Perry Mason (1957–1966): Season 3, Episode 7 - The Case of the Golden Fraud - full transcript

Hello. Are you Miss Welles?

Come in, Mr. Conners.

You understand
what I want you to do?

Yes, ma'am.

You want me to bug this room.

Well, it's a little
joke we're playing

on a very good friend.

You see, it's his tenth
wedding anniversary.

Yes, ma'am.

I'll take this mike...

and I'll set it up
behind this picture...



and I'll run the wires
along the baseboard.

You understand what
you're to do later?

Well, it's like you told
me on the telephone.

Afterwards, I'll come back
here, and cut and splice the tape.

Make it come out
the way you want it to.

It can be done, can't it?

I mean, since it is a joke,

you, uh, can make something
that sounds innocent,

uh, come out funny.

You know, as though we're
having an emotional affair?

Sure.

Gag, huh?

Make it seem like you
and this guy are, uh,

secret lovers.



That's exactly right.

You'll have to tell me
how this thing works.

Oh, it's simple.

All you do is flip
this forward to start it

and flip it back to stop it.

It will pick up everything
he says, won't it?

It'll pick up everything
this guy thinks.

How much do I owe you?

Well, look, why don't we
wait until the job's all finished,

Miss Welles. You call me

at the shop when
you're ready, hm?

Not that the Quarter
Noble is valuable,

but in the firm's 43 years,

Mr. Noble has presented
only eight of these coins.

The significance being
the promotion coming up?

No, now remember,

Fred Petrie's got one too.

So that means that
the vice presidency

lies somewhere
between the two of us.

It'll be you.

Come on, darling, let's hurry.

The Robinsons are
expecting us at 8... All right.

And it's five after already.

Hello?

Just a moment, please.

It's Miss Welles.

Hello, Miss Welles?

I'm so glad I caught
you in, Mr. Vanaman.

I just found out I must
leave for New York tonight.

Tonight?

Well, uh, Miss Welles,

did you study the
prospectus that I sent you?

So that we might
go ahead with it?

Yes. That's the
reason I'm calling you.

I must go over it with
you tonight before I leave.

Two hundred and fifty thousand
dollars is a lot of money...

and I do want your investment
company to handle it for me.

But, uh...

Yes. Yes, of course.

I'll be right over.

This happens quite often lately,

doesn't it, Richard?

Working nights with Miss Welles?

Franny, it's a $250,000 account.

It may be the little extra
push that Mr. Noble needs.

Now, I'll drop you
at the Robinsons,

and I'll pick you up
there later, okay?

No, I'd rather
wait for you here.

I'll see you later.

Your wife seemed cool on
the phone, Mr. Vanaman.

But then, I don't blame her.

It was terrible of me

to interfere with your plans.

Oh, thank you so much.

Not terrible at all.

Frances and I have
a wonderful marriage.

She understands
completely when I work nights.

Oh yes, the, uh, prospectus.

Did you work this
up just for me?

Just for you.

Part of, uh, Noble
and Company policy?

No, part of my policy.

You notice the growth potential

of these investments.

They'll take care
of Sylvia Welles

for the rest of her life.

And you will keep a personal
eye on my commitments?

Oh, more than a personal eye.

A constant and a devoted eye.

A labor of love?

Yes, I guess you might call it

a labor of love.

What is it?

A microphone!

That won't stop it.

What's this all about?

Well...

Why do you want to record
our conversation, huh?

Why do I...?

I-I don't! Somebody does.

Oh. Oh, it...

It must be my husband.

I didn't know you were
married, Miss Welles.

Well, we're not working at it.

Richard, he's insanely jealous.

You'd better go.

Miss Welles, for several weeks
I've come to your apartment.

Perhaps imprudently.

Don't you understand?

If he's recorded
our conversation,

there's no telling
what he'll think.

Richard Vanaman and me.

No, you can't stay here.

Is this a badger game?

Are you planning
some sort of extortion?

I swear...

Because if you
are, it won't work.

I won't be blackmailed.
There are measures I can take.

Richard, please.

Mr. Conners?

Ready now.

You can come up.

Oh, Franny, where have you been?

The Robinsons...

I just went for a walk.

Come on, it's not too late.

Okay.

What's the matter?

Quarter Noble.

Have you lost it?

When I pulled out my
pocketknife in Sylvia's apartment...

