Original subtitles

Thank you.

Oh, Kevin.

Hi, Clark.

What happened to you?

You were due back yesterday.

Well, I got hung up there overnight with Lark and a couple of his programmers.

So how did you do?

They liked our program.

Oh, great.

A couple of modifications?

I think they'll go for it. Kevin, we've got to talk. Look, I'm up to my neck in

paperwork. Why don't you fill me in over dinner?

I can't make it tonight.

I promised Diane we'd have dinner together at home.

Kevin, I've got to know what kind of modifications we're talking about here.

Clark, I haven't seen her in over a week.

She's my wife. I'd like to keep it that way.

Kevin. Let's have breakfast.

You know I don't eat breakfast.

That's right.

And you remember our mother warned you that if you didn't, you wouldn't grow up

big and strong like me.

Hi, sweetheart.

I'm back.

Hi. How was your trip?

Great. It was great.

But there's a couple of things I've got to go over with Clark right away, and

I'm afraid I won't be able to make it home for dinner.

Oh, no.

I've got everything started already.

Well, it'll keep until tomorrow night, won't it?

Not really.

I'm sorry, darling. Believe me.

The reason I'm working so hard is for us.

You know that, don't you?

I just wanted you to come home to something special.

I am.

You.

I love you.

I love you, too.

Yes, he's with his brother.

That's impossible.

Who is this?

Kevin?

Diane.

What are you doing here?

Someone called me and said you'd be here. Some woman.

Really, Kevin? Where are your manners?

Introduce us.

Let's just try outside, honey. What's going on?

I'm Elizabeth Benson.

And you're?

Diane Benson.

What a coincidence.

We all have the same last name.

Perhaps my husband.

could explain darling your husband he's my husband yours too

really kevin an extramarital fling is one thing but an entire second wife

well

one lousy turn deserves another you did that yeah

I suppose I did.

Diane?

Diane?

Diane, where are you?

Oh. No, Kevin. No, you've got to let me explain to you. Get out of my way. I

don't love her. I love you. Kevin, I'd let go of me. Please.

No, no. I'm not going to lose you. Damn it.

Are you okay?

Not really.

Oh, it's going to be all right. Come on in.

It's going to be okay. Just come over here. Take it easy.

Oh, you don't have to do that.

Oh, I got to do something.

How do you feel?

No.

I'm going to go home.

Do you think that's a good idea?

Well, I...

I've got to try to understand this.

Do you want me to come along for moral support?

That's okay. Let me just follow you in my car.

I live here. I live here.

He said we'd have to have breakfast together because he was having dinner

his wife.

I live here. Let me through. What happened?

Excuse me.

Mrs. Benson?

Yes? Lieutenant Herman, Atlanta Police.

What's going on, Lieutenant? What happened?

I'm afraid your husband's dead.

It appears that someone hit him with that vase, causing the fall and

skull on the corner of that table.

No, he was alive when I left him.

We struggled. I... I guess I hit him with my face, but he fell right there

he was alive.

You did what?

Maybe we better talk about this downtown.

First, she's going to talk to her lawyer.

Hi. Hi, I'm late.

What are you doing?

I'm trying to type this brief. It has to be filed by noon.

Typing's not one of my best things. This correction fluid runs.

I'll do it.

I'll have it typed and filed in an hour.

Okay.

Where were you this morning, anyway?

Oh, my car.

Some hose came loose under the hood and squirted oil everywhere.

I had to be towed.

Had to go home and change my suit.

Well, I was trying to get a hold of you.

What'd you want?

A friend of mine, Diane Jonas, or Diane Benson, she just got married. The police

have charged her with murdering her husband.

I finally got a hold of Michelle.

You got her?

Yeah.

Her husband was a bigamist.

Bigamist?

Neither of the wives knew anything about each other.

How long had this friend of yours been married for?

Five months.

How long had you been married to the other one?

Don't know.

I'll tell you what.

When you finish typing that brief, I'll take it over to the courthouse.

Oh, okay.

Mark Herman had a birthday last week.

Oh, yeah?

Yeah, I want to ask him how he feels about that.

Beg him, huh?

Hi, Dad.

Oh, hello, Michelle.

Cassie says you signed up a friend. Yeah. What's her name? Diane Benson.

It's not going to be easy.

Her fingerprints were all over the vase she struck him with.

They had a loud public argument. He was two -timing her in a big way.

And the next door neighbor said that Diane was the only one he'd seen

and leaving the house that night. Yeah, that's what Mark said.

