Perry Mason

Thank you.

Oh, did you include the paragraph on the cost of the drilling rig?

And the estimates of the well in case it has to go deeper than 5,000 feet?

- Yes, sir. - Good.

You wanna see if this covers it, Miss Howard?

Thank you.

I think this ought to be a very profitable investment

for both of us, Miss Howard, and I hope--

Now, remember, this is the last time you come here.

Well, all right, Bruce. If that's the way you feel, I'll stay out of your way.

I just wanted to make sure we had everything down in black and white.

Roxy.

- Change your mind? Ha-ha. - I ought to kill you.

Do you see the model house, Mr. Mason?

Yes.

Well, now look at the swimming pool.

Now do you see the girl?

- Quite a bit of her, as a matter of fact. - That's Roxy Howard.

She go with the model house?

No, Mr. Mason. She goes with my husband.

You come up here quite often, Mrs. Granger?

I guess you think it's wrong of me spying on them like this.

No, not wrong. Just very cruel to yourself.

I thought so too at first.

I never knew that hate had a taste all of its own

that kind of fills your throat and chokes you.

But it doesn't get you back the man you love.

Mr. Mason, that's why I asked you to come up here.

Plainly because I thought if you saw what I was fighting

that maybe you'd take my case.

There are any number of good divorce lawyers.

I don't want a divorce. I want Bruce.

Oh, Mr. Mason, he's worth fighting for.

You just can't give up 15 years of married life,

of love and companionship, of being part of another person,

just because one of you makes a silly mistake.

You're a very unusual woman.

No, just a woman who wants her husband.

What would you like me to do?

Do you see all this property, Mr. Mason?

- Did they put up the model home? - Yes, but that's as far as they'll go.

They think they found oil on the property now.

What's all this got to do with Miss Howard?

Well, the Sylvan Glade Company didn't have enough money to drill

so Miss Howard persuaded my husband to finance the operation.

And if they find oil on the property, she gets half his profits.

Not bad.

- She own that model home? - No, they're just letting her live in it.

I understand she has a very good friend in the company.

- Any idea who this friend is? - No.

Apparently Miss Howard has thought of everything.

Not quite.

Not if I can get you to block the deal.

How do you expect me to do that?

By buying stock in the Sylvan Glade Company.

Oh, I'll put up the money. But once you're a stockholder, you'll find a way.

You believe that if Miss Howard

can't realise a fast profit on your husband, the romance will sour.

That's right and then she'll play the part of the nagging wife.

And when she does, I'll be there waiting

with laughter and companionship.

And I'll be playing the part of the other woman.

What if your husband finds out?

Oh, but he mustn't find out. That would ruin everything.

That's why I want you to do this all in your name.

Well, Mr. Mason?

- I'll do everything I can to help. - Oh, thank you.

But buying that stock could prove very expensive.

I'll get the money for it somehow.

Where's your son-in-law, Lutts? We wanna start the meeting.

Oh, Herbert. Will you come on out here so we can get down to business?

Sorry. I was just getting the minutes in order.

Well, now, before Herbert reads the minutes

of our Sylvan Glade Development Company,

I have a couple of announcements to make.

I've asked Mr. Granger and Miss Howard

to attend this meeting so we can close the oil deal that we have with them.

We also have another guest, Mr. Perry Mason.

What's he doing here?

Mr. Mason has bought some of my stock in the corporation.

Wait a minute, he's a lawyer, isn't he?

That's right. - Who are you representing?

The stock is in my name.

Well, you're representing somebody. You didn't just drop out of thin air.

Oh, Sam Elkins. For once, let's have a meeting

without all the fuss and feathers. We've got important business here.

Business that means money in all our pockets.

Now, Mr. Granger here is prepared to finance our drilling operations

as soon as we've passed a corporate resolution

to exploit the oil and mineral rights of our county property.

- We have agreed that, in exchange-- - Uh, Mr. Chairman.

- Excuse me. - Yes?

I'm confused.

I was under the impression you were going to subdivide

that county property for tract houses.

I don't care what your impression was.

We're here to talk money, not impressions, and oil is money.

And how do we know there really is oil?

Most speculative.

- How many shares does he have? - Let's vote him out of the room.

I move we proceed at once

to exploit the mineral and oil rights of our tract number 136.

