Original subtitles

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♪ ♪

Sam, what is it?

Thought I heard something.

No, you're just jumpy. Eh, maybe.

Here, take this.

Go ahead.

Ever hold a gun before?

No.

.357

Magnum.

Blow a hole in somebody

big enough for a cat to walk through.

Or you can make me do

whatever you want.

Oh, you...

No. You've got to get dressed.

You're due in court.

Mr. O'Malley,

is this one of the biggest drug cases you've ever tried?

What drug case? There's no case here at all.

What about Rinaldi's testimony today?

Rinaldi?

The D.A.'s entire case is based on the testimony

of a police informant, a known felon

who'll say anything to stay out of prison.

Frankly, I'm amazed they're even letting him testify,

but I guess he's all the D.A. has.

Excuse me.

How long do you expect this case to take?

Mr. Rinaldi, you testified yesterday

you were present at Steven's Bar

on the night of August 22, 1989.

And at that time, you overheard my client

buy $11 million worth of cocaine from a Mr. Pedro Cruz.

Is that correct?

Yes, it is.

And isn't it also true

that four months ago,

you were arrested for possession of cocaine?

Yes.

Yes, and at that time, you offered to testify

against my client, Mr. Sam Chandler, in exchange

for immunity from prosecution.

That doesn't change the facts.

Oh, the facts.

The facts.

We'll get to the facts in a minute.

Were you or were you not granted immunity?

Yes, I was.

Yes, you were. Now, the facts.

The night of August 22, 1989, you say

you went to Steven's Bar with Mr. Chandler.

And when you overheard this conversation,

where exactly were you sitting?

At the bar.

You, Mr. Chandler and Mr. Cruz

were sitting at the bar?

No, they were at a table.

Oh, they were at a table, and you were at the bar.

So, in other words, you weren't sitting with them

when you overheard this conversation?

That's right.

Now, Steven's is sort of a small singles bar, isn't it?

Yeah.

Yeah. And it was a Friday night,

so the place must have been jammed.

Yeah.

What would you say, there were about 60,

70 people there? Yeah.

About the same number as in this courtroom? Yeah.

Yeah, something like that.

Your Honor, with the court's indulgence,

I would like to try and reconstruct the circumstances

at Steven's Bar on the night in question.

Objection, Your Honor. Relevance.

Overruled.

Given the potential damage of this witness's testimony,

I'm going to allow Mr. O'Malley to continue.

Thank you, Your Honor.

All right, ladies and gentlemen, uh, we need your help.

We need you to pretend

that you're at a bar, it's Friday night,

you're out with some friends,

uh, having a couple of drinks,

talking, laughing, having

a good time, okay?

It's okay, folks, you can do this.

You heard the judge.

He said it was okay, right?

Uh-huh. Yeah, no.

I said a good time.

A good time, yeah.

Folks, come on.

I've heard rowdier groups at a funeral.

Louder. Louder, everybody.

Would you say this is about the distance it was

to, uh, Mr. Chandler?

I-I don't... I can't hear you. I...

You having a problem, Mr. Rinaldi?

I can't hear you.

Folks!

Quiet, please.

Mr. Rinaldi can't hear me.

And if you can't hear me now in this courtroom, Mr. Rinaldi,

how in the hell

can you sit there and testify under penalty of perjury

that you could overhear a conversation

at a crowded singles bar on a Friday night

between my client and Mr. Cruz

when you were sitting at a bar halfway across the room?

You know what I think, Mr. Rinaldi?

You didn't hear one word of that conversation, did you?

Not one word.

No further questions.

Has the jury reached a verdict?

We find the defendant, Samuel Chandler, not guilty.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen of the jury.

This court stands adjourned.

It's okay, Deputy. That's my wife.

Congratulations, Mr. Chandler.

She's something.

Ah, you were wonderful, my darling.

It's good to have you back.

Yes. All right.

Hey, Sam. Hey, congratulations.

I hear O'Malley was terrific.

Quite a show, quite a show.

Pour me a drink.

Sure.

I take it you all heard from Jack Rinaldi.

I'm not paying him another penny.

Relax, Bobby.

Did you get a tape?

An excerpt. I think we got to do something.

You know,

I expect Bobby to go off half-cocked,

but you, Al, too?

