Charlie Chan in The Jade Mask

Hello. Who's there?

I say, who's there?

Who is at the gate? Please answer.

Michael, where have you been?

Did you hear that shot?

Harper, you're a suspicious fool.

If it weren't for me, you'd have no notes at all.

I like you, Meeker.

You do your job well.

You're honest. That's why I like you.

I like your work, Harper...

but otherwise, I detest you as much as anyone else in this house.

Absent-minded as usual. You forgot to make your notes.

-Yes, Roth? -I must see you, sir.

There's a murderer about the place.

One of your relatives, no doubt.

Coming, Roth.

What's this about a murderer?

Wait. Go on, Meeker, we're through for the night.

Subtle as a blast of TNT, isn't he?

What was it this time?

Someone shot at me from the gate.

Was everyone at home here?

No, Michael was outside, working in the garage.

None of them are going to get what they're after.

Let's go and see if anyone's been tampering.

Strange safety vault, eh, Roth?

Both doors wide open to anyone finding that panel in the hall.

Like a spider's web, sir.

Easy to get into, impossible to get out of.

And I'm the spider?

No, nobody's tried to steal it yet.

What in blazes is that new word combination?

Can you hear me?

Did you call, sir?

Yes, of course. Will you....

Never mind, I remember.

Works beautifully, Roth.

Any thief who enters there will die within an hour.

If he has a gas mask, he'll die of starvation before I let him out.

Of course, sir, you would.

Only we know the word combination, Roth.

And even you can't rob me...

because the words have to be spoken in my voice.

Yes, sir. You think of almost everything.

About the shot fired at me, shall I call the police?

I've told you before, I don't want police here.

Yes, sir, but I like police, especially when there's a murderer about.

Don't let them come into the house.

I don't trust police any more than I trust my own relatives...

or my servants.

Hello. Who is there, please?

-Police. Open the gate. -Police?

But no one called you here.

No, but I want to see someone in there. Open up.

Who's there? Hold on.

Who are you? What are you doing in there?

Police! Open the door.

Why were you so long coming from the gate?

-I thought I saw a prowler in the grounds. -Inside?

No one could get inside!

However, there is someone outside with a gun.

-Come on, open the door. -Mr. Harper wants no one inside.

-You should look around outside the gates. -Okay, I'll do that.

-Ready to go? Yeah.

Is that you, Roth?

Who's there?

Answer me, who's there?

Mr. Chan, it sure is good that you's a big detective.

You sure carries a lot of weight.

My personality always count in end.

Your personality is all right, but just ain't enough of it to close this bag.

Eddie, remove nose from book and come over here.

Please call me Edward, Father. Eddie is so juvenile.

Number four son, Eddie...

is very expensively educated bookworm.

Please, forget brain and use brawn.

Very well, but your modus operandi is all wrong.

According to the science of gravity...

the pressure of the weight of a solid body is useless...

unless directed solely at a single point.

His language is strictly stratospheric...

too high-flown for me.

Allow me to demonstrate. Pardon me.

There you are.

Charlie Chan speaking.

Good evening, Inspector Godfrey.

Charlie, I'll pick you up in five minutes. Murder case.

Murder? I'm very sorry, Inspector...

but I'm not interested in murder now.

I'll second the motion in a hurry.

But please, I must be back in Washington, D.C. tomorrow.

I've contacted Washington, Charlie. They want you on the case...

because the victim was working on something the government's interested in.

That is new look on old business.

Will be ready to leave for Harper house...

on Cove Road immediately.

Mr. Chan, you changed your mind and ruined my peace of mind.

Pardon my exuberance, Pop, but let's go.

Excuse, please.

Name on police invitation mine, not yours. Goodbye.

-Can you beat that? -That's just what I want to do, beat it.

Why, he's on another one of them murder things.

You know, Charlie, it takes nature two million years to make coal.

Scientists now perform the same process in two hours.

Harper, working along similar lines, has a gas process...

that hardens wood to the toughness and durability of metal.

Such process extremely valuable to any nation...

in war or peace.

That's why the government wants you on the scene.

Harper's home is out of my jurisdiction.

