Original subtitles

Thank you.

Keep breathing.

Be sure not to hold your breath.

That's it. And exhale.

Inhale. Exhale.

Now slowly drop your hands off and place your right arm over your head.

Feel the stress in your body.

Just relax.

Let the tension go.

And forward.

Release. And tighten.

Release. And forward.

Keep those hips facing forward.

I don't want you to hurt the back of your hips.

And reach.

Reach. Reach.

Good. Don't hurt your back.

Good.

Good. A few more days and you'll be rid of this tummy. You're going to feel like

a whole new woman.

Now.

What the hell is your problem, lady?

What did she say to you, Mr. Casey?

It's not what she said.

Mrs. Casey, what's this about you smacking one of my instructors?

My last name is not Casey.

You registered in that name. I remember because I was the one that checked you

in.

My name is Donna Stewart.

I'm Fred Stewart's wife.

Why is that name familiar?

He's one of our major investors.

Mrs. Stewart, what did Christy Huntley do to provoke you?

She didn't have to do anything.

I only came up here to see what she looked like.

When my husband was here, Christy Huntley had an affair with him.

Is that how you attract investors?

Mr. Berlin.

Mrs. Stewart, I assure you, if what you're saying is true, I will take steps

do something about Miss Huntley immediately.

Oh, not on my account.

I'm going to have what passes for dinner here at this place go to bed.

First thing in the morning, I'm gone.

Family? I hope so.

Repeat.

What are you doing?

Charlie, have you seen Ben?

No, no, not since yesterday.

Boy, it's not like him to be late. Yeah, especially for lunch.

Well, speak of the devil.

Oh.

Are you all right?

The elevator's not working.

We're only two flights up.

You know, you shouldn't be this out of breath after climbing only two flights

stairs. I think you should change your eating habits. You know, maybe start an

exercise program.

I just did. Walked up two flights of stairs.

Worked up a hell of an appetite, too. Want lunch? I'm buying. No, thanks.

I got a call this morning from a woman who wants to retain us.

She's accused of killing a fitness instructor.

Probably self -defense.

My husband was one of the original investors in the Pinewood Spa.

He met Christy Huntley the day he went out there to check it out as a possible

investment. When did you find out he was involved with her?

A friend of mine was staying there at the time.

She saw them together.

What did you do when you found out?

I told him to pack up and leave.

I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing how much he'd

You want him back?

No.

Pinewood's about three hours from here, isn't it? Mm -hmm.

If we leave by four, Ben and I could be there for supper.

Does this mean you'll take the case?

Mrs. Stewart, we've handled a lot of murder cases.

And it's been our experience that wronged wives kill their husbands first

foremost.

They have a very strong case against me.

Want a donut? No, thanks. Listen to this.

Made with sugar, water, corn syrup, enriched flour, iron, ferrous sulfate,

thiamine, monotrate, riboflavin, partially hydrogenated animal and or

shortening.

Contains one or more of the following. Soybean oil, cottonseed oil, palm oil,

beef fat, lard, coconut, sulfite treated, milk, cocoa, gelatin,

what do you think?

I think I'm taking you somewhere.

Where? A health spa.

Hi, welcome to Pinewood. Thank you.

I'm Ben Matlock. This is Michelle Thomas.

I called earlier and spoke with Jack Berlin.

Oh, you're the attorneys for Donna Stewart.

That's right. You're Linda Michaels.

Yes, I'm the assistant manager.

Where might I find Jack Berlin?

Well, I believe he's at the pool, which is straight down the hall. Thank you.

Is one of these computers for your phone system?

Yes. How did you know that?

I hear you got the latest high -tech equipment.

It's state -of -the -art.

How's it work?

Well, it's very simple.

You know how phone messages are normally delivered in most hotels?

Sure. You see the red light flashing on your phone, you call the front desk, and

they give you your messages.

Right. Only here we type it into the computer, and then you can beat it on

own TV screen on Channel 58.

And it also tells you the precise time in which it was left.

And do you know when someone picks up a message?

As soon as they turn on Channel 58, it logs it right here.

Mrs. Stewart said that on the night of the murder, she received a message from

Christy Huntley on her TV.

Yeah, I know.

After she told the police, one of the officers had me print out all her

messages. Do you have a copy of that?

Yeah, I sure do.

Have a look.

Yep, right here. Thanks.

