Original subtitles

Avocado stuffed with prawns.

Red flannel hash.

Poached eggs on crab cakes.

Oh, and the house specialty, French toast with bananas and peanut butter.

Can they hold the bananas and peanut butter? You got it.

What's the line? Enjoy.

There's a lot of French toast.

What did you hear about this place?

The man about town.

Who? On Channel 8. He said this was the best Sunday brunch in Atlanta.

Yeah? Pick up the check, and I'll tell you where he said you can find the best

hot dog.

Oh, here. It's okay.

Oh, you're right.

Ben Matlock?

Yes.

My God.

What was that about?

I don't know.

Are you all right?

Ben, are you okay?

Ben, are you okay?

It can't be. I just can't.

It can't.

But... But what?

Have you ever heard of Henry Mayfield?

Of course.

He was the wealthy industrialist.

Wait a minute.

You're not saying that that woman... It must have been 34, 35

years ago.

Henry Mayfield lived in Atlanta, but he spent as much time as he could at his

country estate outside Mount Harlem.

The town where you grew up? Uh -huh. He was very rich. We weren't.

I didn't expect you to be here.

I thought you had to spend the night in Charlotte.

Don't bother to go upstairs.

You'll be sleeping in the guest room.

I had Martha make the bed.

I think you'll want to know that I've scheduled an appointment with my lawyers

for the morning.

Just like that, Henry.

It's over.

Months ago, I gave you a choice.

Me or your outside interests.

I can't believe this.

Henry, it's Tuesday.

I've been doing charity work at the Women's League every Tuesday night since

April.

Ask Catherine Galvin.

I beg you, call her.

Surely you can't think that she would lie if I wasn't there. She's disapproved

of me since the day we were married.

Good night, Henry.

No.

Don't.

I'm sorry, darling.

I never should have questioned your honesty. It's just that when I think

losing you...

Can

you forgive a foolish old man?

There's nothing to forgive.

Was Claire lying?

About being at the women's league? Probably not.

Are you saying she was sincere about sticking to her decision?

Oh, she was sticking to her decision, all right. From the moment Henry gave

the ultimatum, her decision was to murder him.

Any requests?

Just keep it soft and slow.

Why don't you hum a few bars to get me started?

I'd rather not ruin my lipstick.

What if I make it worth it?

Why don't we play it by ear?

What if you like how I play?

Well, then I might just play along.

Excuse me.

Please don't be angry.

Angry, baby.

The only thing I'm angry about is not getting to do this last night.

Wait, wait, you lost me. Why throw the drink in his face? A friend of Henry's

showed up at the bar. She couldn't take any chances.

So Roger was part of her plan.

Oh, yeah, a big part.

Did the landlady see you? No, I waited till I saw her go.

I know I should have called you first, but I was afraid. I was afraid you

wouldn't let me come.

No, no, you were right.

You mustn't call from home, never from home.

We can't risk there being any record.

I just had to see you.

I think he comes home tomorrow. I just can't stand the thought of it.

You just have to hold on, baby.

Remind yourself why.

Unless you're having second thoughts.

No.

Not at all.

It's terrible and it's ugly and it scares me to think of it.

But it's the truth.

Because we can stop now, before Tuesday.

Before anything more happens.

It's already happened.

Well, then you're okay.

Soon I'll have everything that I want.

Oh, Roger, you do love me, don't you?

You don't know how much, baby.

I won't let you down, baby, I won't. I never thought you would.

Beautiful out tonight.

Summer's coming.

Starting to smell of peach blossom.

We'll go for a walk.

I'll just be a minute.

No hurry.

We have plenty of time.

From the beginning, they knew that Claire would inherit millions. So their

was to make Henry's death look like a suicide.

And it almost worked.

The insurance company didn't ask any questions. The investigation was short.

police hardly paid any attention.

You have everything.

really happening, isn't it?

No. I can't find a trace of anyone except for Henry and me in this car.

Here.

Smoke one of mine.

It's almost over.

We're almost free.

Then we can be together.

Just like they figured, the insurance company was quick to rule Henry's death

suicide, and everything would have continued according to plan, except

and Roger didn't plan on one thing.

