Original subtitles

Mr. Martell, you have served 40 years of a life sentence

for the murder of Jake Kendall.

You've appeared before this parole board countless times

and in each instance, reports of your disruptive behavior

have forced this board to deny you parole.

Reports like this one, that we received just yesterday.

Can you tell us why you remain

one of the most uncooperative, hostile inmates

that this prison has ever housed?

Mr. Martell, don't you feel any remorse at all

for having viciously murdered Jake Kendall?

Parole denied.

What's wrong with you people?

Can't you see that he's just a sick old man?

Let him go, for God's sake.

He's dying.

Dad?

The scenes drift. The characters all sound alike.

The dialogue is flat.

But what's truly unforgivable about Mrs. Rice's efforts

is the subject matter is simply not commercial.

Stories, well-told stories,

maybe a couple of jokes or a little sex and violence,

that's what moviegoers pay hundreds of millions of dollars to see.

A couple of guys sitting around in a deli

talking about the women in their lives?

I don't think so.

I got a storyline that will grab you, Mr. Kendall.

It's got sex, violence, tragedy, injustice.

I'm afraid this is a closed class.

Picture this.

There's this guy who owns an expensive chain of hotels.

He's rich. Anything he wants, he gets.

Mostly he wants women.

Single, married, he doesn't care.

In fact, not only does he run this other guy out of business,

but he goes after his wife and he gets her.

I'm gonna have to ask you to leave.

Then he's killed.

Beat to death with a wrench.

Happy ending?

Not quite. You see, the pour louse whose wife he stole

is wrongly accused, winds up going to prison

where he becomes cold, hard, maybe even a little nuts.

And his son grows up wanting only one thing,

for his father to be released.

But he never is.

And one day, the son realizes he never will be

and it makes him very angry.

Who are you?

You know damn well who I am, Mr. Kendall.

- Get out. - You know what they say

about the sins of the father?

I said, get out.

Hey.

- Stop him. - Arthur, you're bleeding.

You're as crazy as your old man!

Well, dear, you didn't tell me

that someone burst into your classroom yesterday

and slugged famous screenwriter Arthur Kendall.

That made it into the news.

Gossip column.

Your boyfriend hasn't made any real news

since he sold his one and only screenplay.

How many years ago was that?

Did you kiss him and make it all better?

Stop it.

Josh, sit down and finish your breakfast.

- I'm late for work. - What kind of job is that, anyway?

Emptying bedpans at a hospital?

Next time you wanna hurt me, use your brain

and don't do it in front of him, okay?

You, of all people, have no right to tell me how to act, Candace.

- I didn't wanna fall in love with Arthur. - Oh, I know.

You and I stopped loving each other long before I even met Arthur.

Our staying together is pointless.

Instead of making things better for Josh, we're only making them worse.

I'm gonna move in with Arthur.

I'm filing for divorce.

You do that.

Arthur?

I told you, always call before you come over.

I just left my husband.

Why?

You said that you and I were going to have a wonderful life together.

Yeah, but I never said I'd marry you.

And I certainly never said I'd be monogamous.

I'm sorry.

Oh, you broke the clock.

No, I didn't break the clock.

It's one of those clocks that you order and put together by numbers

and I did everything they said and then...

Why do you do this, Dad? You're not good at it.

Well, I thought I might get lucky.

Sometimes a person gets lucky.

Why don't you do something easy like law or shining your boots?

Law's not easy.

You know what I mean. You're good at it.

Well, yeah.

Dad.

You're up to something.

No, I'm not.

Yes, you are.

I can tell when you talk to me like this and have that nasty little grin,

you're up to something.

- I have this friend. - Uh-huh.

- She's a really nice lady. - No.

- Good-looking. - No.

Broke up with this senator she's been going with

- for about seven or eight years. - I don't care.

She's lonely and you're available.

Leanne, I don't need a lady friend.

- You could take her to a movie. - No.

- Or lunch. - No.

I don't know how to talk to women I don't know and you know that, so no.

Come on, Dad. I think you'd really like her.

She's pretty, smart, witty, old enough.

What do you say?

She's got a nice build.

Come on, Dad. It might change your luck.

- Hi. - Hi.

Hey. Hey!

Help! Help!

Help! Help me!

- Hi, Leanne. - Hi.

- Hi. - Hi.

- What are you doing sitting out here? - I was waiting for you.

It's a good place to talk, in front of the courthouse and everything.

What's up?

I'm thinking of taking Brian Martell's case.

Brian Martell?

He's the fellow who's accused of killing that, uh, movie writer.

Oh, right. They said in the paper he's a carpenter?

A brick mason.

Have you spoken to him?

Uh, no.

Do you know something about the case?

Well, uh, no.

Why are you gonna talk to him?

Uh, well, I have... I have, uh, reasons.

I didn't kill him.

The door to the garage Arthur Kendall was killed in

was locked from the outside

and the key was found in the, uh, ashtray of your car.

Somebody put it there.

And you decked him in front of a dozen people two days ago.

What is all this about?

You wanna tell her?

About 40 years ago,

Brian's father was convicted of killing Arthur's father

and was sent to prison.

He was denied parole again.

Anybody can tell he's sick. He's gonna die in there.

But, uh, you don't care, do you, counselor?

- Excuse me, do you have a problem? - Yeah.

Well, if we're gonna represent you... - It's okay, Leanne.

Uh...

Uh, about 4:00,

the lady who lives across the street from him

that day saw Arthur Kendall taking out his trash.

At 4:30, the next door neighbor heard a car running in his garage,

called the police. They came and found him dead.

So, uh, where were you between 4 and 4:30 that day? Remember?

Yeah. I was home sleeping.

In the middle of the afternoon?

I went to work at 7, broke off at 3,

had a few beers on the way home,

kind of hit the couch and just passed out.

Mr. Martell, I don't know what all this is about

and I don't know what my father has told you,

but our current workload is very heavy and we just can't...

Yes, we can.

What?

You know that murder your father told you about?

The one that my father's been paying for all these years?

He didn't do it.

Charlie Matlock did.

Grandpa?

My father did not kill Jake Kendall.

