Original subtitles

Hey, Julie!

Guess what these are.

Uh, tickets.

And their names are Gilbert and Sullivan.

Oh, I hear that's

the most fabulous production. Yeah.

Does this mean one of these is for me?

Oh, yes.

How about I swing by your place about 7:15...

Tonight?

Yeah.

Oh, Ben, I've made other plans.

You have?

Yes, dinner plans.

But it's Friday.

I know.

And Friday we... We...

Ben. I'm... I'm really sorry.

Maybe you can trade those in for another night.

Oh, sure.

Oh... Oh, sure... Sure. Probably.

Don't worry about it.

Steven Cassidy was found shot to death

in his house this morning. Did you hear about that?

I haven't seen the paper.

I was too busy rounding these up.

Uh, what, uh...?

Have you... Have you been assigned?

Yeah. Apparently, he was in the middle of writing a book

about Vanessa Douglas.

Senator Douglas' ex?

Yeah.

The police have taken her in

for questioning.

Evidently, the book was largely concerned

with her marriage to the senator,

and the prevailing theory

is that Cassidy got to know the real Vanessa

and was going to portray her

as something considerably less than a saint.

I see.

They have a witness too.

Good.

Do you know who Sylvia Richland is?

No.

She's the one who does

that television interview show.

She says she saw Vanessa

enter Cassidy's house last night

at about the time of the murder.

I was just on my way to...

To, uh, talk to her.

Uh... Oh, I... Heh.

I better get going.

Ahem. I'll have a regular.

I don't suppose you'd be interested in a couple

of tickets to see Gilbert and Sullivan tonight?

Where are they fighting?

It's music.

Oh. Heh-heh.

I'm busy tonight.

Mr. Matlock?

Yes, ma'am?

I'm Dr. Sarah Perlman.

I need to talk to you.

Now, if it's all right. Well...

Well, I've got a nice office.

It's air conditioned and everything.

I'm chief of staff at St. Andrew's Hospital.

I've gotta be back there at 10:30 for a meeting.

Well, in that case, doctor,

you'd better talk fast.

I'm a close friend of Vanessa Douglas.

In fact, we've been best friends

since grade school.

But the police think that she

may have killed Steven Cassidy.

They're wrong.

He was writing a book about her,

that's true, but she didn't kill him.

No?

However, they have a witness that says she did.

So, uh,

I've come looking for you, Mr. Matlock,

because she's going to need a very good lawyer.

Well, you may have a point there.

I know the prosecutor in this case

and she's a very tough cookie.

Vanessa's in jail right now.

How about it?

Oh, thank God.

I was afraid you hadn't gotten my message,

or if you did, it didn't make any sense.

No, it made perfect sense.

Are you all right?

Yeah? All right. Vanessa Douglas, this is Ben Matlock.

He's a lawyer, a very good one.

Hello.

Are you sure you're all right?

I'm fine.

Do you feel like answering a few questions?

Uh, ahem.

This, uh...

Uh, book that, uh, Steven Cassidy

was writing about you,

was it, uh, his idea or yours?

It was the publisher's idea.

I was approached about four months ago

and offered a great deal of money

in return for my life story.

I needed the money.

Well, you're a public figure.

They don't have to get permission

to do a biography.

They didn't wanna do my biography.

I was smart enough to realize that.

I was being paid to deliver the dirt

on Georgia's most fascinating family.

My marrying James Douglas

had nothing to do with his family's money

or power or political aspirations.

I loved him.

But Wilson, his... His father,

just couldn't buy that.

They insisted that I stay

at the mansion away from the press,

and when they did let me out, it...

It was practically under armed guard.

I literally had to beg for money.

The Douglases have millions.

You had to beg?

It was all part of Wilson's plan

to demoralize me.

To push me away, and it worked.

There was a prenuptial agreement,

so when I left, I left with nothing.

In, uh, murder cases

where, you know, somebody's been killed,

there's usually a motive.

Somebody has something to gain

or there's an emotional upheaval or...

James had a mistress.

Oh.

Who?

I don't know.

Some nights, he'd come home late.

Some nights, he wouldn't come home at all.

He said that he was sleeping

on his couch in the office.

I didn't know her name.