You call her by
her first name now.

I must have dropped
it without realizing it.

I've gotta get over
there right away.

She's leaving for
New York tonight.

Mr. Hale?

Ah.

Here's your papers.

Thank you.

Stop!

Who are you?

What's going on?

Mr. Mason, have you seen this?

Yes, in the morning paper.

What about it, Mr. Vanaman?

Oh, please turn to page five.

Squib in the lower right corner.

"Gold Coin Found?"

Mm-hm.

"Parking meters in Los
Angeles have received

"their share of slugs,
washers and other objects

"designed to steal an hour's
free parking from the city.

"This morning, however,
the traffic department

"found gold in a Westside meter.

"An old English coin which can
be claimed upon identification."

There's a very good chance
that coin might be mine.

Coin has a connection
with the murder?

I knew Miss Welles.

The woman that was murdered.

I was in her
apartment last night.

I might have dropped
the coin there.

How do you suppose it
got into the parking meter?

I don't know.

It, uh...

it may not even be my coin.

Well, why don't you go
to the police and find out?

Well, you see, I can't
do that, Mr. Mason.

Miss Welles was a
prospective client of the firm.

And right now I'm up
for vice presidency.

The head of the firm
himself, Mr. Noble.

Henry Noble. Noble and Company?

Yes.

He's a wonderful man.

Honorable, full
of integrity. But...

But he hates publicity.

I happen to know Mr. Noble.

I understand his viewpoint.

We are investment brokers.

We handle large amounts of
money belonging to other people.

We can't afford publicity.

And... you think the police

might connect
you with the coin...

and the murder.

Oh, if the coin is mine,
they'll make the connection.

You see, mine had a hole
drilled in it by my jeweler.

That involves me with it.

How involved are
you, Mr. Vanaman?

You mean with the murder?

Not at all.

You were in her
apartment last night.

Early.

About 8:30.

Was she alive when you left?

Yes.

Mr. Mason...

can you help me?

Mr. Vanaman...

just what do you mean by help?

Well, I thought you might
send someone down to claim it.

If it's mine. And...

well, if there are
complications, you...

You know best
how to handle that.

All right.

Della, please see if Paul is in.

Ahem!

Lost or found?

Lost.

Oh, hello, Drake.

Hi.

You name it,

I'll see if we've got
anything like it in stock.

Well, it's a...

Oh, you can't print that. Heh.

Unless, of course,
it's syndicated.

Excuse me, sweetie.

Hi, darling.

I've lost something,
and you found it,

and I've come
down to get it back.

I'm almost afraid to ask.

I bet you even have
old jokes down here.

It's that gold coin that was

written about in the newspapers.

I wanna claim it.

Can you furnish a
description of the article, miss?

Oh, I sure can.

It's round, it's gold,

and it's called a Quarter Noble.

There's a picture of the shield

of Henry VI on one side...

The man with the chicken leg

and there's some flowered
scrollwork on the other.

And there's a tiny little
hole bored through it.

Right?

Where did you
lose this coin, miss?

I put it in a parking meter.

I told these gentlemen that
I'd tell them how it happened,

but I really don't
think I'd better.

Any particular parking meter?

Well I don't put one
in every parking meter,

for heaven sakes.

It was on Santa Monica,
right near Fairfax.

Right down the street
from the International Bar.

The name is Lee.

L-E-E. Miss Bunny Lee.

There you are, driver.

Thank you very much, Mr. Drake.

I can handle it from now on.

Uh, hold it.

I think you'd better wait here.

Just until I can get
in touch with Perry.

It's quite all right.

Uh-uh.

This has all the
earmarks of a shakedown.

That girl doesn't look
like any coin collector.

More the paper-money type.

You wait here,
I'll be right back.

There's a phone
booth down the street.

Hi.

Are you the young lady who
claimed the Quarter Noble?

That's right.

Come on in.

Thank you.

I've been waiting for you.

Yes. Well, who are you?

I'm the night
clerk at her hotel.

Oh?

It's your coin, isn't it?

Yes.

Did you find it in her room?

Of course.

Where you dropped it.

All right.

I'll pay your blackmail.

How much do you want?

Not for sale, mister.

Tragg, Homicide.

Come on.

Thank you, lieutenant.

Well, Mr. Vanaman,

when you came to
see me earlier today,

you said it was to arrange
for the recovery of a coin.

