Original subtitles

Okay, picture this.

We're close to an alarm clock, 6 .15 a .m. Goes off, we pull back, see a young

woman, yuppie, attractive, hit the deck running.

Then in quick cuts, we see an aerobics class, business meetings, high -level

confabs with guys in suits.

After work, racquetball, dinner with friends.

Then back to her setting the alarm clock while we hear her voiceover say, you

can wear bras for the active life you live.

Tell me he's kidding.

This campaign is geared toward female boomers, women who never stop running.

Thanks. Now I get it. We are telling women we have a bra they can sweat in?

Where's the sex?

I deliberately focused away from the sex. Women want to know how this

Women want men.

They want to find them, catch them, and keep them. They want to be pert and

perky for men because men are their real business.

Where did you get this idiot?

Will you excuse us for a minute, Edward? I would be glad to rethink this, Mr.

Howe. Give me a break.

Look, I was in the top 10 % of my class at Vanderbilt, Mr. Gordon.

Well, you just flunked out in the real world, pal.

That is fine.

Very nice.

You think these people don't talk?

It's all over the business.

How are we going to get good creative talent in here if you treat people like

that? By overpaying, the way you do now.

Yes. Get my wife, please.

You're hurting business, Alex. It's got to stop.

Buy me out.

You'll lose the only clown in this circus who knows how to write a decent

of ad copy.

Hi, honey.

Hi.

How's your day?

Oh, lousy. We've got nothing for the uniware meeting tomorrow, and I'm going

be working all night.

Are you staying in town?

Yeah. I'll be staying at the motel.

Thanks. Pulling your fat out of the fire again, buddy?

Okay.

Okay. If you want to be a martyr, I'll see you tomorrow.

Martyr?

Either I come up with something for the UNIWARE meeting or we go in with nothing

but our nervous smiles.

Where's that report?

You were in with Mr. Howell. I asked you to type it an hour ago.

I did. I didn't want to disturb you. Bring it.

Bring it.

Anything else you need, Mr. Gordon?

Good night's sleep.

Give me a wake -up call at 7 a .m., will you, John?

Sure thing.

Hold your call still, then?

Except for my wife.

You got it. Sleep well, Mr. Gordon.

Alex?

I told you, no interruption.

I'm sorry, sir, but the police are here and they say it's important. The police?

I'm sorry to disturb you, Mr. Gordon.

Lieutenant Brooks, Atlanta PD.

What can I do for you?

There was a problem at your house and we'd like for you to come with us if you

can. What happened?

I'm sorry to have to tell you like this.

But your wife, when the maid came this morning, your wife is dead, sir. It

appears she was murdered last night.

We're trying to find out all that we can.

Murdered? Oh, dear God. Kathy?

Somebody killed Kathy?

We're hoping that you can help us find out.

A burgundy Jaguar I was seeing near your house last night.

Do you know anyone with a car like that?

No.

Burgundy, my partner's... What's his name?

Brett Howell, but he wouldn't have been anywhere near there last night.

I'm sorry, I must go home. Of course, we'll take you there right away.

I didn't plan to fall in love with Kathy, nor she with me.

For a long time, we were just friends.

She was so beautiful, so intelligent.

Who'd want to kill her?

Well, the police think you did.

And you were seen going into the house last night.

Alex was staying in town.

Kathy and I knew we'd have some time together.

When I left, she was fine.

What time was that?

About 11 .45.

I just... If I would have stayed,

I should still be alive.

Any idea how the murder weapon got into your car?

No.

Anybody else have a key?

Spare?

In the office.

Maybe at home, too.

I'm going to be honest with you, Mr. Howell. The district attorney has a very

strong case.

I didn't do it, Mr. Matlock.

I loved her.

You believe me, don't you? I have to go under that assumption.

But I don't have a clue how I'm going to convince the jury

that a man who's sleeping with a woman

And not just any woman, his partner's wife.

And in his partner's house is a person of high moral standards.

Well, the maid walked in this morning and nearly had a quarrel.

