Original subtitles

I've got a little baby, but she's out of sight.

I talk to her across the telephone.

She connects me with my honey, then it rings the bell.

And this is what I say to baby mine.

Hello, my baby. Hello, my honey. Hello, my ragtime gal.

Send me a kiss by wire.

Baby, my heart's on fire.

If you refuse me, honey, you'll lose me. Then you'll be all alone.

Oh, baby, telephone and tell me I'm your own.

What did...

Call the paramedics. I'll get the nurse.

Marcus, help Ruth.

Kathy.

Kathy.

What are you doing leaving my brother alone?

We lost him.

No.

They think he had a heart attack.

Oh, no.

He was supposed to be on duty tonight.

If you'd been here when he needed you, Peter would still be alive.

But he told me to go. He said it was all right.

I will have your thing.

And for you.

I'd love to.

You get out of here.

Now.

Hey, John.

There's something bothering me.

Just before your brother rang, yelling for help, I looked out the window.

I saw her coming into the house.

She was in the house?

When my brother died?

Thank you, Marcus. Just one

more and I think we'll be finished.

Thank you.

Are you all right? I'm fine.

Are you?

Uh -huh.

Excuse me. I think we better call for help.

Ah.

If anybody's here, I'm sure they've heard that.

How long do you think it'll take to get us out?

I don't know, but how about... There.

I'm not claustrophobic. It's just that today's the first day on a new job and I

don't want to be late.

I don't blame you.

You're not from around here, are you? No.

I didn't think I heard grits in your voice.

Middle West?

Yes.

Isle? Nebraska.

How can they say I killed Peter?

I loved him.

The state prison over in Jackson is full of loving killers.

The night Peter died, I was with somebody.

Who is this person?

Mr. Matlock, I know about your $100 ,000 fee, and I can afford it.

Nursing pays well, doesn't it?

Here's proof that I didn't kill Peter.

It's an engagement ring he gave me.

He told me it's worth at least a quarter of a million dollars.

And why would I kill him if we're getting married?

I'm trying to decide whether or not to take your case.

To do that, I have to know everything you know.

Who were you with the night of the murder?

My husband.

When your fiancé was murdered, you were with your husband?

We're getting divorced.

The only reason I left Peter was because Eric called.

Very angry.

Wanting to talk. And Peter told me to... Mr. Matlock, please.

I guess I can always use another ring.

Case number A98304, the state versus Kathy Dawson.

Ben Matlock for the defense, Your Honor.

Where's the prosecutor?

Your Honor, I apologize for being late, but I was unavoidably detained. Julie

March, assistant district attorney for the state.

The radiator hose on my car just... I didn't know.

I didn't know that you were... But how could we know? Yeah, that's right.

Good luck.

Oh, thank you.

Good luck to you, too.

Let's get on to the plane arraignment.

Your Honor. The defendant has been advised of her rights.

Waves reading of the indictment. Pleads not guilty.

Waves time.

Well, first available slot is a week from next Tuesday.

That time is acceptable to the state, Your Honor.

Fine by me, Your Honor.

Defense also requests that bail be waived and the defendant be released on

own recognizance. Your Honor, this is a capital case.

The defendant has no priors whatsoever, Your Honor. Not even a traffic ticket.

Your Honor, her driving is not the issue.

My client is a lifelong resident of this city, gainfully employed.

And it is through her employment as a nurse that the state contends she

murdered the decedent.

The prosecution's evidence is purely circumstantial, and we have no reason to

believe my client will leave the jurisdiction.

Which we seriously question.

Counsel, you will direct your arguments to the court and not to one another.

This is not a free -for -all.

Fail is denied at this time. Thank you, counsel.

Thank you, Your Honor.

I'm sorry.

I'll be all right.

Case number A96407, the state versus Arnold Passer.

Excuse me.

You're very good.

Why, thank you. So are you.

Pierce St.

John was one of the richest men in the New South.

Worth maybe a hundred million dollars.

Why do you suppose somebody going to marry into that would want to kill him?

Moody.

He was going to marry her. Oh, please.

There. There's a $250 ,000 engagement ring.

Well, I'll grant you I can't supply motive, but I sure have everything else.

Oh, and it looks to me like you've got yourself one hell of a retainer.

Hello, my baby. Hello, my honey. Hello, my ragtime gal.

Send me a kiss, my wife.

Baby, my heart's on fire.

If you refuse me, baby, you'll lose me. Then you'll be all alone.

So, baby, telephone and tell me.

One good precedent away from winning an appeal.

Good.

Charlene, I want you to tell me something.

I will.