Then why is Brian so convinced that he did?

Why did you never tell me about it?

Well, I don't know. I just... I felt funny about it.

I mean, with Brian's father in a cell for killing Jake Kendall,

my father was accused of it.

It was my father's testimony that put Lee Martell away.

Okay.

Brings back a lot of memories.

Not all bad.

It started one summer morning

on a country road outside Mount Harlan, Georgia.

My father was driving back to town

and he saw this real expensive-looking car

stopped with the hood up.

And this man was looking at the engine

like he had never seen one before.

Uh, that was Jake Kendall.

He had made his money building hotels.

He didn't know anything about cars.

Well, hello there, mister.

Something went wrong with your car?

Yeah. It quit on me.

Phew. Boy, doggone, I'll tell you one thing, that's a pretty car.

Yeah.

I guess it will be the best-looking thing on the junk heap.

Kicking them won't generally start them.

Could you give me a ride to Savannah?

I mean, I've got a meeting at the bank that I absolutely...

You fixed it.

I just tightened the wire on the distributor cap.

You throw her in gear and she'll go.

Here, let me pay you.

That's a hundred dollar bill.

Yeah. I always pay my debts.

Phew. A hundred dollar bill.

That's too much, way yonder.

Well, how much too much?

A hundred dollars.

But I owe you something.

Well, I tell you what, if you are ever in Mount Harlan,

you stop by my garage.

Charlie Matlock. I got the name right on the front.

We'll have a bottle of pop. What do you think?

I'll do that.

- I'll see you again. - Thanks.

And he did stop by, many times.

They became real friends. They could talk for hours.

I wish I'd known your father. My grandfather.

I do too. You would have liked him.

A couple of years later,

Mr. Kendall had dropped his car off at my father's station

for some, you know, repairs, and Dad fixed it

and, uh, delivered it to the hotel in Atlanta where Jake was staying.

Jake?

Hey, Jake?

The door was open

and so I just come on in and found him like that.

Lieutenant, we just found this out in the alley

below the bathroom window.

"C. Matlock."

Is this your wrench, Mr. Matlock?

And it was his wrench.

And when he admitted it, they arrested him right on the spot.

And when they found out

that Jake Kendall had left my father $15,000 in his will,

money the old man really needed,

well, they were certain they had their man.

But 24 hours later,

all those, uh, detective stories your grandfather used to read paid off.

- And he solved the murder? - Yeah.

Leanne.

Sorry I'm late.

One of those last-minute emergencies at the office.

Oh, that's all right.

Elaine Genrich, I'd like you to meet my father, Ben Matlock.

This is my friend Elaine.

Nice to meet you, Miss Genrich.

Oh, please, call me Elaine.

You told me he was a very nice man

but you didn't tell me how good-looking.

Won't you join us?

Well, all right. Just for a moment.

I do have to get back.

Well...

Who does your hair?

- You paid my bail? - Yeah.

That's one heck of a guilty conscience you've got there, Mr. Matlock.

Now wait a minute.

I've posted bail for clients before and probably will again,

and I have liked most of them a hell of a lot more than you,

so don't push your luck.

And another thing, my father never killed anybody

and that includes Jake Kendall.

He didn't believe your father killed anybody.

The only reason I'm taking your case, posting your bail

is because my father would have wanted me to.

Now, quit acting like a jerk and let's try to work together.

- Hey, Ben. - Yeah.

I'll meet you outside, okay?

Okay?

Okay.

I got your message. What's up?

How about going over to Arthur Kendall's to look around?

Okay. What am I looking for?

Uh, well, the, uh, name and address of the killer would be nice.

Did you know Arthur Kendall

before you enrolled in his screenwriting course?

No. We met when I started taking his class.

Ah. So you've only known him, what, uh, about five weeks?

Uh, well, actually, I took a class he was teaching before this one too.

I am either a slow learner or just a hopelessly bad writer. Ha, ha.

I'm still not quite sure which.

I guess that's why some of the other people in your class

refer to you as the teacher's pet.

Oh, I think he just kind of felt sorry for me.

Is that why he took you to lunch so often?

Uh, well, it wasn't lunch, really.

It was more like, you know, tutoring sessions.

He felt that if he could make a writer out of me,

he could make one out of anybody.

Well, I admire your perseverance.

Well, I stuck to it mostly because of my husband.

You see, ever since he read

that somebody sold a movie script for $3 million,

he was bound and determined to do the same thing.

He's a writer?

No, actually, he sells insurance. He just writes in his spare time.

So, anyway, I thought I'd give it a try,

only I didn't pick it up on my own like he did.

So you enrolled in Arthur Kendall's class twice?

Much to his chagrin, I'm sure.

Dad, what are you doing?

Hi. I was walking.

With weights?

Uh, yeah, weights. It feels good.

- How am I doing? - Oh, you are looking good.

You keep eating right and exercising,

you're gonna be down to your fighting weight in no time.

So, what do you hear from Elaine?

- Who? - You know who. Elaine.

The reason you decided to eat right and exercise.

The one who thinks you're cute and wants to know who does your hair.

Oh, her. Nothing.

I called and left a message. She called and left a message, so...

You've still got it, haven't you, Dad?

Got what?

Are you familiar with the expression:

"There may be snow on the roof but there's a fire in the fireplace?"

- What are you talking about, girl? - You know what I'm talking about.

What a way to talk.

"Snow on the roof."

I just think people should be out there, vibrant, alive.

The very idea.

"Fire in the fireplace."

- Let's talk about something else. - Heh.

- Okay. How about Grandpa? - Yeah.

- Want some pumpkin seeds? - Well...

Oh, Conrad.

Hey.

Found him rummaging around Arthur Kendall's house.

Hmm.

- What's your name, son? - Josh.

What were you doing in Mr. Kendall's house?

Tell him.

I was trying to protect my mother.

Protect your mother?

Go ahead, son.

She and him were having an affair.

I thought she might have left clothes or something in there, so I broke in.

What's your mother's name?

Candace Winfield.

Oh.

I knew there was something.

See you later.

- Hello, Miss Winfield. - Hi.

You weren't quite forthcoming with me about Arthur Kendall, were you?

