Original subtitles

See ya.

Mr. Martell, you have served 40 years of a life sentence for the murder of Jake

Kendall.

You've appeared before this parole board countless times.

And in each instance, reports of your disruptive behavior have forced this

to deny you parole.

A course like this one that we received just yesterday.

Can you tell us why you remain one of the most uncooperative...

hostile inmates that this prison has ever housed.

Mr. Martell, don't you feel any remorse at all for having viciously murdered

Jake Kendall?

Parole denied.

What's wrong with you people?

Can't you see that he's just a sick old man?

Let him go, for God's sake.

He's dying.

Dad?

The scenes drift, the characters all sound alike, the dialogue is flat.

But what's truly unforgivable about Mrs.

Rice's efforts is the subject matter is simply not commercial.

Stories, well -told stories with maybe a couple of jokes or a little sex and

violence, that's what moviegoers pay hundreds of millions of dollars to see.

A couple of guys sitting around in a deli talking about the women in their

lives?

I don't think so.

I got a storyline that'll grab you, Mr. Kendall.

It's got sex, violence, tragedy, injustice.

I'm afraid this is a closed class. Picture this.

There's this guy who owns an expensive chain of hotels. He's rich.

Anything he wants, he gets.

Mostly, he wants women.

Single, married, he doesn't care. In fact, not only does he run this other

out of business, but he goes after his wife.

And he gets her. I'm going to have to ask you to leave.

Then he's killed.

Beat to death with a wrench.

Happy ending?

Not quite. You see, the poor louse whose wife he stole is wrongly accused winds

up going to prison, where he becomes cold and hard,

maybe even a little nuts.

His son grows up wanting only one thing, for his father to be released.

But he never is.

And one day, the son realizes he never will be, and it makes him very angry.

Who are you?

You know damn well who I am, Mr. Kendall.

Get out. You know what they say about the sins of the father? I said get out!

Hey!

Come over here!

Father, you're bleeding.

You're as crazy as your old man!

Well, dear, you didn't tell me that someone birthed into your classroom

yesterday and slugged famous screenwriter Arthur Kendall.

That made it into the news.

Gossip call.

Your boyfriend hasn't made any real news since he sold his one and only

screenplay.

How many years ago was that?

Did you kiss him and make it all better?

Stop it. Josh, sit down and finish breakfast.

I'm late for work. What kind of job is that, anyway?

Emptying bedbends at a hospital.

Next time you want to hurt me, use your brain and don't do it in front of him,

okay? You, of all people, have no right to tell me how to act, Candace.

Hey, I didn't want to fall in love with Arthur.

Oh, I know.

You and I stopped loving each other long before I even met Arthur.

Our staying together is pointless.

Instead of making things better for Josh, we're only making them worse.

I'm going to move in with Arthur.

I'm filing for divorce.

You do that.

I told you, always call before you come over.

I just left my husband.

Why? You said that you and I were going to have a wonderful life together.

Yeah, but I never said I'd marry you. And I certainly never said I'd be

monogamous.

Oh, you broke the clock. No, I didn't break the clock.

It's one of those clocks that you order and put together by numbers, and I did

everything they said, and then... Why do you do this, Dad? You look good

at it.

Well, I thought I might get lucky. Sometimes a person gets lucky.

How about you do something easy, like law or shine in your boots?

Law's not easy.

You know what I mean when you're good at it.

Well, yeah.

Dad.

You're up to something.

No, I'm not.

Yes, you are.

I can tell when you talk to me like this and have that nasty little grin, you're

up to something.

I have this friend.

She's a really nice lady.

No. Good -looking.

Nope. She just broke up with this senator she's been going with for about

or eight years. I don't care.

She's lonely, and you're available.

Leanne, I don't need a lady friend.

You could take her to a movie.

No. Or lunch.

No.

I don't know how to talk to women I don't know, and you know that, so no.

Come on, Dad. I think you'd really like her. She's pretty, smart, witty, old

enough.

What do you say?

She's got a nice build.

Come on, Dad.

Might change your luck.

Hi. What are you doing sitting out here?

I was waiting for you.

It's a good place to talk, in front of the courthouse and everything.

What's up?

I'm thinking of taking Brian Martell's case.

Oh, Martell.

He's the fellow who's accused of killing that movie writer.

Oh, right.

They said in the paper he's a carpenter?

Brick mason.

Have you spoken to him?

Uh, no.

You know something about the case?

Well, um, no.

Why are we going to talk to him?

Uh, well, I have, I have reasons.

I didn't kill him.

The door to the garage Arthur Kendall was killed in was locked from the

And the key was found in the ashtray of your car. Somebody put it there.

And you decked him in front of a dozen people two days ago.

What is all this about?

You want to tell her?

About 40 years ago, Brian's father was convicted of killing

Arthur's father and was sent to prison.

He was denied parole again.

Anybody can tell he's thick. He's going to die in there. But you don't care, do

you, Counselor? Excuse me. Do you have a problem?

Yeah. Well, if we're going to represent you... It's okay, Leanne.

About 4 o 'clock, a lady who lived across the

street from him that day saw Arthur Kendall taking out his trash.

At 4 .30, the next -door neighbor heard a car running in his garage, called the

police. They came and found him dead.

So where were you between 4 and 4 .30 that day, remember?

Yeah, I was home sleeping.

In the middle of the afternoon?

I went to work at 7, broke off at 3, had a few beers on the way home, kind of

hit the couch and just passed out.

Mr. Martell, I don't know what all this is about, and I don't know what my

father has told you, but our current workload is very heavy, and we just

can't... Yes, we can't.

What? You know that murder your father told you about?

The one that my father's been paying for all these years?

He didn't do it.

Charlie Matlock did.

Grandpa?

My father did not kill Jake Kendall.

And why is Brian so convinced that he did?

Why did you never tell me about it?