You left your wallet on your desk.

Again.

Take a good, objective look at me.

Why are you smiling like that?

Pretend you don't know me.

Tell me how old you think I am.

Be honest.

I know how old you are. Well, I don't, but I'd say pretty old.

And in that suit, very old.

Here's Eric Dawson's address. That's Kathy's husband. He works at a garage on

10th Street. She said she was with him the night of the murder.

And am I to assume by this vote of confidence that the police can't find

Ben, I'm flattered.

I'll see you all.

Ben Matlock.

The young man over there.

Good morning, Mr. Matlock.

What's this?

I'm sorry, but the St. John family reported a theft on the night of the

This is a search warrant for certain described personal property.

What property?

A lady's large diamond engagement ring.

There you go.

Thank you.

There's a new assistant DA in town.

Very efficient.

Yes? I'm Ben Matlock, Kathy Dawson's lawyer.

We have nothing to say to you. What is it, Lacey? It's your lawyer.

May I look around the house?

Can he do that?

Yes, he can. Can you arrange to get my mother's ring back?

The police are holding it as evidence.

My mother gave that ring to me, and your client stole it out of my room the day

she murdered my brother. I want my ring back, and I want your client to pay for

killing my brother.

Come in, Mr. Matlock.

Mr. Matlock, I'm Barbara Warren.

I believe you knew my father, Bob. Oh, yes, a fine lawyer.

Thank you.

Could I see Mr. St. John's room?

Of course. It's upstairs.

Oh, Peter St. John.

From near poverty to one of the richest men in the country.

That's success. Yes, he was quite talented, and he handled it well.

I didn't actually know him. I met him once.

Your father represented him, didn't he? Oh, yes.

Nearly from the first deal.

They were great friends, and you know, Peter didn't have many.

After your father died, did the firm handle his business?

Yes, of course.

Why do you ask?

Uh, I just heard that some of the bigger clients sought other representation.

I'm glad that Peter St. John stayed with you. Must be a full -time job in

itself. Oh, yes, it is.

That's why I'm here now, to help Lacey try to sort out the estate.

What did you think of Kathy Dawson?

She was capable.

Very professional.

Of course, she left Peter alone when we were doing business, so it's very hard

for me to say.

Did you get any sense of a romance?

The whole time that I was visiting with Peter, he never gave an indication that

they had anything but a professional relationship.

That was Peter's room.

I'll be in the library if you need anything.

Thank you. You're welcome.

Put that down at once.

Oh, you must have cat's feet. I thought I was by myself.

I'm Ben Matlock, Kathy's lawyer.

I'm Ruth Delaney, the housekeeper. It's my job to be unobtrusive.

Unlike some people.

That's a pretty lady. Who is she?

Mr. St. John's wife.

She died four years ago Christmas.

How long did you work for?

Her family employed me for years.

When she married Mr. St. John, I came with her to help her run this house.

Pretty worldly woman.

Yes.

Kathy isn't at all.

That nurse is a little tramp.

Isn't that kind of hard?

Hard.

All she could think about from the instant she walked in the front door was

money. Mr. St. John was a great man, and she killed him.

I just walked in here as pretty as could be yesterday morning and quit.

No notice, nothing.

He didn't say where he was going?

Not a word, just took his pay and left.

Come on, he had to give you some kind of idea, like he was leaving town.

Man, I was so teed off at Eric for quitting like that, I just kicked his

out of here before he had a chance to say anything.

Well, you know, that's an understandable reaction, Mark.

Tell you what, if you think of something, give me a call.

Might be some money in it, huh?

You're a shrewd businessman. What do you think?

Lacey's lying.

Peter gave me that ring.

She said it was in her room and you took it.

It was in the safe in the library. The bookcase opposite from the fireplace

opens up and behind it is a safe.

Let me get this straight.

He sent you downstairs and told you to bring the ring up to him.

First he gave me the combination and yes, he did.

Who else had this combination?

Nobody. Only Peter.

So all of a sudden one day he just gives you this secret combination?

Peter insisted that I have this particular ring, so he sent me to the

get it.

Kathy, a man as rich as Peter St. John could have a dozen rings sent over

to him and just pick one.

I'm just asking all the questions the jury's going to ask.

I didn't want that ring.

I wanted one of my own that we picked out together.

But Peter insisted.

What else could I have done?

The registration in the glove compartment says this car belongs to

Now, are you Eric or is this Grand Theft Auto in progress?

No, this is my car. What the hell are you doing? Then this is for you to

subpoena to your wife's trial.

Oh, Julie, don't do that to a person. So it's Julie now.