You two were lovers.

- Who told you that? - Your son.

Josh.

So you live here now?

His father and I are getting a divorce.

I tried to patch things up after Arthur died,

but George wouldn't hear of it.

Why did you lie to me?

Because I was trying to spare Josh the humiliation

of having the whole world know that his mother was committing adultery.

You can understand that, can't you?

Oh, yes.

Now, why don't you tell me

where you were the afternoon Arthur was murdered.

I was downtown doing research for a screenplay.

Research? What kind?

Uh, the script that I was trying to write involved street kids

and the games they play for money.

Cards, pick-up craps, that sort of stuff.

Well, now, isn't that an unusual topic

for a suburban housewife like yourself to be writing about?

Arthur always encouraged us

to write about things that we didn't know,

that way we would learn something

and we were free to use our imaginations.

That is an interesting approach.

It was good to talk to you. Have a nice day.

You too.

Tell me why the ivy twines

Tell me why the sky's so blue

And I will tell you just why I love you

I didn't hear you come in.

I crept softly so as not to intrude.

You were singing. Happy?

Well...

- So did you talk to my friend? - Hmm?

Did you speak to Elaine Genrich, my friend?

Um, yeah. Yeah. We, uh, spoke on the phone.

- Did she call or did you? - Um...

I think I called.

So, what's up?

We may go on a picnic.

If we've got the time. It was her idea.

Walk around the village, talk,

have some carrots and celery and things.

She likes stuff like that.

No hot dogs?

No.

I may give them up.

It's hard, though.

I come from a long line of hot dog eaters.

My father liked hot dogs.

- Did he? - Yeah. Yeah.

He got Jake Kendall eating hot dogs. Ha, ha.

He'd stop by the garage,

they'd eat hot dogs and drink a bottle of pop and talk.

- Charlie? - Huh?

Well, Jake.

Well, I wish you would look. I wish you would.

That's a brand new suit, ain't it?

Took delivery of it this morning.

Well, I wish you would look. Mm.

Britches and a vest and a coat all just alike.

Suits are supposed to match, Charlie.

Look at this.

This is what makes it something.

"Brooks Brothers."

- Best tailors in the country. - Phew.

Most expensive too.

Their clothes are high quality and they last.

- Brooks Brothers. - Wouldn't wear anything but.

Quality. Quality and good looks.

That's kind of the way I feel about my Levis.

Yeah.

Kind of the way I feel about my suit.

That suit.

So tell me about the murder.

Well, after the murder, Charlie got out on bail.

He talked one of the young police officers,

a fellow I'd been to school with,

into letting him look at some of the pictures of the, uh, murder scene,

and he found something.

Henry.

Where's that sweater you all found on the floor closest to Jake's body?

This one here in this picture.

Uh, it's in that drawer right there.

Are you gonna let me look at it?

That ain't Jake's sweater.

- Of course it is. - No, it ain't, Henry.

The clothes in Jake's closest, every one of them

has a label that says Brooks Brothers.

He wouldn't wear nothing else. Brooks Brothers.

Did they call Martha's Knit Shoppe?

Yeah. And the sweater had been bought by Lee Martell.

And when the police found that out and Jake Kendall's very own lawyer

told them there was no way Charlie could have known

that Mr. Kendall would go and leave him all that money,

why, they let him go and arrested Mr. Martell.

All because they found his sweater?

It's more than that. Jake Kendall had been, uh, pretty much responsible

for the fact that Mr. Martell had gone bankrupt the year before.

So he advised him

in some bad business investments or something.

- Where are you going? - Uh, appointment.

- With who? - George.

- George who? - Uh, Winfield.

You know, Candice's husband, the insurance salesman.

- I saw that. - Just one.

Yeah, I, uh, sell insurance right now, but not for long.

As soon as one of my screenplays sells, I'm out of here.

- Ha, ha. - Here, have a seat.

Suppose I sell you a policy?

- On what? - On anything.

Oh. Ha, ha. No, thanks.

So how many screenplays have you written?

- None of them have sold? - No. No, not yet.

But that is all about to change.

This one right here is gonna be the one.

Ah-ah-ah. Ha, ha.

What's it about?

- Oh, no. Ha, ha. - Come on. You can tell me.

I mean, who am I gonna tell? Scout's honor.

All right.

This one is about a serial killer, sadistic, vicious.

I mean, he makes Bundy and Bianchi look like pikers.

Anyway, miracle of miracles, they catch him

and they try him and they convict him and they put him on death row.

But in the meantime, this guy has had a religious experience.

Suddenly, he wants to be executed.

Says God demands that he be executed.

But the state says, "No. Forget it."

He's got at least 10 years of appeals ahead of him.

I mean, what delicious irony, huh?

Yeah. Yeah.

So how does it end?

No, no, no, that I'm not gonna tell you.

Ha. You don't know, do you?

- No. Ha, ha. But I will. I will. - Ha, ha.

Well, ha, ha,

I know that you know

that, uh, your wife was having an affair with Arthur Kendall.

Josh told me what happened over at his house.

According to Josh, your wife left you

on the day that Arthur Kendall was killed.

Mm-hm.

She was gonna move in with him,

only, uh, someone killed him before she had the chance.

- More delicious irony. - Yeah. Ha, ha.

Yeah, yeah.

Well, excuse me, but, uh,

as a screenwriter, I guess you know why I have to ask.

Motive, Mr. Matlock. Motive.

Why would I have killed Arthur Kendall?

To get my wife back? I don't want her back.

To punish him? To punish her?

He was selfish and opportunistic, just like Candace.

They were two peas in a pod.

If she had moved in with him, I wouldn't have had to do a thing.

They'd have punished each other to death.

- Yes. - Aw.

Man, you always win.

Hi, guys.

My name's Candace. How's it going?

Why the hell do you wanna know?

Listen, if anybody asks you, last Thursday afternoon

I was down here watching you guys play dice, okay?

You tell them I do that a lot. I'm doing research for a movie.

Why'd we wanna do that?

Because I'm a real good loser.

Snake eyes. Oh, darn, I crapped out.

Remember, Thursday afternoon, 3 to 5. Candace.