Well, I don't know. I just, I felt funny about it. I mean, with Brian's father

in a cell for killing Jake Kendall, my father was accused of it.

It was my father's testimony that put Lee Martell away.

Okay.

Brings back a lot of memories.

Not all bad.

It started one summer morning on a country road outside Mount Harlan,

My father was driving back to town, and he saw this really expensive -looking

car stop with the hood up. And this man was looking at the engine like he'd

never seen one before.

That was Jake Kendall.

He had made his money.

building hotels.

He didn't know anything about cars.

Well, hello there, mister.

Something went wrong with your car?

Yeah. Quit on me.

Boy, it ain't gone. I'll tell you one thing. That's a pretty car.

Yeah. I guess it'll be the best looking thing on the junk heap.

Kicking him won't gently start him.

Could you give me a ride to Savannah?

I've got a meeting at the bank that I absolutely hate.

You fixed it.

I just tightened the wire on the distributor cap.

You throw her in gear and she'll go.

Here, let me pay you.

That's a $100 bill.

Yeah, I always pay my debt.

$100?

What? That's too much. Way under.

Well, how much too much?

A hundred dollars.

But I owe you something.

Well, I tell you what.

If you're ever in Mount Harlan, if you stop by my garage, Charlie Matlock got

the name right on the front.

You'll have a bottle of pop. Watch that.

I'll do that.

I'll see you again.

Thanks, Steve.

And he did stop by many times. They became real friends.

They could talk for hours.

I wish I'd known your father, my grandfather.

I do, too. You would have liked him.

A couple years later, Mr.

Kendall had dropped his car off at my father's station for some, you know,

repairs. And Dad fixed it and delivered it to the hotel in Atlanta, where

Jake was staying.

Jake?

Hey, Jake!

The door was open, so I just come on in and found him like that. Lieutenant, we

just found him.

Out in the alley below the bathroom window.

C. Matlock.

Is this your wrench, Mr. Matlock?

And it was his wrench.

And when he admitted it, they arrested him right on the spot.

And when they found out that Jake Kendall had left my father $15 ,000 in

will, money that the old man really needed... They were certain they had

man. But 24 hours later, all those detective stories your grandpa used to

paid off.

And he solved the murder.

Leanne.

Sorry I'm late. One of those last -minute emergencies at the office.

Oh, that's all right.

Elaine Genrich, I'd like you to meet my father, Ben Matlock.

This is my friend Elaine.

It's nice to meet you, Miss Genrich.

Oh, please, call me Elaine.

You told me he was a very nice man, but you didn't tell me how good -looking.

Oh, won't you join us? Well, all right, just for a moment.

I do have to get back.

Well...

Who does your hair?

Paid my bail.

Yeah.

That's one heck of a guilty conscience you got there, Mr. Matlock. Now, wait a

minute.

I posted bail for clients before and probably will again, and I've liked most

them a hell of a lot more than you, so don't push your luck.

And another thing.

My father never killed anybody, and that includes Jake Kendall. Now, he didn't

believe your father killed anybody. The only reason I'm taking your case and

posting your bail is because my father would have wanted me to.

Now, quit acting like a jerk and let's try to work together.

Hey, Ben.

Yeah.

I'll meet you outside, okay?

Okay? Okay.

I got your message. What's up?

How about going over to Arthur Kendall and look around?

Okay. What am I looking for?

Oh, well, the name and address of the killer would be nice.

Did you know Arthur Kendall before you enrolled in his screenwriting course?

No, we met when I started taking his class.

Oh. So you've... Only known in what? About five weeks?

Well, actually, I took the class he was teaching before this one, too.

I am either a slow learner or just a hopelessly bad writer.

Still not quite sure which.

I guess that's why some of the other people in your class refer to you as the

teacher's pet.

Oh, I think he just kind of felt sorry for me.

Is that why he took you to lunch so often?

Well, it wasn't lunch, really. It was more like...

You know, tutoring sessions.

I guess he felt that if he could make a writer out of me, he could make one out

of anybody.

Well, I admire your perseverance.

Well, I stuck to it mostly because of my husband.

You see, ever since he read that somebody sold a movie script for $3

was bound and determined to do the same thing.

He's a writer.

No, actually, he sells insurance. He just writes in his spare time.

So anyway, I thought I'd give it a try, only...

I didn't pick it up on my own like he did.

So you enrolled in Arthur Kendall's class?

Twice.

Much to his chagrin, I'm sure.

What are you doing? Hi.

I was walking.

With weights?

Oh, yeah, weights.

It feels good.

How am I doing?

Oh, you are looking good.

You keep eating right and exercising, you're going to be down to your fighting

weight in no time.

So, what do you hear from Elaine?

Who?

You know who. Elaine.

The reason you decided to eat right and exercise.

The one who thinks you're cute and wants to know who does your hair.

Oh, her.

Nothing. I called and left a message. She called and left a message. So?

You've still got it, haven't you, Dad?

Got what?

Are you familiar with the expression, there may be snow on the roof?

But there's a fire in the fireplace?

What you talking about, girl? You know what I'm talking about.

What a way to talk, Noah.

I just think people should be out there, vibrant, alive.

Very idea.

Let's talk about something else.

Okay, how about Grandpa?

Yeah.

Want some pumpkin seeds? Oh, yeah.

Oh, Conrad.

Hey.

Found him rummaging around Arthur Kendall's house.

Hmm.

What's your name, son?

Josh.

What were you doing at Mr. Kendall's house?

Tell him.

I was trying to protect my mother.

Protect your mother?

Go ahead, son.

She and him were having an affair.

I thought she might have left some clothes or something in there, so I

What's your mother's name?

Candace Winfield.

Oh, I knew there was something.

Winfield. Hi.

You weren't quite forthcoming with me about Arthur Kendall, were you?

You two were lovers.

