Original subtitles

No! I'm not gonna go!

I hate seafood! It's gross!

I wanna have hamburgers.

WOMAN: Jason Michael Terwilliger,

you have five seconds.

One, two...

Yes. My name is Ellen Barrett.

I'm calling from Room 227 of the Sea View Motel.

I think I killed someone.

Uh-huh. Yes, I'll be here.

MARKS: Ellen Barrett.

That's two R's and two T's?

Yes. I'm from Atlanta.

I'm a journalist. I write a newspaper column.

MARKS: And he is?

Was?

He said his name was Adam Easley.

He worked for Vic Baron.

Vic Baron as in the mobster?

Easley called me about a week ago

and said that he heard that I was doing a story about his boss.

And that he and Baron had had a falling out,

and he'd be more than happy to rat on his boss.

I thought he was on the level so I agreed to meet him.

And then when I got here...

What happened, Miss Barrett?

Well, it was a setup.

I'd no sooner shut the door

but he grabbed me and he told me that Baron wanted me

to drop the story or else.

And then he started to throw me around the room and he hit me,

until finally I...

Maybe we should do this someplace else.

- Feeling better? - Yeah.

- Okay. Do you mind if I turn this on? - Go ahead.

Now, in as much detail as you can remember,

tell me exactly what happened in that motel room tonight.

Well, after I told Easley that I wasn't about to drop the story,

and that he and Vic Baron could pretty much shove it,

he grabbed me by the hair and he threw me across the room.

I hit a chair on the way down, and I knocked it over.

And then I got up pretty fast,

and I grabbed for the phone to try to call for some help,

and he yanked the receiver out of my hand and he hit me with it.

Hard.

Then what happened?

Well, then I scratched his face.

And I tried to run for the door, but he pulled me back,

and he grabbed my blouse and he started to slap me.

I thought he was gonna kill me,

so that's when I saw the knife, and...

It was sitting on a tray with a bunch of dirty dishes.

And I grabbed the knife and I stabbed him.

How many times?

I have no idea.

According to measurements taken by the coroner at the scene,

Mr. Easley was about 6 feet tall.

How tall are you, Miss Barrett?

I'm 5'3".

BILLY: Ben?

You here?

Ben?

Go away.

You are here. Why didn't you answer the door?

What are you reading?

Innocent Till Proven Dead.

I read that. Yeah, it's pretty good.

Especially when you find out who the murderer is.

I figured it was the DA.

I mean, who would have ever thought it'd turn out to be the guy's own wife?

- Whoops. - Billy, you just ruined it for me.

Well, heck, I didn't mean to.

Leanne sent this to me all the way from Los Angeles.

I'm sorry.

How's she doing anyway?

Well, pretty good. Job seems to be working out.

- She gonna stay? - I imagine.

She met a fella.

Oh.

She didn't take your spark plug wrench with her, did she?

- Spark plug wrench? - Yeah, I need it.

That's why I came over. Truck conked out on me again.

Did you ever consider getting your own spark plug wrench?

Why?

We got yours.

- You know you got a message? - Yeah, I'll get it later on.

Don't you wanna know who it's from?

ELLEN: Ben, this is Ellen Barrett.

I'm in Wilmington, North Carolina, at 910-555-7000.

Please call me as soon as you get this message.

It's very important. Thanks.

Save that.

Who's Ellen Barrett?

A woman.

- A woman? - Yeah.

I used to know her. She was a reporter.

Covered the courthouse for the Atlanta Herald.

Did you...?

[LAUGHING]

No.

[CHUCKLES]

She was married.

She has her own syndicated column, Pulitzer Prize winner,

and I just knew her.

Think you might be going to Wilmington?

I don't know.

I got business there myself.

My truck's on the fritz. I might go along with you.

Business...?

Eh...

It just so happens that someone's interested

in buying the house that Lucy left me.

Someone by the name

- of Clarence Litton. - Clarence Litton?

Clarence Litton, the billionaire with all the hotels.

What's Clarence Litton want with that dump of yours?

I'll thank you not to call it a dump.

The roof's bad, the wiring's shot,

you need new plumbing, it's termite-infested.

I've seen roaches.

- You have not. - It's a dump.

It's a prime piece of beachfront property

- that's gonna make me filthy rich. - It's a dump.

WOMAN [OVER PA]: Flight 584 to Charlotte

now boarding at Gate 5.

CARRIE: Mom.

ELLEN: Carrie.

Carrie, what are you doing here?

Dad and I are staying at the beach house.

- Kind of a graduation present. - Aw.

Your hair looks pretty that way. I like it.

You look awful.

Oh, I didn't sleep, that's all.

How did you know I was here?

Well, Dad called your office after he heard what happened.

Well, everything is okay.

Then why is Ben Matlock coming?

To make sure that everything stays okay.

So just tell your father that...

Tell him everything is okay.

Why won't you let him help you?

Oh, Carrie, your father and I are like oil and water. We don't exactly mix.

- He still cares about you. - Carrie, don't involve yourself in this.

Tell him not to worry. I can handle it.

Come on. Now, as long as you're here, you can meet Ben.

ELLEN: Carrie!

Carrie!

Oh, Ellen.

- Oh, Ben. - Hi.

- Good to see you. - Good to see you.

- It's been a long time. - Only about seven years.

Yeah. Long enough for you to have acquired an entourage, I see.

Oh, no, no, we're just traveling together.

This is Cliff Lewis.

An honor to meet you. I read your column all the time.

And his father, Billy Lewis.

ELLEN: Hello. - Hello.

- Are you vacationing? - Business.

I'm in real estate.

In fact, I'm in the process of hammering out a deal

with Clarence Litton.

- Really? - Yeah, Clarence contacted me

through the U.S. mail.

- He said, "Dear Mr. Lewis..." - You don't wanna hear this.

Dad, Dad, Dad.

Just because you're selling one lousy house,

does not give you the right to tell people that you're in real estate.

- Does too. - Does not.

Does too.

It's not a lousy house.

Hi. Peter Haskins.

- Come in. - Oh, thanks.

Have a seat.

Where?

Oh, sorry.

You are Peter Haskins, the deputy DA?

That's me.

You want me to just hold that for you?

No. That's okay.

Okay.

You're here to discuss

- the Ellen Barrett case. - That's right.

Barrett, Barrett...

Barrett...

Well, why haven't you closed her case out?

Well, there are a couple of inconsistencies

in the statement she gave the police.

Inconsistencies?

Yes.

Yes. Uh...

Ones that tend to call into question her claim

that she acted in self-defense.

I can give you specifics just as soon as I find her file.

Is this it?

Ahem. Okay.

For instance, Adam Easley, the fellow she killed,

she says he said he worked for Vic Baron.

But so far, we haven't been able to find any kind of connection

between this Easley and Baron at all.

