All language subtitles for MSW s03e21 The Days Dwindle Down.eng

For 30 years,
this house has haunted me.

[Woman]
Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.

I've been looking into a murder
that was committed with a.38 here, 30 years ago.

So now we have another suspect,
a dead man.

Mrs. Jarvis couldn't have
murdered anybody.

She was playin'
bedsheet bingo with the boss.

How dare you come waltzing in here
and make accusations against him like this! Get out!

- There's no way to prove suicide.
- But there may be a third possibility that nobody's considered.

[Man]
Let me tell you, Mrs. Fletcher. You can have this town at your feet.

Well, actually, Mr. Peabody,
eye-level will be just fine.

Listen, can I call you
Jessica?

Jess, my job is to sell you.
Now I've seen the material.

Then you've read
The Stain On The Stairs?

Not the book, Jessie,
the clippings.

This real-life sleuth action
will play like a Beatles reunion.

Miss? Can I get some extra
goat cheese on my duck salad?

I'll tell your waiter, sir.

So, we book you and some of the people
whose murders you've solved on a couple of the talk shows.

Don't-Don't you think it would be
a little difficult to book the victims?

You think they might want
too much money? Ajoke. You know what I mean.

Look at this.
"Scribe Pens Killer Into Pen." "Writer Rights Wrong."

[Jessica]
Mr. Peabody,

wouldn't it seem as if I was trying
to profit from people's misfortune?

This is Hollywood,J. B.

Mrs. Wilson, why don't we
let the florist handle that?

Yes, I'm sorry, sir.

[Laughing]
Seth,

I know this sounds just terrible,

but it's just too nice to work here.

And-And they keep sending up
these-these baskets.

I've got more spoiling fruit
than a zoo. [Knocking]

Oh, oh, there's the door again.
I'll see you at the end of the week, Seth.

Good-bye.
[Chuckles]

Please, Mrs. Fletcher, uh-

I know I'm imposing,
but could you give me just a little minute of your time?

You work in the restaurant,
don't you, Mrs. -

Wilson, Georgia Wilson.

I could be fired for coming up here
to your suite.

I'm sorry to bother you,
but may I come in?

Please, of course.

Oh, God, I hate crying.
[Sobs]

You must think I'm very foolish.

Uh, please, sit down.

No. No, I'm sorry.
I shouldn't have come.

What-What is it,
Mrs. Wilson?

It's my husband, Sam.

Please, do sit down.
Tell me.

Thank you.

Sam was just released
from prison.

He was there for 30 years.

Thirty years for a crime
he didn't commit.

When he came home,
I thought we could pick up and go on,

but he was broken, just broken.

He sits there and broods
and waits to die.

It's almost as if he had convinced himself
that he was guilty.

- Guilty of what?
- Murder.

That's why I came to you.
I overheard that man at lunch,

and I thought maybe-

I just- I just don't know
what I could do.

Listen to his story.

I don't want vengeance,
or money or publicity.

All I want is for us,
in whatever time we have left, to have a life together.

Please, Mrs. Fletcher.

L- I don't know where else to turn.

[Door Opens]

Sam, I'm home.

Sam, we have a visitor.

This is Jessica Fletcher.

She's a mystery writer.
I'm glad to meet you, Sam.

She brought a newspaper writer
to prison once. Didn't do any good.

Don't want anything written
about me anyway.

Well, I didn't intend
to write about you. I was hoping to help.

Gonna give me back 30 years?
Sam!

I didn't kill him.

Why don't you tell me
what happened?

We were having
a rough time of it-

Two children, house payments.

Well, Sam- Sam was doing
his very best and-

Sam. We can't go on like this.
We've got to do something. I know, dear, but what?

Why don't you ask for
some more money?

You know you're worth a lot more
than they're paying you, a lot more.

I'm only the assistant
bookkeeper.

Yes, but even assistant bookkeepers
and their families have to live.

How do they expect the four of us
to live on what you're getting?

Why don't you talk to
Mr. Jarvis?

Oh, Sam, please,
why don't you ask him today?

All right, dear,
I'll see what I can do.

[Sam's Voice]
I don't know which made me more nervous,

seeing the boss
or getting past his secretary.

She really enjoyed
putting me through it.

- But did you get to see Mr. Jarvis?
- Unfortunately.

- I'm fired?
- Yes.

Sir, if it's the raise-

I'm sorry, but you know
the financial condition of the firm.

You must have realized
we can't go on this way. We've got to cut expenses.

[Sighs]
I've been with the firm 12 years.

I guess I expected to spend
the rest of my life here.