I thought you were smarter than that.

Just a minute.

Yes?

David.

What are you doing here?

That's my line.

Dave, let's be calm about this.

It's not serious.

Where's Sam?

I don't know.

Where is he?

I don't know.

Where is he?

At Todd's Grill.

Sam, that tape

gets in the wrong hands, it could mean life for all of us.

That's not what Rinaldi wants; he wants money.

A few bucks.

The moment he turns that tape

over to the police, he's out of business.

A million dollars is more than a few bucks.

You kill Rinaldi,

the police are gonna come after me.

Take a vacation.

The Greek Isles are beautiful this time of year.

Perhaps I didn't make myself clear.

If I hear that Jack Rinaldi slipped in the shower,

or hung himself because he was distraught or depressed,

I'll know who killed him.

You threatening me?

I just came this close to going to prison.

That's close enough!

David!

What are you doing here?

Stay away from my wife,

or I'll kill you! Cool it!

I'll kill you, you understand! Hold it! Hold it!

I'll kill you. Come on, come on.

Hello. Maintenance.

♪ ♪

Eh, boy.

End of the ride.

This is your favorite spot, huh?

What are you doing here?

David, that was a dumb thing to do.

Punching out Sam Chandler is like taking on Mike Tyson.

It's really stupid.

Did anybody see you?

Well, we were in the back room at Todd's Grill.

Jim Steinbach,

Al Brackman and Bobby Boyd were there.

Do you know who those fellas are?

Ben, at one time or another, I've represented all of them.

Not for jaywalking, I'm sure.

Not one of them ever got convicted of a crime

while I was representing them, including Sam Chandler.

Sam Chandler.

Crook. Big dope dealer.

Not according to the jury.

One of his friends killed him.

With your gun. What was your gun doing there?

Well, they stole it out of my office.

Look, I already told the police,

I can account for my actions at the time of the murder.

I was being hit up for free legal advice

by a bellman at the hotel. There's no bellman

there that fits your description.

Oh, really? Well, that's a surprise.

Come on. I'm being framed, Ben. Obviously.

Look, as soon as I get out here,

I'll write you a check for the full amount of your fee. I-I assume

our-our fees are comparable.

Well, what do you get for a case like this?

$125,000 plus expenses.

Huh.

Is there... is there a problem with the figure?

Oh, no, no.

No, I-I usually get, um, a little bit more.

Good morning, Mr. O'Malley. They're all here.

I thought you rented small temporary quarters.

I did.

Come on.

Morning. Morning. Good morning.

I've had my staff stay on here in Atlanta.

We've put our heads together and given the case some thought.

Now, we already have files on everyone who heard me

threaten Sam Chandler. David?

I think we should put a tail on each of them, though.

David? Now, the medical examiner found that

Sam's right index finger was broken

just before he died. David!

What?

Um...

Did you sign me on, uh, to defend you?

You want me to send them home?

Well, we're both not going to represent you...

People?

Uh, that'll be it for today.

We'll arrange your transportation

back to New York first thing in the morning.

Thank you. Thank you all for your work.

Can I at least, uh, give you the files

on Bobby Boyd, Jim Steinbach and Al Brackman?

Fine.

Here you go.

Is, um...

Is your wife still in town?

Yeah. She's at the Wilton Towers.

She won't talk to me.

I don't think she'll talk to you, either.

Maybe not.

What do you want me to do?

Oh, go back to your hotel, look at television, read...

Ben, I'm a good investigator

and a damn good attorney. You know that.

Well, then, maybe you should represent yourself.

No.

Anything else?

Well, yeah.

Uh, most good lawyers make lousy defendants.

I'm sure I would, too. We all have

reputations. You're a jet setter.

Hot tempered.

Uh, two-fisted drinker.

I want you to watch your temper,

stay in town, and lay off the booze.

We need for the jury to like you.

It's very important.

Of course, you know that.

Yeah.

You know, Sam's got a security system on the house.

It's off.

Go. Get to work.

Now, if someone found that tape before us, we're dead.

Hey, why don't you try the bedroom?

♪ ♪

I got it.

Let's get out of here.

Place looks like a cyclone hit.

Tell me about it.

Detective Cox.

