Original subtitles

So there's no age limit on reinventing yourself.

Sometimes it just takes us a while

to discover what it is that we're good at.

It doesn't matter

if you decide to take up writing at the age of

20, 40, 60, whatever.

I mean, what matters is the quality of your writing,

and the quiet determination of your most secret heart.

And striving for quality will not always come easy.

You may throw out a half of what you write, that's okay.

The idea is to keep going.

Keep writing.

It will take a great deal of energy, but it'll be worth it.

In the end, it all comes down to four things,

Patience, direction,

determination,

and strength.

Thank you so much for coming.

Mrs. Fletcher, I have been a literary assistant with Speakers Incorporated

for years, but I have never seen a crowd react to a speaker

the way they do to you.

Well, thank you.

Are you writing something new?

As a matter of fact, I am.

I've just started a new mystery

set in the television industry.

Oh, yes, well we better get you to the hotel to pack up your things,

your flight to Los Angeles is leaving on schedule.

You know, this upcoming event,

it's the first time all the speaker in the agency will be together in one place.

It's gonna be a huge PR event.

Did you know that for the first time

Yuri Malenkovich is coming in all the way from Russia?

- No, I didn't. - Yes.

- Well, I'm ready. - Great, let's go.

Be careful with this case, it's my typewriter.

- Yes, sir. - I'm sure you've heard of a typewriter.

It's kind of like a word processor,

but you don't have to plug it in.

You're hungry, aren't you?

You usually wait until at least six to get this cranky.

I'm not cranky. I'm the very soul of refined manners.

Ha. A damned soul, perhaps.

That's no way to talk to your mentor.

Warren, with you it's the only way.

Where's the elevator?

No, there has been a mistake.

When the reservations were made, I said smoking room.

I cannot have a nonsmoking room.

I'm sorry, Mr. Malenkovich.

I'm sure we have something available for you,

just let me check the computer,

This is typical.

Americans export tobacco all over the world,

now we all smoke,

Russia, France, England, everybody smokes!

Then you change the rules so that we cannot do it here.

Now where is the fairness in that? Hmm? Hmm?

I'm afraid that's not my department, Sir.

Enough of this.

Have my bags taken up to my room, immediately.

He has it.

What if he says no.

Then we will convince him.

Message for you, Mr. Cole.

Hi, I'm William Batsby, I'm one of the motivational speakers.

Didn't I see you on a cereal box, once?

It's all together possible.

So how do you do that? Get on a cereal box, I mean.

You train all your life, ten hours a day,

seven days a week, until you get this little gold medal

that says you're the best in the world at what you do.

And then what?

Just try to hang on.

Thanks, I'll see you later.

Hi, the name is Penny Ryan, I think you have...

All ready to go, Ms. Ryan.

Mrs. Fletcher? John Mendoza. An intern with the agency.

I've been assigned to be your gopher.

If there's anything I can do, any errands, just say the word.

Well, thank you. Come in.

Actually, there is something.

I was planning on wearing this jacket

at the closing dinner on Sunday night,

but I'm afraid it came out of my luggage worse than it went in.

- I know it's the weekend, but... - No problem.

I'll have it ready for you first thing in the morning.

That would be wonderful, thank you.

It's my pleasure, that's why I signed up.

And as soon as I heard that you were going to be here

I called and asked to be assigned to you.

I figured it's the least I can do.

You see, my mom, she was a big fan of yours,

and she passed away about six months ago.

Oh, I'm sorry.

No, don't be, because you kept her going.

I used to come to the hospital and read to her from your last book.

We'd finish one chapter and then she'd have me start the next one.

It was like, like Scheherazade.

It gave her something she knew she would have to finish.

You mom must've been quite a woman.

I'm sure you loved her very much.

I did.

Anyway, you helped her get her mind off of her treatments,

and for that I owe you.

Thank you, John.

Can I have a bellman to the front desk?

That was Penny Ryan.

- Yeah. - I can't believe it.

She hasn't been seen in public in what, over three years?

Well, if I lost my last chance at a gold medal

in one of the worst showings in Olympics history

I'd go into hiding, too.

Still, it doesn't change the fact

that she is one of the best skaters in the business.

I do believe you're rather taken with her.

I was a big fan.

Well then go talk to her.

No, I can't. Not now, maybe later.

Jang, you can't hope to motivate other people

if you can't motivate yourself first.

Rule one, remember?

Yes, I remember.

So, any sign of Jessica Fletcher?

No. Knowing her she got here early, she's already settled in.

I have no idea how she does it, it makes me crazy.

- Does what? - Perfection.

Do you know she charges less for her lectures

than any of the other clients?

So she want to make sure that anybody

who wants to be a writer can afford to get in.

Some days I think she does it deliberately,

just to make the rest of us look bad.

Come on, she's the last person who'd do that sort of thing.

Yeah, but if you read her books then you know

that the person we think is the least likely to do that sort of thing

is almost always the one who turns out

to be the most likely to do exactly that sort of thing.

Jessica, you must join us for dinner.

Otherwise we'll have to share our table

with one of those dreary colleagues of ours downstairs.

And frankly, I would rather hurl myself off the roof to my untimely death,

and I would leave you with all kinds of guilt,

which I would never do to an old friend.

So, there you are.

Hey, how are you, you look wonderful.

Thank you, Warren.

And who is this?

I'm Patricia Williams, I've been studying with Warren.

She's my protégé.

I'm teaching her everything I know.

Warren, I have a good idea,

why don't we continue this over dinner?

Splendid. Splendid idea!

And I met Warren about a year ago,

at a writing workshop in Seattle.

First time I read her stuff, I knew she had it.

Just needs a little seasoning.

Aw. So how long have you two known each other?

Oh, ages.

We both had our first novels published in the same year.

Hmm, which put us in contention for the same awards.

So, we attended the same receptions

the same awards banquets,

and somehow we became friends.

A miracle of somewhat biblical proportions.

This may surprise you,

but it's not easy, being my friend.

Oh, I'm shocked. Shocked, I tell you.

I've heard it said that I'm cranky, impatient, judgmental, short-tempered...

- Tempestuous. - Volatile.

Well, we noticed that you were going alphabetically,

so we thought we would just help you out.

Well, despite all that, we've managed to remain friends.

Cause we've always had a mutual respect for each other.

Jessica's the real deal.

Look around you.

Half the people in this room won't even be here next year.

They're flavors of the month.

With about as much depth of character

as a piece of cardboard.

As speaking of our esteemed comrades,

I believe this is the latest addition to our ranks.

Yes, I heard.

He's the former head of the KGB.

You don't sound too happy about that.

Well, many unfortunate things were done by the KGB

before the fall of the Soviet Union.

Yuri.

I know you.

Mack Rolands,

the political connotator.

It's commentator.

No, connotator.

I've read your columns.

You engage in connotation.

Implication, innuendo,

but very little real news.

How're you still able to earn a living, I wonder.

I do just fine.

Excuse me, if I can have your attention, please?

For those of you I haven't met yet,

I'm Joseph Brennan, President of Speakers Inc.

Thank you, thank you.