I'm afraid, though, that message is not on there.

Isn't it possible that the computer made a mistake and...

Logged that particular message under someone else's room here at Pinewood?

Well, actually, the police had the same question, and that's why they had me

print out all the messages sent to everyone here for the 24 hours preceding

murder.

But I'm sorry, Miss Thomas, that message was never left.

Like it was left and then erased.

What are you suggesting?

Oh, I'm not suggesting anything.

Just another possibility.

This sort of publicity doesn't do wonders for business.

Well, we'll only be here a couple of hours.

You're not planning on talking to people tonight?

No. No? Oh, I guess you're in bed or should be. Lights out at 8 .30.

Oh, 8 .30.

Oh, Michelle.

This is Michelle Thomas, my associate, Jack Berlin.

Hello.

We can't talk to anybody tonight, so I guess we'll have to go to a motel and

come over for breakfast.

Oh. Well, isn't our place about three miles away?

The Shady Acres? They went out of business.

Oh. I think we have a couple of vacancies.

You'll be our guest.

Oh, no. That would be lovely. Thank you. No problem. It would be our pleasure.

It's right through here.

Thanks.

You'll have to sleep on the floor.

Now, Ben, this place charges $2 ,500 a week.

You'll have a bed.

He did say we'd be their guest.

Hey! What are you doing?

I'm taking your clothes for the cleaner, sir.

What are you talking about?

All guests are supposed to wear those.

Good night, sir. I'm sorry if I disturbed you.

Wait a minute!

Hey!

Some jerk took my soup to the cleaners last night. I won't get it back till 5 o

'clock. They take everybody's clothes.

Actually, it's better. This way we blend in.

I'm not sure I want to blend in. I just want my soup, get the information, and

go home.

How do we get service?

It's self -service.

Where's the buffet?

Right here.

This is the buffet?

These are herbs.

They're very good for you.

Go ahead, try it.

Go on.

Keep chewing.

It's very flavorful, huh?

You're not going to die from it.

Good morning, everyone.

Sunrise hike will start in five minutes.

You better finish up, Ben.

I'm finished.

This hike will be great. We can find out which guests were here the night of the

murder. You do that. I'll stay here and talk to the staff.

Excuse me, sir.

This wing is under construction.

It's off limits to our guests.

There's a sign right down there. Oh, I guess I must have missed that.

Are you new here?

Just got in last night. Ben Matlock. I'm Vince Campbell. I'm the fitness

instructor. Oh.

Mr. Matlock, I don't remember weighing and measuring you.

Well, I'm not actually a guest. I'm here on business. I represent Donna Stewart.

Oh.

Well, I should still weigh and measure you. You, uh...

Look like you might be carrying a couple extra pounds.

I do?

Have you had

this thing checked lately?

Yes, we have it calibrated every couple of weeks.

Seems like it's weighing a little heavy.

It's not weighing heavy.

Okay, let's get you measured now.

No, that's okay.

That's okay. That's okay. It's okay.

You're just a little bit curious.

Um, it's a shame about Christy Huntley, isn't it?

Yeah. She sure was some hooker.

She was very pretty.

Were you close with her?

Yes, we were close.

Were you lovers?

We were very close, Mr. Matlock.

Christy Huntley was the type of girl who preferred men with money.

And I don't exactly fit that category.

A lot of men might resent that type of woman.

What's your point?

Oh, it just looks like, I guess, that she meant more to you than you

meant to her.

Why are you asking all these questions?

Oh, I don't know.

I guess overweight people have a lot of curiosity.

Okay, we're done here.

The police say that Christy was drowned between 9 and 9 .30 at night.

That's what they said? And that you discovered Donna Stewart in the pool

That's enough.

That's right.

Well, if the spa closes at 830, what were you doing in there at 930?

Mr. Matlock, I work here. It's part of my responsibility to check on the

facility after everyone's gone to sleep.

Oh, by the way, what I saw that night was your client with her hands wrapped

around Christy's neck.

Come on, everybody, try and keep up, okay?

No. Are you tired?

Nauseous. Well, that's easy to fix.

Here, eat these.

What are they?

It's an old backpacker's remedy.

Mustard flowers. They'll cure your nausea.

I'm Michelle Thomas.

Robert Bell.

What brings you to Pinewood, Robert Bell?

Well, believe it or not, I'm thinking of buying a 25 % interest in this place.

