Original subtitles

JESSICA: So there's no age limit on reinventing yourself.

Sometimes it just takes us a while

to discover what it is that we're good at.

It doesn't matter

if you decide to take up writing at the age of 20, 40, 60, whatever.

I mean, what matters is the quality of your writing

and the quiet determination of your most secret heart.

And striving for quality will not always come easy.

You may throw out half of what you write. That's okay.

The idea is to keep going, keep writing.

It will take a great deal of energy, but it'll be worth it.

In the end, it all comes down to four things.

Patience, direction, determination and strength.

Thank you so much for coming.

(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)

Mrs. Fletcher, I have been a literary assistant

with Speakers Incorporated for years,

but I have never seen a crowd react to a speaker the way they do to you.

Well, thank you.

Are you writing something new?

As a matter of fact, I am.

I've just started a new mystery set in the television industry.

Oh! Yes. Well, we'd better get you to the hotel to pack your things.

Your flight to Los Angeles is leaving on schedule.

You know, this upcoming event,

it's the first time all the speakers in the agency will be together in one place.

It's going to be a huge PR event.

Did you know that for the first time,

Yuri Malenkovich is coming in all the way from Russia?

No, didn't.

Yes.

Well, I'm ready.

Great. Let's go.

(INDISTINCT CHATTERING)

Be careful with this case. It's my typewriter.

Yes, sir.

I'm sure you've heard of a typewriter.

It's kind of like a word processor,

but you don't have to plug it in.

You're hungry, aren't you?

You usually wait until at least 6:00 to get this cranky.

I am not cranky. I am the very soul of refined manners.

(LAUGHS) A damned soul, perhaps.

That's no way to talk to your mentor.

Warren, with you, it's the only way.

Where's the elevator?

No, there has been a mistake.

When the reservations were made, I said smoking room.

I cannot have a non-smoking room.

I'm sorry, Mr. Malenkovich. I'm sure we have something available for you.

Let me just check the computer.

(STAMMERING IN FRUSTRATION) This is typical.

Americans export tobacco all over the world!

Now we all smoke. Russia, France, England, everybody smokes!

Now you change the rules so we cannot do it here.

Now where is the fairness in that? Hmm? Hmm?

I'm afraid that's not my department, sir.

Enough of this. Have my bags taken up to my room immediately.

(IN RUSSIAN ACCENT) He has it.

What if he says no?

Then we will convince him.

Message for you, Mr. Cole.

Hi, I'm William Batsby. I'm one of the motivational speakers.

Didn't I see you on a cereal box once?

It's altogether possible.

So how do you do that? Get on a cereal box, I mean.

You train all your life.

Ten hours a day, seven days a week,

until you get this little gold medal

that says you're the best in the world at what you do.

And then what?

Just try to hang on.

Oh, thanks. I'll see you later.

Hi, the name is Penny Ryan. I think you have a room...

All ready to go, Miss Ryan.

(KNOCK AT DOOR)

Mrs. Fletcher? John Mendoza, an intern with the agency.

I've been assigned to be your gopher.

If there's anything that I can do, any errands, just say the word.

Well, thank you. Come in.

Actually, there is something.

I was planning on wearing this jacket

at the closing dinner on Sunday night,

but I'm afraid it came out of my luggage worse than it went in.

I know it's the weekend, but...

No problem. I'll have it ready for you first thing in the morning.

That would be wonderful, thank you.

It's my pleasure. That's why I signed up.

And as soon as I heard that you were going to be here,

I called and asked to be assigned to you.

I figure it's the least I can do.

You see, my mom, she was a big fan of yours,

and she passed away about six months ago.

Oh, I'm sorry.

No, don't be, because you kept her going.

I used to come to the hospital and read to her from your last book.

We'd finish one chapter and then she'd have me start the next one.

It was like Shahrazad.

It gave her something she knew she would have to finish.

Your mom must've been quite a woman.

I'm sure you loved her very much.

I did.

Anyway, you helped her get her mind off of her treatments,

and for that, I owe you.

Thank you, John.

WOMAN: Could I have a bellman to the front desk?

Bellman, to the front desk, please.

That was Penny Ryan! Yeah.

I can't believe it. She hasn't been seen in public in, what, over three years?

Well, if I lost my last chance at a gold medal

in one of the worst showings in Olympics' history, I'd go into hiding, too.

Still, it doesn't change the fact

that she was one of the best skaters in the business.

I do believe you're rather taken with her.

Well, I was a big fan.

Well, then go talk to her.

No. I can't. Not now. Maybe later.

J, you can't hope to motivate other people

if you can't motivate yourself first.

Rule one, remember?

Yes, I remember.

So, any sign of Jessica Fletcher?

No.

Knowing her, she got here early, she's already settled in.

I have no idea how she does it. It makes me crazy.

Does what?

Perfection.

Did you know she charges less for her lectures than any of the other clients?

Says she wants to make sure

that anybody who wants to be a writer can afford to get in.

Some days, I think she does it deliberately

just to make the rest of us look bad.

Come on, she's the last person who'd do that sort of thing.

Yeah. But if you read her books,

then you know that the person we think is least likely to do that sort of thing

is almost always the one

who turns out to be the most likely to do exactly that sort of thing.

(KNOCK AT DOOR)

Jessica, you must join us for dinner.

Otherwise, we'll have to share our table

with one of those dreary colleagues of ours downstairs.

And frankly, I would rather hurl myself off the roof to my untimely death.

I would leave you with all kinds of guilt,

which I would never do to an old friend.

So, there you are.

(BOTH LAUGHING)

Hey, how are you? You look wonderful!

Thank you, Warren. And who is this?

I'm Patricia Williams. I've been studying with Warren.

She's my protege. I'm teaching her everything I know.

Warren, I have a good idea.

Why don't we continue this over dinner?

Splendid. Splendid idea!

(PATRICIA LAUGHING)

PATRICIA: And I met Warren about a year ago

at a writing workshop in Seattle.

Mmm. The first time I read her stuff, I knew she had it.

JESSICA: Uh-huh.

Just needs a little seasoning.

Oh!

So, how long have you two known each other?

Oh, ages.

We both had our first novels published in the same year.

Which put us in contention for the same awards.

So we attended the same receptions, the same awards banquets,

and somehow we became friends.

A miracle of somewhat biblical proportions.

This may surprise you, but it's not easy being my friend.

Oh! I'm shocked. Shocked, I tell you.

I've heard it said that I'm cranky, impatient, judgmental, short-tempered...

Tempestuous. Volatile.

Well, we noticed that you were going alphabetically,

so we thought we would just help you out.

(CHUCKLES)

Well, despite all that, we've managed to remain friends.

Because we've always had a mutual respect for each other.

Jessica is the real deal.

Look around you.

Half the people in this room won't even be here next year.

They're flavors of the month,

with about as much depth of character as a piece of cardboard.

And speaking of our esteemed comrades,

I believe this is the latest addition to our ranks.

JESSICA: Yes. I heard.

He was the former head of the KGB.

You don't sound too happy about that.

Well, many unfortunate things were done by the KGB

before the fall of the Soviet Union.

Yuri.

I know you.

Mack Rollins.

The political connotator.

It's commentator.

No, connotator. I've read your columns.

You engage in connotation,

implication, innuendo, but very little real news.

How are you still able to earn a living, I wonder?

I do just fine.

(KNOCKING ON PODIUM)

BRENNAN: Excuse me, if I can have your attention, please.