In the last ten years, we have become

one of the most popular speaker's bureaus

in the United States and Britain.

Our clients include writers, actors, athletes,

politicians, scientists, and others.

But now I would like to introduce our newest clients.

Penny Ryan, four time international gold medalist and figure skater.

Mack Rolands, syndicated columnist

and author of half a dozen of the most inflammatory books

written about American politics in the 70's.

As my late lamented writing partner used to say at these occasions,

I'm bombed to meet you.

And finally, I would like to introduce to you Yuri Ivanoff Malenkovich.

Previously head of military intelligence for the former Soviet Union,

educated at Eton, in England.

Well, I am pleased to announce that he has just completed a new nonfiction book.

A history of his tenure as head of the KGB.

And it has just been sold, sight-unseen,

to Hathner-Loeb's publishing.

It should cause quite a stir in both our countries.

Names are named, there are scandals, secrets.

My former comrades offered me a million dollars

not to sell the manuscript, just to turn it over to them.

I told the I had a better offer.

To wrap things up on Monday,

Yuri will hand over the manuscript

for the very first time at a press conference,

in return for a check for two million dollars.

Two million dollars? I'd kill for a deal like that.

If he's right about what's in that manuscript,

you're not the only one.

Excuse me.

Mr. Rolands, a moment of your time, please?

- Excuse us. - Sure.

- My time is your time. - Good. Then stop wasting it.

What the hell was that all about back there?

What're you talking about?

We had an agreement, me and your publisher.

While we're on tour, there's no drinking.

This is not the tour, that doesn't happen til next week.

But this is to promote the tour, this place is lousy with reporters

and we have an image to maintain here.

- Please. - Look, look, when you came to us

with this little dog and pony show we were supportive.

Now, despite some serious misgivings on my part

your published and I invested a significant amount of money in this project.

I'd rather not lose my shirt.

You won't.

I'm just being colorful.

That's all. People like colorful.

Surely you've heard about it, it's been in all the papers.

Fine, okay, okay, fine.

Do what you want.

But if you screw up I'm pulling out and it's over.

Hey, I didn't notice you getting that heavy handed with Yuri

for saying a lot more and a lot worse than I did.

It kind of makes me think you wanna swing this deal

over more in his direction.

But, after all,

he's the bigger ticket, right!

Those are your words, Mack, not mine.

But not exactly inaccurate, either.

Hey, I didn't like what you said to me back there.

We had an understanding, there's a line you don't cross.

Mr. Rolands.

At this moment,

you need me more than I need you.

Do you wish to end our little agreement, do you? Hmm?

- No. - Good boy.

But you're a real piece of work, Yuri, you know that?

My wife said I was signing a deal with the devil,

but Mr, next to you he's a piker.

Go have a drink, Roly. Tomorrow we begin the Cold War all over again.

Mrs. Fletcher.

William Batsby, Motivational Ideologies.

This is my associate, Everett Jang.

- Oh, hello. - We're big fans of yours.

Oh, well thank you.

That said, can I ask you a tactless question?

Well, that depends on the question.

Do you feel that solving real life murders has helped raise your visibility,

in terms of book sales, appearances, PR?

I don't know. I must confess,

I've never really thought about it.

I think you're being slightly disingenuous, Mrs. Fletcher.

Even in my country, your work is well known.

Why, you're not a law enforcement officer

and yet you take great risks every time you get involved in a murder investigation.

Why else do it, if not for the publicity?

If you bring something special to a situation,

that may be of help, and if the circumstances merit your intrusion,

don't you think it's the responsibility of every citizen

to become involved if a crime has been committed?

But I did not come here to argue,

I thought we could begin fresh.

Let the past stay in the past.

I believe that all things work out for the best in the end, huh?

So do I.

I sleep well at night comforted by that thought.

You, perhaps, should not.

Pretty night.

Yes, yes it is.

I couldn't take much more of that crowd in there.

My capacity for superficial chatter only goes so far.

Where's Patricia?

Inside, dancing the night away, I imagine.

I can't keep up with her.

I know what you're thinking.

I didn't know I was thinking anything.

There's nothing more between Patricia and myself

than student and mentor.

I never thought there was.

Not that she's not important to me, Jess.

I'm very fond of her.

You know, when I look at her I see myself at that age.

Full of energy.

Idealistic as hell.

And very bright.

All she needs is that one big break and she's on her way.

I just hope I don't pack it in before she gets her chance.

Well, it's a little premature to be talking about the end,

you've still got a lot of years ahead of you.

You know, Jess,

there are times when I think I can no longer bare

the weight of my own existence.

You said the same thing when your son, Brent, died.

If it was true then,

why is it not true now?

It was a hard thing, losing a son.

It made you question everything.

You had to get on with the job of living again.

Yeah.

You're right.

Tell me something, Jess.

How is it that you and I never got together?

Oh, because I am completely busy,

and you are completely disagreeable.

Yeah, I thought it was something like that.

You, boy!

I need to copy something, a manuscript,

can you tell me where I might do that?

No.

And first off, I'm not your boy.

And second, I'm here for Mrs. Fletcher, not you.

You are an intern of this agency, yes?

Sorry.

Insolent, little...

Come back here!

Two millions dollars for one book.

House keeping.

Yeah, just take it around the back.

Jessica Fletcher's here and there's been a murder. What're the odds?

'Scuse me.

It's Yuri.

I heard it from one of the cleaning staff.

She found his body when they went in to clean his room.

They said he was shot, but no one heard a gun.

Oh dear.

- So? - What?

Aren't you going to investigate?

I thought you'd be discovering clues by now.

Oh. I'm quite sure that the local authorities

have everything well in hand.

I'm not gonna get in their way. Excuse me.

I can't believe it. I just saw him last night.

We were supposed to have breakfast.

Had the staff bring in caviar, onions, sardines...

Breakfast? If you ask me, whoever killed him didn't have to do it.

With a diet like that, just wait a few weeks, huh?

- Hello, Jessica. - Oh, Joseph.

Are you all right? Is there anything you need?

- No, thank you, Jessica. - Jessica Fletcher.

- That's right. - Lieutenant Detective Bob Mankowski.

It's an honor to meet you.

I've read all of your books.

Well, most of them.

I would've read all of them,

but who's got that kind of time.

I assume you've heard the details.

Well, actually I...

Yuri was shot some time last night

around midnight in his room.

Possibly with a silencer, since nobody heard anything.

And only one thing was taken from the room,

the manuscript of Yuri's book.

So isn't this where you tell me what you think happened?

Don't worry, Officer Mankowski,

I am not going to interfere with your investigation.

What, you think I don't want you getting involved?

Well, it's usually the case.

Well not me. Like I said, I'm a big fan.

So as far as I'm concerned, you get involved to your hearts content.

Well thank you, I'll remember that.

Now, what're you gonna do, Joesph? I mean in terms of the conference.

Well Officer Mankowski thinks we should continue,

and I agree.

I mean, we've arranged this gathering for our clients

to showcase their individual presentations.

We have free lectures all weekend, tons of press.

I can't justify closing down that opportunity

for our clients to generate some valuable attention.

