Original subtitles

I shall

table a memo for you on the Bronson matter tomorrow.

As far as adult foreign corporations do is concerned, they've got me.

As far as I can see, they're holding firm.

I want $300,000 and they want delivery tomorrow night.

They've got me.

Leslie, I thought.

Hello, cat, Leslie.

Listen about our tennis date.

Now I know I've been very forgetful lately.

Please call me at the office tomorrow at 1215 shock.

Just say tennis, and I'll remember

to put it on my office calendar.

All right.

Goodbye.

When did you sustain these injuries, Mr.

Kroll?

This September the 16th.

Friday, 8:30 in the evening,

you were admitted to a hospital for emergency care on that night.

Yes, I was.

St John's Hospital, Santa Monica.

Your honor.

I'd like to introduce these hospital records as Exhibit A. Mr.

Kroll, what was the extent of your injuries due to your fall?

My back was hurt. Real bad.

Objection your honor.

The plaintiff is not competent to give expert medical testimony sustained.

I would like to introduce

Exhibit B, a full doctor's report on the planet's condition

showing damage to the lumbar origin of the spine, with concomitant

nerve damage resulting in partial paralysis to the left side of his body.

Did you find out anything?

No one's seen or heard from him since he left Phenix.

Did you check the hospitals?

Nancy calling all morning long.

What about the police? zero.

Shall we think about it for a while?

Objection irrelevant and immaterial.

Sustained. The answer may go out.

Shall we put out a missing persons report?

I'll do it myself after lunch, where I'll go.

We have a nice middle class jury that is like the insurance

company is second only to their distaste for working people.

Mr Crowe,

you are a punch press operator, is that correct? Yes.

Have you ever been on welfare before? Objection

sustained that

night that you fell down the stairs in the defendant's apartment house?

Where had you been prior to your accident at a cafe across the street?

In point of fact, Mr Crowl, according to the bartender, there you had

at least three drinks and no dinner before you left the cafe

and returned to your apartment

and not being able to see the stairwell steps properly, you fell.

Objection your honor.

Counsel is testifying and assuming facts, not in evidence.

The plaintiff alleges the stairs were improperly lit,

although the plaintiff may well have been objection

sustained.

Or it will be recessed until 1:00.

I've convinced my client to discuss a possible settlement.

I'm sure you have my office ten minutes mine

at 1230.

It looks good.

Very good.

I'll get your insurance company off the hook cheaply this time.

I've been all over that building of yours, and you better start maintaining

minimum safety standards of the next time somebody may get killed.

Q, hi, Mrs.

Williams. Michael, have you heard anything?

There's still no word from Mr Williams.

I've tried everywhere.

Thank you.

Bring in your pet.

You better outline a settlement,

he'll be here soon.

But to have Michael, twelve, 15,

unless they're asking 150,000.

My guess is that he'll say that his client is ill and needs cash

and offered to settle for half.

I'm going to tell him that his client is losing,

that he'll take what he can get, which is nuisance value at $10,000.

That's hitting him pretty hard.

Yes. Less one word tennis. Yes.

Don't forget.

What?

Who is this? Hello.

Hello.

What is it?

Better call the police.

The man on the phone said he's

got my husband.

I want men posted here and here, I keep them out of sight.

I don't want a lot of worried neighbors

calling the police every five minutes to Gaza.

Hoffman, this is Carlson.

We don't want any press leaks on this.

Now, listen, I don't want to have to add up

all the favors you owe me, and I'm sure you don't want me to, either.

Right?

We'll stay out of the papers for the time being.

Mrs. Williams. Thank you.

Is that tap in ready? Not quite yet, sir.

We'll be able to monitor any phone calls that come in through this Mrs.

Williams.

Will you be able to trace the calls?

Maybe.

Unfortunately, the kidnaper is usually smart enough

to keep the call short, so we won't have the time.

But with this tape, we can make voice prints at the lab

that sometimes gives us a lead on making identifications.

There's something I have to ask you.

I want you to be completely honest with me here because.

After I pay the ransom.

What are the chances of my getting my husband back?

All right, I'll be honest with you, Mrs.

Williams, there's no way of knowing.

All we can do is hope for the best.

We'll do everything we possibly can.

Oh, of course you will.

I know that like Mrs. Williams.

Let's try to take an optimistic point of view on this.

He's probably just fine.

You'll have him within another 24 hours.

That's that's all I want.

Excuse me,

Carson.

Yes, oh.

Mrs. Williams,

yes, Lieutenant Columbo, local police,

I seem to have dropped my pen out here somewhere.

Just a minute.

Would you like some help?

Oh, no, that won't be necessary, thank you very much.

I'll just take another quick look.

I can get a flashlight.

Oh, really?

Don't bother, it's all right.

I have lots of matches. It's no travel.

Or at least not that important. It's just the pain.

You see, it was in grave.

That was the only reason,

but that I'll buy another one and I'll have that one engraved.

You see, the pen itself was, I said,

Is that it?

Where there?

Oh no, no.

Is there anything? All right?

Lieutenant Columbo has lost his pin.

Oh, listen, don't bother him about it.

We're done on Columbo.

Oh yes. How do you do? How are you,

Mrs. Williams?

I think we can forget about the now.

Would you like me to get you a flashlight?

I don't. Really. Yes, it's not that.

But last comes from the police. They found your husband's car.

Was there any sign of violence?

None whatsoever.

How do you suppose they stopped it?

The car was found near a stop sign.

So we assume that when your husband pulled up to the intersection,

the kidnapers found the opportunity.

Mr Carlson, there's a gentleman here to see you, lieutenant.

Yes. Gentlemen, this is Lieutenant Columbo, our local police liaison.

How do you do?

As I was saying, the stop sign suggests

that you.

Is there something we can do for entertainment?

