All language subtitles for Murder.She.Wrote.S05E16.Truck.Stop.1080p.AMZN.DD2.0.x265.HEVC-Bearfish_track3_[eng]

[gunshots]

[Jessica] Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.

-It's been a long time, Vera.
-19 years, but who's counting?

You're just passing through, right?

I mean, maybe you want
some company back in L.A.

Now look, I'm not sure how I got
tied in to this sudden reunion.

Anything happens to her,
I'll rip you apart!

Pete said too much.
Maybe that's what got him killed.

I've already got my favorite kind
of killer, a dead one.

I'm not here to sell you life insurance.

I'm here to pay some off.

[train horn blowing in distance]

[gunshots]

[groans]

[clicks]

Walter Murray here.

I got this feeling
I'm not gonna make it...

[chuckles]
A feeling in my chest.

Anyway, uh,

I'm not sure who's... gonna last longer,

me or this tape, so, uh,

I'd better quit
with the wisecracks and, uh,

get to the point.

Police!

I know you're in there, Murray!

Now you better open up
before I rearrange the architecture!

Sheriff Tugman. What on earth?

Now don't bother me, Mrs. Fletcher.

I got a dangerous man in here.

Walter, dangerous? He's a writer.

You can reason with writers.

You don't have to shoot your way in.

Well, somebody heard gunfire
out past the old mine...

and saw a car go by like that rental
that you and Murray been driving.

The treads match too.
Now you better stand back.

But I heard Walter come in an hour ago.

I heard his door.

Well, that fits like a penny loafer,

'cause that's when the shots were heard.

Well, there must be some other way.

-Wish that door was as thin as the walls!
-Walter? Oh, my God.

The minute you two walked in here,

I pegged Murray for trouble.

Isn't it evident that Walter
was the one in trouble,

not the one causing it?

Just 'cause he's got a slug in him

don't make him the guy
in the white hat.

Yeah, but why did he come back to his room

instead of going for help?

I mean, obviously saving his own life

was less important than something
he wanted to put on that tape.

[Tugman]
Like who plugged him, maybe?

[train horn blowing on tape]

[Walter on tape] I should've known
the minute I saw her mug

after all these years.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

This isn't the way I planned it,
but since my ticket's punched,

I figure I ought to finish the script.

Probably wondering who shot me, huh?

Well, it's a long story.

When the studio signed me
to do the screenplay

of a J .B. Fletcher book,

we met in Vegas.

But Vegas had a lot of memories for me,

some bad, some worse.

So I suggested we head back to L.A.

The Fletcher dame wanted to fly.

I had another idea.

[Jessica] Walter, uh,
wouldn't it be quicker

to stay on the interstate?

Picture this for the opening of the movie.

The guy plants a smacker on the girl.
She slaps him.

He kisses her again. She likes it.

But as their lips are suctioned together,

she pulls a gun out of her purse.

He grabs her hand. The gun goes off.

Uh, Walter, That sounds
like a very interesting scene,

but, uh, I don't quite remember it being
in my book.

Yeah, well, uh, we're not making
a movie of your book.

We're making a movie
about the essence of your book.

Hungry?

-Not really.
-So am I.

[Walter narrating]
There she was.

A little worse for wear, but still a hot
cup of coffee to a thirsty guy like me.

Walter.

What's a nice kid like you
doing in a dump like this?

She's working for and married to me.

Somewhat like the Soviets
in that regard, aren't you, Sir?

Are you callin' me a Commie?
[rings]

Hello.

It's been a long time, Vera.

Nineteen years. But who's countin'?

I can't believe I found you out here
in the middle of nowhere.

Honey, if I'd known you were comin',

I'd have hit this joint
with a fresh batch of cleanser.

[chuckles] -Still got a mouth on you, huh?
-I wish I looked a little better.

You look OK.

Uh, excuse my manners, Jessica,

but, it's quite a jolt seeing your youth
suddenly pop up in front of you.

I knew this gal when she was just a kid
in tie-dye jeans.

-Oh.
-Jessica Fletcher, Vera...

Gerakaris. Doesn't that beat all?

