Original subtitles

And. You're late.

I'm sorry to pass out. It was dark.

Anybody see, you know, and I can't really tell you

to take that.

So together, there's no reason to be frightened.

It's just my uncle,

I assure you, he's bomb or amiable now than he ever was

when he was alive.

Abby, all right.

Of course he will, I love.

Couldn't possibly be any help to your career from inside a gas chamber,

things like that.

Anyway, what difference does my career make?

Damn, look, they're all yours now.

It will be, but not unless you do your part.

Don't write down.

I was just a little upset.

Now, I'm fine. Good.

I remember when you open the window fire high.

You better get started.

Electric Blanket goes back upstairs to see how many times have

you told me that they O'Hurley.

All right, Melvin, 5000.

And it's a steal.

Would you please move faster?

Boys, keep those bottles popping.

Thank you for getting me

smart about him down.

And you're not even a friend.

Maybe you think the only thing I really need is good thinking.

So to get that through?

I just paint pictures, man.

I don't set prices.

Don't pick on my art Adobe.

After all, your husband adores group.

I know what shade of pink with the wallpaper.

Well, how about 800?

I mean, that's if he takes the green India to go in the office.

Mind you, I feel bad.

Excuse me,

Dave.

And I know for me,

invitations said free champagne entailed in my life.

Oh yes, it does.

No, you never come to my showing. Sam Quek.

I had nothing to do tonight anyway.

I was half hoping that'll be over.

Oh, it's just begun putting on Daniel.

Excuse me,

sir. This is Sam Franklin.

It's his first private showing.

Sir, would you please be nice?

Honey, this is Dale Kingston.

Yes. Yes.

How do you do?

Oh, you must be the oddest of these arid little landscapes, Sandra.

But they're not too bad. Not too bad at.

Richard Kingston, Mr.

Dale, thank you.

And you have the famous art critic.

Well, as of the moment, yes, whatever the moment, he is darling

and you're already raving about Sam's work. I'm.

But you couldn't possibly have this cactus for a penny less than twelve.

I have five minutes to eleven, sir.

five tours.

Yes. Yes, it is.

Thank you very much, Mr.

Franklin.

Well, of course you love champagne.

Oh, Sam, the painting.

And so that the meaning

of very mobile stems not only from its form,

but the relationship between the pieces, which gives it its meaning.

And I suppose the relationship between the pieces is really

where it's at, isn't it?

I actually.

She is not so

much a question of his masculinity, I think the ARE has just saw him that way.

But I do not think that.

And you notice, no matter how abstract the painter,

he always signs his name realistically.

All right.

Were you home tonight?

Oh no, sir.

My wife and I left the house at 8:00.

It's our regular night off.

There's just you and your wife and no other servants in place besides.

Well, Mr. Matthews seldom entertain.

He was divorced many years ago and has very few friends tonight.

I believe he planned to spend in his room.

You got all this, Columbo.

You want anything more from Mr.

Evans?

Yeah.

Please, sir,

Mr. Matthews was very fussy about smoking.

Oh, sorry.

But Dr.

Corlett from downtown?

Oh, I don't think the autopsy will change.

My opinion was a single

bullet must have died almost instantly and the time of death?

Oh, I'd say around eleven.

Give or take a few minutes. one.

Yeah. The body was still warm.

Talk to you later, captain.

Hey, Mr.

Kingston.

I've been trying to reach you.

I'm so terribly sorry for the broken, I guess

uncle problem I told you about downstairs.

Let's go back to the prime minister.

Why his gone missing from his party to galleries.

There are two paintings missing, I think.

I told them to hold everything, please.

We've been waiting to dust some of these canvases for fingerprints

and wouldn't let us touch anything, but the frame was perfectly all right.

No problem. Solve your character. Which ones did you want, please?

Right here.

I suppose he's going to be your new voice.

Well, I would hope he keeps on, keeps the house.

After all, he's Mr.

Matthews only living relative.

But really, sir, at a time like this, it I'm sorry.

Of course, you're absolutely right.

Would you like to spend some time with your wife?

I'm sure she's very upset. Thank you.

Mr. Pinkston, before you get too involved there.

Excuse me a minute, and I wonder if maybe first you try to help me out

with a problem that I have, is

this this painting

problem?

Have you ever seen people without faces before

they've loaned the Mount?

You've heard of two faced people, I suppose.

Oh, yes, but

you see, it's this crazy signature that Bob de-growth George Higgins.

Quite famous.

I thought so.

Isn't that funny?

Because I noticed the signatures on this other painting?

Does that say Birnbaum?

Yes, it does. That's what I thought.

Burned by.

You think that these artists would be able to write more clearly?

Really.

Do you think all this is quite appropriate at this time?

Mr. Well, I guess not.

I realize this has been a terrible shock for you.

I want to express my deepest sympathy.

Thank you, Mr. Lieutenant, Columbo.

Oh yes, thank you.

Tell me, Mr.

Kingston, has anybody tried to run this place before?

Certainly, this place is a magnet for art.

This is one of the finest collections in the world.

He's actually really

very impressed.

You seem

inordinately fascinated by these paintings.

