Original subtitles

Bobby, the song's a dinosaur.

I'm getting a little bit sick of your tone around me. It's Bobby.

He said a few times that he thinks he'd be better off dead.

Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.

I've been waiting on you an hour and a half. You're gonna wrinkle my blouse?

Hold on to me like that, Mr. Diamond. You killed your daddy.

I didn't.

According to Preston, you inherit everything.

You disgust me, Mark.

I'd like to welcome y'all to Nashville, Tennessee, the country music capital of

the world.

Flight 102 now boarding for New Haven at Gate 4.

Flight 102 now boarding for New Haven at Gate 4.

Jessica!

Hi.

Oh, Maddie Sue.

How wonderful to see you.

You know, I feel such a perfect fool if I didn't recognize you at first. Well,

probably because I've changed the color of my hair and a few other things more

times than the moods of a groom on his wedding day.

Well, how long has it been? Ten years?

Longer than a billy goat's menu.

Whatever we say down here, we mean an extended interval.

You remember Billy Ray Parker, Jess. Billy Ray? Of course.

I still play that album that you sent me, and it's still terrific.

You know, my picking used to be just about as dandy as your writing is, Miss

Fletcher. Well, thank you for those kind words.

We best run and get your luggage, or I'm going to start fishing for compliments

myself. So, how was Bobby? Hornry as ever.

Mark, I'm telling you, After the Tide Goes Out would be a perfect song for

Britney's debut.

I had a big head on that thing in the 50s. I know you did, Bobby. You keep

reminding me. Look.

Maybe it's the way you got her singing it. It's too slow.

It's a ballad, for God's sakes. What, do you want her singing it like she's going

down the road 90 miles an hour? Maybe you've forgotten how many hits I

produced for you last year.

You know what? I'd like a little more respect for my ability to mold an act.

Bobby, the song is a dinosaur. The arrangement is about as fresh as an I

Like Ike button.

You know what?

I'm getting a little bit sick of your tone around me. And I'm getting sick of

doing things like we're making 78s for a broken-down Victrola.

Oh, Patty, this place is just perfect. You know, it hasn't changed a bit.

Ten years ago, I remember coming down that staircase there. Mark?

Mark Barringer.

I'd like you to meet my good friend, Jessica Fletcher. Mark runs Blue Lady

Records for us.

Well, you've certainly made some wonderful records, Mr. Barringer.

I'd make more if they'd let me.

Do us all a favor, Patty Sue. Tell your stubborn husband that the 50s went out

with poodle skirts.

He can't seem to get it through his thick skull.

Nice meeting you, ma'am.

Jess, why don't you run on up and make yourself at home? You know where your

room is. I'll look in on Bobby. All right.

I have about had it with Mark Barringer and his complaints.

He's trying to tell me how to run my business.

He apparently forgot how many hit songs I've had. Oh, now take it easy, darling.

You're gonna have a coronary.

I ought to fire that disrespectful son of a gun. My God!

238 published songs, 34 of them in the charts. He wouldn't know a hit song from

a moose call.

Hello.

He's busy right now. Can't it wait?

Don't you use that tone of voice with me, Alice.

It's your daughter.

This is my little princess.

Oh, I'm fine now to hear your voice.

I've been waiting to hear from you, Daddy. How did your meeting with Mark

go?

Fantastic. He's threatened to take all his clients and leave the company again.

He can't do that. I've got him in an airtight contract.

All right, calm down, Daddy. Let me handle this thing.

I'll be by the house later.

Mm-hmm.

Love you. Bye-bye.

Mark Berringer threatening mutiny again?

We do have him in an unbreakable contract, don't we, Preston?

Considering what we pay your law firm, I think I'm entitled to more than a shrug

when I need an answer to a simple legal question.

Is that what they taught you at those fancy northern boarding schools, Alice?

And don't you realize there's no such thing as a simple legal question?