Who told you that?

Your son.

Trash.

So, you live here now?

His father and I are getting a divorce.

I try to patch things up.

After Arthur died, but George wouldn't hear of it.

Why did you lie to me?

Because I was trying to spare Josh the humiliation of having the whole world

know that his mother was committing adultery.

You can understand that, can't you?

Oh, yes.

Now, why don't you tell me where you were the afternoon Arthur was murdered?

I was downtown doing research for screenplay.

Research? What kind?

Uh, the script that I was...

Trying to write involves street kids and the games they play for money.

Cards, pick -up craps, that sort of stuff.

Well, now, isn't that an unusual topic for a suburban housewife like yourself

be writing about? Arthur always encouraged us to write about things that

didn't know.

That way, we would learn something, and we were free to use our imaginations.

That is an interesting approach.

It was good to talk to you.

Have a nice day.

You too.

why the sky's so blue.

And I will tell you, Jack, why I

love you.

Why did you come in? I crept softly so as not to

intrude.

You were singing.

Happy.

Well?

So did you talk to my friend?

Hmm?

Did you speak to Elaine Genridge, my friend?

Um, yeah, yeah. We, uh, we spoke on the phone.

Did she call or did you?

Um, I think I called.

No, what's up?

We may go on a picnic.

Or if we don't get time.

It's her idea.

Walk around the woods, talk.

Have some carrots and...

salary things. She liked stuff like that.

No hot dogs?

No.

I make a lot of hard dog.

I come from a long line of hot dog ears.

My father liked hot dogs.

Did he?

Yeah.

He got Jake Kendall eating hot dogs.

He'd stop by the garage and they'd eat hot dogs.

Drink a bottle of pop, dawg.

Charlie? Well,

Jack.

Well, I wished you would look. I wished you would.

That's a brand new suit, ain't it?

Took delivery of it this morning.

Well,

I wished you would look.

Britches and a vest and a coat all just like it.

Suits are supposed to match, Charlie.

Look at this.

This is what makes it something.

Ruck, ruck.

Best tailors in the country.

Most expensive, too.

Their clothes are high quality and they last.

Ruck, ruck.

Wouldn't wear anything but.

Quality. Quality and good luck.

That's kind of the way I feel about my Levi's.

Yeah, it is.

the way I feel about my suit.

That suit.

So tell me about the murder. Well, after the murder, Charlie got out on bail.

He talked to one of the young police officers, a fellow I'd been to school

and letting him look at some of the pictures of the murder scene. And he

something.

Henry, where did that sweater you all found on the floor close to Jake's body?

There's one here in that picture.

It's in that drawer right there.

You're going to let me look at it?

That ain't Jake's sweater.

Of course it is.

No, it ain't, Henry.

Clothes in Jake's closet.

Every one of them has a label that says Brooks Brothers.

You wouldn't wear nothing else, Brooks Brothers.

Did they call Martha's Knit Shop?

Yeah, and the sweater had been bought by Lee Martell.

And when the police found that out, and Jake Kendall's very own lawyer told them

that there was no way Charlie could have known that Mr. Kendall would go and

leave him all that money, why they let him go and arrested Mr. Martell.

All because they found his sweater?

More than that. Jake Kendall had been pretty much responsible for the fact

Mr. Martell had gone bankrupt the year before.

Somebody advised him in some bad business investments or something.

Where are you going?

Appointment. With who?

George. George who?

Winfield. You know, Candace's husband, the insurance salesman.

I saw that.

Just one.

Yeah, I sell insurance right now, but not for long.

As soon as one of my screenplays sells, I'm out of here.

Here, have a seat.

Suppose I sell you a policy.

On what?

On anything.

Oh, no thanks.

So, how many screenplays have you written?

None of them are sold?

No. No, not yet, but that is all about to change.

This one right here is going to be the one.

What's it about?

Oh, no. You can tell me. I mean, who am I going to tell?

God's honor.

All right.

This one is about a serial killer.

Sadistic, vicious.

I mean, he makes Bundy and Bianchi look like pikers.

Anyway.

Miracle of miracles, they catch him.

They try him, and they convict him, and they put him on death row.

But in the meantime, this guy has had a religious experience.

Suddenly, he wants to be executed.

Says God demands that he be executed, but the state says, no, forget it.

He's got at least 10 years of appeals ahead of him.

I mean, what delicious irony, huh?

Yeah. Yeah.

How's it in?

Oh, no, no, no. That I am not going to tell you.

You don't know, do you?

No. But I will. I will.

Well, I know that you know that your wife was having an affair with

Arthur Kendall.

Josh told me what happened over at his house. According to Josh, your wife left

you on the day that Arthur Kendall was killed.

Mm -hmm.

She was going to move in with him.

Only someone killed him before she had the chance.

More delicious irony.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Excuse me, but as a screenwriter, I guess you know why I have to ask.

Motive, Mr.

Matlock, motive.

Why would I have killed Arthur Kendall?

Give my wife back? I don't want her back.

To punish him, to punish her?

He was selfish and opportunistic, just like Candace. They were two peas in a

pod. If she had moved in with him, I wouldn't have had to do a thing.

They'd have punished each other to death.

Yes. You always win.

Hi, guys.

My name's Candace. How's it going?

Why the hell you want to know?

Listen, anybody ask you?

Last Thursday afternoon, I was down here watching you guys play dice, okay?

Tell them I do that a lot. I'm doing research for a movie.

Why do you want to do that?

Because I'm a real good loser.

Nick, I... Oh, darn, I crapped out.

Remember, Thursday afternoon, 3 to 5.

Ken.

Hi. Miss McIntyre, what's up?

Well, we found out that Arthur Kendall was having an affair with a married

before he died.

That surprised me. So we're making some good progress.

Um, Brian, the real reason I came by is...

