Original subtitles

You can call Mr.

Chadwick's coffee now. Yes, ma'am.

Morning.

Morning, Charles morning.

Thank you.

Good morning, Beth.

Beth,

you sulking

while you're sulking, sulking.

Of course, your so it is necessary.

We have had our usual argument,

and now the matter is settled.

Is it?

Bath now listen to me.

He isn't for you, believe me,

but if you insist upon seeing him, I have a right to, well, to

express my feelings.

You have no right to control my life.

Your life in this case is tied in with an employee of the company.

What difference does that make?

He's an honest, hard worker. Yes, he is.

And he's ambitious.

He's intelligent, he's a good attorney,

and he has a flair for the advertising business,

and he's also smart enough to know

a golden opportunity when he sees it.

You are not father.

No, I'm not your father.

I'm your brother.

And if your choice and men, friends who are more mature, believe me,

I would stay out of your life.

You don't know how to stay out of my life.

I won't let you be used breath.

Therefore, I'm taking appropriate steps.

Charles, yes.

Ready?

Yes, taking appropriate steps.

Bryce, what have you done?

I have written a letter to Peter Hamilton,

who will receive it when he gets back from Atlanta today.

What I told him that if he continues to see you contrary to my wishes,

his employment with Alison Chadwick will be terminated.

I don't believe it. You mean you threatened him?

I won't be home for dinner.

Don't wait for me, Betty.

He won't care if you fire him.

No. Well, then let me ask you a question, Beth,

if your name wasn't Chadwick and you didn't have all of this.

Do you think that I mean,

do you really think that Peter Hamilton would give you a second look?

Now. I'm

I'm sorry if I sound crew, I don't mean to be.

But the sooner you face the facts.

The better.

And the cheaper it will be for all of us.

What about the price I've paid first

to father than to you anything I wanted to do on my own?

You are he prevented? Yes.

This is hardly the time.

No, it never is.

Charles, yes, Mr.

Adler.

Tomorrow is your day off, isn't it?

Yes, ma'am.

Will you be leaving tonight with the rest of the staff?

Well, I plan to miss Chadwick, but if you're likely to stay?

Oh no. No, that won't be necessary.

As you wish.

We'll bring you more coffee.

Thank you, Charles.

No, that'll be all.

Hello.

Yes, operator speaking.

Darling, how are you?

I'm going to wheel and deal in a minute,

I thought I'd call you first and say, Good morning.

Oh, you always surprise me.

Well, that's better than being predictable, right?

How's Atlanta? Oh, just fine.

Hey, I miss you.

I miss you too.

When will you be back?

Well, later tonight, I thought I'd come on over from airport.

Darling, hello,

darling. Let's make it tomorrow.

I mean, it'll be late and you'll probably be tired.

Well, not really tomorrow. Be much better.

Mr. Gaines will see you now.

Oh, I bet. Got to go.

I'll call you first thing in the morning.

You do love me, don't you?

No, I hit you with a passion.

Goodbye, darling.

Have a safe trip.

You've.

And. That's.

Beth, you're awake.

Yes, who is it?

You open the front door.

I've lost my key.

I'm in bed already. I mean this way.

Are they unlocked? Yes.

Oh, don't forget to turn off the alarm.

All right.

It's off.

Then why didn't you turn off the alarm?

We found a key ring in the bushes

this check, does it belong to your brother?

Yes, those are.

Those were just keeps the front lights burned out,

must have dropped his keys, couldn't find him in the dark,

probably walked around the French doors at night.

I was asleep.

I taking sleeping pills and.

I didn't hear him.

Well, you figure he broke the glass and open the door,

hit the glass and then the alarm go off.

I just woke up and then reached for the gun.

I thought it was a burden, obviously a mistake, Miss Chadwick, a

terrible mistake.

I thought it was a good and a terrible mistake.

The state?

The state.

The state.

We. And.

Well, that does it.

Beth.

Bryce, you know, the most ridiculous thing happened.

I lost my key to the front door.

How did you get in with this spare?

Yes, I leave in a flowerpot by the front door.

Why didn't you answer?

I was right.

There, well,

I suppose you watch get.

And no one got to.

All right. All right.

So you stay here.

Stay right here.

one or two,

2123510663.