You're kidding.

No.

I figured the best way of assessing whether this place was everything I

that it was would be to put myself through the program.

What are you doing here? You don't exactly look like you're out of shape.

Well, actually, I'm here on business.

I'm an attorney. I'm representing a woman who's accused of murdering Christy

Huntley.

A couple of our fellow hikers said they saw you spend some time with Christy a

few days before she was killed.

She was quite a young woman.

I get the impression you were more than just friends.

Michelle, I'm married.

I understand.

And I don't want to complicate your life, but I've got a client who's going

spend the rest of her life in prison for a murder she didn't commit.

Unless I can figure out who framed her. So if there's anything, you can tell me.

Well, there was one thing, but I'm afraid it may be something you don't

hear.

What's that?

On the night that Christy was killed, I went to her room to surprise her, and...

It was about 9 o 'clock.

When I got to her room, I heard a very loud argument.

I recognized Christy's voice, but I couldn't make out the other one.

Was it a male or female voice?

Female.

Well, when did you get the news?

I was in the dining room with Jack Berlin in a meeting, and Linda ran in

and told us.

Pasta.

Mr. Matlock, that food is only for people who work here.

Now, how do you expect to drop some of that unwanted weight if you're sneaking

in the fridge?

I was more concerned with malnutrition.

Where's your self -discipline?

Now, come on.

Let's go.

Well, Vince Campbell was right.

Christy Huntley sure did set her cap for wealthy men. Robert Bell, Red Stewart.

That's two. There could have been more.

Yeah. I wonder if one of them got jealous.

Could be.

Pass me some time, will you?

Yeah.

There you go.

You know, the only one who could have left that man down was Robert Bell.

And he was with Jack Berlin at the time.

Doesn't explain the argument Mr. Bell overheard. No.

What's that?

Reindeer milk.

Don't try that.

You know there's a new wing here under construction?

I went over there, and Vince Campbell ushered me right out.

Yeah? Yeah, like he was hiding something.

Well, maybe he just didn't want you getting hurt.

Well, there was no construction work going on.

No workmen at all?

No.

No. And Vince Campbell's a fitness instructor.

What was he doing in a construction area?

Hmm.

May I cut you some more time?

No, no. I'm stopped.

Nobody's been here since yesterday.

How do you know?

Well, nothing's been cut.

No? No.

Have you been upstairs?

No

It's been time. We're almost out of parsley.

Oh, I see you've made quite an adjustment. Well, a person has to live.

What's our agenda today?

Well, Vince Camp was wandering around in that new wing yesterday, and

I'd sure like to find out if he had anything to do with what happened to us

night.

Yeah. Yeah.

What did you think you were doing last night? Berlin.

clearly posted signs warning guests to stay out of that way. Now, you could

been seriously hurt.

That seemed to be the idea.

What do you mean?

Well, how about maybe it wasn't an accident?

Well, I find that hard to believe.

I guess you had to be there.

Uh, excuse me.

I've got to call the office.

Well, anyway, I'm just glad you're all right.

If there's anything more you need, just let me know. Okay, Mr. Verlin, um, I...

I've been meaning to ask you something.

Where were you between 9 and 10 the night

Christy Huntley was murdered?

I was in a business meeting.

Oh, that's right. That's right. With Robert Bell, wasn't it?

Yes.

Did you know he was sleeping with Christy?

I'm not surprised.

Christy liked wealthy men.

Especially if they were investing with you.

And what are you suggesting?

That I told her to seduce prospective investors?

Well, it would make an investment attractive.

Mr. Matlock, my investors are more sophisticated than that.

Oh, well.

What kind of returns are they getting on their investments?

Well, nothing yet. We're still in the red.

In the red?

Well, this place is booked solid. How can we be losing money?

Well, we've only been in business about a year. We had expensive startup costs.

And that wing under construction is soaking up money faster than anyone

imagined.

In time, we'll be fine.

I hope so.

I hope so. It's a nice place.

It's comfortable.

And it's pleasant.

Good food.

All the services.

It's nice.

Speaking of services, I just left Olga.

She's got an hour free.

Olga? I'm a Seuss.

Have you ever had a facial massage?

No. Oh, you really ought to try.

Now then

This

will open your pores

I Bet it'll do wonders for your

skin

Not to mention your disposition.

Nice hair.