Hey, come on, come on. - Come on, move out.

- Hi. - Miss Mclntyre. What's up?

Oh, we found out that Arthur Kendall was having an affair

with a married woman before he died.

That doesn't surprise me.

So we're making some good progress.

Um, Brian, the real reason I came by is, well, my father told me

the Matlock side of Jake Kendall's murder

and I would like to know your side, the Martell side.

You're gonna believe me over your father?

Well, I don't believe my grandfather did it, either, but try me.

All right. All right.

Maybe that jury was wrong about your dad.

I mean, to convict somebody because of a sweater

and a business deal gone sour.

Come sit with me for five minutes.

Okay.

All right.

When my father lost his business,

he started working for this guy that liked to go fishing a lot.

And one day he heard that the bluefish were running someplace,

so he closed up shop, sent Dad and everybody home early.

It was a nice day,

so instead of calling Mom to come and get him, Dad decided to walk.

Dad saw Mom and Kendall kissing.

He was too shocked to confront them then,

but later when, uh, he thought I was down the street at a friend's,

he kind of just came unglued.

A nosy neighbor told the police about Mom's affair

and they assumed that Dad killed him in a jealous rage.

- He didn't have an alibi? - No.

He couldn't have killed Jake Kendall.

Jake Kendall had already killed him.

- Hi. - Hi.

- Yolanda Bergstrom? - Yes.

My name is Conrad McMasters. I work for the attorney

who represents the man accused of killing Arthur Kendall.

Oh.

Could I ask you a couple of questions?

Sure. Come on in.

Can I get you something to drink? Some water or anything?

No, thanks.

- Nice place. - Thanks.

- Join me for lunch? - Uh, ha, ha.

Let me take a wild guess, you're on a diet?

Yep. Started when I was 14, will end when I die.

I gain weight just driving by an ice cream shop.

Sit down.

I understand you used to date Arthur Kendall.

We went out a couple of times, yeah.

It's a horrible thing what happened to him.

I mean, he wasn't perfect but he was a nice guy, you know.

I liked him.

"Death Rattle. An original screenplay by Arthur Kendall."

He had given me that to read, wanted to know what I thought.

So, what did you think of it?

Between you and me, I think the story of some guy on death row

that can't get the state to execute him isn't exactly Batman Returns,

if you know what I mean.

So how did you know that he and I were dating?

Uh, well,

he sent you $50 worth of flowers the morning he died

and he told the florist to include this note.

"Sorry for the interruption. Next time the Watkins Hotel."

What's that mean?

Well, actually, I, um...

I spent the night with Arthur just before he died.

You did?

Why didn't you tell the police?

They never asked.

Okay, and maybe I didn't want to get involved.

Look, I'm an art director at an ad agency.

I don't need any trouble.

And it's not like I knew anything that would help them solve the case.

Go ahead.

Okay.

So we spent this nice, quiet evening together.

You know what I'm saying, don't you?

Would you like a zucchini or a carrot or something?

Yeah, okay.

Now, the next morning,

that's when things got unpredictable.

Mrs. Winfield, what was your relationship

with the decedent, Arthur Kendall?

He taught the screenwriting class that I was enrolled in.

Ha, ha. Yeah.

It went considerably farther than student-teacher, didn't it?

We were lovers.

You left your husband

because of your involvement with Arthur Kendall, didn't you?

Yes.

You told your husband you intended to divorce him

and marry Arthur Kendall

the morning of the day he was murdered, didn't you?

- Yes. - Mm-hm.

Then what?

You went over to Arthur's house, didn't you?

You went over unannounced

and found him, let's say, with another woman.

That woman right back there, Yolanda Bergstrom,

who is prepared to testify

that when you found the two of them together, you became enraged.

I was upset, yes.

And he told you that he had never intended to marry you.

He told you that he had never intended even to be faithful to you, didn't he?

Here, you left your home, your husband, your son.

And here's this man essentially telling you

that you meant nothing to him.

How did that make you feel? Would you say devastated?

Yes.

And you were mad too, huh? Furious.

So furious you killed him.

No.

No, I was downtown doing research for a screenplay when he was killed.

These boys entering the courtroom now

are prepared to testify

that you bribed them to lie.

That's not true.

You gave them money

to say that you were with them

when, in fact, you were at Arthur Kendall's house

- committing murder, weren't you? - No.

Don't perjure yourself.

All right. I wasn't downtown.

Where were you?

When I left Arthur's that morning, I just got in my car and drove.

- Where? - I don't know, um,

around and around until it got dark. I didn't know where to go.

- Did anybody see you? - No.

- You have no alibi. - I didn't kill him.

- Where did you go? - I didn't kill him.

I couldn't believe that he could do that to me,

but I didn't kill him.

You've got to believe me. I swear.

You have no alibi.

Stop it. Just stop it. She didn't kill Arthur Kendall.

I did. I killed him.

Now, leave her alone.

When did you decide to kill Arthur Kendall?

That morning.

When I got to work at the hospital, my father called

and told me Mom left him.

I figured that was it. That creep lived long enough.

What did you do?

I went over to his house around 3:30, waited for his new girlfriend to leave,

then went into his garage and started his car up.

When he came out to look, I slammed the door and locked him inside.

Then I went over to Brian Martell's place

and hid the garage key in his car.

Where did you get them?

Where did I get what?

The key to Arthur Kendall's car?

His only key, as it turns out.

And the key to his garage? Where did you get them?

I... Well, I snuck in and stole them.

- When? - That afternoon.

He was with his new girlfriend all afternoon.

Like I said, I snuck in. I was real quiet.

How did you sneak in?

What do you mean?

Through a door?

Yeah. I snuck in through the front door.

They were off in another room someplace.

The maid told us that he always keeps his doors locked,

even when he's there.

Well, they weren't locked that day.

Exactly where in the house did you find the keys, Josh?

Where did I find them?

Well, let's see.

Oh, my.

What do you think? Is it too much?

Oh, no. It's just perfect.

I mean, it's just a picnic. I don't wanna overdo.

It's just informal enough without being too informal.

I've got a chicken neck.

You'll wear a sweater.