45 years, about eleven hundred £19.

Tell me something I read about about them and

you guys all finished.

OK, that's it.

You know

you catching up and you're reading Lt. I.

I'm not really.

Yeah,

many years ago you were.

And whether you gave like it? Yes.

Just don't

know.

Oh, I

program goes.

Yeah.

I was shocked

because I'd taken a sleeping pill,

the burglar alarm was that

you will guess there's a switch beside my bed.

How does it work outside?

You at the front door, well, if you have a key

and use it, then it automatically turned the alarm off.

Do you have any idea why your brother

went through your French doors knowing he probably set the alarm on?

I guess he lost his keys

and he came around the side of the house and tried to get in

my window.

What time did you go to bed tonight, Miss Chadwick?

About 9:30.

I didn't feel very well yesterday, so I didn't go out.

Excuse me.

Yeah, did I hear you say you stay home today?

Yes, that's why.

You didn't go out at all.

No, no, that's what I said.

Thank you.

So when you got there, then he was already dead.

Yes, that's correct.

Or did Miss Chadwick telephoned you after she shot her brother?

You know, I was on my way over, I stopped the gate when I heard the shots.

How many? three.

The alarm was going.

Why don't you drop by Mr.

Hamilton?

I came to see Rice.

I worked for him.

You account for your whereabouts this evening.

I came in from Atlanta. I landed at 10:00.

I took a cab from there, got into my apartment about 1045.

You can check with the doorman. Vouch for that.

Why did you turn around and come over here after just getting home?

It's a little gold,

Miss Chadwick and I have been seeing each other

and Bryce objected, so you came over here to kind of have it out with him.

I suppose you could put it that way.

Is this you in this business?

We found these outside in the bushes.

Thanks.

Excuse me.

Miss Chadwick,

is your brother's case.

Yes. Where did you find that in the bushes, ma'am?

With that front lights turned out, it's really tough to see.

Gentlemen, you have our statements.

If you don't mind, no, I'd like to go through this

just once more to make sure I got things straight.

Gentlemen, please.

Oh, Peter, that's all right.

Go on now,

Miss Chadwick, you said you went to bed at 9:30, right? Yes.

And you took a sleeping pill before you retired.

That's right.

Well, would you mind telling me what happened

after that?

Well, it was after eleven.

And I I heard the glass break

and the alarm go off, and I woke up, he thought it was a burglar.

Yes. Yes, I thought it was a burglar.

You see, it was it was pitch dark

and I was half asleep because I'd taken the sleeping pill

and I heard the glass break and the alarm go off .

And so I, I reached for the gun.

It was in the door beside my bed and.

And then I just started shooting.

I just know what I was doing, gentlemen.

I will be available for questioning tomorrow.

Right now, I'd like to see that Miss Chadwick, get some rest.

All right.

All right, fellas.

Wrap it up.

Thank you very much.

Like.

Excuse me.

Were you and your brother the only ones that were living here?

Yes. Well, except for Charles in the maid.

My mother moved to Palm Desert after my father died.

Who is Charles the butler?

I suppose he's off tonight. Yes.

Great big place, isn't it?

Bob, goodnight.

So. Easy, easy,

easy, no,

no, no, no, no.

Just be nice, darling, be nice.

You there?

Hey, the cab and bring my luggage.

Come on, dear.

Do you have any luggage?

Luggage?

I hear.

And there's ten, 50 on that meter.

She have only got $11.

Well, go ahead and keep it off.

You're a sport.

All right

now, unrecovered, come here, come here, come here.

Now you

stuck you here, I want you to behave yourself.

I was a tough little monkey. You got there.

And Rico is not a monkey.

He's a pedigreed, silky.

Oh, I can see that, ma'am.

It's just a figure of speech.

Are you? Stay there?

Where's my daughter?

I don't know.

Man, she's probably asleep.

Well, we're shot.

It's his day off, are you Mrs.

Chadwick? Yes.

And you are.

My name is Columbo, ma'am.

I'm a lieutenant from the police.

Just a minute, and I'll talk

quickly, I'd like to look that over.

Well, I must say you hardly look the rule.

Well,

you know how it is you, you brought my badge in.

Yes, ma'am.