We haven't saved much money.

I know it's going to
be difficult for you,

but I can't help it,
the firm just can't stand it.

The firm'll come back, Mr. Jarvis,
if you hang on a while.

You'd be justified in putting in
some money of your own. Money of my own?

[Chuckles]
That's a laugh.

Do you know what
my bank account is today, Sam?

Zero. Maybe worse.
Maybe Mr. Herne would put in some.

Herne?
Herne and I don't get along, you know that.

He's willing to put money in
on one condition: That I get out.

But he won't pay me anything,
says the firm has no assets and isn't worth anything.

[Jessica]
He'd sunk all ofhis money into the firm?

Except about $10,000.
10,000-

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Mr. Jarvis took me out
for a drink that evening,

told me he had a plan
to end all our troubles.

And that's when our troubles
really began.

Sam, I'm going to kill myself.

No, you're joking, Mr. Jarvis.

It's the-
No, it's not the liquor, and I'm not joking.

I'm planning to commit suicide,
and I need your help.

Mr. Jarvis, you mustn't
think of such a thing.

[Sam's Voice]
He wanted to leave his wife and son the kind of security...

he couldn't provide anymore.

He'd increased his life insurance policy.
[Jessica] Oh, but life insurance...

usually doesn't pay for suicide.

Oh, Lord.
That's why he needed help.

I want you to make my suicide
look like murder.

Murder?
I've made all my plans.

I've got a good.38
nobody knows about.

I want you to come over,
afterwards, and take it away.

No, Mr. Jarvis,
I couldn't do that.

I'll be in the library.
I'll leave the safe unlocked.

Scatter papers on the floor,
make it look like a robbery.

[Sam's Voice]
He was ready to pay me his last $ 10,000...

to take the gun,
fire some shots inside the library-

And get rid of the gun.

- Incredible!
- Naturally, I turned him down.

But Mr. Jarvis wouldn't accept
Sam's refusal.

[Sam's Voice]
Georgia and the kids were out that night when Jarvis called.

He insisted that
he was going to kill himself,

and sooner than he'd planned.

I tried to talk him out of it,
but he wouldn't listen.

I drove as fast as I dared.
I had to talk him out of it.

[Jessica]
But you never got a chance to.

[Sam's Voice]
When I arrived, the front door was open.

I went into the library,
but he'd already killed himself.

He was lying facedown.
There was blood all around.

Then I saw the note.

The note he'd left
with the $ 10,000.

He begged me
not to let him down.

Well, it seemed like
he'd already done it, so I took the envelope and the gun.

I left the house. Then I remembered
I was supposed to fire some shots inside.

Well, it was too late for that,
so I fired two shots in from outside.

[Jessica]
But didn't that prove your innocence?

How?
Well, because the killer would hardly fire shots in...

from outside after
killing his victim.

I mean, he'd just attract attention.

And if the killer had fired shots
from outside before going in,

why on earth would Mr. Jarvis
have stayed in the library?

The evidence against me
was too strong...

- for the police to let that bother them.
- What other evidence?

Well, there was the $10,000,
of course. And the blood.

I washed my hands in the garage,

but I forgot to clean
the steering wheel.

The police found blood on it
from the gun.

[Jessica]
And what did you do with the gun?

[Sam's Voice]
Before I went home, I drove to the Santa Monica pier.

I was nervous as hell.
So I walked down below the pier...

where it was deserted
by the pilings,

and I threw the gun
into the water.

So the police recovered the gun
and did a ballistics match?

No, the gun was never recovered.
But all three bullets matched.

Lieutenant Webb
made that very clear...

when we went to pay our respects
to Mrs. Jarvis the next day.

[Webb]
The autopsy report shows the bullet that killed Jarvis was from a.38.

And we recovered two.38 slugs
from the wall of this room.

Ah, yes, Mr. Wilson,
right there.

That look just about nailed me.

Webb hadn't said which wall
they were in.

But what about the note
thatJarvis left for you?

[Jessica]
Didn't that prove your innocence?

[Sam's Voice]
I'd already burned it...

before I became
the number one suspect.

Sam did everything he could
to help Mr. Jarvis,

but did Mrs. Jarvis and Sidney
try to help Sam?

You can't blame them, Georgia.
How were they to know aboutJarvis's plan?

And if we'd proved that
Jarvis's death was suicide,

they wouldn't have gotten
that $250,000.

A quarter of a million dollar
life insurance policy.

What had it been before he raised it?

[Chuckles]
10,000.