Mm-hmm?

Conrad McMasters.

Oh. You work with Ben Matlock.

Yeah. What do you make of all this?

Routine burglary.

You don't think this has anything to do

with Sam Chandler's death?

Sure. Whoever did it knew the house was going to be empty.

Thieves would have to be out of their mind

to break into Sam Chandler's house.

A lot of thieves out of their minds.

And don't these things usually indicate

if the alarm has gone off?

It wasn't on.

Man gets murdered one day,

house broken into the next.

One thing has to have something to do with the other.

Yeah, they might.

Excuse me.

Hey, Bobby.

Whatcha say?

Get out of here.

Bobby, I'm sorry about your brother.

I'm sorry I couldn't defend him.

You don't like people like Greg and me.

That's why you didn't represent him.

Now, what do you want?

You knew Sam Chandler. Yeah. He was like

a brother to me. Well, how did you feel

when he, uh, started, um...

you know, with your sister?

You got a lot of nerve.

You come in here, a place you've been told not to come.

Then, if I understand you correctly,

you suggest I might have killed a man who was like family to me?

What's the matter with you, huh?

Don't you have any damn respect? Renee?

Thursday morning, I was at your place, wasn't I?

Yeah. Eddie?

Sam? Show Mr. Matlock the door.

Never mind. Never mind.

Never mind.

Mr. Brackman.

Hey, Mr. Matlock.

Hi, how are you? How are you?

Hello, boys.

This is, uh, Matthew, and this is Josh.

Oh. Hey. How are you?

Listen, would you mind taking a couple

pictures of me and the kids? No. Get-Get together there.

C'mon. Get close there.

Where do you look through? Oh, you look through...

There you go. Uh... Yeah, okay.

One, two, three.

There. Then...

You advance it to the right.

Let's do another. This-This? Yeah.

Okay. Gotcha.

And one, two, three.

That's...

One more for safety, okay? Give me a great big grin.

There you go.

Oh, that's great. Thank you. Yeah.

Listen, why don't you guys go look

at the big engine down there, all right?

Yeah. Come on.

Yeah.

Nice boys.

Thank you.

They changed my life.

Yeah. Is that the case?

I'm a husband, parent... respectable man.

Well, uh...

excuse me for saying it, but, um...

uh, would a respectable man, uh, have meetings

with Bobby Boyd and Jim Steinbach?

We're friends.

We've been friends for years.

I have done everything I can to escape my past.

I'm a legitimate businessman.

Once in a while, I get together with old friends,

and we have a couple of laughs. Is that a crime?

No, no.

David O'Malley said that when he got to the restaurant,

all of you were yelling at Sam.

Sam liked to argue.

You can think whatever you want of me.

Those kids are what's important to me.

And if you think that I'd go into business

with Bobby and Jim, you're crazy.

What about Sam?

Sam's dead.

Atlantic City.

A couple years ago.

You went into a big hotel deal with Sam.

Very lucrative.

He cut you out.

That was business. It was nothing.

Then you won't mind my asking...

Where I was when Sam was killed?

On the money. Right.

My wife and I are trying to have another child.

Well...

We were trying.

Oh.

Oh.

♪ ♪

You following me, or you watching the bar?

Both.

Angela Page. I work for

David O'Malley.

I know.

Conrad McMasters.

I know.

Get in.

You're David O'Malley's investigator.

You look surprised.

I am. I don't expect to see a woman like you

doing this kind of work.

Ah, I was a legal secretary.

I didn't like it.

But you like following dope pushers and murderers.

Finding out their dirty little secrets

and staking out joints like this.

Yes, I do.

And hopefully, it's useful.

Do you like jelly beans?

Yes.

Mmm!

I thought Mr. O'Malley sent everybody back to New York.

Yes, he did.

You don't take orders very well.

I don't take orders at all.

Got to go.

It's been...

brief.

All right.

Hey.

What did he want?

Who?

The guy you were talking to.

Why don't you ask him yourself?

Next time I see you, I won't be this nice.

Oh, Ms. O'Malley.

Yes?

Uh, I'd like to talk with you about Sam.

No.

Surely, you could spare a moment.

No! I said no.

I've spent 15 years married to a criminal

lawyer.