Well, I tell you what bothers me, you see, it's this if you came in here

to grab some paintings, wouldn't you grab the branch

first instead of a?

Perhaps.

But then I'm an art critic.

You're the detective.

Lower the art critic. That's right.

And I'm going to need a lot of your help.

I suppose you noticed that already.

Like in there, there's still a bit of frame

and they are empty, and it doesn't seem to be anything around that fits inside.

Oh no.

Now, Mr. Evans wasn't quite sure, either.

He thought that one of them had

some dancing girls, and I don't think he knows much about art, either.

He also said that a lot of these things had just been Rihan,

that they just come back from some kind of a traveling exhibit.

Yes, that's what those crates are out in the hall there.

I unpacked most of them myself.

You know, I noticed that a piece of that wrapping paper had been torn loose.

These two are listed in the exhibit catalog.

I say they had similar.

Hey, look.

Those were the two that were taken.

Yes. A they're beautiful.

two of my favorites.

They got pastels. Pastels.

You mean like the kids use in school?

Nobody ever used pastels like Dagar Lt.

These two alone together happened to be worth over a half million dollars.

You know, that's funny, too.

Not at all, there is no painting this entire exhibit that's worth under 50,000.

No, I mean that out there.

Somebody pick them Birnbaum first.

Then when your uncle interfered, then when he went to his desk

and took out a gun, then when he was killed in the middle of all that,

then the thief suddenly got smart

and he took two of the most valuable paintings in the house and he ran.

Is that the same bit inconsistent?

Since then, life has its own inconsistencies.

Lieutenant Columbo

Oh, shouting as you come.

Let's go out back, I want to try something

crystallization.

You might be interested in this.

You were here.

Yeah, that's right.

Wait, there, I'll holler.

All right.

What's all this in mind?

Well, you see, they have

private patrolmen here and make checks at every hour at 11:00.

No, I mean this this this.

Oh no. Ha, yes.

Well, you see, he found that opened and the lock was

had been forced from the outside was what I don't understand is why

a first Amendment

didn't go off to a professional thief and managed that pretty well.

Couldn't you see professionals?

They always pick windows.

They just easier to crack.

Sally, are you ready whenever you are?

OK, when I holler inside, you run just the way I told you to run.

OK, here she goes.

Well, that's it.

That's what I heard.

I couldn't be sure before I was running myself.

You heard high heels on those stone steps. Yes.

Thank you very much.

You bet.

Charlie, Charlie, wait a minute.

You mean you think Steve was a woman?

one of them.

one of them?

Well, there were too many pictures of there for one person to carry,

don't you think?

And besides the burglar alarm thing, you know, there's only one way to really beat

that is if you have somebody else from the inside, open the door.

I think I understand.

No. What does the trouble? Neither do I.

All right,

if you ever want to know any more about it.

Oh, thank you very much.

Listen, I did hear mention a couple of days.

How does a thief get rid of a painting like that?

I mean, if they're that famous, how can anybody sell it?

Well,

someone in a foreign country, maybe.

Although art thieves usually try to make a deal of some kind

with the owner of the gallery, the insurance company,

you see, that's what I thought.

It's just like a kidnaping.

In other words, what they want really is the ranch.

Exactly right.

So, you know, in this case, somebody must be pretty scared right

now, don't you think might be anxious to settle quick?

Possibly.

You know, and since you're the first person they might try to contact,

I'll tell you what.

Look, give me your telephone number and I'll put a tap on your phone

will monitor all your calls.

You wouldn't mind that would.

But why should I?

Julie, thank you very much.

And I.

Oh. Look out.

Yeah, I'm sorry.

Oh, that's right.

I've been bumping into things myself today, a little bit too much of the group.

Last night I didn't clear out of here till 3:00 a.m..

Mr. Kingston went home a little earlier than that, I guess.

Well, he stayed long enough to make every other gallery owner

on the street green with envy because, you know, deals usually in London or Paris.

He doesn't fool around with us, peasants.

I tell you what, I really want to know what time he got here.

Yes, I know.

I know Sam is right through there.

I called the parking boy be over in a minute.

Sam, this is the policeman who phoned.

Is it all right?

Bring him in!

They interrupted Rembrandt.

Why shouldn't they interrupt me?

Yeah, what is it?

If I'm interrupting something, you're not interrupting anything.

Forgive the mood, but you're coming.

A bad day is here, is Chris.

Hi. Hello.

Are you an artist?

No, I can come back another time.

I look, go ahead and interrupt.

I'm here under duress.

Thanks a lot. Moving.

Trying to paint you, well, paint.

Well, actually, it's very routine, it's not that important for me

and champagne are not routine.

And if you're interested in finding out about Mr Kingston,

what time he got here, I don't know.

There was something about his watch, but I'm not sure.

Might help if you try to remember.

Oh, yeah, well,

there was something wrong with his watch.

Yeah, that's it, and

and he asked me what time it was.

I don't want you.

I see. Well, thanks.

Sorry to bother you.

No bother. Right.

I'm in my commercial phase right now.

Yeah, that's just mad at the whole world.

That's all.

That's because I made him put her in his pretty pink accent.

Can you imagine he thinks the artist should decide what the library?

Oh, is that right?

Well, I'll let you finish your work.