For those of you I haven't met yet,

I'm Joseph Brennan, president of Speakers Inc.

Thank you. Thank you.

In the last 10 years,

we have become one of the most popular speakers' bureaus in the United States and Britain.

Our clients include writers, actors, athletes,

politicians, scientists and others.

But now I would like to introduce our newest clients.

Penny Ryan. Four-time international gold medalist in figure skating.

Mack Rollins, syndicated columnist,

author of a half a dozen of the most inflammatory books

written about American politics in the '70s.

As my late, lamented writing partner used to say at these occasions,

I'm bombed to meet you.

And finally, I would like to introduce to you Yuri Ivanov Malenkovich.

Previously head of military intelligence for the former Soviet Union,

educated at Eton in England.

Well, I am pleased to announce

that he has just completed a new non-fiction book,

a history of his tenure as head of the KGB.

And it has just been sold sight unseen to Hafner Loebs Publishing.

It should cause quite a stir in both our countries.

Names are named, there are scandals, secrets...

My former comrades offered me $1 million not to sell the manuscript,

just to turn it over to them.

I told them I had a better offer.

To wrap things up on Monday,

Yuri will hand over the manuscript for the very first time

at a press conference in return for a check for $2 million.

(AUDIENCE EXCLAIMING)

$2 million? I'd kill for a deal like that.

Well, if he's right about what's in that manuscript, you're not the only one.

Excuse me.

Mr. Rollins, a moment of your time, please.

Excuse us. Sure. Sure.

My time is your time.

Good, then stop wasting it.

What the hell was that all about back there?

What are you talking...

We had an agreement, me and your publisher,

while we're on tour, there's no drinking.

This is not the tour. That doesn't happen till next week.

But this is to promote the tour.

This place is lousy with reporters,

and we have an image to maintain here.

(LAUGHING) Please! Look, look.

When you came to us with this little dog-and-pony show,

we were supportive.

Now, despite some serious misgivings on my part,

your publisher and I invested a significant amount of money in this project.

I'd rather not lose my shirt.

You won't.

I'm just being colorful, that's all. People like colorful.

Surely you've heard about it? It's been in all the papers.

Fine. Okay. Okay, fine.

Do what you want.

But if you screw up, I'm pulling out and it's over.

Hey, I didn't notice you getting that heavy-handed with Yuri

for saying a lot more and a lot worse than I did.

Kind of makes me think you want to swing this deal over more in his direction.

But after all, (SHOUTING) he's the bigger ticket, right?

Those are your words, Mack, not mine!

But not exactly inaccurate, either.

Hey, I didn't like what you said to me back there.

We had an understanding. There's a line you don't cross.

Mr. Rollins.

At this moment, you need me more than I need you.

Do you wish to end our little agreement? Do you? Hmm?

No. Good boy.

You're a real piece of work, Yuri, you know that?

My wife said I was signing a deal with the devil,

but, mister, next to you, he's a piker.

Go have a drink, Rollie.

Tomorrow we begin the Cold War all over again.

(PLAYING JAZZ MUSIC)

Mrs. Fletcher. William Batsby.

Motivational ideologies.

This is my associate, Everett Jang.

Oh, hello. We're big fans of yours.

Oh! Well, thank you.

That said, can I ask you atactless question?

Well, that depends on the question.

Do you feel that solving real-life murders

has helped raise your visibility

in terms of book sales, appearances, PR?

I don't know. I must confess, I've never really thought about it.

(YURI CHUCKLING)

I think you're being slightly disingenuous, Mrs. Fletcher.

Even in my country, yourwork is well known.

Why, you're not a law enforcement officer,

and yet you take great risks

every time you get involved in a murder investigation, huh? (CHUCKLING)

Why else do it if not for the publicity?

If you bring something special to a situation that may be of help,

and if the circumstances merit your intrusion,

don't you think it's the responsibility of every citizen

to become involved if a crime has been committed?

YURI: But I did not come here to argue.

I thought we could begin fresh.

Let the past stay in the past.

I believe that all things work out for the best in the end, huh?

So do I.

I sleep well at night, comforted by that thought.

You, perhaps, should not.

(GRUNTS DISMISSIVELY)

(INDISTINCT CHATTERING)

Pretty night.

Yes. Yes, it is.

I couldn't take much more of that crowd in there.

My capacity for superficial chatter only goes so far.

Where's Patricia?

Inside. Dancing the night away, I imagine.

I can't keep up with her.

Oh, I know what you're thinking.

I didn't know I was thinking anything.

Now, there is nothing more between Patricia and myself than student and mentor.

I never thought there was.

Not that she's not important to me, Jess.

I'm very fond of her.

You know, when I look at her, I see myself at that age.

Full of energy, idealistic as hell and very bright.

All she needs is that one big break and she's on her way.

I just hope I don't pack it in before she gets her chance.

Well, it's a little premature to be talking about the end.

You've still got a lot of years ahead of you.

You know, Jess, there are times when I think

I can no longer bear the weight of my own existence.

You said the same thing when your son Brent died.

(SOFTLY) Yeah.

If it was true then, why is it not true now?

It was a hard thing, losing a son.

It made you question everything.

You had to get on with the job of living again.

Yeah. You're right.

(CHUCKLES)

Tell me something, Jess.

How is it that you and I never got together?

Oh, because I am completely busy

and you are completely disagreeable.

(BOTH LAUGHING)

Yeah, I thought it was something like that.

Oh. (LAUGHING)

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

(DOOR OPENING)

You, boy, I need to copy something.

A manuscript. Can you tell me where I might do that?

No.

And first off, I'm not your "boy."

And second, I'm here for Mrs. Fletcher, not you.

You are an intern of this agency, yes?

(SCOFFS) Sorry.

Insolent little...

Come back here!

(DOOR SLAMMING SHUT)

(CHIMING)

(THUNDER CRACKING)

(UPBEAT JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING)

(INAUDIBLE)

(THUNDER CRACKING)

$2 million for one book.

(INDISTINCT CHATTERING)

(CHIMING)

(KNOCKING AT DOOR)

(THUNDER CRACKING)

(CHIMING)

(TIRES SCREECHING)

Housekeeping.

(SCREAMING) (THUNDER CRACKING)

(CHATTER ON POLICE RADIO)

OFFICER 1: No idea. We just got here.

(SIREN WAILING)

OFFICER 2: Sir.

OFFICER 3: Yeah. Just take it around the back.

Jessica Fletcher is here and there's been a murder. What're the odds?

Excuse me.

EMT: Excuse me. Coming through.

It's Yuri. I heard it from one of the cleaning staff.

She found his body when they went in to clean his room.

They said he was shot, but no one heard a gun.

Oh, dear.

So?

What?

Well, aren't you going to investigate?

I thought you'd be discovering clues by now.

Oh!

I'm quite sure that the local authorities have everything well in hand.

I'm not gonna get in their way.

Excuse me.

I can't believe it. I just saw him last night.

We were supposed to have breakfast.

I had the staff bring in caviar, onions, sardines...

For breakfast?

You ask me, whoever killed him didn't have to do it.

With a diet like that, just wait a few weeks, huh?

Hello, Jessica.

Oh, Joseph.

Are you all right? ls there anything you need?

No, thank you, Jessica.

Jessica Fletcher? That's right.

Lieutenant Detective Bob Mankowsky.

It's an honor to meet you.

I've read all of your books. Well, most of them.

I would've read all of them, but who's got that kind of time?

I assume you've heard the details.

Well, actually, I...

