WOMAN: Thank you.
MOREY: Miss Street, Mr. Mason. - Hello, Morey.
- How is it going, Morey? - Fine. I have your table all ready.
Dixie.
Excuse me.
I'm really starved, Morey.
So am I.
- Morey, we'll have two-- - I know. I know.
Two big steaks, lyonnaise potatoes, two salads, coffee.
The man's a mind reader.
- I took the order for you, Dixie. - Oh, thanks, Morey.
[DIXIE GASPS]
[GUNSHOTS]
[TYRES SCREECHING]
[PEOPLE CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY]
Sorry about the delay, Mr. Mason. We had a little trouble with your order.
- Oh, what happened? - Waitress never gave it to the chef.
- Why not? - I don't know. I can't find her.
Just walked out and today is payday.
The help situation today is murder.
If I had to do it all over again, I'd open a hot-dog stand.
Excuse me. Mr. Allen, can I speak to you for a minute?
Sure. Excuse me.
[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]
- Are you sure? - Absolutely, Mr. Allen.
Excuse me. Can I talk to you folks a moment?
MASON: Of course, Morey.
If you're gonna give me that mink coat
because we had to wait so long, I'll take it.
Look, I just had some word about Dixie,
the waitress who disappeared, she's been in an accident.
- She was run over. - Run over?
Somebody saw her running out of the alley.
- Was she hurt badly? MOREY: I don't know.
They've taken her to the hospital.
There's something else, Mr. Mason.
My parking attendant said he thought he heard two shots
just before the accident.
He'd know the difference between gunshots and backfiring.
Mr. Mason, this coat belongs to Dixie Dayton, the waitress.
That coat?
A waitress with a mink coat. How long have you known this girl?
Only about ten days, just walked in for a job.
I can tell she had hard luck.
- Maybe the coat's stolen. - No, I know it's not. She's a good kid.
Down on her luck, that's all. I tried to help her.
But now the cops are outside and they'll ask a lot of questions.
- Well, answer them. - But they'll ask me about this coat.
There are cheap restaurants
where waitresses mingle with the guests.
I turn this coat over to the cops, they'll give it to reporters.
The reporters will print it and I'll be dead.
You've got company.
I knew it. When you need a cop, you can never find one.
You know how long I worked to build up this restaurant?
Morey, leave the coat here.
We'll talk about it when you come back.
MOREY: Thank you, Mr. Mason.
Go ahead.
That mink's a dream, moth holes and all.
They've eaten right through the label, it's loose.
No, it isn't, it's made that way.
What's that?
A pawn ticket.
Portland, Oregon.
"6384J."
Well, she got $18 for whatever it was she pawned.
Why would anybody hide a pawn ticket in a place like that?
I've got a better question, Della.
Why is Morey Allen so concerned over a waitress
he says he's only known for ten days?
A romance?
No.
If it were a romance, she'd be eating the food not serving it.
Funny how everyone gets so curious when the police arrive.
Almost everyone.
He must have a date.
All those questions, those guys make me nervous.
DELLA: Was the girl badly hurt?
They think she'll be in the hospital a couple of days.
Here, she'll be wanting her coat.
No, no, I wish you'd keep that a while.
- Why? - Mr. Mason,
would you represent me in this thing?
Represent you?
Why, Morey? What have you done?
Look, maybe there will be nothing, okay?
Then you do nothing and send me a bill.
I just wanna be prepared, just in case.
In case of what?
I don't know. Just let me feel I've got somebody like you to call on.
I'll give you a cheque.
- Morey. MOREY: Yeah?
What else do you know about Dixie Dayton?
That is her name, isn't it?
Mr. Mason, you and Miss Street were here, the girl rushed out,
maybe something scared her. I don't know. Why would I hold out on you?
A man came in here alone tonight, you seated him right over there.
Do you remember?
- Empty table there? - Yes.
Fat face, short, stocky type fellow?
I remember him but I never saw him before. Why?
You may be in for more than just some bad publicity.
I don't follow you, Mr. Mason.
One of your waitresses runs away from her paycheque,
somebody shoots at her.
And she just happens to own a mink coat.
Morey, I'd like to know who that man was.
Excuse me.
Lieutenant Tragg, please?
[PHONE RINGS]
Homicide, Tragg.
Perry Mason, lieutenant. Would you do me a favour?
I doubt it but go ahead.
I'm in Morey Allen's place.
One of the girls who works here was run over a little while ago.
