Perry Mason

That's what I get for showing off, Carla.

You looked good while it lasted, Mark. All the girls were watching.

Never mind that. All I know is I goofed.

And I'm not sure they picked up all the pieces.

Well, as the man says:

"That concludes the performance for this evening."

And just in time. It stopped raining.

Well, you're not planning on leaving, are you?

You said that concluded the performance for the evening.

- Is there a cartoon? - Yeah.

Later. Right now, it's time for the intermission.

Would you like me to fix you another drink?

No, and I don't want any popcorn either.

- Mark. - Don't fight me, baby.

Let me go.

Betsy. Betsy, wake up.

Did you hear that?

- Betsy, Betsy. - What?

- Didn't you hear that? - What's the matter with you?

How could I hear anything? I was asleep.

It sounded like a shot, and breaking glass.

Well, you must have been having a nightmare.

I tell you I heard a shot. Came from Mark Cushing's place.

- Did you look? - No, it's--

- What was that? - How do I know?

- Go look. - You go.

- What's going on? - I don't know about the shot,

but you heard breaking glass, all right. The window's busted.

Anybody there?

Don't see nobody.

Sam. Sam, come here.

- Huh? What is it? - Come here.

Look.

Isn't that Belle Adrian?

Yeah. It's Mrs. Adrian, all right.

- I don't get it. - Something funny's going on here.

Sam, you better call the sheriff.

Oh, Betsy. If Belle Adrian's there, it's all right.

- I gotta get my bathrobe, don't I? - Just to talk on a telephone?

Well, it's damp downstairs.

You can stop stalling. She's gone.

Well, I wasn't stalling.

I was just commenting, which is entirely different.

Well, I'll go call the sheriff now.

Looks like a piece out of a small mirror.

See if you can find the rest of it.

Oh, that will be the doc or Sam Burris.

Fellows, just keep on with your work.

- Hi, Bert. - Sam.

Oh, uh...

Let's talk over here.

Thanks.

What can you tell me about this, Sam?

No more than I told you on the phone.

I heard this shot, the sound of busting glass,

then this woman screamed.

Any idea who this woman was?

Now, you wouldn't be holding out on me, would you, Sam?

- Why would I do that? - You didn't like Mr. Cushing, there.

No, I didn't. You know darn well he swindled me, Bert.

Now, that was an everyday business deal.

Everyday business deal, my foot.

Look, Bert, you know me long enough.

Heck, I didn't like the man and if he dropped dead

that would have suited me fine, but this kind of thing, well...

Sure. Sure, Sam.

- Anything else you want? - No.

No, just be careful going home.

Well, that was a pretty heavy rain we had tonight.

Help bring out the tracks of anybody who might have been here.

- We don't wanna mess them up. - I got you.

Just a minute. I'll be right there.

Good morning, Mr.--

You are Perry Mason, aren't you? The lawyer?

Yes.

I'm Mrs. Adrian, Belle Adrian.

We have the place just around the bend.

Could I speak to you a minute?

Well, uh... Well, yes. Come in.

I know you're here for a rest, Mr. Mason,

and I-- I hate to bother you,

it's just that we're in such desperate trouble.

What is it?

It's-- Well--

There's been a murder.

Please sit down, Mrs. Adrian.

Oh, Mr. Mason, I don't know how to thank you--

Well, perhaps we'd better save that until we see what I can do.

Now, just go ahead. I'll light a fire.

Well,

we aren't actually involved in this personally, you understand?

We?

My daughter, Carla, and myself.

But I'm afraid that she may become involved in the notoriety.

Did you know Mark Cushing?

Yes, we'd met.

Carla had dinner with him last night at his lodge.

It's next to ours in the other direction.

After she left, he was shot.

- Murdered. - How did you find that out?

Sam Burris told us.

He's the one who notified the sheriff.

He and his wife heard a woman scream.

- When was this? - About 2:30.

Were your daughter and Cushing alone at the end of the evening?

Yes. His cook left after she served dinner and cleared up.