Also to...

handle things for me
if it was necessary.

But you knew it
would be necessary.

I thought it might.

You also told me that
Sylvia Welles was alive

when you left her apartment.

She was...

the first time.

Then I went back when I
discovered I'd lost the coin.

She didn't answer the door.

And...?

Well, the peephole in
the door was open a crack,

I saw a light...

so I went in.

You went in.

Just like that?

The door wasn't locked.

All right, go on.

She was dead.

Why didn't you call the police?

I didn't have time.

I... I wanted to
find that coin first.

By the time I started to search,

there was a knock on the door.

That Hale, the
desk clerk, came in.

That's when I ran.

That certainly
wasn't very smart.

I know.

Mr. Mason, there's
something else.

What else?

That room was wiretapped.

I discovered it by accident.

Sylvia Welles said she
thought it was her husband.

Now, by this time, Mr. Mason,

I knew I was getting
in pretty deep.

I love my wife.

I didn't want to hurt her...

even with something
that wasn't true.

How long have you
known this Welles woman?

I met her recently at...

At a gathering.

A gathering where?

At, uh...

At Fred's house.

Fred Petrie.

Well, if she was a friend of his

and had a quarter of a
million dollars to invest,

why didn't she let
him handle it for her?

I don't know.

And Paul Drake told me
that you'd been booked,

otherwise I wouldn't
have known you were here.

Didn't Lieutenant Tragg allow
you to make a phone call?

Yes, he did.

I called someone else.

Who?

Henry Noble.

Well, Perry...

you're looking fine.

Please sit down.

Thank you.

If you are here because
of this murder case,

the matter between
Vanaman and myself

is not open for discussion.

Uh, he's no longer in my employ.

You prejudging him guilty?

Has nothing to do with
whether he's guilty or not.

Noble and Company
simply cannot be associated

with this kind of notoriety.

I'm surprised at
your intolerance.

What if it wasn't his fault?

That makes a difference
to me personally,

but not to Noble and Company.

How old is the company?

Forty-three years.

I wonder how it
could have survived

under such righteousness?

What makes you so sure
that Dick Vanaman is innocent?

Well, for one thing...

a guilty man uses the
one phone call allowed him

by the police to get in
touch with his attorney,

not his employer.

May I talk to Mr. Petrie?

Hm.

Ask Mr. Petrie to come in.

What do you, uh,
want with him, Perry?

Oh, I think perhaps
a, uh, microphone...

and a woman.

Mr. Petrie, Mr. Mason.

Perry Mason?

It's a privilege.

Mr. Petrie.

Mason is representing Vanaman

in that, uh, murder thing.

Oh. I wish you and
Dick the best, sir.

Mr. Noble,

about that little rivalry
between Dick and myself.

Well, I think it would be fairer

to hold off any decision

until this has all blown away.

You believe he's
innocent then, Mr. Petrie?

I've known Dick for
more than 12 years.

He's constitutionally
incapable of murdering anyone.

And if there's
anything I can do...

Uh, character
witness, uh, anything

just ask.

Why, thank you.

Did you know that Sylvia
Welles was married?

Did I know?

Should I?

Well, isn't she an
acquaintance of yours?

No, sir.

She was, uh, at a
gathering at your home.

Was she?

Wait a minute.

You know, I did
seem to feel something

when I saw her
picture in the paper.

I take it then she
wasn't your guest?

No.

She must have crashed the party.

Or, um, been
invited by your wife?

Hello?

Is this the Petrie residence?

Yes.

Well, I don't know whether
you'd be interested or not,

but, uh, I got
hold of something:

a spool of tape.

Well, my name is Conners.

I did a job of work for a woman
over at the Revere Apartments.

Know who I mean?

And, uh, I haven't
been paid for it.

W-what's on this,
uh, spool of tape?

Are you interested?

I'd have to hear it.

Sure.

It's all fixed. Cut and edited.

If I want to buy it...

how much will it cost?

A thousand dollars.

All right.

But... I want every
word you recorded.

The Hi-Fi Roundelay shop.

Uh, I'll be wearing a gardenia.

Frederick Warren Petrie.

Very bright and,
apparently, full of integrity.

His wife, Doris, was
formerly secretary

to Henry Noble himself.

Ambitious type?

Could be.

She's, uh, had a pretty
busy day today so far:

Called on the apartment
hotel clerk, Eliot Hale.

