, but with you.
Or were you with Arthur Hayden?
All right.
All right, I do know Arthur.
How well?
Very well. What of it?
What does that mean?
It means we now
understand your interest
in having Frazer
ousted as a partner.
You wanted a larger
share of the profits
for Arthur Hayden.
All right, suppose I did?
Suppose I did want him out?
Then that brings us to, uh,
why you called James Frazer
and told him to get back to town
on the pain of losing
his partnership.
The very thing you didn't want.
Unless, of course,
something had happened
that made it the
lesser of two evils.
Something like
murder, Miss Langley.
Even if it was because
Thelma was dead,
and I'm not saying it was,
but even if it was,
why would I want
him to come back?
To involve him in it.
To throw the onus
of murder on him.
It all fell into place very
neatly didn't it, Miss Langley?
You had access to those
Wayfair Motel matchbooks,
and the Emerald gasoline
sold only out of town.
Did you run out of gas
on one of your trips there?
You're making up a whole plot.
You made up the
plot, Miss Langley.
After you killed Thelma Frazer.
No, there wasn't any murder.
A person has the right to
protect themself. There...
What person?
What person?
What person called the defendant
and told him to come home?
What person needed help
in setting the frame up
against the defendant?
And carrying the
body to the workshop?
What person called
Arthur Hayden for that help?
I refuse to answer...
on the grounds that
it may incriminate me.
Then we're agreed in principle.
Mr. Frazer doesn't
want to hold any rancor.
And we revert to the
status of six months ago.
I think that's very
generous of you, Jim.
I think so too.
Mason, why did Miss
Langley lie about me?
She was trying to implicate
everybody connected
with the murder
to protect herself and Arthur.
What did happen
between Thelma and Lois?
Miss Langley told her
story at headquarters
just an hour ago.
It seems that Mrs.
Frazer really believed
that you and Miss Langley
had been seeing each other.
Oh, there was never
anything between us.
Oh, incidentally, Mr. Mason,
the reason I never told you
that I'd asked Lois to
keep an eye on Thelma
was because, well, I
was ashamed of myself.
In any event, Mr. Frazer,
your wife believed that
you and Miss Langley
had been seeing each other
and that she knew
where you were.
Miss Langley denied this.
Your wife was so desperate
to get you back in town,
that she took your gun
out of the library desk
and threatened her with it.
Then it was accidental homicide?
That's what Miss Langley says.
The gun went
off in the struggle.
Well, anyway, I'm
glad it's all over.
Well, it may be all
over for all of you,
but it's certainly
not over for me.
Oh, what's unfinished
as far as you're
concerned, Della?
A little matter of my 40
percent in the company.
That's right, you own it.
Of course, I don't
mean to be mercenary.
I'll gladly give up my
interest for the purchase price.
Well, how much?
One dollar.
Just exactly what I paid for it.
That's the least I can expect
if I'm going to give up
the idea of being rich.