I can't believe you and Walter
just stumbled in here.

Neither can I. It's very nice
to meet you, Mrs. Gerakaris.

Hiya.

I knew a Gerakaris once.

Somewhere in the southern climes.

-Have you spent much time in the South?
-Hey, come on.

Mm... Not lately.

Extraordinary.
You look so familiar somehow.

-What do you want to eat?
-Make sure he pays first.

He probably won't have enough money
for the coffee...

-[sighs]
-Probably not even the cream.

[motorcycle approaching]

See you, babe.

[Bell dings] Hey.
What do you think you're doing?

-I need some money.
-What's the matter?

Your boyfriend
forgot to rob a liquor store?

Pete, please.
You really should give her an allowance.

[Pete] I'll give her what she needs,
a swift kick in...

You lay one finger on me and I'll blow
this burg for good. I swear it.

[Walter narrating] She looked
just like her mother did at her age,

Hard and soft, spicy and sweet,

all mixed together like a Cantonese dish.
[motorcycle revving]

-Pete, please.
-Make your sandwiches!

Get out of my way.

No daughter of mine's gonna waste
her life on a bike with a punk!

Anything happens to her,
I'll rip you apart!

And you, eat up, pay up and get out.

I don't want you here when I come back.
Understand?

[Walter narrating]
Pete's gracious invitation made me realize

I'd forgotten my wallet in the car.

I went out to get it,
and when I came back,

that corpulent copper Tugman had arrived.

He was turning on
what he thought was charm,

but everybody saw right through him.

You sure know
how to make a man happy, babe.

From the appearance of your girth,

one can only surmise
that you must be ecstatic.

You got a problem?

No, I was merely observing.
I hope you won't take offense,

but you seem to have put on
a little weight since last we met.

Look, I've never seen you before,

and I don't much ever want
to see you again.

But surely you must remember...

Don't you have someplace to go, Sir?

Yes, of course. Indeed. Yes.

I shall make for the open road
and my search for truth.

[laughs] For, evidently,
I shan't find it here.

Take it easy, fella. OK, come on.
Take it easy. Here we go.

-Oh. Poor guy must be hungry.
-Take it easy.

[Walter narrating] I was hungry too.
A different kind of hungy.

[Vera] Listen, I don't care
how little money you have.

Tonight, you're gonna have a free meal

and you're gonna sleep here, OK?

That's very kind, but surely your husband
wouldn't approve.

Let me worry about my husband.

-Walter, can I speak to you for a moment?
-Uh, sure, Jessica.

Here we go. Come on. Up on your feet.

-Got him?
-Got him. OK.

-Thank you very much, really.
-Just lean on me. It's all right.

Now look, I'm not sure
how I got tied in to this sudden reunion,

but I want to be untied right now.

Yeah, well, Jessica, it's going to...
It's going to be dark soon.

Now, Walter. I don't care if it's midnight

when we get to L.A.

But I've had all I want of this place.

Yeah, sure. No problem.

[engine cranks]

[sighs]
Just my luck.

Well, it looks like you two

are gonna have to stick around
for a while.

Let me take a look at that engine.

Maybe I can get
this car started before night.

[Walter narrating] Night.
That's when the trouble began.

Yeah, right...
One night 19 years ago.

Anyway, the grit really hit the pan...

when Flora came back
with her biker beau later that night.

Yes. I thought it was quite a coincidence

that the car
just happened to fail to start.

I suppose Walter tinkered with it

when he said he went to get his wallet.

Well, if he's so smart,
then how come he's so dead?

Sheriff,
something that may be important...

happened before Flora returned that night.

[Jessica narrating]
I decided I needed to talk to Walter.

I was having second thoughts
about the movie.

and Roscoe the mechanic
was lurking outside Walter's room.

[clears throat]

Nice night out.
I was just going for a walk.

Oh, yes. It must be very confining
working in the garage.

Oh, how's the car
coming along, by the way?

Car?

Yes. Mr. Murray's car.

You said you thought you could fix it.

I was really hoping we'd be able
to leave tomorrow.

Me too.

-Vera was in the room with him.
-And Murray was forcing himself on her?