Well, if I were Vic Baron

and was gonna have somebody roughed up,

I'd be sure whoever I sent to do it couldn't be traced back to me.

Mm.

The second for instance, she says Mr. Easley called her

at her home in Atlanta last Friday night.

Right.

The thing about it is he was staying at the Sea View Motel then,

and their records show he made no call to her home that night

or any other night.

Maybe he called her from somewhere else.

Their records do show that he made other long distance calls

from his motel room.

It seems kind of strange he'd leave just to make that one call.

Not if he didn't want that one call to be traced.

Your point is well taken, Mr. Matlock.

It could very well be I'm nitpicking here.

But before I charge somebody with a crime,

I always like to know for sure just what that crime was.

Yeah.

You're not gonna lose that file again, are you?

Oh, no, no. I'm gonna put it right here.

Well, good.

Because the sooner you can get this cleared up,

the sooner Ellen can get on with her life.

- You keep in touch. - Oh, yes. Thank you.

- Uh-huh. Well, I'll... - No, no. No, sir.

- Let me get the door for you. - Oh, okay.

BRAD: Hon, I told you not to go out there.

CARRIE: Well, I had to do something.

I mean, she's my mother.

I wanted her to know that I'm worried about her,

that I care about her.

She just pushed me away like always.

It's not you, Carrie. It's me.

I'm the one who she doesn't want in her life anymore.

Which is okay, I understand.

No, it's not okay.

Because I don't understand.

Honey, you don't need to. This is between your mother and me.

Dad, if I don't understand what happened between you two,

how am I gonna know that the same thing's not gonna happen to me?

How do I know that I'm not gonna meet somebody and fall in love

and get married and have a kid,

only to wind up hating my husband's guts?

Honey, she doesn't hate my guts.

Then what's the deal?

STEVE [ON PHONE]: Brad? - Steve?

Yeah, Brad. What is the holdup on the editorial?

Look, I don't give a damn. Just run it.

You do not answer to him. You answer to me, you got that?

And we're running that piece tonight.

No. No, no, I wanna see the whole page.

Just fax it here as soon as it's set.

Well, that's why the paper's paying you the big bucks, isn't it?

CLIFF: Well, Ben just called.

He talked to the DA,

and he should be here in about 15 minutes.

- Thank you. - You're welcome.

- You sure I can't get you something? - Oh, no, thanks. I'm fine.

You've got a nice house here, Mr. Lewis.

Yes, I do, don't I? It's a real nice house. Heh, heh.

Most people would pay a fortune to own a place like this.

Yes, sir, a real fortune.

I'm a fair man, but when something is of value, I...

Have you ever heard the expression don't count your chickens

- before they're hatched? - Clarence Litton's a billionaire.

Think he's gonna miss a measly 500 grand?

Five hundred grand? What are you, nuts?

The man's rich. That's peanuts to him.

I can't talk to you when you're like this.

- Like what? - Delusional.

JERRI: Stop that hat!

Oh, thanks.

Thanks.

Thought I was gonna wind up swimming for it.

Then you would've had your hands full because I'm a lousy swimmer.

You need to get one of those strings that ties under your chin.

- Or a smaller hat. - Or a bigger head.

[LAUGHS]

You always dress like this when you come to the beach?

Yeah, you never know who you're gonna meet.

I'm Jerri Stone.

Cliff Lewis.

- So do you live around here? - No, Atlanta, actually.

I'm just here helping my father sell a house.

It's down there.

- On the beach? - Yeah.

I've always wanted a house on the beach.

Oh, you wouldn't want that one. It's got a lot of problems.

How much is he asking for it?

Well, if my father was a normal person, he'd ask 375.

That way, you know, he could pay off the mortgage

and have a little leftover to put in the bank.

But since my father is my father, he wants way too much.

- Way too much? - Way too much.

So, what do you do?

I'm a nurse.

In fact, my shift starts in an hour.

I'm gonna have to go.

- Thanks for saving my hat. - You're welcome.

- Nice meeting you. - Nice meeting you.

Is that Jerri with a J or a G?

J.

I thought maybe, you know, I might give you a call sometime.

That'd be nice.

I have to stay in town indefinitely

just because some deputy DA has trouble

with some gangster's phone bill?

That's crazy.

Well, Peter Haskins hasn't had a chance

to prosecute somebody famous before,

so I guess he figures the bigger he makes the case,

the bigger office he'll get.

I have to get back to Atlanta. I'm on a deadline.

You've been saying that as far back as I can remember.

Well, it goes with the territory.

I thought it'd change when you married your editor.

Well, it didn't.

Well, do you see Brad at all anymore?

No.

He's pretty busy now that he's editor in chief.

I have seen Carrie, though, right here in Wilmington.

She and Brad are spending the summer at our...

His beach house in Castle Cove.

You should drop by and say hello.

Maybe I will.

[PHONE RINGS]

Hello?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, okay, I see.

Yeah.

I understand. Thanks for the call.

That was Mr. Haskins.

He's found another inconsistency in your story.

Now what?

Well, how did you say you got into Adam Easley's room that night?

I've already told them that. I knocked on the door and he let me in.

Well, the police have found somebody who says that's not quite the case.

- Who? - Ten-year-old boy,

staying across the hall.

He said he saw you enter Adam Easley's room.

But you didn't knock.

Walked right in, and there was no sign of Mr. Easley.

Well, he's wrong.

I mean, come on, a 10-year-old kid?

He was probably so thrilled to be talking to real-live cops

that he'd say anything they wanted to hear.

It happens all the time, Ben.

Well, all I can tell you is Mr. Haskins believes him,

and he thinks you're a liar.

You lied about Mr. Easley and Mr. Baron,

the telephone call, and now this.

I didn't lie, Ben.

He thinks you did.

CLIFF: Thank you very much.

LITTON: Mr. Lewis.

- It's a pleasure to meet you. - Feeling's mutual.

This here is my son, the lawyer, Cliff.

- Yes, of course. How are you? - Very fine, thank you.

Well, please, have a seat.

I take it Evelyn offered you something to drink.

Yeah, but I told her no.

Told her we were here to talk business,

not to have a tea party.

[LITTON LAUGHS]

Well, I like your attitude, Mr. Lewis.

I also like your house.

So do I. Got a lot of sentimental value.

Used to belong to my dear sister Lucy.

She owned that house for less than six months

before she passed away.

But those were the happiest six months of her life.

She loved that house.

The idea of somebody tearing it down just to build something else

like, say, a big fancy hotel...

It would've broken her heart.

Oh, I don't know.

I'll bet that if I had made her the offer that I'm about to make you,

she would've gotten used to the idea in no time.

Here's what I'm prepared to give you for that house, Mr. Lewis.

Five hundred and five thousand dollars?

Yep.

- I don't believe it. CLIFF: Oh, no.

This is the part you won't believe.

I turned them down.

MATLOCK: You turned them down?

Come on, that's just their first offer, Ben.