Besides, the odds are somebody here pulled the trigger.

So you think Jessica Fletcher's working on the case?

Come on, she said she wasn't gonna get into it.

Yeah, but what if she does.

You know, between the two of us

we could beat her at her own game.

Solve it first.

Oh, come on! Can you imagine the publicity?

Can you imagine the attention?

Can you imagine the book sales?

You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?

Yeah. Listen, I'll catch up with you later,

I'm gonna get on this before anybody else figures it out.

Patricia, you up?

Hey.

Nothing personal, but you look like hell.

Thanks a lot.

I couldn't sleep, I had nightmares all night.

Mm. Point of logic,

how could you have nightmares if you couldn't sleep?

Warren.

Never mind. Come on.

You okay?

Fine.

Want something to drink?

Before breakfast?

That's not like you.

Yeah, well, I guess a lot of people think I'm somebody else these days.

I'm going to take a shower.

Do you wanna get something for breakfast?

Yeah.

Yeah, I'll...

I'll meet you downstairs.

That's why sometimes you have to sacrifice a little privacy,

for piece of mind.

Now, frankly, I'm not at all concerned about the liberal left.

Organized crime, there is a real threat.

Worst thing a liberal can do is talk you to death.

Next question, please.

Ah, a fellow speaker

and a member of the liberal press.

What, did you come here to learn a few things?

What's your question?

Well, I was just wondering

where you were last night around midnight?

It's none of your business.

But I'm gonna tell you anyway.

I was in my room, preparing for this little lecture.

Can you prove that?

If I have to.

What the hell are you, pal? A cop?

If you are, say so.

I'm just an interested member of the audience,

and I think that you've got something to hid.

And what might that be?

You tell me. You and the murdered man had some words.

That was a friendly exchange.

Now look, pal, I'm not on trial here, and you're not a judge.

Next question.

Hello, Patricia.

Oh, hello.

Are you all right?

Uh, yes, I'm fine, I'm just a little tired.

Didn't get much sleep.

Oh sure, I know the feeling.

Um, may I ask you something?

- Of course. - How badly did you want to be a writer?

Well, I think it was always in the back of my mind,

but I didn't start writing seriously

until after my husband died.

Why do you ask?

Well, I'm afraid it's becoming

a bit of an obsession with me.

You see, Warren has given me so much of his time, and I appreciate that so much,

and I just wanna make him proud,

And I know I'm gonna have to work very hard

if I wanna gain any recognition at all as a writer, so...

Well, it's a very competitive world.

But don't worry,

a little obsession never hurt anyone.

Thank you.

Let's just drop this at the desk.

How ya doing?

We're looking for the hotel manager,

we understand someone's been murdered.

Right. Well, he isn't talking to anyone.

FBI, genius.

Upstairs to the left, sir.

Come in!

- Good morning, John. - Good morning.

I got it for you, just like I promised.

Oh, thank you. Set it right down there.

Are you leaving?

Oh, no, no, no.

I'm just gonna work outside for a few hours.

Why don't you take the afternoon off.

Well, some friends of mine asked me to go to Santa Monica

for a birthday party, but...

No buts.

You go and have a good time. I can take care of myself.

I guess you heard about last night.

Yes, very unfortunate.

Yeah, well I'm not gonna shed any tears for him.

He shouldn't have talked to you.

He shouldn't have talked to people the way he did.

John, rudeness is hardly grounds for murder.

If it was, half the planet would be gone tomorrow.

All right, Mrs. Fletcher, have a good day.

Thanks, you too.

Here's your drink, Ms. Ryan.

So, let's go over the evidence.

We don't have any evidence.

Jang, we're motivators.

Think positive, be positive, act positive.

Now, one, Yuri was murdered.

Two, his manuscript was missing.

Therefore, three, Yuri was killed for the manuscript.

Unless whoever did it took the manuscript

to make it look like that's why he killed him

when in fact that manuscript had nothing to do with it.

Are you trying to make this more difficult?

What else is there? Murder needs motive.

Now, I was talking to some of the company people,

and Yuri was apparently a recluse.

This was his first time outside Russia

since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Sounds like a sore loser.

The point is that

whatever he might've done in Russia,

he was killed here in America.

But he hadn't done anything yet.

He just got here, he was practically just off the boat.

He had a book published last year.

It was a novel. Fiction.

Come on, Jang, let's get on the same page.

Okay, it was a novel.

It got slammed by the reviewers,

maybe that had something to do with it.

If people got murdered for writing bad books,

someone would've taken out Judith Cranze a long time ago.

Okay, I'll give you that one.

Well, maybe he slandered somebody in the novel.

That's why God made lawyers.

No. Yuri said his nonfiction book

was filled with secrets from the Cold War.

So that's why he was murdered.

Now maybe it was someone who wanted to cash in

on the information in the book.

Or maybe it was a political killing

by somebody from the old country

who didn't want those secrets to get out.

Yeah, there's probably a copy on his computer back home

but it's probably coded, triple encrypted,

booby trapped and Trojan horsed.

- What do you think, Mrs. Fletcher? - Hmm?

You think that's a likely scenario?

Uh, well,

I mean there are always many likely scenarios,

the trick is finding the one true scenario

among all the likely ones.

I mean, for instance in my experience,

the person who's being the most helpful in trying to solve the murder

is often the one who committed the crime.

I mean, he does it in order to discredit real clues

and create misleading information.

Oh yes, too much eagerness to solve the crime

is all too often a sign of the killer himself.

Don't look at me like that.

Well, you said yourself, the killer could be anybody.

Anybody means you, me, Jessica.

Exactly, or even...

Those guys.

If you ask me, those guys look pretty suspicious.

- Well, their FBI. - How do you know?

Ear piece visible behind the left ear.

Slight bulge in the right sleeve,

where the mic for the walkie-talkie is located.

Second bulge just under their jackets,

looks about the right size for a nine millimeter,

semi-automatic standard FBI issue.

Suspects.

Good going, Sherlock.

Come on.

Let's give the pro some room to work.

Jang, she may be right about the FBI,

but I still think there's something going on here.

Let's get real, shall we.

They call it the Russian Republic now, and not the Soviet Union,

but it's the same old player, the same old game.

And they want the past to stay dead.

And if Yuri's dead along with it,

then that's business as usual.

Now, I think...

I think we should let the people

who know what they're talking about

try to figure out what happened.

At last,

the voice of common sense,

what took you so long?

Caught in traffic outside of DC.

Common sense hasn't been able

to get into that place in years.

I'm sorry, where are my manners.

Penny Ryan, Everett Jang.

- Everett, this is... - Oh, I know, believe me.

I saw you skate in Sarajevo, Paris,

- Chicago... - Chicago?

That was my first real competition.

- Nobody saw me in Chicago. - I did.

- I'm glad to hear you're on the comeback trail. - Thank you.

It's getting a little thick in here, isn't it?

Mack Rolands?

- Yes. - Mason Phillips.

Paul Neeley, FBI.

Would you come with us, please.

Excuse me.

Anyway, I say follow the book.

You find that manuscript, you'll find the killer.