While I dropped by to tell you that they found the car?

We already have that information.

I can see that.

How's it have been done?

Not yet.

Feel perfectly free to stay if you like was in it.

Oh, thank you very much.

Jerry, I'd like you to get a market, check out the houses in the area

where the car was found.

Somebody may have seen something or heard something last night.

It started from sunset and work your way up.

Oh, and Hammond was shooting at the lab report on the briefcase

and a luggage found on the car.

Mr. Carson,

who do you suppose that the kidnapers followed him all the way from Phenix?

Well, I doubt that it was his wallet, but they must have known when he left Phenix.

Well, that's what makes us think

that they may have had someone there checking out at the time of departure.

You see, if that's true, they could notify the Confederates and then they could.

The lieutenant would like to see the ransom note.

There are oh, seven.

Do you know exactly what time your husband would have left Phenix?

Excuse me. Matching the envelope?

Oh, surely.

No. No, I didn't.

Neither did anyone in my office.

Haven't which police garage where they have taken the car to downtown.

I'll arrange for our people to run a set of fingerprints.

You know the strange thing, Mrs.

Williams, when you look at the route that your husband must have taken

the best place for what is at an aerial map right here in your own neighborhood,

watch the streets of dogs, including what's inside?

Excuse me.

I came with instructions from the kidnapers.

Police sent instructions.

one. Well, Mrs.

Williams just fly alone.

I know I'm along this highway, and she reaches this point in the map

she takes in heading out across the desert. Exactly.

Olivia flashing lights sitting at about ten and one is to be dropped in the bag.

Visual warnings? No cuffs,

right?

When is it a

that we don't know

when I can say is they'll call us tonight?

Now listen, Mel Miller, the victims

cars and picked up by the LAPD,

they've got it in the downtown garage.

That's right.

But I want you to do is run a fingerprint, check on it for us.

Will you fly a plane?

Yes. By yourself? Yes. No. Kidding.

No kidding.

Now, they'll probably give you a little static, but

we're going on the basis of the victim

crossed the state line, which is

how's it going?

Fine, fine.

It's great to see women working out of Phenix as well as here.

We'll have to wait till we get off the phone before we can check it out.

Fascinating.

All right. Well, you let me know if you have any problems.

Right.

Can I help you, lieutenant?

Oh. No, just browsing

for anything in particular. No.

Because if there's anything you'd like, I'd be only too happy to help. Oh.

Thank you very much.

Mrs. Williams, yes,

a men's room.

Oh, the powder room is up those steps down the hall

and first door on your right.

Have you got that?

Christiane, you're right.

It'll be ready in a minute, Mr.

Carlson. Good.

12341234.

The house is called,

I must say, Mrs.

Williams.

You're bearing up through this very well indeed.

May seem like it, but if it weren't for you?

Well, that's very kind of you, Mrs. Williams.

But we just do what we can.

That's all. You know, very modest.

Tell me, do you think that you'll find any trace of fingerprints in the car?

Frankly, I doubt it.

That's a very professional, well-planned operation.

They knew what time your husband was coming from out of town.

They know about your flying a plane.

No, and I think the only fingerprints will find

will be your husband's and yours, of course.

Did you find it, Lieutenant?

Oh, yes, very well, thank you.

What should I have to tell you, Mr.

Williams, that you've got some beautiful place here?

You just make yourself at home, say,

in order to help you have in a bedroom the one shape I amendments.

Yes. Well, I was almost afraid to use them,

but that's what they're there for LT to be used.

What if you don't mind my asking when you use one and you put it back

in the plate? How do you keep it from sticking to the others?

It's a problem.

That's what I figured.

You know what I think?

I think since we're all going to be waiting here

that I'm going to fix us all dinner call that won't be necessary, Mrs.

Williams, we can have something set in.

Oh, please let me do it.

It will keep me busy, you know?

All right.

Thank you,

Mrs. Williams.

Yes. Don't you have any live in servants? Yes.

Oh, wow.

Must be the same problem everywhere.

They want something done. You got to do it yourself.

How's that, lieutenant?

Oh, I was just saying, you know, you pay a lot of money for help

and you end up doing the cooking.

Well, you see, my housekeeper has been on vacation for the last weeks.

Oh, oh, I see that.

So you've been home alone?

Well, listen, if there's I mean anything I can do to help your potatoes,

whatever, you just feel free.

Oh, you'll be the first to know.

Oh, my

gosh.

Mrs. Williams,

hello.

Oh, they've got me.

They want $300,000.

I just follow instructions.

Paul.

Paul, play it back, make sure we got all of.

That's the spin from this point

on the highway to here over 150 miles of desert.

No way we can cover all of it.

Hello. Les Paul.

They've got me.

They want $300,000.

Come on. I just follow instructions.

I'm not going to take any chances with my husband's life.

There's nothing to worry about. Mrs.

Williams will arrange to have you followed by a helicopter.

Give you plenty of room. Oh.

I know you will I'm sorry.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound like.

That's quite all right, Mrs.

Williams, we understand how you feel.

I think I'll go upstairs.

I'll be in my room if you want.

That's a good idea.

We'll be covering the place all night, so you'll rest easy.

All right, that's it for tonight, fellas.

Let's wrap it up and go home.

I got this tape to the lab right away.

Can I see it now?

They're going to check with you in the morning.

All right.

Well, Lieutenant,

I guess that's it for tonight.

Lieutenant.

Let's call it a night, huh?

Oh, it's so.

Thank you, the

unique woman.

I don't know, I say, yeah, she's an exceptional woman.

What do you mean?

Well, when the phone rang, you know, she ran to the phone,

she picked up the receiver and.

She never asked her husband if he was all right.

I say anything strange about that woman was frightened under stress.