After all, your daddy's been robbing Conrad Booker for years on a minor

technicality. We're not talking about Conrad. What about Mark Barringer?

Mr. Barringer isn't a vice tied hand and foot.

to a maze of undecipherable clauses.

Yes, my dear Alice, he's yours for as long as you want him.

Isn't it a little early to be drinking?

Maybe you're right.

God bless us.

Too early for drinking, but never too early for guzzling.

What am I going to do with you?

Well, here's a thought.

How do your plants look so healthy?

Tell me, from one gardener to another, what's your secret?

Milk. Milk?

Plain old cow's milk, a cup a week.

Don't ask me why it works, but it does.

Lord only knows what I'd get if I tried buttermilk.

Buttercups?

Oh, Jess, it is so nice to have somebody to giggle with. Well, it is so nice for

me to be here. I can't tell you how happy it made me when I opened up the

mailbox and there was that envelope with the guitar in the corner.

Especially when it was an invitation to one of your concerts.

Mrs. Fletcher, it's been ages.

Alice? Oh, I feel as if I'm in a time warp and you're still 17.

Well,

I like things better the way they are now.

Daddy wanted me to tell you he was making cocktails.

Thank you, Alice.

We'll be moseying in by and by.

Patty Sue, could you do me a favor?

Just for tonight, do you think you could refrain from trotting out those phony

southern expressions you use whenever company's here?

I've had a kind of long day.

Why, certainly, Alice.

If you'll agree not to fawn all over your father like someone looking for a

pocket to pick.

Defective Jean.

She got them from her mama.

Come on, Jess. Let's go get a drink. My mouth is dry as a cotton ball in a...

I'll finish it for you later. Yes. Come on.

I think that I'm finding it very difficult to survive one day on God's

good earth without a sip of this. And this is what makes the South the South.

Bourbon. You're in rare spirits tonight, darling.

Indeed. I think it's because Bobby's back to writing a song.

It's got him acting like a kid again.

Sometimes I think I'd be happier if this kid would take up something like model

airplanes. Oh, really?

Well, I always thought that Bobby wrote a very good song.

See? I got one fan.

Well, he does.

Well, actually, ma'am, I write the songs.

He can't read a lick of music.

So he sits out there at the old farmhouse and bounds on that old guitar

and hollers into that tape recorder.

And I'm the one that has to transcribe every little diddy-dat-dat-dat that he

sings, you know?

So I write the songs, he gets the money, right? Oh, and we all love you for it,

Billy Ray.

Oh, thank you. You sweet thing.

Hi, I just wanted to say goodbye.

It's very nice to see you again, Mrs. Lester. Oh, thank you, Alice.

Hey, hon, come out and have a drink with us. I'd love to, Daddy, but something's

come up at work.

Well, let it be. Come on.

I know. I really do have to be going.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Bye-bye.

Isn't she the sweetest thing you ever laid eyes on?

Oh, yeah.

Brittany, come in here.

You made it. I've been waiting on you over an hour, I guess.

Oh, you're gonna make my mouth laugh. Hold on to me like that, Mr. Diamond.

And you're gonna make me feel like a very old man if you keep up that Mr.

stuff. I'm Bobby.

Come in this house.

Well, what are you doing, Bobby?

I'm writing a song.

For you.

You know something?

You're gonna love it.

You wanna hear it? I sure do.

Come on.

Are you ready? Mm-hmm. All right.

Nobody's dancing.

Tonight I'm standing here

all alone Thinking

of you in these cold city lights

And it's time for me to go home

I never pulled Dorothy Anderson's ponytail.

You're mistaking me with somebody else. You did too, Jess.

Don't you remember?

She had that Nancy Drew mystery you were reading and only had a chapter to go.

Oh, yes.

Well, maybe I did give it a little tug, but I'm sure that she deserved it.

Camp was so special, wasn't it?

Thinking back on it now, it seems like I was never happier.

I guess the best thing that ever came out of it was I got you for a friend.