When the car was pulled out and the insurance company sent it to be

and repaired, they sent it to my dad, Charlie Matlock.

So Charlie knew Henry.

Henry Mayfield had been a customer at my father's station for years.

Their lives were so different, you couldn't really call them friends, but

never have noticed.

He'd stop by only once a week for some gas, and they'd start talking, and the

next thing you know, an hour had gone by.

Henry Mayfield helped pay my way through law school.

I had jobs, you know, lots of them.

Without his help, I'd never made it. Charlie, there weren't even any skid

That don't mean it was suicide. The man drove off the road. It looks like he did

it on purpose.

It wasn't like him, Harry.

You say it was an accident?

That's one way of looking at it. You think somebody killed him? Yeah.

Charlie, I think you've been reading overtime.

I've been working overtime.

Sometimes I have to read these detective stories so I can go to sleep.

Stay out of my pea vines, Harry.

Henry Mayfield come in here the day before he died, got a tune up, put

two brand new tires on that car.

Does it make sense to you that he would have done all that if he figured to

drive off a cliff 24 hours later?

Don't make no sense to me.

Come in, Mr. Matlock.

Mrs. Mayfield will be in in a moment.

Can I get you anything?

Oh, no, thank you, ma 'am.

Hello,

Ben. Mrs. Mayfield.

I'm so sorry.

Oh, okay.

Come on in.

It had been two weeks since Henry Mayfield died.

I'd been finishing my first year at law school, so I hadn't gotten home until

that morning.

I'd never met her before that day. Maybe now I remember things differently,

knowing what I do. But something about her didn't fit.

It could have been I never realized she was so young and beautiful.

It could have been she seemed too calm and comfortable for a woman.

whose husband had committed suicide just days before.

Henry's will made provisions for you, so you get the money for your education

without interruption.

Well, I appreciate that, ma 'am.

More than I can ever say.

That's what Henry wanted.

Besides, I like the idea of knowing that there'll be a lawyer to look out for my

future. Well, uh...

I'll do my best for you, ma 'am.

And like I told Mr. Mayfield, I'll pay back every cent.

I'll bet you will.

Yeah.

Here.

What's that?

Five spot.

For what?

Well, you might want to go somewhere.

Oh.

Oh, there's a letter from school in that pile of stuff over there.

I saw it.

Uh, made the Dean's List.

Oh, eh?

That's right.

That must have been a lot of work. It was.

Well, hell.

Well, work's what life's all about, eh?

That's what I was heard.

Yeah. Yeah, well.

How's, uh, did you go see Ms. Mayfield?

How's she making up?

Uh, real well.

I'm surprised she's so young.

Oh, that's what I say. Good looking.

Yeah, most guys would do anything for a lady like that. Yeah, that's what I say.

You want to tell me what's on your mind?

I think somebody else is in that car.

I don't think there's many people killing themselves.

Look here.

See how far back that seat pushed?

If Henry Mayfield had been driving this car with his feet way back like that,

his feet wouldn't have never reached the floor.

That could have moved when the car crashed.

You've got to look at everything.

Everything's got to fit. And something don't fit.

And there's got to be a reason why. Look at that ashtray.

Let them figure it out.

Hey there.

Every one of them's got lipstick on them.

Except that one.

Yeah, there.

You there?

When Mr. Mayfield smoked, he smoked a pipe.

I figure Ms. Mayfield smoked these.

It's her brand.

I lit one for her.

Well, somebody else was in the car and smoked this one.

From all I've ever heard and all I've ever seen, Ms. Mayfield never leaves her

house without putting on her makeup.

Well, what do you think? Is it going to rain or what?

Look here.

These butts with the lipstick on them were put out by holding it vertically

pressing down.

But this last one, the one without the lipstick, it was put out by holding it

with the forefinger and twisting.

Oh, I rest your case.

Now, I wonder who else could have been in this car.

Maybe we could just ask Ms. Mayfield.

Of course, if we did, we'd want to do it in a way

she didn't know why.

Because if she don't know nothing about it, we wouldn't want to upset her.

But if she does know something about it and ain't saying nothing, we wouldn't

want to know what was up to her.

Who's that?

I don't know.

Well, you better go find out.