The cab fare was $10.50 and was a 50 cent tip, so that's $11.

I'll say that to reimburse Lt.

Now, tell me what happened.

Where is she? Here I am, mother.

Do you feel better now? No.

It was an accident.

I don't care what it was, you killed my son.

Oh, you were always so impossible, always blundering,

making mistakes, causing trouble wherever you were.

He looked after her all of her life.

He protected you.

And now you've destroyed your mother, you don't understand it wasn't my fault.

I don't want to hear about it.

I'm sorry, Lieutenant, this must be very embarrassing for you.

No, not really, no.

You see, I come from a very big family and at dinner time it was like,

Well, you know, Madison Square Garden and.

We used to it up with coffee.

Is that a hint?

Well, I smelled it when I came in.

I sure could use some. Mother.

I should think it would be

obvious I'm in no mood for coffee.

Ma'am, would you like me to take your bags upstairs?

No, no, thank you.

This cannot handle them.

He was a special man, lieutenant.

Very special.

He kept us all together.

Well, I thought you lived in Palm Desert.

I mean, spiritually,

when my husband died, I

I couldn't stay in this house any longer.

Well, that's certainly understandable.

I was that when your son took over the businessman. Yes.

And turned it into one of the largest advertising agencies on the West Coast.

Really marvelous.

He took over from my husband in many ways,

including dealing with Beth and her problems.

Her choice of men when she's had a

choice has never been particularly mature.

I like that.

Peter Hammill Exactly.

He's an obvious fortune hunter.

Of course, she would have no way of seeing things through him, would she?

I'm afraid not.

She's something of a child. Alternate.

Her decisions are always vague and emotional.

Price was far more perceptive.

Never married, did he? Why was that?

What are you implying?

Well, no offense, ma'am.

No, he just seems like a very distinctive man and a unique man.

I was curious about her. Well, he was.

But he had far too many responsibilities for marriage.

I suppose he never met the right woman.

Then there was the business.

I don't know what's going to happen to the company now.

I certainly can't run it, and I don't want to bring anyone in from the outside.

You won't have to. And what does that mean?

It means that I am an officer of the company in name only.

That's because Bryce would never let me participate.

Of course you wouldn't.

You aren't even capable of running your own life.

I've never been allowed to run my own life, lieutenant.

Won't you sit down? Thank you.

But things are different now, aren't they?

There's a change in the status quo.

If you are seriously considered, we're not alone, mother,

I suggest we discuss this later.

All right, Lieutenant, I've kept you waiting long enough.

What can I do for you?

Oh, no, no, no, that's all right.

No, I only have one problem and that is thank you.

Great.

You know, I take it black.

Thank you.

I couldn't sleep last night.

There were a couple of points that were bothering me,

so I thought I'd come over here and clear them up.

What kind of points? Thank you.

Newspaper.

Newspaper. Yes.

The one that I noticed on the table in the foyer.

Now, correct me if I'm wrong. But.

Didn't I hear you say that you were home all day yesterday?

That's right.

See, that's what puzzles me.

How did that newspaper get there?

Haven't you ever heard of home delivery?

Where?

Yeah, I have a newspaper delivered to my house every morning.

There's your answer now.

Not that that won't answer it.

No, no, the newspaper on the foyer table, that was a late edition.

I mean, I even saw racetrack results in it.

I'm afraid I don't quite follow you.

Well, if you were a homeowner who brought on the newspaper.

Well, Bryce must have brought it home

is, but Bryce came in through your room, he didn't come in through the front door.

I mean, he was shot on that side of the House.

How did that newspaper get to the other end of the house, lieutenant?

You seem to be cross-examining my daughter.

That's all right, mother.

Bryce must have brought it in, and in my confusion, I picked it

up and put it on the foyer table when I went to answer the door.

Yes, that would be an answer, except for one thing.

You left your brother's attaché case out there.

Why wouldn't you bring him both in at the same time?

I didn't see it.

You didn't see it.

They couldn't have been too far apart.

People are inconsistent when they're in a state of shock.

Is foolish of you to expect rational behavior at a time like that?

Well, I'm sure you're probably right about this.

You know, I only get into it because I try to figure it out in my mind.

You understand that?

Well, look, I'm sure both of you have a great deal to talk about.