They're bound to go higher.

Even a country bumpkin like you ought to know that.

[LAUGHING]

[BILLY CONTINUES LAUGHING]

To be honest with you, I wasn't totally sure

I could make that murder one charge stick,

even with the kid's testimony.

But now that I've read that Forensics report,

there's not a doubt in my mind.

Well, I don't see anything so earth-shattering here.

According to your client,

Adam Easley hit her on the head with the phone.

- Right. - Well, according to that report,

only the fingerprints of Adam Easley's right hand

were found on the receiver.

Thing about it is Adam Easley was left-handed.

Oh, come on. They were struggling.

Maybe he had to hold her arm with his left hand

and pick up the phone with his right. He just had two.

Maybe. But then there's the matter of Miss Barrett's fingerprints.

- What about them? - If you'll turn to the next page,

you'll see they were found on virtually every object in that motel room.

Which just does not square with her contention

she was there for a very brief period of time before killing Mr. Easley.

There was a commotion. He was throwing her

from one side of the room to the other.

Of course her fingerprints were all over the place.

Your client is lying, Mr. Matlock.

And the clincher is right there on the next page.

What next page?

It's actually something the investigating officer picked up

on the night of the murder.

Sure would like to be a fly on the wall when Miss Barrett tries to explain that.

I scratched him during the fight.

He grabbed me, and he started slapping me,

and I remember raking my fingers down his face.

And then I made a run for the door when he let me go.

Mr. Haskins just showed me a police report that indicates

the scratch marks went up Adam Easley's face, not down.

- What? - His skin was curled up

near his cheek, not down by his jaw.

Somebody went like that instead of like that:

I just remember clawing at him.

I guess my fingers could have gone up instead of down.

Ellen, the man was a good 6, 8 inches taller than you.

It'd be next to impossible.

I don't care. That's what happened.

The police think that you scratched his face

after he was dead.

Now, why would I wanna do that?

To claim self-defense instead of murder.

I didn't even know Adam Easley. Why would I wanna kill him?

I don't know.

Mr. Haskins wants to talk to you.

Talk to me or arrest me?

I'll go with you.

Might as well get it over with.

JERRI: Mm.

Good choice.

CLIFF: I cannot believe that I bumped into you again.

You look really nice.

Thank you. So do you.

Thank you.

So, uh, how's the nursing business?

Well, I'm on a floor with 47 patients and two nurses, so it's busy.

- Yeah. - What have you been up to?

Oh, arguing with my pop mostly.

Did he sell the house yet?

Oh, remember how I told you that he wanted too much money for it?

- Yeah. - Well, they offered him $505,000.

You're kidding.

- And he turned them down. - You're kidding.

No, he figured that if the buyer wanted the house bad enough

to offer him that much money, he was bound to offer more.

Well, how high does he think the guy will go?

Oh, he didn't say.

My dad is, um...

Well, I can't imagine that they'd go much more than 6.

So if they make another offer and it's anywhere near 6,

I'm gonna lock him in the room until he takes it.

I don't blame you. That's a lot of money.

- It's a lot of money. - Yeah.

I'm really glad you didn't have to work today.

Me too.

Oh, yuck.

- Oh, does that stain? - Oh, yeah.

I'd better go home and see if I can get this out.

Oh, well, do you want me to drive you?

No, that's okay. My car's right out in front.

Well, it's not a problem. I don't mind driving.

We'll have to do this some other time. I'm sorry.

I'll see you later.

Pardon me.

Hi.

Hi. What are you doing here?

Eating.

You're spying on me.

Well, yeah.

- What happened? - Oh, she spilled wine on her skirt.

Is she coming back?

Probably not.

Well, you'll see her again.

Why do you say that?

I don't know.

Maybe I'm a mind reader. Just a feeling.

Don't look so sad.

Of course there are no hard feelings.

I'm a businessman too, don't forget.

Yes, Mr. Lewis, I'll make sure they validate your parking this time.

Good.

Well, I'll see you and your son here tomorrow at 3.

Okay, bye.

You sure about this?

You offer them anything over $600,000,

and I guarantee you

Cliff will cram it down his father's throat.

LITTON: You better be right.

It's bad enough I have to deal with hicks,

but when they start one-upping me, I...

Well, I just don't like it, Miss Stone.

I just don't like that at all.

All of them said that they were gonna pull their ads?

- Unless we what? CARRIE: Dad?

No, no, no, there's no way in hell that I'm gonna do that.

Forget about it.

Yes, I realize that, but...

Listen, uh, let me think about it

and I'll call you tomorrow, okay? Okay, bye.

- Hi. - Frank. Ingrid. How are you doing?

We're doing a lot better than you are, I think.

Oh, well, some of our advertisers are taking issue

with the pro-union editorials I've been running, so...

I didn't just hear the U word, did I, Ingrid?

Cover your ears, darling.

Frank contends that if his mills ever went union,

he'd be out of business within a week.

[GIGGLES]

That's not so bad, Frank. Think about it.

All the water skiing you could get done.

Hey, you ought to see my new boat. You saw it, didn't you, Carrie?

- Oh, yeah, it's beautiful. FRANK: Come on over, go for a spin.

I'm taking her to the lake tomorrow. It'll be your last chance.

Yes, come over.

I'll put on some steaks and we'll all four have a barbecue.

Except I don't have anything to make salad with.

Or any bread. And we're all out of chips.

Be a dear and go raid the refrigerator, would you?

Sure.

Kids like her almost, almost make me wanna have one.

How are things between Carrie and Ellen?

Oh, well, it's difficult.

Do you suppose there's something Frank and I can do for Ellen?

Well, I don't think so.

Especially now.

What do you mean?

They just announced on the news.

She's been arrested.

For murder.

LITTON: Well, you're quite right about one thing, Mr. Lewis.

I wanna buy your house

because I wanna tear it down and build a hotel there.

But if you're assuming that I'll pay any amount of money to do so,

you're quite wrong.

Because I operate on a budget like everyone else.

And this, therefore, must be considered my final offer.

Six hundred and twenty thousand dollars.

We'll take it.

Right, Pop?

Pop?

- Come on, son, let's go. - Oh, hold on.

You just have to sign on the line. Someone give him a pen.

BILLY: I'm not gonna sign that. CLIFF: He just offered you $620,000.

I heard him.

- Let's go. - I'm not gonna let you do this now.

Why don't we just leave you two alone so you can talk it over?

No need for talk.

I'm not taking less than 800 and that's final.

Eight hundred?

- And I want the mortgage paid off too. - What?

Not only does that go beyond my budget,

it goes beyond common sense.

I'm afraid we have nothing more to say to each other, Mr. Lewis.

These things happen.

Get out the parking ticket

so what's-her-name out there can validate it.

- Seven hundred thousand. - Seven seventy-five.

LITTON: Seven fifty. BILLY: Plus 350 for the mortgage.