Excuse me, do you come back soon?

No, I'm moving.

All right.

He joked,

Didn't the other boys tell me you park Kingston's car last night?

Sure, I remember the guy who gave me two bucks, two bucks just for parking a car.

No, he lost the Catholic.

I have to search the whole car for it, drunk and everything.

Did you find it?

No. Why?

Well, you know, most people's trunks, the kind of messy to look into

his was nothing but a spare tire and a topcoat.

Nothing else. No car.

What time was that with, you know?

Oh, sure, because he asked me something was wrong with his watch, I guess.

It was five minutes to eleven, sir.

Hmm. Thanks.

All right, that's it.

Now, well, what is this all about,

because like the deals, uncle was murdered sometime last night, right?

Oh no.

When I think what this is going to do to the art world.

Can you imagine an art critic inheriting that gorgeous collection?

I do.

Hey, hey, would you look at that

Blue Horse?

Painting the ladies

and gentlemen of the Spanish court with a savage brush

relentlessly unremittingly showing them in

every detail down to the tiniest wart.

But when you take the W off of what, you are still left with art

and Goya was the penultimate artist.

We will continue our discussion of this fascinating artist tomorrow.

Copies of today's lecture

may be obtained for a nominal fee by writing to this station.

This is Dale Kingston.

Good afternoon.

Be with us again tomorrow on Channel 16 brings you Dale Kingston's world of art.

Studio two,

yeah, we just broke.

I'll call him telephone call.

Thank you, Bill.

Phil, listen one, I've got it.

Can we manage to get that done?

Phil, can you cut that camera off me the minute I finish talking, please?

I'm always left with egg on my face.

Thank you.

Yes. Cahill, I finally got you.

I remembered you be doing your show.

What are you doing calling?

I told you not to call for a whole week.

I know, but I was worried.

That's just free floating anxiety and relax.

Everything's going just fine.

I'm terribly sorry.

No, I simply don't have time

will tell and I wish you wouldn't hang up like that, Mr.

Kingston.

I mean, somebody you don't know tries to go in

and I get a dozen calls a day just like that from would be artists,

from ladies who want to evaluate some stupid little print.

Their maiden nance left them in their attic.

If I paid attention to everyone, that was a woman.

Yes, and it wasn't any ransom call, if that's what you're thinking.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I have a museum to go to.

Then at dinner, then a lecture.

Well, I was hoping that we could have a little time to talk.

We can get together later, if you like.

You know, I'm going to take my makeup off anyway.

May as well do it now.

Follow up by thank you very much.

This is a television studio, and yes, it's quite a place.

Well, it's the barn, really.

I'm sure it's not as glamorous as you thought it'd be.

That's right. It isn't.

But things aren't really what they seem to be owning my house.

Yeah, but you are

Hildy, my beauty.

How fast do you think we can get? This pays off.

We all use high speed turpentine.

Well, anyway, I'm sorry to bother you here, but you haven't been home much.

Oh, that's too bad in a way that tap on your phone.

It's not helping us any.

And I'm not your only possibility, lieutenant.

I don't know whether you know this, but my uncle was married once.

Fact his ex-wife still is herself in the telephone book under her married name.

So you see, whoever took those paintings could very well be trying to contact her.

You know, somebody mentioned that.

So I saw Mrs. Matthews this morning.

We were watching her phone to her.

Oh, that must have been some interview.

And Edna can be a bit trying.

I thought she was kind of nice.

Well, she's very nice. But try. Well,

you said you had some questions you wanted to ask me.

Yeah. Nothing important.

Just a few details like that back door thing, if that really bothers me.

What about it?

Is that coffee machine work is because of that.

What about it?

Well, you know, the lab says that there was just no way for that

not to be forced from the outside.

OK, thank you.

So would you like a coffee?

No, thanks.

Well, how did anyone get in?

You see, Evans is positive

that all the doors will lock when he left the house earlier,

and I don't see your uncle letting anyone in there

unless he know

you come all this way just to tell me that.

Well, I thought you'd be interested.

My guy did clear up one routine thing.

You know that gallery you went to?

Check it out.

Hope you don't mind. Oh, that's your job.

And on a parking lot?

Boy, you remember when you got there. All right.

So that if Mr.

Matthews was killed at 11:00, then you sure didn't do it.

Isn't that a shame, lieutenant?

And here I am.

Your best, the most obvious suspect, too.

Oh, don't say things like that.

Really, you got me all wrong.

It's just that I get bugged

by those little things like no connection.

But why would a person look in a trunk of a car for a missing cuff?

Because I happen to toss my top coat in there in order

to keep it from getting stolen.

Then I noticed that the link was missing.

Of course, she.

I could have guessed that a little while later, I found the link

port in the lining of my sleep.

I'm going to tell you something.

Do you know that there is a reasonable explanation for everything?

If you just put your mind to it?

Of course, sometimes these things do pop up

like with alibis, do you know?

In most cases, people, they don't remember what time it is.

They forget all that.

Like the artist fella, he's all mixed up about the time and Mrs.

Matthews.

He don't even remember what time she went to bed last night.

You know, being sober might help, I suppose.

Now with you, Mr.

Kingston, it's just the opposite.