Well, surely that must have looked
suspicious to this Lieutenant Webb? Not him.

Webb, the terror of the O.S.S.,
always got his man.

He had a very convincing limp.

He just couldn't bother
with insurance. [Door Opens]

Well, I think I'd like to
meet this Lieutenant Webb. [Door Closes]

[Man]
Good luck.

[Georgia]
Oh, Rod, Terry.

- I'd like you to meetJessica Fletcher.
- Nice to meet you both.

You're kidding?
I just finished one of your books.

The mystery writer, honey.
Mom.

[Terry]
We werejust at Lamaze class.

[Chuckles]
Boy, I haven't breathed so heavily in about eight months.

[Rod]
Well, you'd be wasting your time, Mrs. Fletcher.

[Sighs]
I tried to contact Webb years ago.

I was told he's retired
and not available.

He was available enough
when it came to convicting Sam.

I had such faith in him too.

Well, I have a few days here in town,
so I'd like to see what I can do.

Perhaps I can find
this Lieutenant Webb or-

Sam, I believe you.

God, I idolize my father.

I even became a cop because I thought
I could use the job to clear him.

Did you ever get to see
the police file?

It was missing.
Somebody removed it.

You want a file?

My own investigation,
I keep it with me.

Newspapers, court records,
depositions, the works.

Well, it certainly looks
very thorough.

Maybe if I'd paid that kind of
attention to my own career,

I'd be a sergeant
instead of a desk drone, for all the good it did Pop.

Would you mind
if I borrowed this for the night?

Sure. But Mrs. Fletcher,
don't get their hopes up.

I've been down this road.
I know it by heart.

It's a dead end, believe me.
There's no way to prove suicide,

and the sooner my mother faces up to that,
the sooner we can get on with our lives.

You know Rod, maybe the reason that
you couldn't prove that it was suicide...

was because it wasn't.

I thought you believed Pop.

I do.

But there may be a third possibility
that nobody's considered.

Mr. Jarvis could have been murdered
by somebody else.

It will spoil.

Well, nevertheless, madam,
your publisher stipulated you were to be given a basket each day.

Please.
But don't you have a charity that could use all this beautiful fruit?

Charity?

- Mrs. Fletcher?
- Oh, oh, Rod, Sam.

Please, come on in.

Rod, you have done an extraordinary
piece of police work on this file.

We appreciate your interest,
Mrs. Fletcher, but you don't need to humor me.

Oh, believe me,
I'm not.

I read that case from cover
to cover and believe me- [Chuckles]

The case against you
simply does not add up.

[Jessica]
The killer could have already been in the house when Jarvis called you, Sam.

In fact, the killer could have forced
Jarvis to call you.

That would explain why he said...

that the plan was going
forward sooner than he had expected.

But why?
If the killer knew the plan, then why killJarvis?

Well, perhaps the killer
was afraid thatJarvis wouldn't go through with the suicide.

Pop, are you okay?

Thirty years.

For 30 years,
this house has haunted me.

Yes? What can I do for you?

Sam? Sam Wilson?

I wasn't sure if you'd
recognize me, Sidney.

How could I forget you?

The Battle of Austerlitz,
to scale.

Father got me started on these.

In a much smaller way,
of course.

Sidney, uh,
Mrs. Fletcher's a writer.

Uh, she's interested in
Pop's case. Uh-huh. I see.

Uh, Mr. Jarvis, l-
I realize that this may be difficult for you,

uh, but I am trying to
retrace your father's death,

to see if possibly
some evidence was left out.

Uh-huh. So that, uh,
you could write a book about it.

- I suppose there's a lot
of money in that. - That's not it at all.

I don't mean to be rude, Sam,
but it doesn't seem quite right...

that you're here at the scene
of the crime.

I'm confused, Mr. Jarvis.
I thought that you didn't believe that Sam killed your father.

I mean, uh, didn't you confide
in Sam the very next day your suspicion of Mr. Herne?

You saw Mr. Herne
at your house last night?

He doesn't know I saw him,
but I did.

[Jessica]
And didn't that prove that Herne was lying when he was questioned by Lieutenant Webb?

Sure. I quarreled with Jarvis
several times.

Not only that, I wasn't
very fond of him personally, but that doesn't mean I killed him.

Mr. Herne, you didn't,
by any chance, drop in...

to see Mr. Jarvis at his home
Saturday night, did you?

Why should I go see him at his home
when I could see him anytime I wanted here at the office?

[Sidney's Voice]
There may have been other suspects,

Mrs. Fletcher, but Sam was the one
they found guilty.