You have nice hair.

You have lots of nice qualities yourself.

Relax.

What are you doing?

I'm not doing anything.

All goes opening my pores.

All right, here's the deal.

Tyler, speak softly.

What's the deal?

All right, I checked on Donna Stewart's husband, Fred, like you asked.

He was on an airplane from Los Angeles to Atlanta at the time of the murder.

He was also shocked and dismayed to find out that his little friend, Christy,

was playing the field.

Get me a list of the rest of the investors and see which ones were

involved with Christy.

May I come in?

Of course.

Whoa.

Yeah, a romance is a lot easier than the paperwork.

Pinewood, are we so busy?

Mm -hmm. Book solid weeks in advance.

But I don't think you came here to talk about business.

Actually, I did have something more specific in mind.

Like?

Your relationship to Christy Huntley.

Were you friends?

Not really.

We worked together.

I got the feeling Christy liked men a lot more than women.

So?

Did she ever move in on anybody you were interested in?

No. Were you jealous of her?

Absolutely not.

What exactly are you suggesting?

Linda, on the night Christy was murdered, she was overheard having a

her room with another woman.

Was it you?

I met Thomas.

I did not kill Christie Huntley.

And I was not in her room.

Where were you the night of the murder?

I was out.

With whom?

Alone.

Now, if you don't mind, I would like to finish my work.

Oh. Mrs. Mitchell?

Excuse me.

Well, Vince.

Working overtime?

You know, I don't have to explain anything to you.

Mrs. Mitchell's a friend of mine.

Or would have become one if I hadn't interrupted.

Get out.

Better here than in court, Vince.

Look, women come to this spa and stay sometimes for weeks. They get lonely.

So you set up a little business.

Nobody gets hurt.

Okay, how about your business partner?

I saw Linda bring Mrs. Mitchell up here tonight.

Who else knew what Linda and you were up to?

Christy. Did Linda have a fight with her in her room the night she was murdered?

Yes. Christy threatened to tell Berlin what we were up to unless we cut her in.

It's a pretty good motive for murder, as motors go.

Look, Linda had a fight with Christy, but she didn't kill her. And neither did

I.

Oh, hi.

Did you invite anyone else?

This is it.

Hey, Vance, let me ask you a question.

Are all the rooms in this wing finished like this?

Yes.

Why?

What do you mean, why?

Well, I just wonder why anybody would close off a whole wing like this when it

could bring in thousands of dollars a day.

You sure I can't cut you something? No, thank you.

Well,

anyway, when you were in here with Jack Berlin,

did he get out of your sight at any time?

Yes, he did. He went into the kitchen to fix himself a snack.

Probably roast beef and rye.

Was he gone long?

Oh, I don't know.

A couple of minutes.

I really don't remember.

Well, you were sitting here.

Right here.

Well, when he came back, pretend I'm Jack Berlin.

When he came back from the kitchen, now think back.

Did you notice anything different about him?

No, I don't think so.

Did he seem nervous?

Not noticeably, no.

Did he have on anything different?

No. Clothes wet?

No, I think I'd remember that.

Well, I'm interested in anything that was different about Jack

Burland. Anything at all.

Wait a minute.

Wait a minute.

There was something.

Glasses. He was wearing glasses. I think I even said something to him about

them.

I do.

Mr. Berlin, that's a very fine spa you run out there.

Well, thank you.

I lost a little weight myself.

Well... Congratulations.

A little bit. A little bit.

I imagine there are a lot of people who would love to spend a week or two at

your spa.

Well, we're working very hard to build up a clientele.

And I bet when you finish construction and open that new wing, you'll just make

money hand over fist.

That would be the idea.

I've got a little confession to make.

While I was at Pinewood, curiosity got the upper hand with me. And I sneaked

into that wing, looked around.

And what I don't understand is that room after room after room after room

were all finished, ready to go.

Carpet, drapes.

Each one of them could have passed the white glove test. Why aren't you using

them?

Well, the heating and the air conditioning isn't hooked up. Neither is

plumbing. Now, I can subpoena.

The construction workers who have finished their jobs, if I have to.

It wasn't my intention to misstate the facts.

Just that the truth is a little embarrassing.

If you will recall, we had a conversation in which I did tell you

has a substantial cash flow problem.

The fact of the matter is, we just can't afford to open those rooms.

Can't afford it.

Because cash flow.