Yeah, just got it off the wire. She was sent to the hospital.
She should be put in a private room and nobody allowed to see her.
- Why? Is she a client of yours? MASON: No.
Well, what's the pitch?
Before the accident, there were some shots.
She could be in danger, might get herself killed.
- In the hospital? - Look, it's just a hunch.
Just a feeling I have. It won't hurt to follow through on it.
Okay, I'll take care of it, but it sounds fishy to me.
Any time you go this far, there's usually a reason.
Thanks, lieutenant, and tell the hospital to send me the bill.
You know I will.
Paul Drake Detective Agency.
Yes, Mr. Mason, Mr. Drake is still here.
I'll connect you.
Mr. Mason is on the line.
Perry, you still in the office?
No, I'm at Morey's. Looks like he's in some kind of jam.
Do you have a man in Portland, Oregon?
Herb Mulligan. A good investigator, trained him myself. What's up?
I want you to check on a pawn ticket for me up in Portland.
The number of the pledge is 6384J. It's for $18.
"Globe Pawnshop, 813 Circle Avenue, Portland."
- Got it. - What was pawned and by whom.
I'll put Herb on it first thing in the morning.
Fine, Paul. Thanks.
John.
- Morning, Gertie. - Good morning, Mr. Mason.
- Good morning, Terry. Morning, Della. - Good morning, chief.
Oh, Jackson left the Williams memorandum for your approval.
Fine. I'll get right on it.
Any mail?
Morey Allen sent a thousand-dollar retainer.
He also said he found out the name of the man
you were so curious about last night.
His name was Fayette. George Fayette.
Then he did know the name last night?
What makes you think so?
Any time a client sends in a thousand-dollar retainer voluntarily,
he knows he's in trouble.
[KNOCKING ON DOOR]
That's Paul.
Call Morey Allen. I wanna see him right away.
Right.
- Hello, beautiful. - Good morning, Paul.
MASON: Any news?
I just heard from Herb Mulligan in Portland.
We weren't the only ones running down pawn tickets this morning.
By the time Herb got to the Globe Pawnshop,
the cops had already been there with a ticket of their own.
- A second pawn ticket? - They found it in Dixie's purse.
That's the waitress.
- You mean for another item? - Mm-hm.
Only the pawnbroker told the cops
that the same party had pawned two items.
- What were they? - The ticket the cops had
was for a diamond engagement ring.
The number you gave me covered something a little more interesting:
A gun. Smith & Wesson .38, a police special.
- Cop's gun? - It's a little heavy for a handbag.
MASON: What else? - Nothing.
Cops took the ring and the gun, told the pawnbroker to clam up
- about the whole thing. - Two pawn tickets...
One she hides in the label of a mink coat,
the other ticket stays in her purse where anybody might find it.
It's inconsistent.
- She's a woman. - No, that's no excuse.
That second pawn ticket caused some activity down here this morning.
What kind of activity?
Morey Allen's place looked like a policeman's convention this morning.
You were there?
Oh, the cops know that Morey gave you a mink coat,
and that Della wore it out of the place last night.
- Morey didn't tell them? - One of the waitresses.
They were questioning her when I got there.
- Who is this girl? - Her name's Mae Nolan.
I thought you might wanna talk to her so I brought her with me.
- She's waiting in my office. - Good.
- Della? DELLA [OVER INTERCOM]: Yes.
There's a girl by the name of Mae Nolan waiting in Paul's office.
- Girl, he says. - Will you bring her in, please?
DELLA: Yes, sir.
Paul, have you ever heard the name Fayette?
George Fayette?
No.
If I'm not too far wrong, you can run across him in police records.
PAUL: Have you ever seen him?
About 5'5" and a half, sort of bald, regular features,
but kind of hard looking.
I want everything you can find on him, the whole package.
This is Mr. Mason, Miss Nolan.
- How do you do? - You're no stranger to me, Mr. Mason.
I've seen you many times at Morey's place,
but I never waited on you.
I'm sure that's my loss.
You're a smooth article.
Sit down, please?
Thanks.
Very nice place you have.
Mae, will you tell Mr. Mason
what you told me on the way up here in the car?
I don't know.
Maybe I shouldn't be here at all.
I'm not really a blabbermouth.
Some people go around saying everything that comes into their head.
Know what I mean?
Of course.
We're anxious to find out as much as we can about Dixie Dayton.
Well, I really don't have any information.