Oh, Dad, this must have cost more

than three or four of your gray suits put together.

I got it on sale.

- Are the pants too tight? - No, no, no.

Well, they're the only ones they had.

I think I can get away with it if I keep my coat down

and be careful sitting.

- Well... - I mean, snug's in now.

- I think Elaine's gonna flip. - Do you?

Oh, I wish I could be there.

It does look nice, if I do say so myself, who shouldn't?

I mean, a picnic only lasts two or three hours.

- I can hold my stomach in that long. - Sure.

This case was an easy one, wasn't it?

- Who would have thought. - Yeah.

They should be done interviewing the boy by now.

Why don't I go change and we can go down

and move for a dismissal?

- Okay. - Okay. Okay.

And, uh...

Uh, you're sure it's not too much?

It's perfect.

- Well? - Bad news, counselor.

The boy's lying. He didn't kill Arthur Kendall.

You could drive a pickup through the holes in his story.

But he confessed.

He may have confessed, Mr. Martell, but he didn't kill him.

Then his mother did. - Brian.

With his outburst in court, whether he did it or didn't do it,

there's grounds here for a mistrial.

I don't think so.

The fact is, the state's case hasn't been hurt by this one bit.

I plan to continue my prosecution as if none of this happened.

You're gonna read the newspaper?

George, our son is in jail. We have got to do something.

I've already sent my attorneys down there.

Now, that's all I can do.

This is all my fault.

I wish I'd never heard of Arthur Kendall.

I agree with you on both counts.

- Mom. - Josh.

- Son, are you all right? - I'm fine.

- They let you go? - They didn't believe I did it.

Well, of course they didn't, sweetheart.

Listen, I know the reason that you confessed

was to protect me. But there's no need to.

I didn't kill Arthur Kendall.

Then maybe you won't mind

if I ask you a couple more questions.

I drove Josh home.

I appreciate that, Mr. Matlock,

but my wife doesn't live here anymore.

If you wanna ask her questions, do it someplace else.

George, please. Josh needs to hear the truth.

So do you.

Everything you said today in court was true, Mr. Matlock.

When I went over to Arthur's and found him with that other woman,

it was like he stabbed me with a knife.

Yeah, well, what did you do?

Just what I said in court. I got in my car and I started driving.

I didn't know where I was.

I didn't care where I was, where I was going. I just drove.

Well, did you stop for gas or get something to eat

or make a phone call or anything?

No. I never got out of the car.

- Well, nobody can verify your story. - No.

He doesn't believe you. Nobody's gonna believe you.

Damn it, Mom, why did you get mixed up with that geek? Why?

Josh.

Care to stay for dinner?

Brian, if nothing else, Candace Winfield's testimony

helped to create substantial reasonable doubt in the minds of those jurors.

My poor father.

I knew the last time I saw him it'd be my last.

I knew he was gonna die. I knew it.

For 40 years, I watched him rot away, bit by bit.

I'm sorry.

You know, I can't get over the similarity between your case and your father's.

I mean, it is incredible to me that you are on trial

for killing the son of the man he supposedly killed.

The son of the man your grandfather killed.

Why are you so convinced

that Charlie Matlock killed Jake Kendall?

His wrench was the murder weapon.

Your father's sweater was found right next to the body.

This is the way it was, okay?

Charlie Matlock went to Kendall's room to deliver the keys

for the car that he just fixed for him.

They talked.

When Kendall turned his back, Charlie took his wrench out of his pocket

and hit him over the head. No, wait. Listen to this, okay?

Then Charlie pulled out my father's sweater,

dropped it by the body, went into the bathroom,

tossed the wrench out the window, called the police

and told them that Kendall was dead when he got there.

Brian, so what you're saying

is instead of my grandfather taking the wrench with him

or tossing it into the river or washing it off someplace,

he threw it out the window where it was sure to be found?

He was a mechanic, not a genius.

Yet he was smart enough to steal the sweater somehow

and place it at the scene of the crime?

You think my father was dumb enough to leave it there?

You never said anything about your mother.

What was she like?

She was beautiful, like a movie star.

My father worshipped her,

uh, until Jake Kendall came along.

- Who does she think killed him? - I don't know.

She was so in love with Jake Kendall that his death just destroyed her.

She left me with my aunt and uncle to raise and just kind of drifted off.

I never saw much of her.

And where is she now?

At a retirement home down in Forest Park.

I hope to God I never love anybody

as much as she loved Jake Kendall, you know?

- Yolanda. - Hi.

- Hi. It's me again. Hi. - Hi.

Can I talk to you for a minute?

Uh, yeah, sure. Could you just wait a sec?

Okay. Come on in.

- More questions? - Uh, actually, just one.

- What? - Hey, sugar and fat. Is this a holiday?

What are you, the diet police? Okay, I confess.

Every now and then I pig out, so sue me.

Turns out Josh Winfield lied

when he confessed to killing Arthur Kendall.

You're kidding.

No. He wasn't able to tell the police

how he had gotten the keys to Arthur's car and garage.

So the police figure he lied in an attempt to cover for his mother.

So she killed Arthur Kendall?

Well, if she did, the same question arises.

Where did she get the keys?

So where do I come in?

Well, my question to you

is when she walked in on you and Arthur that morning,

which is apparently when she decided to kill him, what exactly did she do?

Well, she walked into the living room, saw us and walked out.

So she didn't go into the kitchen or the bedroom

or any place where he might have kept the keys?

I have no idea where she went.

It was nice seeing you again, Mr. McPheeters.

- McMasters. - Whatever.

I've got one more question.

What?

If you're wearing lipstick and that's your snack,

then how come there's no lipstick on that milk glass?

Look, I've got stuff to do.

Who are you hiding, Yolanda?

What does this look like, the underground railroad?

Maybe you've got stuff to do, but I don't.

I can wait around as long as it takes to find out who's here.

And if I have to, that's exactly what I'll do.

Sabrina.

Sabrina Bergstrom, Conrad McMasters.

- Bergstrom? - Yeah. My sister.

Now that you've found out what you wanted to know, leave.

Go.

Miss Martell.

Hello. I'm Leanne Mclntyre. I'm an attorney.

