Perry comes into the case at the request of Dr. Bob (Atwater), a psychotherapist treating Nadine, who has admitted to killing (via cyanide) her nasty Uncle Martin in a taped conversation while under the influence of some kind of truth serum. Dr. Bob needs Perry's advice about what to do. The possible crime is misprision of a felony.
Under FEDERAL law then in effect via Farrar-Neal, a failure to report by itself is not misprision. Don't know what Cal. law was in Jan. 1958. Tragg ends up with the tape, Nadine is arrested and Perry defends her.
Prior to her arrest, Nadine had tried to get married to boyfriend John Locke in Nevada, because the cyanide had come from Locke's lab, and husband/wife privilege might have helped. This was at Della's implicit suggestion and Perry quipped Della might be charged with practicing law without a license. Nadine ended up in Logan City jail.
Going with info on the tape, Perry visits a pond where evidence about the cyanide might be found. He pays a liitle boy and girl to go diving for the relevant bottle. Perry, paving the way for Ben Matlock, eats a hot dog with everything on it. Later, the hot dog vendor rats Perry out as to possible evidence tampering. Was this Perry's last hot dog on the series?
Perry destroys the testimony of Uncle Martin's doctor as to cause of death and moves for dismissal. Berger springs the tape and of course Perry objects. The judge hears arguments, and states that without the tape, dismissal will result. Perry's possible evidence tampering arises. Now, here is a problem with the episode. Perry will likely succeed in keeping the tape out. Client wins but Perry has a problem. Perry says the tape can come in. Judge astounded. Asks client if she still wants Perry as lawyer. Right question was do you waive Dr./client privilege? Perry needs the tape in as evidence to show Nadine weighted the bottle with #5 shotgun pellets. This gets Perry off the hook for tampering and ensnares a perjurer and seemingly the murderer.
**As to other reviews, enjoyed comment about "Bad Seed." Tragg looked for second bottle because he believed truth of tape as to cyanide in bottle. Sadly, for Tragg, he was not familiar with shotgun pellets.