Yuri was shot sometime last night around midnight in his room,

possibly with a silencer, since nobody heard anything.

And only one thing was taken from the room, the manuscript of Yuri's book.

So isn't this where you tell me what you think happened?

Don't worry, Officer Mankowsky,

I am not going to interfere with your investigation.

What, you think I don't want you getting involved?

Well, uh, it's usually the case. (CHUCKLES)

Well, not me. Like I said, I'm a big fan.

So as far as I'm concerned, you get involved to your heart's content.

Well, thank you, I'll remember that.

Now what're you gonna do, Joseph?

I mean, in terms of the conference?

Well, Officer Mankowsky thinks we should continue and I agree.

I mean, we've arranged this gathering

for our clients to showcase their individual presentations.

We've got free lectures all weekend, tons of press.

I can'tjustify closing down that opportunity

for our clients to generate some valuable attention.

Besides, the odds are somebody here pulled the trigger.

So you think Jessica Fletcher's working on the case?

Come on, she said she wasn't gonna get into it.

Yeah, but what if she does?

You know, between the two of us,

we could beat her at her own game, solve it first.

Oh, come on! Can you imagine the publicity?

Can you imagine the attention?

Can you imagine the book sales?

You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?

Yeah. Listen, I'll catch up with you later.

I want to get on this before anybody else figures it out.

Patricia? You up?

Hey.

Nothing personal, but you look like hell.

(sums)

Thanks a lot. I couldn't sleep. Had nightmares all night.

Hmm.

Point of logic.

How could you have nightmares if you couldn't sleep?

(sum-nus)

Warren.

Never mind. Come on.

You okay? Fine.

You want something to drink?

Before breakfast? That's not like you.

(SIGHING) Well, I guess a lot of people think I'm somebody else these days.

I'm going to take a shower.

Do you want to get something for breakfast?

Mmm.Yeah.

(SHOWER RUNNING)

Yeah, I'll, uh...

I'll meet you downstairs.

And that's why sometimes you have to sacrifice a little privacy

for peace of mind.

Frankly, I'm not at all concerned about the liberal left.

Organized crime, there is a real threat.

Worst thing a liberal can do is talk you to death.

(SCATTERED LAUGHTER)

Next question, please.

Ah, a fellow speaker and member of the liberal press.

What, did you come here to learn a few things? (LAUGHING)

What's your question?

Well, I was just wondering where you were last night around midnight.

That's none of your business,

but I'm gonna tell you anyway.

I was in my room preparing for this little lecture.

Can you prove that?

If I have to.

What the hell are you, pal, a cop? If you are, say so.

I'm just an interested member of the audience

and I think you've got something to hide.

And what might that be?

You tell me. You and the murdered man had some words.

That was a friendly exchange.

Now, look, pal, I'm not on trial here and you're not ajudge.

Next question.

(DOOR OPENING)

(GROANING SOFTLY)

Hello, Patricia.

Oh, hello.

Are you all right?

Yes, I'm fine. I'm just a little tired, didn't get much sleep.

Oh, sure. I know the feeling.

May I ask you something?

Of course.

How badly did you want to be a writer?

Well, I think it was always in the back of my mind.

But I didn't start writing seriously until after my husband died.

Why do you ask?

Well, I'm afraid it's becoming a bit of an obsession with me.

You see, Warren has given me so much of his time,

and I appreciate that so much,

and I just want to make him proud.

And I know I'm going to have to work very hard

if I want to gain any recognition at all as a writer, so...

Well, it's a very competitive world.

But don't worry, a little obsession never hurt anyone.

Thank you.

How you doing?

We're looking for the hotel manager.

We understand someone's been murdered.

Right. Well, he isn't talking to anyone.

FBI, genius.

Upstairs, to the left, sir.

(KNOCK AT DOOR) JESSICA: Come in.

Good morning, John.

Good morning.

I got it for you just like I promised.

Oh, thank you. Set it right down there.

Are you leaving?

Oh, no, no, no. I'm just gonna work outside for a few hours.

Why don't you take the afternoon off?

Well, some friends of mine asked me

to go to Santa Monica for a birthday party, but...

No buts. You go and have a good time, I can take care of myself.

I guess you heard about last night?

Yes, very unfortunate.

Yeah, well, I'm not gonna shed any tears for him.

He shouldn't have talked to you.

He shouldn't have talked to people the way he did.

John, rudeness is hardly grounds for murder.

If it was, half the planet would be gone tomorrow.

All right, Mrs. Fletcher. Have a good day.

Thanks. You, too.

(DOOR CLOSING)

Here's your drink, Miss Ryan.

WILLIAM: So let's go over the evidence.

JANG: We don't have any evidence.

J, we're motivators.

Think positive, be positive, act positive.

Now, one, Yuri was murdered.

Two, his manuscript was missing.

Therefore, three, Yuri was killed for the manuscript.

Unless whoever did it took the manuscript

to make it look like that's why he killed him,

when, in fact, the manuscript had nothing to do with it.

Are you trying to make this more difficult? What else is there?

A murder needs motive.

Now I was talking to some of the company people,

and Yuri was apparently a recluse.

This was his first time outside of Russia since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Sounds like a sore loser.

The point is that whatever he might've done in Russia,

he was killed here in America.

But he hadn't done anything yet.

He just got here, he was practically just off the boat.

He had a book published last year.

It was a novel, fiction.

Come on, J. Let's get on the same page.

Okay, it was a novel.

Book got slammed by the reviewers.

Maybe that had something to do with it.

Oh, if people got murdered for writing bad books,

somebody would've taken out Judith Krantz a long time ago.

Okay, I'll give you that one.

Well, maybe he slandered somebody in the novel.

That's why God made lawyers.

No.

Yuri said his non-fiction book was filled with secrets from the Cold War.

So that's why he was murdered.

Ah, maybe it was someone who wanted to cash in on the information in the book.

Or maybe it was a political killing

by somebody from the old country who didn't want those secrets to get out.

There's probably a copy on his computer back home,

but it's probably coded, triple encrypted,

booby-trapped and Trojan horsed.

What do you think, Mrs. Fletcher?

Hmm?

Do you think that's a likely scenario?

Uh... Well, I mean, there are always many likely scenarios.

The trick is finding the one true scenario among all the likely ones.

I mean, for instance, in my experience,

the person who's being the most helpful in trying to solve the murder

is often the one who committed the crime.

I mean, he does it in order to discredit real clues

and create misleading information.

Oh, yes, too much eagerness to solve the crime

is all too often a sign of the killer himself.

Don't look at me like that.

Well, you said yourself, the killer could be anybody.

Anybody means you, me, Jessica...

Exactly. Or even...

those guys.

Hey, you ask me, those guys look pretty suspicious.

Well, they're FBI.

How do you know?

Earpiece visible behind the left ear,

slight bulge in the right sleeve

where the mike for the walkie-talkie is located.

Second bulge just under their jackets,

looks about the right size

for a 9mm semi-automatic, standard FBI issue.

Suspects. Good going, Sherlock.

(JANG LAUGHS)

Come on, let's give the pro some room to work.

WILLIAM: J, she may be right about the FBI,

but I still think there's something going on here.

ROLLINS: Let's get real, shall we?

They call it the Russian Republic now and not the Soviet Union,

but it's the same old players, the same old game.

And they want the past to stay dead.

And if Yuri's dead along with it,

then that's business as usual.

Now, I think...

I think we should let the people who know what they're talking about

try to figure out what happened.

At last, the voice of common sense.

What took you so long?