Very unusual with you.

We know exactly where you were and when.

Not only that.

We know your home car was empty.

Yes, isn't there nice?

Well, you'll excuse me,

by the way.

Can I show you something?

It's always going to take a second.

You can rent payments if you know that.

Yes, I know.

And my father in law, he loves Western movies, so I figured we would box.

Can't get hurt.

What do you think

any good for wallpaper in a child's room?

Absolutely perfect.

In fact, it looks like it might have been done by an untalented twelve year old.

And I was kind of afraid you are going to say something like things,

but, you know, then I say,

why would you bother to go there late night if this guy stuff is so bad?

I mean, this was painted

by the artist who's exhibiting his cousin, Luke Tennant's Colombo.

Unlike my uncle, I am not independently wealthy.

I have to work for a living.

Magazines pay me to review art.

Unfortunately, they pay me best

when I write hostile reviews about hacks like Sam Franklin.

Oh, well, I see.

I sure hate to see his review when you're writing. Hmm.

I'll just add one more thing.

It just it'll just take a second.

I stopped by your apartment a few times.

Why do you want to search my place?

Well, I'll just ask you something about art.

You said you had some books and things had, and I could see

you may look at anything you wish.

You can snoop on all of my closets.

You can peek under the beds.

You won't find any stolen paintings.

Oh, really, I've never seen it.

Yeah. Would you like the key to my apartment?

You may simply leave it under the mat when you leave.

Oh, really? No, no, no. Go ahead! I insist.

See what I live like.

Find out what kind of human being I am.

Learn everything you can about me.

Well, I I mean, I admit it would be more convenient, but thank you very much, Mr.

Kingston.

I'm sorry, I took up so much of your time.

I might drop by and borrow a few bucks or something like that.

So, you know.

Dale?

All right.

Yeah, I'm sorry, I called you.

Well, I just couldn't wait. I had to know what was happening.

Nothing's happening.

No problems at all.

Everything's just perfect.

Oh, the gun in the penis

is still on your car, right?

I did exactly what you told me.

I haven't touched a thing. Good.

I feel a lot better once you get those off your hands.

All that opened for me.

Dale, it's a matter.

Oh, I never saw them before, they're beautiful.

And why can't I paint like that?

Patience, my dear patience.

I told you, you had talent when you first came to see me.

Remember?

Takes time to get what you really want.

Sometimes I think my talent isn't what you like best about.

Well, it's a combination of things in my life

that you. You

do care for me, don't you?

To the risks you've taken me.

Because I don't.

And it's good at it.

Is there anything else you want me to do?

Not a thing.

I'll be in touch with you by phone.

When will I see you again?

Very shortly, my love.

When?

Colombo.

Mr. Kingston,

what are you doing here at this hour of the night?

Is it night?

Yes, it is. He.

I must have fallen asleep here, I came in to read these books.

Did you get your key?

I left a key under the mat.

Oh, good, you got it, chief.

Yes, I.

I was reading these articles, I must, of course.

Well, I'm sorry, I'm terribly sorry.

I just felt, Look here, it's quite late, lieutenant.

If you don't mind,

I just had a tiresome evening at a lecture after which I spent some time

with some even more tiresome people from the museum .

So if you'll excuse me? Well, of course, I'll get out of your hair.

I'm awfully sorry about this.

Did you pick up something interesting?

No, just some

insipid watercolors of these people want me to evaluate that watercolor.

Yes, I was just looking at watercolors.

My teeth. Wonderful.

I'd love to hear what you had to say about them.

Could we take just a lieutenant, please?

If you don't mind.

It's quite late.

I'm quite exhausted some of the time, please.

I'm sorry.

Of course, I should have realized, you know, I just got so caught up in this

art that I lt's your phone , my phone.

It just might be me.

People about the ransom

by all means

hello.

Yes. As he is just one of those few.

I told them at the office

that I might stop by, thank you very.

Yeah.

What?

Well, one.

Yes, I understand, but why are you calling me for

Fool?

OK, I'll be right down.

I said, I'm sorry, I got it run.

She's always done

this highway patrol.

And he found a girl in a car ran over a cliff at the Malibu Canyon.

That?

Get all sorts of cases, don't you?

Yeah.

They won't let me live, what are you going to do?

I'm sorry.

I I didn't mean to fall asleep.

Yeah, I hope I didn't bother you too much, sir.

Get some rest.

Matthew

Carney, Colombo, why they're

missing, Mr Kingston and the attorney said it was all right, if I drop by,

I hope you don't mind.

Oh no, no, no, no.

The kind of it does

seem such a shame to hear poor Rudy this way.

All those whereas his boat sounds like him at all.

You know, lawyers always have a way of taking over you

with all the barristers and the butlers and the discarded wives

all gathering together in the library to hear the will read,

Oh, we better go, Oh, this is never quite the system,

really.

You know, I have a friend who wasn't always mine.

I was mad, you know, just business, business, business

and then collect, you know, collecting like some old pack rat.

Yeah, but how anyone could want to kill Rudy?

I think, Oh, hello, darling.

You know, lieutenant, yeah. How?

What have you got there this time? A pink rabbit?

Oh, no, no, not really.