- Come on now, Mae. - Wait, Paul.
If Miss Nolan doesn't wanna tell us anything,
why, that's her business.
We already know quite a bit about Dixie Dayton.
We know that she's a very experienced waitress,
that she's probably worked in some of the best restaurants in this town.
You're kidding, aren't you?
This girl knows from nothing.
If she'd had no experience, why would Morey give her a job?
Boy, what a detective you are.
Well, as far as I know, Morey Allen is strictly business.
If those two never met before she came to work,
I don't know human nature, which I do.
Then they were friends?
Of long standing.
I'd like to have a friend who gives me a mink coat.
You mean, Morey gave Dixie a mink coat?
Yeah, the one you took out of the restaurant last night.
I was there the day he gave it to her.
He brought it in a shopping bag.
When she saw the coat, she started to cry.
- Happy, huh? - No.
He'd been keeping it for her in that bag
and never even thought to use mothballs.
Mae, is there anything else you can tell us?
Look, it's none of my business.
I understand.
Now, thank you, Miss Nolan, you've been very, very helpful.
Not at all, Mr. Mason.
Oh, I'd appreciate it
if you wouldn't mention I was here to Mr. Allen.
Oh, don't worry, we won't.
I wouldn't want him to think I'm a blabbermouth, which I'm not.
- Bye. - Goodbye.
Oh, and by the way, the next time you eat at Morey's place,
I hope you'll ask for my table.
I think she's got you spotted for a big tipper, Perry.
MASON: I'd rather know what Morey Allen has me spotted for.
He didn't tell you about any of this last night?
Nope.
- Well, I'll go check on Fayette. - All right, Paul.
Della?
DELLA [OVER INTERCOM]: Yes?
Della, tell Jackson that memorandum will have to wait.
- Yes, sir. - I'm going over to the hospital
to see Dixie Dayton.
TRAGG: Oh, hello, Perry.
Well, Lieutenant Tragg.
- How are you? - Fair.
What brings you here? Conference with your client?
Miss Dayton isn't my client. I told you that last night.
Oh, yes, I forgot.
- Then this is just a little friendly visit. - More or less.
You know, considering that lawyers are supposed to be paid for their time,
you're giving this girl here an awful lot of it free.
Well, I'm interested in her.
Oh, that's all?
Come on. Where do you fit in this thing?
Miss Dayton works for Morey Allen. He's a friend of mine.
- You represent him? - Yes.
What kind of trouble is he in that he needs a lawyer?
You know I never discuss my clients' affairs.
Yeah. Last night I did you a favour.
Today I ask you a question, you get cosy with me.
You must ask me a favour again sometime.
I've told everything I can tell you.
- Everything, huh? - Yes.
- Even about the mink coat? - Which mink coat is that--?
Don't horse around with me, Mr. Mason.
- Now listen-- - I've been listening
and I haven't heard anything.
I'll be around at your office this afternoon to pick up the coat
and if I don't get it, so help me,
I'll pin a rap on you for withholding evidence.
Lieutenant, if you'll excuse me, I have to see Miss Dayton.
Well, that will be about the neatest trick of the week.
What do you mean?
Miss Dayton disappeared sometime last night,
bandages and all.
[PHONE BUZZES]
Yes?
Oh, hello, chief. Where are you?
I see.
Yes, Paul Drake called.
He's got some information, says it's important.
I'll go directly to his office from here.
If Tragg drops in on you, you call me there.
What about Morey?
I couldn't reach him. He seems to have disappeared.
Call the cashier at his restaurant.
Leave Paul Drake's night number so Morey can reach us at any time.
Do you think he's deliberately trying to avoid seeing anyone?
On the contrary, Della.
Wherever he is, I think he's got company.
PAUL: That's all there is on Mr. Fayette.
Arrested three years ago for bookmaking,
released on a $100 bail.
The case never came up.
MASON: Good connections, huh?
Solid.
Paul,
I have a feeling that--
That Morey's in this thing up to his ears.
Worse than that, he may be in over his head.
The fact is you might wanna give him back his retainer.
- Why? - Perry,
do you remember the Claremont case?
It was in the newspapers about a year ago.
Mm-hm. Claremont was a cop.
That's right, a young detective.
Here's a picture of him. We got it from the newspaper files.
He was taken for a ride, real mob style.
Shot with his own gun and thrown out on the highway.
MASON: I recall.
Before he was killed,
Claremont was seen talking with a bookie named Tom Sedgewick.
