Original subtitles

Think of it as an early retirement. I'm not ready to retire.

You're ready, A .C.

Believe me. The three of us started this company together, you, Morgan, and I.

How can you just throw 34 years out the window? Your brother is dead.

And with all the good that you've been doing around here lately, you might as

well be dead too.

It's happening, isn't it?

Richard giving him the axe.

toss me out like an old newspaper.

Take it easy.

I'll sue you. I'll shut this place down.

Stop, stop, stop.

It's over.

It's not over.

Believe me.

I think you took that rather poorly, don't you?

Don't take this wrong, Stan.

But whatever you want, the answer is no. Well, that's a hell of a way to greet

your boss.

But I can understand.

I'm genuinely sorry about your vacation.

I'll make it up.

Thank you very much.

How about starting right now?

By giving these to somebody else.

There is nobody else.

In fact...

What is this?

Richard Wagner murder case.

Stan, the Martin trial starts on the 18th. Julie, we're all overworked. But I

have a dozen open cases. Tell it to the legislature.

They're the ones who cut the budget.

Oh.

No, I recommend moving on.

It's going steady growth in the past three quarters.

Couldn't we do this after the market closes?

I've just got a couple more questions.

As far as you know, did Richard Wagner and Avery Campbell have any arguments

prior to the one they had last night?

Richard was on A .C.'s case a lot.

I don't know if I'd call them arguments.

You have to understand something, Lieutenant.

A .C. is basically a sweetheart.

But he's had some problems.

What kind of problems?

His wife died last year.

He couldn't handle it.

He became so depressed they had to institutionalize him for a month.

When he finally did come back to work, well, he was never really up to par

that. How could Mr. Wagner fire him? Weren't they partners?

Richard brought A .C. out two years ago when his wife became ill.

So you see, Lieutenant, A .C. is just a salaried employee like the rest of us.

Now, if you don't mind, I really do have some very important phone calls to make

to the West Coast, Lieutenant.

Yeah, well, I want to thank you for your time, and I'll be

in touch.

Hi.

Hi, Julie.

What you got?

I'm just about to question Avery Campbell, the victim's ex -partner. Care

Tag along.

You bet.

And you left the building at what time?

7 .15.

Now, I understand that you and Mr. Wagner had a rather loud argument just

that.

Yes, we did.

I'm not proud of my behavior, Lieutenant, but Richard could be

quite aggravating at times.

Well, I understand he was firing you.

Yes, he was.

Mr. Campbell, where did you go after you left last night?

Home.

I made myself some dinner and went to bed.

Did you talk to anybody, make any phone calls?

I tried to call my son, but he wasn't home.

Does anybody know you were home all night?

I'm a widower, Miss March.

Living alone makes it hard to come up with an alibi.

Especially when you have no idea you're going to need one.

So you left the building at 7 .15 and didn't come back till this morning. Is

that what you're saying?

That's correct.

7 .15.

8 .30.

I saw him there at 8 .30.

I know because that's what time it always is when I finish emptying the

wastebaskets. That's what I was doing when I saw him emptying the

And you're sure it was Avery Campbell?

Oh, yeah, it was Mr. Campbell.

I know because...

Whenever he sees me, he says hi.

He's a nice man.

I'm not getting him in any kind of trouble, am I?

Don't worry. You've been very helpful.

Thanks. You can go now.

Thank you very much.

Hi, Bob.

Julie? Hi, Stan.

So what's this I hear about a witness in the Wagner case?

The man who just left. He's a custodian at the brokerage firm.

He says he saw Avery Campbell in his office last night at 8 .30.

Campbell told us he was at home from 7 .30 on.

Well, there you go.

When are you going to file it?

Is there a problem?

I'm just not sure that Avery Campbell is the man we're after.

Julie, the man had motive, means, and opportunity, and he lied about where he

was last night. Well, of course he lied. He's afraid he'd be accused of murder.

He's afraid he'd get caught.

Dan! we haven't even found the murder weapon yet.

And I just can't see that nice little old man as a killer.

Julie, file the indictment.

Oh, Miss Marsh, I'm lost. Please, just a moment. I'm sorry, Mr. Campbell, but I

can't talk to you without your lawyer present.

I know. He told me the same thing, but it isn't about this case.

Please.

I wanted you to know why I lied about being in the building that night.

As you pointed out...

Richard was letting me go.

That must have been very painful for you.

A great blow to my pride, yes, but there's more to it than that.