Well, my father told me the Matlock side of Jake Kendall's murder. Now I'd like

to know your side, the Martell side.

You're going to believe me over your father?

Well, I don't believe my grandfather did it either, but try me.

All right.

All right, maybe that jury was wrong about your dad. I mean, to convict

because of a sweater and a business deal gone sour... Come sit with me for five

minutes.

my father lost his business. He started working for this guy that liked to go

fishing a lot.

And one day he heard that the bluefish were running someplace, so he closed up

shop, sent dad and everybody home early.

It was a nice day.

So instead of calling mom to come and get him, dad decided to walk.

saw Mom and Kendall kissing.

He was too shocked to confront them then, but later when he thought I was

the street at a friend, he kind of just came unglued.

A nosy neighbor told the police about Mom's affair.

They assumed that Dad killed him in a jealous rage.

He didn't have an alibi?

No.

He couldn't have killed Jake Kendall.

Said Kent had already killed him.

Hi. Hi.

Yolanda Berkshire? Yeah. My name's Conrad McMasters. I work for the

represents a man accused of killing Arthur Kendall.

Oh. Can I ask you a couple of questions?

Sure, come on in.

Can I get you something to drink, some water or anything? No, thanks.

Nice place.

Thanks.

Join me for lunch?

Uh, let me take a wild guess. You're on a diet.

Yep. Started when I was 14, will end when I die. I gain weight just driving

an ice cream shop.

Sit down. I understand you used to date Arthur Kendall.

We went out a couple of times, yeah.

It's a horrible thing what happened to him.

I mean, he wasn't perfect, but he was a nice guy, you know?

I liked him.

Death Rattle, an original screenplay by Arthur Kendall.

He'd given me that to read, wanted to know what I thought.

So what did you think of it?

Between you and me, I think the story of some guy on death row that can't get

the state to execute him isn't exactly Batman Returns, if you know what I mean.

So how did you know that he and I were dating?

Uh, well, he sent you $50 worth of flowers the morning he died.

And he told the florist to include this note.

Sorry for the interruption. Next time, the Watkins Hotel.

What's that mean?

Well, actually, I, um... I spent the night with Arthur just before he died.

You did?

Why didn't you tell the police?

They never asked.

Okay, and maybe I didn't want to get involved.

Look, I'm an art director at an ad agency. I don't need any trouble.

And it's not like I knew anything that would help them solve the case.

Go ahead.

Okay.

So, we spent this nice, quiet evening together.

You know what I'm saying, don't you?

Would you like a zucchini or a carrot or something?

Yeah, okay.

Now, the next morning, that's when things got

unpredictable.

Mrs. Winfield, what was your relationship with the decedent Arthur

He taught the screenwriting class that I was enrolled in.

It went considerably farther than student teacher, didn't it?

We were lovers.

You left your husband because of your involvement with Arthur Kendall, didn't

you? Yes.

You told your husband you intended to divorce him and marry...

Arthur Kendall, the morning of the day he was murdered, didn't you?

Yes.

Then what?

You went over to Arthur's house, didn't you? You went over unannounced and found

him, let's say, with another woman.

That woman right back there.

Yolanda Bergson.

who is prepared to testify that when you found the two of them together, you

became enraged. I was upset, yes.

And he told you that he had never intended to marry you.

He told you that he had never intended even to be faithful to you, didn't he?

Here you left your home, your husband, your son, and here's this man

telling you that you meant nothing to him.

How'd that make you feel? Would you say devastated?

Yes. And you were mad, too, huh?

Furious.

So furious, you killed him.

No. No, I was downtown doing research for a screenplay when he was killed.

These boys entering the courtroom now are prepared to testify that

you bribed them to lie.

That's not true. You gave them money to say that you were with them when, in

fact, you were at Arthur Kendall's house committing murder, weren't you? No.

Don't perjure yourself.

All right. I wasn't downtown.

Where were you?

Well, when I left Arthur's that morning, I just got in my car and drove.

Where? I don't know.

Around and around until it got dark. I didn't know where to go. Did anybody see

you?

You have no alibi. I didn't kill him.

Where did you go?

I didn't kill him.

I couldn't believe that he could do that to me, but I didn't kill him.

You've got to believe me. You have no alibi. Stop it. Just stop it. She didn't

kill Arthur Kendall.

I did.

I killed him.

Now leave her alone.

Did you decide to kill her at the Kendall?

That morning.

When I got to work at the hospital, my father called and told me Mom left him.

I figured that was it. That creep lived long enough.

What did you do?

I went over to his house around 3 .30, waited for his new girlfriend to leave,

then went into his garage and started his car up.

When he came out to look, I slammed the door and locked him inside.

Then I went over to Brian Martell's place and hid the garage key in his car.

Where'd you get them?

Where'd I get what?

The key to Arthur Kendall's car.

His only key, as it turns out. And the key to his garage.

Where did you get them?

I... Well, I snuck in and stole them.

When?

That afternoon.

He was with his new girlfriend all afternoon.

Like I said, I snuck in. I was real quiet.

How did you sneak in?

What do you mean?

Through a door.

Yeah. I snuck in through the front door.

They were off in another room someplace.

The maid told us that he always keeps his doors locked.

Even when he's there.

Well, they weren't locked that day.

Exactly where in the house did you find the keys, Josh?

Where'd I find them?

Well, let's see.

Oh, my.

What do you think?

Too much?

Oh, no, it's just...

Perfect. I mean, it's just a picnic. I don't want to overdo. It's just informal

enough without being too informal.

I've got a chicken neck.

You'll wear a sweater.

Oh, Dad, this must have cost more than three or four of your gray suits put

together. Like I don't say.

Are the pants too tight? No, well, they're the only ones they had.

I think I can get away with it if I keep my coat down and be careful sitting.

Well... I mean, it snugs in now.

I think Elaine's going to flip.

Do you?