I didn't want to.

Well, where were you

between 10:30 and 12 last night?

In my apartment... alone.

I have no alibi.

Dr. Perlman and I have to talk.

Well, what do you think?

That's going to be a difficult case.

It's purely circumstantial, but...

You can't... You can't overlook

the popularity of the Douglas family.

Hell, they're practically like the Kennedys.

That's gonna affect the jury.

Vanessa could very well sound

like a grasping, vindictive ex-wife

who killed this fellow when things weren't going her way.

Are you going to take the case?

I don't know.

I'll pay the fee.

I make a good salary.

I have property, stocks, bonds...

A hundred thousand?

You are a good friend.

Stop by the hot dog stand anytime.

Thank you.

Uh... Were you looking for me?

Oh, yes.

As a matter of fact, I was.

Heh. I thought you'd change your mind.

Change?

Oh. Oh, no, no. I've still got the tickets.

Oh, Ben, I'm really sorry about that.

I thought you were looking for me.

Yes. I heard you were down here talking to Vanessa Douglas.

Well, yeah.

You've agreed to represent her.

You think I made a mistake?

Well, the police just found the murder weapon

in the trunk of Vanessa Douglas' car.

Bail will be set at $100,000.

As for the preliminary hearing,

it will take place in this courtroom

on March 7 at 9:00 a.m.

Next case?

I don't have $100,000.

I met with the bondsman, had everything arranged.

Mr. Matlock had a good idea where bail would be set.

You should be released in about an hour.

Meet me at my office around 1:00.

I want you to walk me through Steven Cassidy's house.

As soon as you're released, I'll take you to brunch.

I swear, Sarah,

one of these days, you're gonna be the one to need the help

and I'll come riding to your rescue.

I'll have a cup.

Hi. Oh, hi.

Oh, Ben, there's someone I want you to meet.

Ben, is Jeffrey Lindquist.

He's our newest deputy DA.

Jeffrey, meet Ben Matlock.

How do you do? I'm honored.

You're sort of an institution around here. Heh.

Uh, I really have to get going.

Julie, I'll call you later.

I'm glad to finally have the chance to meet you,

Mr. Matlock.

Bye. Bye.

Institution.

Oh, he didn't mean to.

He's really very nice.

He seems like a nice enough boy.

He's 27 years old.

That's hardly a boy.

Twenty-seven?

Mm-hm.

What, did you look at his teeth?

Uh, so, how was, uh, dinner Friday night?

Oh, it was fine.

Where did you go?

A new place down the street.

It's, uh... It's called Renoir's.

Mm.

What did you have?

Uh, chicken Kiev.

Everybody have that?

Uh, yeah.

Yeah. I think so.

Uh, well, uh, I'll... Me too.

The police are still here.

Oh, you have to knock. Yeah?

Yeah, Steve said that bell hasn't worked for years.

Oh. Oh.

He live alone?

He had someone come in and clean once or twice a week,

but that was it.

Very private person, almost a recluse.

Oh.

Come on in, counselor. We were just finishing up.

Okay.

Well, morning, boys.

Good morning, good morning, good morning.

Good morning.

Hm.

When did Dr. Perlman give you that pistol?

Last year when I moved into my apartment.

She insisted I learn how to use it,

but I never did.

Couldn't stand to even touch it.

When did you notice the gun was missing?

About a week ago.

I guess I should've reported it, but...

To tell you the truth, I was kind of glad it was gone.

Oh.

Burned up his pot, didn't he?

Maybe he was boiling water

at the time he was shot,

maybe to make some tea.

Did a good job on it, didn't he?

Where did he do his writing?

In his study.

This way.

You say he liked to spend a lot of time alone?

Yeah.

Well, he had plenty of room to do it in, didn't he?

This is where he'd interview me.

He'd sit there. I'd sit here.

He'd turn his tape recorder on and we'd talk.

I came here every day for four weeks.

Kind of therapeutic, actually.

Did he, uh, write anything down?

He put everything on his word processor.

He said he came up with some kind

of computerized filing system

that made writing his books a breeze.

So the, uh...

The manuscript he was working on is somewhere in here.

Sure would like to take a look at it.

You know how to operate this?

I don't even know how to turn it on.