I guess.

Does she have a key?

Yes. And the alarm code.

The alarm was on?

No, it was off. That's how the maid knew something was wrong.

Kathy Gordon always set the alarm just before she went to sleep.

She couldn't last night when her client left.

She was dead.

Why do you say when your client left?

Well, it must have been him. Anyone else coming in after he left would have set

off the alarm.

What about her husband?

Well, I guess you're not quite up to speed on this.

He has an alibi at a downtown motel.

Stayed the night.

But even without the alibi, he couldn't have done it.

Well, it's here.

Come on, go ahead.

See the contraption on the stairs on your way up? Yeah.

It's broken, six months.

Yeah? Well, it's the only way Mr. Gordon can get up and down the stairs.

He's a paraplegic.

I didn't know that.

Anything else?

There's a lot of blood.

Did you find any clothes the killer was wearing?

No. Anything taken?

Nothing so far.

They got a good case. Yeah, they do.

We're best friends of the family.

Mr. Gordon's expecting us.

It's okay, officer.

Thank you.

Alex.

I'm so sorry.

I can't believe it.

I just saw Kathy on Tuesday.

Are you okay?

I honestly don't know what I'm going to do without her, Grant.

I'll miss her.

Kathy deserves better.

I'd like to offer our condolences.

I'm Michelle Thomas, Ben Matlock's associate. This is Conrad McMasters.

We represent Mr. Howell.

Thank you, Miss Thomas.

I understand Mrs. Gordon was a lovely woman.

More than lovely, Mr... McMasters. She was the finest woman I've ever known.

Excuse me. I need a glass of water.

My wife and Kathy were very close.

I'm Grant Estes.

Glad to meet you. How do you do? Hello.

Alex!

I know I shouldn't have come here, but please, you've got to believe me. I

didn't kill Kathy. Believe you?

You two -faced bastard.

Alex. Sleeping with my wife, pretending to be my best friend. Get the hell out

of my house!

Very impressive.

Great stress release.

Three times a week, no matter what.

I've got some dumbbells in my bag.

Christmas present. I guess somebody's trying to tell me something.

Yep.

Yeah, I try sometimes, but I'll do better.

Boy. Your upper body?

My upper body's all I've got.

I promised I'd do this.

Why I'm here is my client would like to come to the funeral.

He's out of his mind.

Keep him away from me.

I'm sorry I interrupted your workout.

That's okay.

Brett said that he kept an extra set of car keys in his desk in his

office. You didn't happen to see anybody. No, I didn't.

So you think the dumbbells would help, huh?

It's a start.

You could lose some weight, too.

You think so?

You carry all that stuff around with you, you probably don't feel like

exercising.

Oh, well, I'll do better.

You know what they say, we are what we eat.

On you, it shows.

Well, what can I do for you, Miss Tommy?

You and Kathy Gordon were friends for quite a while.

Since high school.

Did you and your husband spend a lot of time with the Gordons?

I spent a lot of time with Kathy.

And Alex?

No, I avoided Alex as much as I could.

Oh?

Life's too short to be around nasty people.

He made Kathy miserable.

Well, yesterday he sounded like he loved her very much.

It's an act.

Well, did Kathy love him?

She tried to be very loyal.

Was there any... Well, I mean, could he?

Yes, he could.

And he wouldn't.

Why wouldn't he?

Anger. Anger, I guess.

How did it happen?

One night, Kathy was driving them home from a party.

She got cut off, lost control of the car, it rolled.

Alex was thrown clear, but Kathy got trapped.

The car caught fire.

Somehow, Alex managed to pull her out, but the car lurched.

And Alex suffered a serious spinal injury.

It put stress on a marriage that wasn't good to begin with.

Miss Thomas, this is only me talking.

Before the accident, Alex Gordon was not a nice person. Being paralyzed did not

improve his personality.

He used Kathy's guilt, and he would never ask for a divorce.

Why would he? He made six figures. She inherited six million.

That's the difference between comfort and luxury.

Did Alex know about Kathy's affair?