Caught in traffic outside of D.C.

Common sense hasn't been able to get into that place in years.

I'm sorry, where are my manners?

Penny Ryan, Everett Jang. Everett, this is...

Oh, I know, believe me.

I saw you skate in Sarajevo, Paris, Chicago...

Chicago?

That was my first real competition.

Nobody saw me in Chicago.

I did.

I'm glad to hear you're on the comeback trail.

Thank you.

It's getting a little thick in here, isn't it?

Yes? PHILIPS: Mack Rollins?

Mason Philips, Paul Neely, FBI.

Could you come with us, please?

Excuse me.

Anyway, I say follow the book.

You find that manuscript, you'll find the killer.

You sound pretty sure about that.

It's hard to believe it's so simple.

Well, when you've been around for awhile, perhaps you'll observe more.

(LAUGHS) Maybe.

But from what I've seen now, it seems pretty inconclusive.

I mean, don't you need a motive anymore

or do people just go around getting arrested?

Oh, there is a motive all right.

Rollins had plenty of reasons to kill...

Well, that's none of our business, now, is it?

Well... Well, no. But I just thought I would...

Don't. Leave the thinking to the FBI.

Excuse me.

I'm sure you understand, Mr. Rollins,

the murder of Yuri Malenkovich

has sent off alarms all over the State Department.

Not to mention

we've received some rather sharply-worded faxes from the Russian consulate.

And what's that got to do with me?

Well, during the '70s, while you were overseas on book tours,

you did some freelance work

for the American intelligence community,

covering the activities of campus radicals here and abroad.

It would pose a considerable embarrassment

if the unfortunate events of last night

were to come knocking at your door.

This is insane.

According to reports, the two of you exchanged words the night he was murdered.

Something about a deal.

Would you care to explain, Mr. Rollins?

He and I had the same publisher.

Six weeks ago, we signed a deal to do a tour together.

Sixteen cities, little dog-and-pony show,

like the G. Gordon LiddylTimothy Leary tour.

East versus West in the final shootout of the Cold War.

And then what was that little exchange about during dinner?

Well, that was just part of the show.

I figured I'd warm up the act a little.

Warm? I hear it got pretty hot.

Well, I lost my temper, that's all.

We had an agreement not to make the debates personal,

to stick to the issues.

Right out of the gate, he starts taking personal shots.

Yuri Malenkovich wasn't big on keeping promises.

Knowing your feelings toward anyone involved with the former Soviet Union,

I'm surprised you went along with this.

My publisher thought it would help move my books.

Sales have been soft since the Berlin Wall came down.

I guess nobody's building things to last anymore!

Do you ever talk?

We will of course review this material.

It's in the best interest of the agency

and everyone involved here to make this go away as quickly as possible.

Why? It's not like he was dearly loved, you know.

Perhaps not, but there is still a manuscript missing,

which may or may not contain politically sensitive information.

Ah, I see you decided to get away from that feeding frenzy in there.

Pack of vultures, picking at someone else's misfortune.

Tell me, Jess, do you ever stop working?

Well, it's so easy.

You see, it's one of the benefits of a notebook computer.

Well, I wouldn't know.

This I made myself.

(DINGS)

Works like a dream.

(CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING ON LAPTOP)

(HUMMING OFF-KEY)

WOMAN: See ya later, John.

Keep walking. Open it.

Look, man, if this is a carjacking,

you can just take the car, okay?

Open it.

All right.

You are going to give me the manuscript.

What?

You have Yuri's manuscript.

I don't believe it! This is a mystery novel. This is my novel, okay?

I've been working on it for the past two years.

I was hoping to give it to Jessica Fletcher after the conference.

Freeze! FBI. Drop your weapon.

So the real question is whatever happened to common courtesy?

Little things like, "Thank you," "You're welcome,"

"I'm sorry," "No, after you."

You know, it's gotten to the point now

where you can't even go to the movies

without worrying about creating an international incident

just by asking somebody to be quiet.

I've been threatened just for going "Shh."

Sol made this little gadget, about so big,

with a spring and a little latch on it,

perfectly harmless,

but it sounded like a gun being cocked.

(ALL LAUGHING)

Now, if you could just tell me who you saw in the hallway.

I need more money. This is not enough.

This better be worth it.

So when I'm in the movies and when I heard somebody talking,

I'd give them a "Shh."

If they didn't pay any attention,

I would take out the little gadget and I would...

(MIMICKING GUN COCKING)

(ALL LAUGHING)

and suddenly it got very quiet.

Till one night I went to the movies in Chicago,

and there was a guy behind me and he kept talking,

so I reached into my pocket and I took out the little gadget and...

(MIMICKING GUN COCKING)

I confidently waited for the silence.

(INAUDIBLE)

A couple of seconds later, from behind me, I heard another...

(MIMICKING GUN COCKING) (ALL LAUGHING)

So I thought to myself, "What're the odds

"that this guy has a little gadget just like mine?

"Or what are the odds

"that he's got a real gun pointed at the back of my head?"

I dropped the little gadget in the trash bin

and I have never, ever tried that again.

Excuse me. I don't think we've met. I'm Patricia Williams.

Hi, I'm Penny Ryan.

Oh, yes. Of course. I know.

I was lucky enough to see you in the Olympics.

So what happened there?

What do you mean?

Well, I mean, you went into that competition

ranking number one in the world and finished fifth

and stopped skating.

Well, we were all under a lot of pressure and I had a bad day.

If you don't mind me asking,

was there more to it than the pressure?

I think you said...

You know, I don't really care what you think.

I know what I went through, and it's actually just none of your business.

Well, actually, it is my business.

You see, I'm a writer and I look for stories.

You mean fabricating stories?

No, I gather facts and I have them published.

Well, there's nothing here for publication.

Guess I hit a nerve. I'm sorry.

No, you're not.

Look, there is no story here.

Leave me alone.

JESSICA: Yes, of course, I'll be right there.

No, it's not a problem.

John, don't be silly. It's not as if I haven't done this sort of thing before.

I'll be right there.

Oh!

I was just about to knock.

Are you going out?

Well, yes. I just got a call from my intern, John Mendoza.

He was picked up by the FBI.

He needs someone to go to bat for him.

Oh, sorry.

Well, could you spare a minute before you go?

Oh, of course. Come in.

Jessica, I was wondering if you would be willing

to look into this whole murder situation.

As a personal favor to me.

May I ask why?

A little while ago, you were complaining about this feeding frenzy

and everyone trying to capitalize on somebody else's misfortune

by trying to figure out who did it.

That's true.

Well, what happened to change your mind?

Well, nothing. They're still vultures.

But the hysteria we've got out there, it's dangerous.

I think we're in desperate need of some panic control.

That'd be you.

Warren, if I get into this,

I have to follow the truth, wherever it leads.

I understand.

All right, I'm in. Walk with me?

After you.

Hello, John.

I am so sorry to have to drag you all the way out here.

Oh, that's quite all right.

How long were you planning on holding him, Lieutenant?

Well, if it was up to me, I would've cut him loose an hour ago,

but the Feds want to hold him as a material witness.

But I didn't see anything.

Some guy tried to rob me.

Who tried to rob you?

A Russian.

The Feds think maybe it's the same guy who capped Malenkovich.

He thought I had the stolen manuscript.

And I thought for sure that he was gonna kill me.

They're questioning him in another room. Want to see?

Yes. Perhaps I should.

Don't worry, I'll be right back.

We'll get you out of here in just a few minutes.