I declare I've fixed enough ice cream here for General Lee's army.

I practically turn into a garbage disposal when my nerves start acting up.

I guess it's this concert tomorrow, Norm.

You didn't ask me down here just to hear your concert, did you, Patty Sue?

I should have known I wouldn't be able to fool you, Jess.

You want to talk about it?

You know me. I'm a great listener.

It's Bobby.

He's just not himself.

He has been so down lately. I mean really down.

But he seems so cheerful tonight.

That's only because you're here.

He's just been pressuring himself so much at work.

Well, he doesn't feel useful anymore.

Like his time has passed him by.

Well, he's even said a few times that he thinks he'd be better off dead.

Well, do you think he's really serious?

Oh, I do.

Well, then perhaps you should look into some professional help.

Oh, hell, I'm probably overreacting.

As you well know, Jess, I need to worry the way some people need to breathe.

How come you didn't make it to the bedroom?

Oh, Lord, Garth. You scared the hell out of me.

Yeah. How'd you get here?

Well, I knew you and Bob were meeting here tonight, and I just kind of dropped

by to keep an eye on things. You know what I'm talking about.

My truck's parked down the way.

So, is the good old boy listening to my tunes?

Not yet. The timing has to be right.

Well, you know, maybe if, uh...

Maybe if you hopped in the sack with him, the timing might speed up a little

bit.

Garth, you're supposed to be in love with me.

You want me to sleep with that old creep?

Come on, babe. I was just kidding.

I was just kidding you.

This ain't nothing but out-and-out robbery, Bobby, and you know it.

Nothing of the kind. And besides that, it's out of my hands. What do you mean,

it's out of your hands? Don't have to be.

All you have to do is give me the publishing rights back to my song like

you ought to.

Conrad, it's just business. There's nothing personal in it. Just business,

huh? Now, listen. I bought this little old company 15 years ago, and they got

all the publishing rights to your songs. Damn it, Bobby, we were good friends

once upon a time. Why can't you do what's right?

There's nothing I can do.

Yeah, you can. You can give me back the publishing rights to my songs within the

next 24 hours, or I swear to God, Bobby, I'll just plain and simply kill you.

Conrad, listen. Hey, I'm gonna ask you real friendly to let him go.

Otherwise, I'm gonna put this iron up beside your head.

I mean what I say, Bobby.

I didn't know I would go and break your heart. I

tried so not to drive us apart.

Well, look in my eyes. You know I'm

still your friend.

The last thing I want is for this.

Boy, I'm telling you, that was some song.

I remember when I wrote that thing at the farmhouse.

About all I had was clothes on my back, but after that, couldn't do anything

wrong. Everything I wrote was a hit.

It's a classic, Daddy.

Oh, it could be forever. You know, I'll tell you something else, Princess. That

little old stepmother of yours still got a voice sweeter than a honeysuckle, you

know it?

If we had...

Now, get dressed for your next number, all right? All right.

What the

hell is that?

What, Daddy?

That's not my song. What's she doing out there?

Oh, well, maybe she's just warming up with one of her songs, and then she'll

do yours.

To hell with that. She's only scheduled to do one song.

That's it.

Pretty good tune. She should probably go a long way.

I think I'm gonna...

Skip that party at the hotel tonight. I'm going out to the farmhouse. Daddy,

it'll be all right.

and it was just as if I was at a concert of yours 25 years ago.

Oh, Jess, you've got to come down here more often. You make me feel so good.

A very accomplished performance, Patty Sue. Those were your people out there

tonight, and they loved you. Well, thank you, Alice. How kind of you to notice.

He thought you were dead.

I said, you must be thinking about Patsy Cline.

She does look happy, doesn't she, Mrs. Fletcher? Oh, yes.

Oh, and it's Jessica.

Where's your father?

Oh, he decided to skip the party.

Oh, but this is such a happy occasion.

Well, Daddy hasn't really been himself lately, Jessica.

Yes, I gathered that from Patty Sue.