So I'm going to run the.

Thank you for the coffee, ma'am.

Bye bye.

Goodbye.

This is about an $11 man.

If you leave me your card, I send you a check.

I'm all out of cards.

Oh, yes.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Lieutenant.

As you know

that.

Just terrific.

You know,

the jury is coming in now.

Have you,

ladies and gentlemen, concluded your deliberations?

Yes, sir, we have. You.

What do you think?

She's home free.

You watch Jupiter and Venus

are in good aspect with Pluto.

I have before me the verdict of the coroner's

jury in the matter of Bryce Chadwick deceased.

The jury finds that Bryce Chadwick, age

46, came to his death July 21st at his residence

23, seven Lorraine drive death

being caused by 3:38 caliber bullet wounds in the upper chest.

The jury also finds from the evidence submitted

that the death of Bryce Chadwick

was an accident.

Thank you very much, good luck to you.

She. Thank you.

Jury members, this inquest is now.

Nice to be believed again.

Yes, I want to take the whole jury out for dinner.

That is what is known as bribery after the fact.

Oh, we see it.

Anyway, it's all over.

Back to normal.

Oh no.

That's exactly what I don't want.

What do you mean?

Well, I think it's time we made a few changes that I broke a few patterns.

As long as you don't break eyes, how about some lunch to celebrate?

Can I take a rain check?

I have a few appointments.

You don't mind doing so.

Oh, when you get back to the office,

would you set up a meeting with the heads of the departments?

What's the agenda? three organization

tomorrow to mother.

Morning, Mr.

Hamilton.

Oh, Lieutenant, you remember me?

Yes, I've got a very good memory.

You got to admit that I got to the point

where I can't remember my telephone number.

What can I do for you, lieutenant?

Well, I

I couldn't help overhearing that she turned you down for lunch.

You want to grab a bite with me?

You want to ask me some questions, isn't it?

Well.

Listen.

My treat.

All right.

Window down, please.

All right.

I held the whip

cream on the mighty malt, that's what you wanted, right?

OK, and there they were, out of onion rings.

You want a substitution?

No, that's all right.

No, that's fine.

All right.

Don't forget to let me know before you leave, I need to take the tray.

People are always driving off with our trays, right?

I remember. Thank you. You're welcome.

All right.

Tell me something you and Mrs.

Chad with you.

You're going to be married

in. I believe in preliminaries, do you?

Well, you know, sometimes it's just,

yes, we're going to be married, but we haven't set the date yet.

Mainly because of Bryce.

Oh, I see.

You know, what I was wondering was.

The night of the shooting.

Why did you drive over there so late?

Let's say the propulsion was anger.

All right, well, wait a minute.

Oh, I got back from a business trip when there was a letter waiting for me

from Bryce said, to lay off Beth or else.

Or else or else what?

Oh, it's

professional discrimination, things like that.

So I got hot and I went over to have it out with him. I.

Boy, you got

there just in time for the commotion.

It's quite a coincidence, isn't.

That's a leading question, Lieutenant.

Do you think that the two of us did Bryce in together?

What do you mean, murder?

Oh no.

I mean, you were at the inquest.

They said it was an accident.

Well, I'm not talking about the inquest.

I'm talking about you.

What do you think?

Do I think it was a conspiracy?

No, no. Oh, no.

No chance of that.

No, sir.

It was rather odd that you're still asking the same questions over Paul.

Well, you know, that's. Well, that's just me.

You know, I mean, nothing official.

Just it.

You know, I have this bug about tying up loose ends.

I mean, listen, I want to thank you.

You've been very helpful to me.

Suppose you ask the

question that you haven't asked

whether or not I'm a fortune hunter.

Well, I never intended. I'm not.

I love Beth with her money or without her money.

Matter of fact, I was quite prepared to quit the company.

Of course, that won't be necessary now.

No, they won't.

But I won't be a hypocrite, lieutenant.

I'm sorry about poor Bryce being killed, but

it has gotten Beth out from under his thumb.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, way out, huh?

What's that supposed to mean?

Where?

Well, you know, in a courtroom,

I overheard her say that she was breaking patterns now.

This is a terrible thing to admit, but

I think that in a way,

her brother's death is the best thing that ever happened to her.