PHILIPS ON SPEAKER: Okay. Once more. And this time, give me the facts.

I have already told you!

That's the guy.

Tell me again. I just love being lied to.

It reminds me of my last marriage.

(sums)

Boris, what were you doing at the hotel?

I came to speak with Yuri Malenkovich about his book.

Do you always bring a gun and a silencer

to talk to somebody about his book?

Or are the Russians just harder on their writers than I thought?

It was for protection in case Yuri made a problem.

We knew he had been offered $2 million by his publisher.

I was sent to make a counteroffer of equal value

if he would not sell it to anyone else.

We would also arrange for certain favors to be done

for members of his family still in Russia,

whose living conditions have been rather hard

since the fall of the communist party.

Of course, it would've been much simpler to just kill him,

take the book and keep the money for yourself, I think.

It's not that simple!

Thank you.

He didn't kill Yuri.

Well, you sound awfully sure of that.

Look, if he had done the job,

he would have had the manuscript,

he wouldn't have gone after John thinking that he had it.

Well, he could've killed him and then found the book was already missing.

Oh, no. Yuri wasn't the sort of person

who would lose track of something that important.

If that manuscript had been stolen before he was killed,

he would've caused a commotion

that you would've heard all the way back to Moscow.

So the killing is related to the manuscript?

No. I didn't say that.

In a situation like this,

there's what we think, what we know and what we can prove.

I mean, Yuri is dead, the manuscript is missing.

But how do those facts relate to one another?

I mean, we don't know.

(sum-nus)

Tell your people to keep looking.

MANKOWSKY: What? What do you mean?

Forensics report says the gun we found on this guy

didn't fire the bullet that killed Yuri.

I'll get into it.

Well, if you're going to, you'd better do it quickly.

What do you mean we'd better...

What're... What is she doing in here?

She is my guest.

She has no official role in this investigation. She has no business...

What do you mean we should do it quickly?

Well, this man here is a Russian citizen, isn't he?

That's right. Why? (PHONE RINGING)

Well, if I was in his situation,

I'd have orders to check in with my handler every few hours.

And if I didn't...

Yeah? My handler might think

that I had been arrested,

in which case he would immediately arrange for the kind of assistance

that only he could get as a diplomat of another country.

Diplomatic immunity.

Mr. Philips, there's a guy on the line

from the Russian Consulate in New York.

He'd like a word with you.

I'll take that in the other office. Then I want her out of here.

Just one other thing, Mr. Philips.

If that call is what I think it is,

and if our guest is about to receive diplomatic immunity,

then you have no case against him.

That's right.

Well, then how can you hold John Mendoza as a material witness

in a case that no longer exists?

Kick him loose.

That was a thing of beauty, Mrs. Fletcher.

I mean, the look on his face was perfect... (INTERCOM BEEPS)

MAN ON INTERCOM: Someone's here to see you, Detective.

Yeah, send them on back.

I'm gonna put through the paperwork on your friend

and we'll have him out of here in a little bit.

Oh, thank you. That'

be wonderful.

Oh, sorry. I didn't know you were here.

Oh, that's all right. I can leave if you like.

Oh, no. That's okay. You'll want to hear this.

I think I know who killed Yuri.

Hi, mind if I bother you for a minute?

(CHUCKLES) Please.

Thanks. After we met, I asked around about you, and from what I gather,

when it comes to motivational speaking, you are the one to talk to.

Even more than your partner, William.

Well, I don't know if I'm any better than...

I also heard that you were very modest.

That is a rare trait these days.

So what can I do for you?

You mentioned the comeback trail.

Well, I am ready to find it, all right, but I'm not really sure which trail to take.

I've tried writing, but so far nothing's really worked out.

You could consult on ice skating, but not unless you really want to coach,

and I'm not really ready for that.

Sol have a name, a little worn out, maybe, but still a name.

Just not a lot of options on how to use it.

So I was thinking, maybe motivational speaking might be the best way to go.

I think that's a great idea.

You see, the harder your life has been,

the more it means if you can pull yourself out of it and make something of yourself.

And from what I know about you, you've had a pretty hard life.

You've worked yourself out of poverty, you've educated yourself,

you've trained yourself.

You've got a pretty interesting story to tell,

and I think people will want to hear it.

Do you really think so? I mean, wouldn't need, like, some kind of gimmick or...

No, just be yourself.

(INDISTINCT CHATTERING)

Patricia Williams?

Yes?

Lieutenant Detective Bob Mankowsky.

Is there something wrong?

Miss Williams, you told our officers

that you went straight to your room after dinner,

but we now have a witness who has placed you leaving

Yuri Malenkovich's room at roughly the time of the murder.

You were crying, you looked as though you'd been in a struggle,

and you were seen leaving with a thick manila envelope.

Would you come with me, please?

You're sure this won't get you into any trouble?

Oh, it probably will, but I can handle it.

I don't buy any of this. Where'd this so-called witness come from?

And if they saw something, why didn't they come forward earlier?

It's all too convenient for me.

The witness works the 4:00 p.m. to midnight shift.

She didn't hear of the murder until she got back to work this afternoon.

(SCOFFS)

Miss Williams, do you understand the penalty for lying to an agent of the FBI

in the course of a homicide investigation?

I'm not lying. No?

Interesting.

I still don't understand why Patricia didn't want an attorney.

Hmm.

She was afraid it would be an admission of guilt.

It was naive, stupid. We couldn't talk her out of it.

So let me see if I understand this.

You say you were never in Yuri Malenkovich's room.

That's right.

So the maid that saw you?

She's confused or lying.

So you were never there?

No.

Well, that's interesting.

Let me show you something.

On the left are fingerprints we took when we brought you in here.

The fingerprints on the right were taken

from a broken wineglass we found in Yuri's room.

They're the same. 100% absolute match.

Is there anything you want to change in your story now, Miss Williams?

After the reception, I did call him to see if I could speak to him privately.

He agreed. We set a time.

What time?

A little before 11:00.

PHILIPS: Didn't itstrike you odd to be seeing someone so late in the evening?

PATRICIA: I figured he was still on Russian time.

What were you seeing him about?

I thought if I could interview him about his years with the KGB

and his new book, I could sell the article to a major magazine.

I felt that this could be my big break.

My first big sale.

(THUNDER CRACKING)

I brought my clips, so I could show him what I'd done previously.

Mostly some articles and a few short stories I'd published over the years,

just so he would know that I was a writer.

But as it turned out, he wasn't interested in my work.

We struggled, but! didn't kill him.

(CLOTH RIPPING)

He was very much alive when I left that room.

That was the last time I saw him.

That's a fine story, Miss Williams.

It's what happened.

Look, from what I've heard, it sounds like he was shot.

I don't even own a gun.

But it is entirely possible that you saw his manuscript as the big break.

Or maybe you just wanted to sell it to the Russians.

No.

On the other hand, maybe he did try to assault you,

and in the course of the struggle, you grabbed his gun, fired. Self-defense.

I'm sure ajury will find that story more sympathetic.

I can hold you for 24 hours before I have to charge you with anything.

Until then, you're the person closest to the center of the storm,

and I'm keeping you here.

(sums)

WARREN: She didn't do it. She couldn't have. I just won't accept it.

Well, I'll give you that she's wild in some ways,

but it's because she's so passionate about things.

Her life, her work, her career, but something like this? No. Never.

You know, Warren, when you asked me to look into this,

I sensed that there was a lot more than what you were saying.

You were afraid of this, weren't you?

Yes, I was.