Are we friends?

Or are you just being charming because I caught you in the act and you're afraid

I'll make a citizen's arrest?

Kathy gave me the combination.

Peter St. John sent her down here, told her to open the safe, bring the ring up

to it.

Nobody else had the combination.

If it works, I think she's telling the truth about the ring.

All right.

Seven left.

30 right. No, not so fast.

And 20 left.

30.

Okay.

There you go.

Want to look? Yeah.

This looks like an inventory.

Emerald earrings, matching necklace, matching ring.

Two million dollars.

Way overpriced. A million five tops.

Are you some kind of expert?

I'd do a lot better if I had my loop.

Good Lord, these are cultured.

Let's see.

Ruby earrings, diamond necklace, diamond... Oh, here.

Well, that's interesting.

The diamond necklace is missing.

And here's the ring.

Diamond solitaire, emerald cut, a quarter of a million dollars.

And here is the ring box.

Empty.

You know what I think? You think I lied.

You did, didn't you?

Yes. I'm not particularly proud of the fact, but yes, I lied.

Why?

Because I know she killed my brother.

I want her convicted.

Show Mr. Matlock and Miss March out.

Yes, ma 'am.

Do I understand correctly you are from the office of the district attorney?

Yes.

This was sealed when Mr. St. John gave it to me. He said it was important and

confidential.

and I suppose the state should have it now.

It's a handwritten will.

He left everything to Kathy?

About $150 million.

No further questions, Your Honor.

Mr.

Scott, you testified.

You saw my client go into the house a few minutes before Mr. St. John died. Is

that correct?

Yes, sir.

And you were in your apartment by the kitchen looking out the window. Is that

correct? I saw someone come up the driveway and enter the house.

It was pretty dark, wasn't it?

Yes. You know...

I went to your place, turned on the television, and I looked out the window.

know what I saw?

Objection. Mr.

Matlock is not testifying here. But if he would like to be sworn, I'll be happy

to cross -examine him.

Sustained. Counsel will confine himself to questioning the witness.

Mr. Scott, you saw the outline of a woman wearing a

raincoat and a scarf similar to the ones owned by... Miss Dawson, so you assumed

the outline you saw was Miss Dawson, correct?

Objection. Vague and ambiguous argumentative compound asked and

counsel will allow me to continue, maybe we can get to the truth with this

witness. I admonish you both again that you will direct your comments to the

court, not to one another.

Objection sustained.

Rephrase the question.

You assumed it was Miss Dawson, didn't you? No, sir. I know it was.

But the person was covered with a raincoat and a scarf.

Yes, but she also had the walk.

I've been paying attention to the way women walk since I was four years old.

Kathy has... Mr. Scott, just answer yes or no.

Objection. No further questions.

Redirect? No, thank you, Your Honor.

This court is adjourned till 9 a .m. tomorrow morning. I suggest counsel cool

their tempers by that time as the court is seriously considering contempt

citations against both of you.

Good afternoon, counsel.

Good. Have you got a minute?

I have a question about this new will.

I'm sorry, I don't think I can help you. It came as a big surprise to me as it

did everyone else.

I think you can handle this one. If Kathy is convicted, who inherits the

Well, in this case, the old will stands.

Well, let me guess.

Lacey gets a fortune and your firm gets the prestige of being executors plus

millions in fees.

One thing I learned from my father.

Be damn sure about your facts before you make an accusation as serious as that.

Mr. Matlock.

Well, say again, you're very good.

And very angry.

Thank you.

I tried very hard for that first part.

What? Oh.

There's no spare.

But that's okay.

There's no jack either.

I suppose I could call the autopilot.

Yeah.

It'll take hours before they get here.

Oh, yeah.

Do you have a spare or a jack?

Yeah. Well, what about it?

Southern hospitality.

Gallantry. Or did that die at Appomattox?

Okay. There you go.

Now, you ought to rotate your tires more often. Oh, I'll try to remember that.

Yeah, you see that left front there?

The tread's almost gone.

I hadn't noticed. Yeah. Can I buy you a drink?

Oh. Oh, I just...

I wonder if we should.

School night, right?

Well, we go someplace cozy for a nice drink and then someplace to eat and one

thing leads to another and the next thing you know we're discussing the

So?

Well, I believe she is and you believe she isn't. What?

Oh, I know you do. You're supposed to. Well, I know.

And I know that you think some of the circumstantials point the other way. Oh,

believe what the evidence says. And I believe her, see. I...

I believe that this man did love her and did plan to marry, and that's why the

ring and the will. No, I don't think so.