I was in talking with Mark Herman about his birthday before.

I wonder how a fella keeps something like that a secret.

The second wife? Yeah.

Beats me.

I guess there were times he had to look busy.

Yeah.

You wonder how you did it, Tommy. They keep everything straight.

Phone calls, bills, and which one liked roses, which one liked daffodils, which

one meat, which one fish.

Hell, how do you keep their names straight?

I don't know, but I believe she's innocent.

Well, that's the start.

You know, sometimes it bothers me, living alone with no woman.

But I'm damn proud I want to live with two of them.

Oh, dear.

Are you all right?

Is this Kevin's briefcase?

Yes.

Why didn't the police take it?

I don't know.

Do you know the combination?

913. His birthday.

Your husband went on these out -of -town trips each week?

Yes. Did he leave you a number where he could be reached?

No, he always called me at 8 in the morning or 8 in the evening.

Always without fail.

Never told you where he was staying?

No, and I never asked.

When he was home, did you go out very often?

No, we hardly went out at all.

Diane, what if... He used to say there's nothing he liked better than coming

home to a meal I'd cooked.

He seemed so happy with our life.

How'd it go today?

All I could think about was coming home.

Oh, I love you.

I made a pot roast.

I love your pot roast.

Excuse me.

It's gonna take some time.

Yeah.

Well, there's nothing interesting in the briefcase.

Hi. Hi.

Hi. Hi.

Is that her?

Yeah. Pretty.

You don't think you do?

I really don't.

Have you talked with the other Miss Benson? What was the first one?

Not yet.

I was thinking, I don't suppose you could... Well, I've got that

Jenkins matter.

You could get a continuance.

Oh, well, we all work out of the same office.

You both do favors for me all the time, so turn about.

Fair play. Thanks.

Oh, where is the other, um... Miss Benson?

Um, she's staying downtown at the Alexander Hotel.

And I'm going over to Kevin's office.

I'll see you later. Yeah, me too. I'll see you later.

So... So... Two of them.

I suppose he...

I'm gonna go talk to your neighbor.

You be okay for a few minutes?

Mm -hmm.

Not allergic to cats, are you?

No, why?

You think cats were disposable bottles or something, the way people toss them

out in the street? It's criminal. It's just criminal. They should be shot.

The people, not the cats.

Sit down, please.

Mrs.

Barrino, um...

You told the police that Diane Benson was the only person other than her

who entered their home last night.

That's right.

No offense, but do you always watch what goes on at your neighbor's homes?

I watch TV.

At least I try to.

Frankly, what goes on outside my window is much more interesting.

The police have established that Mr. Benson was murdered at around 9 .30.

Now, Mrs. Burino, isn't it possible that you stepped out of the room or maybe

you dozed off around that time?

Absolutely not.

I was sitting right here in this chair, petting Louise, sitting in that chair

the whole time.

At least I think it was Louise.

Miss Benson, I'm Ben Matlock. I work with Michelle.

Thomas, she's the attorney for Diane Benson.

Could I, uh... Certainly.

Thank you.

Oh.

Packing, huh?

I hate funerals.

Never know what to say to the grieving widow.

Especially if I'm one of them.

Where's home?

Savannah.

That's where you and Kevin lived?

When he was around.

I understand there was nothing he liked better than to come back from a trip to

a good home -cooked meal.

I wouldn't know about that.

How was your trip?

All I could think about was coming home.

Did

you

know that Kevin had an office here in Atlanta?

Was in business with his brother?

Far as I knew.

Kevin was a one -man management consultant firm which he ran out of our

Kevin bought your home in Savannah?

About a year after we were married.

How could he maintain two separate lifestyles?

Kevin was good at handling money.

Kevin was good at a lot of things.

Well... Not the least of which was lying.

When did you find out about the other wife?

Three days ago.

I pulled a muscle at my evening aerobics class, so I came home early.

That's when I overheard Kevin on the phone.

So I did some checking and flew here to Atlanta for our little surprise party,

you might say.

Oh, you made that anonymous call to Diane.

Of course.

Wouldn't have been a party without her.

Must have been quite a scene.

That was the idea.

Of course, another way of looking at it was kind of to point the finger or put

the spotlight on Diane so that the killer could kind of

slink out of town.

You think I killed Kevin?

Can you... prove where you were at 9 .30 last night?

No.

But then again, I don't have to, do I?

Miss Benson, you've been very cooperative.