My father and I are defending your son, Brian.

- Oh, yes. - You know about the trouble he's in?

Yes. They think he murdered Jake's son.

It's like a curse.

I'd like to ask you a few questions,

not about Brian, about Jake, if you don't mind.

All right.

Your son is convinced that my grandfather killed Jake.

I'd like to know what you think.

What do I think?

Well, way back then, all I knew is that he was gone.

Nothing else mattered.

And now, well, it matters even less, doesn't it?

You must have loved him very much.

It was as if we knew each other forever and more.

Every word he spoke I understood.

Everything he felt, I felt it too.

I was married and had a son.

We met eight years too late.

But I couldn't help myself.

I was in love. I was really, truly in love.

I heard about Jake's death on the radio.

I was cooking dinner or something.

It was like a door had slammed shut, never to be opened again.

Oh, Ben. That was the nicest picnic.

Well...

You brought all of my favorite things:

carrot sticks, celery, tomatoes,

um, sweet cucumbers, sesame seeds.

And topped it off with my all-time favorite of favorites, hot peppers.

Well, I guess I know what you like.

I bet I know what you like.

You look handsome in your nice outfit.

Well, you look nice in your little print.

Ah. Let's sit down.

- Uh, well... - You've been standing all afternoon.

- Aren't you tired? - Oh, no. No, I like to stand.

I stand a lot. My mother used to say that about me.

- Those pants too tight? Let me see. - No, no, no, they're fine. They're fine.

Snug's in now.

Yeah, my mother used to say, "That Ben's a real stander."

Let's be sitters a while. Here.

Okay.

Bacon and eggs?

I can't handle it, Leanne.

I've been eating broccoli and carrots and celery

because you introduced me to this lady

and as a favor to you, I take her on a picnic.

What happened?

Well, I walked around all day wearing that outfit

and I did my very best to hold my stomach in

and not to sit down.

Finally, I had to sit down.

And when I did sit down, I ripped my pants.

Oh, Dad, I'm sorry.

I made an ass out of myself. Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean...

It's all right. It's all right. It will come out.

- Should you soak it in something? - All right.

I'll, uh, put something on of yours. It's fine. It's fine.

I should have known you can't make a silk purse

out of a sow's ear.

Are you talking to the bacon or the eggs?

I'm talking to my daughter.

- Hi, Conrad. - Hey, Leanne.

All right, here's the story on Yolanda Bergstrom's sister.

She lives alone.

She models for art classes in the day and waitresses at night.

She's got a chip on her shoulder the size of the Boulder Dam.

And how or even if she fits into Arthur Kendall's murder

is beyond me.

Did you say you were gonna put that on?

- You don't like it? - You look great in it.

Thank you, Conrad.

Oh, my gosh, that's it.

What?

I'm gonna go home and change clothes,

drive back down to Forest Park.

Conrad, you're brilliant.

Take Dad for a walk when he's through.

I'm not a golden retriever.

See, now, this is real food.

You know, I've been eating broccoli raw.

So does Yolanda Bergstrom.

Did I tell you she has a copy of a screenplay Arthur Kendall had written?

- What was she doing with it? - He wanted her opinion on it.

It's just as well he's dead because she didn't like it.

Why?

Well, it's about this guy on death row who wants to get executed.

Too intellectual for her, I guess.

What?

That's what George Winfield's story was about.

Kendall stole my idea?

Either that or you stole his.

How could I?

I've been working on this screenplay for over a year now.

Candace.

Candace told him.

You told your wife?

Of course I told my wife.

I used to bounce ideas off her all the time.

I had no idea she'd turn around and bounce them off somebody else.

- Dad, take it easy. - Take it easy?

Because of your mother, that scum was gonna take credit

for something I thought up.

You didn't happen to see how his screenplay ended, did you?

No.

That's it. Candice is in for a divorce

the likes of which this planet has never seen.

You think you could come here once with some good news?

Miss Martell?

Hello again. Leanne Mclntyre, Brian's attorney.

Oh, yes. I remember.

I just wanted to ask you a few more questions

about Jake Kendall's murder. It will just take a minute.

I never got to meet your ex-husband, Miss Martell.

Were you and he about the same size?

Oh, he was a little bigger than me.

Did you ever wear any of his clothes?

I don't know. I guess.

Ever put on one of his shirts

or maybe when it was cold out, wear one of his sweaters?

Married people do those things.

Something occurred to me earlier today

when I put on one of my father's shirts.

I thought if Brian is right

and your ex-husband didn't kill Jake Kendall

and my grandfather didn't do it, either,

there is another possible explanation

as to why your husband's sweater was found next to the body.

He wasn't wearing it, Miss Martell.

You were.

What happened, Miss Martell?

Did you and Jake have a fight?

Did he meet someone else?

He broke your heart, didn't he?

And you couldn't bear seeing him with someone else so you killed him.

Am I right, Miss Martell?

Can't you throw it right at me?

If I throw it right at you, you won't get any exercise.

Do you have to make me jump around like a ballet dancer?

All right. Here comes one.

Coming at you.

Ow!

I said throw it right at me. I didn't say try to kill me.

Mr. Matlock.

Oh, hi, Josh.

- You know Fireball McMasters. - Yeah. Hi.

- Hey, Josh. - What's up?

Listen, my Dad's still pretty upset

about Arthur Kendall stealing his movie idea.

At least he died before he was able to cash in on it.

Yeah, but what if somebody reads Arthur Kendall's script

before they read my Dad's and wind up thinking he's the thief?

This screenplay thing kind of makes it look like he offed Arthur Kendall.

Maybe.

I'm helping him round up any scripts that may be out there.

How about the one you saw?

I didn't see it, Conrad did.

Where is it?

- Let me look into it. - Thanks.

Take over for me.

All right. Let's see what you've got, Josh.

- You a Braves fan? - Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Right, right.

So if it's all the same to you, Yolanda, he'd really like to have it back.

Oh. You threw it out.

It's not fair, Mom.

I wanna know what happened.

I mean, I deserve to know what happened.

- What happened doesn't matter. - It does to me.

You and Dad and Jake Kendall weren't the only ones involved.