Hi, Mr.

Yup, I've got the train.

All right.

May I suggest you, sir?

Oh, you

scared me?

No, I was looking for Miss

your Charles, aren't you?

Are we acquainted?

Oh, I saw you at the inquest.

No, I'm Lieutenant Columbo.

I'm looking for Miss Chadwick.

You are a police officer, sir.

Yes, I am. Yeah.

Is she in? I'm afraid not, sir.

Oh, she is.

And I say, Well,

do you?

Do you know where I can

get in touch with her?

Yes, she's at the beauty parlor, Eugene. Aha.

Will that be all, sir? Yes, sir.

Yeah, I think so.

Hey, smells new.

It is, sir.

Oh, why don't you take it with her?

It was just delivered.

I was just delivered, I see.

Well, I want to tell you, it's a beauty as a wonderful piece of machinery.

We'll let you answer. Yeah, Charles, that'll be all.

I don't want you to worry about me, Charles.

I want to go

around the side of the house here and I'm going to conduct an experiment.

Is this something I can help you with, sir?

No, Charles, it's a kind of a do it yourself thing.

Thank you very much.

May I help you, sir?

Oh, well, I'm not a customer.

No, I assume that you're looking for someone.

Yes, I was looking for a best chat with Miss Chadwick.

My name is Lieutenant Columbo.

The police?

Well, look, now it's not serious.

I just want to talk to her for a moment.

Well, right through that door.

Lieutenant Cubicle four Thank you,

lieutenant.

Your cigar?

What about it?

Or the fragrance is not

compatible.

That's a shame.

Just a it.

Well, what brings you here, Lieutenant?

Oh, I, uh, I stopped by the house, I talked to Charles

and he told me where you would be, so I thought I'd come by.

There's just one point that I wanted to clear up

the mind.

It doesn't matter.

I'm a captive audience and we can go instead.

No, no, no. That's all right. Go ahead and finish.

Saw your new car, by the way.

All at some automobile.

Thank you. Really beautiful European.

I suppose you have to.

What are those things weeks in advance, don't you? Yeah, that's right.

Yeah, that's what I thought.

Real change of pace for you, isn't it?

Well, I felt like something racy, as they say in advertising a new image.

Yeah. Well, you know, I can understand that.

I'm sorry because

it's a

natural thing, I think after a death in the family to want to break loose.

That's one way of putting it.

Gee, that's funny, though.

What?

If you had ordered the car some time ago, that would mean that,

you know, in advance that you are going to change your style finish.

Miss Chadwick

AC. Yes.

Oh wow.

Looks fabulous. Yes. Yes. Amazing.

Miss Chadwick, you look sensational.

You really think so?

I'd say you were an old woman.

Oh, thank you, Lieutenant.

Goodbye, Jean. Thank you. See you next week.

My pleasure.

All right.

What?

My is Chadwick,

you look lovely, thank you, very kind,

Bill, and could I have an appointment next week?

Certainly.

Well, Lieutenant, you haven't asked me a question.

I'll tell you what.

Are you headed home? Yes.

Do you mind if I meet you there because it kind of has to do with your house?

Is this really necessary?

Well, in a way it does.

Yes, I promise it won't take long.

All right.

I'll meet you there, lieutenant.

Used to go.

Oh, good afternoon, ma'am.

Good afternoon.

Oh, Charles, oh, lieutenant, requires a stepladder.

Would you be good enough to get one for him?

Yes, ma'am.

Another experiment, sir.

Well, I guess you could call it that.

Yeah.

Experiment ten.

Uh-Huh.

Like I said, I was out here earlier.

Hey, why don't I show it to you?

Now you figured that

your brother had a walk around the side of the house like this?

Is that right?

I figure it, and so did the coroner's jury.

Right

now you see you had to walk on and grass.

There's some point to this.

Yes, ma'am, there is

you see how this grass is kind of dry because the sun's been up

for today's Thursday.

And to

cut the grass on Thursday, excuse me, a minute.

You see

grass.

Yes, well, that's only natural.

It certainly is.

But, you know, there was no grass on your brother's shoe.

I'm afraid.

I don't quite understand.

Your brother was shot a week ago on Thursday.