Didn't she tell you about the letter he sent her? Letter? No.

Well, I hope I'm not talking out of school here, but, uh...

Daddy wrote Patty Sue a couple days ago saying how miserable he's been.

I think it's the first time he's ever written her.

Oh, isn't it strange that he'd write her like that instead of trying to talk it

out? Yes, it does seem odd.

You know, Alice, it's possible that your father might need professional help.

Daddy, admit he needs help?

Never.

Jess, what time is it?

Oh, it's about 10.30.

Bobby must have unplugged the phone.

Well, he does that sometimes when he's writing.

Who knows? Maybe he's writing me another hit.

At that point, my granddaddy figured if he could talk a jackrabbit out of a

carrot, maybe he ought to take up the law.

And a rich family tradition at the bar was thus begun.

God bless us.

And speaking of the bar, Mrs. Fletcher, Won't you cap a little liquid refresh?

Oh, no, thank you. I've had my limit.

Not me. I've had so much excitement today, my head's starting to clang like

a fire bell.

As a matter of fact, I think I'm only on home.

I'll go with you. Oh, no, no, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, ladies.

It's only 11.30.

Leaving a party this early in Nashville borders on the sacrilegious.

He's right.

You stay put.

No, no. Now, I insist, Jessica.

I'm completely exhausted. I'm going to go right to bed anyway.

Now, you just stay here and enjoy all the excitement such as it is. Well, I

must say this is a little different from Cabot Cove. I mean, our idea of

excitement is the day they test the foghorn.

Good. I'm sure Alice will run you home later. Thank you. See you in the

morning. Bye-bye. Good night, Preston.

Treat me this way, Alice. I'm not a fool.

No, you're a clown. And I am tired of your act.

Oh, come on. I thought we were here to have a good time.

So why don't we?

Chris and I have had it with you.

With your drinking and your stupidity.

You stay away from me.

Ribbon on the rock.

Mrs. Fletcher?

Oh, hello.

I've been watching you, darling, and you don't look like you're having a very

good time.

Well, I'm afraid I'm a little bit distracted.

Patty Sue told me that Alice would drive me back to the Diamond Ranch, and she

disappeared an hour ago.

Well, don't you fret none, honey. You'll need me glad to give you a lift.

Well, that's very kind of you, but I don't want to tear you away from the

party.

Looks like your ride came to an end.

Thank you. Excuse me.

Jessica, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to run out like that.

Well, I was worried about you, Alice.

Are you all right? Oh, no, I'm fine. I just had to go for a drive to clear my

head and lost track of time. Please forgive me. Of course.

Well, I'm ready to leave if you are.

That's a wonderful idea.

For the life of me, I can't find Patty Sue anywhere.

Oh, she left early. The excitement wore her out.

Well, I guess she took the car, the little rascal.

Well, that's the best offer I've had tonight.

I don't mind if I do.

Jessica, did Daddy ever show up at the party?

I didn't see him.

You know, I'm a little worried.

Would you mind if we stopped off at the farmhouse and looked in on him? Oh, good

idea.

Well, he must still be here. There's his car.

Why are all the lights out?

Something's wrong. Look at the window.

Oh, my God. Daddy?

Daddy?

Gilly Ray calling ambulance.

We better hurry.

That blueish tinge on his nails looks like poison.

There's been an accident. Send an ambulance to Bobby Diamond's place. It's

on River Road.

And make it fast.

Alice, I'm so sorry.

Perhaps you'd better sit down.

No, no, no.

I'm all right.

But I want to stay with Daddy.

Somebody has to go tell Patty Sue.

Yes, I'll take care of that.

If Billy Ray will drive me.

10-63, 10-63.

Division at 16.

Nothing back from the last scene over the Hall of Fame signs.

Conrad, what the hell's happening?

It's Patty's food. Nobody's poisoning her.

Dr.

Kincaid to ICU staff.

She's a very sick woman.

