The Traitor

Colonel Price!

Charles Price here.

'One moment, sir. Incoming call from Berlin.'

- 'Go ahead, please.' - Hello?

Theodore Dehmel here, colonel.

- I have news for you. - Have you found Zimmerman?

Yes. Hiding over here in a displaced persons camp.

Did he give you the name of the man we want?

- Yes, sir. - Who is it?

I'd rather not say it over the telephone.

- Better if I came to England. - 'As you wish.'

- When will the others be there? - Sometime tomorrow the 25th.

I'll send them the usual cablegrams to remind them.

Good. I'll be with you tomorrow evening.

In a way, Theodore, I'm sorry you've done such a good job.

I know what you mean, sir.

If you like I can forget what I know.

I have a bad memory.

No, no, no, I'll finish what I started.

See you tomorrow then, 11:30.

Oh, and thank you, Theodore.

Goodbye.

The end of a search stint.

You don't sound pleased, sir.

Doesn't please me to know that I'll have to kill

one of my best friends in the next 36 hours.

Of course not, sir.

You'd better send the cables.

The usual places, sir?

Yeah. Uh, Joseph's playing at La Scala, Milan.

Have the others arrived?

You and your father are the last.

Oh. We should have caught an earlier plane.

Oh, don't fuss.

Sadness on a night like this?

Memories belong to the past.

Sure this music is for the future?

Professor!

Vicki!

Hello, professor! Good to see you.

- How are you? - How are you?

Most of us live in Liepzburg yet we must all wait

until we come to England before meeting.

Stefan.

Stefan..

...after dinner I'd like to have a talk with you in the study.

Are you in trouble, Charles?

Something very likely.

All of us are your friends, Charles.

Good friends.

Let's go to dinner.

Ladies and gentlemen..

...Gerhart Kerrer.

Gerhart Kerrer.

As you know, during war, Gerhart Kerrer

the leader of our underground movement in Liepzburg

was executed by the Nazis.

I became your new leader.

Each year since the war we have met

on the anniversary of his death.

For this brief meeting between friends

'some of you have traveled far...very far..'

What are you trying to say, Charles?

The doctor is right.

I'm trying to say something and I'm finding it very difficult.

Stefan Toller says that memories belong to the past.

And that I couldn't agree more.

But tonight, the memory of Gerhart Kerrer

'becomes very much a part of the present.'

Gerhart Kerrer was executed by the Nazis.

But he was betrayed by someone in this room.

Have you..

Yes, Thomas?

Have you any proof, sir?

My man is arriving from Berlin.

He will bring the name of the traitor.

I presume that the police will be kept out of this.

It need concern only us.

- What time will he get here? - 'Eleven thirty.'

He's catching the 8:10 plane from Berlin.

Who is it?

Who is it? Stefan?

Who is it?

Oh..

Theodore!

There's...there's been a mistake.

One of us was too quick for you, Charles.

There's nobody but myself to blame.

I should've anticipated this.

Did he have time to-to name one of us?

No. All he said was "There's been a mistake."

Well, couldn't that mean

that-that Gerhart wasn't betrayed?

That it was all a mistake?

That's why one of us stabbed him

because he was bringing such good news.

- Will the knife help? - I'm afraid not.

This happens to belong to me.

It's one of a pair from the hall.

Apparently, our murderer has the other knife.

Take care of this, Clinton.

When Theodore came into this house tonight

the knife was already in his back.

Tell me, doctor, how long can a man live like that?

Well, it depends.

Any exertion would hasten the death.

Walking, two or three minutes, no more.

That places Theodore at the front door when it happened.

I don't suppose anybody has anything to say?

Just wondering.

When I came into this room tonight

the lights were out and everyone was gone.

Stefan...was anybody here when you came out from the study?

Oh, Vicki, Joseph, Friederich, everybody.

Who was the first to leave?

Me I suppose.

Vicki and I were next. We went upstairs.

I took father to his room and-and then I went to mine.

I must have been next.

I went into the dining room...for a drink.

When I came back into this room, Baum was by himself.

The doctor and I went upstairs to our rooms...together.

That's quite correct, Charles.

Now, Thomas, you came back from the dining room. What then?

Well, Baum spoke to me for a while before going upstairs.

I finished my drink.

Alone.

And walked...in the garden.

There were drinks in here.

Why'd you go into the dining room?

The siphon wasn't there.

Which one of you switched off the lights?

Doctor, you went upstairs with Friederich

but a short while ago you came in from the garden.

I...I left Friederich and came down

to see if the others were here. The room was in darkness.

The front door was open, I went to close it

and then I decided to go for a stroll.

Why didn't you switch on the lights?

It wasn't necessary.

You were lucky, doctor, not to have met the murderer.

He must have just switched off the lights

to cover the theft of the knives.

But why both of them?

The murderer's polite way of warning us

that he will kill again... to safeguard himself.

Coming from you, Joseph, that is a brilliant deduction.

Between the time when you were all leaving this room

and Clinton coming to fetch you..

...did any of you see each other?

How convenient for the murderer.

What happens now?

Frankly, I don't know.

Well, I do.

One of us betrayed Gerhart to the Nazis.

It's murder.

'The same person killed the colonel's man.'

One of us is a cold-blooded killer.

And I for one intend to see the killer pay for the murders!

I-I think we all feel like that

but unless the guilty one confesses I--

We shall all be here till kingdom come.

I need hardly tell you..

...the need for urgency in getting rid of our caller.

Will you please all relax.

Thomas, be carful.

Joseph, will you play something?

Clinton.

Is your master in?

- Who is it, Clinton? - Two gentlemen, sir.

- Army officers. - 'Show them in.'

Please don't let us disturb you.

Not at all.

This is Major Shane.

I'm Bobby.

Lt. Grant

I'm Price. Charles Price.

Colonel Price? Stutton?

Sorry for the intrusion, colonel. Ignition burnout.

We took the liberty of leaving our car in your drive.

May we phone the camp from here?

Well, certainly.

That piece you are playing, I didn't recognize it.

Oh, you wouldn't. It's my own.

Has it a name?

- It's called Prelude-- - It's a prelude without a name.

'We're through, sir.'

Sgt. Davis, Major Shane.

Our car has broken down.

Ignition.

It's in Colonel Price's drive

two miles east of the London Wells Road.

You do know it? Well, good.

When?

That's too long. I'll expect you in two hours.

What's the news, sir?

All transportations out in the ranges.

May be a few hours before they can get here.

It's bad luck.

When you finish your drink, lieutenant