You see, I'm not as well off as you might think.

I have a son who hasn't found himself professionally, if

you know what I mean.

You support him.

Yes, and my wife's illness was a terrible financial as well as an

burden.

I have to work.

And I lied because I didn't want anyone

to know what I was doing in that building that night.

I was making copies of client lists.

I thought they might help me to...

Get a job with another firm.

I... I just wanted you to know.

Thank you.

Ms. March, I understand you have a recommendation concerning bail.

Yes, I do, Your Honor. The state would like to recommend that bail in this case

be set at $10 ,000.

Ten thousand dollars, Miss March? Yes, Your Honor.

Very well. So ordered.

Next cake.

Hi. Hi.

What are you... Oh, these flowers.

Our dinner.

I guess we won't be having your famous fried chicken dinner?

Oh, Ben. Oh, I'm so sorry.

I've just been so swamped. I can barely remember my name.

Okay. We'll go out. I don't think I have the energy.

Okay. We'll stay in.

I'll cook.

There's nothing here.

I don't even have time to go to the grocery store anymore.

Oh, I'll scrounge around in here. The boundary's something back to the

refrigerator. Yes, but it's usually green.

Stanley's working you too hard.

It's not his fault.

There's just too much work and too few people.

Anyway, I think I'm just mostly upset about this Wagner case.

Oh.

I hear you got an indictment.

Uh -huh.

Avery Campbell.

Wagner's ex -partner.

What's the problem?

I don't know.

I just, uh... I just feel uncomfortable prosecuting this case.

I seem to be the only person who isn't sure Avery Campbell did it.

Well, you can dive in on that.

I know.

I just have this feeling.

He's such a sweet man.

You should have seen him at the arraignment, Ben. He was so...

Frightened and so overwhelmed.

Well, you've still got time.

Why don't you keep digging? And then, if you're not satisfied and still don't

like it, when trial comes, you just have Stanley give it to somebody else.

There is nobody else.

Huh?

You want that table?

What did you find?

Oh, some eggs and some milk and some onions and

a little piece of cheese. Good omelet.

You're a genius.

Hello?

Oh, no.

Yes, I will.

Thank you for calling.

What's wrong?

Avery Campbell just committed suicide.

Oh, Julie, I'm so sorry.

I... I shouldn't have let Stan push me into filing that

indictment.

You didn't know this would happen. No.

Yes, I did. I knew.

I knew he couldn't handle this.

I let it happen.

Julie, it's not your fault.

About that?

Yeah, I've been here all night.

Comes up here, a garden variety, suicide.

One shot, close range, right temple.

Found this gun in his hand.

This note was found in his typewriter.

And met Kellen Wagner, huh?

Says dying is preferable to spending the rest of his life in prison.

His son ID'd the gun. Said Campbell kept it in the top drawer of his desk.

Excuse me. I'm Julie March with the DA's office.

Paul Campbell.

I'm so sorry about your father.

I just don't understand.

When I saw him last night, he seemed fine.

You were here last night?

Dropping off his car.

I borrowed it last Sunday.

He said he needed it for a couple of days, probably just to clean out his

office, and I'd be welcome to keep it.

He even said that he'd drop it off so I could take it to a job interview on

Friday.

I thought it then.

I'm so sorry.

Where did that come from?

I just found it in the trunk of Avery Campbell's car.

I remember seeing one just like it in the conference room at the brokerage

house.

Think it's murder weapon?

But Richard Wagner was killed on Monday night.

Yeah?

Avery Campbell didn't have his car then.

His son just told me he borrowed it on Sunday and didn't return it until last

night. Yeah?

How did that candlestick get in his trunk?

He probably put it in there after his son left.

Why would Avery Campbell put that candlestick in his car last night?

I don't know.

He was going to get rid of it, I guess. Why bother? He was going to commit

suicide, remember?

Well, maybe he hadn't decided yet. I don't think so. The only way this makes

sense at all is if somebody shot him, put the gun in his hand, typed that

and then planted the candlestick in his car, not knowing that his son had just

returned it.

And the only person who would have had the candlestick is the person who really

murdered Richard Wagner.

Don't you see? He killed Avery Campbell and made it look like a suicide so that

everybody would think both cases were closed.

Well, it sounds okay, but it could be that you're, you know, just hoping and

jumping to conclusions. Aren't you the one who's always saying you gotta go

your instincts?

Well, yeah.