You never... No.

Never suspected.

I was satisfied.

As I said, Kevin was good at a lot of things.

May I help you?

Oh, hi.

You must be Clark Benson. I'm Michelle Thomas. I'm representing your sister -in

-law. Your secretary told me I could wait for you in here.

I see you're clearing out Kevin's office.

I have to.

Without him, I can't afford the space.

Hell, without him, I may not be able to keep the business.

Your brother was very good.

I know.

My brother was a genius.

See, he was the point man, always sniffing out new clients.

Me? Well, I stayed behind, got the work done.

If I fell behind, he'd pitch in. But the minute we got our heads above water,

he'd go out and... Three new clients.

Sounds profitable.

We did all right.

Any man with two wives has to be doing better than all right.

Let's just say we had several very good years.

I love my brother, but I sure didn't know him as well as I thought I did.

You didn't know he had three wives?

No.

I can't excuse or forgive Diane for what happened.

But I think I can understand how she felt.

So please, just tell her from me that I'll send her Kevin's things, but I

want her coming here.

I never want to see her again.

That may be difficult.

We may need you in court.

You'll be getting a subpoena.

Patsy, is that you?

Hey, whoa!

Put that down, okay?

You got me.

Who are you?

Judy Benson.

Benson?

That's right, hon.

Kevin's other wife.

Where is she?

Kitchen.

Well.

Ben Matlock.

Judy Benson.

Wife number three. How do you do?

Coffee,

Ben?

Oh, no, I better not.

How long have you been married to Kevin?

Three years.

Guess that makes me the senior member.

Judy is a showgirl at a casino in Atlantic City.

Oh.

That's where she and Kevin lived.

Atlantic City?

Why is everybody so surprised?

Atlantic City was his kind of town. He loved it. He thrived on it.

The shows, the gambling, the money, the action.

You mean Kevin wasn't in bed by ten every night?

Honey, he'd be lucky if he got in bed by ten in the morning.

He'd come home from one of his trips and we'd celebrate for days.

Hi, doll.

How'd it go with the track?

He was fun when he won.

He wasn't even fun when he lost.

He was perfect for Atlantic City.

He was perfect for me.

So, for three years, you thought Kevin was just

a businessman who traveled a lot.

Yeah. But then I started to miss things.

Little things at first, like jewelry.

Then I discovered $30 ,000 had vanished from my private savings account.

Yeah? Yeah, last week. So I hired a private detective.

Discovered he'd used the money to buy a house.

This house.

I don't believe this.

So I flew down right away to find out once and for all what was going on.

But I was too late.

I got in yesterday and read that he'd been murdered.

that if I wanted to claim to be his wife, I had to stand in line.

Well, I decided it'd be best not to get involved.

Why did you break in here tonight?

Well, the last thing Kevin took from me was a watch he'd given me from

Christmas. It had my name engraved on it.

Well, I was afraid some smart cop might trace it back to me.

So I figured if he hadn't hogged it yet, it'd be in his briefcase.

Kevin had $300 in cash on him when he died.

That's it, then.

Kevin was really something of a rat, wasn't he?

Maybe Kevin loved not wisely, but too much.

I think that's a very nice way to remember him.

Then, John.

It wouldn't come out.

I knew it wouldn't. Spaghetti sauce never does.

Alfredo. Before he sold to that chain, they used to bring a big napkin, put it

all around. I never used to get my tie and stuff.

But you liked the spaghetti, didn't you?

It was okay. It kind of stayed with me. Garlic, I guess. How about you? Oh,

fine.

Will you like the music?

No. It was okay as accordions go.

Where's your client?

Over there talking with Benson.

Call that Miss Benson's.

You know, you know that guy.

I know it's wrong.

I know it's wrong, but you gotta, you gotta admire.

No, not admire.

Yeah.

Three. You're not a chauvinist, are you? Oh, no, no, no. No, I just wonder why

he married all of them.

Call it a weakness in his character.

Well, this case shouldn't take too long.

Good night.

I think I got this case wrapped up.

I'm glad to hear it, because that's just what the district attorney thinks.

And in response to the decedent's brother's accusation, did the defendant

anything? Yes.

He was alive when I left. We struggled. I guess I hit him with that vase, but he

was alive.

This is Mark Peoples' exhibit number eight.

Do you recognize it?

Yes, that's the vase that we found next to the body and which was stained with

blood.

It has also been stipulated...