What are you saying? Is she going to live?

It's lucky she ate a big bowl of ice cream first. It lined her stomach and

probably saved her life. Too bad her husband wasn't so lucky.

You know, nobody could touch Bobby and Patty Sue Diamond back in the good old

days.

See, cowboy, we appreciate people coming and paying their respects, but now ain't

the time.

I guess you're right, Mr.

Parker. I apologize for busting in like this.

Name's Jackson.

Lieutenant Jackson, Nashville PD.

I saw the sun a-sittin' on her tearful little face Waitin' for the

bus to come and take her from this place Please excuse me, I have patients to

attend to.

I'm gonna check on Patty Sue.

Mr. Rose to admitting.

Mr. Rose to admitting, please.

I'm a friend of the family lieutenant, Jessica Fletcher. Well, pleased to meet

you, ma'am.

What'd that fella say his name was?

Oh, Billy Ray Parker.

Not the Billy Ray Parker.

Of course it was.

He got his right hand paralyzed in a bus accident when he was touring with the

Diamonds back in 71.

Bobby was at the wheel.

And I think I didn't even ask for an autograph.

Shoot.

Oh, I'm quite sure that Mr. Parker would be delighted to give you his autograph,

Lieutenant, at a more appropriate time.

Oh, that would be right kindly of him, ma'am.

Yep. I guess I best be on my way.

Places to go, people to see.

Life don't mean a damn, it's only just me.

Lieutenant, what have you found out about Bobby's death?

Well, I had a bottle of bourbon found at the scene analyzed for poison. Uh-huh,

strychnine. Dr. Burns, the pediatrician.

How'd you know that?

Well, his hands were close to his head and his nails were blue and his...

Back was arched in a manner which usually indicates strychnine.

And the medical examiner established the probable time of death?

Yes, around 10.

Maybe 10.30.

Ma'am!

Just a calculated guess.

They found the probable temperature of Bobby's body when we found him.

What was it you said you did, ma'am?

I'm a writer.

No kidding. What'd you write?

Well, I just finished The Lover's Revenge.

I can't say as I know that one. Who recorded it?

No, Lieutenant.

I write books.

Not songs.

Mystery books.

Books? That's too bad.

A gal as bright as you ought to be writing lyrics.

That's where the real money is.

How'd you like to go for a ride?

Take some pictures over there by the piano.

What are you boys doing in here?

Got a lot of prints.

Mostly his.

All right, boys, that does it for here now. Let's get out there in the

backyard.

Look for footprints out there.

Check around that doorway.

Lieutenant, the tape is missing.

What tape?

Well, Bobby recorded everything he ever wrote. He had to because he didn't read

music. Now, why would he come out here to work on some songs, which is

obviously what he did because the tape recorder was all set up, and then not

put a tape into the recorder?

Bobby must have been recording something when someone broke in and poisoned him.

And it wasn't until after the murder took place that the killer realized that

the tape was still running, that it probably contained incriminating

evidence and took the tape away with them.

This is beginning to look sort of nasty.

I'm truly devastated, Alice.

Always thought of Bobby like a second father.

Someone I could turn to when there was no one else. Save it, Mark.

You despised my daddy.

Now that you mention it.

Well, I expect things would be a bit different around here what with him

gone. I don't see why anything has to change.

Sure it does, Alice.

What, with you understanding so much about business and me having a feel for

the artistic side of things?

Well, we could pretty much run the whole damn town if we set our mind to it.

That is, once your stepmother follows your daddy off to the great hootenanny

in the sky.

According to Preston, you inherit everything.

You disgust me, Mark.

Patty Sue is still very much alive.

Oh, excuse me, Alice. I didn't know you were tied up. I'll come back in a few

minutes. Oh, no, no, no, please.

Jessica, Mr. Barringer was just leaving.

Work beckons.

Well, I must say, I'm very surprised that business is going on as usual so

soon after the founder's death.