After the killing, this Sedgewick disappeared.
He's wanted right now. Here's a picture of him.
They never found Claremont's killer, did they?
They never even found the gun.
That is not until today.
Dixie Dayton's pawn ticket was a pledge for that gun.
I should've known Tragg wasn't just visiting that hospital.
So it's homicide.
A special kind of homicide, a cop killing.
They won't stop till they crack it.
They'll take this town apart brick by brick.
And if Dixie Dayton pawned that gun, she knows who killed Claremont.
Exactly.
It just doesn't make sense, Paul.
Whoever killed Claremont knows that gun is hot.
A lawyer doesn't live who can get an acquittal
for anyone in possession of that gun.
That's just the point.
The way this thing stacks up, nobody can win.
Perry, take my advice, give Morey back his retainer.
Don't get yourself involved in this.
That would be easy, Paul.
What if he had nothing to do with Claremont's killing?
[PHONE RINGS]
Yes? Yes, he's here.
It's for you, Perry. It's Della.
Hello, Della.
Have you had any word from Morey?
No, sir, but Lieutenant Tragg is here.
He's been waiting for you.
Something about a mink coat.
You have the receipt from the fur storage company
- where you left the coat? - Yes.
Give it to Lieutenant Tragg.
[PHONE RINGING]
Hello?
Mr. Drake instructed me to ring you if a call came in.
I have a Morey Allen on the line.
- I'll take the call. - Yes, sir. Just a moment, please.
Go ahead, Mr. Mason.
- Hello. - Mr. Mason?
Morey, what kind of a runaround--?
I gotta see you, Mr. Mason.
MASON: I've been trying to reach you all day.
Tomorrow morning I want you--
Morning could be too late. I must see you tonight.
What do you mean too late?
MOREY: Can't talk on the phone.
Please, Mr. Mason, I need help right now.
If you're in danger, call the police.
I can't.
MASON: Where's Dixie? - She's with me.
Where are you?
Keymont Hotel. Room 721.
Keymont Hotel.
Room 721.
I'll be right over.
And don't let Dixie out of your sight.
Don't worry. I've got very little choice.
[PHONE RINGING]
Hello?
Paul, this is Perry.
I know. Who else would call me at this hour?
I just heard from Morey Allen. He's at the Keymont Hotel.
Dixie Dayton's with him.
It sounds like trouble, Paul. I may need help.
Room 721.
Okay.
I'll be there as fast as I can.
HOXIE: May I help you? - Any mail or messages?
What room, sir?
The box is empty.
HOXIE: Would you like your key? - I have it. Thank you.
Well, this is a cosy little trap.
Just like home, if you happen to live in a dungeon.
I thought Morey Allen was gonna meet you here.
- What about the girl? - Come over here.
Somebody was kind enough to leave a message for us.
How'd you come to find that?
This was on the floor.
Yes.
That woman's lips are smooth.
This lipstick has been rubbed over a rough surface.
This lipstick led you to the table.
Well, whoever wrote that, had to do it in a hurry and upside down.
Did you ever try sitting at a table and writing upside down?
- What's that prove? - Here. Sit down.
Put this paper against the bottom of the table.
Now write the word help on it.
- I must have done this wrong. - No, wait.
Bring it over here in front of the mirror.
What kids call, looking-glass writing.
Then that message is a fake.
More commonly known as a trap.
Move over, brother, I'm in that trap with you.
What kind of trap?
PAUL: "262 V3L15."
What's the V?
Victory.
Value.
Vulnerable.
Volume.
Volume. Book.
Bible.
No, volume 3.
How about these?
Volume 1, 2, 3.
Phone directory.
Try page 262.
262 V3.
All right.
Two sixty-two. Got it, what's next?
L15.
L could be line.
Granton, Herbert Sydney, 1024 Colinda Avenue.
Herbert Sydney Granton.
Anyone we know?
No, I don't think so.
Wait a minute.
That name.
Sure, listen.
"George Fayette, care of H.S. Granton, 1024 Colinda Avenue."
We got it from police records.
It's the address Fayette gave when he was picked up for bookmaking.
I'll make book that Herbert Sydney Granton
and George Fayette are one and the same.
Maybe they want us to think
that they have Morey and Dixie at that address.
I have an idea, Paul.
There's a payphone out in the hall.
Call this hotel, ask for Mr. Fayette.
All right, what's the number?
Four.
Keymont Hotel?