Oh, I wish I could be there.

It does look nice. If I do say so myself, who shouldn't?

I mean, a picnic only lasts two or three hours. I can hold my stomach in that

long. Sure.

This case was an easy one, wasn't it? Who would have thought? Yeah.

They should be done interviewing the boy by now.

Why don't I go change and we go down and move for dismissal?

Okay. Okay.

You're sure it's not too much?

It's perfect.

Well, bad news, Counselor. The boy's lying. He didn't kill Arthur Kennedy.

He could drive a pickup through the holes in his story.

But he confessed.

May have confessed, Mr. Mark Cattle, but he didn't kill him.

Then his mother did.

Right.

With his outburst in court, whether he did it or didn't do it, there's grounds

here for mistrial.

I don't think so.

The fact is the state's case hasn't been hurt by this one bit. I plan to

continue my prosecution as if none of this happened.

You were going to read the newspaper?

George, our son is in jail. We have got to do something. I've already sent my

attorneys down there. Now that's all I can do.

It's all my fault. I wish I'd never heard of Arthur Kendall. I agree with

both sides. Mom.

Josh. Son, are you all right?

I'm fine. They let you go?

They didn't believe I did it. Well, of course they didn't, sweetheart.

Listen, I know the reason that you confessed was because you were trying to

protect me, but there's no need to. I didn't kill Arthur Kendall.

Then maybe you won't mind if I ask you a couple more questions?

I drove Josh home. I appreciate that, Mr. Matlock, but my wife doesn't live

anymore. You want to ask her questions?

Do it someplace else.

George, please.

Josh needs to hear the truth.

So do you.

Well, it was true, Mr. Matlock.

When I went over to Arthur's that morning and found him with that other

it was like he stabbed me with a knife. Yeah, well, what'd you do?

Just what I said in court. I got in my car and I started driving. I didn't know

where I was. I didn't care where I was, where I was going. I just drove.

Well, did you stop for gas or get something to eat or make a phone call or

anything? No, I never got out of the car.

Well, nobody can verify your story.

No. He doesn't believe you.

Nobody's going to believe you.

Damn it, Mom, why'd you get mixed up with that geek?

Why?

Josh. Josh.

Care to stay for dinner?

Brian, if nothing else, Candace Winfield's testimony helped to create

substantial reasonable doubt in the minds of those jurors.

Poor father.

I knew the last time I saw him he'd be my last.

I knew he was going to die. I knew it.

For 40 years I watched him rot away bit by bit.

I'm sorry.

You know, I can't get over the similarity between your case and your

mean, it is incredible to me that you were on trial for killing the son of the

man he supposedly killed.

The son of the man your grandfather killed. Why are you so convinced that

Charlie Matlock killed Jake Kendall?

His wrench was the murder weapon.

Your father's sweater was found right next to the body.

This is the way it was, okay?

Charlie Matlock went to Kendall's room to deliver the keys for the car that he

just fixed for him.

They talked.

When Kendall turned his back, Charlie took his wrench out of his pocket and

him over the head. Now, wait. Listen to this, okay?

Then Charlie pulled out my father's sweater, dropped it by the body, went

the bathroom, tossed the wrench out the window, called the police and told them

that Kendall was already dead when he got there.

Brian, so what you're saying is instead of my grandfather taking the wrench with

him or tossing it into the river or washing it off someplace, he threw it

the window where it was sure to be found?

He was a mechanic, not a genius.

Yet he was smart enough to seal the sweater somehow and place it at the

the crime? You think my father was dumb enough to leave it there?

You never said anything about your mother.

What was she like?

She was beautiful.

Like a movie star, my father worshipped her.

Until Jake Kendall came along.

Who does she think killed him?

She was so in love with Jake Kendall that his death just destroyed her.

She left me with my aunt and uncle to raise and just kind of drifted off.

I never saw much of her.

And where is she now?

At a retirement home down in Forest Park.

I hope to God I never love anybody as much as she loved Jake Kendall.

Yolanda. Hi. Hi, it's me again.

Hi. Hi. Could I talk to you for a minute?

Uh, yeah, sure. Could you just... Could you just wait a sec?

Okay,

come on in.

More questions?

Uh, actually, just one.

What? Hey, sugar and fat.

Is this a holiday?

What are you, the diet police?

Okay, I confess. Every now and then I pig out. Assume me.

Turns out Josh Winfield lied when he confessed to killing Arthur Kendall.

kidding.

No. He wasn't able to tell the police how he'd gotten the keys to Arthur's car

and garage.

So the police figure he lied in an attempt to cover for his mother.

So she killed Arthur Kendall?

Well, if she did, the same question arises.

Where did she get the keys?

So where do I come in?

Well, my question to you is, when she walked in on you and Arthur that

which is apparently when she decided to kill him, what exactly did she do?

Well, she walked into the living room, saw us, and walked out.

So she didn't go into the kitchen or the bedroom or any place where he might

have kept the keys?

I have no idea where she went.

Well, it was nice seeing you again, Mr. McPheeters.

McMasters. Whatever.

You know,

one more question.

What?

If you're wearing lipstick and that's your snack, then how come there's no

lipstick on that milk glass?

Look, I've got stuff to do.

Who are you hiding, Yolanda?

What does this look like, the Underground Railroad?

Maybe you got stuff to do, but I don't.

I can wait around as long as it takes to find out who's here.

And if I have to, that's exactly what I'll do.

Sabrina.

Sabrina Bergstrom, Conrad McMasters.

Berkshire. Yeah, my sister.

Now that you found out what you wanted to know, leave.

Go.

Miss Martell?

Hello, I'm Leanne McIntyre. I'm an attorney.

My father and I are defending your son, Brian.

Oh, yes.

You know about the trouble he's in, don't you?

Yes. They think he murdered Jake's son.

It's like a curse.

I'd like to ask you a few questions.

