Original subtitles

Oh, you could take a week and go to Lake Louise. Oh, look at that scenery.

Snow -capped mountains, pristine lakes.

Does it say how much it is?

That's not important.

The Greek islands. Oh, Dad, you could take a cruise.

Oh, would you look at the water.

Oh, it was blue.

There's a price on the back. Dad, life's expensive. Then you die. You can't take

it with you.

I could try.

I could do like Rochester said Jack Benny on the radio was going to do.

And what, pray tell, was that?

Sew it to my shroud.

Hello, Ben.

You could knock.

Billy, are you all right?

Lucy's dead.

Lucy's dead?

Lucy's dead.

Died last night in her sleep in that beach house she had up in North

Some kid who's renting a room from her found her and called me about an hour

ago.

Billy, I'm so sorry.

Lucy's dead.

Lucy's dead.

My dear, beloved sister.

Why isn't you never grateful for what you got until you don't have it anymore?

Hit me driving over here. I took her for granted, Ben. I don't even remember

what color her eyes were.

They were brown.

How would you know?

I went with her all through high school.

And then you dumped her.

I didn't dump her.

You dumped her.

She wound up living with me for 35 years because you dumped her and broke her

heart.

Now, neither of us know the color of her eyes.

They were brown.

Funeral stay after tomorrow.

Lucy's dead.

Sooner we leave for North Carolina, the better. Yeah, it'll be a long drive for

you. You're going to drive.

What? You're going to drive your car.

What? I can't take my pickup.

The boys' car would never make it out of the state.

Why are you looking at me like that? You were going anyway, weren't you?

I mean, if you got time to go on some kind of fancy cruise, you surely got

to see to it that the girl who spent half her life pining away for you gets a

proper send -off.

It's all right, Dad. I'll take care of everything right here.

No.

I can't pick out a burial dress or arrange flowers or

do a get -together after a funeral.

You're coming too.

We should almost be there.

Oh, this is where Lucy spent her last days.

Some run -down shack on the beach.

It's all my fault.

Oh, just stop beating up on yourself, Pop.

She's the one who sold the farm out from underneath you and ran off with half

the money. She made you miserable, you know it.

Yeah, she had it tough.

Good Lord, didn't exactly endow her with looks and brains, you know. Thought the

only fella who looked at her twice was Ben.

Tells you something right there.

You gonna eat that pickle?

Here's the driveway, Pop. Right here. Turn here. Turn here.

This is Lucy's house?

I guess so.

How long did she own this place?

About two years, I think.

What was your name again?

Clyde. Clyde Eller. I knew her from the surfboard shop where I work.

What was Lucy doing in a surfboard shop?

She hung out there all the time.

In fact, I was paying for my room by teaching her how to paddle a board. Aunt

Lucy was learning how to surf?

Yeah. Are you sure we're talking about the same Lucy Lewis?

About this fellow's age? About yea tall and yea wide?

Why don't you tell me?

Here's a picture.

That's her, all right. No, it's not.

Yes, it is. Look, brown eyes. She's got orange in her hair.

What's she wearing on her feet?

That looks like Rollerblade.

Yeah, she was something.

Game for anything.

Loved having young people around.

Door was always open.

Fridge always stocked.

She was on drugs, wasn't she?

No way.

Wouldn't allow booze in the house, either.

Nope. She was just out to have a good, clean time.

Well, listen, I'm gonna take a swim before I go to work.

There's two bedrooms on this level and three above and one below, not including

mine. So you all have a good time, okay?

Thanks, we will. All right.

See you.

One good thing, we don't have to pay for a motel.

Let's go get the luggage.

Okay.

Get on the block.

Nice car.

Nice everything.

Things are looking up.

We're looking up.

Hey, Ashley.

It's yours?

Yeah, how'd you get it?

Somebody found it over by the volleyball court.

I never seen you wear it.

Yeah, how's the new board working out? First chance I had to try it. Yeah, well

be careful. The undertow's pretty heavy today.

Flag's not up.

Yeah, well, I guess our fearless lifeguard has other things on his mind.

I'll catch you later.

Mike! Look, I don't mean to tell you your job or anything, but the undertow's

getting pretty bad out there.

You might want to do something with this.

Oh, you mean like, uh, stick it someplace?

Yeah, that's exactly what I mean.

All right. How about, uh... There, how's that?

to leave quite alone for a change.

Mr. Lewis, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting. It's all right, Reverend.

This is a friend of mine, Ben Matlock. Virgil Atkinson. Nice to meet you, Mr.

Matlock. Lord knows Billy needs a friend right now. I knew Lucy, too.

Kind, generous, happy -go -lucky Lucy. Now, the reason I wanted to see you, Mr.