Oh, no. No, not at all.

[knocking]

[Jessica narrating]
It looked as if they'd been talking.

Vera was sitting on a chair.
She'd been crying.

And Walter looked distracted,

As if he'd been told something surprising.

Surprised, huh?
Then how come it's not on the tape?

Uh. I'm not sure.

[Walter on tape] I heard Grange's bike
pull up. I guess we all did.

Then I heard Pete shouting.

Hey, what are you doin'?

How can you disgrace me like that?

Disgrace? Now that's a good one.

Like you could sink any lower.

Stayin' out till all hours of the night
with that no-good punk.

Hey. Hey, Pete, come on.
You're drunk. Come on.

And you? What good are you?

How long have you had my Chevy? You can't
even fix a water pump? Get outta here!

What's the matter with you?
He's the only friend you've got!

Don't talk back to me.
You're a tramp like your mother!

-Don't touch her!
-He's right about you being a tramp.

Hey, old man, why don't you try pickin'

on someone your own size?

Old man?

Yeah. Try pickin' on me
like you did your girl!

Come on! Come on! Try pickin' on a man!
Come on!

-Yeah, sure.
-Take a swing. Come on. Get up. Get up.

-Damn! I didn't mean to.
-Grange!

Damn kid!
[engine starts]

-Grange, I'm going with you!
-No.

Mañana.

Leave me alone!

[Walter narrating]
Well, that was the last straw.

I'd just found Vera
after all these years. I...

I wasn't about to leave her
with a two-fisted jerk like Pete.

And I had to do something.

And the opportunity presented itself
later that night.

I took a walk to clear my head.
It was banging pretty bad.

[banging]

But not as loud as the banging
coming from that garage.

I thought maybe somebody
was messing with my car...

And it was a weird time of night
for Roscoe to be working.

[banging continues]
[grunting continues]

It was Pete. He was banging my car

with a tire iron like it was a piñata.

Hey! Hey! What do you think you're doing?

[Walter narrating]
He came after me with that tire iron.

You think
you can just take her away from me?

[Walter narrating] I managed
to get it away from him,

but when he came after me with a wrench...

You want her,
you're gonna have to kill me.

[Walter narrating]
I figured I'd take his advice.

I guess I didn't have to hit him...
Not so hard anyway.

So now you know.

I'm the one who killed Pete Gerakaris.

-I can't believe it.
-Believe it.

The first time I saw that guy,
I just got a feeling in my gut.

But even if it's true, I mean,

There's still the question:
who killed Walter?

Well, we still got half a tape to go.

[Walter coughs] So there I was
with a stiff on my hands...

[chuckles]
And a damn heavy one too.

I figured nobody would believe I...

needed to kill a sloppy drunk
like Pete to defend myself.

So I had to make it look like an accident.
[air hissing]

And it would've worked, if that busybody
Fletcher dame hadn't stuck her nose in it.

That lard-bottomed lawman
would've bought the whole scheme.

Sheriff, doesn't it seem odd that Pete
was working under the car with no tools?

[Tugman] Well, could be
he was just checkin' things out.

Well, the portable work light

is all the way over there on that bench.

[Walter narrating] Uh, so as not
to overexert his gray cells,

Tugman jumped
to the most obvious conclusion.

Grange.

I wasn't able to hang
that liquor store homicide on him.

This time I'll get that lowlife.

[Walter narrating]
Ah, that plan suited me fine.

As a matter of fact, I figured
I could punch up the scenario.

[dog barking]

I, uh, waited till Grange
had passed through

to pick up Flora...

for his daily terrorization
of this sorry excuse for a town.

Ah, it was perfect.

Just what I needed for the setup.

It wasn't difficult to get that

hick sheriff to go back to the garage.

[clicks tape off] I don't have to listen
to some dead jerk call me names.

-Sheriff...
-Look, I got Murray's confession...

-That's all I need.
-But we still don't know who shot Walter,

and I'm sure he's going to get to it.

If he lived long enough
to finish his story, that is.

All right.

Well, he better finish it soon.

[Walter narrating] Sure enough,
Tugman fell for it.

I couldn't have written him any dumber.