I know a fellow who does.

Telephone bill.

Might be interesting to know

who Mr. Cassidy was calling.

My filing system.

Tell him I'll do the animal trainer piece

if I don't have to hold a baboon or something.

They always either bite you

or upstage you or both.

Oh, hello.

Is Sylvia Richland here?

Oh. Right this way.

Sylvia?

Hi. Hi.

Uh, Michelle Thomas?

That's right. How do you do?

Good. Have a seat. Thank you.

I'm just getting ready to go out on location.

Ever watch Eye on Atlanta?

Sometimes.

Would you like some tea?

No, thanks.

I really wanted to ask you

about what you saw the night Steven Cassidy was murdered.

Well, like I told the police,

at exactly 10:30, I saw Vanessa Douglas walk up

to his house and go inside.

I was parked out front.

Why were you parked there?

There was this rumor going around that he was writing

a juicy book on the Douglases.

I thought it might be fun to interview him for the show.

He wouldn't return my phone calls,

so I figured I'd just go over there

and talk to him in person.

Did you talk to him?

No. Vanessa Douglas went inside.

I figured he wouldn't talk to me with her there,

so I just went home.

Are you sure

that the person you saw was Vanessa Douglas?

Michelle, I've been in the news business

for five years.

Six if you count my stint as a weather girl.

I'm a very professional observer.

The woman I saw that night was Vanessa Douglas.

Right now we're at approximately 100 percent employment.

If you add the double jobs, I'd say we're anywhere from 103

to 104 percent employment.

Inflation is minimal.

Tax rates are declining.

People are spending and saving,

and yet there's this nervousness going on, and why?

Is it because of a high deficit?

Because the balance of payments are so out of whack?

Fine boy.

You must be very proud, Mr. Douglas.

Hello, Ben.

Rumor has it that he's a contender

for the vice presidential nomination.

Anything to that?

James is the best that this country's got.

What brings you around here?

Well, uh, ahem, your son's, uh,

ex-wife is a client of mine,

and, uh, she had

some uncomplimentary things to say

about you and James.

So what exactly did, uh, Vanessa have to say?

Generally, that, uh,

nobody around here liked her much.

Well, he loved her.

Is that why you kept her virtually

a prisoner here

and why she had to beg for money?

That's ridiculous.

Precisely the same trash she told Steve Cassidy.

Yeah?

Well, how did... How did you know that?

'Cause he was here.

Oh, he's a very good writer, Mr. Matlock.

He listened to what Vanessa had to say,

and then he came to us to check the facts.

And what... What were the facts?

The woman was totally neurotic.

Whether my son loved her because of it or in spite of it,

I'll never know,

but the fact is he couldn't trust her

when she left the house or spent money

or functioned as a responsible member of this family.

Vanessa has emotional problems.

I... I tried to deal with them the best I could.

I paid for the doctors, the clinics.

Nothing helped.

Yes, it's true. We...

We wound up keeping her here.

So she wouldn't go anywhere and embarrass you.

We couldn't let her destroy everything

that I spent a lifetime building up.

And just to keep the record straight,

after she ran up tabs of over $20,000 a month,

I cut her off.

Now, what would you have done, Mr. Matlock?

I get the picture.

That meeting with Steve Cassidy.

Did it really take place?

He recorded the whole thing

and made me a copy of the tape.

I'll send it over to you tomorrow

with the rest of the things. How does that sound?

Fine. Thank you, senator. Mm-hm.

Sir.

Oh, thank God.

May I speak to Vanessa?

Please, come in.

Maybe you can talk some sense into her.

I stopped by to see if she wanted to go to dinner

and found her doing this.

Mm.

You taking a little vacation?

I'm leaving for good.

It's the only sensible thing to do.

It is not sensible, Vanessa.

It really isn't.

Please, tell her.

Skipping out on trial

is the surest way I know of to conviction.

They'll never find me.

Oh, yes, they will. In 24 hours, guaranteed.

Don't you understand?

It's me against the Douglases, for God's sakes.

I lived with them for six years.

I know what they can do.

Someone like me just doesn't stand a chance.

Vanessa, sit down.

Sit down.

Here.

Take these.

What am I gonna do?