Lewis, is that I was hoping that you could give me some stories about Lucy

I could use at the funeral service.

Stories? You know, anecdotes. Perhaps something she did as a little girl that

was particularly memorable or indicative of the kind of person she was.

Well, you tell me when to stop, Reverend, because there was no one this

the Jordan that did more good works than my sister.

Like the time she found a nest of thrush eggs in a hayfield our pa just mowed.

You all right?

The wave knocked me down. I can hang my knee.

Need some help?

No.

Thanks. Bye, sweetheart.

No problem.

What's your name?

Harry. I'm Tim.

Hi.

And this is our top -of -the -line model.

Polished cherry wood, silk lining, nylon padding, solid

brass fittings.

Very luxurious.

How much?

Well, the first one we looked at runs around $1 ,500.

This one goes for $3 ,000.

And the other three we looked at, $1 ,900, $2 ,000, and $2 ,500.

$3 ,000 for something you're going to stick in the ground and throw dirt on?

Most people want the best for their loved ones, Mr. Matlock.

As a final gesture of respect.

It's for dear sweet Lucy, Ben.

Oh, Billy, she'll never know the difference.

It's your money.

The one for 3 ,000.

You, uh, take a check.

Not from an out -of -state bank, I'm afraid.

Pay him.

Me? Use one of those fancy credit cards you're always flashing.

Really? I want Lucy to have the best.

Like the time when, as a little girl, she found a nest of eggs on the ground

a newly mowed field.

She watched and waited for the mother bird.

But when it became apparent that she had abandoned her fallen nest, Lucy took it

home and tried day and night to keep the eggs warm in hopes that they would

hatch.

No, she didn't. She scrambled them up and ate them for breakfast.

Lucy had a mean streak.

Billy's acting like she's a second -coming Mother Teresa.

It's his way of dealing with his grief.

Sure.

So you come here every summer?

Yeah, just about.

My aunt has a place here.

Where are you staying?

In my car.

I do have hotels around here, you know. Yeah, well, I came here to surf. I don't

need a room.

Although I may end up staying a little longer than I thought.

Want another picture?

I'm getting tired of this place.

You want to go someplace else?

My place?

Your aunt won't mind.

My aunt is in Europe for the summer.

And my roommate's having dinner downtown.

Please.

What's wrong with you?

Don't touch me!

What's going on?

I told him to stop and he wouldn't. Hey, hey, hey, what's, what, what's... Get

away!

Case carry didn't mention it.

My name's Ashley.

You got one crazy roommate, Ashley.

I thought it only fair to warn you.

Last night after you left, I called the police.

She wanted to know what constitutes attempted rape.

You didn't tell them your name, but she's thinking of having you arrested.

I didn't try to rape her.

She says you did.

And frankly, from what I saw, if anybody asked, I'd have to agree. Oh, man.

I don't believe this.

Look, Carrie's got a few problems. Yeah, tell me about it.

Pressing charges will only screw her up more.

I'm going to suggest something that may seem a little crass at first, but hear

me out, okay?

Carrie is deeply in debt.

She needs money.

What are you saying?

You're saying that I should pay her off? I'm saying that if you were to do

something to show her that you're not such a bad guy, that you're honestly

for what happened, and then just quietly left town, she'd probably be willing to

drop the whole thing.

Yep. How much?

Three grand.

Yes.

Cookie,

anyone? Oh, yeah.

Oh, no, thanks.

Oh, go ahead. You'll swim it off. Oh, no, I'm diabetic. I can't have sugar.

Hey, Clyde. Hey, CJ. How you doing? Oh, excuse me.

I can't get over how many young people are here and how they were all so fond

Lucy. She must have gone back to being the girl I knew in high school.

Tell me the truth, Dad. Did you love her?

No.

Yeah, I guess.

So how come you didn't marry her?

Well, she was two years older than me.

I could see down the road, you know.

Where are you going, Papa?

Outside.

Is that right, Pop?

I got a lot on my mind with him.

You know, it's weird, you know.

It's just you and me now.

Come on, Pop. Talk to me. Open up.

Okay.

I got a question for you, son.

Anything.

Do you think she left this house too?

I could pay her off.

I mean, he got this pathetic look on his face, like a puppy that somebody just

kicked across the room. And then three seconds later, he says, how much?

Oh, God.

I mean, usually they stomp around all angsting and mad, but this one, instant

cave. You should have asked for more money. I don't think he had it.

Mmm. What kind of fish is this?

Peabass. Good.

I'm beginning to like it here, Leanne.

It's great.

Maybe I'll take surfing lessons.

How you doing?

Give me a beer. Whenever it's on tap.