Not about Brian.

About Jake, if you don't mind.

Shh. All right.

Your son is convinced that my grandfather killed Jake.

I'd like to know what you think.

What do I think?

Well, way back then, all I knew is that he was gone.

Nothing else mattered.

And now, well, it matters even less, doesn't it?

You must have loved him very much.

Oh, I would...

It was as if we knew each other forever and more.

Every word he spoke, I understood.

Everything he felt, I felt it too.

I was married and had a son.

We met eight years too late.

I couldn't help myself.

I was in love. I was really, truly in love.

I heard about Jake's death on the radio. I was cooking dinner.

It was like a door had slammed shut, never to be opened again.

Oh, Ben, that was the nicest picnic.

Wow.

You brought all my favorite things, carrot sticks, celery, tomatoes.

sweet cucumbers, sesame seeds, and topped it off with my all -time favorite

favorites, hot peppers.

Well, I guess I know what you like.

I bet I know what you like.

You look handsome in your nice outfit.

You look...

You look nice in your little print.

Ah, sit down.

Uh, well... Oh, you've been standing all afternoon. Aren't you tired?

Oh, no, no. I like to stand. I stand a lot. My mother used to say that about

Are those pants too tight for me? No, they're fine. They're fine.

Snugs in now.

Yeah, my mother used to say that Ben's a real stander.

Let's be sitters a while.

Here.

I've been eating broccoli and carrots and celery because you introduced me to

this lady. And as a favor to you, I take her on a picnic.

What happened?

I walked around all day wearing that outfit.

And I did my very best to hold my stomach in and not to sit down.

Finally, I had to sit down. And when I did sit down, I ripped my pants.

Oh, Dad, I'm sorry. Sorry. I made a mess out of myself. Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't

mean... It's all right. It's all right. It'll come out. Should you soak it in

something? Okay, all right. I'll put something on of yours. It's fine. It's

fine. Oh, no.

I should have known you can't make a filth purse out of a thousand years.

You talking to the bacon or the eggs?

Talking to the dog.

a story on Yolanda Bergstrom's sister.

She lives alone.

She models for art classes in the day and waitresses at night. She's got a

on her shoulder the size of the Boulder Dam.

And how or even if she fits into Arthur Kendall's murder is beyond me.

Did you say you could put that on?

You don't like it?

You look great in it.

Thank you, Conrad.

Oh my gosh, that's it.

What? I'm going to go home and change clothes, drive back down to Forest Park.

Conrad, you're brilliant.

Take Dad for a walk when he's through.

I'm not going with Trevor.

See, now this is real food.

You know, I've been eating broccoli raw.

So does Yolanda Bergstrom.

Did I tell you she has a copy of a screenplay Arthur Kendall written?

Who's doing it?

He wanted her to read it and give him her opinion on it. It's just as well

dead, though, because she didn't like it.

What? Well, it's about this guy on death row who wants to get executed.

Too intellectual for her, I guess.

What? That's what George Winfield's story was about.

Kendall stole my idea?

Well, it's either that or you stole his.

How could I?

I've been working on the screenplay for over a year now.

Candace.

Candace told him.

You told you I?

Of course I told my wife.

I used to bounce ideas off her all the time. I had no idea she'd turn around

bounce them off somebody else. Dad, make it easy. Make it easy? Because of your

mother, that scum was going to take credit for something I thought up.

You didn't happen to see how his screenplay ended, did you?

No.

That's it.

Candace is in for a divorce the likes of which this planet has never seen.

You think you could come here once with some good news?

Miss

Martell?

Hello again.

Leanne McIntyre, Brian's attorney.

Oh, yes, I remember.

I just wanted to ask you a few more questions about Jake Kendall's murder.

just take a minute.

I never got to meet your ex -husband, Miss Martell.

Were you and he about the same size?

Oh, he was a little bigger than me.

Did you ever wear any of his clothes?

I don't know. I guess.

Ever put on one of his shirts, or maybe when it was cold out, wear one of his

sweaters?

Married people do those things.

Something occurred to me earlier today when I put on one of my father's shirts.

I thought, if Brian is right, and your ex -husband didn't kill Jake Kendall,

my grandfather didn't do it either, there's another possible explanation as

why your husband's sweater was found next to the body.

He wasn't wearing it, Miss Martell.

You were.

What happened, Miss Martell?

Did you and Jake have a fight?

Did he meet someone else?

You broke your heart, didn't he?

And you couldn't bear seeing him with someone else, so you killed him.

Am I right, Ms. Martell?

You throw it right at me.

If I throw it right at you, you won't get any exercise.

Do you have to make me jump around like a ballet dancer?

All right, here comes one.

Coming at you.

Ow!

I said throw it right at me. I didn't say try to kill me. Mr. Matlock.

Oh, hi, Josh.

You know Fireball McMasters.

Yeah, hi.

Hey, Josh. What's up?

Listen, my dad's still pretty upset about Arthur Kendall stealing his movie

idea. At least he died before he was able to cash in on it. Yeah, but what if

somebody reads Arthur Kendall's script before they read my dad's and wind up

thinking he's the thief?

The screenplay thing kind of makes it look like he offed Arthur Kendall.

Maybe. I'm helping him round up any scripts that may be out there.

How about the one you saw?

I didn't see it. Conrad did.

Where is it?

Let me look into it.

Thanks. Take over for me.

All right, let's see what you got, Josh.

You a Braves fan?

Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah, right, right.

So if it's all the same to you, Yolanda, he'd really like to have it back. Oh,

you threw it out.

It's not fair, Mom.

I want to know what happened.

I mean, I deserve to know what happened.

What happened doesn't matter.

It does to me.

You and Dad and Jake Kendall weren't the only ones involved.

There was a five -year -old kid there, remember?

Your son?

I understand why you killed Jake Kendall.