Vanessa, you're gonna trust us.

Now, I want you to lay down for a little while and just relax.

All right? Come on.

Lay down.

If you need anything, we'll be right outside.

Has this happened before?

She's very high-strung.

Hm.

"Once activated,

"the computer will automatically perform

"a variety of diagnostic tests.

"At the termination of these tests,

the main menu will appear on the screen."

Okay.

Hm. All right, check.

"Press the space bar

"until the cursor is positioned

in front of the desired menu function."

"For an explanation of each menu function,

see chapter three"?

Oh, no.

Whoa.

Jeez, I thought I was gonna be all alone here.

That makes two of us.

Name's Lamont.

Uh, the DA's office sent me over

to see if I could access the book

that Steven Cassidy was writing.

I guess that's what you're doing, huh?

I'm trying to.

Name's Tyler Hudson.

I work for an attorney.

You know anything about computers?

A little bit.

Well, be my guest.

It's not here.

It's not?

The book must be stored on another disk.

Mm-hm.

It's gotta be around here somewhere.

Look, I'm telling you.

I have checked every file, every drawer,

every cabinet in this house.

It is not here.

Well, then he must have been the paranoid type and hid it.

Maybe in a... In a wall safe, floor safe,

something like that.

Or maybe one of those.

Well, lookie here.

Douglas manuscript.

Now, do you think you can get that thing

to print whatever is on here?

It's no problem.

Oh.

No!

Fine, whiz kid.

Now, that diskette is gone, but you're not.

Now, it's for damn sure

that you ain't from the DA's office.

So you know what you're going to do?

You are going to tell me who you are

and why you did that and you are not going to lie to me.

You know why? Because I hate liars!

Now, who hired you?

I need those figures as soon as possible.

I have a meeting with the committee chairman tomorrow.

It's the only leverage I've got.

I appreciate it.

See if you can, uh, dig up that Coleman file, will you?

Oh, Mr. Matlock. Yes, sir, senator.

Did you get a chance to, uh,

take a look at that information I sent over?

Yeah, and if you're as innocent

as you say you are,

why did you hire this Lamont Turkel

to destroy that manuscript?

I didn't hire anyone to do anything of the sort.

Well, somebody using your name hired him

to destroy material evidence.

You'll never prove that.

Well, it might be fun to watch me try.

Here's your ticket to the show.

A subpoena.

One for your father too.

Oh, it's a nice day.

Mr. Matlock.

Jeffrey Lindquist.

The deputy DA?

I remember. How are you?

Well, I'm still a little wet behind the ears,

but I'm getting there.

Julie's been great.

Well, ha-ha. It's almost lunchtime.

I sure do dread going downstairs.

Yeah. Those cafeterias get old real fast.

Yeah.

I hear there's a new place opened

just down the street called Renoir's. You ever eat in there?

Yeah. As a matter of fact, I have. It's pretty good.

I recommend the chicken Kiev.

This is the murder weapon, yes.

It has my initials on it.

Would you please tell the court where the weapon was found?

I found it in the trunk of Vanessa Douglas' car.

Thank you.

Nothing further.

Cross-examine?

Uh, thank you.

Uh, m... May I... May I just? Thank you.

Thank you. Uh... That's a pretty nice gun,

Lieutenant Brooks.

Who owns it, anyway?

We weren't able to determine that. It's unregistered.

Did you find any fingerprints on it?

No, sir.

A .45 is pretty heavy, unwieldy.

Let me ask you something.

In your experience as an officer of the law,

how often have you known a woman

to use a .45 caliber gun to commit murder?

Objection.

Improper opinion, lack of foundation,

relevancy, cause for a sexist stereotype.

I was merely trying to ascertain

what is usual in cases

involving high-caliber weapons.

Not everyone shares your obvious enthusiasm

for the usual, counselor.

I submit there are some acts committed

under some circumstances

that gives some people the right

to examine them under the somewhat general classification

as something usual.

And I submit that making those assumptions

in this case calls for a sexist stereotype.

What about sexist common sense?

Counsel.

Remember me?

I'm the person to whom you address your arguments,

not each other.

The people's objection is sustained.

Let the record reflect

that the witness has identified the defendant.