Went to her bank.

And then went to a flower shop
and bought some gardenias.

No wonder we couldn't find her.

Yes, Gertie?

Mr. Eliot Hale in
the outer office.

Have him come in.

Be right out.

Well, I've got some work to do.

Thanks, Paul.

Mr. Mason, Mr. Eliot Hale.

Mr. Hale. Won't you sit down?

Thank you.

Now, what can I do for you?

Mr. Mason...

you represent the man

I believe murdered
Sylvia Welles.

Now, the only reason I
went to all that trouble

with the gold coin was,

well, I promised myself that
I would bring her murderer

to justice, if it was
within my power.

Why the intense interest
in all this, Mr. Hale?

She was a lady, Mr. Mason.

That may well be...

but, you know, you may
have made quite a mistake

in believing the murderer
to be Mr. Vanaman.

Well that's why I'm here.

Della.

You see, a woman
called on me today.

She asked me if the police
had found any recording tapes

in Miss Welle" apartment.

And you told her what?

Well, that I didn't know.

They had found
evidence of microphones.

That all she wanted to know?

No. Then she asked me if I knew

who could have installed them.

Did you? No.

Did she, uh, tell
you who she was?

No.

But she left me a number
if anything came up.

Hollywood 2-0799.

Now as I understand
you, Mr. Hale,

you believe I should
look into this situation

of the woman and
the tape recordings?

If there are any.

Yes, sir, I do.

And if Mr. Vanaman is innocent,

it might help to
uncover the truth.

That's all I want, Mr. Mason.

All right, Mr. Hale.

Goodbye, Mr. Mason.

Miss Street.

Goodbye.

Miss Welles was
a lady, Mr. Mason.

A gentlewoman.

An angel almost.

As though a man shouldn't...

touch her.

You know?

He was in love
with Sylvia Welles.

Still is, Della.

Now he has a fixation
to make the murderer,

whoever it is,
pay for the crime.

That might be something to
worry about, if he knows more about

those tape recordings
than he's admitted.

That phone number, um...

same as Mrs. Petrie?

Mm-hm.

Let's try her again.

Hello?

Hello, Mrs. Petrie.

I wonder if I might
have a talk with you.

Um, no, I'm afraid it's out
of the question, Mr. Mason.

No.

I have an appointment.

No, I am sorry, Mr. Mason.

And what makes you
think I would be interested

in helping Richard Vanaman?

Doris.

If he is guilty, I don't want
my husband or myself involved.

Was that... Perry Mason?

Yes.

Who do you have
an appointment with?

A man.

What man?

I don't remember his name.

What's the appointment for?

I am going to buy
a tape recording

made between Richard Vanaman
and the murdered woman.

Tape recording?

And if it says
what I think it will,

it will prove that they
were having an affair.

And that's why he killed her?

I can't believe that, Doris.

Well, you don't have to.

The police will.

You're going to
buy that recording

and turn it over to the police?

Oh, can't you understand?

I am paying $1,000
for the vice presidency

of Noble and Company.

I don't want it that way, Doris.

I don't want Dick Vanaman
to pay for it with his blood.

Well...

I'm not a hypocrite.

I don't care 2 cents about him.

I want that vice
presidency for you.

I've got to go,

I'll be late.

You're not going anywhere.

Mrs. Petrie.

You're late.

You know how husbands are. I...

I didn't want him to think I
had anything on my mind,

except a sick friend.

Did you bring it?

Did you?

Well, that's very
funny, Mrs. Petrie.

Now, listen to this.

Darling, isn't it time

that we stopped...

Take it easy, mister. Police.

Wait a minute. What's
going on here? It...

Well, Della, where's Perry?

I'm right here, lieutenant.

Oh.

Saves you a little
trip, eh, Perry?

Did you?

Well, didn't I? Down
to headquarters?

Weren't you getting hold
of this just to turn it in to us?

Your wife...

Frances can be terrible, Sylvia.

But she can't hold you.

Not the way you can.

I love you... Sylvia.

That's enough, lieutenant.

Turn it off.

All right, Conners.

How much did Miss
Welles pay for the job?

Well, it was supposed
to be a hundred dollars.

I was gonna get it later when
I picked up my equipment.

And when did you
pick up the equipment?

Oh, I got back there about 9:30.