Philips is so desperate to pin this on somebody, he'll try anything.

I know.

It's the hardest thing to see someone innocent

being blamed for something that they didn't do.

I don't want anything to happen to Patricia.

Yeah, I lost my son.

I just don't want to go through anything like that again.

You know, Warren, you've never really talked about him.

I mean, I knew that Brent was a reporter, that he had been killed in Afghanistan,

but that's all.

He loved to write, even as a little boy, he just loved to write.

So he decided he wanted to become ajournalist.

He was covering the activities of the Afghani rebels when he was killed.

That was the worst thing that ever happened to me in my life, Jess.

I just... I can't go through anything like that again.

(SIGHS) I'm going to do everything I can, Warren. I swear.

Thanks.

WARREN: So what's our next step?

Well, the killer is still out there.

So ourjob is to find him or at least produce evidence

that eliminates Patricia from the list of possible suspects.

Hmm. So we don't necessarily have to show who did it,

as long as we can prove that she didn't do it.

Right. What we need to do right now is to prove

that the real killer is still at large.

And how do we do that?

I've got an idea or two.

Hmm.

(INDISTINCT CHATTERING)

Hi.

Hi, you made it.

Are you kidding? wouldn't miss this for the world.

You know, I'm surprised you're at this conference by yourself.

Well, I'm kind of on my own these days.

My husband and I separated about six months ago.

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.

Ah, it's okay.

He was a skater for the East-German team.

And I've spoken to Lieutenant Mankowsky

and he has agreed to attend the press conference on Monday morning.

Hmm. And that's when you'll make your announcement?

I should think so.

I don't know how you do it, Jess.

would've never have seen those clues,

and they were right there in front of me.

Well, it's just a matter of knowing what you're looking for, how to recognize it

and how to organize the information.

I mean, once you've done that, everything else invariably falls into place.

Hmm.

By Monday morning, we should have the last two pieces of information

to nail down the case and then we can all get back to our respective lives.

(WARREN GRUNTS IN AGREEMENT) Excuse me.

WARREN: You think he bought it, Jess?

JESSICA: Oh, yes. I'd like a lager.

Lager? Sounds good. Two lagers, please.

Where is he now?

Uh, back in Germany.

He had some kind of run-in with the authorities there.

He dropped out of sight completely about a week ago.

I suspect he's in some kind of trouble...

J, I've been looking everywhere for you. Did you hear?

I'm kind of busy here, Bill.

Hi. Fletcher's on the case.

You're kidding.

No. I heard her talking with that friend of hers, Warren.

She figures to have this whole thing completely wrapped up by Monday.

That gives us just 24 hours to crack this thing.

Why? If she knows who the killer is and justice gets served, that's great.

Great for her maybe, not so good for me.

All right. I'll see you later.

I've got something I gotta do.

Excuse me, Mr. Brennan, can I have a minute?

What is it?

Well, I've got some ideas about Yuri's murder

and I've got nobody to bounce them off of.

Why don't you just bounce them off your buddy, Jang?

Well, he's... He's got his hands full with other things.

No, I just thought that if I could, sort of,

test my theory out on you that there might be, I don't know,

some interest in a book or something somewhere down the line, or perhaps, um...

Look, Batsby, I'm president of a company that represents people who write books.

I'm not a publisher.

Oh, I know, I know, but I thought that if I told you my ideas

and you thought they had merit,

that you might direct me to somebody who could help me.

Put in a good word, you know?

All right, all right, let's hear it.

(CLEARS THROAT) Well, um... The way I see it, we need to find a connection

between Yuri and somebody at this conference.

Somebody who needed that manuscript bad enough to kill for it.

Correct. Yes. Now, who would that be?

I don't know, yet, but I will.

One thing I do know, it's not going to be obvious. The killer, I mean.

So, um, if you thought it might be worth a shot,

sorry, no pun intended, I might be able to nose around,

see what I could find out.

Well, do some sleuthing if you like and we'll see.

If you come up with something, maybe we'll talk.

But I'm gonna tell you something.

I don't wanna get led on a wild-goose chase,

and before you come back to me,

make sure you know what you're talking about.

Oh, yes, sir, you can bet I will.

Now I want you to stay right here and don't answer the door.

I'm going to pick up a few things and I'll be back before you know it.

I beg your pardon?

Oh, this couch looks very comfortable.

Warren, you're not staying here.

Of course I am.

We as much as told the world that you know who the killer is.

And the killer will obviously consider that a threat, which should bring him out.

That's a good thing.

It's a bad thing if he decides to eliminate the threat by eliminating you.

So you will stay in the bedroom, I will sleep here on the couch.

No one'

get past me, I guarantee it.

You don't have to do this, Warren.

No. if I did, I probably wouldn't.

Since I don't, I am and I will.

I'm gonna go to my room and get my pillow

because I've broken it in quite nicely.

(KNOCK AT DOOR)

Yes? MAN: Room service.

Good evening, ma'am.

Oh, over there, please.

I always have a cup of chamomile tea every evening.

Oh, good idea. I think I'd like some myself.

Back in five.

Tea for two, ma'am?

So it would seem.

Thank you very much.

Oh, thank you, ma'am. Good night.

Good night.

(WARREN SNORING)

(DOOR OPENING)

WARREN: It doesn't prove anything.

We have no proof this even came from the killer.

It could have come from any one of those other people out there

who are trying to solve the murder.

Well, unless the neighbors heard you snoring,

what would "Stop now or die" refer to other than our investigation?

Yeah, well, it's possible. What? What do you mean, my snoring?

I don't snore. I have never snored.

Warren, you're a dear man and a good friend,

either you snore or there was a bear in here last night

and one of us should inform the management.

Look, I'll grant it's not much, but it's a start.

It means that we've been noticed.

Now we have to turn it over to the police.

The more we can create a legitimate paper trail,

the better Patricia's chances of being cleared.

Give me just a minute to put myself together.

(WINDOW SHATTERING)

(THUD)

Warren? Are you all right?

Jess...

Warren, what's wrong? I've been shot.

Oh, my God.

Don't move, it'll only make it bleed more.

See? I told you you were in danger.

Oh, there are simpler ways of proving it than by dying, Warren!

(SIREN WAILING)

(WOMAN CHATTERING ON PA)

JESSICA: You really should stay here and let them keep an eye on you.

Jessica, it's just a flesh wound.

The doctor said nothing vital was hit.

I can sit here or I can sit at the hotel, what difference does it make?

Look, Warren, someone tried to kill you.

Yes, and whoever tried it may probably come after you next.

I'm not going to stay here and let that happen.

You know, lthought you might want to know that we've tested that bullet that grazed you,

and the double striations on the bullet match the one that we pulled out of Yuri's body.

Double striations?

Yes. Indicating that the bullet was fired from a gun equipped with a silencer,

which is why no one heard it the night Yuri was murdered.

That's interesting.

What?

Well, a silencer indicates a certain degree of premeditation, doesn't it?

I mean, most people who own guns don't own silencers.

They're very expensive and hard to find.

Well, see, that's the other thing.

The lines caused by the silencer don't match anything else we have in the file.

A silencer certainly mitigates against

the murder being a spontaneous act of rage or passion.

Well, that clears Patricia.

If she was in a cell across town,

she couldn't possibly have been outside the hotel

this morning with a gun, now could she?

No, she couldn't have.

Agent Philips is not gonna be happy about this.

Would he have been happier if I had been killed?

Well, he's a Fed. You never know.

Shall we?