That's right, yes, she she was she was on a stretch.

I just can't thinking of it,

if I was in the hands of kidnapers

and my wife didn't ask me if I was OK.

I think about that.

What's your point, Lieutenant point?

No, no, no, no point, just that.

She's a unique person.

Goodnight, attack.

You're not going to.

Now, if you'll just initial here

and sign here on all three copies.

$300,000, all yours.

We got all the serial numbers.

Yes, a bank was very cooperative in helping us make the money.

We certainly appreciate your help.

You're welcome.

Apart from your savings trust accounts and municipal bonds,

we naturally were forced to sell all of your stocks at a considerable loss.

I'm sorry, but there was no other alternative.

I know that Mr.

Perkins, but this is no time to worry about money.

Of course, Mrs.

Williams, I brought a bag. Mrs. Williams.

Oh, thank you. That won't be necessary.

I have a bank.

This should do it if you don't need me any longer.

Gentlemen, thanks again.

And we've got a priority clearance on that air corridor remarked on the map.

You'll be all by yourself. What about you?

I will be holding a position about two miles behind you.

You promise to keep your people clear of the area.

The highway patrol units all have their instructions

if they spot a car picking up the money.

They just make an identification and then let it pass.

Chances are they'll get the money and clear out before anyone gets a chance

to get near them. So I wouldn't worry too much about that.

I'm concerned about my husband's life.

Of course, if you gentlemen will excuse me, I'll change.

All said, Mrs.

Williams, I'm ready.

All right, let's go.

Right in the rear, sir.

But he wanted to press this button Poisson distribution.

At 5:00 a.m., take off

your clearing three, 5:00 a.m..

Typekit.

What was it that was what?

I think there's something wrong with the motor.

Take it easy, Lieutenant.

Everything is just fine.

This is a 35

Romeo, five Romeo where enjoy 35 Romeo

and approaching northbound freeway in descending to 150 feet.

Speeding my family, we're holding a position on your heading.

Ask me one time.

I'm right.

How much further is it?

How much further is?

How much further is it?

She'll notify us as she approaches the Palmdale Tunnel is out there here

and you see that highway down there, he.

Yes, I do.

Now she'll be heading off across the desert from the next cohort.

Oh, good.

This is 35 Romeo

Spaghetti hitting 20 degrees north west clear engine

air speed at 1503 foxtrot to all ground units.

We're approaching the Palmdale turnoff.

Maintain

radio silence until visual contact is established.

Right?

This is a 35

Romeo 35 year old can have established contact

with blind spot access round back on August 28.

We read you circling now to make drop.

This is 33 Foxtrot.

The special highway patrol units twelve and 20 to move to an access road

map coordinates 28.

You have completed over and out.

They got it.

Any sign of them? No, sir.

And there's a highway only a half mile that way.

A lot of heavy traffic,

they must have gotten lost in that before we even got here.

We knew that going in anyway, Mr. Carlson.

Well, look at this.

All right, let's go home.

I'm here, Lieutenant.

Lieutenant Columbo.

Let's go.

And Lieutenant.

I'll take that.

Are you coming to us?

Why don't you go ahead?

I'm going to take a little walk clear my head.

You know what I mean?

All right.

How is my father?

What are you doing here?

How is he?

Have you heard from him?

No, not yet.

But you paid the kidnapers the ransom money.

When will they bring him back?

We don't know.

I I wasn't expecting you.

After

I got your cable, I caught the first plane out of Zurich.

There was only a 30 minute layover.

You didn't have to come, what you mean is you didn't want it.

What I mean is that there's nothing for you to do here.

Let's drop the polite charade, Leslie.

I hate you as much as you hate me.

Maybe more.

And you don't have to play the martyr stepmother to me anymore.

I've outgrown that.

So you see, all the expensive education in Switzerland isn't a total loss.

Margaret, we're both tired.

We're both upset.

I sure neither of us wants to say anything they don't mean,

although you may be sorry for later.

Why don't we get some sleep

tomorrow may be a long day.

Margaret, I'm worried.

I love him, too.

I have been able to sleep.

I'm terribly nervous.

Margaret, I'm afraid.

I don't want anything to happen to it.

I know.

I know don't worry.

Don't worry.

What kind of insurance could he have?

All undercover doctors and hospital bills say 125 weeks benefit

anyway, around 50,000 capitalism, capitalism

work that has killed

my and I've said that.

I suppose you have to think of everything in the open,

how your husband would understand.

I'm sure I could sell him on the idea of some extra protection.

Why don't I talk to him about it?

He could try, but he's pretty tough going.

We're all tough apart.

There's a lot of time, you know,

I listen to anything except for the nature radio.

Sometimes we sit here all evening and never say a word to each other.

Pretty dull.

Oh, I just felt.

As you may know, hot and cold, cold

at the world.

So we haven't heard anything.

They've got fans of some kind of street watching.

It ups federal agents

and there's nothing in the paper about daddy or the kidnaping of Roman.

This has always kept it out of the press and off the radio onto the television.

I was waiting for the news.

Where are you going?

I have a date in court. How can you do that?

I mean, how can you function?

Seems like a strange time to play Lady Lawyer.

Someday, when you take on responsibilities, you'll find out

that you don't always have a choice, that you have to function no matter what.

I guess I'm lucky.

I'm still irresponsible because all I can think about is my father.

Now, more than I.

Why don't you try to occupy yourself with something, Margaret,

I mean, something besides television and running up overseas telephone bills,

you might find that it passed the time.

I'll call you the moment I hear anything.

Leslie.

Good luck.

With your case.

Thank you, Margaret.

Good afternoon, nice elections, insurance, what happened?

You know what has been around too long

when you'd like to turn into a little hard cash? Just give me a smile.

And hopefully I would have thought, you must think I am.