I may have said something to that effect once or twice. Well, my instincts are

telling me that Avery Campbell did not commit suicide. And by George, this time

I'm going to listen to them.

Miss Cole?

I'm too old to be liberated, honey.

Miss is fine.

Betty is even better.

Well, I'm Julie.

Julie March with the DA's office. May I talk to you for a minute?

Sure.

My goodness.

Mr. Wagner's office was really pretentious.

That's the word most people used to use.

Behind his back, of course.

Miss Cole, I under... Betty.

I understand that Mr. Wagner was not an easy man to get along with. Is that

true?

About as true as you can get.

So he had a lot of enemies?

Well, he sure didn't have a lot of friends.

She's very pretty.

His daughter?

Hardly.

That's the third Mrs.

Wagner.

Celeste. Oh.

Oh, is right.

I guess I'm lucky he didn't trade me in for a younger model.

You were his secretary for a long time?

Mm -hmm.

Since before the firm even existed?

Then you must know everything that goes on around here.

Honey, if I don't know it, it isn't worth knowing.

I really don't understand what it is you're investigating, Miss Marsh. I

that A .C. left enough saying that he was the one who had killed Richard.

Yes, there are still a few things that need to be cleared up.

Like what?

Well, like where you were at 9 o 'clock on the night of the murder.

Jogging. Do you always jog at night?

I either jog then or go to the gym, yes.

Anything else?

I understand Avery Campbell wasn't the only person who'd been having problems

with Mr. Wagner lately.

Yes, I had problems with Richard from the very beginning.

At first it was because I was a woman, which meant in his eyes I was only good

for two things, one of which was fetching his coffee.

What about recently?

Last quarter I earned my clients more money than any other broker in this

company. I felt I deserved to become a partner.

Richard didn't agree.

Anything else?

No, no, I think that's all.

Good. Because I'm about to make my client several thousand dollars richer.

David. Taylor.

Yes, listen, V -nex oil just hit 27. I want you to sell all 5 ,000 shares now.

Julie March with the DA's office.

I was hoping you'd have time to answer a few questions.

On my way to a lunch meeting. Oh, well, maybe later. What time will you be back?

I'm not really sure.

Questions about what?

Your relationship to Richard Wagner, mostly.

He was my mentor, and I'll miss him dearly.

If you have any more questions, my secretary will have to set something up.

Excuse me.

Julie, what's going on?

What do you mean?

I hear this morning you asked for a continuance in the Martin case. Yes, I

more time to prepare.

Well, if you weren't out harassing people, you'd have plenty of time to

I'm not harassing anybody.

Well, that's not what John Randall does.

Frankly, Julie, I don't understand you.

One minute you're telling me how overworked you are, and the next minute

wasting your time to say nothing of taxpayer dollars over a case that's

been closed. But it shouldn't be closed.

I'm almost positive Avery Campbell was murdered. Avery Campbell committed

suicide? No, no, no. He was murdered by the same person who murdered Richard

Wagner. Oh, Julie, will you please? Then why would he commit suicide just hours

after he insisted to me that he was innocent?

Because the man was emotionally unstable. That's why. For God's sake,

the facts. I have. I have, and I'm not convinced.

Julie, I know you like this man, Avery Campbell, but I'm here to tell you once

and for all that the Wagner and Campbell cases are... close. Do you know as well

as I do that sweet little old men commit murder every day?

Now I want you to stop taking these continuances and get on with your work.

Am I clear?

Yes.

You should have seen him.

Stan? I felt like I was in first grade.

Getting balled out for talking out of turn.

I got balled out one time. Actually, I got sent home.

We had a teacher, and one morning she gave us a test. It was so hard that

everybody failed.

Everybody. So a bunch of us boys got it up that next time she turned around at

the blackboard, we was going to throw spitballs at her. Well, I had a big one,

good one.

When she turned around...

I reared back and let go. And I was the only one that threw.

Caught her right on the butt. Just slap.

She knew it was me because I was the only one that was grinning.

Mama gave me a weapon.

But it was funny. I mean, just slap right on the butt.

You got any napkins?

Here. Yeah, thanks.

Want half?

Oh, no, I'm not hungry.

My mustard.

I can't believe that John Randall called Stan.

Maybe he was upset.

I barely spoke to the man.

But he called Stan and said that I'm harassing him. Now, why would he do

Does he have something to hide?

Stan doesn't think so.

Stan thinks Avery Campbell didn't want to get fired.

Stan, what am I going to do? This thing is making me crazy.