Let him go! Come on!

Let him go! Stop it!

Let him... Let him go, you pig!

You'd better lay off him, Flora.

That copper likes being beaten up.

It's the only way
a woman ever touches him.

-Watch your head.
-[Flora] Yeah, right!

A woman touching you is something
you're a recent expert on.

Grange! Grange!

[tires squealing]

[Walter narrating] I hadn't considered
how this would affect Flora.

I should've realized Flora's a girl
who knows how to take care of herself.

[knocking]

-Hi.
-Hi, kid.

Can I come in, just for a minute?

Yeah, sure. I'd like that.

I guess I sort of want to...

apologize about what I said earlier.

I didn't mean that you and Vera, that...

Well, that you had, you know,
this thing going.

It's OK.

Ah, you're a pretty good kid
after all, huh?

But I was just thinking.

I mean now that my...

Well, now that Pete's dead
and the sheriff arrested Grange,

I can't really count on Pete's money
or Grange's bike

to get me out of this one-diner town.

But you're just passing through, right?

I mean, maybe you want
some company back in L.A.

Uh, sit down, kid.

You know, Flora,

The big city isn't all
it's cracked up to be...

it eats kids like you alive.

[chuckles] I ought to know. I've been
on both sides of that fence.

Maybe you'd be better off just...
stickin' around here with your mother.

I wouldn't hang around this cow town

even if my mother wasn't here.

Wait a minute.

I was thinking about sticking around here
myself for a while.

Look, I'm packed up and ready to roll.

If you're not gonna help me,

I'm just gonna find another way out.

Flora, honey, don't go!
Please. Baby, look. Honey.

Please, my whole life, everything
I've done was for you, baby.

Baby, but this isn't what it looks like.

Really, it isn't.

I always knew
that you were a cheap waitress.

I just should've figured you
for a cheap tramp too.

I mean, I had to get it from somewhere.

-You're not a tramp.
-Sure I am.

Seems it's the only way
I can get free of you.

Free of me...

You don't get it, do you?

-I hate you.
-No.

I hate the greasy smell of you.

I hate the way that you got yourself

stuck in this... This truck stop!

It's not gonna happen to me!

[Vera]
Flora!

[Walter narrating] Just when everything
was going so well too.

That Fletcher dame
kept leaning on me...

about when we were gonna blow
this fruitsicle stand.

Anyway, I figured
I ought to have a chat...

with that missing link
who was working on my car. [coughs]

Little did I know that that ape
was about to drop a coconut on my head.

Still don't have that water pump licked?

Water pump's fine... Always has been.

Well, I guess my ears need cleaning.
I thought Pete said...

Pete said too much.

Maybe that's what got him killed.

He drank too much too.

It's the reason
I kept his Chevy up on the lift,

so he couldn't drive it when he was drunk.

You thought it might get him killed?

-Guess it did.
-Lucky guy to have a friend like you.

I don't know that you'd call us friends.

He thought I liked his wife too much.

Gerakaris and I were
in the service together before he met her.

I always knew she was no good.

I guess that's why I liked her.

The service...
Is that were you got the limp?

-I got it dancing.
-Sorry.

-Don't be.
-If that's the way you want it.

That's the way it is.

[Walter narrating] Roscoe
knew something. That was clear.

But what? How much?

About this car of yours...
Somebody disconnected the fuel line.

Maybe somebody who wanted an excuse...

to stick around here and do something.

-Do something?
-Something got done.

Not by that biker neither.

I happen to know that his glove
didn't just walk in here.

-Gloves don't walk.
-They need a hand. [chuckles]

So do I.

He wanted money and for me to clear out.

Ah, he was a problem
with only one solution.

I told him I had to go into town
to cash a check,

but... [coughs] that I'd bring him
the money later that night.

He told me how to get out of his place.

I figured he wasn't so smart after all.

Nobody had found
the murder weapon, remember?

I figured if I planted it in Roscoe's car,

I could make it look
like Roscoe killed Pete.

Everybody knew he had a thing for Vera.

And if I played it right, it'd look
like Roscoe tried to kill me...

because I was onto him.