I think you're right.

I think you're swell as long as I let your husband.

Get out of here.

You better get out of here, baby.

I out of you. But quit.

Now, when their

attorney cross-examined you about the accident, cry about flat everything,

especially when he asks you how fast you were going

when you hit their car, excuse me to sit down there.

Give me the brief.

My lesson

is to find my husband.

Can I talk to you privately for a while? You can tell me here.

I think we better speak private.

Just tell me, Did you find my husband?

Please, Mrs.

Williams, will you tell me, Is he all right?

Your husband is dead, Mrs.

Williams,

and you're.

Oh, you are right, Mrs.

Williams.

Give me a moment.

Can we get you a doctor?

I'll arrange to have you driven home.

Very sorry.

I know.

Some senators

did, she is where the body was.

No, I didn't think so.

Oh, and one more thing, Mr.

Carson, she didn't ask how her husband was killed.

Did she know? That's what I thought.

All right, Lieutenant, what's bothering you now?

Oh, nothing.

Oh, come on.

Something's bothering you.

I was just it up until now.

You know, she was very cool and she was very composed

and she suddenly fell apart in front of other people.

So you think so strange about that? No.

Convenient, maybe.

But Columbo, if you think she had something to do with the kidnaping,

just come out and say, So look, I'm sorry , I didn't mean to upset you.

You asked me what was bothering me and I told you, Let's understand

this one thing.

If you start harassing this woman, I'm going to take it upstairs.

Just one minute.

Mr. Carson, you see, it's like this.

This is not just a kidnaping.

This is a murder now.

And I kind of figured, that's my department.

I'll see you around.

I gave Margaret an injection.

Her bed, she'd be asleep soon.

Oh, good.

Take two of those before you go to bed.

They'll put you out all night long. Thank you.

I can't thank you enough, really, all of you.

We let you get some rest now.

So great.

Call me if I can.

Good night,

Mrs. Williams, we'll be keeping a man on the house for the next few days.

Is there anything else we can do?

No, thank you.

Good night.

Good night.

Let us pray,

the Lord, we implore you to grant this mercy to your dead servant,

did he who held fast to your will by his intentions,

may not receive punishment in return for his deeds?

So does the true faith united him with the throng with the faithful on Earth?

Your mercy may unite him

with the company of the Choirs of Angels in Heaven through Christ Our Lord.

Eternal Rest Grant. Treponema Lord.

And let perpetual light shine upon him.

May he rest in peace.

May his soul in the souls of all the faithful

departed through the mercy of God.

Rest in peace.

My deepest

sympathy to you as I pray you be comforted.

Thank you.

God's peace, be with you.

Let's leave.

This is what you wanted, isn't it?

All right.

All right, it's nothing.

All right.

Yes, thank you.

Who are you?

I'm Lieutenant Columbo from the local police.

If there's ever anything you want.

You're not alone.

Margaret, remember I'm always a bill.

You'd better come waiting.

You know, tell me about this.

She's spoiled and completely selfish, not bad, you can't blame her,

Paul and I both indulged too much.

I guess it was our fault.

If she were mine, stepdaughter or not, I would pick her up right now

without a dime. Pat, I think less.

You get some rest.

I think so, too.

Well.

You have got to make her grow up.

Are you OK?

Yes, I am.

Thank you very much. My mistake by Adobe.

Oh, I have to tell you how much I appreciate everything.

You have been such good friends.

I loved you.

He left you.

Also goodbye this week. You?

Of course not.

Margaret.

Might come down here, please, I know you're up there listening,

so you might as well come down called mother dear.

I think we better have a talk.

Of course, my dear

Margaret, I wanted to overlook the incident at the cemetery.

I'll write it off to adolescent hysteria, but I am in no mood to tolerate

any further outbursts.

Sarcasm, anything.

Of course.

You're

making it very difficult for us to live together.

I think you should go back to school this weekend.

The school doesn't open for another month.

There's nobody there.

You have friends in Paris. Visit them.

I'm not going anywhere.

I'm staying right here.

Why? It's my home to.

Margaret?

Well, we're on the subject of school.

I think we better talk about something else,

like what finances?

Your father, well,

your father and I have kept you very sheltered from our financial affairs,

but now I think that you are ready to face certain realities.

I have my own trust account.

You did.

I won't bore you with the details.

But since you're a minor, your father and I had joint control of that account.

What happened to it?

In order to pay the ransom, I was forced to close that account out

along with everything else that we had.

You're trying to tell me that we're broke. Is that it?

No, it's not as bad as all that.

My law practice and the firm will provide us with enough

to keep us off the streets of Beverly Hills.

But they will have to be certain readjustments.

You mean my allowance?

That's a very good example.

How much of a readjustment?

I don't know, I'll have to see what I can come up with.

I'll let you know.

In the meantime, while you're here

for the next couple of weeks, why don't you try to find yourself a job?

Pick up some extra cash.

I kind of have.

May I help you?

I'm Lieutenant Columbo, I had an appointment.

Oh, of course, my goodness, you're early.

I know.

How'd you get in out of janitor?

Was nice enough to let me in.

Miss Williams should be here in a moment.

She's never late for an appointment. Oh, really?

Me, I got this terrible habit.

I'm always early.

Whenever I have to be anywhere, I get there ahead of time.

What legal secretary?

Well, believe it or not, I'm an attorney.

I'm called an associate, which means that since the secretary phoned in sick,

I have to fill in. I don't know how you do it.

Do I work for a woman?

It doesn't bother me.

Just so happens that she's one of the best trial attorneys in the state.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Have I kept you waiting?

No, I was early.

Oh, good.

Well, why don't you come in?

Shall I hold the calls?

He's my.

I'm sorry to bother you in first day back in the world.

Oh, that's all right, Lieutenant.