This is Cross Continental Airlines, reservation desk.
Do you have a Mr. George Fayette registered in room--
Hey, Joe, did you write down that room number?
I can't read it.
Is there any message?
I have to report a flight cancellation.
Oh, I'll ring him.
Mr. Fayette doesn't answer. Any message?
No, I'll have to call back.
You've been very helpful.
Glad to be of service.
HOXIE: Incidentally, that's Room 815.
Thank you, sir.
- Room 815. - Nice going, Paul.
Fayette's not in his room.
Either that or he's a very heavy sleeper.
We'll take the chance he's not in. Let's go to 815 and have a look around.
Fayette?
Yes.
Well, he's shot.
Just once, as far as I can see.
That's all it takes.
Perry, let's call the cops.
This is what Tragg is paid for.
No, wait, Paul. If Tragg knows we've been here, he'll have to know why.
- I can't tell him that. - But I have to.
I'm not a lawyer. I don't have your professional immunity.
It's your duty to answer questions.
You don't have to run around giving information.
If you wanna make a fool of yourself--
[DOOR RATTLING]
Shh.
Funny thing, you don't see a fellow for several weeks,
and then all of a sudden, you run into him twice in one day.
- This is Sergeant Jaffrey, vice squad. MASON: Vice squad?
One of his officers was killed a while back.
- This thing may be tied in with it. - Claremont case?
- What do you know about Claremont? MASON: Only what I've been told.
Who told you?
That's confidential.
TRAGG: Cut the stalling, Mason.
What are you doing in this room?
I don't think that's important.
We decide what's important.
Where do you stand in this?
Don't look at him. Answer my question.
Perry, you've always played it right down the middle
and I'm not ready to believe that you'd cover up for a cop killer.
I'll tell you where we stand
and I expect you to lay it on the line, everything.
I'd like to know what they're doing in here with a man that's been shot.
Here's the way it stacks up.
The man who lives next door in 813 heard an argument,
what he thought was a shot.
He phoned the police.
A patrol car answered the call.
They found him and then notified Homicide.
When I got here, the clerk was spilling the news to Jaffrey
that you were in 721.
So you left everything alone, nice and quiet,
to see if we'd find our way up here.
That's the picture, Mason.
That's simple, lieutenant.
I had reason to believe that Fayette was in this room.
We came in here to talk to him, found him just as he is.
He's not gonna level with us, lieutenant.
Where's Morey Allen?
I don't know.
Listen, Tragg, I'll answer any questions I can.
- But do we have to do it here? - Why?
You're playing for time, counsellor?
A man's dead.
The least we can do is show him a little respect.
Okay, Jaffrey, phone down to the clerk,
see if he has a room we can use.
What's the matter with 721 ?
I've told you, a client phoned me and asked me to come here.
- Who is the client? - I can't tell you that.
Mason tell you the name of the client who phoned him?
I want an answer, yes or no.
Yes.
Who was it?
A year ago, a cop was killed. A cop, do you understand?
He was knocked off because he got too close to cheap crooks
who thought they had this town sewed up.
Somebody in this case knows who gave it to Claremont
and I mean to find out who it is.
You get in my way and I'll lean on you.
Now, who was it that called Mason?
I'm afraid I can't tell you that.
- Why, you-- - Hold it, Jaffrey.
- You won't get anywhere that way. - Yes, he will.
He'll get a chance to face a charge of intimidating a witness.
Don't scare me, Mr. Mason.
You have a licence to operate as a detective.
You know as well as I do, that we can take it away
- if you withhold evidence. - I know.
I don't care if you go on earning a living as a private cop or not.
You're gonna make that decision right now.
All right, Tragg, you've got all the cards.
I had a call from Morey Allen. He was with Dixie Dayton.
TRAGG: Here? - Yes.
- How did you get up to Room 815? - We found a message.
Where?
Under the tabletop.
It was written there with this lipstick.
You'll find the answer to this jumble in the phone directory.
Herbert Sydney Granton.
Alias George Fayette.
He was registered here under the name of Fayette.
Where did you come off to move this evidence?
As a lawyer, you are supposed to know better.
Were we supposed to know in advance
- that a crime had been committed? JAFFREY: Who says you didn't?
Morey Allen called, told you he'd killed George Fayette,
then asked you to come over and help him cover up.
That's exactly how someone wanted it to look.
Perry, where is Morey Allen and Dixie Dayton?
- I don't know. - You're a liar, Mason.