But it is something that I wanted to show you.

Oh, shoot me.

Oh my dear friend Dale

and Lieutenant Columbo, we can begin now.

Mr Evans and his wife are here already

with the lieutenant was just going to show it.

Never mind. He'll show me. They will join you in a little while.

Thank you.

Okay. I hope you're feeling better now.

What do you think?

It's frightful, that's what I figured.

But you know what?

I thought maybe you just might recognize this style with a signature.

No one is Tracy.

Well, do you remember the other night when I had to leave your place in a hurry?

Oh yes, the highway patrol, they some some kind of an accident, wasn't it?

That's what it looked like.

But you see, I told,

I said whenever a case comes up that has anything to do with

art or painting, you call them.

Oh, wait a minute. You mean it wasn't an accident?

Oh yeah, it's an accident.

I mean, that's what it's listed is.

But anyway, you see the dead girl.

She was some kind of an archduke,

and I thought, Well, who knows, maybe you knew something about her.

Tracy O'Connor,

Lieutenant There must be over

100,000 art students in Southern California.

Where you see, I remember seeing one of those lecture schedules

in your apartment, and a couple of months ago,

you gave several lectures in the school where this girl was enrolled.

This is what she looks like.

A very realistic lieutenant.

You think I can remember everyone who ever sat in one of my lectures?

I've never seen that girl before in my life.

Why don't you stop wasting everybody's time?

These are all minor details of Saddam.

Although a devoted service to me

for the past ten,

uh, lieutenant, why don't you make yourself comfortable?

We've skimmed over the preliminaries.

We're now down to the salient points.

As you wish,

father devoted service to me for the past ten years, I bequeath to Mr.

and Mrs.

Evans jointly an annual payment of $2,000

to be

paid on the first day of each and every year in which

either one of them is still surviving such a kind man.

Finally, to do my primary air of all previous wills to my nephew, Dale

Kingston, whom I once supported through college

and it was had the full freedom of my home and possessions ever since

without thought of recompense, I bequeath the full bulk and remainder of my estate

with this one single exception

to Edna Matthews,

the wife whom I mistakenly divorced 15 years ago.

I bequeath my entire art collection. Oh!

Including all of those paintings listed in the so-called Matthews collection.

Mr. Kingston, oh no.

If you please,

this will is properly signed and witnessed as of the 10th of last month.

I think you all should take a look at these.

Can you?

I'm sorry.

I'm really.

Oh no, don't be silly, Edna.

All it means is that I'll now be able to criticize your collection

like I used to criticize his you.

Janet,

Mrs. Mathews, I hope you don't believe that

we are you, I know your people in this business.

I'm sure, therefore, that the shock follows would you please?

I tried to talk Rudy out of it.

Naturally,

he always intended to leave that collection to Dale,

then give it to her.

That's why I thought you'd like to be here.

Legally, I couldn't say anything until sure, I understand.

And it's just that that was a no will only last month.

That's correct.

He wrote most of it himself.

Oh, he promised, let me draw up something more detailed and complete later on.

But boy, I can't figure out.

You think the nephew would get the paintings?

I agree. I agree.

Mr. Matthews had disagreements with Dale, but

an art collection like that is big business to manage.

That requires specialized skill taste.

Why simply leave the whole thing

to a poor, unstable creature like an.

Those comments are hardly professional in me, are they?

one thing, though,

if Mr Kingston doesn't get the connection, he at least gets the rest of the estate.

It's meaningless.

He rented that big house.

Rudy disposed of all his business interests.

There really isn't any remaining estate to speak of. Hmm.

Well, listen, thanks for letting me come down.

I got to get back to work.

Senator,

you're painting. Oh, thank you very much.

The tan, my lighter.

Thank.

Mr Henderson, I'll make my calls now, please.

Looking for me, Lieutenant.

Oh, yeah, I thought I kind of cashed out in the parking lot to expect

to find me there kicking my tires and frustration, I suppose.

Well, I thought there'd be

the normal amount of disappointment so transparent come and go

and had this thing all figured out and start having to deal.

Kingston hired someone to fake the theft and kill his uncle.

Maybe even some poor little odd student, perhaps Mr Kingston I never seen,

even though I had an airtight alibi by total accident

at the time of my uncle's murder.

That still didn't stop you, Mr Kingston, really.

At this point, I'm sure that even a compulsively suspicious bureaucrat

like you must have his doubts about my guilt.

Because you heard it up there, Mr.

Columbo, you heard it in plain English.

I do not even hear it at Natanz.

That's very true, Mr.

Kingston. It's very cruel.

Except except what?

Well,

maybe you didn't know that your uncle changed his will?

Well, I was hoping you'd say that

because you see, I have no more than ten days

that I couldn't possibly inherit any part of their collection

is that you won't believe me.

Maybe you'll believe my.

Go on.

I'm sure somebody in your department is capable

of verifying that signature.

Go on, read it.

He sent me that letter ten days ago telling me about the new will

look at the postmark.

So you did know,

of course I knew.

Would you please do me a favor and stop pestering me?

And go on out and do what you should have done in the first place.

Find the real killer.

Lieutenant, I'm not a busybody.