You got it.

Hey, Tim.

How's it going?

Don't ask.

Tim. Come over.

Uh.

Leanne McIntyre, Cliff Lewis, Tim McDaniel. Hey, how you doing? Hi.

Yeah, Leanne and Cliff are lawyers.

Came up from Atlanta for Lucy Lewis's funeral.

Did you know her, too?

No. What kind of lawyers?

Criminal, mostly.

Do you mind if I ask you a hypothetical question?

Go ahead.

Okay. Well, say I had a friend.

And say he meets this girl.

He buys her a few beers, they hit it off, and he ends up at her place, okay?

Okay. Well, they're fooling around.

But before anything really serious starts to happen, she jumps up and

screaming that the guy's trying to rape her. I mean, he isn't, but she claims he

is, and she's making noise like she's going to call the cops.

Well, at this point, the guy figures that she's a little cracked.

So to smooth things over, he pays her off.

Only then he discovers that she and her roommate set him up.

The whole thing was a scam.

They extort money from guys like him as a matter of course.

Nice girls.

Well, my question is, what can you do about it?

Unless he can prove the whole thing was a scam, there isn't much he can do about

it. How does he prove it?

Well, he could try to track down some of their other victims, see if any of them

are willing to press charges.

Or he could wait till they try it again and catch them in the act, as it were.

Okay.

Mr. Lewis. You're Lucy's lawyer?

Yes, my name is Phil Trenton.

Oh, I thought I heard the doorbell. Lucy's lawyer.

Hi, I'm Phil Trenton. Ben Matlock. Want a soda? You don't have to treat him like

a guest, Benny. He's a lawyer.

Where's the will? I have a copy of it right here.

Who'd she leave this house to?

Well, let's see.

Ah, to Mr.

Clyde Eller.

Clyde Eller?

Clyde Eller?

She can't do that. Ben, tell him she can't do that. She bought this house

my money. She can't turn around and leave it to someone who's not even kin.

How could she do this?

She can't do this.

There's no justice.

I loved her better than life itself.

It's not fair, Billy.

It's your fault.

If you'd married her the way you were supposed to, she wouldn't have moved

here and left this house with some snot -nosed kid.

I listened to her whine all those years.

Year after year after year complaining about back aches and belly aches and toe

aches. I had to go out to the barn to sneak a little drink of whiskey. I had

keep my head turned to the side so she couldn't smell it. I put up with that

hag for 35 years.

Damn! It's got to be my house. Billy.

Keep out of this.

She did have other assets.

Who gets those?

Well, she left her Bible, some letters, some photos, and several scrapbooks to,

and I quote, The man I loved back when I didn't have a brain in my head.

Ben Matlock.

What about me?

Well, it appears that as her closest surviving relative, you get everything

else. Like what?

Her clothes. Her clothes?

I believe she had a car.

Piece of junk. What about jewels?

I don't believe she had any. Stocks, bonds, mutual funds?

When it came to money, Mr. Lewis, your sister wasn't much of a player.

She was more the type who believed the safest place for her money was under her

mattress.

Excuse me.

I know a place.

Can we dance there? You bet.

Lead the way.

Game's over. Carrie!

Carrie, call the police! Hey, what's going on? I'm setting you up, man.

The minute you touch her, she's gonna cry rape. Hey, hey!

Hey! Hey! No! Get me back!

No!

Hey! Get out of here!

Who did you do this to?

Just gonna be in yours from now on.

What do you mean?

What is he talking about? Nothing. He's a nutcase.

I went out with him once and he's been harassing me ever since.

Maybe you should call the police. No, I don't want them involved.

But if the guy really is a nutcase... Look, Terry, it's real sweet of you to

concerned, but he's basically harmless, so just don't worry about it, all right?

Why don't we call it a night?

You sure you'll be okay? I'll be fine.

Where are you staying?

Beachside Inn, room 211.

What are you doing?

Might geek up our bet, what do you think?

Hi, it's Carrie.

Yeah, remember that favor I did for you last summer?

Yeah, well, it's payback time.

What are you doing?

Grounding. I have?

He's dead.

Okay, everybody back, please.

Stand back.

Oh, my God, that's Tim.

You know him?

Yeah, Tim McDaniels. He bought a board from me a couple days ago.

Hey, Mike, what happened?

Oh, man, he cramped up or something.

I could see he was in trouble, but he was so far out, man, by the time I got

him, it was too late.

He wasn't on his board?

No. Well, why not?

What am I, psychic? How do I know? He went for a swim.

All right, people, back up. Back up.

Please, everybody can get back.

I don't get it. I saw him out here the other day. The guy could swim like a

fish.

And there are guys out there on board.