I know who you are, and I know what you want.

You want to use my life as David's defense, don't you?

You want to put me on trial. I'm sorry.

My life is my business,

and I'm going to keep it that way.

Well, she did talk to me.

Hmm...

Come on in.

Be with you in a minute.

Okay.

You use all this stuff?

Religiously, every day.

Looks painful.

You get used to it.

And it pays off a lot better

than some of the stocks I've been in.

Oh.

I'm at 186.

Yeah?

You look thinner than that.

That's my cholesterol.

Oh.

Okay.

Please, sit down.

Oh.

Let's get right to it.

Sam Chandler.

Quite a guy.

David O'Malley does one phenomenal job

getting him off,

and then Sam sleeps with his wife in return.

Yeah. Yeah.

I remember your father's death.

So do I.

At the time, there was some speculation

that Sam had a hand in it.

It wasn't speculation.

I never got involved in my father's business.

I never wanted to.

Then, one day, I got a call.

My father was shot four times in the head

while he was getting a haircut.

I knew what he did.

I wasn't surprised.

I was 23 at the time.

Now, I could have retaliated,

which means taking over my father's business

and starting a war, or I could choose peace.

I hated Sam for what he did,

but I chose peace because I didn't want to get involved.

I didn't want that kind of life.

Mr. Matlock, I didn't kill Sam Chandler.

If I'd have wanted to do that,

I'd have done it a long time ago.

Well, I-I-I still have to ask you

where you were that morning.

Jogging.

I jog every morning.

Well, uh,

did... did anybody, uh...

People see me?

I don't know if anybody remembers

seeing me that particular day.

Bobby Boyd's here.

What are you going to do?

I'm leaving. Jack, he's

crazy, and I'm not staying here without you.

Vicki, huh? Don't worry.

You're safe. He's looking for me.

Well, what should I tell him?

Tell him you haven't heard from me,

you don't know where I am.

Hey, hey, hey.

Huh?

Hey, they'll pay me off in a couple of days.

Soon as I get the money, we're gone.

Okay. Go.

Yeah, Vicki.

How are you, huh?

I'm fine. Good, good.

Come here. Come here.

You look exhausted.

Had a bad night.

Mmm.

Staking out the house?

Yeah.

Mmm!

Popcorn?

Mm-hmm.

Done a lot of this?

Yeah.

Vicki, we don't have to do it this way.

I don't know where he is.

You can do better that.

I swear I don't.

Please, stop it.

You tell Jack he's got 24 hours to call.

If he don't...

I'll be back.

Hi, ma'am.

My name is Conrad McMasters.

May I talk to you for a moment?

What is it? I need to talk to you

about the guy who just...

Hi. Oh... oh, are you all right?

Let's get some ice on that.

He was looking

for her boyfriend, Jack Rinaldi.

Oh.

David!

Hi. The cleaning crew let me in.

What are you doing looking through my stuff?

Well, the preliminary hearing is tomorrow, Ben.

I want to see what you have.

You got anything at all?

You know Jack Rinaldi? Yeah, I know him.

He seems to be the key to this case. No.

He's totally unimportant. And if that's all you have,

we're going into court tomorrow with nothing. David, I

don't want you looking through my stuff.

I've got other cases with secrets

that have nothing to do with you,

and I don't want you looking at them!

I just wanted to see what you've got.

I... you work so differently than I do, Ben.

We're not going to trial in the morning.

We've got time.

I know I work differently from you.

And I know that must make you nervous. I guess I'd

be nervous, too, if I faced the prospect

of going to prison for the rest of my life.

I can step aside.

I can step aside, you can get somebody else,

or you can handle it yourself.

But, like they say, a man who represents himself

has a fool for a lawyer.

Here.

Take the rest of Conrad's popcorn,

go home and think it over.

But whatever you decide,

you're not getting my fee back.

Thank you.

I want you to find Jack Rinaldi.

And make him disappear.

Keep me posted.

♪ Won't you come home, Bill Bailey? ♪

♪ Won't you come home? ♪

♪ She moaned the whole night long ♪

♪ I'll do the cookin', honey ♪

♪ I'll pay the rent ♪

♪ I know I done you wrong ♪

♪ Remember that rainy evening ♪

♪ I threw you out ♪

♪ With nothing but a fine-tooth comb? ♪

♪ I know I'm to blame ♪

♪ Ain't that a shame? ♪

♪ Bill Bailey, won't you please come home? ♪

♪ Yeah! Yeah! ♪ Yeah.