You sound pretty sure about that.

It's hard to believe it's so simple.

Well, when you've been around for a while,

perhaps you'll observe more.

Maybe.

But from what I've seen now, it seems pretty inconclusive.

I mean, don't you need a motive anymore,

or do people just go around getting arrested?

Oh, there is motive all right.

Rolands had plenty of reason to kill...

Well, that's none of our business, now is it?

Well, no, but I just thought I would...

Don't. Leave the thinking to the FBI.

Excuse me.

I'm sure you understand, Mr. Rolands,

the murder of Yuri Malenkovich

has set off alarms all over the state department.

Not to mention we've received some rather sharply worded faxes

from the Russian Consulate.

And what's that got to do with me?

Well, during the 70's,

while you were overseas on book tours,

you did some freelance work

for the American Intelligence community.

Covering the activities of campus radicals, here and abroad.

It would pose a considerable embarrassment

if the unfortunate events of last night

would come knocking at your door.

This is insane.

According to reports, the two of you exchanged words

the night he was murdered.

Something about a deal?

Would you care to explain, Mr. Rolands?

He and I had the same publisher.

Six weeks ago we signed a deal to do a tour together.

Sixteen cities, a little dog and pony show,

like the G. Gordon Liddy, Timothy Leary tour.

East versus West,

in the final shoot out of the Cold War.

Then what was that little exchange about during dinner?

Well, that was just part of the show,

I figured I'd warm up the act a little.

Warm? I hear it got pretty hot.

I lost my temper, that's all.

We had an agreement not to make the debates personal,

to stick to the issues.

Right out of the gate he starts taking personal shots.

Yuri Malenkovich wasn't big on keeping promises.

Knowing your feelings towards anyone involved with the former Soviet Union

I'm surprised you went along with this.

My published thought it would help move my books.

Sales have been soft

since the Berlin Wall came down.

I guess nobodies building things to last anymore.

Do you ever talk?

We will of course review this material.

It's in the best interest of the agency

and everyone involved here to make this go away

as quickly as possible.

Why?

It's not like he was dearly loved, you know.

Perhaps not, but there's still a manuscript missing

which may or may not contain politically sensitive information.

Ah, I see you decided to get away from that feeding frenzy in there.

Pack of vultures.

Picking at someone else's misfortune.

Now tell me, Jess, do you ever stop working?

Well, it's so easy.

You see, it's one of the benefits of a notebook computer.

Ah. I wouldn't know.

This, I made myself.

Works like a dream.

See you later, John!

Keep walking.

Okay, listen man, if this is a car jacking

- you can just take the car, okay? - Open it.

All right.

You're going to give me the manuscript.

What?

You have Yuri's manuscript.

I don't believe it. This is a mystery novel, this is my novel!

Okay, I've been working on it for the past two years.

I was hoping to give it to Jessica Fletcher after the conference.

Freeze, FBI, drop your weapon.

So the real question is,

what ever happened to common courtesy?

Little things, like "Thank you", "You're welcome",

"I'm sorry", "After you".

It's gotten to the point now,

where you can't even go to the movies without worrying

about creating an international incident

just by asking somebody to be quiet.

I've been threatened just for going, "Shh".

So I made this little gadget.

About so big, with a spring and a little match on it.

Perfectly harmless.

But it sounded like a gun being cocked.

Now, if you could just tell me who you saw in the hallway,

I need more money.

This is not enough.

This better be worth it.

So when I'm in the movies,

and when I heard somebody talking,

I give them a shush,

if they didn't pay any attention,

I would take out the little gadget, and I would...

And suddenly it got very quiet.

Til one night,

I went to the movies in Chicago,

and there was a guy behind me and he kept talking,

so I reached into my pocket,

and I took out the little gadget,

And...

I confidently waited for the silence.

A couple of seconds later, from behind me I heard another...

So I thought to myself,

"What are the odds that this guy has

a little gadget just like mine.

Or what are the odds that he's got a real gun

"pointed at the back of my head."

I dropped the little gadget in the trash bin,

and I have never, ever tried that again.

Excuse me, I don't think we've met,

I'm Patricia Williams.

Hi, I'm Penny Ryan.

Oh, yes of course, I know.

I was lucky enough to see you in the Olympics.

So, what happened there?

What do you mean?

Well, I mean you went into that competition

ranking number one in the world,

and finished fifth, and stopped skating.

Well, we were all under a lot of pressure,

and I had a bad day.

Well, if you don't mind me asking,

was there more to it than the pressure?

I think you said...

You know, I don't really care what you think.

I know what I went through.

And it's actually just none of your business.

Well actually, it is my business, you see, I'm a writer

and I look for stories.

You mean fabricating stories?

No, I gather facts and I have them published.

Well, there's nothing here for publication.

Guess I hit a nerve.

I'm sorry.

No, you're not.

Look, there is no story here.

Leave me alone.

Yes, of course, I'll be right there.

No, it's not a problem.

John, don't be silly,

it's not as if I haven't done this sort of thing before.

I'll be right there.

Oh!

I was just about to knock.

Are you going out?

Uh, well yes, I just got a call

from my intern, John Mendoza.

He was picked up by the FBI.

Needs someone to go to bat for him.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Could you spare a minute before you go?

Oh, of course, come in.

Jessica, I was wondering if you would

be willing to look into this whole murder situation?

- As a personal favor to me. - May I ask why?

A little while ago you were complaining about this feeding frenzy,

and everyone trying to capitalize on somebody else's misfortune

- by trying to figure out who did it. - That's true.

Well, what happened to change your mind?

Well nothing, they're still vultures,

but the hysteria we've got out there, it's dangerous.

I think we're in desperate need of some panic control.

That'd be you.

Warren,

if I get into this, I have to follow the truth.

Wherever it leads.

I understand.

All right, I'm in.

Walk with me.

Hello, John.

I'm am so sorry to have to drag you all the way out here.

Oh, that's quite all right.

How long were you planning on holding him, Lieutenant?

Well, if it was up to me I would've cut him lose an hour ago.

But the Feds wanna hold him as a material witness.

But I didn't see anything.

Some guy tried to rob me.

- Who tried to rob you? - A Russian.

The Feds think maybe it's the same guy who capped Malenkovich.

He thought I had the stolen manuscript.

And I thought for sure that he was gonna kill me.

They're questioning him in another room.

- Wanna see? - Yes, perhaps I should.

Don't worry, I'll be right back.

We'll get you out of here in just a few minutes.

Okay, once more, and this time give me the facts.

I have already told you.

That's the guy.

Tell me again.

I just love being lied to, reminds me of my last marriage.

Boris.

What were you doing at the hotel?

I came to speak with Yuri Malenkovich about his book.

Do you always bring a gun and a silencer to talk to somebody abut his book?

Or are the Russians just harder on their writers than I thought.

It was for protection in case Yuri made a problem.

We knew he had been offered two million dollars by his publisher.

I was sent to make a counter offer of equal value,

if he would not sell it to anyone else.

We would also arrange for certain favors

to be done for members of his family still in Russia,

whose living conditions have been rather hard

since the fall of the Communist Party.