I've had about enough out of you, sergeant.
Mason, this is more than homicide, it goes back to a cop killing.
I don't have to tell you what that is.
You're no little old man whose candy store has been held up
and you're afraid to talk.
We've made a connection between Dixie Dayton and Tom Sedgewick.
He looks like the man who killed Claremont.
What makes you so sure you've got the right people?
Well, if we haven't, we'll find out.
Right now, they're suspects and I want them.
I want them by noon today.
What happens if I can't produce them?
I think you can.
As a lawyer, you're also an officer of the court.
You have a responsibility, Mason.
And if you duck it or obstruct the police,
you're going to have to face the consequences.
Meaning what?
If you fail to surrender Dixie Dayton and Morey Allen,
I'm going to ask the district attorney
to start disbarment proceedings against you.
Let's go, Jaffrey.
Della.
DELLA: Hi, Paul. - Where's Perry?
He's at home asleep. He said you two had a rough night--
- Will you get him on the phone? - What's the matter?
The cops just picked up Morey Allen and Dixie Dayton.
So I'm asking you to represent Dixie Dayton too, Mr. Mason.
All right, let's start with Dixie Dayton.
Now, what is she to you?
Dixie's sort of a...
Well, she's engaged to my half brother, Tom Sedgewick.
Where is he?
MOREY: Hiding out. Dixie knows but she won't tell.
Believe me, we tried to get him to quit the racket
but he was paying off. He thought he was safe.
- Where did he get the payoff money? - Fayette.
He was the go-between for somebody higher.
About a year ago, a rookie cop came.
- Claremont? MOREY: Yeah.
He wanted to use Tom to get to the top man.
Then Claremont was killed and Tom left town.
He and Dixie went up to Portland.
Do you think he killed Claremont?
No, of course not.
How do you account for the gun that killed Claremont
was taken to Portland by Dixie and Sedgewick?
What?
Take it easy, Morey.
Sit down.
Then Tom really did kill him.
I'm in a real mess.
Why did Dixie and your brother come back to town?
On account of Tom has TB, he has to live down here.
But Fayette told him if he ever came back, it's curtains.
Then the night that I went to your restaurant, Fayette came in.
Is that why Dixie ran out?
Yeah. She thought they'd torture her to find out where Tom was.
- Why did she leave the hospital? - Some woman phoned her,
said she knew who killed Claremont.
Asked Dixie to check into the Keymont Hotel
and come to Room 815.
Dixie ran out of the hospital and called me,
asked me to go with her.
And you agreed to that?
It was a long shot but it just might have been true.
I felt sorry for Dixie, Mr. Mason.
How long could the poor kid keep running?
So I got hold of a gun just in case.
And you checked into Room 721 ?
Yeah. Pretty soon, I discovered we were being cased from the outside.
I got panicky and called you.
How did you get out?
Just as I hung up, two hard characters came in.
One of them pulled a gun.
The other one took my gun away and left the room.
Did the police tell you that it was your gun that killed Fayette?
Did you or Dixie leave any message for me in Room 721 ?
No, I just called you, that's all.
Morey,
did you kill George Fayette?
No, I swear it.
You've gotta believe me, Mr. Mason.
MASON: Who's ever gonna believe Morey Allen?
What if he's telling the truth?
What if he is?
The important thing is, it doesn't sound like the truth.
It sounds more like a story cooked up by a lawyer,
an idiot lawyer at that.
You could take a chance, put them both on the stand,
and let them spill it.
And send them to the death house? This is first-degree murder, Paul.
Well, if you can't put them on the stand
and you can't let them not testify, what do you do?
Start digging for information.
Paul, I wanna know how that night clerk found out
how he knew we were in Room 721.
I want to know everything about Frank Hoxie.
PAUL: Okay.
I'll need any kind of information I can use for a line of questioning.
If we can't catch the breaks, we'll make our own.
Right, Perry.
- What do you want me to do, Perry? MASON: You, Della?
Why...
You just stick around, help me worry.
People against Morey Allen and Dixie Dayton, defendants.
Your Honour, I would like to make a few preliminary remarks.
Your Honour, I am proceeding jointly against Morey Allen and Dixie Dayton
on a charge of murder in the first degree,
the murder of George Fayette.
[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]
BURGER: I expect to show that the motivation for this crime
stems from an attempt to cover up another crime,
the murder of a police officer.
Mr. District Attorney, you must be aware
that the defendants are called upon to face only one accusation.