By the defense, that the fingerprints found on this vase match those belonging

to the defendant.

Thank you, Lieutenant Herman.

It was amusing.

I was rather delighted at the whole scene.

What about Diane Benson?

She seemed surprised.

Shocked, really.

Surprised?

Shocked? Yes.

What did she do?

She blew up. Flew out of the restaurant.

Oh, she was angry.

If looks could kill.

Objection, non -responsive.

Sustained. Was she angry or not?

She was madder than hell.

Now, Mrs. Barino, you are certain that the person you saw

entering their house that night was the defendant Diane Benson?

Oh, yes. I can see their front door clearly through my window.

First Mrs. Benson came home, then Mr. Benson came home, and then Mrs. Benson

left.

Do you recall what time she left?

Between 9 and 10.

I know because of a TV show that was on.

Did you see anybody else enter or leave the house that night?

No one.

Are you positive?

I'm positive.

Thank you, Mrs. Perino.

No further questions.

Cross -examine.

No questions.

Reserve the right to recall this witness.

You may step down.

Prosecution rest, Your Honor.

Very well.

Miss Thomas, is the defense ready?

We are, Your Honor. For our first witness, the defense calls Judy Benson.

And you, too, were married to Kevin Benson at the time of his death?

Yes.

Isn't it true that Kevin Benson held himself to $30 ,000 of your money

your knowledge?

Yeah.

$30 ,000 that he used to buy a house here in Atlanta for himself and another

woman. In fact, another wife.

Yes. It must have come as quite a shock when you found out.

Well, I didn't know about the other wives until after he was dead.

I believe you did arrive in town the day before he was murdered, didn't you?

So what if I did?

Well, didn't you in fact go to Kevin Benson's home the night of the murder?

No.

Mrs. Benson, at the request of any resident, the Atlanta police will run a

computer check of all automobiles reported to be parked or prowling in

residential neighborhoods.

All right. I was in town earlier, and, uh...

I knew about his other wife.

I planned to confront him, but I didn't. I, uh... I just drove around the block,

and then I parked and... tried to get up enough nerve.

Then what?

Well, you gotta realize this whole thing is kind of spooky.

Mrs. Benson, what happened?

Well, I'm walking up this alley when all of a sudden this... Yes?

This... person...

comes rising out of the dumpster.

Scared the hell out of me. So I ran straight to my car, started the engine,

didn't take my foot off the gas while I was... I don't know how far away I was.

Oh, I see.

Some person crawling around in a dumpster in the middle of the night

appeared, scared you, and then you left.

Yeah.

Well, I suppose it's too bad that...

Mysterious figure can't corroborate your story.

Oh, she can.

It was her.

I was looking for scraps for my cats.

I have so many, I can barely afford to feed myself.

I didn't want the neighbors to know.

What happened when Mrs. Benson saw you?

She jumped about a foot in the air, and she ran to her car and drove away, just

like she said.

Then what happened?

I went back to my house.

Well, then it's true you weren't watching the Benson house all evening.

And someone could have entered the home, killed Kevin Benson, and left without

you seeing him or her.

Objection calls for speculation.

Overruled. Answer the question.

I suppose so.

Yes.

Mrs. Perino, why did you lie?

I had to lie.

I couldn't tell the police what I was really doing.

They might have reported me to some animal group.

Maybe even put me in some home.

I had to lie.

No further questions.

I thought I had Judy Benson. I really did.

Well, it happens.

I've been in fixes like that where I thought I had them and I didn't have

If it's any consolation.

it's no consolation

Mr. Matlock, hi.

I knocked. I guess you didn't hear me.

Packing, huh?

I figure the house will sell better with me out of it.

I feel terrible about Kevin's using Judy's money like that to buy it. I want

pay her back.

Well, remember now, she can still be the killer.

No, she's not.

What makes you so sure?

Because I told her I wasn't.

And I believe her.

You want a cup of coffee? I haven't packed the mugs.

Coffee's already made. Oh, no, no. Don't go to any bother. I just stopped by to

see if you know anything about Kevin's other wife, Liz.

Don't forget all those things you have in the buffet.

Hello.

Hi.

I was about to ask where you were.

Or are.

Well, now you know.

I'm a member of this sorority.

Maybe I will have that cup of coffee.

No, no, Mr. Matlock. Reef cases do not go on the table.

Really, they don't?

Not in the Benson household.

Oh, where do they go?

On the floor, right next to the front door.

So your wife's sure to trip over at least once a week.