♪ Bill Bailey, won't you please come home? ♪

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

♪ Bill Bailey, won't you please come home? ♪

Oh. Yeah.

That was good. All ready for Biloxi, Mississippi.

Close.

You're my lawyer?

Well, hell, I get to have a little fun.

Uh-huh.

You want something?

Chili's pretty good.

Maybe later.

So, what's so urgent?

Right here.

♪ Bailey, won't you come home? ♪

♪ Bailey, won't you come on home? ♪

Well, anyway...

I got a call from the D.A.

right after you left the office.

He's, uh... he's got another witness.

Who?

Your wife.

My wife?

Yeah, she's going to speak to motive.

Susan is going to testify?!

Cool it, cool it, cool it.

Uh, Sally?

Uh, bring us... uh... bring us a couple cups of coffee, sweetheart.

The assistant D.A. said that she'll testify

that you're so jealous of her,

that when you found her over at Sam Chandler's place,

you went into a murderous rage.

This is a riot.

It isn't true?

Yeah. It's-It's half true.

I am jealous...

because I love her.

So much, in fact, that I always forgive her.

Which is pretty stupid, I suppose.

Then you did go after Sam Chandler?

Yeah, but Sam wasn't important. I-I... I just wanted

to make sure that Susan was going to come back.

Then she's lying?

Yeah.

Can you corroborate?

Uh... the maid... Shirley.

Yeah, we could... we could fly her down.

Detective Cox? Hmm?

Can you identify this revolver for us?

This is my tag.

That's my mark.

I found this weapon at the scene of the crime.

It was later determined to be the gun

that was used to kill Sam Chandler.

And to whom is this gun registered?

The defendant, David O'Malley.

Thank you, Detective.

Nothing further.

Mr. Matlock.

No questions, Your Honor.

You may step down.

Call your next witness.

The people call Susan O'Malley to the stand.

Mrs. O'Malley, how long have you and David O'Malley been married?

15 years.

And during that time,

did you ever have an affair with another man?

Yes.

Did your husband know?

I think he suspected I was having an affair

with Sam Chandler.

Mrs. O'Malley, would you call your husband a jealous man?

Oh, yes, very. Was he

possessive? Completely.

And did your husband ever learn about

your affair with Sam Chandler?

Yes. The night before... Sam was killed,

David found me at Sam's house.

How did he react?

He became violent.

What do you mean "violent"?

He grabbed my face and squeezed it very hard.

He's a very strong man.

I didn't know what he was going to do.

And then what happened?

He threatened me.

He made me tell him where Sam was.

And where was that?

Todd's Grill.

And then what did your husband do?

He finally let go of me,

and he ran to his car and took off.

And could you describe his emotional state

as he left you that evening?

Oh, yes, he was in one of his jealous rages,

but he was... more angry than I've ever seen him.

He scared me.

Thank you, Mrs. O'Malley.

No further questions.

Mr. Matlock?

Uh, Mrs. O'Malley, did the D.A. tell you

that you did not have to come here and testify today?

Yes.

So you, of your own free will,

volunteered to come here and testify

against David O'Malley?

Yes.

You mad at him?

D-Do you want to see your husband go to prison?

I believe that David killed Sam Chandler.

Oh!

So you're here for justice, and not vengeance?

Oh, yes, that's right.

Uh, Mrs. O'Malley,

isn't it true that you have had, uh, affairs?

Yes.

And aren't-aren't they often

the act of, um... an angry person?

Yes, I suppose they can be.

But you-you-you've chosen to testify

against the man who bought the very dress that you're wearing.

Who provided clothing, housing for you.

Your every need for the entire 15 years that you were married.

Is this the way you show your gratitude?

Mr. Matlock, I'm not a vindictive woman.

You couldn't prove it by me.

Now you-you've testified...

you've testified that David O'Malley

is a jealous, possessive man.

How-How did he demonstrate that to you?

Well, he would get furious

if I were just going to go have lunch with a man.