I believe when you've heard the evidence,
you'll realise that we're justified in introducing proof of another crime.
Very well, Mr. Burger, put on your first witness.
State your name, address and occupation.
Frank Hoxie, Keymont Hotel. Night clerk.
Mr. Hoxie, are you acquainted with the defendants in this case?
HOXIE: Yes, sir, I am.
BURGER: When and where did you meet them?
At the Keymont Hotel on the second of this month.
I'd just taken over the desk.
I'd say about 9:30 p.m., they came in and asked for a room.
Morey Allen told me, he and his wife had come into town just for the day
and had decided to stay over.
He registered for them as Mr. and Mrs. J.B. Martin.
- You assigned them a room? HOXIE: Yes, sir.
Room 721.
They had no luggage so I asked for the room rent in advance.
[PEOPLE LAUGHING]
Was there any other conversation between you and the defendants?
He asked me if anyone had checked into 815 that evening.
BURGER: And what did you tell him? - I said yes.
Can you tell us who it was that checked in to Room 815?
Yes, sir.
Mr. George Fayette.
The man whose body was subsequently discovered there.
Yes, sir.
BURGER: Mr. Hoxie, before the second day of this present month,
had you ever seen either of the defendants?
No, sir.
I think that's all for now.
Cross-examine.
Mr. Hoxie, how long have you been employed
as night clerk at the Keymont Hotel?
Three years.
Does that mean that you worked at the hotel desk regularly every night
for three years?
Yes, except for the time I was sent to Mexico City
- on business. - What business?
HOXIE: I had to collect some money that was owed to the hotel.
- How long were you gone? HOXIE: About a month.
MASON: When did you leave? Do you remember?
About a year ago.
I left on a night plane on the 17th of September.
How do you place the date so accurately?
HOXIE: If you worked for the Keymont,
you wouldn't have trouble remembering you got a free trip
to Mexico City.
[PEOPLE LAUGHING]
Then you left on the night of the 17th?
HOXIE: Yes, the manager called me in his office
and explained what I was supposed to do.
He gave me money, told me to get to the airport
and catch the 1:30 plane, the morning of the 18th.
Frank, have you ever tried to get a job with any other hotel?
I object, Your Honour.
Does the witness have to give all the details of his past life?
Can't Mr. Mason confine himself to relevant questions?
I am not going to limit counsel's cross-examination.
Objection overruled.
Strike that last question, please?
Mr. Hoxie,
have you ever been convicted of a felony?
BURGER: The defence attorney
is needlessly trying to smear the reputation of this witness.
It serves no purpose.
The question is permissible.
Counsel has the right to try to impeach this witness if he can.
I will overrule the objection.
I repeat,
have you ever been convicted of a felony?
Yes.
I did five years.
Armed robbery. San Quentin.
But that was ten years ago. I've been straight since then.
No arrests or convictions?
I was picked up once on suspicion but only on account of my record.
And after that?
I finally got a break.
A law officer sympathised with me. He told me he had a friend
who managed the Keymont Hotel, who'd get me a job
and they wouldn't worry about my-- My background.
This law officer who helped you, he's kept in touch with you?
Yes, sir.
- He checks up on you periodically? - Yes.
Now, Frank,
you've testified that you're...
You have a very clear memory
on the circumstances of your trip to Mexico.
Yes, sir, I have a very good memory.
MASON: Would you say that you have
a good memory for faces?
HOXIE: Very good.
I show you this photograph.
Now, I ask you,
have you ever seen this man before?
Yes.
Will you tell this court where you saw this man
and under what circumstances?
The night I left for Mexico.
He went up to see a guest at the hotel.
- Who was this guest he went to see? - He was a regular tenant.
- What was his name? - George Fayette.
The man who was murdered.
MASON: If it please the court,
I place in evidence a photograph of Officer Robert Claremont,
who was murdered in this city a year ago.
Your Honour, Frank Hoxie's testimony has brought to light certain facts
which may lead us to a quick conclusion of this trial.
I ask the court's indulgence and I request a one-hour adjournment
in order to assemble new and important evidence.
JUDGE: Very well, counsellor.
Court will recess for one hour.
Defendants are remanded to custody.
Paul,
get down to the Hall of Records,
dig up everything you can on the Keymont Hotel.
- If it's a corporation, who's behind it. - A hunch?
I've gotta find out why a third-rate hotel would send a clerk to Mexico
- to collect a bill. - Where will you be?