You don't think that happened? No, of course not. I mean, I think it can

with people, but... Yeah, I do too, I do too. It probably shouldn't about half

the time.

Yeah, right.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Well, there you go.

I knew we'd wind up talking about the case.

Right.

Now, you'll keep rotating.

Oh, okay.

Goodbye. Put that one back.

Well,

hello, my baby. Hello, my honey.

Hello, my ragtime gal.

Send me a kiss. How's it going, partner?

Be all right.

Charlene, think I should get a new suit?

No. You think I look okay in this old thing?

Great.

How's the Lady D .A. look?

Fine.

Why?

When your father starts going through his second adolescence, you can add two

and two.

Oh, there's nothing going on.

Daddy, it's all right.

Well, there's nothing going on. He's just professional.

I'm sure it is.

But you've been singing hello, my baby, for three days now.

We interrupt this high -level legal conference to bring you some good news.

fact, this falls under the heading of superior news. And not a second too

I hope you're not toying with an old man's hopes.

a records check on Kathy's husband.

And it's true.

He doesn't work at that garage anymore.

He owns the garage.

He just bought it.

He paid cash for it.

Where'd he get the money?

Maybe somebody paid him off.

I guess whoever killed Peter St. John has some money.

A whole lot of money.

A whole lot.

Mr. Dawson.

What did you say to your wife when you telephoned her the night of the murder?

That I needed to talk to her just one more time. I thought if I could just

her understand how I felt, she wouldn't go through with the divorce.

And did she agree to see you?

Yes.

Tell the jury what happened.

She came over to our apartment.

Excuse me, what time was that?

A little after eight. Go on.

She came in. I asked to take her coat.

She said she wasn't staying.

She said she could say everything she had to tell me in five minutes.

I tried to ask her to change her mind, to give me a second chance.

She just laughed at me.

She said, I've got a new life now. I don't want anything to do with the old

And then she left.

Mr. Dawson, how long was your wife in your apartment?

Like I said, maybe ten minutes.

By 8 .30, she was gone. Did she say anything to you about the deceased, Mr.

John?

Please answer the question.

I don't want to hurt her.

Mr. Dawson, answer the question.

She said she's about to get her hands on some real money.

And that she never wants to see me again.

No further questions?

Say, Kathy told you she was gonna get her hands on a lot of money, did she?

Yeah. You're a pretty fortunate young man yourself, aren't you?

I don't understand.

A couple weeks ago, you worked in a garage, didn't you?

Yeah. As a mechanic?

Yes. You don't do that anymore, do you?

No. Now you own the garage, don't you?

Don't look at the assistant district attorney. She can't help you on this

don't you?

Yes.

How'd you pay for it?

Cash. Tell the court how much cash.

$185 ,000.

Tell the court where you got $185 ,000.

Look, I love my wife, and I guess she's still my wife. Just answer the question.

Kathy gave me the money.

Kathy gave you $185 ,000. She gave me a necklace, a diamond

necklace. She said it was mine as long as I didn't make any problem with the

divorce. She said she didn't care about giving it to me because there was plenty

more where that came from.

Eric's lying.

I never gave him anything. I never took anything out of the safe but the ring.

So somebody else had the combination to the safe.

Lacey or Barbara or the housekeeper.

And whoever took that necklace and gave it to Eric killed Mr.

St. John.

Let's get away, Clarissa. I want you to help Marcus with the silver, please.

I just wanted you to know we'll be upstairs about another half hour.

Wouldn't it be simpler if you just moved in?

Ben, where are you?

Oh, here.

Right here, Tyler. Helping out in the laundry room.

Whenever you feel like doing a little work, Charlene and I are waiting.

All set, Tyler?

I'm ready.

Ready, Charlene?

All set.

All right, now give me a few seconds to get there. Then let her in.

Now, just once, I'd like to see him play the decedent.

Oh, help me!

Oh, I'm dying! Somebody, is anybody here? Tyler!

That's enough!

Tyler! Come here, quick! I need some help! Twenty -three seconds. What about

you?

Well, what do you think?

It was chilling.

Chilling? I never heard death screams like that.

I mean, what did you find out? A lot. Like what?

I absolutely know she did it.

Mr. St. John, I'd like to start with a few questions about your background. And

I'd like to assure the court that these are most relevant.

Your father died when you were quite young, isn't that true?

That's right.

And your mother raised both you and your brother?

Yes, she worked as a caterer.

That's a fancy word for it, isn't it?

Actually, she was a maid.

And let me hasten to add, there's nothing wrong with honest work, a woman

with two small children.

She worked very hard.

But still, you were ashamed of her, weren't you?