I never said that. Yeah, well,

some landlords like to pry into the lives of their tenants, but not me.

My policy is live and let live. I'm on.

What's bothering Walter, he won't eat.

Or maybe he's not hungry?

Listen, it's not that you're a busybody.

You live here and you see things.

I mean, how can you live here and not see things

such as well who goes out with who and who's doing what?

All those things.

This girl, Tracy O'Connor, who did she go out with?

Come on, tell me she did it.

Of course she dated.

Oh, you know, that was a terrible shame about that accident.

That was a very talented girl.

Very well.

You ought to know you took one of her paintings the last time you were here.

She was a very gifted girl.

Darn right, it made me, and it was a shame about the accident.

You know, I hated to give up the painting.

But why did you give it up?

I had to before it was evidence. Evidence

for what?

Listen, I don't want to get into that, that's too complicated.

Walter, come here. Come here, boy.

I don't don't don't, don't do that. Why not?

Well, Walter doesn't like strangers.

He'll bite me. Hmm. It was an accident.

one question, are you going to tell me about the meaning of life or not?

All right.

The man now remember, I wasn't particularly

trying to find out about her, but I do remember one or two.

There was an actor, fella.

There are a couple of beach types.

Mm hmm.

And there was a kid that played that to me to tell you the truth.

Yeah, I'm interested in one guy in particular

40 years old, well-dressed, distinguished.

Wait a minute now. Wait a minute.

Come to think of it.

There was one older gentleman she was saying, Really?

Can you describe

what a picture help a picture?

Are you kidding? Hmm.

You have a picture of this fellow house

around here, someplace I am told was probably in my album.

Where did you get a photograph?

Well, I was taking some snapshots of my nephew out of the pool, and Tracy

and her friend were out there, so I took one of them to one of these real life.

Well, let's see.

Oh, there was one.

That's when my cousins are out here from Milwaukee,

we stopped one of those roadside stand, you know, for deep malt.

Oh, I got so sick, but they're glad you ever had one.

Think you'd like em

all that Cindy Lou has my cousin's kid.

She's my name.

From a look at her, I said, Grandma Shania.

She's trying to fit her feet under the little things in the concrete as

awful cute. I made her that dress look nice.

Uh, can you see?

Oh, well, let's see now.

Oh, here's a whole bunch of us went out to the family plot and had a picnic.

We did some waiting and planning.

We had the best time, had more last look, and I care because my uncle Henry there

to wait a minute, we must have it.

Oh, that's a nice way to look at that.

That was taken at the zoo and that a good one of the line. Wonderful.

Do you have any idea where I was? Oh, here it is.

Yeah, yeah. Go there.

Now there he is.

That's the one.

I help. OK.

That's not him.

Oh, I'm sorry.

You guys still guarding this place?

Just me.

I keep the tourists away.

See you. You know anything about aphids

cases?

Yeah, they're destroying my roses.

My wife does want me to use any pesticides. Hmm.

Hard spray from your garden hose around four or 5:00 p.m.

The Sun still hot enough to dry

and it won't burn your flowers.

Just water.

Thanks.

I'll try it. OK.

Hey, come here.

Look at this.

Your ex-husband live right up there, didn't he?

Oh, yes, right up there on the hill,

brooding down on me like zoos

where we were married.

I always used to like this house.

Since we got divorced, I moved in.

But for years, Rudy and I couldn't been farther away from each other

as if I bought a house on the Moon.

Are you sure you wouldn't like a drink?

Oh, no, thank you very much.

Are they real?

Yes. Yeah.

Oh, of course, you hope yourself.

Well, what changed all that?

I mean, how did you and Rudy get the seeing one another again?

Well, we just bumped into each other a couple of months ago

and well, we were older and

he wasn't quite so stuffy anymore.

And maybe I don't throw things

like parties and handsome Italians quite so much.

I mean, I know you're in a hurry, you want to go shopping.

But I wondered first if we could talk about,

but you want to know about that will thing.

Of course, I don't blame you,

but don't misunderstand Rudy and I weren't

starting to sing September songs or anything like that. But.

Well, you see, years ago,

I used to think I was autistic and I literally dragged him

into his first museum.

And that's how his whole collection all began

because naturally, Rudy started sensing

a good investment area and.

Some of the paintings I liked weren't too bad,

but it was my understanding that it was his nephew

who picked out all of his paintings.

Oh yes, later on.

But Dale was just in college then.

Oh, that was just about the time when

when I started misbehaving.

And then, of course, after our divorce, the collection

became an obsession with Rudy and a whole career for Dale.

So since you were in at the beginning Mr.

Matthews last month, you decided to leave the whole collection to you.

But he didn't want me to keep them.

You don't think that, do you?

Well.

Oh, dear.

I guess nobody's going to understand.

I didn't know.

You see.

Poor Rudy was finally tired of it.

That's all.

All the greedy buying and bidding and hoarding.

He finally he finally agreed with me

that the people should own those lovely things instead of just collectors.

He decided to give them all away

to schools, museums.

Oh, but oh dear, it takes so much time

to work that oh, to decide which places get which.

And in the meantime, he didn't want to Dale Kingston to get his hands on it.

Is that it?