Plus 350 for the mortgage.

Now, you draw that up and I'll sign it.

[BILLY CHUCKLES]

Sit down, son, before you fall.

One point one million dollars?

That's right, Ben. You're looking at a millionaire.

Pop called his bluff, the guy fell for it. I...

Any idea what yachts go for these days?

Oh, what do you care? You get seasick.

I'll just get me a gross of those little patches you stick behind your ear,

and I'll be all set. Ha-ha-ha.

Wonder what Dora-Dora's like this time of year.

That's Bora-Bora, Pop.

[DOORBELL CHIMES]

I'll get it.

- Hi. - Hi, Jerri, what are you doing here?

- Can I talk to you? - Yeah, yeah, come in. Sure.

Of course you can. Come on in.

Um, Ben, Dad, this is Jerri Stone.

Jerri Stone, this is Ben Matlock and my father, Billy Lewis.

I know who you are, Mr. Lewis.

That's why I'm here.

I'm not a nurse.

I'm a private investigator.

Clarence Litton wanted me to find out

how much you expected to get for this house.

Everything I did was on purpose.

Running into you on the beach

and then finding out how things stood at the restaurant last night.

You told?

JERRI: It's okay.

You're an unusual man, Mr. Lewis.

All of the information that I gave to Mr. Litton turned out to be useless.

Well, that's why he canned me.

But you know what? I don't mind because you're nice people.

I started feeling bad about the whole thing,

and I just wanted to apologize.

Especially to you.

I'm sorry.

That's all right.

I've had to do some underhanded things myself for Ben.

I've never asked you to do anything underhanded.

- Sneaky? - Sneaky, maybe,

but not underhanded.

Sneaky.

Well, I gotta go.

Hey, congratulations on sticking it to old Litton like that.

He thought you were just a dumb hick.

I know.

- Bye. - Bye.

Classy lady.

Got guts too.

Too bad she can't hold a job.

JUDGE: Bail is at set $250,000.

As for the trial,

it will commence the third of next month

at 9 a.m. in this courtroom.

Court is adjourned till 2:00.

This is weird.

I've been a spectator in court a hundred times, but sitting here...

There were a couple dozen reporters outside when I came in.

You might wanna go down the back stairs.

- I know that's what I'm gonna do. - Thanks.

Figure why make their jobs, such as they are, any easier.

I hate reporters.

[ELLEN CHUCKLES]

Ellen. Yoo-hoo!

ELLEN: Ingrid. - Oh, how are you, dear?

We have been so worried about you.

- Hello, Ellen. - Frank, hi.

Ben Matlock, these are my friends,

- Frank and Ingrid Jefferies. - Hi.

- Hello. - Nice to meet you.

Are you gonna be able to raise all that bail money?

- Because... - Oh, I can handle it. Thank you.

- Thanks for offering. - Real reason why we came here

is because we heard you're staying in some dreadful hotel.

Oh, well, I've been in worse.

Well, we think you should stay with us.

You'd be near Carrie, and she's very worried about you.

- Oh, it's tempting. - We've got an extra bedroom.

- It seems a shame to waste it. - Actually, it's his idea.

- Then I accept. - Great.

[CAR HORN HONKING]

[CAR HORN CONTINUES HONKING]

- What's making all that racket? - I don't know.

BILLY: Couldn't decide between red and white

so I got black.

Wanna go for a ride?

MATLOCK: Where did you...? BILLY: From the bank.

Sold a house. Collateral.

They couldn't loan me the money fast enough.

Pop, deals on houses fall through every day.

Oh, take that apron off and get in.

What's he got you doing now? Baking cookies?

- No, we're making a stew. - Billy.

Jealous, huh?

No, I'm not jealous.

You liked it when I had to come crawling to you all the time

- to borrow money, didn't you? - Are you crazy?

Ah! The worm has turned, and you can't stand it.

I'm just afraid the worm's gonna do something stupid.

[SINGING] I'm looking over a four-leafed clover

That I overlooked before

Think it's hereditary?

Come on.

WOMAN 1: Be careful. Stand back.

- Come on, get the hose. MAN: I told you to get the hose.

WOMAN 2: Hey!

[ALL SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

Mm. Mm.

Give me one all the way.

Wise choice, Mr. Matlock.

- Oh, hi. - Hi.

- Mind if I join you? - Well, sure.

Uh, give me two, please, with the works.

And a bag of chips...

- Two? - And a root beer.

- So got a couple minutes to talk? - Sure.

- I was wondering... HASKINS: Oh, Mr. Matlock.

I was just about to call you.

- Excuse us for a moment? - Sure.

I've been talking to the police up in Wallace all morning long.

Someone tried to burn Adam Easley's house down.

- What? - Last night, about midnight.

Definitely arson, definitely not a professional job.

Made me think that maybe someone who didn't have a lot of experience

was trying to destroy something inside the house.

You talking about Ellen Barrett?

Yes.

So I had the police search the house,

and they found something very curious.

A book, written in Chinese,

published in Shanghai about 20 years ago

titled Birth of a Criminal.

Wasn't exactly a bestseller even then.

Almost impossible to get.

And yet that's the only book they found in that whole house.

So I had somebody down at the library do a quick translation, and bingo.

Oh, sure. Keep right on going.

What do you care, jerk?

- Where was I? - Bingo.

Oh, yeah.

- Okay. Okay? - Yeah, I guess so.

The book chronicles the life of a real-life serial killer

from his childhood right up to the execution.

It sounded suspiciously similar in theme

to that series of articles your client did for the Atlanta Herald

that won her the Pulitzer Prize.

So I compared the two.

They're the same, Mr. Matlock.

I finally have what I've been looking for.

Motive.

Mr. Matlock.

You forgot your hot dog.

- What? - I said where were you

between 11 and 1 last night?

I was right here, sleeping.

- Where were you? - We were sleeping too.

- In another room. - Of course.

So you can't say for sure where Ellen was.

ELLEN: Ben, what's this about?

Our friend Mr. Haskins knows about the book.

The police in Wallace retrieved it from Adam Easley's house

after you tried to burn it down last night.

I didn't burn down anybody's house.

Ellen, the district attorney has motive.

He's gonna contend that you killed Adam Easley

because he was blackmailing you.

Because he knew

the Pulitzer Prize-winning articles of yours were all plagiarized.

Plagiarized?

Ben, please, could we do this somewhere else?

MATLOCK: What's the difference?

By the end of the trial... By the end of the day,

everybody's gonna know.

It's over, Ellen. So how about the truth?

[SIGHS]

The DA's right about the book.

But he's wrong about me. I didn't kill Adam Easley,

not in self-defense or otherwise.

He was already dead when I got to his room.

Well, why did you say you killed him?

I can't tell you that.

How am I gonna defend you?

Oh, Ben, come on.

Clients lie to their lawyers all the time. You know that.