I understand the federal people haven't come up with anything.

No, nothing. Not a word.

And a cool. Say.

That's so powerful. Yes.

What are you big on gadgets are, you know,

I just happened to find that when a great help

to see say that I want to get in touch with a client to be in court,

say Monday, for example, I just take a message

and this machine cause my client.

And does it or it's

actually something you know today because the way we're done electronically.

I mean, if they wanted to, I'd bet on that.

You don't mind if I take down the name of this to you.

I mean, maybe I could con the department into getting one for my office.

You have a pen.

Oh, I see these things.

They really fascinate me.

You know, they got a new thing today.

Like if I want to take my wife to the ball game,

I just dial this service

for a ticket and then it's all done by the computer.

It's really it's unbelievable.

Hmm. What did you want to see me about Lieutenant?

Exactly.

Oh, you see Mrs.

Williams?

Now that the murder has been committed, it's

it's my job to look at this case from all possible angles.

I would think it would be your job to catch the kidnaper.

A lot of federal agents are on that and of course, we have our men on it too.

Very reassuring.

Yes, it is because they do a fine job.

But you see, the thing is with me,

I'm a strange guy.

Really? Yeah, I worry.

I mean, little things bother me.

I'm a worrier.

I mean, little insignificant details.

I lose my appetite. I get

my wife, she

says to me, You know, you can really be a pain.

You know what I mean?

I get the general picture.

Why don't you get on with it?

Oh, yeah, sure, right?

Well, you see, there are certain things here about your husband's

kidnaping that certain details that

there's this is of work. Yes.

I don't really nag me

such as the bag, for instance,

which bag

the one you draw from the plane, the one with the ransom money in it.

Didn't I say which one?

No, you didn't.

I'm sorry.

I thought I did.

What about the bag?

Well, I just thought, it's funny that whoever

took the money out of the bag, they didn't take the bag with him.

Well, what's so funny about that?

Or you figure a kidnaper is afraid to get caught? Right?

So he's not likely to stop open eBay, take the money

out and run away and leave the bag behind?

Well, of course, you know more than I do lieutenant.

But don't people under stress act more out of immediate emotion than logic?

That's absolutely true.

In fact, I'll go even further.

That's what does most criminals in eventually.

Well, then isn't it safe to assume that

that they would open the bag to see if the money was there?

And then after they saw it

out of fear or panic, take the money out of the bag and run.

And that's probably right.

That's probably right.

I'm sure it it's right.

I mean, I don't mean to offend my point about the bag, but

I was just using that as an example to show you the kind of person I am.

You understand how details bother me.

In other words, I'm trying to show you away what you would call it a mini.

An idiosyncrasy, right?

Idiosyncrasy.

She did to it's a good word.

Oh, one of the best.

Anything else?

No, no,

I guess that you.

Listen, I

I want to thank you for taking the time to talk to me.

I really appreciate that.

Certainly helped straighten things out in my mind.

Any time, lieutenant.

Thank you again

for something else.

What's the matter with me?

You have one other thing the angle of the bullet.

What about it?

Well, the bullet entered your husband's body at a 45 degree angle.

What's the significance of that?

Well, that means that your husband was standing

and see the way you were standing.

Well, Leslie, I thought just the way you were standing,

you see just the way you're standing and the killer was sitting

just the way I am

and from this position.

The Jewish part of town of Hanover,

I'm sorry.

Oh, wow.

Oh, for the water.

Thank you.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you.

That's all right, that's all right.

Please go on with what you saying.

Obviously, I can come back another time.

No, really. I'm all right.

I want to hear you.

Sure, you're all right. Mm hmm.

There's not much else to say about, and it's just

it's just another one of those things that bothers me here.

I mean, what was your husband doing?

Was he just standing there or some guy sitting down shot?

Well, at this point, there's no way of really knowing what happened.

Is there? Right?

You're right about that, right?

But the other thing that was peculiar.

Something else?

Your husband was shot with a 22 caliber revolver. So.

Well, most criminals, they use a 32, maybe a 38.

But this one was different.

It sure was.

And I try to figure out why at 22. Hmm.

It's interesting.

Yes, you see, that is interesting.

What if he wanted to fire into someone and be reasonably certain

that the bullet didn't have the velocity to go through the body?

But why?

Because he didn't want any trace of the crime in a room where he shot him?

Well, you've given these details of yours.

A lot of thought, lieutenant.

I know all these things don't seem like much.

Put them all together, one on top of the other.

And I'm telling you

that kidnaping just doesn't add up.

Let me understand you correctly.

Are you implying that this was perhaps not an ordinary kidnaping act, right?

That's interesting, isn't it?

Now what if

someone set out to murder your husband and he only made it look like a kidnaping?

And so the ransom money, all that was a setup.

Yes, that's possible.

Look, call that ferocious wolf.

We're looking for kidnapers that don't exist.

And in the meantime, the real killer is so close by we can't even see them.

And all these little details of yours fall into place.

The angle of the gun. Exactly.

Shot by someone he knew while the murderer was sitting down.

Caliber of the bullet. Right?

Killed in a room where he didn't want to leave any traces.

No bullet holes in the wall, for example.

The empty bag.

That's a puzzle.

I can't figure that one out, lieutenant and all.

Honestly, I must tell you,

you have collected one of the most absurd hypotheses I have ever heard.

Nothing that you said proves anything one way or another.

I know that I'm not a lawyer, and maybe my theories are not as good

as they should be. But Mrs. Williams.

I broke up for a long, long time and after a few years, believe me,

the old nose gets to be pretty.

What do you want from me?

You know how you could help me

if you would just talk to me about your husband yourself?

And maybe I can come up with somebody, a business associate,

a friend who knows, but somebody who might have a motive to kill.

And if you can't, federal men are working on a kidnaping.