Thought we didn't study.

matlocks in one day.

Henry would be very grateful.

Well, he was a good friend.

I've got some things here that belong to Mr. Mayfield. I found them in his car

after that accident, and I wondered if you'd like to have one.

Please,

come in.

It's very sweet. Over here on the desk would be fine.

It's hard to call before a phone.

Please, don't apologize.

It actually helps to see a friendly face.

Doesn't make me feel so all alone.

Well, my wife...

Ten years ago, and, hey, the day goes by, don't miss her.

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,

oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,

oh, oh, oh,

oh, oh,

oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,

oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,

oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,

oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,

Was you getting mad if I asked you a question?

Of course not.

It's about Mr. Mayfield's car.

When I was going over for the insurance company, I found some mechanical

problems.

Oh, please. Whatever you have to do to repair them is fine. You don't need to

ask my permission.

Yep, but these particular problems was caused by neglect.

Wasn't caused by the accident.

Knowing how Mr. Mayfield felt about that car, I just, I got to wondering if

maybe somebody else had been driving it. Maybe somebody that, you know, worked

for him or a relative or something.

No.

Nobody drove that car except for Henry.

Not even me.

That car was Mr.

Mayfield's pride and joy.

And the shape it's in now, I...

Just don't make sense.

When a man decides to kill himself, Mr. Matlock, nothing he does makes sense.

Yes, ma 'am.

I hope I... I hope I didn't upset you.

Charlie, are you all right?

Oh, yes, ma 'am. Yes, ma 'am. I just, I'm just, you know, tired of thinking

about Mr. Mayfield.

I don't know.

Well, I hope I didn't make you feel bad.

Oh, I'm fine.

I know how you felt about Henry.

Thank you again for bringing me a thing. Yes, ma 'am.

Take care of you now.

Oh, Roger!

I don't know, baby. I don't like that guy's suspicion.

My God, he's a gas station attendant.

Yeah, well, he's the one whose son's a lawyer, right? A law student.

We've had no problems with the insurance investigator.

Henry's advisors haven't raised an eyebrow, and neither have the police.

I hardly think we have to worry about those two.

Nothing's going to go wrong, darling.

I won't let it.

Were there mechanical problems with the car?

Picked that up, did you?

No. My father was good at using what he had to make things work for him.

How did you figure out that the other cigarette belonged to Roger?

Well, that was tricky.

We had to follow the only lead we had.

Wasn't such a bad deal either, because as it turns out, Claire Mayfield wasn't

the last person to see her husband alive.

Anyhow, I was just getting ready to leave that night as Mrs. Mayfield came

So, uh, you saw her husband?

Oh, I only saw him drop her off.

Though he was a bit upset, I recall. The taxi cab that had come to pick me up

was blocking the drive, and Mr. Mayfield couldn't get his car through.

Was this the man you were talking about?

Why, no.

This wasn't the man you saw dropping off Mrs. Mayfield?

Not at all.

No, the man I saw was much younger.

Probably in his thirties.

And he wasn't wearing glasses.

I don't believe this.

I just lost my husband. And the only thing I asked of anyone is that his

be respected.

And here you two are asking Mrs. Abbott if the man who dropped me off was my

husband? Mrs.

Mayfield, I can... Explain.

Lillian. Did you ever meet my husband face to face?

Well, no.

A dark night.

A stranger more than 20 feet away.

A young woman with perfect eyesight couldn't have seen his face.

That idea.

You didn't. And as far as asking questions about that night, if I thought

would bring Henry back, I would stop strangers in the streets. But it won't.

Yes, ma 'am, I know.

Well, then you should also know that if this continues, I'll have no choice but

to go to the police and press charges for harassment.

Odd thing was, we would have liked to have gone to the police ourselves.

Only we still didn't have any evidence. Couldn't prove a thing.

All we knew is whoever had smoked that cigarette had gone to see Claire at the

house. We figured he'd probably dressed up like Henry and dropped Claire off at

her meeting.

But we didn't know who he was. We did track down the taxi driver who'd picked

Mrs. Abbott.

He didn't remember much.

What do you think?

Well, I think Miss Mayfield ain't real dumb. Her knowing we've been asking

questions around, she's going to watch her step.