Sheriff Mack in charge of the case phoned me to bring him a good man.

-Evening, Sheriff. -Evening, Inspector.

-Where's the body? -Yeah, that's what keeps me worrying, too.

Roth here says it's murder, but so far I ain't seen no victim.

It must be murder. I was in my room, ready to retire. Then the buzzer sounded.

-It was Mr. Harper in the gas chamber. -What did he say?

He was gasping as if choked and said: "Roth, I've been murdered. It was...."

Then there was silence.

I telephoned the Sheriff and got dressed.

When I came down, Sheriff Mack had arrived. I let him in.

-We went into the gas chamber-- -And found nothing, not even Harper.

-We woke everyone and searched the house. -Still nothing.

-We searched the grounds. -Same thing, nothing.

Seems as if question to be...

was Mr. Harper alive or dead when he so strangely disappeared?

Yeah, seems as if.

-That is gas chamber? -Yep, that's it.

Wait. Be careful.

You need a mask to go in there.

Gas is deadly?

No, but it causes painful nausea after half an hour.

Thank you. You are....

Walter Meeker, laboratory assistant to Mr. Harper.

Thank you so much.

You have questioned all of these people, Sheriff?

Well, now that you mention it, that's just what I was gonna do.

Well, now, I want to know who you are, what you are...

what you're doing and what you been doing. Stands to reason we got to know.

-Does that cover the ground? -Most thoroughly, Sheriff.

You know me, Mack.

Socially, yes, but this is business, so speak up.

I'm Louise Harper, sister to the dead...

-the missing man. -Sister?

And yet you wear uniform of housekeeper.

I'm his orphan niece, and he made me his housemaid.

-I'm Jean Kent. -And you?

-You refuse to speak? -He can't speak, sir.

He's Michael Strong, chauffeur, handyman, and a mute.

I'm Stella Graham.

I was assisting Mr. Harper in experiments with puppets.

-Experiments with puppets? -And ventriloquist and display dummies.

Mr. Harper had an idea for a toy robot for children.

Seems Mr. Harper have many irons in same fire.

-You are butler, Mr. Roth? -Yes, sir.

I've been with Mr. Harper for 15 years.

In serious moment, you think of something funny?

If something has happened to Mr. Harper, Roth just admitted he's your chief suspect.

Explain, please.

Anyone who had to be near Harper disliked him, even hated him.

Roth has been with him years longer than anyone else.

So, Roth hated him more than any of us possibly could.

Is what gentleman say true, Mr. Roth?

No one knows my opinion of Mr. Harper except myself.

And no one else ever will know.

When you rouse household...

all inmates have retired?

Everyone. Except Mr. Meeker.

I was just retiring.

When I went upstairs, I left Harper with Roth.

By the way...

since you let everyone in and out of here, what about that policeman I saw upstairs?

He came up to the door, then he left the grounds.

Oh, no! He was inside. Jean and I saw him.

No, Stella's wrong.

I saw no policeman at all.

But you did. We both saw him at the same time in the hall.

I'm sorry, but Miss Graham must be mistaken.

-Policeman from city force? -Must have been. I got none.

Must have been Jim Kimball. He's nearest here.

I'll check.

You folks stay here until we want you again.

The way I packed, things are liable to pop when I open this bag.

So look out, you're liable to see a barrage of haberdashers popping out.

Hey, you didn't go and buy a new bag? You know I only got two hands.

-Well, these are for the people moving in. -Moving in?

But we haven't moved out!

Oh, that's what you think. Mr. Chan checked out today.

There's not another room in the whole hotel!

Well, no matter what Pop says, he can't keep me from murder now.

Murder? Hey, now wait, fellas, wait a minute.

It's not my fault you lost your rooms. Really it isn't.

Murder!

Now what do you suppose is the matter with him?

-You said, "murder," didn't you? -Sure.

Don't use that word! You know what it does to me.

Oh, don't be silly, Birmingham. Come on, let's go.

Well, move over, trouble, here we come again.

This looks like an excellent place for murder.

That's what I thought, but now by you agreeing with me, don't make me happy.