i believe the legal position is now clear, gentlemen. please stand by. i may need you later.
come in, mr. keyes. you too, mr. neff.
you find this an uncomfortably warm day mr. keyes?
sit down, gentlemen. any new developments?
who's jackson?
very interesting, about the cigar case.
anything else?
a fine piece of salesmanship that was, mr. neff.
fall off a train? are we sure dietrichson fell off the train?
you don't, mr. keyes? then what do you think of this case? this policy might cost us a great deal of money. as you know, it contains a double indemnity clause. just what is your opinion?
not even a hunch? one of those interesting little hunches of yours?
i'm surprised, mr. keyes. i've formed a very definite opinion. i think i know -- in fact i know i know what happened to dietrichson.
i know it was not an accident.
what do you say to that?
there's a widespread feeling that just because a man has a large office --
yes?.  have her come in, please.
-- that just because a man has a large office he must be an idiot. i'm having a visitor, if you don't mind.
no, no. i want you to stay and watch me handle this.
thank you very much for coming, mrs. dietrichson. i assure you i appreciate it.
this is mr. keyes.
and mr. neff.
mrs. dietrichson, i assure you of our sympathy in your bereavement. i hesitated before asking you to come here so soon after your loss.
but now that you're here i hope you won't mind if i plunge straight into business. you know why we asked you to come, don't you?
your husband had an accident policy with this company. evidently you don't know that, mrs. dietrichson.
you'll probably find the policy among his personal effects.
please, mrs. dietrichson, i don't want you to think you are being subjected to any questioning. but there are a few things we should like to know.
we have the report of the coroner's inquest. accidental death. we are not entirely satisfied. in fact we are not satisfied at all.
frankly, mrs. dietrichson, we suspect suicide.
i'm sorry. would you like a glass of water?
mr. neff.
had your husband been moody or depressed lately, mrs. dietrichson? did he seem to have financial worries, for instance?
there must have been something, mrs. dietrichson. let us examine this so- called accident. first, your husband takes out this policy in absolute secrecy. why? because he doesn't want his family to suspect what he intends to do.
commit suicide. next, he goes on this trip entirely alone. he has to be alone. he hobbles all the way out to the observation platform, very unlikely with his leg in a cast, unless he has a very strong reason. once there, he finds he is not alone. there is a man there. what was his name, keyes?
jackson. so your husband gets rid of this jackson with some flimsy excuse about cigars. and then he is alone. and then he does it. he jumps. suicide. in which case the company is not liable. you know that, of course. we could go to court --
just a moment, please. i said we could go to court. i didn't say we want to. not only is it against our practice, but it would involve a great deal of expense, a lot of lawyers, a lot of time, perhaps years.
so what i want to suggest is a compromise on both sides. a settlement for a certain sum, a part of the policy value --
i haven't eh? let her claim. let her sue. we can prove it was suicide.
i was raised in the insurance business, mr. keyes.