Why didn't he call someone for help?

Doesn't make sense.

Hi. Hi, Pop. Where's Clyde?

I left him on the beach. He's going swimming or running or mountain climbing

something. I swear, for somebody who doesn't need sugar, he's got more energy

than anybody I ever saw.

Did you hear somebody drowned?

Yeah, Clyde told me. He just sold him a board.

Tim something.

Tim McDaniels?

Yeah.

We met him. Yeah, Clyde just introduced us. Oh, man, we had a really weird

conversation with him. Yeah, it seems some...

quote -unquote friend of his was falsely accused of date rape by some woman, the

guy figured he better pay her off so she wouldn't go to the police. You know, he

wanted to know what kind of legal recourse his friend had.

And we figured he was talking about himself.

Yeah, of course he was talking about himself.

Dad,

excuse me, where are you going?

Library. Read a little.

Ben McIntyre.

Mike Bridell.

Guess you've had a pretty difficult day, haven't you?

Yeah.

I'm just staying down the beach at Lucy Lewis' place.

I heard she passed away.

Did you know her?

I had to rescue her a couple of times.

First time was legit. She fell off her board and she couldn't get back in. The

other times, I think she just liked the first time a lot.

Was she a relative of yours? No, my dad and I just came in for the funeral.

Oh, yeah, the lawyers, right?

I heard about you guys.

Well, listen, I got to go.

So what happened today anyway?

Some guy got himself into trouble and drowned.

Did you know him?

I'd keep him around, not personally, no.

Heard he was a good swimmer.

Yeah, most surfers are. He cramped up or something.

Was he unconscious when you got to him?

Just about.

Someone on the beach told the police it looked like you were struggling with

him. Look.

I don't care what some turkey standing 100 yards away thinks he saw on the

I was there.

The guy was blue and starting to sink when I got to him, and he grabbed me,

pulled me under, and was unconscious by the time I got him out, okay?

And how do you know what somebody told the cops, anyway? I had heard that the

guy that drowned was having personal problems. Now he's dead.

That's strange, and I'm curious.

Yeah.

Well, it has been a long, rotten day and I don't feel like talking about it

anymore.

Excuse me.

She asked you some questions. What's the big deal?

Look, I don't care if she's related to J. Edgar Hoover. Neither she nor anybody

else is ever going to be able to prove a thing.

Mike, chill out.

Everything is fine.

Now, go have a beer, watch some tube, get some sleep, and I'll talk to you

tomorrow, okay?

Atta boy.

Sweet dreams.

What was that all about?

Some lawyer's been asking Mike questions about the drowning.

Why would some lawyer be asking questions? Who cares?

Nobody's going to be able to prove anything.

We're home free. Why can't he see that?

Because he's got the IQ of a grape.

You should have never asked him to do it.

Can I ask you a question?

Why did he say yes?

He owed me.

Helped him duck a possession with intent to sell charge last year by lying to

the cops.

Thought he could handle something like this.

Think he's gonna cave?

I don't know.

French braid my hair, okay?

Now? Yeah.

I do my best thinking when I'm getting my hair done.

Feeling better?

No, not really.

I shouldn't have done it.

Yeah, you should have done it. You owe me, remember?

It's like I told you last night. Nobody's going to be able to prove

Well, that's easy for you to say.

Mike, the guy drowned, just like you said.

There's no evidence for anything else.

Carrie, I got Ben Matlock's daughter asking me questions and talking to the

police. And I'm sure when they talk to the police that they don't get ignored.

This isn't the place.

Hey, you brought it up, okay?

Look, I'll come over in a minute, okay?

We can talk about it.

Fine.

What? One hand washes the other one.

You want some money?

You want to split? I'll make it right.

Anything you want, okay?

I'll take care of it.

I mean it.

Well, I guess we can all feel safe knowing you're on the job.

Get lost, all right? Hey, Mike, I got an idea.

Why don't you try washing the water instead of the girls, huh?

Hey, you got a problem?

Yeah, maybe that way the tourists wouldn't have such a bad habit of coming

of the water dead.

Stop it! On my beach, what I say goes and I say get lost.

Now move it!

You're not worth it right now.

You know, I thought borrowing a cup of sugar was something people only did in

the movies.

Terry and I just suddenly got the urge to bake something.

Has that ever happened to you?

Oh, yes. I used to love to bake. Of course, that was back in the 70s, in the

days, when the main ingredient was...

We'll get back to you as soon as we can.

You got it.

Well, I gotta get going.

Thanks a lot.

Sounds to me like you could use a back rub.

Ah!

So am I enjoying dinner?

We're eating barbecue chicken, your favorite. And we're about to have the

cake we just made for dessert.