The only sentimentality you're going to find around here, Miss Fletcher, is in

Bobby Diamond's lyrics.

Apparently so.

Have you spoken to the police yet, Mr. Barringer?

Why would the police want to talk with Mark?

Well, it seems that they're questioning everyone.

If the police consider me a suspect, I think I'll wait to hear it from them.

Excuse me, ladies.

Anything new from the hospital?

She's still unconscious.

I can't tell you how terrible I feel about Patty Sue.

Well, it's no secret that we don't always see eye to eye, but now with

Daddy gone, she's all I have left, really.

I mean, there's so much I want to tell her.

I'm not so sure I know what it is I'm trying to say.

It's all right, Alice.

You're doing fine.

Oh, hello, Lieutenant.

I hope I'm not interrupting you here. No, ma'am. You know, I was just working

on a little ditty inspired by this here case. Listen here.

I never knew what you was thinking.

I never knew what I was drinking.

That's why I'm singing from the grave.

Ah! Oh, gone it.

Broke another one of these strings. The sucker's cost me a buck fifty apiece.

Oh, dear, that's too bad. Now, Lieutenant, about the case.

Well, according to the medics, it looks like Patty Sue took strychnine right

about midnight.

You say she took strychnine, Lieutenant?

The way I figure it, Mrs. Diamond left the party, went over to the farmhouse,

spiked Bobby's drink, and headed on home.

Catching a serious case of the guilts along the way. And once it sunk in, what

she'd done, she tried to take her own life.

I don't know. Did you find something wrong with that?

Everything, Lieutenant.

I've known Patty Sue for 40 years.

She's not the kind of person who would try to commit suicide.

She's too much of a survivor.

That's your opinion?

Have you got anything stronger than that?

Yes. Bobby was poisoned at 10 o'clock.

Patty Sue was at the party until 11.30 with lots of witnesses, including me.

Well, that's pretty strong, all right.

Doggone it!

Alright, hold it!

Hold it!

Hold it! Hold it right there!

Alright, that's it.

I don't know what came over me.

Well, you'll have plenty of time to figure that out.

If I know the D.A., he'll be charging you with attempted murder.

I think you should also know that you're the prime suspect in the murder of your

father.

He did not kill my father.

All right, Alice, now calm down.

I think it will be better if you tell us the truth of what happened.

But I have, Jessica.

No, I don't think so.

You're the one who poisoned Patty Sue, aren't you?

Look, Alice, I saw you leave the party after Patty Sue left.

About an hour later, you came back.

Now, where were you during that time?

I didn't intend for it to happen.

I was, um, upset and confused.

It all started after my fight with Preston.

I had to clear my head, so I went for a drive.

A drive that took me to the farmhouse to see Daddy.

He always knew how to make me feel like everything was right with the world.

The door was open.

I had a funny feeling when I walked in.

Things just didn't seem right.

And then I saw him.

I knew he was dead as soon as I touched him.

I noticed a piece of paper.

It was a suicide note.

He said he was sorry, but he just couldn't go on.

And then I saw the bottle of poison.

I realized immediately what it meant with Daddy gone.

Patty Sue would inherit the business.

All of it.

And I'd be left with nothing.

I couldn't stand the thought of that.

And then it hit me all at once.

I decided I'd cover up Daddy's suicide by making it look like he'd been

poisoned by someone else.

I wanted the police to think someone had broken in.

It all seemed to come together so nicely in the car.

I'd make it look like Patty Sue killed Daddy and then killed herself out of

remorse. And the business, which I deserved, would pass to me.

Back at the house, I started a fight with Patty Sue.

That was easy.

She really lost it.

As soon as she walked away from her coffee, I filled it with the poison

Daddy used to kill himself.

Once she passed out...

I wiped my fingerprints from the bottle and placed her fingerprints on it.

And then I returned to the party.

I couldn't believe she'd survived the poison.

She wouldn't have if she hadn't eaten all that ice cream and if Conrad Booker

hadn't gone to the house looking for Bobby.