Oh, I don't like to say that

I was just so happy that Rudy was finally turning human.

one of.

Went in there may come in.

How are you, dear?

I didn't think he would be even remembered where I live.

Of course I do.

Had a message from a lieutenant, Columbo.

Oh, there you are.

What's this all about?

He said about the gun. Well, wait a minute.

What gun?

What is all this? Well, I thought you'd be interested.

About a half hour ago, a gun turned up on that hill there.

He found a 38 revolver.

And it's the same kind as the one that was missing from your uncle's desk.

May I use your phone?

Oh, yes, of course.

Isn't that silly?

Right up above my house,

I have walked on that hill myself.

Ballistics.

Is this Charlie?

Lieutenant Columbo, Charlie, I sent that stuff over there over a half hour ago.

Oh. Thank you.

It's Americana, right?

Oh, there's

nothing to be upset about, but I was just telling Dale, I I,

I go up there myself when I want a breath of air.

I even walked over to see Rudy just the night before he was killed,

and then I don't think you ought to say another word.

The lieutenant may get the wrong idea.

What?

Oh, but but surely no one would think that I threw that gun there.

Oh no, Mrs. Matthews. No, no, no, no, no.

No, you see, I finally figured out what happened.

Whoever was in that house that night, they ran out the back.

They just kept on going.

Well, naturally, they were anxious to get rid of your ex-husband's gun

or could have been anybody.

It could.

Yes, absolutely it could.

You have nothing to worry about now.

Did you want to go shopping?

Well, I was planning to meet some friends

at the fashion center, but I can do that some other time.

I want you to go right ahead.

And I want you to forget about all of this.

Just do what my wife does, which means he is a department store.

She can forget anything, even the fact that I'm sitting outside and

have a good time.

What are you trying to do to her?

I'm sorry, I don't follow.

Well, you know perfectly well that it was a woman

that ran out of that place that night.

You said so yourself?

You sure, but not her.

Well, I hope you really mean that, lieutenant, that

you're not just playing some kind of game with her the game.

Yes, you know what I mean, lulling her into a sense of false security.

Edna's a very vulnerable woman, Mr. Kingston.

You've got me all wrong, really.

I wouldn't think of a thing like that.

That lady wouldn't hurt a fly. Look,

can you come around here for a minute?

It told me not to bother you

until she's gone, but I found something else.

She's got some trash cans back here.

Judy Matthews four, one, 75, it looks like that

piece of wrapping paper that was torn from the rest of it in this house.

Remember,

we figured the thief used it.

Ah, you better get that down for fingerprinting in comparison

with the other papers or anything else?

No, we've covered every inch of the grounds.

Be careful with it.

Now what I don't know.

I know what you're thinking lt's

gone.

And now this new evidence

looks pretty bad for it. Yes, it does.

Yes, I'm still convinced that Ed and I have absolutely nothing to do with this.

You know, I think I agree with you.

Look at it this way.

If she's really guilty, she's not going to put that paper in a garbage can, is she?

I mean, she's probably going to burn it in a fireplace or something.

Yes, exactly, that's the point.

And you know, something else, Mr.

Kingston, you're absolutely right about her.

She's a what did you call it before vulnerable? Yes.

She's a vulnerable woman.

And I'm afraid that if I press it to watch, she'll fall apart.

Oh yes, and I sure don't want to make the same mistake that I made with, you

know, what I'm going to do

is I'm going to sit on everything until those stolen paintings show up.

I see.

I mean, that's the best way to handle it, don't you think?

Yes. Yes, of course.

I don't want to go around

pointing my finger at anyone until I have an airtight case,

right?

Right.

Lieutenant Adobe

young men said that you you'd covered every year,

every inch of the place hit that include the inside of the house

where she gave us permission, but I didn't want to bother.

Don't you think you should?

I mean, for her protection and when you failed to find the paintings,

you can cross her name off the list entirely.

Mother hardly seems worth the trouble.

Neither of us thinks she's guilty. Why bother?

Well, for her sake, so she can be certain to search the house for?

Really, I think it's a waste of time.

But if anything comes up, I'll let you know.

And now

she's utterly harmless.

Exactly, that's why we've got to help her.

But is there really any danger of her arrest?

You told me yourself the lieutenant doesn't think she's guilty.

That's the day Frank who knows what he'll think tomorrow.

In case you haven't noticed, he is a very haphazard individual.

And if he doesn't break the case.

Exactly.

He starts looking for a scapegoat because the pressure's building up on him,

and that is the most obvious candidate.

Well, what should we do?

Protector.

I'm sure Rudy would have wanted both of us to look out for her interest.

She trusts you, Frank.

Get her and he talk to her like a Dutch uncle.

Fill her in on the situation.

You're sure we should allow her house to be searched.

Absolutely.

In fact, I think you ought to recommend that we insist on it.

And that way, we get it on the record that nothing has been found

to incriminate her.

All right,

Mr. Henderson, getting Mrs.

Matthews.

Oh, she's shopping at the fashion center of Beverly Hills,

you can bring her in here right now and clarify this whole thing.

The Henderson have a page at the fashion center.

We'll clear it up to date.

Well, there may be one small hitch to that.

Unfortunately, Lieutenant Columbo refuses to search the house.