Besides, I'm not lying. I just can't tell you everything.

[SIGHS]

Oh, Ben, come on, please.

If you drop me, nobody else is gonna touch me.

I'll be convicted for sure.

Ben, I didn't kill him.

Well, nothing on the news.

I guess the DA hasn't told the press about the book.

You know what I feel like doing?

Remember when you and Brad used to come over and we'd play bridge

out there, till dawn?

- Ingrid, they're divorced. - I know.

But this morning in the store when Frank was off skiing,

I started talking to this really nice, very nice-looking man

about your age, and he mentioned he plays bridge.

So why don't I go call him?

Now is not the time to be fixing her up.

Why not? Romance strikes when you least expect it.

She has other things on her mind.

And I'm trying to get her mind off those things.

I know you are, Ingrid. But I kind of feel like being alone.

I just think I'll take a long walk on the beach.

- Want some company? - No, thanks.

Don't wait up for me.

- Oh, Ingrid. - What was wrong with that?

JERRI: Hello, Ellen.

What you got there?

Who the hell are you?

- I'll explain to you in the car. - I'm not going anywhere with you.

Well, you know, you got two choices.

Either you can come with me or we can call the cops.

You decide.

[HUMMING]

[DOORBELL CHIMES]

- Well, who's that? - Probably somebody

bringing your daddy home in a straightjacket.

- Hi. - Hi.

Mrs. Barrett would like to talk to you.

I'll talk to you tomorrow.

- Bye. - Okay, yeah.

- What's that? - It's blood.

Let's sit down. This is gonna be a long story.

Oh.

After, uh, I wound up winning the Pulitzer

for those plagiarized articles 15 years ago,

my conscience started bothering me,

and eventually I told Brad what I'd done.

You were still married then?

Yeah, and he was my editor.

I never told anybody else, but somehow someone found out,

and a couple of weeks ago, a man called Brad up

and he said that he would make what I had done public

unless he was given $100,000.

He said his name was Adam Easley.

I wonder why he put the squeeze on Brad instead of you.

Oh, maybe he thought he had more money

or more to lose or maybe both.

I don't know.

Anyway, Brad told me about the threat, and he said that he'd take care of it.

But knowing that Brad doesn't have the stomach for such things,

I got worried, and I...

At the last minute I thought that I would go

and meet with this Easley too.

I went to his room and I knocked.

When no one answered, I tried the door.

It was unlocked.

I opened it, walked in,

and there was Easley, lying dead on the floor.

The knife was next to him,

and the briefcase was underneath him.

It was Brad's.

I figured that Brad had gone there, met with Easley,

got mad, lost it, and killed him.

I knew that if Brad were arrested,

the plagiarism would come out and we'd be ruined.

Brad, me, Carrie, all of us.

I see.

So I decided to make it look like I'd killed him.

I went outside and I buried the briefcase.

It was empty.

But I didn't want anything of Brad's to be found.

Then I went back to the room.

I guess that's when the boy saw me.

JASON: No, I'm not gonna go! ELLEN: And I called the police.

MATLOCK: And then while you were waiting for them to come,

you staged the scene.

ELLEN: I tore my blouse,

then I wiped the knife clean, and I put my fingerprints on it.

I knocked over some furniture,

scratched his face.

And I whacked myself with the phone.

And when the police came, you told them that lie

about Adam Easley working for Vic Baron.

- Yes. - Well, why'd you dig up the briefcase?

So I could get rid of it.

Brad did it.

I think that's a safe assumption.

You haven't talked to him?

We agreed not to contact each other until after he'd talked to Easley.

We wanted to make sure that Carrie never found out.

[CHUCKLES]

You know, that's the first time we agreed on anything

in almost 14 years.

Well, to tell you the truth,

after I overheard what the deputy DA told you in the courthouse,

I thought maybe I'd do a little freelancing and follow Ellen.

I figured if I came up with something, maybe you'd hire me.

That's why you came to the courthouse?

Yeah.

I know you have Cliff,

but he doesn't strike me as the kind of person

who's particularly good at...

- Sneaking around? - Yes.

Well, he's, uh...

The truth is I don't have anything for you right now.

This case, every time I think I got a handle on it,

you know, pull the old rabbit out of the hat?

I look in there and there ain't no rabbit.

[JERRI LAUGHS]

Well, maybe I could do some more freelancing.

No, no. I don't like that.

I don't want people going behind my back.

Especially people who work for me.

So Ellen thinks that I killed him?

You did, didn't you?

No, no.

Well, she found your briefcase under the body.

I was there that night,

but I did not kill him.

He was alive when I left.

MATLOCK: Let's hear it.

BRAD: All right. Okay.

This guy, Easley, called me a couple of weeks ago

and said that he knew Ellen had gotten the Pulitzer

by plagiarizing that book.

Said if I didn't pay him 100 grand, he'd tell.

So I got him the cash and I met him in his room at 9.

Is that the money?

Wait a minute. I don't want some copy.

I want the book.

The book's my insurance policy.

How do I know you're not gonna do this again?

Guess you'll just have to trust me.

And that was it. I went straight home.

After Carrie went to bed that evening,

I threw the copy that he had given me into the fireplace and I burned it.

Well, the police estimate the time of death to be about 9:30.

Well, I was home long before then.

Who did you think had done it?

Ellen. I figured she had gone over there for some reason

and got into a fight with the guy and killed him in self-defense,

- just like she said. - What'd you think happened

- to your briefcase and the money? - I figured Ellen took it.

First she said she did it, and then she said she didn't do it,

said you did it.

And then you said you didn't do it, said she did it.

I wish you'd get your stories straight.

Oh, no.

Carrie...

Mom got that prize by cheating?

And you knew about it.

All those years you've been living a lie.

Is that why you divorced? Because of the lie?

You've lectured me about honesty.

Your honesty cost me a mother.

- And a father. - Carrie. Carrie.

Carrie.

Ellen.

Figured I might find you here.

- Ben Matlock came to see me today. - I know, he told me.

Unfortunately, Carrie was listening, and she overheard everything.

- What do you mean everything? - Everything.

Oh, for crying out loud, Brad, how could you let that happen?

All right, I'm sorry.

She was very upset. She ran out of the house in tears.

- She ran away? - Yeah.

She got back an hour ago. She's up there now.

I've sat her down and explained everything to her,

and she's handling it.

Just sitting there listening to music, or at least what she calls music.

Did you tell her that stealing from that book,

- I've regretted every day of my life? - The best I could.

I love her, Brad.

The last thing in the world I want is for her to be hurt by my stupidity.

That's why I covered for you when I thought that you killed Adam Easley.

Ellen, I didn't kill Adam Easley.

Well, what was I supposed to think? He was lying on top of your briefcase.

I figured you'd killed him.

And I knew watching you go to prison would break Carrie's heart.

I couldn't let that happen.

They almost ready?