For now, but in time, she won't be able to keep away.

They committed a murder.

Their emotions are all charged up.

Sooner or later, they'll have to meet.

We just have to make sure it's sooner.

Oh, Mr. Stratford, good.

Excuse us for busting in right at suppertime this way, but I was wondering

you could help us.

It's about Mrs.

Mayfield.

Mrs. Henry Mayfield.

No, I'm sorry. I think you gentlemen must have me confused with someone else.

Your name is Stratford, isn't it?

I'm afraid I don't know who or what you're talking about.

If that don't beat anything, somebody has give us the wrong name and address.

Can we use your phone? It really isn't a good time.

There's a pay point across the street on the corner.

Have you got change for a dollar?

No, I don't. You never met Henry Mayfield?

No, I never met the man.

Locke, what in the hell do I have to say to get through to you? I never met the

man! Well, that may be.

And if you never met Ms. Mayfield either, how'd you know my name?

Of course, it didn't take long for Roger to call Claire and the two of them to

put together what we had done.

Claire was more annoyed than concerned.

She didn't feel it was anything she couldn't handle. But Roger, he wasn't so

calm. Our little visit had gotten to him. See, all along, his ace in the hole

had been his anonymity.

Don't you see? Following me to your place doesn't tell them anything.

It tells them that we know each other. We can account for that. How?

I volunteer at the Women's League. I hire you to play the piano for a

My husband dies, I have to cancel. It makes perfect sense that we've had

contact.

Well, they might find something else.

What are they going to find?

That for months, I was carrying on with the wife of the dead man.

And I have a lot to gain with him out of the way.

And on the night of the murder, I don't have an alibi. You take your pick.

But they can't prove it, Roger. And they won't.

Not if we're careful.

Not if we don't talk.

And not if we don't see each other for a while.

I thought you weren't worried.

Why tempt things?

Just until the suspicion dies down.

You understand, don't you, darling?

Oh, come on, baby. Don't pretend you need a mirror to see it. I'm a train

waiting to happen. You've jumped off before it's your stop.

No, Roger, you're wrong.

I'm riding this all the way to the end.

You know, I kind of expected you to stay up at Harvard this summer.

Ain't a lot to do around Mount Harvard.

No. Never was.

Never was.

I wouldn't have thought hard of you if you'd stayed up north, but I'm glad

you're here.

I'm glad I'm here, too.

You pretty much made up your mind what happened to Henry Mayfield, huh?

Oh, yeah.

I think Roger Stratton killed him.

He was already made out to be Mr. Mayfield when he dropped off Ms.

uptown that night.

He took that car off of that cliff, put the hat and coat on Mr. Mayfield, put

Mr. Mayfield behind the wheel, pushed that car off the cliff.

Pretty fancy crime.

Yeah, but it's starting to fall apart.

No proof, though?

No.

Oh, it's so hot in here, the flies are falling asleep in midair.

Your mother used to say that.

She did, didn't she?

She'd say, it's so hard in here, flies are falling asleep in the middle of the

air.

She'd carry on.

Yeah.

Oh, here's Mr.

Mayfield's picture.

Yeah.

I didn't know he was that old.

I wish Mr.

Mayfield could give us some clue.

I'll be darned. Look at that.

Maybe he has.

Lillian Abbott said the Henry that she saw wasn't wearing no glasses. And the

real Henry wasn't wearing no glasses.

There wasn't no glasses on the body, no glasses in the car, no glasses in the

box that I took to Ms. Mayfield.

And the glasses in that picture.

That he's wearing, he always wore, are the same glasses that I knew about broke

the other day at the house.

Still only proves how he was killed.

Don't incriminate who did it.

Not yet, it don't.

Like that. No more doubts? No more suspicions?

I apologize, ma 'am.

I mean, here you were being so generous and... In a difficult time, I only made

things worse.

You and your father are a lot alike.

Well... You're both intelligent men, and you hide it.

Shrug and shuffle and pretend you don't understand when you do.

Takes people by surprise.

They underestimate you, and that gives you the upper hand.

Sometimes.

Well, I...

See, you got me figured out pretty good.

I see that I do.