Wait, before you vote,

better have a look at your corporate bylaws, Paragraph 2, Section 16.

"It will be binding upon this corporation

to secure the unanimous consent of all stockholders

before undertaking any activity not specifically identified

with the construction of home dwelling units

and the acquisition of property therefore."

I am unalterably opposed to the business

now before this board. Good day, gentlemen.

Can he do this to us?

How much did he pay you for those shares?

- Why, that's none of your business. - It's all of our business.

If you hadn't let him buy in, this wouldn't have happened.

Well, they're my shares I can do what I like with them.

Suppose there is no oil? I've got to protect myself.

- And sell us down the river, is that it? Yes.

- Maybe you and Mason-- - Where do you think you're going?

Isn't it obvious? The deal's off.

Oh, no, it isn't. They'll figure something out.

As far as we're concerned, the deal is still on

unless you want me to do business with your wife.

Listen to me, Mr. Mason. I need that stock. I've got to get it back.

I'll give you $36,000--

Hello? Mr. Mason. Hello? Hello?

He won't even listen to me.

He can make 10 percent on his investment in one day

and he won't even listen to me.

Papa, don't get so excited. It's bad for you.

Come on, eat your dinner before it gets cold.

What does the man want? What's he trying to do to me?

Oh, so you had to buy steak at $1.34 a pound.

What's the matter with you? You think I'm made of money?

- Oh, please. - Isn't it enough that I feed you

and your husband, and clothe you, let you live in my house rent-free?

Do you have to bleed me dry?

Vinnie didn't mean any harm, George.

Oh, you keep out of this. Oh, I don't know. I don't understand.

Everybody tries to take advantage of me. You, Elkins, Mason.

Did Mason say why he wouldn't sell the stock back to you?

Oh, some nonsense

about wanting to keep the property clear for development. Ha.

But, Herbert, you're always out there, fixing up that model house.

You ever seen Mason hanging around?

- No, not that I remember. -Ever see anybody?

What about Mrs. Granger, Herbert?

Sybil Granger? Bruce Granger's wife?

- It's nothing. Forget it. - What do you mean forget it?

- Did you see her there or didn't you? - Yeah.

Every day last week, wasn't it?

- Oh, Vinnie, please. - But you told me.

Papa, she's up there every afternoon on the hilltop

in back of the model house.

She watches it with binoculars.

- The house? - Mm-hm.

Well, there's nothing to see at the house--

Wait a minute. We're letting Roxy Howard live at the house.

And Bruce Granger's been paying her a lot of attention.

He's up there too, Papa. Herbert has seen him.

- Why didn't you tell me this before? - I didn't think it was important.

- My hind foot. - Papa, your dinner.

Keep it warm.

Vinnie, I wish you hadn't said anything about this.

Why not? At least it got his mind off the steak.

Hello, Sam? George Lutts.

No, no. I haven't got the stock back yet, but I will.

Now, listen. You have bank connections.

Find out if Mason deposited a cheque from Mrs. Bruce Granger.

That's right. Mrs. Bruce Granger. She's behind all our troubles.

Enjoying the view? Oh, there's no need to be scared, ma'am.

I'm George Lutts. My company owns all this property.

How do you do?

You interested in acquiring a piece of land?

- No, no. I'm just looking around. - Hmm.

Mind if I look?

Sometimes there's an awfully good view from up here.

Mm, no, nothing much to see today. Maybe tomorrow, though.

Mr. Lutts, why did you come up here? It certainly wasn't by accident.

Let me put it this way, ma'am.

It's just as accidental as Mr. Mason's buying stock in my company.

The way I see it, he bought those shares for you.

I want them back.

Or else I'll tell your husband that you've been spying on him.

And also that you--

Mr. Lutts.

Taxi.

Help me!

- Where to, miss? - Just drive on. I'll tell you where later.

"Question: Mr. Mason.

'What happened after your car went into the ditch?'

Answer: Mrs. Granger. 'I was petrified. I didn't know which way to turn.

I just wanted to get away from there as fast as I could.

I ran down to the highway. I was lucky enough to find this cab."'

I don't know how lucky that is. The driver's sure to remember you.

Did you keep your taxi receipt?

Uh... Yes, I think I did.

The Skyline Cab Company. Trip number 971, $2.95.

I gave the driver a 55-cent tip.

Do you own a gun?