I know all about him. I mean, he was a compulsive womanizer.

But I don't understand.

How could you let Dad die in prison, knowing he was innocent?

He loved you so much.

How could you do that to him?

It was your father's idea.

He knew?

Tell us what happened that day, Miss Martell.

Oh, it was so long ago.

Jake's gone, Lee's gone, and I should be gone.

I didn't tell Jake I was coming to his hotel room that day.

I wanted to surprise him.

He surprised me with another woman.

Honey, I know I'm a little bit... He betrayed me. I screamed at him.

How could you do this to me? But he wasn't even sorry.

He reminded me that I was a married woman, was cheating on her husband, and

no right to make judgments about him.

Finally, I just turned and left.

As I was closing the door, I remembered that he had said he was leaving Charlie

Matlock $15 ,000 at his will.

So I went over to Charlie's service station and I stole a wrench.

And about an hour after I left Jake's hotel room, I came back.

He was so glad to see me.

Can I come in?

Yeah.

Sorry about before.

Oh, he was so sure of himself.

He wasn't even surprised that I had come back.

Naturally, he thought I wanted to kiss and make up.

So I let him think that.

I was wearing a sweater of your father's.

It soon wound up on the floor.

And as... As he...

Took off his Brooks Brothers jacket to put on the chair.

I pulled out that wrench and I hit him as hard as I could.

But I didn't mean to leave the sweater there.

I just wasn't thinking clearly. It was like a dream. I didn't even

realize what I had done until I heard about his death on the radio.

Set in.

When did Dad find out?

I told him that night as soon as I realized I had left the sweater there.

He said not to worry, that even if they arrested him instead of Charlie, that

they would never send him to prison, because after all, it was only a

They did send him to prison.

And you let them.

It's the way your father wanted it.

I wanted to come forward, but he wouldn't hear of it.

He insisted.

After a while, I just accepted it.

Now, it's all over.

As you said, he loves me very much.

How's it going, Sabrina?

What do you want?

Just the pleasure of your company. Go to hell.

Here you used to be a model.

Still am. Well, no.

Actually, now you're just posing for a bunch of Leroy Neiman wannabes at the

school. But back then you posed for the big -time fashion magazines.

What happened?

Maybe I just didn't like it.

Was it drugs?

Maybe that, too.

And what are you doing? This is Arthur Kendall's screenplay.

Give me that.

Did your sister give that to you? Why don't you mind your own business?

She told Ben Matlock she'd thrown it away.

Get away from me.

What's the deal with you two, Sabrina?

I said get away from me.

Oh, so help me, I'm going to scream rape so loudly, cops in the next county will

hear it.

Well, she cried a lot, but then when Brian came to visit her, she admitted

she'd killed Jake Kendall.

Lee Martell knew.

Went to prison for her.

I just wish Grandpa had known the truth.

Yeah.

Dad, it's Elaine.

I'll be in a minute.

Hello, Ben. May I come in for a minute?

Yes, of course.

Well, I'm glad you're okay.

When your pants split like that, I felt sorry for you.

But you did look cute. Oh, thanks.

Well, anyway, it's nice to see that you've recovered.

Ben,

I've got something to tell you.

I'm going to marry Senator Westerfield.

Don't be hurt.

I mean, you're a wonderful man, and I admire your dedication to fitness, but I

feel life is too short to spend it eating carrots and celery.

I make the best fried chicken and grits and gravy, and I want to be able to

still make them.

You make fried chicken, grits, and gravy?

Not that I don't believe in exercise. I mean, I love swimming and walking. So

does Robert. That's the senator.

Speaking of whom, got to run, got a peach pie in the oven.

Robert's coming over later and we're going to crank some ice cream. Then

going to sit on the porch and eat fresh pie a la mode and watch the fireflies.

Bye, dear.

Love your hair.

What's wrong?

How'd it go?

She dumped me.

Because you split your pants?

I guess. I don't know.

She seemed so understanding at the time.

She has qualities, Leanne.

Qualities that I like.

Qualities that I'll never get to know.

Unless she and her husband invite me to dinner.

husband.

Sabrina Berksham has a copy of Arthur Kendall's screenplay.

Jack, where she got it?

She wouldn't say.

Looks like the same script Yolanda had, though I recognize the coffee stains.

She didn't throw it away after all.

She lied.

I wonder why she'd do that.

How long had you known Arthur Kent?

Only about three weeks.

How'd you meet?

We met at the Fifth Street Bar and Grill. He was having a drink. I was

for a table. We started talking. We hit it off.

Fifth Street Bar and Grill. According to a piece that appeared in the Atlanta

Gazette about a year ago, that was his favorite hangout.

I didn't know that.

I think you did.

I think you went to the Fifth Street Bar and Grill specifically to meet Arthur

Kendall. Seduce him, then wait for your best opportunity and kill him.

Objection. Badgering a witness.

Sustained.

Mr. Matlock. I'm sorry, Your Honor. I'll move on to something else. I understand

you have a younger sister.

That's right, Sabrina.

And until about six months ago, she was a high -fashion model.

Yes. And the reason she's no longer...

A high -fashion model is, uh... She started using drugs, is that right?

Yes. She used to use drugs, but she kicked the habit, didn't she? Yes,

right. You know any reason why she'd start using drugs again?

I don't know. Why does anyone take drugs?

Maybe she fell in with the wrong crowd.

According to this receipt that we...

He got from his accountant.

About six months ago, Arthur Kendall bought a gold

bracelet and had to Sabrina with love

Arthur engraved on it and then had it sent to her apartment.

Your sister had an affair with him, didn't she?

All right, yes, she did. But what's that got to do with anything?

She was in love with him.

And almost immediately, as was his habit, he cast her aside with no thought

care of how devastated she would be. And that's when she started using drugs

again, isn't it? And that ended her career.