MATLOCK: Few seconds.

Of course he said Adam Easley was alive when he left.

What else was he gonna say?

MATLOCK: He had to know that incriminates Ellen.

Well, maybe he didn't care.

How did this Adam Easley guy wind up with the book

that she plagiarized?

People familiar with obscure Chinese literature

generally aren't blackmailers.

MATLOCK: Somebody gave it to him.

Maybe that's who killed him.

CLIFF: Yeah. Hey, maybe they were partners.

You know, uh, instead of settling for half the blackmail money,

they could have wanted the whole thing so they killed him.

You know, there's still 100 grand missing.

Okay, here you go.

- Blueberry pancakes. - Oh, yes.

- Oh, yes. - Good.

I think we should go for this Adam Easley guy.

Well, the police say that he owed two months back rent

on the house in Wallace, and he had no visible means of support.

Hadn't filed an income tax return in five years,

and, at this point, no one's come forward to claim his body.

It's hard to know where to begin.

How about with him?

People who can eat from morning to night

without getting fat drive me crazy.

Thanks a lot.

So this is the infamous Adam Easley.

Medical examiner did a real number on him, huh?

Looks like he put everything back pretty much in the right place.

- You okay? - Mm.

Haven't you ever done this before?

Oh, you should've said something.

I used to do this all the time when I was a cop.

I always thought it was so cool how you could learn so much

from people just by looking at their corpses.

For instance, look at that liver.

See how kind of puffy it is?

Beginning stages of cirrhosis.

This guy liked to drink.

Sure was tan.

Take a look at this.

Calluses all across his palm. See that?

Hmm.

Left hand too.

Look at that. Tan line on his ring finger.

Was he wearing a ring when they bagged him?

Watch, wallet, gold necklace. No rings.

Huh.

Well, if it was a wedding band,

looks like he was wearing it till pretty recently.

Maybe there's an ex-wife somewhere.

Maybe she's the one with all the answers.

[CLIFF SIGHS]

[CHUCKLES]

Mom!

Oh, Carrie.

How could you do it?

[SIGHS]

How many countless times I've asked myself that question.

I was young, I was ambitious, and incredibly stupid.

And you thought no one would ever find out?

Well, I thought that I could live with it.

And in time, I thought I had to.

I hope you can forgive me someday, Carrie.

I was dishonest, I lied, I cheated, I stole,

and I lived with it.

And I made your dad live with it.

That's what ruined our marriage.

I lost him and I lost you.

You didn't lose me.

You just didn't want me.

Oh, Carrie, no.

I didn't fight for custody of you because I thought I didn't deserve you.

JUDGE: Mr. Haskins.

Mr. Haskins!

Ideally,

what you hear in a court of law is the truth.

But I'm afraid that what you're gonna hear mostly

in this court of law are lies.

You will hear how Ellen Barrett told the police

that she went to Adam Easley's hotel room

to get information on a suspected mobster

named Vic Baron.

You will hear how Adam Easley greeted her at the door as a friend

and how chagrinned she was

when moments later he told her he'd been sent by Vic Baron

to beat her up.

You will hear how she...

How he.

Pulled her hair

and he tore her clothes and he hit her on the head,

and how she, in turn, scratched his face

and ultimately stabbed him to death with a steak knife.

But these will have all been lies.

Because you will then hear how no connection

between Adam Easley and Vic Baron has ever been found,

how in all likelihood,

the injuries she suffered were self-inflicted,

and how the scratch mark on the victim

was put there after he was dead.

You will hear how Miss Barrett tried to make it look

as if she murdered Adam Easley in self-defense,

when in point of fact, it was premeditated murder.

Why did she kill him?

Ladies and gentlemen, couched in that answer

is the biggest lie of all.

Because you will hear how Ellen Barrett,

famous reporter and columnist,

renowned for the series of articles she wrote years ago

that won her the Pulitzer Prize,

how she was being blackmailed by Adam Easley.

Why?

Because he found out that that series of articles

had, in fact, been written by somebody else.

Ladies and gentlemen, Adam Easley is dead

because he found out that Ellen Barrett is a plagiarist.

[CROWD MURMURING INDISTINCTLY]

INGRID: Found him. - Ah.

Are you sure I can't get you anything?

Oh, no, I'm fine. Thank you.

- Is this you in all these pictures? - Yep.

Frank skis practically every day.

Even when he's making the rounds of his mills,

he comes home by way of Lake George.

But I don't mind. I like what it does for his pecs.

- Ingrid. - Ha, ha, ha.

What can we do for you?

Well, I'm just still trying to get a handle on this case.

Think...

Did you happen to be home that night?

I wasn't.

Tuesday is ladies' night at the racquet club.

I was home.

Uh, you remember if Brad was home?

Is that what you're doing?

You're checking up on Brad.

Well, you're a friend of his, and he lives across the street.

And like they say, the truth never hurts, so I just...

[LAUGHS]

FRANK: Well, I know he was home at 11

because there was something about Ellen on the news,

and I called him right away to tell him.

Uh-huh, uh-huh.

You remember seeing him before that?

Yes, as a matter of fact, I do.

I saw him pull into the driveway. I remember because his headlights

shine right into our house whenever he pulls in.

Just between you, me and the lamppost, it's really annoying.

Uh... When would that have been?

Well, seems to me I was watching Inside the FBI at the time.

INGRID: He never misses that show. - So it must have been sometime

between 9 and 9:30.

Well, I had a feeling Brad didn't do it.

Well, who do you think did?

Oh, well, uh, I'm damned if I know.

There's a dog in here.

Mrs. Easley!

Are you in there?

Hello?

[BARKING]

[CONTINUES BARKING]

You shouldn't torment the dog.

Hey, if she's in there, she's gonna come out and see what's going on.

[BARKING]

[BOTH BARKING]

[BARKING]

Hush up.

I told them yesterday I wasn't gonna have any money till Friday.

No, whoa, whoa, we don't want any money.

We just wanna talk to you about your ex-husband.

Bum's dead. What's to ask?

When was the last time you saw him?

About a week before he died.

Was that here or up in Wallace?

Lake George.

He just about lived out there.

Kept the place in Wallace just so he could take a shower

once in a while.

I went up there to tell him that the divorce was final

and that he owed me four months' child support.

Told him I'd gotten a lawyer

and was gonna go after his lousy ski boat

if he didn't pay up.

A water ski boat?

MRS. EASLEY: That's why we never had any money.

It all went into hanging around the lake

trying to impress those rich dudes out there.

Parties, beer, wine, whiskey.

That damn ski boat, the Candy Man.

Anyway, Adam said he'd have the money for me in a week.

Then the bum goes and dies,

and here I am hiding in the bathroom every time there's a knock on the door

for fear that it's a bill collector.

Did he say where he was gonna get the money?

He didn't say.

I didn't ask.

Adam wasn't a man what you'd call had a whole lot of principles.