There's no harm done.

Lieutenant, I don't hold with this murder theory of Mrs.

Williams. You're perfectly within your rights.

Let me finish.

But I will do whatever I can to help you, whoever it was

killed my husband, for whatever reason I want him found.

I was hoping you'd say that.

Michael, Lieutenant, Columbo

and I will be at the airport if you need us.

Why will we be there?

I try to get in a few hours flying

at least two days a week, and this is one of those days.

Besides, I feel as if I want to get away from here.

Come with me. We'll talk.

We're in a plane.

Lieutenant, are you afraid of flying?

Well, it's not one of my favorite pastimes.

It's a great release for me being up here in Tennant.

All along. Totally free.

I do some of my best thinking up here.

No kidding, no kidding.

Perhaps.

Mrs. Williams,

would you not do that, you're nervous.

No offense, I'm like this in a car.

I'm always nervous when I'm not driving.

Would you like to take over?

I beg your pardon, I could teach you how to handle the plane in an hour.

Oh yes, well, really, that would be wasted on me.

I don't intend to fly again.

Please make me feel terrible.

Flying is a wonderful experience. I've ruined it for you.

I haven't. I've never been crazy about flying, actually.

That's because you've never done it.

What we don't know, we see it.

Take the controls. No, I'd rather not.

Thank you. Try it. I want you to feel what happens.

Really, that's very, very kind of you.

And I appreciate that.

Why don't you just describe it to me?

I want to show you how easy it is, lieutenant.

Are you ready? Ready for it?

Here we go.

Here you take the controls.

That's a magnet for him.

Keep your feet off the road a bit, don't pull back on the wheel.

No, no, not too much.

Not too much of overcorrected. Keep the plane's nose up.

You see, you have to treat the plane like a woman.

You have to treat it.

You have to treat her very gently.

Watch out for the peak.

Was grand challenge

going to make an ace pilot?

Like it?

I'd appreciate it if we didn't

talk for a while.

Sure.

Can you talk?

Ready.

OK. Ask me anything, I'll try to help you any way I can.

Do you ever teach your husband how to fly?

No, he wouldn't let.

Any other questions?

But Mrs.

Williams, did your husband have any personal enemies?

He didn't have

any personal enemies, everyone admired my husband,

and he was respected by his fellow attorneys,

elected him president of the Local Bar Association for five consecutive year.

But, you know,

sometimes behind the applause, there might be somebody who's envious.

Somebody resents all that success.

If there was such a person, I never met him.

What else? Yes.

This is not an easy question.

You understand that. Go on.

Did your husband ever have any relationships with any other women?

My husband was never unfaithful to me.

How do you know that, how can you be sure?

Because he had a rigid code of ethics from which he never deviated?

Must have been quite a man.

There was nobody like him.

I'm sorry, I can't be of more help to you.

Oh, it's all right, you've been of help.

This is a process of elimination. You understand that.

No other questions, no.

No, I guess not.

Then we'll head back.

You all right.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, I'm fine.

Did you enjoy yourself?

Well, it was it was quite an experience.

Yeah, I mean, I know what you mean now about relaxing up there

because when I first thought or not, I was very tense.

But now any time, any time an attendant say,

you know, I have this cousin Ralph, his name is Ralph.

Anyway, Ralph

was the greatest at everything, you know?

I mean, he thought better. He talked better.

He made out better.

Ralph was the greatest.

I mean, Ralph boy,

Ralph was something I'll tell you that I'll never forget him.

Is there a point to this story? Lt?

A point. A point?

No, I don't think there's a point, except, well, maybe,

you know, maybe what it was is that when you were talking about

your husband in the plane, I guess that reminded me around,

you see, because Ralph, he was a boy.

I mean, he was so perfect.

There were times I felt like killing us.

Yes. Well.

I have to change now, Lieutenant.

And that's all.

My mind is someplace else.

Hey, Lieutenant, you say.

What's the use of kicking?

You know, what's your dream?

You don't know how much imagination.

What do you mean by that?

You always look at the menu and you always want to chew it.

My God, you know, that's true.

Will it be?

I'll have the chilling thing.

See what I mean?

Well, look at it this way.

You'll never be disappointed.

Hey, you got something there?

All right.

Voluntarily. Just for the lieutenant.

Make it special.

Lieutenant Columbo.

Oh, yeah.

I'm Margaret Williams.

You remember me?

Oh, yes, of course, yes.

It just didn't expect to see you there.

Listen, I tried to tell you, won't be sorry, lieutenant, I came to see you.

Well, what? What about my father's murder?

Listen, I'm terribly sorry about that.

We just haven't been able to come up with anything on that.

Well, I may have something.

Are you sure you won't have suddenly the and this is very important.

Oh, I'm sorry. Go ahead.

I'm listening.

Could we move to that booth over there?

Oh, certainly.

You see it.

It's the crackers that make the dish.

I think my stepmother may have had something to do with it.

You realize what you're saying. Yes.

And tell me she never loved him.

She used him to get what she wanted for herself a career.

She used his name, his influence,

so that she could become the famous leading lawyer.

And to be a partner with my father was instant stature.

Instant success.

Well, when they start this, the where your mother was still alive?

Yes, but he didn't have an affair with her.

Well, how can you be sure of that?

I knew him.

He was faithful to my mother all through those last years while she was dying.

Well, when did they get together romantically?

After my mother died, she talked him into leaving the State

Supreme Court, something he'd worked for all his life,

but he left because he wanted to be with her.

Is that when I became partners?

That was the bait.

He did that for her, so she married him.

Why would you want to see him dead?

My father came to visit me in Switzerland during last vacation.

Then he told me what a fool he'd been,

how she finally told him that she thought he was a bore,

a dull, tiresome old man, and she wanted a new arrangement.