Bobby, Mrs. Fletcher is moving to the Siesta suite.

Take care of her luggage, please.

Henry's already up there. He'll help you. Thank you.

(INDISTINCT CHATTERING)

I can manage those. Thank you.

Oh, yes, with one arm.

I'll go along with him.

I'll just be a moment.

No, Clem, listen. We know she was in Sarajevo. I need more.

Any connection with Yuri Malenkovich,

anything between them or even someone they both knew.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. You said yourself, this woman is not even a police suspect.

I don't care. Come on, call your sources, pull in some favors.

I've told you who's here. See if you can connect any of them with Yuri.

Bats, Jessica Fletcher knows what she's doing.

Leave it to her and go motivate somebody.

You know, she isn't always right.

And if I could crack this, it would mean a lot more dough than I'm getting right now.

All right, I'll do what I can,

but don't expect any big secrets to be uncovered.

Yeah, thanks, Clem.

I'll be in my room. Call me with anything.

Uh, excuse me.

I wonder, did you by any chance see a man

standing around here around 9:00 a.m.?

Funny you should mention that, but, yeah.

Why funny?

Well, I've seen him around the hotel a few times the past couple days,

but, uh, I don't think he's a guest here.

Why not?

Well, he orders a drink once in awhile,

but he always pays cash, never puts it on a room account.

Anyway, I saw him this morning and he was standing there,

looking up, and all of a sudden, he just took off.

Haven't seen him since.

I see. Do you think you could describe him for me?

Sure. He's about 5'6", maybe 5'7".

Always wearing a black jacket.

Oh, yeah, and he had one of those small leather shoulder bags.

Carried it with him like it was the most important thing in the world.

Oh, interesting. Well, you've been very helpful. Thank you.

J, I got it. I worked it out.

Ah, Mr. Holmes, so good to see you again.

Yeah. Laugh all you want, but I think I know who the killer is,

and I'm ready to go with it.

You know why your pal, the athlete, got divorced?

Penny? No, she just said that she and her husband

split up sometime after he got back from Germany.

East Germany, that's what you said.

Well, I called in a few favors from some reporter friends of mine.

It turns out that she was involved with somebody

on the East-German team while she was married.

That same year, she turns in the worst performance of her career

and we lose the gold. That's too much of a coincidence.

Maybe the Russians were holding her husband hostage and it was blackmail.

Maybe she got paid to throw the competition, maybe she did it out of love.

Maybe she was upset because her marriage was falling apart.

J, she's the only one here with a direct connection to the old Soviet Union.

She knew Yuri had a book coming out and maybe she was afraid that she was in it.

If she did throw the competition and it came out, it could ruin her career.

She'd lose her endorsements, there'd be a scandal, she'd lose everything.

So you're saying she did it.

I'm saying that either she did it or she hired somebody to do it for her.

To kill Yuri and anybody else who gets too close to the truth.

(INDISTINCT CHATTERING)

(KNOCK AT DOOR)

Agent Philips and Neely, what a pleasant surprise.

What can I do for you?

The night Yuri Malenkovich was murdered, you spoke with him, correct?

We had a few words, yes.

What kind of words?

Oh, the usual, nouns, verbs, adjectives to round things out.

Any heated words on that list? Any rash words?

Not that I can remember. No.

Please, come in.

Thank you.

Have a seat.

I'm told that you were upset by the idea

that someone who repressed writers and artists

during the Soviet days might profit from his actions.

Uh, upset? No. Annoyed? Yes.

I mean, the morality of this is rather dubious.

Mrs. Fletcher, do you recognize this?

Well, yes, of course.

It's the note that I took from under my door this morning.

And what did you do with it upon finding it?

Well, I gave it to the police straightaway.

Well, when we went over the paper, we found traces of handwriting.

To be precise, we found the impression of a signature.

Now the signature is under the ink spelling out the words "Stop now or die."

Meaning that the impression was made before the warning was written.

Well, that's good. That means the writing belongs to the killer

or someone involved in the murder.

Exactly.

So you'll understand my surprise

when our experts checked out the indented signature

and determined that the handwriting and the signature on the note

is yours, Mrs. Fletcher.

Now think about it, is there something you're not telling me?

Yes. Yes, there is.

And would you care to enlighten me?

At this precise moment, no.

What do you mean, no, Mrs. Fletcher?

Do you or do you not want the person responsible for Yuri's death?

Of course I do.

Then give me a little more time. I need 24 hours.

I have one last lead to check out.

No, forget it, not a chance.

Look, all you have is a series of clues that don't add up.

Now, you can pressure me to tell you what I know,

and being a good citizen, I probably will.

But you still won't be able to prove anything.

The conference will be over tomorrow and everybody will have gone their separate ways

and this case will have slipped through your fingers.

Give me those 24 hours,

and I will give you the person responsible for Yuri's murder.

A man has been murdered, Mrs. Fletcher.

I am not about to...

NEELY: Let her go.

What?

You heard me, I said let her go. Give her the 24 hours.

Why?

Because I trust her.

I know her work and I know her rep.

And I trust her. You got a problem with that?

Hello.

I think the lady wants to talk to you.

What do you want?

Well, I'd like to know what you're doing here.

I believe that you were in the garden this morning standing under my window.

No, I...

Please. I have a witness.

All right. Fine. I was there. So what?

I was also told that you left in quite a hurry. Why?

Well, I was standing there, minding my own business,

when all of a sudden, there was this big whack

from the tree right next to me, like something hit it real hard.

And I didn't know if somebody was throwing something at me,

or if there was some kind of an animal in there,

but I wasn't gonna stick around to find out.

What kind of a sound was that?

Well, like I said, it was a sharp whack right next to my head.

So, if you don't mind...

Oh, one other thing, what were you doing standing there in the first place?

I'm a collector. I was hoping for an autograph.

I've been waiting two days just to get five minutes alone, but...

An autograph?

For heaven sake's. Let me find a pen.

Oh, no, no, not yours. His. Warren Pierce.

Oh, Joseph, if your face was any lower,

I'd have to dig a hole in the floor to accommodate it.

I'm sorry, I'm just tired. It's been a long day.

I know.

What can I do for you?

You know, everything about Yuri's murder screams premeditation,

yet relatively few people knew about his new book.

It was a non-fiction memoir of his years in the KGB.

So if the Russians aren't responsible for his death,

then the murder had nothing to do with his memoirs.

And this is where I need your help, Joseph.

About a year ago, Yuri published another book.

It was a novel, based loosely on his experiences.

Would you by any chance have a copy of that book?

Sure. I was going to have it out for the press conference on Monday.

Why?

I need to see it.

YURI: The recent insurrection against civil authority

brought this warrior to a barren battlefield.

Death and destruction abound, but even here he would seek out pleasures of the flesh.

Colonel Boris Yetlnoff was a man of healthy sexual appetites.

Loved by women, feared by his enemies.

When she entered the room and he saw her,

he knew that he had seen his true opposite number.

As he looked into her eyes, he knew their paths were locked from this day forward.

I didn't know you'd be here.

I had to come. I had to come and see what sort of man you were.

(DISTANT EXPLOSION)

What do you think?

I think that my life has just changed forever.

Warren, I was afraid I was never gonna get out of that jail.

Hmm! And now, we are going to celebrate your liberation from unjustified incarceration,

and I'm buying.

Then we do live in miraculous times.

(BOTH CHUCKLE)

Mmm. I'm gonna call Jessica.

I know she'd want to be in on this.