Miss Richland, are you sure

it was the defendant you saw entering

the decedent's home on the night of the murder?

As everyone knows, I'm a reporter.

My job is observing and recognizing people.

There's no doubt in my mind.

Mrs. Douglas was the person I saw.

Thank you.

Nothing further.

Mr. Matlock?

Uh, Miss Richland,

you just testified that the reason you went

to see Mr. Cassidy in person that night

is because he had refused

to answer any of your phone calls.

Is that right?

That's right.

Well, Steven Cassidy's phone bills

have been entered into evidence in this court,

and this bill covers the three weeks

before his death.

You recognize that number right there?

Yes. It's the number at the TV station where I work.

But you said he never returned

any of your calls.

He must have been calling someone else.

Your receptionist says otherwise.

She is prepared to testify

that prior to his death,

she put through several calls

to you from Steven Cassidy.

She says that she put through one call

to you from him the day he was murdered.

Is that true?

Yes.

You and he had agreed to meet,

hadn't you, at his house that night?

He was expecting you.

He'd put on water to boil.

You must have told him you drink tea.

You're making this sound like I had something

to do with his death.

I can make a case for that.

I didn't kill him.

Why did you lie? Because...

Your meeting with him was personal, wasn't it?

He wanted to talk to you that night

because in doing his research for his book on the Douglases,

he'd found out something about you, hadn't he?

It had to do with a man, didn't it,

that you had been seeing a few years before.

A man who, uh, could exert

a certain influence

on the television station where you worked

to give you your own show,

a man whose family owned that television station,

a married man.

And his name is, uh... Objection. Relevancy.

Overruled. This is bias and motive.

Thank you. His name is...?

James Douglas.

But that doesn't mean I killed Steven Cassidy.

But are you sure this doesn't all tie together somehow?

This man was gonna expose your affair to the world.

No, no. That doesn't change the fact

that the woman I saw that night was Vanessa Douglas.

Oh, she's the obvious one to frame for this murder.

She walked up to the door. She knocked.

She opened the door and she went in.

That's the truth. I swear it.

Mr. Matlock?

Your Honor... Your Honor, uh,

if it please the court,

I'd like to take a recess to confer with my client.

Well, since it is the end of the day,

we'll reconvene tomorrow morning at 10.

Thank you, counsel.

Sarah was right.

You really are brilliant.

For the first time, I feel like I've got a chance.

What's wrong?

You did it.

I beg your pardon?

The doorbell.

Anyone coming up to Steven Cassidy's house

would ring the doorbell.

It's impossible to miss.

The killer knocked

because the killer knew the doorbell doesn't work.

The prosecution was right.

Steven Cassidy's book

was gonna to deliver the dirt, all right.

It wasn't the Douglases' dirt.

It was yours, so you killed him.

Your job is to defend me no matter what.

Isn't it?

Your Honor,

in accordance with counsel's discussions

in chambers this morning,

I'd like to reconstruct

as near as possible the conditions under which

this witness identified my client.

The people renew their objection.

Overruled.

Proceed, Mr. Matlock.

Thank you.

The first thing, I'd like to ask my client to leave the room.

Thank you.

And, uh, now, Miss Richland,

I'm gonna ask the bailiff

to turn off all the lights in the room.

Then after my client has reentered the room,

I'm gonna ask him to turn

the lights back on slowly, carefully.

And when what you see by the light

in this room approximates

what you saw by the light that existed

that night outside Steven Cassidy's house,

I want you to tell him to stop.

Is that clear? Perfectly.

All right.

I'll ask the bailiff to turn off the lights.

Now open the door.

Now bring up the lights slowly.

Is that what you saw?

There was a little more light.

There.

That's it right there.

That's approximately what you saw.

That's exactly what I saw.

So, what you're saying is the woman you saw

entering Steven Cassidy's house

the night he was murdered

was Dr. Sarah Perlman?

I think what you're really saying

is you saw someone

enter Steven Cassidy's house that night.

It may have looked like Vanessa Douglas,

but as we have seen,

it could've been anyone,

even one of Atlanta's most prominent physicians.

Thank you. No further questions.

Miss March?

No questions, Your Honor.

The witness may step down.