Of course, it would've been much simpler

just to kill him, take the book,

and keep the money for yourself, I think.

It's not that simple!

Thank you.

He didn't kill Yuri.

Well, you sound awfully sure of that.

Look, if he had done the job,

he would've had the manuscript.

He wouldn't have gone after John thinking that he had it.

Well, he could've killed him and found the book was already missing.

Oh, no. Yuri wasn't the sort of person

who would lose track of something that important.

If that manuscript had been stolen before he was killed,

he would've cause a commotion

that you would've heard all the way back to Moscow.

So the killing is related to the manuscript.

No, I didn't say that.

In a situation like this,

there's what we think, what we know,

and what we can prove.

I mean, Yuri is dead,

the manuscript is missing.

But how do those facts relate to one another?

I mean, we don't know.

Tell your people to keep looking.

What? What do you mean?

Forensics report says the gun we found on this guy

didn't fire the bullet that killed Yuri.

I'll get into it.

Well, if you're going to, you'd better do it quickly.

What do you mean we'd better... What did...

What is she doing in here?

She is my guest.

She has no official role in this investigation.

She has no business...

What do you mean we should do it quickly?

Well, this man here is a Russian citizen, isn't he?

That's right. Why?

Well, if I was in his situation,

I'd have orders to check in with my handler every few hours.

- And if I didn't... - Yeah?

My handler might think that I had been arrested.

In which case, he would immediately arrange for the kind of assistance

that only he could get as a diplomat of another country.

Diplomatic immunity.

Mr. Phillips,

there's a guy on the line

from the Russian consulate in New York.

He'd like a word with you.

I'll take that in the other office, then I want her out of here.

Oh, just one other thing, Mr. Phillips.

If that call is what I think it is,

and if our guest is about to receive diplomatic immunity,

- then you have no case against him. - That's right.

Well then, how can you hold John Mendoza as a material witness

in a case that no longer exists?

Kick him loose.

That was a thing of beauty, Mrs. Fletcher.

I mean, the look on his face was perfect.

Someone's here to see you, detective.

Yeah, send him on back.

Gonna put through t he paperwork on your friend,

and we'll have him out of here in a little bit.

Oh, thank you. That'll be wonderful.

Oh.

I'm sorry, I didn't know you were here.

Oh, that's all right. I can leave if you like.

Oh, no. That's okay.

You'll wanna hear this.

I think I know who killed Yuri.

Hi, mind if I bother you for a minute?

Please.

Thanks.

After we met, I asked around about you.

And from what I gather, when it comes to motivational speaking,

you are the one to talk to.

Even more than your partner, William.

Well, I don't know if I'm any better than...

I also heard that you were very modest.

That is a rare trait these days.

So, what can I do for you?

You mentioned the comeback trail.

Well, I am ready to find it all right,

but I'm not really sure which trail to take.

I've tried writing, but so far nothing's really worked out,

you can consult on ice skating,

but not unless you really want to coach,

and I'm not really ready for that.

So I have a name.

A little worn out maybe, but still a name.

Just not a lot of options on how to use it.

So I was thinking,

maybe motivational speaking might be the best way to go.

I think that's a great idea.

You see, the harder your life has been,

the more it means if you can pull yourself out of it and make something of yourself.

And from what I know about you, you've had a pretty hard life.

You've worked yourself out of poverty,

you've educated yourself, you've trained yourself.

You've got a pretty interesting story to tell.

And I think people will want to hear it.

Do you really think so?

I mean, I wouldn't need, like, some kind of gimmick or...

No, just be yourself.

Patricia Williams?

- Yes? - Lieutenant Detective Bob Mankowski.

Is there something wrong?

Ms. Williams, you told our officers

that you went straight to your room after dinner.

But we now have a witness who has placed you

leaving Yuri Malenkovich's room

at roughly the time of the murder.

You were crying,

you looked as though you'd been in a struggle,

and you were seen leaving with a thick manila envelop.

Would you come with me, please?

You're sure this won't get you into any trouble?

It probably will, but I can handle it.

I don't buy any of this.

Where'd this so-called witness come from?

And if they saw something, why didn't they come forward earlier?

That's all too convenient for me.

The witness works the four pm to midnight shift.

She didn't hear of the murder until she got back to work this afternoon.

Ms. Williams, do you understand the penalty for lying

to an agent of the FBI in the course of a homicide investigation?

- I'm not lying. - No?

Interesting.

I still don't understand

why Patricia didn't want an attorney.

Hmm.

She was afraid it would be an admission of guilt.

It was naive. Stupid.

We couldn't talk her out of it.

Just let me see if I understand this.

You say you were never near Yuri Malenkovich's room.

That's right.

So the maid that saw you...

She's confused or lying.

So you were never there?

No.

Oh, that's interesting.

Let me show you something.

On the left are fingerprints we took when we brought you in here.

The fingerprints on the right were taken from a broken wine glass

we found in Yuri's room.

They're the same.

One hundred percent, absolute match.

Is there anything you want to change in your story now, Ms. Williams?

After the reception,

I did call him to see if I could speak to him privately.

He agreed, we set a time.

What time?

A little before 11:00.

Didn't it strike you odd

to be seeing someone so late in the evening?

I figured he was still on Russian time.

What were you seeing him about?

I thought if I could interview him about his years with the KGB

and his new book,

I could sell the article to a major magazine.

I felt that this could be my big break.

My first big sale.

I brought my clip so I could show him what I'd done previously,

mostly some articles and a few short stories I'd published over the years,

just so he would know I was a writer.

But as it turned out, he wasn't interested in my work.

We struggled.

But I didn't kill him.

He was very much alive when I left that room.

That was the last time I saw him.

That's a fine story, Ms. Williams.

It's what happened.

Look, from what I've heard it sounds like he was shot.

I don't even own a gun.

But it is entirely possible

that you saw his manuscript as the big break.

- Or maybe you just wanted to sell it to the Russians. - No.

One the other hand, maybe he did try to assault you

and in the course of the struggle, you grabbed his gun,

fired, self defense.

I'm sure a jury will find that story more sympathetic.

I can hold you for 24 hours before I have to charge you with anything,

until then, you're the person closest to the center of the storm.

And I'm keeping you here.

She didn't do it.

She couldn't have, I just won't accept it.

I'll give you that she's wild in some ways,

but it's because she's so passionate about things.

Her life, her work, her career,

but something like this? No, never.

You know, Warren, when you asked me to look into this,

I sensed that there was a lot more

than what you were saying.

You were afraid of this, weren't you?

Yes, I was.

Phillips is so desperate to pin this on somebody,

he'll try anything.

I know. It's the hardest thing

to see someone innocent being blamed for something that they didn't do.

I don't want anything to happen to Patricia.

I lost my son, I just don't want to go through

anything like that again.

You know, Warren,

you've never really talked about him.

I mean, I knew that Brent

was a reporter, that he had been killed in Afghanistan, but that's all.

He loved to write.

Even as a little boy, he just loved to write.

So he decided he wanted to become a journalist.

He was covering the activities of the Afghani rebels,

when he was killed.