There was a 5-year-old kid there, remember? Your son.

I understand why you killed Jake Kendall.

You... I know all about him.

I mean, he was a compulsive womanizer, but...

What I don't understand is

how could you let Dad die in prison knowing he was innocent?

He loved you so much.

How could you do that to him?

It was your father's idea.

He knew?

Tell us what happened that day, Miss Martell.

Oh, it was so long ago.

Jake's gone. Lee's gone. I should be gone.

I didn't tell Jake I was coming to his hotel room that day.

I wanted to surprise him.

He surprised me with another woman.

Honey, I know I'm a little bit...

He betrayed me.

I screamed to him, "How could you do this to me?"

But he wasn't even sorry.

He reminded me that I was a married woman

who was cheating on her husband

and had no right to make judgments about him.

Finally, I just turned and left.

But as I was closing the door,

I remembered that he had said

he was leaving Charlie Matlock $15,000 in his will.

So I went over to Charlie's Service Station

and I stole a wrench.

And about an hour after I left Jake's hotel room, I came back.

He was so glad to see me.

- Can I come in? - Yeah.

- I thought we needed to talk. - Sure.

- I'm sorry about before. - That's all right.

Oh, he was so sure of himself.

He wasn't even surprised that I had come back.

Naturally he thought I wanted to kiss and make up.

So I let him think that.

I was wearing a sweater of your father's.

It soon wound up on the floor.

As...

As he took off his Brooks Brothers jacket to put on the chair,

I pulled out that wrench and I hit him as hard as I could.

But I didn't mean to leave the sweater there.

I just wasn't thinking clearly.

It was like a dream.

I didn't even realize what I had done

until I heard about his death on the radio and the reality of it set in.

When did Dad find out?

I told him that night

as soon as I realized I had left the sweater there.

And he said not to worry,

that even if they arrested him instead of Charlie

that they would never send him to prison

because after all, it was only a sweater.

But they did send him to prison

and you let them.

It's the way your father wanted it.

I wanted to come forward but he wouldn't hear of it.

He insisted.

After a while, I just accepted it.

Now,

it's all over.

As you said,

he loved me very much.

How's it going, Sabrina?

- What do you want? - Just the pleasure of your company.

Go to hell.

- I hear you used to be a model. - I still am.

Well, no. Actually, now you're just posing

for a bunch of LeRoy Neiman wannabes at the art school.

But back then, you posed for the big-time fashion magazines.

- What happened? - Maybe I just didn't like it.

Was it drugs?

Maybe that too.

- Hey, what are you doing? - This is Arthur Kendall's screenplay.

- Give me that. - Did your sister give that to you?

Why don't you mind your own business?

She told Ben Matlock she had thrown it away.

Get away from me.

What's the deal with you two, Sabrina?

I said, get away from me,

or so help me, I'm gonna scream rape so loudly

cops in the next county will hear it.

Well, she cried a lot, but then when Brian came to visit her,

she admitted that she'd killed Jake Kendall.

Lee Martell knew, went to prison for her.

I just wish Grandpa had known the truth.

Yeah.

Dad, it's Elaine.

I'll be in the kitchen.

Oh, Elaine.

Hello, Ben. May I come in for a minute?

Yes. Of course.

- Well, I'm glad you're okay. - Yeah.

When your pants split like that I felt sorry for you.

- But you did look cute. - Well, thanks.

Well, anyway, it's nice to see that you've recovered.

Ben, I've got something to tell you.

I'm going to marry Senator Westerfield.

Don't be hurt.

I mean, you're a wonderful man and I admire your dedication to fitness,

but I feel life is too short to spend it eating carrots and celery.

I make the best fried chicken and grits and gravy,

and I wanna be able to still make them.

You make fried chicken and grits and gravy?

Not that I don't believe in exercise. I mean, I love swimming and walking.

So does Robert, that's the senator.

Speaking of whom, got to run.

I've got a peach pie in the oven.

Robert's coming over later

and we're gonna crank some ice cream.

Then we're gonna sit on the porch and eat fresh pie à la mode

and watch the fireflies.

Bye, dear.

Love your hair.

Hi. ELAINE: Hi.

What's wrong?

How'd it go?

She dumped me.

Because you split your pants?

I guess. I don't know.

She seemed so understanding at the time.

She has qualities, Leanne, qualities that I like.

Qualities that I'll never get to know.

Unless, she and her husband invite me to dinner.

Husband?

Sabrina Bergstrom has a copy of Arthur Kendall's screenplay.

- Did you ask where she got it? - She wouldn't say.

Looks like the same script Yolanda had.

- I recognized the coffee stains. - Hmm.

- She didn't throw it away after all. - Mm-mm. She lied.

I wonder why she'd do that.

How long have you known Arthur Kendall?

Only about three weeks.

How did you meet?

We met at the Fifth Street Bar and Grill.

He was having a drink. I was waiting for a table.

We started talking, hit it off.

The Fifth Street Bar and Grill.

According to a piece that appeared in the Atlanta Gazette

about, oh, a year ago, that was his favorite hangout.

- I didn't know that. - I think you did.

I think you went to the Fifth Street Bar and Grill

specifically to meet Arthur Kendall, seduce him,

then wait for your best opportunity and kill him.

Objection. Badgering a witness.

Sustained. Mr. Matlock...

I'm sorry, Your Honor. I'll move onto something else.

I understand you have a younger sister.

That's right. Sabrina.

And until about six months ago,

she was a high fashion model. - Yes.

And the reason she's no longer a high fashion model is, uh,

she started using drugs. Is that right?

- Yes. MATLOCK: She used to use drugs

but she kicked the habit, didn't she? - Yes, that's right.

You know any reason why she would start using drugs again?

I don't know. Why does anyone take drugs?

Maybe she fell in with the wrong crowd.

According to this receipt that we got from his, uh, accountant,

about six months ago,

Arthur Kendall bought a gold, uh, bracelet,

and had "To Sabrina, with love, Arthur," engraved on it

and then had it sent to her apartment.

Your sister had an affair with him, didn't she?

All right. Yes, she did.

But what's that got to do with anything?