Well, there's one piece of good news.

Patty Sue's awake. She's even talking a little bit. Oh, thank God.

Miss Diamond.

It's a pretty good tale you've just spun.

That's all it is.

I still believe you killed your daddy.

I didn't.

I swear it.

And I can prove it.

I hid daddy's suicide note right here.

I can't lead this torn existence anymore.

No longer makes sense to go on. Please try to understand. I hope I'm forgiving

Bobby.

It's beautiful.

Is that Bobby's handwriting?

Yeah, he spelled it bad as me.

Ma'am, Miss Fletcher, something wrong?

Well, the doctor just told me that he's sending you home tomorrow.

Ah, praise the Lord.

Hello, Jess.

You look like a new person.

That's because I'm full of whatever they give you here and vinegar.

Lieutenant Jackson said that he came by to see you.

He told me about Bobby.

And poor Alice.

I'm still in shock.

I didn't know she hated me that much.

But I do know how much she loved her daddy, and I can't believe she'd kill

him.

No.

I can't believe it either.

You know, Jess, you're one of my best friends in the whole world.

That's why you have to tell the truth, Patty Sue.

Alice told me that you received a letter from Bobby a few days ago.

Now, the police believe that that was the suicide note.

But in reality, this is the second page of that letter, isn't it?

Bobby always marked the page numbers up on the right-hand corner.

But you cut the number off.

And Bobby's guitar trademark?

Oh, Jessica, you must be joking.

Oh, I wish I were.

You must be carrying a... Terrible burden.

Don't you think perhaps you should get rid of it now?

That letter Bobby wrote said our marriage was over.

That he'd found some girl who made him feel young again.

He didn't have the guts to tell me to my face.

I couldn't believe it.

I kept reading that letter over and over again.

And then I realized that the second page was just like one of Bobby's cornball

song lyrics and a perfect suicide note.

Damn it, Jessica.

I'd given too many years to that ornery man.

I wasn't gonna let him throw me away like yesterday's newspaper.

And that's when you decided to kill him.

Bobby had to have his nightly glass of what made the South the South, no matter

where he was.

So I loaded up a bottle of bourbon with some strychnine and took it out to the

farmhouse that morning.

I knew he'd stop by later like he did every day.

I guess it was their place.

When he poured himself a drink that night, it was loaded with poison.

I called him from the hotel to make sure he hadn't forgotten to have his drink.

When he didn't answer, I knew he was already dead.

I even asked you the time.

Just to make certain I'd have a real good alibi.

10.30.

Then we went back to the party and I went home at 11.30. Only I made one stop

on the way at the farmhouse to put everything in order.

I put the bottle of poison on the table beside the bourbon.

And the suicide note next to the poison.

I was just about to leave when I noticed Bobby's tape recorder was still on.

I didn't want Bobby's death agony to be his last recording.

So I took the tape with me and tossed it in the creek on the way home.

I was sure I'd done a good job of making it look like suicide.

Then along came Alice and made it look like murder again.

It's almost funny, ain't it?

I am so sorry.

Hey, cut that out.

Singing the blues is my thing, and I do it real good.

I guess I forgot that you do your thing real good, too.

I made a terrible mess of things, didn't I?

It's amazing.

The way you cracked this case, ma'am.

Well, it was just lucky that I noticed that stationary, Lieutenant.

No, you had your eyes open for it.

But I was right about the rest of it. I mean, the part about Bobby being killed.

I was wrong about the way it happened.

Well, that's true, Lieutenant.

But you had it right.

Mr. Jacobs, please pick up the white curtain. Wait a minute.

Wait a minute.

Tell me what you think of this.

I had it right, but I got it wrong.

And you in my true heart all along, just listen up while I

sing my song.

I had it right, but I got it wrong.

Now, it's just the beginning. What do you think, Miss Fletcher?

I think that you're a wonderful policeman, Lieutenant.