I didn't think so.

Kathy told me.

She... She felt so guilty.

Miss Thomas, whatever happiness Kathy had, she had with Brett Howell.

She loved him and he loved her very much.

Come on, Ben, there's just no way a paraplegic could have committed that

I didn't say he did.

I just want to find out more about him and about the motel where he stayed that

night.

Unless the man is cured and nobody knows about it, I think you're barking up the

wrong tree.

You want to just find out something about the motel where he stayed that

I'll find out about the motel.

Man, you scared the devil out of me.

Here, let me give you a hand with that.

No, thanks.

Okay. I got plenty to do.

Lunch.

What do you got?

Oh, I got two hamburgers jumbo.

Two hot dogs all the way.

I got fries, onion rings, rice pudding, and two milkshakes, vanilla, and one

extra just in case.

What's the matter?

Nothing. You like hot dogs?

Yeah.

Well, what's the matter?

Well, somebody said maybe I'll lose a little weight.

What do you think?

Plump.

Pleasingly plump?

Just plump.

Well, diet, then.

I can't be losing my figure.

That used to be one of my best things.

You know that motel you told me to look into?

Yeah. Well, Alex Gordon always stays in the same room because it has easy

wheelchair access.

Yeah. And I don't know what this means, but the night of the murder,

He said he wanted a quiet room because he was real tired, even though the

was more difficult.

I saw him check in and saw him check out.

But in between, he could have gone anywhere.

Like I said, I don't know what that means.

Because I found out this.

A man makes a good living, right?

But his wife is the one with all the money.

Well, there's reason enough to kill her right there.

Yeah.

But except for token maintenance, Alex Gordon is not in his wife's will.

He's not?

How'd you find out?

Connections? Does he know?

Contact says yes.

Huh.

Well, the only way he could get any of her money was if she was alive.

Doesn't make any sense.

Nope.

Think you're barking up the wrong tree.

Wrong tree, huh?

I want you to follow him everywhere.

Okay. Got my stuff?

Got my radio.

You going to eat those hot dogs?

Yes. Both of them?

Yes. When?

While I'm working following Alex Gordon.

Well, what are you going to do with all that other stuff?

I'm going to eat it.

I knew it was 8 .30 because that's when I walked Jerome every night.

Jerome is my dog.

Anyway, I noticed this burgundy Jaguar parked near my house.

When I looked around to see who it belonged to, I noticed someone going

Gordon's house.

And what exactly did you see?

Well, Mrs. Gordon sort of pulled this man inside.

Do you see the person who was pulled into the Gordon's house here today?

Sure. I've seen him there before.

The defendant, Mr. Howell.

In all of the years I've worked for the Gordon, The alarm was always on when I

went to work.

Mrs. Gordon simply never would go to sleep without turning it on.

Never? Not even if she was sick or injured or just plain forgot?

No, never.

So, if Mrs. Gordon had been alive when the defendant left, she would have

the alarm on and therefore no one could enter the house without setting it off.

No one.

Thank you very much.

No questions.

Mr. Madlock? No questions.

You may step down.

Court will recess 45 minutes for lunch.

Bye -bye.

Uh,

Miss Gordon?

Yeah? Uh,

this... This may, uh...

It'd be a little awkward, but I'll just go ahead with it.

Brett said that you stayed in town the night of the murder and worked on the

Uniware campaign.

And the meeting's next week, and if you have the campaign, he'd like to present

it. Tell Brett to stick it.

Okay.

Why didn't you stay in your regular room at the motel that night? The front room

is noisy.

I need quiet to work and sleep.

I see.

I see.

You think I'm a suspect?

Well, I'll take that as a compliment.

You think I snuck out and murdered my wife in my wheelchair?

Mr. Matlock.

Numerous places in the victim's bedroom and the entire house were dusted.

And what did you find?

We found the fingerprints of the defendant, Mr. Howell, throughout the

and in particular in the victim's bedroom.

Thank you. Nothing further.

Mr. Matlock.