And that's when you decided that Arthur Kendall would pay for

ruining your sister's life.

No. So you picked him up.

at the Fifth Street Bar and Grill. Or, let's just say, you allowed him to think

he picked you up.

Went out with him a few times.

Waited for your chance to do him in.

I dated him because I liked him.

Then you saw that piece in the paper about that fight he had with Brian

and you knew your chance had come.

You killed Arthur Kendall and framed my client by putting those keys in his car.

You remembered the fight that they had in that riding class, and you knew that

he, Brian Martell, was the perfect suspect.

I didn't kill him.

You were in his house on the day he was killed. Yes, I was, but I... And that

means that you had easy access to the keys to his car and garage.

So I ask you, Ms. Bergstrom, where were you between 4 and 4 .30?

The afternoon Arthur Kendall was murdered.

Shall I repeat the question?

The witness is instructed to answer the question.

I don't want to.

You have no choice.

Yes, I do.

Young lady, either you answer the question or I'll cite you for contempt.

You go right ahead.

Here they are, sports fan.

Amanda Bertram's bank records straight from the subpoena factory.

Get them while they're hot. Yeah, let's have a look.

Follow us downtown and find out something else. What?

Sister Sabrina has an alibi.

At the time of the murder, she was sleeping off her lunch in the drunk tank

the city jail, something she apparently does quite frequently.

So if Yolanda's stonewalling in order to protect someone, it isn't her sister.

She's stonewalling to protect herself.

I bet anything she killed Arthur Kendall.

Of course, betting ain't proof. We have to have proof.

Boy, she spent a lot of money on...

Sabrina's drug rehabilitation program, didn't she? Money not well spent,

apparently. Yeah.

Century Hospital Chemical Dependency Unit.

Maybe you're right.

Well, let's see. A killer?

He'll have gotten the car.

There you go.

Got her in neutral.

There you go.

Start the engine.

Lock that door.

Cut out.

Lock this door.

And there you got it.

The car's locked.

The engine's running. The keys are inside.

Step right in the oil.

Didn't you see it?

Why didn't you say something?

Well, wouldn't you know?

Of course.

Well, that was some scene you made in here last week when you jumped up and

confessed to killing Arthur Kendall.

Why don't you do something like that?

Because you were making it sound like my mom killed him.

I knew that wasn't true, but I was afraid she was going to go to jail

I said I did it.

So you were just protecting her?

That's right.

Well, just for the record, and since you're under oath and everything, did

kill him?

No.

Okay.

I understand you work... part -time at the Century Hospital.

That's right.

Do you have work part -time in the drug rehabilitation unit they have there?

Sure. I've worked in all the departments at the hospital.

Were you working in the drug rehabilitation unit when Sabrina

patient there?

According to the hospital records, you were.

Yeah, I remember Sabrina.

Vaguely.

How about her sister Yolanda?

You remember her?

There are a number of people here today who work at the Century Hospital, and

they are prepared to testify that while Sabrina was a patient there, you and

Yolanda became friends.

Well, I might have met her and talked to her, but that didn't mean we were

friends. Well, not friends then.

Maybe co -conspirators.

I don't know what that means.

Well, let me try to explain.

How about this?

Maybe during one of her many visits to the hospital to see her sister,

Yolanda told you that Arthur Kendall was responsible for her sister's drug

problems.

I don't remember.

And maybe sometime after that, you admitted that your mother...

had had an affair with the same man, Arthur Kendall.

What a shock that must have been to both your systems.

How dare that man who used women and tossed them aside.

How dare that man lay a hand on your mother.

That's the way you felt, right, Josh?

Furious.

Of course you did.

Everybody knows what a good son you are.

Rather than let your mother go to jail, you jumped right up and admitted to the

killing.

Or was it just an act calculated to remove all suspicion from yourself?

I don't know what you're talking about.

I'm talking about your outburst in the courtroom that day. The police

you and then let you go because...

You couldn't explain how you got Arthur Kendall's keys.

They didn't believe you killed him.

But they didn't know about you and Yolandra, did they?

They didn't know that you were co -conspirators, that you'd been working

for months.

She stole Arthur Kendall's keys to his car and garage so you could lock him in

that garage and kill him. That's not true. Objection assumes facts not in

evidence. Calls for speculation.

Mr. Matlock, I am trying to be patient.

Shall I move on to something else?

Excellent idea.

Yes, sir.

According to Lieutenant Bigelow's testimony, the killer entered Mr.

garage, entered his car, started the engine, got out of the car, locked it.

and waited for Mr. Kendall to come in and investigate.

And when he did, the killer then closed the door of the garage, locked it, the

car running inside, locked, so that he would be killed by carbon monoxide

poisoning.

But in his haste, or his nervousness, somehow he

didn't notice that on the floor of Mr. Kendall's garage,

just under the door on the driver's side was a puddle of oil.

You can see it right here in this police photograph. See that?

Pretty good -sized puddle, too.

Anybody getting in or out of Mr. Kendall's car would have stepped right

I know I did.

Arthur did, too, probably. And the killer did.

And that means the killer, on his way home,

Got this oil on the floor mat of his car.

Police lab found oil identical to the oil on the floor of

Arthur Kendall's garage, ground into the fibers of this floor mat.

We got a search warrant, Josh.

This floor mat came out of your car.

Well, thanks, Ben.

Yeah.

We got a lot of things settled.

Neither my father nor yours killed anybody. No, my mother.

She suffers, carries it on her own.

Except for me, I guess I'll always carry it, too.

Goodbye.

Goodbye. Bye.

Mr.

McMaster, my sister asked me to give you something.

And she asked me to give you this.

Said the sleeve bag lawyer and it reminds her of you.

I think she broke my tooth.

Are you hurt?

Yes.

Sorry.

I bet you can't eat anything.

Hey, Charlie.

Two hot dogs all the way.