Sam, I'm sorry, but I really
don't see the point in dredging up the past.

Mr. Jarvis, if Sam were guilty,
why on earth would he stir this up all over again?

I mean, he's got nothing to gain,
except peace of mind.

[Chuckles]
Very persuasive, Mrs. Fletcher.

You may snoop around
if you want to.

Well, thank you.

I wonder, would it be possible for me
to talk with Mrs. Jarvis?

I'm a bachelor.
Oh, I meant your mother.

- She's dead.
- I'm sorry.

I imagine that you would like to,
uh, begin in the library. It's just through here.

[Jessica]
Thank you.

Rod, while you're at work,
could you confirm if Mrs. Jarvis is really dead?

But why would Sidney lie?
Well, that's a good question.

Mrs. Fletcher, what a pleasure.

Thank you for taking time
to see me on such short notice, Ms. Davis.

Uh, I have a confession to make,
actually I prefer Mrs.

So do I.
[Both Laugh]

Please.
Thank you.

You know, I hate sitting behind
a desk when I talk to a client.

I like getting to know the people
that I'm working with.

You know, a friend of mine
used to work with your grandfather. Really? Who was it?

Oh, this was a long time ago,
when Mr. Jarvis was still with the firm.

I must say, the firm staged
quite a comeback when your grandfather took over.

Yes, we'reJarvis in name
only now- once upon a time it meant something.

Before Mr. Jarvis's
unfortunate death?

I remember
my friend telling me...

that your grandfather
was actually a suspect.

Mrs. Fletcher,

I had assumed that
you wanted this appointment for investment advice.

I don't believe that I said that,
Mrs. Davis.

My friend who worked
in the office is Sam Wilson.

He just got-
Oh, l-I can see where this conversation is going.

So let me assure you right now
that my grandfather was cleared of any involvement in Jarvis's death.

Well, then no harm can come
to his reputation now, right?

Do you know what happened
in theJarvis mansion...

the night of Mr. Jarvis's death?

He was completing a deal for
my grandfather to take over this firm.

Oh? Well, now I am confused.

At the time, Mrs. Jarvis said...

that your grandfather gained control
of the firm after her husband's death.

Then she was lying,
which doesn't surprise me.

John, the Bialoff account, now.

I believe that
the other button is intercom.

E-Excuse me, miss?

Pardon me,
but are you Miss Vante? Thelma?

Oh, no. She hasn't
been here for years.

Oh, I'm sorry to have bothered you.

I haven't seen her for a long time.
I used to be a client of Mr. Jarvis.

He was such a nice man,
such a tragedy.

Tell me, whatever happened to Thelma?
She was such a pretty, sweet young lady.

Mrs. Fletcher?
[Laughs]

It was nice of you to see me,
Miss Vante.

Hell. I haven't used
that name in years.

Oh, come on. Sit down and
make yourself comfortable.

How about a nice glass
of iced coffee?

Well, if it's not too much trouble.
Trouble?

Oh. Wait till I tell the girls-
me in a book byJ.B. Fletcher.

Well, as I said on the phone,
I'm really only doing research on the case now.

What I'm really interested in
is what happens to people...

who are affected by murder,
say, 30 years later.

Well, you know the only ones
who got anything out of that was the wife and kids.

All that insurance money,

and there I was
out in the street. Hmm.

Oh, my,
what impressive equipment.

Oh, well, that belonged
to my husband. The hunk.

I thought you might be interested.
There, there he is.

Oh, yes, he's very handsome.
He sure was, the no-good son of a-

I take it that, uh,
you're no longer married? Oh, well-

May I?
Mm-hmm.

No, he- he dumped me as soon
as a better deal came along,

and I bet he still
hasn't worked a day in his life.

But you see, he-
he had other qualities.

Oh.

Oh, my,
what a lovely home you had.

Split-level,
with a kidney shaped pool.

Tell me, what did you make of
Mr. Jarvis's relationship with his wife?

You don't think
Mrs. Jarvis iced him?

Well, she was supposed to be spending
the weekend at their beach house,

but according to
the testimony of her maid,

she arrived there well after
Mr. Jarvis was dead.

Mrs. Jarvis couldn't
have murdered anybody.

You mean she was too nice?

She didn't have the guts.

Good-bye,
and thank you again.

My pleasure,J.B.
Be sure and send me a signed copy of that book now.

Hello? This is a voice from your past.

Yes, how nice to be remembered.

There seems to be some
new interest in our problem.

I always thought
Mrs. Jarvis was cold, Jessica,

but murdering her husband?