And I looked at the photographs of the body.

I even had them blown up.

And for the life of me, I just couldn't see any grass

on the soles of his shoe, and I couldn't figure that out why

it was freshly cut and it was sticky because it was a knife

and it was due.

Know that's very good.

He must have had particles of grass on his shoes,

but they were probably brushed off on the carpet.

And unfortunately, the room's been cleaned.

Yeah, I know.

Well, unless there's something else,

just one more thing,

I guess Charles has the stepladder by now.

I would think so.

On the other morning,

when I was over here, I noticed these potted plants.

Observant, and they're very pretty, you know?

But I got to thinking, I said to myself, You know, sometimes

people do keep a spare key outside just in case they forget their own key.

Are you?

Were you see this?

What? This

imprint here.

Yes, what about it?

Well, that's like a fossil or something, you see

a spare key must have been hidden in there for a long time.

You see, that's been rained on and everything.

There was a spare key.

Oh, I put it there myself,

and the alarm system was installed, but I didn't know about it.

I also removed it myself recently because I had second thoughts.

What do you mean by second thought?

What if a burglar were in fact on the premises?

He might find the key?

And then what good would the alarm system be? Good point.

Yes. Yeah,

I was right, wasn't I because you found it?

Yeah, I guess I did.

All right, Lieutenant, I think you've finally overstayed your welcome,

the official verdict is death by accidental means

and that should satisfy you?

Look, ma'am, I don't mean any offense.

I'm just trying to tie up loose ends.

You see, I'm compulsive that way.

It's just a lie.

That's what my wife says about it.

Just how you really. Oh,

no, I mean, all I meant by that was that what you see

if if there was a key there. Yes.

And if Bryce knew about it well, then of course

he would use the key to let himself in through the front door .

But I told the truth the night it happened, that I told the truth at the inquest.

So whatever your little compulsions may be,

I'm afraid I must insist you leave me alone.

Oh. Goodbye.

I'll take it all.

Well, is that it?

No, I finished it up board, are you?

No, no, that's a good one.

It is something young, right? Try this one.

Oh, that's Mars. I want to try that. Excuse us.

Excuse me.

Oh, look, you don't forget to put my hat over by the clock bag.

Did you bring it to?

Did you get the zipper, Peter?

Yes. Everybody set for this afternoon's meeting.

Yes. But I was wondering that.

Oh well, don't you think it's a little premature,

perhaps another week for things to ease up?

Oh, it must be today.

All right, it's up to you.

Oh. Well, what do you think?

Interesting.

What does that mean?

Well, it's wild a little out of your style, though, isn't it?

No, I don't think it is.

Well, for us,

it was a courtesy.

I'm perfectly capable

of making my own decisions.

Oh, what is that silver

dress over there on the on the way up?

Back with why don't you finish your wardrobe?

I'm going back to the office.

No, no, I want you to wait till I'm ready to go.

Do you have trousers that go with the wrench?

Yes, have to.

I'm not sure what's gotten into you, but

I'm not sure I like it.

That's you.

You need me.

I'll be back at the office.

Did you want to try this on?

Yes, this one and that blue dress over there, please? OK.

Ladies and gentlemen.

Will you please take your seats?

Well, now

we've all been through a period of anxiety

and indecision since my brother's death.

But in a corporate sense, we must maintain our continuity.

As you all well know, this is a family owned firm.

Therefore, as of today, I am assuming the presidency

as my first order of business.

I would like to announce the elevation of Mr.

Peter Hamilton to executive vice president

in charge of accounts.

As to philosophy,

my brother was a traditionalist.

I want to break new ground

to pass these along, please.

I want to streamline, but I'm going to cut down

marginal accounts and we're going to start promoting ourselves for a change.

It seems to me we've been selling everything but our own product.

Beth, forgive me, but that is our job.

Forgive me, but it's not.

Our job is to grow.

Now, when was the last time this agency took on a new account?

We have all we can handle nonsense.

Now look, Beth, I don't want to be difficult, but I

I don't mean to interrupt you.

But this is really not the time for negative thinking.

Now, if you disagree with my approach, you are perfectly free to sever your

relationship with the firm.

No, Beth, I

feel that I can accommodate myself to your way of thinking.