And everybody'd understand that,

well, I had to kill him in self-defense.

It seemed like a good script to me,

but Roscoe wasn't crazy
about the role I'd written for him.

Have you got the money?

Sure.

[gagging]

[Walter narrating]
Well, so...

So now you know the whole story.

[sighs]
I killed Pete to get Vera.

I killed Roscoe to keep her.

and now she's gonna be all alone.

[chuckles, coughs]

Well they always said...

Walter Murray was good at irony.

[coughing]

Well, we'd better go to Roscoe's.

[train horn blowing in distance]

Well, it all wraps up
like Murray described.

I guess I'll have to release Grange. Damn.

-Sheriff, doesn't it seem strange that...
-Now, don't you start with me.

I've got me a confession on tape,

and I wasn't there,
so nobody can accuse me

of beatin' it out of him.

But that's what bothers me,
Sheriff: his confession.

Why didn't he come and talk to me

instead of putting it on tape?

Maybe he was afraid
you'd disagree with him.

But is that any reason not to seek help
for a gunshot wound?

He knew he was dead meat, OK?

I mean, uh,

maybe that was his way
of making his peace, ma'am.

I'm sorry, Sheriff,

but there's something peculiar
about Walter's whole story.

I mean, if he and Vera
wanted to get together again,

why not run away or divorce Pete?

But why was it necessary for him
to kill Pete?

Why are you making
such a big deal out of this?

Even supposin'
that he told a lie on his deathbed...

which I've never heard of in my life...
What's it matter?

What's it matter? Aren't you interested
in bringing the killer to justice?

Well, sure, that's my job. But look...

If it makes you happy,

I'll have the state cops
run caliber and fingerprint tests.

They ought to be here pretty soon, OK?

Well, thank you, Sheriff.

That certainly will be a good start.

Start? Listen, as far as I'm concerned,

I've already got
my favorite kind of killer...

A dead one.

Oh. I thought I'd straighten up the room.

Maybe I'll feel better
if I put things right.

-Yeah. Let me help you.
-No. No, don't bother. It's all right.

Well, Tugman took Walter's things?

It was state police, actually.

I imagine they'll return them
when they're done.

Sure.
They'll return it to the next of kin.

I mean, I just... hoped I could find...

something to remember him by.

I guess I'll remember him anyway.

It's just a room, right?

It's a room in a dingy motel
in the middle of nowhere,

and it's the only place

I've been anything close to happy
in 20 years.

So, you drivin' back to L.A. soon?

Well, I'm afraid that I don't drive.

In fact, I was meaning
to ask you about the bus.

Oh. The interstate
already came through today.

-It's not due again to tomorrow mornin'.
-My Lord.

If you did get stuck here,
I'd sure be glad of the company.

And I mean, I've been thinkin'.

Fact is, I should be movin' on myself.

But where would I go?

I just don't understand.

After all those years,
I find him again, and...

It doesn't seem fair, does it?

[sighs]

When I looked up and I saw his face...

Jessica, I don't get it.

Why would God go to all that trouble

to create this incredible coincidence,

then just snatch him away like that?

Vera, I'm not so sure...

that Walter and I turning up here
was a coincidence.

He insisted on renting the car
and driving from Las Vegas to Los Angeles.

Now, it would've been
far quicker for us to fly.

Now, do you have any idea...

how he could've known where you were?

No. I didn't...
He didn't even know my married name.

[stammers]
I don't figure...

I just saw Tugman outside
with the state cops. What gives?

Honey, something terrible's happened.

They finally sent out
the health inspector?

No. Walter's dead.

What?

Mom, my God.

-Well, it's gonna be all right.
-It's-

Walter was very likable, wasn't he,

despite his tough-guy shell?

Well, Flora hardly knew him.
I mean, how could she?

He... He just seemed
like a real nice man. That's all.

-Wasn't he, Mom?
-Nice.

That's why I can't believe his confession.

-Confession?
-He admitted killing both Pete and Roscoe.

He couldn't have.

That means the sheriff
has to release Grange.

Oh!

Hey, Tugman.
Guess you're not gonna get Grange

on this one after all, huh?