He would order me

not to go. Hmm.

Well, did you do what he said?

No.

Oh. And did he rave and yell a-and become very unpleasant?

Yes, he would... he would scream at me

if I just danced with a younger man at a club.

Does the name Edward Campbell

mean anything to you?

Well, yes. Edward is a close, old friend of David's and mine.

He's a closer friend to you than David, isn't he?

In fact, isn't it true

that you had an affair with Mr. Campbell

seven years ago?

No. Even though

Mr. Campbell lives in New York, he does have a telephone.

Surely you must know that someone from my office

has spoken with him,

don't you?

You're under penalty of perjury.

We had an affair.

And this husband...

this jealous, possessive man, found out about it,

didn't he?

Yes.

But he didn't rave and yell or even

go after Mr. Campbell, did he?

No. He forgave you, didn't he?

Yes, yes, that time he did, but he was always

fighting with me and screaming at me because of other men.

Come on, Mrs. O'Malley, if that were true,

your housekeeper Shirley Lipton would have

heard at least some of the fights.

Oh, yes, she did. Shirley heard them.

Shirley Lipton

is prepared to testify

that David O'Malley is not a jealous, possessive man.

Quite the contrary...

he loved you so much,

he forgave your affairs

and indulged your whims.

There were no fights. There were no

"jealous rages," as you call them.

Isn't that a true picture of David O'Malley?

Oh, you can just trot Shirley out here on her crutches

and get all the sympathy you want,

but the fact is, she's lying.

Move to strike the witness's last statement.

So ordered.

Uh...

Y-Your Honor, may I have a half-hour recess?

Is everything all right, Mr. Matlock?

I'm not sure.

Take an hour and we'll call it lunch.

This court is adjourned until 1:15.

Stay here, stay here.

Come in, Ms. Lipton.

Come in. Have a seat right here.

That's good. I-I have a...

Good. I have a few things I need to run through

before we go into the courtroom.

Of course. Now...

how long has it been since you've seen Mrs. O'Malley?

It was six months ago when she fired me.

Have you talked to her since then?

Not once.

Ms. Lipton, are you aware

that perjury is considered a serious crime in this state

and is punished severely?

Why are you telling me this?

I want you to also know

that at this very moment, my investigator

is going over your bank records.

Oh.

Is that a problem?

How did Susan

O'Malley know that you're using crutches?

You only broke your leg two days ago.

And you say you haven't spoken with her in months?

Well, maybe David told her.

David told me

he hadn't spoken with her since the night before the murder.

Somebody's lying.

David O'Malley is paying you, isn't he?

Yes.

And he is a jealous, possessive man,

and they did have loud, ugly fights, didn't they?

Yes.

Ms. Lipton,

give him his money back.

What the hell are you doing?

You had her. Why'd you let her go?

You set me up.

What?

It was a dumb move, David.

I don't know what you're talking about.

You staged all this.

Somehow you got Susan on that stand.

You paid Shirley to lie.

You filled me with the lies so I could take Susan apart.

You're crazy.

A lying, cheating wife...

the worst possible witness.

She'd make the D.A.

look desperate.

Discredit his case, make it look weak and without merit.

And you arranged all that.

You're actually standing there accusing me of this?

Shirley admitted it.

I know your wife cheated on you,

and I know you're madder than hell,

and I don't blame you, but...

how in the world did you get Susan on that stand?

You're not back together again!

I'll tell you how I got her back on the stand.

By explaining to her that it was

in her best interest if she wanted a

speedy, lucrative divorce settlement.

I'll tell you the truth...

I'd love to drop this damn case.

You've lied to me.

You've perverted a system of

justice you're sworn to uphold.

Ben, you want to drop the case,

there's obviously nothing I can do about it,

but do me a favor...

don't stand here and try and tell me

that you've won all your cases by playing it straight.

Because I know better. I know you.

You're like me. You like to win.

And you will bend the rules.

No.

Not all this.

What are you going to do?

Don't know.

Gonna quit?

Don't know.

Ben Matlock's office.

Hmm!

Ben Matlock.

Uh-huh. Yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

Be there in a half hour.

Jack Rinaldi.

Hey, don't

go in there.

He'll spook Jack Rinaldi. Hey!