The Case of the Larcenous Lady
Airdate: Saturday, December 17, 1960
Episode 107
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the resolution to the murder.
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Plot
Jim Henderson is the mayor of Upton. He is being considered by the governor to take over the vacant post to head up the state's crime commission. The decision is between him and Arnold Webberly, a good friend of his. Unbeknownst to Jim, his wife Mona and Tom Stratton have a deal going. She is going to pass some confidential information from the Mayor's office to him. They make an agreement to have Susan Connolly to meet Stratton in his hotel room to pick up the money. While the exchange was taking place, Frank Sykes opens the door and snaps their picture. He then sells it to Mona, who plans the obvious with it. Susan consults with Perry because she is very worried. She tells Perry the whole story. Mona meets with Julia Webberly, Arnolds wife, and suggests that she had something to do with a witness that helped her husband in a well publicized trial. Mona tries to blackmail her by threatening to expose this, creating a scandal that will ruin Arnold's reputation, and spoil his chances for the vacant post. Perry starts investigating the goings on in Upton, and theorizes that Stratton has an in somewhere, which has enabled him to grab land that is used for the city's expansion. So he goes to visit Mona at her home, to ask her a couple of questions. While he is talking to Jim at the door, they hear a shot, and discover that Mona has just been shot. Jim begins to mumble that it must have been someone, but refuses to tell Perry who he was going to name. Perry visits Susan the next day and asks where she was. She says she was home, but Perry counters by telling her that he tried to call all evening. He then tells her that he saw her car at the house the night before, and that she left her tracks in the dirt when leaving. She admits that she fired a shot before leaving the house, because she thinks that Jim killed his wife. Perry then goes to visit Jim. William Carter and Julia Webberly are visiting him as well. He is planning to withdraw his name from consideration for the vacant post. As Perry is leaving, they see Julia's car outside and hear some noise upstairs. They investigate and find Julia going through drawers in the bedroom. She claims to be looking for a glove, but Perry keeps pressing to find out what she really was looking for. He intimates that she was there the night before, but she does not give in. Julia then visits Frank and asks for a picture that was taken at the time she was accused of tampering with the witness the year before in Reno. Frank has made copies of the picture, of course, and is planning some blackmail. Frank then calls Stratton and attempts to blackmail him. Stratton doesn't fall for it, so Frank calls the DA. As the trial begins, the DA lays the circumstantial evidence against Susan. The DA tries to bring out the shady dealings that Stratton has used to obtain all of the land that the city plans to use for expansion. He deflects the illegalities, and tries to make it seem on the up and up. On cross examination, Perry brings out up the photograph that was taken in the hotel room. Stratton denies that a photo was ever taken. Frank Sykes then takes the stand and produces the picture from the hotel room. He also implies that Susan had a reason for killing Mona. He claims that Mona knew that Susan was in love with Jim, and that she thought Susan was blackmailing Julia Webberly to have Arnold withdraw from consideration for the vacant post. Perry objects to the hearsay evidence, and the Judge agrees. But the DA is trying to locate Julia Webberly to provide best evidence, so the judge decides to wait until that time to hear it. Perry continues to try to break down all of the circumstantial evidence against his client. When Jim Henderson gets on the stand, he tries to implicate him in the murder. When the prosecution tries to rest it's case, Perry objects because Julia Webberly had not been put on the stand. The judge agrees, and forces the DA to put Julia on the stand. Perry gets her to tell the whole story about the incident in Reno. She says that everything Frank Sykes said in court earlier was a lie. She also says that it was Mona and then Frank who blackmailed her, not Susan. Perry then gets to cross examine Frank. He gets Frank all mixed up when he asks how Frank could have gotten a picture back from Mona. After a lot of digging, he gets Frank to admit that he killed her.Resolution
 | Susan Connolly |
 | Mona Henderson |
 | Frank Sykes |