[DOORBELL CHIMING]

Oh, hello. I'm Clarence Litton.

Is Mr. Lewis here?

- Oh, yes, come on in, please. - Thank you.

Here.

- Billy? BILLY: What?

Billy?

What?

LITTON: Hello, Mr. Lewis.

I stopped by because I'm afraid there's...

Well, there's a small problem,

and I'd like to explain it to you personally.

You're not gonna buy the house?

Yes, we're going to buy the house.

But, unfortunately, we're not gonna be able to do so

- as soon as we'd planned. - What do you mean?

Oh, due to some mix-up in our Legal Department,

we're not gonna be able to pay off the mortgage until Thursday,

not tomorrow as we agreed.

- Thursday? This Thursday? - Correct, correct.

But in the meantime, I brought by a check

for what we agreed to pay you,

well, in hopes that it would help you accept our profound apologies

for the slight delay.

Yeah, okay.

Of course I'll have to run this Thursday thing

by my son the lawyer, see what he says.

Oh, of course, of course.

And if he has any questions, Mr. Lewis,

just have him call me and we'll discuss this...

- Always a pleasure. - Good.

- Always a pleasure. - Thank you, Mr. Lewis. Goodbye.

Let me see that.

Seven hundred and fifty thousand smackers.

[SNICKERS]

I'll just parlay that into a couple of million.

Now, water skiing, that could explain Adam Easley's dark tan.

- And the calluses on his hands. - Yeah.

You know, I think this is gonna work out good.

- What? - Well, you and me

teaming up like this.

You wanna have some dinner tonight?

Oh, Cliff, I don't think...

You don't think I'm your type, right? I... That's all right, I understand.

Well, it's just that I recently broke up with somebody

and I'm not really ready to get involved with somebody else.

- You know what I mean? - Yeah.

Good.

I think I saw a phone over by that gas station. I'm gonna go call Ben.

I'll, uh, just meet you by the boats.

Okay.

I'll see you over there then.

This ain't your boat, pal. You the one that's been

- ripping everybody off down here? CLIFF: No. No.

MAN: You the one that got my radio last week?

[GRUNTS]

MAN: Come here.

This is not your boat.

CLIFF: I know that, I know that.

If you'll give me one moment, I'll explain.

Help! Boat loose!

Somebody help me!

MAN: Oh.

JERRI: You got it? MAN: Yeah, I got it.

Oh, good.

MAN: Yeah, hold on. Bring it around.

Yeah.

- This yours? - Yeah. Thanks, I owe you one.

- Don't mention it. - No, really.

How about I buy you a drink?

Sure.

MAN 1: Yeah.

Mr. Matlock?

Hi.

I am Carrie Gelardi.

I was coming to see you.

Oh. The last time I saw you, you were as big as a grasshopper.

[BOTH CHUCKLE]

It doesn't look very good for my mom, does it?

Um...

- Well... - I hope you're not gonna try

and pin it on my dad.

Well, to tell you the truth...

Because he was telling the truth, Mr. Matlock.

He was home at 9:15. I know because of my car.

- Your car? - Yeah.

I parked my car in the driveway

and when I park my car in the driveway,

he can't park his car in the garage.

Oh. Well, did you move your car so he could...?

No. No, he was too upset.

He was so upset he said forget it and left his car in the street.

I'm really worried about the both of them.

Well, I...

Well, thank you for the information.

I'll see you later.

What say, Frank?

Mr. Matlock, what's up?

Remember you told me how you saw Brad's headlights

when he turned into his driveway?

- Yeah. - I just found out

that he didn't turn into his driveway that night.

So you couldn't have seen his headlights.

You caught me.

Why'd you lie?

I've known Brad for 20 years.

He came to my wedding. I saw him through his divorce.

There's no way in hell he could kill anyone.

He's a good guy.

I was just trying to protect him, that's all.

Maybe what I did was wrong,

but I did it for the right reason.

I'm sorry.

Okay.

[FLY BUZZING]

What were you doing out at Lake George?

Oh, Adam Easley's ex-wife said that he was out there water skiing

about a week before he died,

and that he was about to come into a lot of money.

Uh, so we went out there, we found his boat.

Had a little run-in with his dock mate who's very strong and not very nice.

Oh, he was nice to me.

He bought me a drink.

Right.

Anyway, uh, we came up empty-handed.

Did you say Adam Easley water skis out at Lake George?

- All the time. - Well, that's interesting

because Brad Gelardi's next door neighbor, Frank Jefferies,

does too.

Hmm.

[SINGING] Can she bake a cherry pie Billy Boy, Billy Boy?

Can she bake a cherry pie Charming Billy?

[SINGING] She can bake a cherry pie She's the apple of my eye

She's a young thing And cannot leave her mother

Hey, I'm gonna have to tune up the old guitar.

Yeah. I got some good news.

- What? - Well, I went back out to the lake,

and I showed the picture of Frank Jefferies to my new pal.

- Did he recognize him? - Yep.

Didn't know who he was, but he did say

that he'd seen him with Adam Easley a couple of times.

- Oh, then we're on the right track. - Mm-hm.

- How's it going here? - Eh.

Wonder what happened to all that money.

Here's a passbook.

Well, the last big deposit was made two months before the murder.

That won't help us.

Come on now, come on. Children, not on the carpet.

I just got them shampooed.

Pizza will be here any minute.

CHILDREN: Pizza! Pizza!

Pizza!

Your maid let us in, Miss Jefferies.

We have a warrant to search the premises.

Back outside. Come on, let's go.

Let's go. Now, come on.

All of you, all of you.

- Right now, right now. GIRL 1: Golly.

Or no pizza.

What are you doing here?

Well, just checking bank statements and such.

Like I say, we have a warrant.

Are Frank and I suspects?

They're just covering all the bases.

Who are the kids?

Underprivileged children.

I throw a beach party for them every summer.

That's nice.

Well, we'll be going, and have a nice party.

[DOORBELL CHIMES]

Pizza's here, Mrs. Jefferies.

MARKS: Excuse us. - Sorry.

- I'm sorry, I can't break a hundred. - You're kidding.

- Why not? What am I supposed...? - I think maybe I can.

- Uh, let's see, let's see. - Great.

Here's... Here's a 20 and a 20 and two 5's

and a, uh, 50.

Oh, Mr. Matlock, you're a lifesaver.

Thank you.

Is this the briefcase you gave to the decedent that night?

Yes, it is.

What was in it when you gave it to him?

One hundred thousand dollars in $100 bills.

What's in it now?

- Nothing. - Your Honor, we already know

that's the briefcase that was found underneath the decedent's body.

It's already entered into evidence.

Mr. Matlock?

Why didn't you come forward when Ellen was arrested?

I was ashamed.

MATLOCK: Nothing further.

HASKINS: No questions.

He told me a lot of things when he and Ellen were going through the divorce.