- Her name's Nora Fleming. - What time did your daughter leave?

About 11:30, I should say. Or a little after.

She home now?

I don't think you have much to worry about.

Just have your daughter tell the sheriff the truth.

Oh, I'm not afraid of the sheriff, Mr. Mason,

Carla's innocent, of course. But Mark Cushing was--

Maybe you know his reputation with girls.

And with Carla there that night--

You know how the papers can make it sound.

Right.

I wouldn't have much influence with the newspapers.

Oh, I didn't mean that.

I thought if you could find that woman who screamed,

perhaps the newspapers would concentrate on her

and leave Carla out of it.

Yes, that might be helpful,

but what you need is a detective. I'm a lawyer.

However, I do employ a good agency.

I'd be glad to ask him to come up and help.

- Oh, I'd be so grateful if you would. - All right.

- Excuse me. - Sure.

Long distance, please.

Oh, well, I'd like to speak to Paul Drake,

the Drake Detective Agency in Los Angeles.

The telephone number is-- Oh, wait a minute.

Try him at Crestview 97441.

It's the sheriff, Mr. Mason.

I was hoping I could get home before he found I was here.

- Mr. Mason? - Yes.

I'm Sheriff Bert Elmore.

I'd like to speak to Mrs. Adrian if I may, please?

Of course. Come in.

Does this concern the Mark Cushing murder, sheriff?

- That's right. Morning, Mrs. Adrian. - Good morning, sheriff.

I'd like to ask you a few questions, if I may?

Oh, are you her lawyer?

Let's just say I'm advising her for the moment.

I'm sure she'll give you all the help she can.

Won't you make yourself comfortable?

Thank you.

We've already talked to your daughter.

That's how I found out you were here.

Why did you rush over here to see Mr. Mason?

Oh, I didn't rush, sheriff.

Though I did come as soon as I heard, of course.

Why?

Well, there's obviously going to be some publicity about all this.

I wanted to keep Carla's name out of it if possible.

How could Mr. Mason do that?

By finding out the name of the other woman. The one who screamed.

Mr. Adrian, did you know anything about this murder

before Sam Burris came and told you?

Why, of course not. How could I?

What time did your daughter get home?

About 11:30, I should say.

It rained last night, Mrs. Adrian. Good and heavy.

- Yes, I know. - I did some checking around.

I found your daughter's car out where she left it on the road.

The ground under the car was wet so she had the flat tyre after it rained.

There's also some footprints in the mud,

tracks leading from the car to your house.

Mrs. Adrian, your daughter couldn't have got in till after 1 at the earliest.

Of course, I could be mistaken about the time, sheriff, but I'm--

I think we should hear the sheriff out, Mrs. Adrian. I believe...

- I believe there's something else? - Yes. Yes, there is.

That whole stretch of ground there is kind of sandy

and I found a set of woman's tracks leading from the car

to the Cushing house and back again.

- Those couldn't possibly belong to-- - Is, uh--?

- Is that all? - No. No, it's not.

There's another set of woman's footprints, Mrs. Adrian.

Leading from your house over to the Cushing house and back.

Now, then, what about those tracks, Mrs. Adrian?

Did you go over to the Cushing house yourself?

Why, of course not. Why should I?

Well, that's what I'm wondering about.

Well, we may be wanting to talk to you and your daughter again, Mrs. Adrian,

so don't go anywhere without letting us know first.

- See you again, Mr. Mason. Bye. Bye.

It begins to look like you need a lawyer after all.

Well, hi, Della. Come on in.

Quite a layout. You're really roughing it, aren't you?

Would you believe it? Only three baths.

Some vacation,

you come up here for a rest and I have to follow with half the office.

Have any trouble getting here?

No, the roads are pretty well dried out.

Morning, beautiful.

Paul Drake, when did you get here?

- I thought I started early. - I flew up in a chartered plane.

What happened?

"Murder," he says. And what's he want?

Just the licence number of every car that's up here, that's all.