It was the worst thing that ever happened to me in my life, Jess. I just...

I can't go through anything like that again.

I'm going to do everything I can, Warren. I swear.

Thanks.

So, what's our next step?

Well, the killer is still out there.

So our job is to find him, or at least produce evidence

that eliminates Patricia from the list of possible suspects.

Mm. So we don't necessarily have to show who did it,

as long as we can prove that she didn't do it.

Right. What we need to do right now is to prove that the real killer

is still at large.

And how do we do that?

I've got an idea or two.

Mm.

- Hi. - Hi.

You made it.

Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss this for the world.

You know, I'm surprised you're at this conference by yourself.

Well, I'm kind of on my own these days.

My husband and I separated about six months ago.

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.

It's okay, he was a skater for the East German team.

And I've spoken to Lieutenant Mankowski,

and he has agreed to attend a press conference on Monday morning.

Hmm. And that's when you'll make your announcement?

I should think so.

I don't know how you do it, Jess.

I would never would've seen those clues,

and they were right there in front of me.

Well, it's just a matter of knowing what you're looking for,

how to recognize it, and how to organize the information.

I mean, once you've done that,

everything else invariably falls into place.

By Monday morning, we should have the last two pieces of information

to nail down the case,

and then we can all get back to our respective lives.

Huh. You think he bought it, Jess?

Oh, yes. I'd like a lager.

Lager sounds good. Two lagers, please.

Where is he now?

Oh, back in Germany.

He had some kind of run in with the authorities there.

He dropped out of sight completely about a week ago.

I suspect he's in some kind of trouble...

Jang! I've been looking everywhere for you.

Did you hear?

I'm kinda busy here, Bill.

Hi. Fletcher's on the case.

- You're kidding. - No.

I heard her talking with that friend of hers, Warren.

She figures to have this whole thing completely wrapped up by Monday.

That gives us just 24 hours to crack this thing.

Why?

If she knows who the killer is

and justice gets served, that's great.

Great for her, maybe. Not so good for me.

All right, I'll see you later.

I've got something I gotta do.

Excuse me, Mr. Brennan. Can I have a minute?

What is it?

Well, I've got some ideas about Yuri's murder

and I've got no body to bounce them off of.

Why don't you just bounce them off your buddy, Jang?

Well, he's, he's got his hands full with other things.

No, I just thought that if I could sort of test

my theory out on you, that there might be,

I don't know,

some interest in a book or something, somewhere down the line.

- Or, perhaps, um... - Look, Batsby.

I'm president of a company that represents people who write books.

- I'm not a publisher. - Oh, I know.

I know, but I thought that if I told you my ideas,

and you thought they had merit,

that you might direct me to somebody who could help me?

And put in a good word, you know?

All right. All right, let's hear it.

Well, um,

the way I see it.

We need to find a connection between Yuri

and somebody at this conference.

Somebody who needed that manuscript bad enough to kill for it.

Correct. Yes.

Now who would that be?

I don't know. Yet.

But I will.

One thing I do know, it's not gonna be obvious.

The killer, I mean.

So, um, if you thought it might be worth a shot,

sorry, no pun intended,

I might be able to nose around.

See what I could find out.

Well, do some sleuthing if you'd like, and we'll see.

If you come up with something, maybe we'll talk.

But I'm gonna tell you something,

I don't wanna get led on a wild goose chase.

And before you come back to me,

make sure you know what you're talking about.

Oh, yes, Sir.

You can bet I will.

Now, I want you to stay right here, and don't answer the door.

I'm going to pick up a few things and I'll be back before you know it.

I beg your pardon?

Oh, this couch looks very comfortable.

Warren, you're not staying here.

Of course I am.

We as much as told the world you know who the killer is.

And the killer will obviously consider that a threat,

which should bring him out. That's a good thing.

It's a bad thing if he decides to eliminate the threat by eliminating you.

So you will stay in the bedroom,

I will sleep here on the couch,

no one will get past me, I guarantee it.

You don't have to do this, Warren.

No, if I did I probably wouldn't.

Since I don't, I am and I will.

I'm gonna go to my room and get my pillow.

Because I've broken it in quite nicely.

- Yes? - Room service.

- Good evening, ma'am. - Oh, over there, please.

I always have a cup of chamomile tea every evening.

Oh, good idea.

I think I'd like some myself.

Back in five.

Tea for two, ma'am?

So it would seem.

- Thank you very much. - Oh, thank you, ma'am.

- Goodnight. - Goodnight.

Well, it doesn't prove anything.

We have no proof this even came from the killer,

it could've come from any one of those other people out there

who are trying to solve the murder.

Well, unless the neighbors heard you snoring.

What would "Stop now or die" refer to

other than our investigation?

Yeah, well it's possible... What?

What do you mean my snoring?

I don't snore, I have never snored.

Warren, you're a dear man. And a good friend.

Either you snore,

or there was a bear in here last night,

and one of us should inform the management.

Look, I'll grant, it's not much but it's a start.

It means that we've been noticed,

now we have to turn it over to the police.

The more we can create a legitimate paper trail,

the better Patricia's chances of being cleared.

Gimmie just a minute to put myself together.

Warren, are you all right?

Jess!

Warren, what's wrong?

I've been shot.

Oh, my God!

Don't move, it'll only make it bleed more.

See, I told you you were in danger.

Oh, there are simpler ways of proving it than by dying, Warren!

Dr. Shriner to NICU.

You really should stay here and let them keep an eye on you.

Jessica, it's just a flesh wound.

Doctor said nothing vital was hit,

I can sit here or I can sit at the hotel,

what difference does it make?

Look, Warren. Someone tried to kill you.

Yes, and whoever tried it may probably come after you next.

I'm not going to stay here and let that happen!

You know, I thought you might want to know

that we tested that bullet that grazed you.

And the double striations on the bullet

match the one that we pulled out of Yuri's body.

Double striations.

Yes, indicating that the bullet

was fired from a gun equipped with a silencer.

Which is why no one heard it the night Yuri was murdered.

That's interesting.

What?

Well, a silencer indicates

a certain degree of premeditation, doesn't it?

I mean, most people who own guns don't own silencers.

They're very expensive and hard to find.

Well, see. That's the other thing.

The lines cause by the silencer

don't match anything else we have in the file.

A silencer certainly mitigates against the murder

being a spontaneous act of rage or passion.

Well, that clears Patricia.

If she was in a cell across town,

she couldn't possibly have been outside the hotel this morning

with a gun, now could she?

No, she couldn't have.

Agent Phillips is not gonna be happy about this.

Would he have been happier if I'd been killed?

Well, he's a Fed. You never know.

Shall we?

Bobby, Mrs. Fletcher is moving to the Siesta Suite.

Take care of her luggage, please.

Henry's already up there, he'll help you.

Thank you.

No, I can manage those.

Oh yes, with one arm.

I'll go along with him.

I'll just be a moment.

No, Clem, listen.

We know she was in Sarajevo, I need more.

Any connecting with Yuri Malenkovich.

Anything between them, or even someone they both knew.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

You said yourself, this woman is not even a police suspect.

I don't care. Come on.