He started to cry.

I'd never seen him cry before.

He was to quit the firm, turn it over to her,

then they were to live their separate lives.

She didn't ask for a divorce, just that they share the house, nothing more.

He could never stomach living a lie like that and he told her, so

she just laughed at him.

I put my arm around him,

didn't know what else to do.

So what did he do?

He threatened to throw her out and close down the office.

He dared to stand up to her.

I think that's why he was killed.

Well, now look, Margaret,

you told me some reasons why maybe your stepmother might have a motive,

but they're all true.

I didn't say they weren't.

But you don't have any proof of anything

and you don't have any evidence.

All you have is your assumptions.

You understand.

Besides, how could she do it?

What would she do?

Involve some other people?

I would be very risky, wouldn't it?

Now you see, the only possible way

would be no.

No, that's crazy.

What is it not just occurred to me that the only possible way would be if somehow

there never was a kidnaping.

She killed him, then set it up to look that way.

Well, no, I never said that. I mean, that's a crazy idea.

I mean, forget that.

Lieutenant, how do you go about proving something like that?

Oh, goodness, I don't know how to do that.

Listen, I think you got a crazy idea there.

I think you ought to forget about it.

Well,

I'll be in touch with you, Lieutenant.

All right. All right.

You know, there might be something in the possession of the car seat.

Did you say something?

I said there might be something in the position of the car seat.

What car seat your father's car?

You know, the night they picked up your father's car, somebody noticed

that the car seat had been moved forward.

I don't

understand why your father is a very tall man, isn't he?

I mean, he's six foot or better.

Well, whoever drove that car mass,

they had moved the seat forward like a woman could be.

And of course, there's your father's keys.

What about them?

We never found the

keys weren't in the car.

And later

on, when we found your father's body, the keys weren't on the body, either.

So what did you ever notice?

How just out of habit, when you get out of a car,

you automatically reach for the keys.

You see, the last person out of that car instinctively

took the keys with them and may still have

them.

Police Department.

I'd like to speak to Lieutenant Columbo, please.

Mrs Williams.

Mrs Williams.

What is it?

I got the telephone call, I came right over.

I didn't call you, but I know that it was your stepdaughter, Margaret.

How did you get in here?

Well, she said she was going to leave the door open.

I don't understand why.

Why did she call you?

She said she had something to show me. Oh.

Oh, Margaret,

Margaret, you want me? Yes.

Login.icq.com, I'm always here to see you.

Now I think he's here to see both of us.

How are you?

I thought he might like to know that I found these keys.

My father's key ring.

And in your bedroom,

you say, these are your father's keys in it.

Could you explain the importance of these keys?

It isn't at all clear to me.

Well, you see Mrs.

Williams, it goes like this.

The keys were not in the car and they were not in your husband's body,

and we were wondering what happened to him.

My father was never kidnaped.

He came home that night and you killed him.

Oh, Margaret, Margaret, you really don't know what you're talking about.

Yes, I do.

Oh, Lieutenant, I can't do anything with it.

Oh, you must you tell them it's so you know it's true.

I wait just one moment. Oh, sit down.

Sit down in that chair.

Now listen to me, Margaret.

What you're saying might mean something except for one point.

These are not your father's keys.

Margaret, I've had the house watched and you had a locksmith up here yesterday,

and I've got an invoice of every duplicate key you had made .

Now I'm

going to overlook what you did this time, but I want you to remember something.

Forging evidence is a crime, but she killed him.

There is no proof of that. She did it.

I know it. And you know it.

Oh, I don't know what you do.

I don't know.

Young lady,

don't you ever do that again?

How could she think a thing like that?

I always knew that she resented me, but I never thought that she would go this far.

I'm going to have to tell you the truth, Mrs.

Williams.

I knew how she felt.

You see the

the fact is is she came to me the other day

and she told me that she thought you were involved.

I told thought that was a far fetched idea.

Yes, but you did manage to tell her about the missing keys.

You never mentioned them to me.

That wasn't among those little details that was bothering you so much.

Well, now Mrs.

Williams, if by some remote chance your stepdaughter had been right,

it wouldn't have been very smart for me to have told you and worth it.

I understand.

Good afternoon, Mrs.

Williams.

Lieutenant Columbo. OK.

Thank you for straightening Margaret out, I appreciate it.

Oh, the only thing I could do.

I mean, I just can't have you

accused of murder on the wrong evidence.

I know you did it.

I know it.

I think you ought to see a doctor, Margaret,

do you?

Yes, I do.

I think you're a very sick girl.

You're listening.

Yes, but it's very difficult because I'm so sick.

Margaret.

Why don't you go back to Switzerland?

I'll put you up at a hotel until school opens.

I'm staying right here.

You listen to me.

You stay here only as long as you behave.

one more little drama,

and I will not only cut off your allowance, I will tie up your estate.

You will be on Social Security before you see

a nickel of it.

Where will all your friends

be then, Margaret, when you haven't the money to buy them anymore?

Yes. Hello, Mrs.

Williams. Yes.

Lieutenant Columbo, I'm Mrs. Williams.

I was wondering if I might drop by to see you.

I got something to show you.

I think you'll really appreciate it.

It's for you.

Some stunt, huh?

You know, I remember how you like gadgets.

I thought you'd get a kick out of it.

You know, something you could show at parties.

Something to amuse your friends with like that.

Would you like to tell me how you did it?

Oh, it was nothing to it.

No, I got one of these special phone figures.

I got a tape machine and I got a timer and I read it up.

And that was it.

I'm very busy lieutenant.

Would you like to tell me what this has to do with my husband's murder?

You see, I can't get anything past you.

You really got me pegged.

Well, I'll tell you what it is.