Well, your school matters are going to be handled by the estate.

Oh.

Doesn't seem to be much reason for us to see each other again.

Goodbye, Ben.

Bye now, ma 'am.

Mr. Bradford? Yeah.

Police. I have a search warrant.

I'm Sheriff Casey. I think you know Mr. Matlock.

What the hell do you want?

Oh, not much.

I'm just somebody that knows Henry Mayfield.

And I sure...

I would like to know where you was the night he died.

Here good enough.

Myself?

Just me and the Emerson.

You didn't go out nowhere?

Nope. Not even for a paper cigarette?

No.

Now that's a real curiosity.

Cause around 8 .30 that night, Somebody.

Well, it wasn't just somebody. We know it was a woman.

Called the diner down the road.

Left your name and this address and this phone number and ordered supper.

Now, they get a lot of orders down at that diner. But they remember that

particular one.

Because when the delivery boy got up here, there wasn't nobody home.

And so they called.

just in case maybe the delivery boy went to the wrong house and nobody answered

the phone.

Yeah?

Now, I ain't no lawyer, but it sure does look to me like whoever called in that

order the night Henry Mayfield died wanted to make sure that somebody

knowed that you wasn't home.

Mr. Matlock, do you take me to be some kind of fool?

Get the hell out of here.

Get out of here!

Hello?

Are you alone?

What's the matter?

Everything's the matter. The police were just here.

They had a warrant.

A warrant for what?

They were looking for a pair of glasses.

Whose glasses? His, Henry's. You have his glasses?

What Roger was trying to say was that Henry's glasses were never found, and

police thought they could be an important link to the killer.

That didn't worry Claire.

What did was Roger's state of mind. He was nervous, and she wasn't sure how

more he could handle.

One thing she was certain about, if Roger was about to lose it, he wasn't

to take her down with him.

Oh, Roger, I had to come.

If only to reassure you that everything's going to work out like we

The tough part's over.

All we have to do is hold on.

I hated him.

But I never had the courage to do anything about it until I met you.

Do we have time for a drink?

Why not?

Water? A splash.

To us.

Can

I

help you?

I'm Claire Mayfield.

I need to speak to somebody regarding my husband's death.

About six months ago, I had an affair with the piano player from

the Hotel Bennington.

I'm not proud of what I did, but it happened.

Once I realized how important my marriage was, I broke it off and I told

husband everything.

Including his name?

Roger Stratford.

Roger refused to accept that it was over.

He became obsessed.

He called repeatedly, knowing full well that I'd never see him.

And I didn't.

Until two weeks after Henry died, he showed up unexpectedly at my house.

You, uh, let him in?

He stood at the door going on and on about things happened for a reason.

And he had this look in his eye that scared me.

And it scares me now.

I think Roger might have killed my husband so he could have me for himself.

Mr. Casey.

Mayfield, may I come in?

Of course.

Can I get you something to drink?

No, thank you.

I'm afraid you were right, Mrs. Mayfield.

Around 11 o 'clock last night, we picked up Roger Stratford and charged him with

the murder of your husband.

Thank you.

It doesn't bring Henry back, but at least the nightmare is over.

Except for one last piece of business.

Strange as it may seem, I'm going to have to put you under arrest as well.

For what reason?

Well, Mr. Stratford claims that you conspired with him to commit the crime.

And you believed him?

I wish I didn't.

But, unfortunately, we found proof.

You see, when your husband died, he should have been wearing his glasses.

Only he wasn't.

And they never turned up anywhere.

On his body, in the car, until last night.

When they turned up in Roger Stratford's dressing room.

How does that incriminate me?

Fingerprints.

Fingerprints? Mr. Casey, Henry was my husband. Of course my fingerprints were

all over those glasses.

Not yours, Miss MacGill.

I touched him glasses earlier this week when I was over here.

Knocked him off the desk, thought I broke him. Roger Stratford took him

the night he killed your husband.

How did my fingerprints get on?

You haven't answered my father's question.

So you had no idea that Claire Mayfield was out of jail?

Well, it wasn't as if we'd kept in touch all those years.

Excuse me.

Aren't you Ben Matlock?

I'm terribly sorry. You must have him confused with somebody else.