Do you know the names of all your investors?

Of course.

Would you tell the court how much a pine wood each of your investors owns?

Well, that would be difficult for me without consulting my files.

Maybe I can help.

All nine of your investors are in the courtroom. Maybe you didn't see them

behind the other people.

Gentlemen, as I read your names, please stand.

Dennis Carter, 25%. Norman Maxwell, 15%.

Fred Stewart, 25%. Alan Lane, 20%.

Kevin Bryant, 25%. William Westerfield, 15%.

Michael Saunders, 25%.

Donald Gilbert, 25%. Jeffrey Michelson, 20%.

These nine men own 195

% of Pinewood.

And that doesn't include your share.

Thank you, gentlemen.

That's a pretty bizarre scheme.

selling off 195%. Surely you had to know that sooner or later at least one

of these men would figure out what you were doing.

Excuse me for saying, but that was pretty dumb.

Objection. Mr. Matlock seems to be making his summation attained.

You never intended to open that wing, did you?

Of course I did.

You intended to use construction delays to drive Pinewood to financial ruin. And

you intended to conceal the fact that you oversold the spa and divert that

flow to your own pocket.

Ridiculous. I think you did that.

And I think Christy Huntley was, let's say, part of your scheme.

She was a natural girl.

She liked fellas.

She especially liked fellows with money.

She had intimate relations with five of your investors. And

let's put it this way, with your blessings.

Those five own 120 % of Pinewood.

And she wanted her share of your cash flow.

She was blackmailing you, wasn't she?

No. Your Honor, is Mr. Matlock just telling a story, or can he prove some

relevance? Mr. Matlock?

Well, let's try this for relevance.

Between 9 and 10, the night of the murder, you were in

the dining room at a meeting with Robert Bell. Is that your story?

That's the truth.

But at a certain point, you left that meeting, didn't you?

Yes, for a couple of minutes. Why?

Well, I went into the kitchen to fix the salad, but I went right back to the

meeting.

You know, those are nice glasses.

How long have you had them?

A couple of years, I guess. A couple of years.

I know you were wearing glasses the whole time I was at Pinewood. How about

before that?

I don't know.

Sometimes.

Sometimes I wore contact lenses.

We've interviewed every employee at Pinewood we could find, and none of them

ever saw you wearing glasses before the night of the murder.

Well, that's entirely possible.

I lost a contact lens.

Oh, you lost one?

Yes, but I can't remember exactly when.

I think I know when.

Sometime before nine that night, you arranged for

Christy Huntley to be in the area by the pool.

And when you left your meeting with Robert Bell, you didn't just go to the

kitchen. I got to hand it to you. You made some time.

You went to the pool, found Christy Huntley, killed her. But in the

you lost your contact lens. Then you had to go to your room, take out the other

lens, put on your glasses before you returned to Mr. Bell.

This is nonsense.

Linda Michaels has testified that this computer printout showed

every phone message sent or received in every room at Pinewood

the night of the murder.

The message my client claimed she received is not here.

I think it was erased.

Here's your room.

There was a message sent from your room at 8 .46. That could be the message that

went to my client.

Here's a message picked up in your room at 9 .29.

Isn't that supposed to be when you had your meeting in the dining room with Mr.

Bell?

I was.

I was in the dining room.

Tell me, how did it feel when you saw that message light flashing on your

Was it nerves or habit that made you turn on the television, pick up that

message?

That was a mistake.

That proves you were in your room at 9 .29.

You had to go to your room.

Get your glasses.

Your meeting with Robert Bell involved paperwork.

You couldn't read with just one lens.

Mr. Bell would have noticed that.

I'm holding in my hand a contact lens.

What if I told you this contact lens was found

by the side of the pool?

at Pinewood.

What if I told you this contact lens is for a person with a

20 -200 vision?

What's the vision in your right eye?

Isn't it true your vision is 20 -200?

Isn't it true that you lost this contact lens

by the pool?

At Pinewood.

When you killed Christy Huntley.

Mr. Berlin.

Isn't it true that this lens is yours?

Nothing further, Your Honor.

What is the verdict?

We find the defendant not guilty.

Thank you.

Court is adjourned.

Thank you. Oh, thank you.

Congratulations.

Congratulations.

Talk about the proverbial needle in the haystack. How you found a contact lens

boggles the mind. Well, just lucky.