- The office. Call me as you get it. - Right, Perry.
MASON: Excuse me.
Lieutenant, can I see you for a minute?
- Go ahead. - Yeah, I guess so.
Well, this is it, Paul.
One more thing, be sure and have that handwriting expert in court.
Right, Perry.
Oh, Jaffrey.
I'd like to talk to you, Mason.
I haven't got much time. I'm due back in court in a few minutes.
How come the office is empty?
One of my stenographers is getting married.
They're giving her a luncheon.
Now, what can I do for you?
A little while ago, back there in court,
it sounded to me like maybe you have this Claremont case on ice.
Well, I'm glad you were listening.
- Do you know who killed him? - Why?
Well, it's kind of a personal thing with me.
You see, Bob Claremont was one of my boys.
It would mean a good deal to me if I could bring in his killer.
- Promotion? - No, I don't care about that.
Then why don't you make it easy on yourself.
How?
Give up.
What are you talking about?
You killed Claremont and you killed Fayette
or you had him killed.
Mason, are you out of your mind?
Claremont was an honest cop doing his job.
He got a lead on you through Tom Sedgewick.
He went to the Keymont Hotel to find you, remember?
Are-- Are you trying to frame me to take the heat off your client?
You were in Fayette's room the night Claremont went there.
I was nowhere near that hotel.
You're lying, Jaffrey.
Your protégé, Frank Hoxie, testified that Claremont was at the hotel.
Eventually, he's gonna tell us that you were there too.
Hoxie, a con like Hoxie will say anything under pressure.
You had him sent on a phoney trip to Mexico for a month.
You had him kept there till the case died out of the papers.
You never give up, do you?
That was a pretty smart insurance policy you had figured out,
planting a dead policeman's gun on Sedgewick, an innocent man.
Save it, Mason. You're nowhere.
You were safe as long as Sedgewick was a fugitive
but he came back.
Now why Fayette was killed?
Because he got panicky when Dixie Dayton got away?
I never saw George Fayette in my life.
I never even knew he existed until the night he was killed.
What's that?
A receipt you signed when you took the record of Fayette's arrest
for bookmaking out of the Police Department's files.
Look, I'm a cop.
I take hundreds of records out of the file every day
and I sign receipts for them.
It's part of my job.
Mason, you're wasting my time.
Mr. Wilson.
Is it part of your job to own the Keymont Hotel?
A copy of the incorporation papers with your signature.
You can change your name, Jaffrey, but not your handwriting.
[DOOR SHUTS]
Put it away, Jaffrey.
You're through. You've got no place to hide.
Let me worry about that.
You put a lot of pieces together, Mason,
but you aren't going anywhere with it.
How do you expect to stop me?
Easy.
I'm going to arrest you for trying to bribe me into perjuring myself.
Think you can make it stick?
I don't have to.
You're gonna resist me
and I'll have to shoot you in the line of duty.
All they gotta do is half-believe me and I'm home.
Hold it, Jaffrey.
[GUNSHOTS]
Okay, lieutenant.
Wasn't one cop enough, you miserable...
MASON: You all right, Tragg? - Yeah.
Just sick to my stomach at the sight of him.
You work hard at your job.
You try to take pride in what you're doing,
and then a fink like this comes along
and makes a rotten thing out of his badge.
Here, I'd better call an ambulance.
Yeah, call an ambulance.
Don't hurry.
It's too bad Tragg couldn't come with us.
Oh, he has a job to do.
It'll take days just to get Sedgewick's statement.
And Jaffrey had a lot of rackets going.
Yeah, he was a tough one, all right.
And careless.
That night at the Keymont Hotel
when we showed him the lipstick message, he slipped.
How did he give himself away?
He wasn't curious.
He knew it was there because he put it there,
so he didn't bother to walk across the room
and look at it again for our benefit.
Come to think of it, he didn't.
After that, came something more basic.
Paul, the last thing a police officer would let you do
is take his gun away from him.
He'd rather be killed fighting it out.
But he would turn his gun over to another officer who outranked him.
And Jaffrey was Claremont's superior.
Oh, enjoy your dinner, folks?
- Fine. - Wonderful, Morey.
How about a little dessert?
I might just find room for a piece of pie and coffee.
Ice cream for me, Morey. Chocolate.
Right, how about you, Mr. Mason?
Oh, anything and coffee.
Anything?
Anything but a moth-eaten mink.
[ALL CHUCKLING]