Well, ordinarily I'd tell you to do what your heart makes you do, but...

This time I can.

Why not?

I don't want you to get involved with a two -time killer.

Conrad isn't doing anything. He could give you a hand.

That's very sweet of you.

If I need help, I'll ask you.

So you're going to keep digging.

That's what you do, isn't it?

Well, yeah.

And there's one more thing I'd do for you.

What? I put some mustard on that salad.

Yeah.

Look, I spend hundreds of dollars a month in your shop. I don't think it's

unreasonable for me to expect that the flowers you deliver to last longer than

24 hours. Do you?

Good.

See that you do.

Didn't your boss speak to you, Ms. March? As a matter of fact, he did.

It was never my intention to harass you, Mr. Randall.

I just wanted to ask you a few questions.

Yes?

I'll have to call him back in five minutes.

Make it quick.

I see you've taken over Mr.

Wagner's office.

You must be the new CEO.

As of last night.

Unanimous vote of the board of directors.

As I said, Richard taught me everything I know. It was only natural that I take

over the company.

Oh, I'm sorry. I heard things between you two have been a little strained

lately.

Something about a big argument around three weeks ago.

What was that about anyway?

A couple of my clients had taken some losses which Richard thought could have

been avoided.

I disagreed.

It's no big deal.

So it wasn't as though you were about to get fired or anything?

What are you trying to suggest?

That I killed Richard to save my job? That's ridiculous.

Where were you around nine on the night of the murder? Oh, please, please.

I was in my car en route to a groundbreaking party up in, uh,

Did you take a date?

I think I went alone.

Yes?

All right.

You'll have to excuse me.

It's imperative that I take this call.

Well, thank you for your time.

And congratulations.

Things seem to have worked out pretty well for you.

I just need you to switch these two paragraphs, all right?

And I need it in ten minutes.

You work for Taylor Sinclair

now?

Well, don't look so surprised, honey.

Appropriating the former CEO's secretary is a smart career move.

How's about you?

I just had a talk with John Randall, and he seems to think everything between

him and Mr. Wagner was just hunky -dory.

Well, I don't know whether he's lying to you or to himself, but believe me, if

Richard had lived, John would be history by now.

That big argument they had?

He said it was about a couple of bad investments that he'd made.

No way.

It was about his coming in late, leaving early, and all those three -hour

lunches in between.

Bet on it.

May I ask you one more thing?

Sure. Do you happen to know the name of the florist John Randall Youth?

You planning on sending him roses?

Is this a stakeout?

Uh -huh.

Well, when did you get into this line of work?

When I couldn't get anybody to help.

What are you doing here?

Conrad couldn't make it. You said he wasn't busy.

Well, he is.

What's up?

I'm going to visit John Randall.

Is he dangerous?

I don't know.

You just offered me Conrad as a way of checking up on me, didn't you?

Yeah.

Are you worried about me?

Well... Thanks.

Look.

Thank God, he's already gone inside. That's okay.

There must be 50 apartments in this building. He's in number 32.

How'd you know that?

Because he's had flowers delivered there once a week for over three months. Come

on.

Hi. Yes?

Could we speak to John Randall, please?

There's nobody here by that name.

Don't I know you?

I don't think so.

Uh, we just want to talk to him.

I don't know any John Randall. I remember your picture within Richard

office. If you don't leave, I'm going to call the police.

Now, wait a minute.

You were his wife.

Let them in, Celeste.

So now you know.

More importantly, did Richard Wagner know?

He found out about three weeks ago.

That's what that big argument was about.

He discovered you were having an affair with his wife.

Doesn't change the fact that I didn't kill him.

But it gives you an excellent motive.

Why do you think I pushed so hard to get you to lay off?

He's telling the truth.

We didn't plan anything to happen between us.

It just did.

And now your husband is dead.

And instead of being out of a job, your lover's running the company.

Couldn't have worked out better if you'd planned it, could you? I was here the

night Richard was murdered with Celeste.

Mr. Randall, in my experience as a defense attorney, rarely does having

mistress vouch for you and say that you didn't murder her husband go over well

with a jury.

You don't have to take our word for it.

That was the night we had a problem with the disposal, remember?

That's right.

The manager was here till almost 10 o 'clock trying to fix it.

John's not very handy around the house.

Well, they're clear.

Yep, sure are. John Randall didn't do it.

Nope, he sure didn't.

Real killer's still out there somewhere.

Yep, she sure is.

She say she?