Call in your sources, pull in some favors.

I've told you who's here, see if you can connect any of them with Yuri.

Bats, Jessica Fletcher knows what she's doing.

Leave it to her and go motivate somebody.

You know, she isn't always right.

And if I could crack this, it would me a lot more dough

than I'm getting right now.

All right, I'll do what I can.

Don't expect any big secrets to be uncovered.

Yeah, thanks, Clem.

I'll be in my room, call me with anything.

Excuse me. I wonder,

did you by any chance see a man

standing around here around nine am?

- Funny you should mention that, but yeah. - Why funny?

Well, I've seen him around the hotel a few times the past couple days,

but I don't think he's a guest here.

Why not?

Well, he orders a drink once in a while,

but he always pays cash, never puts it on a room account.

Anyway, I saw him this morning and he was standing there looking up,

and all of a sudden he just took off.

Haven't seen him since.

I see. Do you think you could describe him for me?

Sure. About five-six,

maybe five-seven,

always wearing a black jacket.

Oh yeah, and he had one of those

small leather shoulder bags.

Carried it with him like it was the most important thing in the world.

Oh, interesting.

Well, you've been very helpful.

Thank you.

Jang.

I got it. I worked it out.

Ah, Mr. Holmes, so good to see you again.

Yeah, laugh all you want, but I think I know who the killer is,

and I'm ready to go with it.

You know why your pal, the athlete, got divorced?

Penny? No, she just said that she and her husband split up

some time after he got back from Germany.

East Germany, that's what you said.

Well, I called in a few favors from some reporter friends of mine,

it turns out that she was involved with somebody

on the East German team while she was married.

That same year, she turns in the worst performance of her career

and we lose the gold. That's too much of a coincidence.

Maybe the Russians were holding her husband hostage,

and it was blackmail, maybe she got paid to throw the competition,

maybe she did it out of love.

Maybe she was upset

because her marriage was falling apart.

Jang, she's the only one here

with a direct connection to the old Soviet Union.

She knew Yuri had a book coming out,

maybe she was afraid that she was in it.

If she did throw the competition and it came out

it could ruin her career.

She'd lose her endorsements,

there'd be a scandal, she'd lose everything.

So you're saying she did it.

I'm saying that either she did it,

or she hired somebody to do it for her.

To kill Yuri and anybody else who gets too close to the truth.

Agent Phillips and Neeley, what a pleasant surprise.

What can I do for you?

The night Yuri Malenkovich was murdered

you spoke with him, correct?

We had a few words, yes.

What kind of words?

Oh, the usual. Nouns, verbs,

adjectives to round things out.

Any heated words on that list, any rash words?

Not that I can remember, no.

Please, come in.

Thank you.

Have a seat.

I am told that you were upset by the idea

that someone who repressed writers and artists during the Soviet days

might profit from his actions.

Uh, upset, no.

Annoyed, yes.

I mean, the morality of this is rather dubious.

Mrs. Fletcher, do you recognize this?

Yes, of course,

it's the note that I took from under my door this morning.

And what did you do with it upon finding it?

Well, I gave it to the police straight away.

Well, when we went over the paper, we found traces of handwriting.

To be precise, we found the impression of a signature.

Now, the signature is under the ink spelling out the words,

"Stop now or die".

Meaning that the impression

was made before the warning was written.

Well, that's good.

That means the writing belongs to the killer,

or someone involved in the murder.

Exactly.

So you'll understand my surprise when our experts

checked out the indented signature,

and determined that the handwriting and the signature on the note,

is yours, Mrs. Fletcher.

Now think about it.

Is there something you're not telling me?

Yes.

Yes, there is.

And would you care to enlighten me?

At this precise moment, no.

What do you mean "no", Mrs. Fletcher?

Do you or do you not want the person responsible for Yuri's death?

Of course I do.

Then give me a little more time.

I need 24 hours.

I have one last lead to check out.

No.

Forget it. Not a chance.

Look, all you have is a series of clues

that don't add up.

Now, you can pressure me to tell you what I know,

and being a good citizen, I probably will,

but you still won't be able to prove anything.

To conference will be over tomorrow,

and everybody will have gone their separate ways,

and this case will have slipped through your fingers.

Give me those 24 hours,

and I will give you the person responsible for Yuri's murder.

A man has been murdered, Mrs. Fletcher,

- I am not able to... - Let her go.

What?

You heard me. I said, let her go.

Give her the 24 hours.

Why?

Because I trust her.

I know her work, and I know her rep,

and I trust her.

You got a problem with that?

Hello.

I think the lady wants to talk to you.

What do you want?

Well, I'd like to know what you're doing here.

I believe that you were in the garden this morning

standing under my window.

No, I, I...

Please, I have a witness.

All right, fine. I was there, so what.

I was also told that you left in quite a hurry. Why?

Well, I was standing there, minding my own business,

when all of a sudden there was this big whack

from the tree right next to me, like something hit it real hard,

and I didn't know if somebody was throwing something at me,

or if there was some kind of an animal in there,

but I wasn't gonna stick around to find out.

What kind of a sound was that?

Well, like I said, it was a sharp whack right next to my head.

So, if you don't mind...

One other thing,

what were you doing standing there in the first place?

I'm a collector.

I was hoping for an autograph.

I've been waiting two days

just to get five minutes alone,

An autograph, oh for heaven sakes!

Let me find a pen.

Oh no, no, not yours.

His. Warren Pierce.

Oh, Joesph.

If your face was any lower,

I'd have to dig a hole in the floor

to accommodate it.

I'm sorry, I'm just tired. It's been a long day.

I know.

What can I do for you?

You know, everything about Yuri's murder

screams premeditation.

Yet relatively few people knew about his new book.

It was a nonfiction memoir of his years in the KGB.

So, if the Russians aren't responsible for his death,

then the murder had nothing to do with his memoirs.

And this is where I need your help, Joseph.

About a year ago,

Yuri published another book.

It was a novel, based loosely on his experiences.

Would you by any chance have a copy of that book?

Sure.

I was going to have it out for the press conference on Monday.

Why?

I need to see it.

The recent insurrection against civil authority

brought this warrior to a barren battlefield.

Death and destruction abound,

but even here he would seek out pleasures of the flesh.

Colonel Boris Yeltenoff was a man of healthy sexual appetites.

Loved by women,

feared by his enemies.

When she entered the room and he saw her,

he knew that he had seen his true opposite number.

As he looked into her eyes, he knew their paths were locked from this day forward.

I didn't know you'd be here.

I had to come.

I had to come and see what sort of man you were.

What do you think?

I think that my life has just changed forever.

Warren, I was afraid I was never gonna get out of that jail.

Mm, and now we're gonna celebrate your liberation

from unjustified incarceration.

And I'm buying.

Then we do live in miraculous times.

Mm, I'm gonna call Jessica.

I know she'll want to be in on this.

Boris had no choice but to shoot his way out.

- Come Boris, we must hurry! - Where are we going?

To a place of great danger to our people,

where a man of your talent is needed to deal with insurgents and spies.

What better place to show the world what you are made of

than Afghanistan.