Yes, sir. Lieutenant, do you from time to time visit with friends

and business associates at the various homes?

Yes. Well, when you take leave of one another, do you take care to wipe your

fingerprints off?

Everything, the tableware, tables and walls and stuff like that?

No. Yes.

Now, you've testified that this knife is the murder weapon and that

it was found in the trunk of Mr.

Howell's car.

Yes, sir.

Well, why are there no fingerprints on it?

Well... Objection. Calls for speculation. It doesn't make sense that

defendant would leave his fingerprints all over the walls of the house and wipe

them off the knife and throw it through the trunk of his car.

Objection. It's argumentative. Why didn't he just leave the knife at the

of the crime? We'll have to ask him. Who ever committed this horrible murder?

Withdraw the question. Nothing further.

We'll adjourn until 10 o 'clock tomorrow morning.

Your Honor, Your Honor, Your Honor, could Kelson and I...

I'll meet with you in chamber briefly.

Mr. Burgess?

That's fine, yes, sir. And could we ask Mr. Alex Gordon to meet with us?

Your Honor, this is a receipt for a $50 ,000 diamond bracelet that my client

gave the deceased the day before she was murdered.

What's the point?

Well... The bracelet hasn't shown up anywhere in Mrs. Gordon's possessions,

I'd like to search the safe up in her bedroom to see if it's there.

For what purpose?

You said that no robbery was involved in this murder, and if the bracelet isn't

there, it proves that there was.

Mr. Matlock, if you're introducing evidence, you must do so in a courtroom.

And if you're asking for a warrant to search the Gordon house, then ask.

Right now.

Well, um... I have no problem with your going into the safe.

Come by first thing in the morning. You can look around all you want.

Is

this it?

It sure looks like it.

It's got to be it.

Well, it looks like you missed this one, doesn't it, Ben?

Oh, yeah.

Nice try, Ben.

You find what you were looking for?

Yes, I'll be there.

Yes, we can.

Mr. Gordon, how are you doing?

I miss my wife more than I can say.

But I'm all right. I trained myself early to be self -sufficient. I didn't

to be a burden to Kathy.

I'm moved by your internal strength.

Paralyzed when you saved your wife's life, and now to find out... I'm a

practical man, Mr. Matlock. I understood my wife's needs.

I couldn't fulfill all of them.

Most, but not all.

That's more than practical.

I'll be honest with you, Mr. Matlock.

At first, I felt rage, bitterness.

Life isn't fair, I know it.

But I also know that if the situation had been reversed...

Kathy would have pulled me out of that car, and eventually I might have had an

affair. Well, well.

I wish life had turned out differently for you.

Thank you. Yes.

It's a very nice house.

Yes, it is.

I may keep it. I don't know.

Expensive to keep up.

Well... Um...

What?

There's, uh... There's something you probably don't know about.

Your wife gave Mr.

Howell a combination to your upstairs safe.

And so the other day, I took a little look.

I might get in trouble, I don't know. But funny thing, the bracelet

wasn't there.

I'm certain of it.

And then, remember in Chambers, we asked if we could take a look and use it?

Fine, remember? And we just did. We just looked. And the bracelet is there.

It's there.

And I don't understand.

May I have your order, please?

All right, give me a chocolate shake, hamburger.

Ben Malak.

Ben, I'm at a drive -thru on East Magnolia.

He lost me.

Mr. Gordon, I know this will be difficult for you, but I'd like to talk

your relationship with your wife.

Was there intimacy?

That was impossible.

I have been told just the opposite, that it's very possible.

Were you happy?

Happier than most marriages?

You knew that your wife was in love with my client.

An affair is not love, Mr. Matlock. My wife and I understood each other's needs

and we accepted them. That was one of the strengths of our marriage.

Mrs. Gordon was planning to divorce you, wasn't she?

Like any couple that's been married longer than two weeks, we'd occasionally

discuss divorce in the heat of an argument.

Uh -huh.

Do you know a man named Mr. Martin Sedgwick?