She was in love with him.

And almost immediately, as was his habit, he cast her aside

with no thought or care of how devastated she would be.

And that's when she started using drugs again, isn't it?

And that ended her career.

And that's when you decided

that Arthur Kendall would pay

- for ruining your sister's life. - No.

So you picked him up at the Fifth Street Bar and Grill.

Let's just say you allowed him to think he picked you up.

Went out with him a few times.

Waited for your chance to do him in.

I dated him because I liked him.

Then you saw that piece in the paper

about that fight he had with Brian Martell

and you knew your chance had come.

You killed Arthur Kendall

and framed my client by putting those keys in his car.

You remembered the fight that they had in that writing class.

You knew that he, Brian Martell, was the perfect suspect.

I didn't kill him.

You were in his house on the day he was killed.

Yes, I was.

That means that you had easy access to the keys to his car and garage.

So I ask you, Miss Bergstrom,

where were you between 4 and 4:30

the afternoon Arthur Kendall was murdered?

Shall I repeat the question?

The witness is instructed to answer the question.

I don't want to.

You have no choice.

Yes, I do.

Young lady, either you answer the question,

or I'll cite you for contempt.

You go right ahead.

Here they are, sports fans.

Yolanda Bergstrom's bank records straight from the subpoena factory.

- Get them while they're hot. - Yeah, let's have a look.

While I was downtown, I found out something else.

- What? - The sister, Sabrina, has an alibi.

At the time, she was sleeping off her lunch

in the drunk tank at the city jail,

something she apparently does quite frequently.

So if Yolanda's stonewalling in order to protect someone, it isn't her sister.

She's stonewalling to protect herself.

I'll bet anything she killed Arthur Kendall.

Of course, we haven't any proof. We have to have proof.

Boy, she spent a lot of money

on Sabrina's drug rehabilitation program, didn't she?

- Money not well spent, apparently. - Yeah.

"Century Hospital Chemical Dependency Unit."

Maybe you're right.

Well, let's see. The killer got in the car,

and there you go.

Got her in neutral, there you go.

Started the engine,

locked that door, got out,

locked this door

and there you've got it.

The car is locked, the engine's running and the keys are inside.

You stepped right in the oil. Didn't you see it?

Why didn't you say something?

Well, wouldn't you know.

Of course.

Well, that was some scene you made in here last week

when you jumped up and confessed to killing Arthur Kendall.

Why would you do something like that?

Because you were making it sound like my mom killed him.

I knew that wasn't true,

but I was afraid she was gonna go to jail anyway, so I said I did it.

- You were just protecting her? - That's right.

Well, uh, just for the record

and since you're under oath and everything, did you kill him?

- No. - Okay.

Uh, I understand you work part-time at the Century Hospital.

That's right.

Did you ever work part-time

in the drug rehabilitation unit they have there?

Sure. I worked in all the departments at the hospital.

Were you working in the drug rehabilitation unit

when Sabrina Bergstrom was a patient there?

According to the hospital records, you were.

Yeah. I remember Sabrina vaguely.

Uh, how about her sister Yolanda? Remember her?

There are a number of people here today

who work at the Century Hospital and they are prepared to testify

that while Sabrina was a patient there, you and Yolanda became friends.

Well, I might have met her and talked to her,

but that didn't mean we were friends.

Well, not friends, then.

Uh, maybe co-conspirators.

I don't know what that means.

Well, let me try to explain. Um...

How about this?

Maybe during, uh, one of her many visits to the hospital to see her sister,

Yolanda told you that Arthur Kendall was responsible

for her sister's drug problems.

I don't remember.

And maybe sometime after that, you admitted

that your mother had had an affair with the same man, Arthur Kendall.

What a shock that must have been to both your systems.

How dare that man who used women and tossed them aside...

How dare that man lay a hand on your mother?

That's the way you felt, right, Josh? Furious.

Of course you did.

Everybody knows what a good son you are.

Rather than let your mother go to jail,

you jumped right up and admitted to the killing.

Or was it just an act, calculated to remove all suspicion from yourself?

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

I'm talking about your outburst in the courtroom that day.

The police questioned you and then let you go.

Because you couldn't explain how you got Arthur Kendall's keys,

they didn't believe you killed him.

But they didn't know about you and Yolanda, did they?

They didn't know that you were co-conspirators.

That'd you'd been working on this for months.

She stole Arthur Kendall's keys to his car and garage,

so you could lock him in that garage and kill him.

- That's not true. - Objection.

Assumes facts not in evidence. Calls for speculation.

Mr. Matlock, I am trying to be patient.

Shall I move onto something else?

Excellent idea.

Yes, sir.

According to Lieutenant Bigelow's testimony,

the killer entered Mr. Kendall's garage, entered his car, started the engine,

got out of the car, locked it

and waited for Mr. Kendall to come in and investigate.

And when he did, the killer then closed the door to the garage,

locked it, the car running inside, locked,

so that he would be killed by carbon monoxide poisoning.

But in his haste, or his nervousness,

somehow he didn't notice

that on the floor of Mr. Kendall's garage

just under the door on the driver's side was a puddle of oil.

You can see it right here in this police photograph. See that?

Pretty good size puddle too.

Anybody getting in or out of Mr. Kendall's car

would have stepped right in it.

I know I did.

Arthur did too, probably. And the killer did.

And that means the killer,

on his way home, got this oil on the floor mat of his car.

The police lab found oil

identical to the oil on the floor of Arthur Kendall's garage

ground into the fibers of this floor mat.

We got a search warrant, Josh.

This floor mat came out of your car.

Well... - Thanks, Ben. - Yeah.

We got a lot of things settled.

Neither my father nor yours killed anybody.

No. My mother.

But she suffers and carries it on her own.

Except for me, I guess I'll always carry it too.

- Goodbye. - Goodbye.

- Goodbye. - Bye.

Mr. McMasters, my sister asked me to give you something.

And she asked me to give you this.

She said the sleazebag lawyer in it reminds her of you.

I think she broke my tooth.

- Are you hurt? - Yes.

Sorry. I bet you can't eat anything.

Hey, Charlie.

Two hot dogs all the way.