He claims to be a waste of time,

but which merely perpetuates it in his anxiety.

I really wish there was something we could do about that man, Frank.

Well, perhaps his.

Somewhere around him.

Do you really think so?

I have a few friends at City Hall and we look into it.

Fine, thank you.

Oh, just run one little hour and I'll be right back.

Fine, fine,

Mr. Henderson.

After I talk to Mrs.

Matthews, I want the police department dealt.

And it does have an excellent motive you.

You don't think there's any chance.

Of course not.

You ought to be ashamed of yourself, right?

Yeah.

I'm sorry.

I just don't understand any of this.

It's just a precautionary measure and not nothing more.

But what do you want them to search my house for?

What will they find?

Absolutely nothing. That's just the point.

Well, come on,

Frank.

Where where do you want me to put these?

Oh, in there of anywhere.

Oh, I need a drink. You do, darling.

So do I. Let me fix it for you, right?

There are your keys

still scotch? Yes.

How about you, frank? A drink?

Yes. On the rocks, please. I'm sorry.

I have to put you through this now, but believe me, you'll all be over soon.

Why would

anyone think that I'd want to kill Rudy?

Nobody does.

We just want to make sure that it stays that way.

That's all.

That's why Frank is having the police come in and search the house.

Believe me, it's all for the best.

Dale, I don't even remember what happened the night Rudy was killed.

I get so nervous.

I take sleeping pills sometimes.

That's one thing you sure I.

Oh, 00, excuse me.

Let me just dry off.

I'll be right back.

Oh, isn't that a shed?

00, right.

I think must we go through this?

And you would be so much better off

going?

Nothing to be nervous about now. We.

Miss Matthews, captain, while the police department.

Yes, please come in.

Thank you. And. Sorry, you

can't go in there.

I'm a lieutenant, so demand,

OK, Ferguson, let him in.

Hi, cat.

Oh, hi, Mr.

Kim. Hello, Lieutenant.

Listen, I just heard about this, you know, working down from above

to have the police searched.

Yes, that's yeah.

And I can't understand why.

The fact is, I was kind of bypassed when they came over here.

Well, apparently you're just not needed here.

Then, Lieutenant, why didn't you just go home and have your dinner on?

I better hang around because, you know, if I leave now, it looks bad upstairs,

you know?

Oh, hello, Mrs.

Matthews.

It's The Simpsons, but gee, I hope this is not upsetting you too much.

Well, I'm not very happy about my house

being torn apart, but they advised me to do it.

They say, Mr. Kingston.

I thought it was necessary, lieutenant.

Oh, I see.

And it's really very confusing.

You said you didn't suspect me of anything, didn't you?

Yes, I did, ma'am. And I meant that.

And actually, I was supposed to have the boiler.

Pretty stable.

Where'd you find those?

Linen closet in the hallway.

In. How could you?

Do you believe me?

I have no idea how they got there.

But they're not say another word.

But they have no.

He's right.

Do you intend to charge your family, captain?

It's up to Lieutenant Columbo, it's his case.

Premiere, it's his case.

I thought it was.

We know what you thought, Mr Kingston.

The dinner.

Well, I think we can get started with the fingerprinting

to get the kit.

Careful to be very careful.

Gee, there's something I think pastels, you know?

May I

ask what this is all about, lieutenant, both lieutenant.

Oh, Mr. Kingston.

Yes. Just give us a moment, please.

Do you mind?

We're getting a few good.

Like an answer, if you don't mind.

Well.

I'd have to start with your uncle's will.

What about it?

Well, you see, he pulled the rug out from under you

when he left his collection to Mrs.

Matthews, so you only have one thing that you could do.

Murder him and blame it on her.

I hope you'll realize the full

and part of what you are saying, Lieutenant, there are witnesses here.

You see under the law, anyone who criminally causes

the death of someone else can inherit from that person.

Is that right, Mr. Simpson? That's correct.

So if Mrs.

Matthews is convicted, you are next in line.

Everything goes to you.

That's why you pointed the gun.

And that's why you pointed the wrapping paper

and that's why you planted these paintings tail.

I can't believe it.

How would you like to?

Wouldn't you get you right off the hook?

All right, lieutenant.

You claim that I planted these paintings.

Suppose you prove it.

Can we?

Yeah.

Yeah.

With fingerprints.

Sorry to disappoint you, Lieutenant.

Fingerprints won't help you at all.

My fingerprints are all over those paintings.

My uncle and I unwrap them when they came back from the exhibit,

I told you, didn't I told you myself that covered with my prints.

No, we're not looking for your prints.

What do you remember

the time that I was in your apartment and you came in with some paintings

and you said that they were watercolors and you wanted to evaluate them?

And remember, I wanted to see them and you wouldn't let me.

And I even touched them.

She touched.

Yes, my fingerprints are on those paintings.

Now, if Mrs.

Matthews is guilty,

how could my fingerprints get on paintings

that she stole?

This is entrapment.

It's a setup that's all you.

You touch those paintings just now.

While I wasn't looking.

You saw them do it, didn't you?

You put your prints on those paintings while you were bent over watching them

when they were working on it. He touched them.

You touched you or.

Well.