Perry Mason

It's time you learned I will not change my mind.

I've learned more than that. You're a mean, selfish man.

Trying to make me and everybody as miserable as you are.

Please, Fran, will you stop shrieking

long enough to hear what I have to say?

I don't care what you say. I don't care what you think.

Enough. I will not have a child talk to me like that.

I'm not a child, Uncle Edward.

- I'm 23. I'm a grown woman. - Then act like one.

Use your grown-up mentality to understand--

Why don't you use yours? It's not a complicated idea at all.

- Not even for you. - Now, you listen to me, young--

Miss Fran. Miss Frances, wait.

- Good morning, Graves. - Mr. Crinston.

You couldn't have picked a worse time to come, sir.

He said to come right away. As a matter of fact,

I had to get an adjournment on one of my cases.

I'm sorry, but he and Miss Celane,

they've been arguing ever since breakfast.

- That'll put him in a good mood. - Yes.

Well, he's alone now.

- I'll see what I can do, sir. - Thank you, Graves.

- I can't take it any longer, Clara. - It'll all come out right.

- Soon he'll lose his hold on you, and-- - Soon?

How long do you think I can wait? I want it now, and I'll have it now.

It'll only make things worse.

Miss Fran, you have everything to live for.

If he's bad, let the badness be his own--

Oh, stop preaching, Clara. I've had enough of that too.

Sorry, Mr. Crinston. Just as I told you, he can't see you until tonight.

Tonight? But I have an appointment with Judge Purley through 10:00.

Make it at 11, then.

- All right. All right, 11:00 it is. - And Mr. Crinston.

- Need I remind you? - Yes, I know, I know, 11:00 sharp.

Ah, easy, easy, Fran. Don't let him throw you.

Maybe you have to take it, Mr. Crinston, but I'm not his attorney.

- I wanna see Mr. Mason. Is he in? - I'll get his secretary for you.

Don't bother.

No, it's up to Burger and the police to--

What?

No, as I said--

I'll call you back, Paul.

- Thank you. - Mr. Mason, I'm--

This is all I could find, chief.

If it isn't in those, Della, we'd better drop it.

This is my secretary, Della Street, Miss, um...?

- Celane. Frances Celane. - Hello.

Miss Street likes to maintain an air of formality in the office.

Things like appointments.

I haven't time for appointments, Mr. Mason.

I need help. I'm being cheated out of a fortune.

Why don't you sit down?

That's fine.

Now, start from the beginning.

Well, I need a lawyer who knows all about wills and trusts.

Well, probate's not my speciality. I'm a trial lawyer.

- There are people-- - There'll be a trial. A big one.

High-priced on both sides, name-calling, headlines.

- You're contesting a will? - A trust.

It'll run over a million dollars. I'm willing to pay a lot to break it.

- Who created the trust? - My father, Carl Celane.

- He died two years ago. - Oh, yes, I recall.

The property was left to my uncle, Edward Norton, as absolute trustee.

Absolute trustee?

And I assume you don't like supervision.

Not when it's unreasonable.

- What are the terms of the trust? - It's a spendthrift trust.

Uncle Edward controls all the money. My money.

He gives me as little or as much as he wants when he wants it.

- He can go on doing that forever. - Well, what do you want me to do?

- Fix it so I can get married. - Well, why can't you?

Uncle Edward says I cannot. Not till I'm 25, he says.

By then I should be "emotionally stable enough to enter into marriage."

- That's quoting him, not me. - How old are you now?

Twenty-three last June.

Why not wait a couple of years? It sounds profitable.

- I said I wanna get married now. - Why?

I suppose you've discussed this with your uncle.

I'm through discussing anything with him.

Look, I'm in a hurry. I wanna get this settled. I wanna get it settled now.

Will you help me?

I'll have to check a few things first. May take a day or so.

- Can you wait that long? - Well, I guess so.

I live with my uncle, Edward Norton, at Laurelwood.

Thank you.

- Well, goodbye, Miss Street. - Goodbye.

- Goodbye. - Bye.

Forgive me if I acted badly. I'm a little upset this morning.

Yes, I noticed.

- Gertie. - Yes, Mr. Mason?

Get hold of Paul Drake, will you please?

Yes, sir.