Come!

At last, he was back in uniform.

Now he could discard the pretense of being anyone other than who he was,

a loyal servant of the Soviet Party.

General Yeltenoff,

we found this men in the rubble of Ghandi Camp.

- We're reporters. - Be quiet.

Do they have any identification?

No. You know damn well we don't.

Your goons here confiscated our papers.

And our passports.

And you know we're not the CIA.

No? Perhaps.

Perhaps so.

It is not my fault

that your own government has compromised all of it's journalists everywhere.

When you know that one reporter is actually a spy,

then any of them can be a spy.

If you'd just let me call my newspaper.

There are no telephones here.

There's just you, and me, and all those soldiers outside.

Boris looked at the two intruders,

he could not afford to take chances,

No!

Jessica?

I had one of the staff let me in.

We've been together so much,

they didn't seem to question it.

Terrible lapse in security.

I came by your room last night,

I called you a couple of times, but there was no answer.

Around midnight I turned off the phone.

Ah, writing again?

No.

I was up reading.

Mm.

I see.

It's funny, the more important an emotion,

the fewer words are needed to express it.

I'm your friend. Four words.

I love you, three words.

Marry me.

I'm sorry.

Two words.

You are my friend.

That puts you just three words from the center of my heart.

Over the years I've lost so many people.

Sometimes I felt there was no one left for me to play with,

and then I met you again.

And everything changed.

Warren, you are my friend.

I would do anything for you.

- Except... - Except,

betray what I believe in.

And pretend that I don't know what this book has told me.

After I finished reading it, I...

I came in here and took the liberty of going through your bags.

You seemed so protective of them

when they were being carried by the staff out of my room.

I suspected that the gun might be hidden in one of them.

I didn't find it.

But I did find this.

How did you know?

It came to me in pieces.

Oh, it must be very hard to kill a man, Warren.

Even if you think it's justified.

That's why you were so depressed the night of the murder.

It didn't mean much to me at the time,

not even when Yuri was discovered dead the following morning.

I knew you were good at making your own gadgets,

but I didn't put it together with what Lieutenant Mankowski

said about the silencer being hand made.

And then there was that business of the note on the hotel stationary.

The night before you were shot,

I ordered in some room service.

I'd put out some of the hotel stationary earlier

while sorting through a few things.

And as I signed the bill,

my handwriting left an impression on the paper.

During the night, you took one of those sheets of paper

then you wrote the warning note and put it under the door

so that I'd find it in the morning.

No one else had access to my room or that paper.

You then put the handmade silencer on the gun,

pulled the trigger, and wounded yourself,

hoping, I suppose,

to take suspicion away from Patricia.

You were very good at covering your tracks.

I might never have given it a thought

if you hadn't asked me to investigate her arrest.

It was a calculated risk.

I couldn't let Patricia take the blame for something that I'd done.

See, I didn't know that she'd gone to see Yuri

until the next morning.

The timing was too close.

I had to clear her name, I knew you were the one person who could do that.

I was hoping that we could clear it without going any further.

And then you told me the most important thing was to prove that the killer

was still on the loose.

Then I knew what I had to do.

And that's where you made your mistake.

After you were shot I went out to examine the area

where the shooter would've been standing.

On inspection, I found a bullet hole

in a tree that was on a direct line to my window.

Meaning a bullet had not been fired in from the garden,

it had been fired out from the room.

Then when the police found the bullet in the wall of my room

and it matched the one that killed Yuri, I knew.

I was hoping that, somehow,

some way it wasn't you.

That perhaps I'd misread the clues,

or you were being set up to take the blame.

One thing finally changed that.

And I feel confident that when forensics checks the powder burns on your shirt

they'll realize only you could've fired that gun.

Everything about the murder pointed to premeditation.

Which meant that the murder must've had something to do with the contents

of his previous novel.

Yuri killed your son, didn't he?

Jess, do you know what it's like to go through life

wondering why your son was murdered?

Who killed him?

And then one day,

I opened a book.

This book.

My publisher sent it to me, he wanted me to review it,

it was Yuri's book, can you believe it?

As I read it,

bit by bit, I realized I was...

I was reading the intimate details of my own son's murder.

Information that no one else could've known

but the man who did it.

The man who killed him.

Yuri must've thought

nobody would put it together, he must've thought

he was immune from prosecution, but it's all here, Jess.

It's all in the book, all the facts.

I wasn't gonna let him get away with it.

Yuri Malenkovich killed my son.

Shot him.

He shot him.

Then he dumped his body in a ditch.

And he just left it there.

For as long as I've known you,

I've felt that a part of you has been in terrible pain.

Now I know why.

And I am so sorry, Warren.

I truly am.

Are you sorry enough? Do you understand enough,

not to go to the police?

- Warren. - What else did you tell them?

Well, nothing significant, I didn't name you,

I didn't need to.

Why not?

Because you are going to turn yourself in

to the police,

and you are going to confess.

And you will tell your story in front of a jury.

Jessica, you're the only one who knows I'm involved in this.

What's to keep me from killing you?

Because I still believe

that you're an honorable man.

I've already killed once.

That was because you believed

you were avenging your son's death.

There's a big difference between that and...

And this.

You could've let Patricia take the blame for the murder,

and you could've gotten away before any of this unraveled, but you didn't.

And that proves that you can't hurt an innocent.

Or a friend.

You'll always be my friend.

Excuse me, Mrs. Fletcher.

I don't understand how you could do it.

I mean, you said yourself, he was your friend.

The guy he murdered was probably a killer several times over.

A lot worse than your friend.

So why do it?

Yes, well, uh, it was...

It was the hardest thing that I've ever done.

But, popular culture not withstanding,

there is such a thing as right and wrong.

The taking of a human life for any reason is wrong.

I mean, you can never nudge the moral compass

far from its true North

without losing something vital.

A compass is essential for everyone.

Writers in particular.

Yuri Malenkovich asked why I investigate murders.

He said that I had to have a personal agenda.

Well, he was quite right.

It's important to me

to pursue those who cross the line

and take another human life.

In my investigating murders,

I have seen some terrible things.

So many of them, it would take the wind out of anybody's sails.

Go ahead.

You ready?

Officially, for the record, I'm giving you this confession.

But Patricia here has first rights of publication of the story.

Told you I'd get you that one big break.

I always keep my promises.

I'm surprised Mrs. Fletcher doesn't want to tell this story.

I mean, she has every right to.

I think she understands.

Well, here we go.

My son Brent was a correspondent

for the Washington Seminal...

But because I am a romantic, I still believe

that we have the potential

to be nobler than we know,

and better than we think.

That the darkness I've seen is only a shadow

on the potential of the human heart.

Warren in his own way was a romantic.

Made hard by the world around him, until he finally made

a tragic mistake.

He walked away from his own moral compass.

So I urge you

to keep your heart's compass on the true North

of your dreams. Be free to be romantics,

to reject cynicism.

To believe that good will prevail.

And that those who do wrong will be punished,

because when the hour of the wolf comes,

as it comes to all of us, sooner or later,

those are the things that sustain us.

Thank you, and good night.