Yes, I'm sure you can.

Any questions?

Very well, we'll adjourn,

oh, one more thing,

a happy and personal note, I'd like to announce my engagement to Mr.

Hamilton.

Thank you.

Otherwise, let us when we decide.

Yeah, right.

Cancelations.

Thank you.

You must be out of your mind.

What qualifies you to run this company?

I had a very good teacher, my brother.

I've been studying his reports for years and asking questions.

Thank you.

We'll finish later.

He may not have known it, but he was grooming me.

Well, don't forget,

I am the majority stockholder.

I will not relinquish control.

Don't be naive, mother.

Who else can take over and still keep it in the family?

Besides, I'm prepared to go to court if necessary.

You know what that means.

Publicity interviews scandal.

I can't believe you're talking to me like this.

You prepared to take over the company.

You're getting old, mother.

I hadn't you noticed.

Come in.

Am I interrupting something?

What do you want, Lieutenant?

Well, I just thought that why hello there, fella.

How are you doing?

I got a treat for you.

I got a warm area

and I've been carrying these things around with me all week coming up.

Come on, take one look.

Yeah, come on.

Lazy.

I think we have a personality coming.

Do you need me for anything new to give you that? No.

I don't think so.

Then I'll be leaving it, mother.

We'll go into this later.

As you wish.

I'll leave the two of you alone.

Well, that's all right, Peter.

The lieutenant is going to be very brief on.

Well, Colombo, what is it now

we've talked about keys and grass and newspapers.

Oh, thank you.

Oh, thank you.

Well, you know how one thing leads to another

now when I was a fag, you were

when I was over at your house there the other day

and I was climbing up and down that ladder.

I tell you, I haven't thought something else occurred to me

that's been keeping me awake at night.

Oh, what might that be?

Well, I was wondering about that burnt out bulb.

Oh, in front of your house.

And I went over there this morning to take a look at it. And

you brought it with you.

Well, yeah, I didn't make it mine.

I know

this is a light bulb.

Under what?

Got a knife.

750 $800.

Now if your house is anything like my house, then you burn the outside light.

eight, ten hours a day.

So that means it would last two, two and a half months.

Is that right?

Yeah, I'll concede your knowledge.

I don't know.

Thank you very much.

Now this is what I got to thinking.

I hate to change bulbs outside my house, because no matter how tired

I get that up in the lamp, you see, they attract a lot of dirt and cooking

and they're full of dead bugs, and I just don't

even like to go up there and touch them. But you get to the point.

Why is that Bob Dylan does agree

that Bob is coming as a whistle?

No, I think that's kind of strange dog.

You hanging there long enough to learn out,

but not hanging there long enough to get dirty.

What are fastidious family?

If the bob is clean, it's because servants

cleaned it.

They cleaned the burnt out ball.

They work in the daytime.

So how would they know?

All right, Lieutenant, I think that'll be enough.

Thank you.

I want you to listen to this very carefully.

I don't ever want to see you again.

You'll be refused admittance to my house into this office.

I have a great deal of work to do, and I no longer can indulge your suspicions.

If you think you have a case against me, go to the district attorney.

Is that clear?

Yes, that's very clear.

I'm warning you.

No more questions.

I wasn't going to ask a question.

I just wanted to return your phone.

What can we do about it?

Well, take it easy. Calm down.

Oh, stop saying calm down.

You're a lawyer. Do something.

I mean, we can institute some kind of proceedings against him.

There must be somebody in Scotland who can do something.

Calm down. Take it easy.

Well, it's not your professional advice that.

What in the world has gotten into you?

We never argued like this before.

We're not with.

Something's wrong.

What is it?

All right, there is no one.

This business of arbitrarily promoting me,

to say the least, it smacks of high level nepotism.

It's.

And I assume there's a number two.

Yes, there is.

You announced our engagement without even letting me know.

I thought it would please you.

It did please me.

But don't you think you could have consulted with me?

I was just as surprised as everybody else.

Well, I did it for you.

I mean, we are going to get married, don't we?

That's not the point.

I would like to have had a hand in the decision.

No, it's not like you to act this way, this is a way out of character for you.

Well, if I've changed, it's

because I thought you'd like a more exciting woman.