Well, she- she was the one
most likely to know about his plan,

and she had the easiest
access to him.

Of course that doesn't
prove anything,

but it's suspicious the way she lied
about Herne's takeover of the firm.

If you believe Dorothy Herne.

Which you don't?
It doesn't fit.

Even after Mr. Jarvis's death,
Mr. Herne still didn't know if he'd be able to take over.

But why would Dorothy Herne lie?

Perhaps to protect
her grandfather's reputation,

or the reputation of the firm
or maybe the firm itself.

So now we have
another suspect, a dead man.

Well, maybe one of our suspects
is dead, but Mrs. Jarvis is alive.

She's been living
at the Fairfield Rest Home...

on and off ever sinceJarvis's death.

- Now we're getting somewhere.
- But why would Sidney lie about his mother being dead?

Well, maybe we ought to
pay her a visit and find out first thing in the morning.

[Footsteps]

Jessica!
Thank God you're all right.

Oh, Rod, I told you on the phone,
I'm fine, but thanks for coming over.

Well, well, will you look at that.

They haven't made these
in at least 20 years.

Is that bullet from a.38 pistol?

Sure is.
Did you see the gun, ma'am?

No, Lieutenant, but I've been looking
into a murder that was committed with a.38 here, 30 years ago.

I can guess which one.

Well, I know the chances
of that bullet coming from the same gun are remote.

Yes, you could say that.
Look, ma'am,

Lieutenant Webb put this one
to bed a long time ago.

Excuse me.
Uh, to bed but not to rest.

Lieutenant Sharp,
I was shot at in the middle of the night with a bullet...

that hasn't been manufactured
in ages. Why?

The motive wasn't robbery,
and it certainly wasn't an accident. Please, humor me.

Check it out.

Jessica, you know that bullet
couldn't have come from Jarvis's gun. Pop threw that gun in the ocean.

Well, the same gun or not,

my guess is that somebody feels
threatened by our investigation.

Mrs. Jarvis, you have visitors.

Hello, Mrs. Jarvis.
I'm Jessica Fletcher.

How nice of you to visit me.
Do I know you?

No, but I think you know
Mrs. Wilson.

Georgia, Sam's wife.

Sam Wilson.

Sam Wilson.
He worked for my husband.

My husband grows roses.

Out by the camellias.
Did you see them?

- Yes, they're beautiful.
- Hello, Mother.

I see that you have visitors.

They like roses.

Oh, do they?

Well, then, I'll take them
and show them the rose garden,

and I'll be right back.

All right?

Mrs. Wilson, I had hoped
we might meet under more pleasant circumstances.

This must be very pleasant
for you, Sidney.

Your mother's made
an amazing recovery.

I assume this visit was
your idea, Mrs. Fletcher?

I was hoping that your mother
could clear up something that has been puzzling me.

Well, as you saw, she's not well
enough to answer questions. Well, perhaps you can.

You know it's peculiar...

that there should be two such
different versions of the same event.

Dorothy Herne-Davis claims
that her grandfather made a deal with your father...

to take over the firm
on the night of his death.

Timothy Herne tricked the firm
from us in a proxy fight after my father's death.

And if you need to confirm Mother's word,
it's a matter of public record.

And since Dorothy Herne
is the one who's lying,

perhaps you should bother her
rather than a sick old woman.

Forgive me, Mr. Jarvis,
but Dorothy Herne isn't the only one...

who has been misrepresenting facts
these past few days.

If you'll excuse us.

Well, one thing is certain.

Edna Jarvis didn't climb out
onto that balcony last night.

Oh, I feel so responsible,
Jessica.

I didn't think anyone
would want to kill you. Well, I don't believe they were.

Well, then what-
Well, whoever fired that shot was only a few feet away.

He or she had all the time
in the world to take aim or even fire a second or a third time.

No, whoever it was
meant to miss.

Then it was a warning?

Well, not necessarily.

I imagine that we'll know more
once we get the ballistic reports.

Georgia, could you give me a lift to
Herne's and Jarvis on your way to work? Of course.

Mrs. Davis suggests that
you could make an appointment.

Now, perhaps next month?

Well, I'd be happy to.

Of course, by that time...

the authorities will probably
have been in touch with her about the new developments.

Come in, Mrs. Fletcher.
My 11:00 just canceled.

Malcolm Jarvis was a failure,

a fraud who's been deified
in death.

And his family was paid more than
their stocks were worth.

My grandfather deserved
this firm after all the work he put into it,

and what did it get him?

- This-this unending suspicion.
- Well, perhaps that was unavoidable.