You got there at 9:30,
picked up your equipment,

Miss Welles paid you,
and you gave her the tape?

Yes, sir, that's right.

And then you left?

That's right.

And Miss Welles was
alive when you left?

Yes, she was.

You mean, you went
back to the apartment later?

No, no.

Then how did you get the tape?!

Listen to me, Conners.

Let me see if I can
explain something to you.

The police department and
the district attorney's office

have caused the grand
jury to indict a man

for the murder of Sylvia Welles.

This man is Richard Vanaman.

He's a highly
respected businessman.

He's not a hoodlum
or a gangster.

He doesn't have a record
of arrests and convictions.

Yes, sir.

We're preparing to
take our case into court.

It's a circumstantial case,

but we've found
that circumstances

are frequently more
reliable and less controversial

than witnesses.

And we think we
have a very good case

against Mr. Vanaman.

Look, I don't know
what you're getting at.

This tape gives you a motive
for Vanaman, doesn't it?

I should think
you'd be grateful.

Well we're not grateful, mister.

This doesn't help us.

This hurts us.

This is a fake.

What do you mean, a fake?

Oh, come on, Conners.

Let's listen to it
again, shall we?

Lieutenant, turn it up
with the volume high.

Do you love me, Richard?

Love you for the
rest of my life.

Your wife...

Frances can be terrible, Sylvia.

But she can't hold you...

That's enough.

Not the way you can.

You know what
that popping noise is,

don't you, Mr. Conners?

When you cut
the tape to edit it,

you didn't use
demagnetized shears.

Well, I didn't expect
to be tested like this.

Where's the original
of this recording?

I used it up.

All of it?

Well, all I thought was
useful for the love stuff.

You mean there's more?

Oh, yes.

When he found the
microphone near the drapes.

That's on this tape?

Well, you see, we
had two mikes going.

Oh, he accused her of
blackmail and extortion,

and, uh, how she
couldn't get away with it.

And how there were certain
measures she could take.

A microphone...

There were fractures
of the hyoid bone

and the thyroid cartilage,

with considerable accumulation
of the blood in the soft tissue

around the windpipe.

Death occurred
between 9:30 and 10:15,

from asphyxia, due to
manual strangulation.

Thank you, doctor.

When the early-morning edition

of the papers arrived
at five minutes after 10,

I brought them up to
Miss Welles' apartment.

Sometimes, if she was still up,

we'd chat for a minute or two.

Mr. Hale... what
happened when you went to

Apartment 305 on the
night of October 26th?

Well... the lights were
on in her living room...

the peephole was ajar, and...

her cat was yowling.

It was kind of strange.

There was no answer
to my knock, or the bell,

so I tried the door,
and it was open.

And I saw her lying there.

Go on, Mr. Hale.

Well, then I heard a noise,

and I saw this man
making a dash for the door.

Did you get a good
look at this man?

Yes, sir. I got a
good look at him.

That's him.

The defendant. Richard Vanaman.

Now, Mr. Hale...

I show you this object,

and I ask if you've
ever seen it before.

Yes, sir, I have.

Could you tell
the court, please,

what it is?

An old English coin,
known as a Quarter Noble.

And when did you first
see this English coin?

That night. October, the 26th.

And where did you see it?

Beside the body,

just after I had
called the police.

Then I dropped the
coin into a parking meter

and made sure the
story got into the papers.

Then I sent a third
party to claim the coin.

I notified the police...

and we were there
when he arrived.

"He" arrived?

Yes, sir.

The man I saw in the
apartment, Richard Vanaman.

If it please the court...

I should like this
marked for identification

as State's Exhibit B.

Mr. Mason?

No objections.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Now, Mr. Hale...

in your capacity as clerk
of the apartment hotel

where the deceased resided,

had you ever seen
the defendant before?

Yes, sir.

During the weeks preceding
October 26, several times.

But what about the
night of October 26th?

I saw him enter at half past 8.

And did you see the
defendant leave that night?

Yes, sir, just as I told you:

flying out of Miss
Welles' apartment,

with her lying dead.

Thank you, Mr. Hale.

Your witness.

Mr. Hale...

do you see everyone who
goes in or out of the building?

No, sir.

So the defendant could
have left the building

five minutes after he'd arrived,

and later returned
without your seeing him?

Yes, sir.

As a matter of fact,
any number of people

could have visited Miss
Welles without your knowledge?