For my next witness,

I call Dr. Sarah Perlman to the stand.

First of all, doctor,

I want to thank you for helping me

with that little demonstration.

I was happy to do it.

Luckily, both you women are approximately

the same height and weight, so...

I... I imagine that you

swapped clothes often

when you were in college.

Yes. As a matter of fact, we did.

Did, uh, Steven Cassidy interview you

for that book he was, uh,

writing about Vanessa?

Yes, he did. Twice.

And, uh, that's because you were oldest and best friends.

Yes.

So what did you tell him?

Uh, what Vanessa was like as a child.

What she's like as an adult.

He wasn't looking for gossip.

He was just doing research on her.

Uh, did, uh...

Did he do, uh,

very much research on... On you?

What do you mean?

Well, did he know that you were

in the habit of prescribing sedatives

for Vanessa?

I've prescribed for her on occasion.

Very addictive sedatives.

My patient needed them.

Addictive?

They have the potential of being addictive, yes.

That's what he wanted to hear about, wasn't it?

This unhealthy relationship

you had with Vanessa,

how you kept her dependent

on you through drugs.

No.

Oh, come on, doctor.

You know that's it.

That's the stuff bestsellers are made from.

And that's why you had to make sure

that book was never published, wasn't it?

What are you trying to say?

Where were you the night of the murder?

I was in my office working.

The office in the hospital?

No, my office downtown.

Did anyone see you there?

No.

Did anyone call you there?

I don't recall.

So you can't substantiate where you were

at the time of the murder, can you?

Wait, this is absurd.

You recognize this gun?

Yes. This is the gun I gave Vanessa

for protection.

Is it registered?

I don't know.

My ex-husband gave it to me.

Does she know how to fire it?

No.

She said she would learn.

But you know how to fire it, don't you?

To a degree.

Did you know where Vanessa kept it

in the apartment?

Yes. She showed me.

She kept it in her bed stand.

So someone stole only this gun

from that bed stand, didn't he?

Yes.

She called me to tell me about it.

You had a key to the apartment?

Yes, I do.

I go over to see how she is sometimes.

You stole this gun, didn't you?

No.

You had a key to the apartment.

You knew where it was kept, and you stole it.

No. Why would I go... That, uh... Ahem.

That platinum wig

that you, uh, wore in court a while ago,

when did you get that?

Three or four years ago...

Oh, so you had it the night of the murder?

Yes, but...

And you used it to impersonate Vanessa that night,

didn't you?

No.

You are saying I killed Steven Cassidy?

He knew you were over-prescribing for her.

He was about to publish that in his book.

That would seriously have affected your job.

Oh, no. I was not over-prescribing.

Think of what that would have done,

how your patients would have responded

to reading that about you

in that kind of bestseller.

What are you trying to do to me?

You had motive, doctor.

You had access to the murder weapon.

You have no alibi.

You know what I think?

I think when you found out

that your relationship with Vanessa

was gonna be exposed in Steven Cassidy's book,

you stole her gun...

Oh, no. This is ridiculous.

Disguised yourself as Vanessa...

No. That's enough!

Murdered him... No. That is not true!

Put the gun in the trunk of her car.

No! Stop it!

Order!

This court will come to order.

Mr. Matlock, please advise your client

that such outbursts will not be tolerated.

Yes, sir.

You've got to stop it.

I'm not finished.

You'll destroy her.

I think I can convince the court

that she's guilty of this murder.

Please stop.

Dr. Perlman,

I apologize.

Your Honor, I think my client

wishes to change her plea

from not guilty to guilty.

Well, I never thought I'd see Ben Matlock lose a case.

How does it feel?

It feels fine. I've lost before.

It was sure fascinating

watching you work over Dr. Perlman.

Jeffrey, he wasn't working over Dr. Perlman.

Sometimes Ben has to use extraordinary means

to arrive at the truth.

In this case, a confession from Vanessa.

Yeah, well, but... Using extraordinary means.

He wasn't working over Dr. Perlman.

Well...

Excuse me.

Thanks.

Well, he had no business talking

to you like that.

Well, I...

I did lose.

Yes.

And that means you won.

Yes.

That calls for a victory dinner this Friday.

www.tvsubtitles.net