I mean, since their argument
at the mansion has never been really explained.

Well, it-it could've been
a thousand things, uh-

They always argued about business.

I mean, that's one of my
great childhood memories:

Grandfather and Mr. Jarvis
arguing about business.

Mrs. Davis, you still haven't said
why you felt it necessary to misrepresent the takeover.

Why are you doing this?

Because an innocent man
who spent 30 years in prison has a right to know why.

Now I understand you not wanting
any trouble or a lawsuit.

They wouldn't have a leg
to stand on.

Unless your grandfather
did killJarvis,

in which case, the ownership of this firm
could be in serious question.

You don't know the first thing
about my grandfather!

How dare you come waltzing in here
and make accusations against him like this. Get out!

Get out of my office!
If you'll forgive me, Mrs. Davis,

it appears to me that you suspect
your grandfather more than anyone.

[Jessica]
Yes, Lieutenant Sharp, I understand.

Well, thank you.

I'm afraid the ballistics report
from Jarvis's death is missing along with the rest of the report,

so they can't compare
the two bullets.

But surely there's some other way
to find the same gun?

- Well, not without a ballistics report,
I'm afraid. - Now we'll never know.

Oh, but there are several other leads
that we can track down, Sam.

Down dead-end streets?
No, not me.

Mrs. Fletcher, I have a surprise
that you will just adore.

The Louis Quatorze Suite.

As a humble gesture of
our gratitude for staying on after the unfortunate incident.

Well, that's awfully nice,
but you know, I'm just fine in my room.

If it means so much to you.
[Both Laughs]

Mangoes!
That's what you need! [Phone Rings]

[Man On P.A.]
Telephone forJ.B. Fletcher.

Telephone forJ.B. Fletcher.

Hello? This is Jessica Fletcher,
you have a call for me?

[Operator]
Yes, Mrs. Fletcher, one moment please. Go ahead, sir.

[Man]
I have some information about theJarvis case that might interest you.

Who is this?
You'll have to come alone.

Thank you very much.

[Click, Humming]

[Switch Clicking]
Mrs. Fletcher, I presume.

And you must be
Lieutenant Webb.

You live up to your reputation.
How'd you figure me out?

Well, I read about
your war wound.

And, uh-well, there was
the timing of your call.

And, uh, Lieutenant Sharp...

must have told you about
my interest in this case.

Sorry about all the intrigue.
This had to be strictly unofficial.

But why? If you know something,
why not come forward?

I don't know anything,
not for sure.

Look pretty shabby, me coming forward
without any proof.

And truth be told, I didn't feel up
to facing the Wilsons.

I always had the gut feeling
that Sam Wilson wasn't guilty,

even though all the evidence
had him dead to rights.

Oh?
The D.A. Told me to close the case quickly,

said it was my job to collect evidence,
not judge the case.

There's something on that table
that might interest you.

It's the reason I called you over.

The missing police report.

Took it with me when I retired
so I could ponder it.

My own Lindbergh baby,
you might say. Top page.

A ballistics report,
dated yesterday?

The bullet that was fired at me?

Sharp sent it over.

Now take a gander at the one below it,
the one from Malcolm Jarvis.

The bullets match!
Like Siamese twins.

Always hated not being able
to recover that gun.

Sam said that he threw the gun
into the ocean at the Santa Monica Pier.

He only told that to us.
Not the press.

All we told the newspaper guys
was that he dumped the gun,

not the specific location.

We were hoping to find it
and didn't want anybody else getting there first.

Yes, but somebody did get there first.

Somebody must've followed Sam
to the pier and then fished it out of the water.

And that same somebody
took a crack at you with that same gun.

After 30 years.

Kind of weird.

[Sighs]
You know, Lieutenant,

I have been concentrating on
who actually would have benefited from Jarvis's death,

but the killer could've believed
that he or she would benefit but could be wrong.

- That was my theory about the tootsie.
- Tootsie?

Jarvis's secretary. Thelma Vante.

Miss Vante, you know
if Mr. Jarvis was insured?

- Yes, I think he was.
- You think he was? Weren't you his private secretary?

Yes. Yes, he was insured.

What company?
The Standard Life Insurance Company.

I see.
And for how much? I don't know.

How would you know what company
but not how much?

[Webb]
I figured she was playin' bedsheet bingo with the boss.

Assuming that she was
the beneficiary? On the nose.

ButJarvis checked out a family man
through and through.

And one that left his family
well-provided for.

Didn't his sudden policy increase
seem odd to you?

Very. Like the perfect setup
for suicide.