Yes, sir, they could.

Now you said you
were in the habit

of delivering a newspaper
to Miss Welles' apartment.

Was that a normal service?

No.

Something special.

Just for Miss Welles.

I didn't mind.

I wouldn't never have minded.

Thank you, Mr. Hale.

That will be all.

Step down, Mr. Hale.

Lieutenant Tragg, please.

The, uh, defendant's
fingerprints

were found in the murder room.

And, uh, one on a picture frame

near the drapery.

On the picture frame?

Yes, sir. And here,

a full handprint
and fingerprints

on an empty highball glass.

I see.

Thank you, lieutenant.

Now, I show you
this English coin...

marked State's Exhibit B,

and I ask you what occurred
in connection with this

in the apartment
of one Bunny Lee,

on the afternoon
of October 27th,

the day after the murder.

Yes. The defendant,
Richard Vanaman,

came to the apartment,
admitted the coin was his,

that he dropped it in
Miss Welles' apartment,

and was prepared
to pay blackmail for it.

Really?

Thank you, lieutenant.

Cross-examine.

No questions.

Mr. Conners,

I'm gonna play this roll
of magnetic tape for you

and ask you to identify it.

Yes, sir.

Your Honor, we've heard
the testimony of this witness

that the first part of this tape

has been edited
or tampered with.

Therefore, I would
like to play the part of it

which has not been touched.

Mr. Mason?

Your Honor, defense
wonders why the entire tape

should not be played.

Your Honor, it's
already been explained.

The first part of this
tape is a composite,

made up of words and
phrases taken out of context.

It has no meaning in fact.

Very well.

No objection.

All right, go ahead.

With the court's permission.

What is it?

A microphone!

That won't stop it.

What's this all about?

Well...

Why do you want to record

our conversation, huh?

Why do I...?

I... I don't!

Somebody does.

Oh. Oh. I-it must be my husband.

I didn't know you were
married, Miss Welles.

Well we're not working at it.

Richard, he's insanely jealous.

You'd better go.

Miss Welles, for several weeks

I've come to your apartment...

perhaps imprudently.

Don't you understand?

If he's recorded
our conversation,

there's no telling
what he'll think.

Richard Vanaman and me.

No, you can't stay here.

Is this a badger game?

Are you planning
some sort of extortion?

Because if you
are, it won't work!

I won't be blackmailed.

There are measures I can take.

Richard, please!

All right now. All right.

Let's have it quiet
in the courtroom.

Proceed, Mr. Burger.

Mr. Conners...

can you identify
that tape for us?

Yes sir. It's the
one that recorded

in Miss Welles' apartment.

And the part of it
that we just heard

has neither been touched
nor tampered with, is that right?

Yes sir, that's right.

If it please the court,

I should like this tape
entered in evidence

and marked for the
people Exhibit D.

Mr. Mason?

No objections.

All right.

Cross-examine.

Now, Mr. Conners. You testified

that you were hired to do a job.

Now, who hired you?

Uh, Miss Welles.

Did she tell you the
purpose of this job?

No. All she told me
is to set up the mikes

and the recorders.

And you performed the job

and then you left the apartment?

That's right.

What time did you
return to the apartment?

Oh, a few minutes before 9:00.

For what reason?

Well, like I told Mr. Burger,

I had to make a
few cuts and splices

in the first part of the tape.

How long did that take?

Oh, about a half hour.

And then...?

Well, then I took my
equipment and I left.

And Miss Welles was
alive when you left?

Yes sir, she was.

How much did she
pay you for this job?

We hadn't figured that out yet.

Then you weren't paid?

No.

And after her death,
it occurred to you

that the recording might
be worth something?

I didn't have the slightest
idea what it was worth.

Then how did you know

who might be
interested in buying it?

What do you mean?

I mean, Mrs. Petrie.

You were selling her
the tape, weren't you?

Wasn't it Mrs. Petrie you
were supposed to meet

in the Hi-Fi Roundelay shop?

Tell me, Mr. Conners,

how did you know Mrs.
Petrie wanted to buy the tape?

Oh, I, uh, called her.

I asked her.

How did you know
she was the one to call?

Well, uh... while I was
working on the tape,

Miss Welles made a phone call,

and I heard her mention
the name Doris Petrie.

All this working on the tape...

This cutting and splicing
must have been very important.