No, never.

But years later...

When your brother started making big money, your life changed, didn't it?

Peter was the perfect big brother, yes. He was extremely generous.

And so was his wife, the former Evelyn Rutledge. Thanks to her, you and your

brother became part of Atlanta society. Not just part of society, but as they

say, the creme de la creme.

Objection! I don't understand what this has to do with her brother's murder.

I believe I can show relevancy in a moment, Your Honor.

Overruled. Continue.

Now, your brother's wife died four years ago.

She was not only his wife, but his hostess.

When she died, you became the hostess.

That's a strong position for a wife.

Maybe even stronger for a sister.

What would have happened to your position if he had married Kathy Dawson,

practically a servant in your house?

That wouldn't have concerned me.

He wouldn't have asked you to stop being the hostess?

No more parties, pictures in the society page. He wouldn't have asked you to

move out.

Objection calls for speculation.

Everything that meant something to you just slipping away?

Objection.

Sustained.

You had a bad fall off a horse a couple of months ago, didn't you? Yes. And you

had to wear a back brace for a while.

I confess I saw it in your laundry room.

Only when I overdo or when I get tired.

How did your doctor treat the pain?

Pain pills.

Any injections?

Sometimes.

Did you ever hear of monocaine?

I really don't know.

An empty bottle of monocaine was found in Kathy's room.

Now, the painkiller monocaine was not prescribed for your brother, but he

received a fatal overdose by injection.

What was Kathy doing with a bottle of monocaine in her room?

Then I got to thinking about the back brace and...

You stole that bottle of monocaine from your doctor, didn't you? No. Then use it

to cure your brother. No, I did not.

Objection, Your Honor. This entire line of questioning is totally speculative.

Sustained.

Well, let's go on to something quite factual.

Would you say this is an accurate representation of the second floor of

brother's house? Yes. And this is your brother's room here? Yes.

Down the hall, around the corner, in the separate wing is your room? Correct.

Quite private, isn't it? Yes.

In fact, when I had my associate, Tyler Hudson, lie down in your brother's bed

and holler he was being murdered, I couldn't hear him in your room.

My brother did not have to holler for me.

He had an intercom installed in his bedroom after his accident, and he could

contact anyone in the household with him.

Let me get this straight.

You didn't actually hear your brother yell for help the night he was being

killed? No. He called for me on the intercom.

Oh, the same way he calls the housekeeper and the butler? Yes.

So then you ran from your room in the separate wing, around the corner, met

the housekeeper, and the two of you ran on down to your brother's room?

Yes.

You know, when my associate...

Called for help.

Calling in to the intercom.

You know what I heard on the intercom in your room?

Nothing.

I'm not kidding. I heard absolutely nothing.

I don't believe you.

So I checked the intercom in your brother's room. You know what I found?

He had disconnected the button to your room. Did you know he'd done that?

That's not true.

He told you he was going to marry Kathy, didn't he?

No. And you were furious.

You were no longer going to be first in your brother's life.

He never left her.

He, um... He couldn't have.

He was an invalid.

Unable to get out of bed.

That's the only way he had to break it off with you. Was to disconnect that

wire. And that's what he did.

He cut the wire between you and you never knew.

It wasn't just the money.

You were losing that.

But you were losing position, and you were losing him.

You were going to be alone.

And it hurt.

It hurt so much that you'd rather see him dead than to be left alone.

There you go.

Thank you.

They say waiting for a baby to come is suspenseful.

Waiting for a jury to come in is suspenseful, isn't it?

Well, no matter how this turns out, I think you put on an excellent case.

And you put on an excellent defense. There you go.

If the jury finds for Kathy, I hope that... I'm not talking about the money,

I... I hope that she can live a full life.

She's a nice girl.

You know, when I was in college, there was this boy.

I don't know why I got thinking about him, but I guess it's this case and

But his name was Garrett Steele.

And he was tall and he had dark brown hair and blue

eyes.

Gray.

The color of the ocean on a cloudy day.

Good looking, huh? Oh, well, I thought he was. I liked him so much, I was

afraid to look at him.

He's a doctor now.

I found out that he liked me, too. I never knew that.

Oh, oh, oh.

Missed it. Yeah.

Of course, that happened to me. I guess it's happened to everybody.

There was this one girl, Betty Ann Snow.

She had hazel eyes. Jury's in, Ben.

We, the jury, find the defendant not guilty.

Having been found not guilty, the defendant is ordered released. Court is

adjourned.

You were wonderful.

Not too bad, I guess. Congratulations.

Want to have that dinner?

I'll buy.