A change, yes, with a complete metamorphosis.

I'm not sure, Beth, you're the same person.

Maybe I'm not.

Maybe Bryce was right about what?

But you are being the wrong kind of man

for me.

I said, third, I get paid not to count.

Just keep them coming, that's all.

Well,

I think you people were supposed to drink on duty.

Oh, Mr. Hamilton.

Drink.

Oh, no, that's cool.

I don't drink.

Oh, it's been a very long day.

It's been a long day for you.

Oh, sure, yeah.

You know, it's quite a coincidence.

You and I both meeting in the same place, like, yes, it is.

Yeah.

What are you reading?

What if this is a

transcript of the inquest?

But listen, congratulations.

Understand you're engaged.

Not necessarily.

Oh, really, what happened?

Let's get back to this.

I want to ask you something,

lieutenant, why are you hounding the army?

Oh me. Oh, I'm not hounding anybody.

00 no.

What I'm trying to do is get to the bottom of this thing

that I like it.

I really do.

But you are devious.

So your job was finished with the coroner's verdict,

but you're still hanging around.

You're still asking questions, even managed to bump into me here.

Now, lieutenant, you don't

really think that Beth killed her brother in cold blood.

Not, do you?

Well, it's a matter of fact.

I do think it's important.

Mr. Hamilton, you asked me what I thought.

Now I'm going to tell you,

I think she set it up.

I think it was deliberate.

And I think you can help me prove it.

Excuse me.

You're sure that

that's that's coffee that you're drinking because you're not making any sense.

I was there.

No, I know Beth didn't kill anybody.

It was an accident.

Can I tell you about my wife?

You know, my wife.

She's got a proverb for every situation, you know, with her.

A Rolling Stone gathers no more.

She got a look before young me.

I'm sure that your wife is a very nice woman.

But what does that got to do with the case, to be honest?

She sold it for.

We're having an argument last night, she says to me,

you're putting the cart before the horse and I said,

right,

in this case, the horse is before

the court and I had the answer.

And what was that?

In the transcript?

You weren't very specific.

I know I just read every word of it.

But I think on the night of the murder, you said something.

If you can remember that.

And you tell me you got a terrific memory.

Then, you know, you'll know for sure

whether or not Beth Chadwick murdered her brother.

Oh, right.

And what do I remember?

Who is it, who's there?

Does there.

Hello, operator,

get me the police.

Operator,

oh, operator, I'm sorry.

Forget it.

Lieutenant Columbo.

Is that you?

Come on, lieutenant.

Come in and have a drink.

Lieutenant Columbo.

This is the way

your brother came in that night, isn't it?

How did you get in?

Same way your brother did with a spare key?

one of my men located you, a locksmith.

He was very cooperative.

What do you expect to prove by this bit of nonsense?

Well, I don't want to prove anything.

I came to arrest you.

Arrest me.

Yes, ma'am,

for the murder of your brother.

Oh, and I did have a reason for coming in this way.

I wanted to see the look on your face.

All right, well.

I'll consider myself under arrest.

And now I want to see the look on your face when I call my lawyer.

You know what's ironic?

I knew it wasn't an accident the first night

I knew it as soon as I saw that newspaper, but I didn't have any proof.

I had to wait for the proof.

I had to wait for your fiancee to give me.

From Peter. Yes, ma'am.

Although I don't think he meant.

You see, according to your story, you were asleep at night.

The alarm woke you up.

You reach for a gun and you shot what you thought was a burglar.

Which is exactly what happened couldn't be

because Mr.

Hamilton, who was driving up outside at the time, he heard both the shots

and the alarm.

Of course he did.

What difference does that make?

All the difference?

He heard the shots first.

Then the alarm.

That's the cart before the horse.

I mean, how could the alarm wake you

if the shots came first?

You see, what really happened was your brother came

walking in here just the way I did tonight.

You shot him,

then you set the alarm a few seconds later.

Peter is mistaken.

No, he's a very good lawyer, and he prides himself on his memory

and he won't like it, but he'll testify against you in court if he has to go along

with the other holes in your story, I think they'll convict him.

Oh, really, you don't want to do that.

Policemen outside what would be the point?

Besides, you're too classy a woman.

How would you get

dressed not. OK.