What was it for?

All I know is what
Miss Welles told me:

that it was a gag of some kind.

But gag or not, you
figured it was probably

connected with Doris
Petrie and worth a good deal?

Well, I figured it might be.

As a matter of
fact, Mr. Conners,

you figured it might
be worth a great deal

in the way of
blackmail, did you not?

Oh, no, not blackmail.

I just wanted to
make a few bucks.

Do you consider a
thousand dollars a...

few bucks?

Well it was just
a shot in the dark.

Now, look, I could have
asked for a lot more too,

but I'm no hog.

It's not a question,
Mr. Conners,

of whether or not you're a hog,

but whether or not
you're a murderer.

That's all.

Uh, court will
recess until 2:00.

What time did you
leave the apartment?

A quarter to 9.

And you arrived home...?

It's only a 10-minute drive.

Conners said he left
the apartment at 9:30,

and Sylvia Welles
was still alive.

If he's lying, he killed her.

If he's telling the truth,

then the time between
9:30 and 10:05

will be clear with
you and your wife.

No.

No?

When Richard got
home, I wasn't there.

I told Richard I
went for a walk.

But you didn't go for a walk.

No.

I took a cab to Miss
Welles' apartment house.

Why?

I couldn't stand it any longer.

I wanted to see her.

What time was this?

I got there after 9:00.

About 20 after.

And then what?

I went up to the third floor.

Did the desk clerk see you?

No. He'd evidently stepped away.

And then you went
into Apartment 305?

No, I didn't.

As I came around the
bend in the corridor,

I saw someone
standing outside her door.

Just standing there?

He seemed to be listening.

Would you recognize this
man if you saw him again?

He was in shadow.

Anyway, suddenly
I panicked and ran.

Home, Mrs. Vanaman?

Richard was there...

waiting for me.

So I can't give
him an alibi, can I?

And he can't give you an alibi.

No.

Mr. Burger...

will you proceed, please?

I call Doris Petrie
to the stand, please.

Yes, I knew Sylvia Welles.

We went to school
together back home in Iowa.

Now did you ever have a
social gathering at your home

where she and the
defendant were present?

Yes, they met there.

Did you subsequently
see Sylvia Welles?

Oh, frequently.

And did she ever mention
Richard Vanaman to you?

Yes.

She told me she had
fallen in love with him.

She told me she
had begun to see him

two and three times a week.

She asked me all about Richard.

The way a woman in love

wants to find out everything
she can about her man.

I told her his marriage was

one of convenience, not love.

That his wife was rather drab,

but that she has lots of money.

Did Sylvia Welles ever tell you

that she was seeing
Richard Vanaman

because she wanted
him to handle her money?

Oh. How could she?

She didn't have a
dime to her name.

Really?

Thank you, Mrs. Petrie.

Your witness.

Uh, Mrs. Petrie...

where were you between
the hours of 9:30 and 10:10

on the night of October 26?

At home.

Were you alone?

No, with my husband.

Did, uh, anyone call?

Anyone who could've
verified the fact

that you and your husband
were at home during that time?

No.

What does your
husband do, Mrs. Petrie?

He's an investment broker.

He works for Noble and Company,

just as Mr. Vanaman did.

As a matter of fact, there
existed a kind of rivalry

between the two of them
for an executive promotion?

That's right.

And Mrs. Petrie...

do you know one
reason why Sylvia Welles

would have had a tape
recording made of her conversation

with Mr. Vanaman?

No. No?

But you had a thousand
reasons, didn't you?

Well, that was different.

That was still a large
amount of money.

Whatever it was,

it certainly put the lie to
Richard Vanaman's claim

that Sylvia had a quarter
of a million dollars to invest.

She never...

Go on, Mrs. Petrie.

She never what?

Oh, nothing.

She never told him she had

a quarter of a million
dollars to invest?

If she didn't...

then how did you know
about that precise amount?

Oh, isn't it true, Mrs. Petrie,

that you had Sylvia
Welles entice the defendant

with the promise of
a large investment?

That you hoped for a
relationship between them

which might lead to scandal?

No.

And isn't it true that
the scheme didn't work.

That Richard Vanaman's
interest in Sylvia Welles

was only that of a client?

I wouldn't know.

And then, didn't you
arrange with Sylvia

to hire a technician and
wiretap the apartment...

instructing him to
cut and splice the tape

so that certain
words and phrases

would have an entirely
different meaning?