-Guess not.
-You must think that's what a smile is.

So you released him. Where is he?

My gosh, Miss.
I just don't know where he is.

What do you mean?

As soon as I released him, he skipped town
faster than a felon in heat.

You're lying.

Grange wouldn't leave here without me.

Guess you're gonna be stuck here
for a while, huh?

-Flora.
-I can help you look for him.

Oh, Sheriff.

Just tryin' to be helpful, ma'am.
That's my job.

Skipping town faster than a felon in heat?

Well, that's something that you...

have personal experience with...

Isn't that so, Sheriff?

I don't know who you are, Mister,

but if you know what's good for you,

I wouldn't plan
on making this a relationship.

Ah.

Sheriff, did you happen to find
an envelope

in Walter's clothes
or maybe among his possessions?

No envelope, no stamps, no love letters.

I saw him consulting an envelope
as we drove here and it isn't in his room.

I just know you can't wait to tell me
how special this envelope is.

Well, I'm not sure, actually,

but I do feel certain that Walter and I

didn't arrive here accidentally.

Now look, ma'am.
I got a nice, tight little case here,

-and the state police agree with me.
-You're both wrong.

I'm sorry, but Walter's story
doesn't make any sense.

I mean, why would Pete
attack his car with a tire iron?

He was anxious for Walter
to leave town.

Wrecking his car
would've only prolonged our staying here.

Pete was drunk, remember?

Well, where are the dents on Walter's car?

So Murray missed a few details,
he was dyin' when he made that tape.

That doesn't seem
like a detail to me, Sheriff.

Now whoever killed Roscoe
killed Pete, right?

Yes, it would seem so.

Now, I've got something
that even you can't argue with.

Now, this is a state police report.

Now, the bullet
from Murray's gun killed Roscoe.

Murray had powder burns
on his hand.

Now, it's all here in black and white,

including a report of Pete's murder.

Uh, might I see those reports, Sheriff?

Oh, ma'am, you can have this copy

as a little souvenir of your stay here,

which I assume is coming to a close.

Oh, Mr. Desmond,

you wouldn't happen
to have an extra cup, would you?

Oh, yes, absolutely.

It seems our hostess has made
some excellent coffee this morning.

I'm sure she won't mind us
availing ourselves of some.

-There you are.
-Thank you.

Uh, Mr. Desmond, I hope
you don't mind me asking you,

But, uh, you seem
to have had some sort of...

previous acquaintanceship
with Sheriff Tugman.

I find it rather amusing
that he's been able

to secure gainful employment,
especially as a sheriff.

It restores my lack of faith
in the Amercan justice system.

Uh...
[chuckles]

I'm sorry, I, uh... I don't follow you.

In the Old West, many a lawman
started as a desperado...

A man on the wrong side of the law.

Oh, I see. And how, Mr. Desmond,

did you find all this out
about Sheriff Tugman?

Excuse me. uh,
I'm looking for a Ms. Gerakaris.

I'm Mrs. Gerakaris.

Oh. Terence Locke.

Wide West Life Insurance Company?

Look, this really isn't the very best time

for you to try to sell me life insurance.

I'm not here to sell life insurance.

I'm here to pay some off.

Specifically to resolve the matter...

of one Mr. Peter Gerakaris's
$250,000 life insurance policy.

Two... hundred and fifty?

Two... He never told me.

Well, didn't you call
our company yesterday...

about two hours
after your husband passed away?

No.

Oh.

And there's no way
it could've been an accident?

Oh, no, I'm afraid not.
Not with the blows to the head.

That couldn't have been caused by the car?

Well, not according to this report.

Well, then I'm gonna need to speak
to the local authorities.

Perhaps you could show me
the way to the sheriff's office.

Well, I'd be happy to,

but I don't know how much good
Sheriff Tugman is going to be.

-Mmm.
-Uh, Mr. Locke,

you mentioned that you'd had
a phone call from a Ms. Gerakaris.

Is that how the caller identified herself?

Well, actually, I'm not sure.

My secretary told me that a woman
had called. She hadn't identified herself.

-I assumed that it was the beneficiary.
-Mm-hmm.