He needed someone to confide in, and I was it.

Uh, how do you make a living, Mr. Jefferies?

I own a half dozen textile mills.

Been in my family for years.

MATLOCK: They union or nonunion? FRANK: Nonunion.

Uh, what would happen if they went union?

I'd have to shut them down. I couldn't afford to run them.

I don't know.

I don't know, I think you could afford it.

It's just that you and your CEOs wouldn't be able to draw

such nice big salaries, would you?

That's the real reason you scream "shut down"

every time that five-letter word that starts with a U comes up, isn't it?

I pay my workers well, and I treat them fairly.

- And they'd be the first to say so. MATLOCK: Well, that may be,

but there is a movement to unionize mills like yours, isn't there?

Like in those editorials in the Atlanta Herald?

- Are they pro- or anti-union? - Pro.

They keep fanning the flames, don't they? Heh, heh.

Does that bother you?

Of course it bothers me.

Who's editor in chief of the Herald?

Brad Gelardi.

MATLOCK: Well, he's a friend of yours.

Didn't you talk to him,

try to get him to stop publishing that stuff pro-union?

- Of course I did, but... - He kept fanning the flames.

He kept fanning the flames, didn't he? Yeah, yeah.

Flames that, uh, could ruin your business, maybe.

Certainly your lifestyle.

And so since arguing with him wouldn't help,

you decided on more drastic moves.

You figured out a way to not only get him fired,

but to ruin his character

and discredit him and everything he stood for,

- didn't you? HASKINS: Objection!

What in the world do mills and unions have to do

with whether or not Ellen Barrett committed first degree murder?

I just got started, Peter. For heaven's sakes.

JUDGE: Mr. Matlock.

I'll tie it up, Your Honor. I promise.

Proceed. Objection overruled.

I understand you like to water ski, Mr. Jefferies.

Yes, I do.

The decedent, Adam Easley, liked to water ski.

- Did you know that? FRANK: No.

Oh, yeah. He had a ski boat down at Lake George and everything.

You got a ski boat?

- Yes, I do. - Oh.

He got a ski boat, you got a ski boat. Where do you keep yours?

Lake George.

MATLOCK: Did you know Adam Easley?

FRANK: No.

Well, there's a man here

who docked his boat next to Adam Easley's boat,

and he's prepared to testify

that he saw you and Mr. Easley together

on numerous occasions.

FRANK: He's mistaken. - Objection.

We got mills and unions and water skiing and boats.

Just when does Mr. Matlock plan to get around to something

that is relevant to this case?

Mr. Haskins, give me a break.

You did say something

about tying all this up, didn't you, Mr. Matlock?

Yes, sir.

Were you aware that Ellen Barrett plagiarized the articles

- that won her the Pulitzer Prize? - No.

Well, that's odd.

I understood that your friend, Brad Gelardi,

told you they were plagiarized and that he knew it.

Um...

Yeah, actually I think he did tell me.

Actually, he's prepared to testify

that in the middle of his divorce when you were his closest friend,

- he told you. - I guess I forgot.

Yeah. And you decided to take that knowledge

that he trusted you with

and use it to nip this union business in the bud

by framing him for murder

and by exposing him as a man who condoned plagiarism.

- At least, that was the plan, wasn't it? - No.

And so you obtained a copy of the Chinese book

that Ellen had plagiarized

and gave it to your water-skiing buddy, Adam Easley,

and had him make the call to Brad about the blackmail money, didn't you?

- No. MATLOCK: You told him to ask

for $100,000 in cash.

Then you arranged for Mr. Easley to meet Brad at that motel

and collect it.

Not one word of this is true.

After Brad left,

you showed up, wearing gloves.

And you did something

that Adam Easley didn't expect at all, didn't you?

You picked up the steak knife

- and killed him! - No!

He was holding the briefcase and, good for you, he fell on it.

I didn't kill him. I wasn't there.

You removed the money from the briefcase,

put the case back under the body so the police would assume

that Brad was the killer.

And then you left.

That's not true.

What you didn't know

is that Brad had told Ellen about the blackmail,

and she was afraid that somehow he might botch the payoff.

So after you left the motel, she showed up,

saw the body,

and she assumed what you wanted everybody else to assume,

that Brad had done it.

So to protect Brad and herself,

she staged that scene to make it look like self-defense.

When all the time, it was you, wasn't it?

- No. This is outrageous. HASKINS: Objection! Proof!

Proof! It is obvious to me Mr. Matlock has absolutely

no concept of the word "proof."

Mr. Haskins, I've been an officer of the court for my entire adult life.

Do you really think I'd go this far without proof?

How about it?

All right, right here.

Right here in this little sack.

What has $100 bill got to do with anything?

He said, "What's $100 bill got to do with anything?"

I was just getting to that.

Scout's honor, Your Honor.

Go ahead, fast.

Okay.

You know where I got this $100 bill, Mr. Jefferies?

I have no idea.

Your wife gave it to me.

Detective Marks saw her give it to me the other day

in exchange for some smaller bills.

It occurred to me

that it might be one of $100 bills

that Brad took to Adam Easley the night of the murder.

And I hoped the lab could find fingerprints.

What they found was even better.

Know what it was?

Again, I have no idea.

Traces of Adam Easley's blood.

It was part of the missing blackmail money.

How'd your wife end up with it?

You gave it to her.

How did you end up with it?

It was part of the money you took out of that blood-soaked briefcase

after you stabbed Adam Easley to death.

Wasn't it, Mr. Jefferies?

No more questions.

We find the defendant, Ellen Barrett, not guilty.

JUDGE: Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.

Bail is exonerated and the defendant is free to go.

Mom.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

Okay, I'm taking both of you to lunch.

Now that you're both unemployed and we have nothing better to do,

maybe we can finally learn how to talk to one another.

Go to lunch?

After whipping my tail like that?

Making a fool out of me?

Humiliating me in front of my peers?

- I'm buying. - I'm easy.

MATLOCK: You think we'll all fit in that car?

BILLY: It'll be a tight squeeze.

No worse than the cheap seats on most airplanes.

Lord knows you're used to them.

Oh, I don't know, Ben.

What?

Think I should have sold Lucy's house like that?

It's a little late for seller's remorse, Billy.

Yeah, but she was my sister.

She spent her last years here.

Now, thanks to me,

they're gonna tear it all down and plow it under

like some big patch of weeds.

Maybe I shouldn't have sold it.

Maybe I should've just let it sit.

- Kind of like the Lincoln Memorial. - Yeah.

Billy, I think it's good for you to feel guilty like this.

And I don't wish to speak evil of the dead,

but I think you're forgetting something here.

Lucy was nasty,

mean, ornery, hateful, muleheaded.

And you had to live with her for 40 years.

You gave up 40 years of your life. Forty years.

You hated her, Billy.

Thanks, Ben.

I needed that.