He explains his past crime and his early parole from prison after being convicted of self-defense manslaughter in a drunken, bar-room brawl:I""ve been in the penitentiary for four years.Injured by the fall, Laurie was also trappedinsidethe locked house while struggling to get away.The killer attempted to get through a locked door to attack her - finally using his fist to break down the wooden barrier and unlock it.The very next morning, an unusual but likely result, Marriott - one of Helen""s associate paramours, happened o show up in Marlowe""s office to set him up for a deadly ransom exchange for Helen""s ""stolen"" jade necklace.He had also directed the Kanin""s first screenplay two years earlier forA Double Life (1947)starring Ronald Colman.Knowing that he has not seen her daughter Elaine""s (Katharine Ross) portrait done the previous Christmas, she lures him up the stairs to Elaine""s bedroom.