Now, why did you have to get him
all stirred up?

Sheriff, Mr. Locke
came here with his own agenda.

Not unlike Mr. Desmond,
who just happened to arrive

at the truck stop when all this started.

That snot-nosed pip-squeak.

Sheriff, goodness knows you're a master
at masking your feelings,

but I sense that you've had some problems

with Desmond before?

Yeah. Years ago down in Texas,

that slimy piece of uppity pond crap
tried to obtain...

an article of merchandise
that I was protectin'.

Oh, you were a sheriff in Texas?

Well, you might say
I had private accounts.

I have informed the company that,

I agree with your theory
of Mr. Gerakaris's death,

Mrs. Fletcher.

And just, uh, what might that be?

Well, you remember the state police report

that you were kind enough to give me?

I knew I'd regret that.

Well, the description
of Pete's head wounds

indicates that he was clubbed from behind.

Oh, of course. So what?

Well, on the tape, Walter said

Pete was coming straight at him...

when he hit him with the tire iron,

which would seem to mean
that he clubbed Pete from the front.

So he wanted us to think
he killed Pete in self-defense.

Now forgive me, Sheriff,
but if Walter wanted

whoever heard that tape
to believe that he killed Pete,

and he knew he was dying,
why make it seem like self-defense?

You believe that Mr. Murray was lying
to protect somebody else?

-Who?
-Well, I'm not sure.

But the medical examiner indicated

that the wounds from the tire iron...

weren't deep enough to kill Pete.

Which has to make me wonder,

who would've clubbed Pete from behind,

but not hard enough to kill him?

-A woman, perhaps?
-Perhaps.

Perhaps the same woman who phoned you.

The same woman who is the beneficiary.

Oh, that'd work out great for you,
wouldn't it, Locke?

You wouldn't have to pay the policy

if the beneficiary was the murderer.

Well, I know Vera,
and she can be nice and nasty,

but she's not the kind of woman
that'd club her husband.

Sheriff, Mrs. Fletcher,
there is something I haven't told you.

Until I was sure of the lay of the land,

I felt I had to keep it confidential.

Yeah, I can hardly wait.

Mrs. Gerakaris is not the beneficiary.

Her daughter Flora is.

You've met her. What do you think?

Could Flora have killed her father?

Mr. Locke, there's every reason to believe

that Pete wasn't Flora's father.

What?

I believe that Walter Murray was.

And if I could figure that out,
then Flora could too.

The first night we were there,
there was a very ugly scene.

I was watching from my room.

Don't talk back!
You're a tramp like your mother!

At the time,
I thought that Pete was referring

to Flora's behavior with Grange.

But it could be that he figured out
that Flora was Walter's daughter.

How?

Roscoe could have told him.

Earlier, I'd seen Roscoe snooping around
outside Walter's motel room.

And I'm fairly certain that's when Vera
told Walter that Flora was his daughter.

[Locke]
What makes you think that?

[Jessica] Uh, their reactions,
how they looked...

and the difference in the way that...

that Walter related to Flora after that.

I mean, when he first met her, he...

He almost came on to her.

But after that, he became, well, fatherly.

Flora could've killed Pete to prevent him
from changing the beneficiary...

now that he knew
that she wasn't his daughter.

Mr. Locke, there may be a way to prove

whether Flora killed Pete.

If you don't mind helping me out.

[knocking]

Mrs. Fletcher. I'm kind of busy right now.

Of course, Flora. I'm sorry to bother you.

But before I left, I just wanted to say

how sorry I am
about your father's death.

-Pete was a pig.
-I'm also sorry about Pete's death.

Guess everyone figured that one out,
huh? Except me.

Mom just told me about a half hour ago.

Pretty stupid,

losing your real father before you've
even been properly introduced.

I see you're packing.

Hey, how are you gettin' out of here?

Oh. Well, Mr. Locke

Is gonna give me a lift
back to Los Angeles...

as soon as he finishes his business.

Locke? Who's that?

Oh, he's here to pay off Pete's
life insurance policy to your mother.

How long is that gonna take?
Think he can fit one more?