(RINGING)

YURI: Boris had no choice but to shoot his way out.

(GUNFIRE)

(GROANS)

(cousmus)

Come, Boris, we must hurry.

Where are we going?

To a place of great danger to our people.

Where a man of your talent is needed to deal with insurgents and spies.

What better place to show the world what you are made of than Afghanistan.

Come.

(KNOCKING CONTINUES)

YURI: At last he was back in uniform.

Now he could discard the pretense of being anyone other than who he was,

a loyal servant of the Soviet Party.

(SOLDIERS CHATTERING IN RUSSIAN)

(GRUNTING)

General Yetinoff, we found these men in the rebel Afghani camp.

We're reporters. Be quiet.

Do they have any identification?

No, and you know damn well we don't.

Your goons here confiscated our papers and our passports,

and you know we're not the CIA.

No? Perhaps. Perhaps so.

It is not my fault that your own government

has compromised all of its journalists everywhere.

When you know that one reporter is actually a spy,

then any of them can be a spy.

If you'd just let me call my newspaper...

There are no telephones here. There is just you and me and all those soldiers outside.

YURI: Boris looked at the two intruders.

He could not afford to take chances.

(GROANS)

No!

Jessica?

I had one of the staff let me in.

We've been together so much, they didn't seem to question it.

Terrible lapse in security.

(CHUCKLES)

So, I came by your room last night.

I called you a couple of times, but there was no answer.

No, around midnight I turned off the phone.

Ah. Writing again?

No, I was up reading.

Mmm, I see.

It's funny, the more important an emotion,

the fewer words are needed to express it.

"I am your friend." Four words.

" love you." Three words.

"Marry me." "I'm sorry." Two words.

You are my friend. That puts you just three words from the center of my heart.

Over the years, I've lost so many people.

Sometimes I felt that there was no one left for me to play with

and then I met you again, and everything changed.

Warren, you are my friend.

I would do anything for you.

Except...

Except betray what I believe in,

and pretend that I don't know what this book has told me.

After I finished reading it, I came in here

and took the liberty of going through your bags.

You seemed so protective of them

when they were being carried by the staff out of my room.

I suspected that the gun might be hidden in one of them.

I didn't find it.

But I did find this.

How did you know?

It came to me in pieces. Oh, it must be very hard to kill a man, Warren.

Even if you think it's justified.

That's why you were so depressed the night of the murder.

It didn't mean much to me at the time,

not even when Yuri was discovered dead the following morning.

I knew you were good at making your own gadgets,

but I didn't put it together with what Lieutenant Mankowsky

said about the silencer being handmade.

And then there was that business of the note on the hotel stationery.

The night before you were shot,

I ordered in some room service.

I'd put out some of the hotel stationery earlier while sorting through a few things.

And as I signed the bill, my handwriting left an impression on the paper.

During the night, you took one of those sheets of paper,

then you wrote the warning note and put it under the door,

so that I'd find it in the morning.

No one else had access to my room or that paper.

You then put the handmade silencer on the gun, pulled the trigger

and wounded yourself.

Hoping, I suppose, to take suspicion away from Patricia.

You were very good at covering your tracks.

I might never have given it a thought

if you hadn't asked me to investigate her arrest.

It was a calculated risk.

I couldn't let Patricia take the blame for something that I'd done.

See, I didn't know that she'd gone to see Yuri until the next morning.

The timing was too close. I had to clear her name.

I knew you were the one person who could do that.

I was hoping that we could clear it without going any further,

and then you told me the most important thing

was to prove that the killer was still on the loose.

Then I knew what I had to do.

And that's where you made your mistake.

After you were shot, I went out to examine the area

where the shooter would have been standing.

On inspection, Hound a bullet hole in a tree

that was on a direct line to my window.

Meaning, a bullet had not been fired in from the garden,

it had been fired out from the room.

Then when the police found the bullet in the wall of my room

and it matched the one that killed Yuri, I knew.

I was hoping that somehow, someway, it wasn't you,

that perhaps I'd misread the clues or you were being set up to take the blame.

One thing finally changed that,

and I feel confident that when Forensics checks the powder burns on your shirt,

they'll realize only you could have fired that gun.

Everything about the murder pointed to premeditation,

which meant that the murder must have had something to do

with the contents of his previous novel.

Yuri killed your son, didn't he?

Jess, do you know what it's like to go through life

wondering why your son was murdered?

Who killed him?

And then, one day, I open a book, this book.

My publisher sent it to me. He wanted me to review it.

It was Yuri's book. Can you believe it?

As I read it, bit by bit, I realized I was...

I was reading the intimate details of my own son's murder,

information that no one else could have known, but the man who did it.

The man who killed him.

Yuri must have thought nobody'd put it together.

He must've thought he was immune from prosecution.

But it's all here, Jess. It's all in the book. All the facts.

I wasn't gonna let him get away with it.

Yuri Malenkovich killed my son.

He shot him.

He shot him and he dumped his body in a ditch

and he just left it there.

For as long as I've known you,

I've felt that a part of you has been in terrible pain.

Now I know why, and I am so sorry, Warren.

Itruly am.

(sum-nus)

Are you sorry enough?

Do you understand enough not to go to the police?

Warren... What else did you tell them?

Well, nothing significant. I didn't name you. I didn't need to.

Why not?

Because you are going to turn yourself in to the police,

and you are going to confess and you will tell your story in front of ajury.

Jessica, you're the only one who knows I'm involved in this.

What's to keep me from killing you?

Because I still believe that you're an honorable man.

I've already killed once.

That was because you believed you were avenging your son's death.

There's a big difference between that and this.

You could have let Patricia take the blame for the murder,

and you could've gotten away before any of this unraveled, but you didn't,

and that proves that you can't hurt an innocent.

Or a friend.

You'll always be my friend.

WOMAN: Excuse me, Mrs. Fletcher.

I don't understand how you could do it.

I mean, you said yourself, he was your friend.

The guy he murdered was probably a killer several times over,

a lot worse than your friend.

So why do it?

Yes. Well, it was the hardest thing that I've ever done.

But popular culture notwithstanding,

there is such a thing as right and wrong.

The taking of a human life for any reason is wrong.

I mean, you can never nudge the moral compass far from its true north

without losing something vital.

A compass is essential for everyone, writers in particular.

Yuri Malenkovich asked why I investigate murders.

He said that I had to have a personal agenda.

Well, he was quite right.

It's important to me to pursue those who cross the line

and take another human life.

In my investigating murders, I have seen some terrible things.

So many of them that it would take the wind out of anybody's sails.

Go ahead.

You ready?

Officially, for the record, I'm giving you this confession.

But Patricia here has first rights of publication to the story.

I told you I'd get you that one big break.

I always keep my promises.

I'm surprised Mrs. Fletcher doesn't want to tell this story.

I mean, she has every right to.

I think she understands.

Well, here we go.

My son, Brent, was a correspondent for the Washington Sentinel...

JESSICA: But because I am a romantic,

I still believe that we have the potential

to be nobler than we know and better than we think.

That the darkness I've seen is only a shadow on the potential of the human heart.

Warren, in his own way, was a romantic,

made hard by the world around him, until he finally made a tragic mistake.

He walked away from his own moral compass.

So I urge you to keep your heart's compass on the true north of your dreams.

Be free to be romantics, to reject cynicism,

to believe that good will prevail and that those who do wrong will be punished,

because when the hour of the wolf comes,

as it comes to all of us sooner or later,

those are the things that sustain us.

Thank you and good night.