Right over there.

Okay.

Yeah, if nothing else, Kevin was a creature of habit, wasn't he?

Oh, I think one of the most annoying things about him is the way he made me

strain the seeds out of his orange juice.

I was always afraid I'd forget that.

I finally refused to do it.

Really? What did he do?

I think that's probably what he meant there.

Mr. Matlock?

Your Honor, at this time, the defense would like to recall Clark Benson to the

stand. Defendant co -counsel Benjamin Matlock will be examining him.

Go get him.

You betcha.

Kevin Benson was, uh... was your younger brother, is

that correct?

Yes. Were you close as you were growing up?

Yes. Did you approve of him?

Well, of course.

Kevin was outstanding at whatever he did.

Did, uh... Did he have a lot of girlfriends?

I suppose. The usual.

How about yourself?

The usual.

The usual or not many?

Are you a married man?

No. Is there a relationship at the present time?

No.

How about in the past? The usual or not many?

President, we know that Kevin had

three wives.

Now, any way you look at it...

That has to be trying on a person in many ways, including

financially, wouldn't you say?

Yeah, I suppose.

But Kevin was a successful businessman.

Yes, quite.

You know, that's what is interesting to me, along with

everything else, is that...

In spite of how bright Kevin was and how successful he seemed to be, he didn't

actually own anything business -wise, did he? I mean, he just worked for you.

Kevin was a genius at what he did.

It made for a great partnership.

But that's not really the case, is it? He wasn't literally your partner.

Technically, the company was in my name, yes.

You started it, didn't you?

Yes. And you owned it?

Yes, but it was a partnership in the true sense of the word.

In every sense of the word except financially.

Kevin worked for you. He was literally an employee.

I suppose if you want to be legalistic about it, he was.

But neither of us ever thought about it that way.

You didn't think about it that way even after you discovered he had been dipping

in the tail?

Who said he was dipping into the till?

Didn't you order an audit of your company's finances two months ago?

Yes. And didn't the auditor discover certain discrepancies in

Kevin's withdrawal of company's funds?

Kevin and I discussed it, and we worked out a schedule for repayment.

Naturally, I was disappointed this had occurred, but he swore it would never

happen again.

I think the night of the murder, you knew about at

least two of his wives.

And you went over to confront your brother on that and the audit.

That's not true.

You didn't go into his house after Diane Benson left that night?

No. And you didn't argue with him? And during some kind of struggle, he fell

hit his head and was killed?

Absolutely not.

Your Honor, I'd like to enter into evidence this briefcase.

Call it Defense Exhibit A.

Do you recognize this briefcase?

Yes, that's my brother's briefcase.

And it has his initials, K .H .B. Kevin Henry Benson. Yes.

Do you have a briefcase like it? Yes, they're identical, except for the

initials, of course. And your initials are?

C .L .B. Clark Lee Benson.

Your Honor, this is

People's Exhibit 15.

It's a police lab photograph of the scene of the crime.

Let's call this Defense Exhibit B.

This is a detailed blow -up.

Of an object... in the back of the police lab photograph.

What is that, Mr. Veston?

That's Kevin's briefcase.

And it has his initials, K -H -B.

Are my eyes deceiving me?

Or do those initials read C -L -B?

Those are your initials.

That isn't Kevin's briefcase. It's yours.

Yes, well, we must have gotten them mixed up at the office that day.

If that were the case, why do you suppose, if Kevin brought

your briefcase to his house by mistake, why do you suppose he

put it on the sofa?

Instead of on the floor by the front door, as he always did.

I bet you switched those briefcases the next morning.

Sometime when the police weren't looking, you picked up your

briefcase from the sofa and put Kevin's there.

and its place.

These briefcases didn't get mixed up at the office.

They got mixed up at his house that night,

just after you murdered him, didn't they?

He was a liar.

He was a cheat.

He was always a womanizer.

But he was my brother.

So I took him in.

Three wives.

He cheated them.

He cheated me.

All my life.

Work is all I've ever had.

He took that too.

I'm sorry, Mr. Winston.

Just so everyone understands, during your struggle with him, you shoved him.

He hit his head.

He fell to the floor dead.

Then you panicked.

Instead of picking up your briefcase, you picked up his briefcase by the door

and ran.

The next day, you switched them.

Is that about it?

Yeah.

Well, I guess we did it. We sure did.

It really was something.

Hey, Billy?

You know, I still can't get over that guy. I mean...

Really?