Yes, I do.

He's an attorney. In fact, he is the attorney your wife retained to file for

divorce in her behalf. Isn't that right? She hired him, yes, but she never would

have gone through with it.

Because she loved you.

Yes.

Kathy was hot -tempered and certainly had a flair for the dramatic.

Instead of saying, I'm angry, she'd file for divorce.

But that was one of the things I loved about her.

I'm easily bored, Mr. Matlock, and Kathy was never boring.

You miss her.

Yes, very much.

Your wife's family inheritance allowed a lifestyle that your

salary alone could never support. Isn't that right?

That's insulting.

Objection. Relevancy. Mr. Matlock.

This man is not on trial here. Your client is. Your Honor. I'm sustaining

objection, Mr. Matlock.

Move on.

The night your wife was murdered, you stayed in town in a motel,

didn't you?

Yes. And you always stay in the same motel in the same room because it has

wheelchair access. But this night, you stayed in a different room, didn't you?

I was tired. My regular room is right next to the office. It can be quite

sometimes. I told you that already, remember? The room you stayed in was way

back of the motel. The manager helped you check in, helped you check out.

But in the meantime, given the location of the room, you could have gone

somewhere, come back.

Never been seen, couldn't you?

I stayed in that room all night.

Mr. Gordon, you have...

tremendous upper body strength, don't you? Yes.

You would too if you had to drag around half a body of dead weight.

You lift weights?

Yes.

Could you climb up a rope?

I've never tried.

I'd have to say no.

Feet are part of the power.

But given the tremendous upper body strength you have, wouldn't it be fairly

easy for you? Nothing is easy for a paraplegic, Mr. Matlock. Let me tell you

story.

There was a man who was filled with rage.

And he was victim of an accident that left him paralyzed and in terrible

loss.

And his rage built more rage, maybe even pathological.

Many, many people, disabled just like he, worked their way through their loss

and lived their lives productive.

But rage had always been a part of this man, and now it was his constant

companion.

So one night, he called his wife and told her he was going to stay in town,

knowing that his business partner would take that opportunity to see her.

An affair.

An affair.

Perhaps brought on by the numerous rejections of the husband.

And he knew that his neighbor would walk his dog at the same time every night

and see his partner's car parked out in front of the house.

You are saying that I deliberately set up an opportunity for Brett to meet

Kathy? Just a story.

Objection. Your Honor, this is crucial to the completion of this case.

Careful, Mr. Matlock.

Be very careful.

Overruled.

Once you had established your alibi at the motel, you drove to your

house.

waited for your partner, my client, to leave and your wife to go to sleep.

Then you turned off the alarm, went in the house.

You knew you could go up those stairs by using your hands,

but your legs would drag behind you, leaving a trail of

particle evidence that anybody could find.

So you threw a rope.

Over the upstairs banister.

And that's how you climbed to the second floor of your house. Something no one

would think a paraplegic could do.

Then you stabbed your wife to death while she slept.

How dare you?

I don't climb ropes.

How dare you?

Let me show you something.

Let me show you something.

Let me show you this.

Recognize this bag?

This is the rope you used to climb to the second floor of your house.

This is the bloody jacket you wore while you stabbed your wife to death.

These are the gloves that you wiped off.

You knew that my associate, Conrad McMasters, was following you last night,

you lost him.

We meant for you to do that.

You recognize this gentleman?

He's a private investigator.

I hired him to follow you, and he saw you go up an alley and throw this bag

contents in a dumpster. I'm sure forensics testing will prove the blood

on this jacket and in places on this rope.

Your wife's blood.

Millions of people have been disabled like you and have found a way to

live fulfilling, productive lives.

I'm sorry for your accident. I'm sorry that you had to live in that chair.

I'm sorry most of all.

that you allowed your rage to cause all of this tragedy.

But there can be no excuse for what you have done.

Your Honor, defense moves that all charges against

my client be dropped.

In light of the evidence, Your Honor, the people concur.

As does the court.

Case dismissed.

This court is adjourned.