I'll see what I can do.

And if you'll just sign these forms,
Mrs. Gerakaris,

Our headquarters in L.A. will send
the check out to you in a couple of days.

Sure, but what are they for?

Oh, it's just a technicality

because the beneficiary is a minor.

-A minor?
-Your daughter.

-Flora? No, that's...
-Not exactly what you had planned?

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

I mean, naturally, I'm surprised

'cause, you know, you figured that...

Oh. You know what?

It makes me really happy that Pete

remembered to leave somethin' for Flora.

Well, I must say you've handled this
very well... Better than most.

But you did make one little mistake.

Mr. Locke, if I understand you correctly,

I think you better watch your step.

Now, that is
where I'm supposed to sign, right?

Hmm.

You forgot to destroy the letter.

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

The letter... that you mailed Mr. Murray.

Oh.

Now listen, Mr. Locke,
and listen very carefully.

I'm gonna have to go out that door,

and I'm gonna call up your company.

And I'm gonna tell 'em that...

unless they wanna be involved
in a huge lawsuit,

they're gonna fire you right now.

Oh.

Bad girl!

You shouldn't smoke in bed, honey!

Get your hands off of me!

It's just an envelope.
Remember, I told you

I wanted something of Walter's
to remember him by.

And that's why you're burning it?

I imagine
it won't be difficult to prove...

that it's addressed to Walter
in your handwriting, Vera.

So?

OK, I wrote to him. So what?

Quite honestly what bothered me most

was the compounding of coincidences.

Walter happening to suggest
that we drive back to Los Angeles,

then happening to detour
off the interstate,

then happening to find the woman

he hadn't seen in 19 years.

You can strap me to a lie detector.

I haven't seen him in any of that time.

No, but you did write to him recently

and let him know where to find you.

Walter consulted the directions
he'd written

on this envelope when we drove here.

So... [stammering]

Are you saying that I killed Pete?
I mean, is that it?

For what? A plugged nickel?

For what you believed you'd receive.

Flora didn't know anything
about Pete's insurance policy.

It hardly seems likely
that a girl who expects

a quarter of a million dollars

would jump at every chance
to get out of town before she's paid off.

You didn't even make it sporting.

You clubbed
that poor drunk slob from behind

then you rolled him under that lift

to make it look like an accident.

[air hissing]

I was too smart for you, girlie.

I knew it wasn't no accident.

You hadn't counted on that, had you?

Not in a million years.

I imagine that's when you realized
you needed help.

You must've told Walter what you'd done.

And then he took it from there,
the poor sap.

He planted the glove
to incriminate Grange,

He killed Roscoe,
and he incriminated himself,

all to save the woman he loved...

and believed that he'd wronged
all those years ago.

He never wronged me.

[sighs]

He was probably the only right thing
that's ever happened in my life.

Don't turn on the waterworks.
You set him up.

Why would I set up Walter?

Why did I stay away for 19 years?

Because when Walter left,
you were carrying his child.

Sure. Flora is Walter's daughter.

I didn't even know I was pregnant

when Walter just up and disappeared
one day all those years ago.

I talked to my parents and... Whoo.

They washed their hands of me
with 20 Mule Team Borax.

And Pete never new?

Oh, back then, I was skinny enough

to fool him into marrying me...

and into believin' that Flora was just...

a couple of months premature.

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

Pete did figure it out
at the end, didn't he?

That Flora wasn't his daughter?

That fool? No.

Roscoe told him... Good old Roscoe.

That's why I had to kill Pete.

He would've killed Walter
or me or both of us.

Right, sure. And the money
didn't have nothin' to do with it.

The money had a lot to do with it.

The money had everything to do with it.

Pete owed me for those 19 years, a quarter
million dollars doesn't cover it.

What do you know, babe?
I finally get to take you for a ride.

Flora, whatever else you do, don't let...

men mess up your life.

Okay?

[engine starts]

Step on it.

So you still want that ride?

What about you, Mr. Desmond?

We're heading into L.A.

That's very kind of you, but I'm afraid

I've already been to Los Angeles.

And if there's one thing I've learned,

it's that one should never look back.