Thank you.

Hi.

Well, hello there.

You're getting to be quite a regular customer, aren't you? I know, and I

apologize, but where would I find a record of all the investments that

Taylor has made on behalf of her client in the last six months?

Right there.

You think you could pull those files for me?

Wait a minute, honey.

This ought to keep you off the hook.

A subpoena?

You like to play hardball, don't you?

seems to have put most of her clients into Sheldrake Electronics, Maystream

Sciences, and Radine at one time or another, and done very well by them.

Well, Miss Sinclair is either very smart or very lucky, or very well -connected.

You want me to

call Harry Denton? Yes.

Oh, Julie, do I have to?

Harry Denton's your friend.

Well, yes, he is, but every time I call him, he invites me to dinner, and then

his wife pairs me off with some friend of hers who's recently widowed.

Ben, please.

I just need to know if there's any investigation going on down there

Campbell Wagner Campbell or Taylor Sinclair.

Okay, I'll call him.

But you have to tell Stan.

You're still on the case.

Okay.

And you tell Harry's wife you're taken.

Julie.

Hi. Come on in. I've been with the mayor all day. I just got your message.

Stan, please sit down.

Now, I know I'm on thin ice here, but I would like your permission to search

Avery Campbell's house again.

I don't believe what I'm hearing. I know you told me to drop the case, and I

tried. Believe me, but I can't. My instincts just won't let me. What kind

prosecutor would I be if I didn't listen to my instincts?

I'd be terrible.

I'd do everything by rote. It would be like throwing all my cases into a

computer. Okay.

What? I said okay.

Go to Avery Campbell's house. What the hell if it's gonna help to get this out

of your system go to the moon Just go right away.

I will tonight on my own time. It won't cost the taxpayer the time I'll leave

the key with Jennifer Tell me something

Just what do you expect to find there anyway all I know is that when the

were there before, they were looking at the scene of a suicide, not a murder.

Maybe they missed something.

Jewel, this is the end of it.

Finally, where have you been?

I can't come to the phone right now, but if you leave your name and number at

the beep, I'll get back to you.

Thank God, I hate these things. Where are you?

Whoa, lady, or I'll break your arm.

How did you know I was here?

Stanley Hayden.

Would you rather have the pair you left here the night you murdered Henry

Campbell?

You're going to hear how Richard Wagner

became aware that Taylor Sinclair was being investigated by the Securities and

Exchange Commission.

You are going to hear how he decided there was only one way he could save his

company by firing Ms. Sinclair.

And you are going to hear how Taylor Sinclair, terrified that her career was

about to be ruined,

waited until Mr.

Wagner was alone in his office and killed him with a candlestick.

The very candlestick Avery Campbell had been holding earlier that evening.

And then she assumed two things.

One, his fingerprints would be on the candlestick.

And two, since he and Mr. Wagner had argued earlier that evening,

Avery Campbell would be blamed for the murder.

I'm sorry to say, she was right.

But she didn't stop there.

She knew there was always the chance that somebody would discover the truth.

So she did the only thing she could.

She murdered Avery Campbell, too.

It must have been relatively easy.

After all, Avery Campbell had hired Taylor Sinclair.

He had been one of her most ardent supporters, and he was surely one of her

faithful friends.

The last thing Avery Campbell must have expected from his protege that night

was for her to shoot him in cold blood.

That is exactly what she did.

And she did it with his gun, one she had no doubt seen on previous visits to his

home.

And then she went to his typewriter and she calmly typed out a suicide note,

leading everyone who read it to believe that Richard Wagner had been killed

out of anger and that Avery Campbell had killed himself out of

despair.

It was a brilliant plan.

It even took into account the fact that if Taylor Sinclair were ever confronted

by the SEC, there were two people that she could blame for everything.

Richard Wagner and Avery Campbell, who were dead, of course. But

that's what made it perfect.

Taylor Sinclair is a very smart, a very successful.

A very accomplished woman.

We will show that she is also a very cold, calculating, and

efficient killer.

She is a woman without conscience.

She is a woman without compassion.

And as you will soon see, she deserves no compassion.

Due to the lateness of the hour, this court will be in recess until 9 a .m.

tomorrow morning.

How long have you been here?

Long enough to know that was a brilliant opening statement.

The jury already loves you and hates her. You can't ask for more than that.

Are you free for dinner?

Yeah.

Italian or Chinese?

American. My place.

Fried chicken?

With all the trimming.

All right!