But you still didn't believe Sam.

The jury didn't believe him.

That wasn't myjob,
as I was repeatedly told.

Seems like it fits
your qualifications though.

How's Sam?
Sitting in his rocker again.

This time I'm going to get
to the bottom of this.

Do I look threatening?
You look very official.

Why, Mrs. Fletcher!
What are-what a surprise.

Keep it down in there,
you little... dickens. My grandchildren.

Uh, Thelma, I've just come from
a long chat with Lieutenant Webb...

and very honestly,
he believes...

that you knew more about
Jarvis's insurance policy...

than you told at the time.

He thinks you were trying to
cover up your motive for murder.

You get rid of the cop
and we'll talk.

I am not going to jail,
not for anybody.

I'm not talking
until we lose the cop.

I'm also Sam Wilson's son.
That supposed to make me feel better?

Thelma, you have nothing
to worry about if you'll just tell us the truth.

The statute of limitations
on blackmail has passed.

What's that mean?
That I can't be tried for something I did-

may have done
30 years ago?

Well, not for blackmail.
There is no statute of limitations for murder.

Whoa!
Now I didn't kill anybody.

But you did blackmail
theJarvises?

- Somebody tell you something?
- No.

But I imagine, as a secretary,
you didn't get paid very much money,

and after what you told me
about your husband,

I have to wonder how you could
have afforded that house.

The way I look at it, lady,
you've got a choice.

Either you tell us
who you blackmailed, here, off the record,

or I take you in
and book you for murder.

Jarvis did mention suicide
once or twice.

I just put two and two together
and came up with a profit. That's all.

Then you did know about
his change in the insurance policy.

Of course I knew.

And when I read your father's story
in the newspapers,

I figured he-he was
telling the truth. Well, then why didn't you tell the truth?

[Laughs]
I was Jarvis's private secretary.

There was no job for me
when he was dead.

And the cops, they certainly weren't
going to make it worth my while.

So you let my father go to jail
for 30 years even though you knew he was innocent?

Your father knew he was taking a risk
when he grabbed that 10,000 bucks.

He got cash,:
TheJarvises got cash.

I got zip.

Until somebody paid you
to keep quiet.

It was Mrs. Jarvis, wasn't it,
so they could collect the insurance money?

- Oh, not Mrs. Jarvis- Sidney.
- He tell you that?

Well, Mrs. Jarvis was in no condition
to make payments from a rest home.

Well, after a while,

Sidney decided that he didn't
want to pay anymore.

So I suppose he told you
that if you went to the authorities...

that you would go to jail
for blackmail.

After your last visit,
I called Sidney...

to try to get some more fees
out of him,

and he sang the same tune
all over again.

After crying poorhouse
didn't work, that is.

Can you believe the nerve
of that guy?

Let's hurry, Jessica.

I can't wait to get home to tell Pop
finally we can prove it was suicide.

Something still bothers me, Rod.

LfJarvis did kill himself,
who fired his gun at me and why?

Well, Sidney.
He was afraid you'd blow the lid off their insurance money.

Yeah, but the money wasn't
affected any more.

Besides, why take an action
that would only prove that we were on the right track?

It's the same gun all right.

Whoever fired the shot
had something else to hide besides the truth of Sam's story.

But using the same gun,
it just seems so stupid to attract that kind of attention.

[Inhales]
Or very smart.

Oh, yes, Rod.

Smart.

[Rod]
Thelma told us you paid her off to keep quiet.

The gifts of money
that I gave a woman...

that I felt sorry for
proved nothing.

[Jessica]
No, Mr. Jarvis,

but the gun matching
these bullets will,

which I imagine the police will find
if they search the house.

And you expect a court to issue
a search warrant for a gun...

thrown from the Santa Monica Pier
30 years ago?

How did you know where
Sam threw the gun?

L- suppose I read it
in the newspaper.

But it was never
reported anywhere.

Well, then,
Sam must have told me. No, Sidney, I didn't.

There was no way
for you to know,

unless you followed Sam
to the pier to retrieve it.

All right, Mrs. Fletcher.
You have got it all figured out.

For 30 years,

I have been hiding a terrible secret.

I killed my father.

[Sidney's Voice]
I followed Sam to the pier,

down below to the beach.

At one point, you almost saw me.

I watched you throw the-
the gun into the water.

The tide was out. I could hear it
landed in the shallow water.

Fortunately for me,
you left quickly.

I waded in and I got the gun.

I was afraid that it would wash up
with my prints on it.

But, why, Sidney?
Your own father?