Strong-willed little thing, wasn't she?

Yes, and like most headstrong people, she's scared.

Of what?

Well, you know,

she's scared of losing security or scared of losing someone she loves.

- Yes, Gertie? - Mr. Drake's on the wire.

Thanks. Hello, Paul.

What's going on, Perry? Why'd you cut me off?

Sorry, I had an unexpected visitor.

I figured, but I didn't know if it was blond or brunette.

What I wanted to tell you was that Burger--

No, no, forget about that. I've got another job for you.

Miss Frances Celane.

C-E-L-A-N-E.

Background, family history, the works.

Come.

Graves said you wanted to speak to me, Mr. Norton.

I certainly did, Clara.

It's time we had a clear understanding about your position here.

My position, sir?

Ten years ago, you were hired as a housekeeper.

Yes, sir.

Not Miss Celane's personal maid and confidante.

Somebody had to look after the child. Mr. Celane was very pleased that I did.

Was he pleased with the way you helped her defy him?

I certainly am not.

Miss Fran needs love and understanding.

She needs discipline.

I'm warning you right now, Clara.

I will not have you undermining my authority.

You give her one more word of encouragement

and you'll have to leave.

Please, Mr. Norton, I love Miss Fran. She's like my own.

I couldn't live without her.

You'll have to, if this insubordination isn't stopped immediately.

- Do you understand? - Yes, Mr. Norton.

I understand perfectly.

Well, it's pretty fast, Paul. Where'd you get it?

Swiped it out of the morgue at the Chronicle.

If I don't get it back, they'll shoot me.

Here she is at 12 with her mother and father.

- What about the mother? - She died soon after that picture.

The kid was raised by Celane and the housekeeper.

Oh, here's a funny one.

Five years ago, she disappeared for a week and turned up in Miami.

The kid was a bellhop.

- Who was he? - No name.

Blind item in Winchell's column. "Just good friends."

I'm quoting Winchell.

Well, you get the idea. She's a very expensive delinquent.

Maybe she's just taking her time growing up.

Mm. So did "Two Gun" Crowley.

They caught this at the Assistance League art show last year.

The boy's an artist she's been running around with lately.

His name's Rodney Gleason.

You keep busy, Mr. Gleason. - I'm not fashionable.

When you're not fashionable, you have to keep busy or you starve.

Let's, um...

Let's get back to Miss Celane.

- What about Fran? - You know her very well?

Oh, I see her once in a while.

She, um, wants to get married.

- That's not illegal, is it? - No, it can be expensive.

For her.

- How long have you known her? - Oh, about six months or so.

I met her at a League show last winter.

She was with her uncle.

He picks up a picture every now and then.

Seems like a good idea to cultivate her.

You know, I like this painting. It looks like Florida.

It is.

It's Biscayne Bay.

Well, business can't be so bad if you can run down to Florida

- and do seascapes. - Ha.

Don't kid yourself. I did that five years ago in art school.

Scholarship?

- Nope. I worked my way through. - As a bellhop?

You ran away with Fran five years ago.

Her father caught up with you in Miami a week later,

took her back to New York, moved her out here to keep you two apart.

You're dreaming.

You know, I have a hunch that during that week,

you two got married secretly.

You've tried to stay apart, but it just wouldn't work.

Look, Mr. Mason, I don't like anybody calling me a liar.

Even when you are?

I have another hunch about something else--

All right. I think you'd better get out of here.

Wait.

Close the door, please, Rod.

I shouldn't have held out on you, Mr. Mason.

You won't be the first.

You're right about us. We did get married.

But your father thought it was just another one of your wild escapades.

Yes.

That's when he set up the trust, right after he brought me back from Miami.

And your father is still calling the shots through your Uncle Edward, hmm?

- I'm going to fight him for it. - Oh, all you need is a little patience.

You'll be 25 in another 18 months.

Well, I can't wait, not that long.

You see, you don't quite know everything.

Oh.

That was my second hunch. I hope it's a boy.

I don't resent my niece hiring legal counsel, Mr. Mason.

On the contrary, I'm delighted.

She refuses to take my word for certain things.

Perhaps you, as a lawyer, can make them clear to her.

Undoubtedly, you have read the terms of the trust.