Mr. Mason...

are you saying this was done

with the tape heard in court?

Uh... Your Honor...

part of the tape we heard
was the honest remonstrance

of a man who had just realized

that, uh, he was being tricked.

It's the first part, however...

The part we didn't hear
to which I'm referring.

I see. All right, continue.

Your Honor.

Now, when Mr. Conners called
you and told you he had the tape,

you were willing to
pay him $1,000 for it.

Why?

It represented a
real value to me.

Maybe I was wrong,

but I was also doing
my duty as a citizen.

You were gonna turn the
tape over to the police?

Yes, of course.

Then why did you
insist on hearing it first?

Wasn't it because you felt
there might be something

on the tape which
would incriminate you?

No. No.

I didn't kill her.

And you didn't know Mr. Conners?

No!

Your Honor, I think we
can establish the truth here

if I may recall Mr. Eliot Hale.

Any, uh, objection
from the prosecution?

I have no objection, Your Honor.

Mr. Hale to the stand, please.

You may step down, Mrs. Petrie.

Mr. Hale, you're
still under oath.

Mr. Hale...

I now ask you to
repeat a conversation

you had with Mrs. Petrie.

The conversation in
which she mentioned

the telephone number
Hollywood 2-0799.

Oh. Yes.

She asked about
tapes and a technician,

and she left a number in
case anything came up.

She specifically asked
about a tape recording

from Miss Welles'
room, did she not?

Yes, sir.

Now about 9:00 on the
evening of the murder,

perhaps a little later,

a woman entered your
building, crossed to the elevator,

and went up to the third floor.

Yes, sir.

I spoke to this woman, Mr. Hale.

When I asked her if you
had noticed her, she said no.

Well, that's true.

I don't recall
noticing a stranger.

She said you must
have stepped away,

because she didn't see
you there at your desk.

Arriving on the third floor,

the woman said she
came out of the elevator,

she saw a man standing
in front of Miss Welles' door,

apparently listening
to something

that was going
on inside her room.

Oh?

Was that you in front
of the door, Mr. Hale?

No, Mr. Mason.

How could I be listening to
something out in the hallway?

Those doors are solid.

What about the
peephole, Mr. Hale?

You testified that when
you brought the paper up

at 10 minutes after 10,
the peephole was open.

You couldn't see very much,

but you could hear her
splendidly, couldn't you?

But why would I be listening?

Your Honor...

I would like the first part
of this tape recording,

Exhibit D, played at this time.

Your Honor...

It's already been explained,

the first part of this
tape is spliced, edited.

It's a fake.

Precisely, Your Honor.

However, I would
like this section

of the tape identified.

Hm.

Counsel's entirely within
his rights, Mr. Burger.

Mr. Technician, you may proceed.

Do you love me, Richard?

Love you for the
rest of my life.

Then get a divorce.

We can get married.

Your wife...

Frances can be terrible, Sylvia.

But she can't hold you.

Not the way you can.

I love you, Sylvia.

A constant and devoted love.

You thought it was a real
scene you were listening to,

didn't you, Mr. Hale?

You didn't know
it was a recording.

A fake.

Your angel was being defiled.

Your idol had... Had slipped.

The woman with whom
you were so in love...

had revealed feet of clay.

And so you waited your chance.

Then you went
into the apartment,

and you killed her.

My mother was the same way.

I used to think of
her as an angel.

But then she...

Oh.

Not that I killed my mother.

But I did kill Sylvia Welles.

Bailiff. Take this
man into custody.

For you, Mr. Mason.

Well, thank you, Mr. Noble.

I promise not to put
it in a parking meter.

Now may I satisfy my
curiosity, Mr. Noble?

Is Mr. Vanaman fired?

Well, if he was,
he's been rehired.

And who gets the
vice presidency?

Well, if I was smart as Solomon,

I'd split the job in two
and give half to each man.

And that's what
you're going to do?

Mm, mm.

No, Della.

He's smarter than Solomon.

He's not gonna divide the job.

He's gonna make them
compete for it all over again.

I've always said what's
good for Noble and Company

is good for its personnel.

Vanaman, Mrs.
Vanaman, come along.

Thank you, Mr. Mason.

Your belief in Richard
never wavered, did it?

No more than
yours, Mrs. Vanaman.