It just shows that your husband could have been dead at the time of the phone call

that his voice could have come from carefully edited tapes from your office.

You know, Columbo,

you're almost likable in a shabby sort of way.

Maybe it's the way it comes.

Slouching in here with your sharp on bag of tricks

me tricks the humility, the seeming absent

mindedness, the homey anecdotes about the family. Why?

You know? Oh, really?

Yeah.

Lieutenant Columbo fumbling and stumbling along.

But it's always the jugular that he's after.

And I imagine that more often or not, he's successful.

I appreciate that compliment Mrs. Williams.

And I particularly appreciate it coming from you.

I must tell you, I'm disappointed in you, Lieutenant.

I'm really very disappointed as you've reduced yourself

from veiled threats and insinuations to vaudeville.

Now, what did you really expect to achieve by this tasteless stunt?

Did you expect me to throw myself at your feet confessing?

No, no.

I didn't think you'd do that. Well, then what good did it do?

Well, I just set it up with all the other details.

And after a while, you were able to see what really might have happened.

Might have, could have.

Those are phrases that hold up in court.

You'd be thrown out for lack of evidence.

Yeah.

But you know, just guess a strange conflict.

You know, with some people, it's not enough just to be acquitted

with some people.

That's also necessary to convince the public by producing the guilty party

as well.

I'm familiar with the Perry Mason School of Justice lieutenant.

It's not a bad tactic threatened to ruin my reputation by accusation.

Create a doubt about me.

But then there's always the other side.

I could always show that you were hounding me maliciously persecuting

your playing a weak hand BlueTEC.

Either arrest me or get out of here.

I'm going to have to tell you the truth.

The department took me off the case.

It's just nothing concrete, nothing to give to a day.

There's a murder out, maneuvered eleven to look into,

and you couldn't bear to leave without saying goodbye, huh?

That's right.

That's right.

He after all that, I almost forgot to say it

by Mrs.

Winifred.

Goodbye, Lieutenant.

Hello.

How do you like it, Leslie?

Just giving you the same kind of welcome home

you gave my father.

All right.

Stop, Leslie.

The first one was a blank.

But who knows,

the next one may be the real thing.

I'll let you slip by.

Just let me.

Thank you,

have no know.

Not wrapped.

My father was never kidnaped.

He came home that night, and you kill him.

No, you didn't.

I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know the.

But. It's that you watch

out, I want you out of this house tonight.

Even if you throw me out and Leslie, I won't stop.

I'll hound you, humiliate to embarrass you.

Get packed.

You used all of my trust account to pay the ransom,

and now you think you can get away with my share of the estate too.

You're not going to get away with it.

I want what's mine.

You want to negotiate, don't you?

I just want what's coming to me.

I'll give you 20,000 a year

for five years that will take you into your trust.

My trust account

was for 25 a year, plus a bonus of 5000

all in cash.

You are some little girl.

All right.

If you're on the plane tomorrow,

excuse me,

I have a lot of packing to do.

When you arrive at Zurich, Mr.

Steiner will meet you at the airport.

Take you to the bank and open an account for you.

And goodbye, Margaret.

Goodbye, Leslie.

Lieutenant Columbo,

Mrs. Williams

pursuing or extraditing now

dissuading you seem depressed,

did a criminal get away?

Come on, I'll buy you a drink for consolation.

I hate to see you unhappy.

Oh, that's very nice of you.

I have a heart.

I do.

Flight 26 to Phenix, Denver and Fort Worth.

Now loading it left off.

If not checked in.

Yes, please.

What will you have intended?

After you, Sherry, I'll have a root beer,

a root beer.

Lieutenant, you always managed to make me feel decadent.

I do. Hmm. I never know that.

I'm sorry. It's nothing personal. You understand?

Oh, I understand.

I'm going to miss you, lieutenant. You

and all your fascinating little details.

You know your son.

You really are

something I'm going to try and take that as a compliment.

Oh, it is. Is it?

Believe me?

first, speeding incoming flights are requested

not to go beyond the reception area to use the terminal.

Your cooperation will be greatly appreciated.

He's looking at you, Mrs.

Williams.

You know, for a while

there, I thought, I'll never get it

all those little details, they just didn't make it.

There was nothing conclusive.

And then I thought.

It's got to be the money, what money?

Ransom money, when a person engineers are forced kidnaping,

they have to have the money hidden somewhere.

Now it cleaned you out to erase the reins, so I thought,

I gotta find a

way to force her to use the reins of.

Thank you very much.

You know, and it seemed like a nutty idea to everybody I know it did to my wife,

but I believed in it because.

This is Williams.

You have no conscience, and that's your weakness.

Did it ever occur to you that there are very few people

that would take money to forget about a murder ?

It didn't, did it? I know it wouldn't.

No. Conscience limits your imagination.

You can't conceive of anybody being any different than what you are

and you are greedy.

And that's why as bright as you are and you are bright,

you believe that Margaret could be bought.

Flight 64 to get to the port.

Come on, get to work is the point.

This seems like a sea.

Please report to gain 64.

It was set up.

I arranged it all with Margaret,

and I told Marvin that if she really wanted an alien,

she had to force you to use the ransom money.

You're very lucky, lieutenant.

No. Congratulations.

Very smart.

So are you?

Thank you.

Forgive the charade about the briefcase,

but we had to make sure that the money was in there before we arrested him.

I had no alternative.

Would you like to finish your Sherry?

I don't think I want any more.

Would you advise Mrs.

Williams of her rights and driving downtown?

Dr. Paul

may need support to the international take ticket to count.

Dr. Paul Bailey.

That'll be 1,000,000,010, please.

Oh, yeah.

The way, I wonder.

Would you mind if I signed this?

I'm from the police town of Colombo?

I guess that'll be all right. All right, bye.

Paul, thank you very much.

Well.