Yes, my own father,
for a quarter of a million dollars.

But if you'd known
he'd increased his insurance,

then you'd also have known
about his suicide plan,

and you would've had
no reason to kill him. [Sam] What are you saying?

Sidney had another reason
for killing his father?

No. Mr. Jarvis, you didn't kill
your father at all, did you?

Aren't you really covering up
for your mother?

Don't be ridiculous.

My mother was at the beach house
all weekend.

She didn't arrive until
well after the death.

But you yourself said, Jessica,

that she couldn't have climbed
onto the balcony to shoot at you.

We were working under a couple
of incorrect assumptions.

First, that whoever fired the gun
was alsoJarvis's killer.

And second, that the shot
was meant to kill or scare me.

But what else?
Well, it was designed to misdirect us.

You knew we suspected your mother
from the phone call you got from Thelma.

What better way to misdirect us
than to provide a new, interrelated crime...

for which your mother
had a perfect alibi.

She was in her wheelchair
in a rest home. You meant to miss me.

You meant for the bullet
to be preserved in the chair.

You were going to take the blame
yourself if necessary.

But, Jessica, why would Mrs. Jarvis
wanna kill her husband?

I don't think
that she meant to.

We jumped to another
incorrect conclusion.

That ifJarvis's death wasn't suicide,
it had to be murder.

[Rod]
What other possibility could there be? Accidental death.

That is absurd.
I killed my father.

And recovered the gun
to make sure...

that any incriminating fingerprints
wouldn't be found?

Yes, just as I said.

[Jessica]
But any prints on the handle of the gun...

would have been smudged
when Sam picked it up.

- So the only reason
to worry about the prints- - Would be if they were on the barrel.

A killer would have no reason
to handle the barrel,

but somebody trying to
take the gun away would.

Sidney, is this true?

Thelma said that your mother
didn't have the guts to murder anyone.

Now I don't believe that the woman
that I saw in the Fairfield Rest Home...

could have killed
her husband intentionally.

Father thought
he planned it all so well.

Mother and I...

were both going to spend
the weekend at the beach house.

Father was going
to stay in town, work.

We had just left...

when Mother realized that
she'd forgotten a book in the library.

We drove to the back entrance.
Mother went in to get the book.

He- He told her to go away,

that, uh, there wasn't any more money,
all was left was the insurance.

Your mother must've realized
what he was planning.

[Sidney]
She tried to grab the gun from him,

but in the struggle-
[Gunshot]

She came running out
to the car to get me.

It was an accident,

but no one would believe that,
not with the insurance.

You sent her to the beach house,
so that at least she'd have an alibi.

Her maid was already there.
She could vouch for her arrival.

I thought that I could fabricate
a later time of death.

- I went into the library-
- You saw me? You were there?

[Sidney]
I saw you get the gun and the money.

And then Father's plan
became clear.

You knew!

You knew Pop was innocent,
and you let him take the rap.

I thought it would be best
for everybody.

The police would've thought
it was a burglary,

and you would've got the money,
Sam, just like Father planned.

I tried to protect you.

By having your mother put pressure
on the D.A. To close the case quickly.

We used to be... very influential.

But it backfired when Thelma
figured out what was going on and blackmailed you.

At that point,

I had to choose between...

Sam...

and Mother.

You understand, don't you, Sam?
[Georgia] How can he?

You've wasted 30 years
of his life.

Thirty years of an innocent man's life
and the lives ofhis family.

You knew what you were doing,
and you sent him to prison...

just as if you were the judge
and the jury.

How could you expect him
to forgive you?

Let's go home, Georgia.

It's over.
I know.

I'll put in a call to the D.A.
No, Roddy.

Pop, he's gotta prosecute.
Who?

An old lady whose guilt
has eaten her away?

Mrs. Jarvis has already
paid for whatever crime she may have committed.

But what about Sidney?
He was an accessory. He withheld evidence.

He was just trying
to protect his mother, like you tried to protect me.

We've all suffered enough, Roddy.

And I don't want to spend
one more day in a courtroom.

I want to enjoy my life
with this beautiful woman...

and that new baby
you're bringing into the world.

I understand how you feel,
Pop, but-

Jessica, you agree with me,
don't you?

Justice has to be served.

[Sighs]
Justice is always imperfect, Rod.

Besides, sometimes
there's a difference...

between serving the ideal of justice
and doing what's best.

Jessica, you've given us
the rest of our lives.

Bless you and thank you.
I don't know how to thank you.

Just be happy.

We will be.

I am.

[Georgia Laughs]

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