All language subtitles for Murder.She.Wrote.S08E08.A.Killing.in.Vegas.1080p.AMZN.DD2.0.x265.HEVC-Bearfish_track3_[eng]

[Jerry] Enjoy your stay in Vegas,
Mrs. Fletcher.

[Jessica] Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.

[Katherine] It’s all about power.

Who gets to keep all the marbles?

You’re beginning to smother me,

and I don’t like the way
that feels at all.

Just so you know, I'd kill for the guy.

[howling]

Oh, hi there.

We can make you wish
that you’ve never seen a deck of cards.

Maybe there was a lover’s triangle
in there some place.

[laughing]
I suppose stranger things have happened.

[screaming]

[cheerful orchestral music]

[upbeat orchestral music]

[Ted] I know I'm beginning to sound
like your travel agent

as well as your publisher,
but have you got everything?

Well, I don’t think
I've forgotten anything.

How about one round trip
plane ticket to Las Vegas?

Oh, go on.
Tell me that was an intentional oversight.

Book fairs are
an occupational hazard, Jess.

Just try to remember

there’ll be 15,000 booksellers
in Vegas this week.

Oh, it’s all those cocktail parties
and breakfast meetings.

I come away five pounds heavier
and looking like a cheese Danish.

Yes, but think of all the exposure
your new book will get.

[Jessica] Yeah, but sometimes
I wonder if it’s worth it.

So, when you get to Vegas,
the hotel’s P.R. rep is Alice Baxter.

She’ll meet you at the airport
and coordinate your agenda.

This hotel you’ve booked
me into, McSorley's?

I don’t think I've ever heard of it,
is it new?

No, actually it’s been
around for quite a few years.

Susan happens to be working there
right now.

Susan?

Isn’t she supposed to be starting
her third year at Columbia?

Well, this summer, on the coast,

she conned me into letting her
take her junior year

at the university in Las Vegas.

Well, daughters can be very persuasive.

It turns out that the real reason

is the new boyfriend
that she's living with.

He is a dealer at McSorley's

and she is working as a cocktail waitress
and going to school part-time.

I don’t suppose any of this
makes life easier for you.

Well, she’s grown so distant
that I hardly know who she is any more.

Jess, I was wondering

as long as you’re staying
at the same hotel,

if-- Well, if you’d mind doing
a little discreet checking for me.

Well, I suppose I could do that.

You’re a lifesaver.

Oh, but don’t jump
to any conclusions, Ted.

I mean, I'll do what I can,
but I won’t meddle,

and I certainly don’t
want to invade Susan’s privacy.

Fair enough.

And thanks.

[Ahmed] Mrs. Fletcher,
you are leaving for Las Vegas?

I’m on my way.

Oh, should you find yourself
in the vicinity of a roulette table,

I was wondering if you would
do me the extraordinary favor

of placing this on number 14.

But, Ahmed,
I thought that you’d sworn off gambling.

Oh, only for short periods of time.

Mrs. Fletcher, the omens are irresistible.

Today is the 14th,
I have 14 brothers and sisters,

and this is my 14th month
in New York City.

Well, all right. [sighs]

But, just to remind you
of the value of money.

[upbeat funky Las Vegas music]

Picking you up is a real privilege,
Mrs. Fletcher.

You’re gonna give McSorley's
a touch of class

it hasn’t had in a long time.

Oh, you’re very kind, Mr. Thorson.

How long have you been chief of security?

Please, call me Larry.

And it’s been eight years.

All things considered,
eight pretty darn good years.

You know, I read an article on the plane,

it said that some notable gambling tycoon
tried to buy McSorley's recently.

Yeah, Sonny Barragan.

He owns four casinos in Atlantic City,

but he wanted Wes McSorley’s place
worse than a pig wants mud.

Wasn’t there a third party involved,
some off-shore corporation?

Wes’s partners, Seashore Properties,
they killed the deal.

Wes liked to die when it fell through.

He spent ten million dollars
renovating the old place

and it hasn’t been drawing
the kind of business he expected.

Larry, I wonder if you could
do me a favor.

Sure.

The daughter of a friend
of mine works in your casino,

Susan Hartley?

I wonder if you could
put her in touch with me.

Susan Hartley, no problem.
I’ll have her call you.

Great.

[Las Vegas show music]

[indistinct chatter]

-[Susan] Bea.
-Yeah?

Can you take care of things for a minute?

-Eddie is off his shift.
-Sure.

[Susan] Eddie.

Are you going to class?

No, I think I'm gonna skip today.

Again, how come?

I have some things I have to do.

Nothing is more important
right now than your degree.

Come on, don’t sound like my mother.

You’re not forgetting our plan, right?

[Eddie] No, I'm not forgetting our plan.

Just so happens that you and I
have an anniversary coming up.

Like I said I got some things to do.

[gushing] Oh, Eddie.

I gotta go.

All right, we’ll save a little
of that for later, okay?

[Eddie] So, what kind of odds
are you quoting on that 49ers game, Frank?

The Giants in three.

[Eddie] [chuckles] Oh, you’re kidding me?

Seven, and I might think about it.

[Frank chuckles]

So, uh, we will see you tomorrow, huh?

Just make sure you’re
on time tomorrow, Eddie.

[mysterious music]

[Las Vegas show music]

[Alice] Mrs. Fletcher! Alice Baxter.

I’m sorry
I couldn’t make it to the airport,

but it has been hitting
the fan around here.

Well, please don’t apologize.

Larry has explained everything.

Larry, would you make sure
Mrs. Fletcher has been checked in, please?

You have got it, precious.

And I'll see you tomorrow.

I’ll drop around the fair
about 5:00 p.m., okay?

Five o’clock, I'm sure it’ll be
a very welcome rescue.

[laughter]

You have got a full day tomorrow.

Your book fair is at 10:00 a.m..

I’ve arranged for an interview
with a local paper at 11:00 a.m.,

radio interview at 3:00 p.m..

Oh, and there are
cocktails for the authors

in the sunset room at 8:30 p.m.
tomorrow night.

And right now, we’ve got a small
impromptu party in the penthouse.

A party? I’m not dressed for a party.

Oh, there’s no dress code in Las Vegas,
Mrs. Fletcher.

Anyway, you look just great.

Well, not really.
If you don’t mind I think I'll pass.

Uh, you see, it’s after midnight
in New York, and I--

Oh, please, Mrs. Fletcher.
It’s the casino manager Jerry Pappas.

If you don’t show
for at least a little while...

You’ll get in trouble?

The guy signs my check.

Well, in that case,
just for a little while.

Oh!

Listen, if you need to relax,

try the sauna and massage downstairs.

Compliments of the hotel.

Oh, and be sure to ask for Max,

talk about magic fingers. [chuckles]

Magic fingers?

Gosh, isn’t that just what I need?

Although I'm not altogether sure
about Max.

[giggles]

[chuckles]

Oh, it’s nice to see they’re putting
surveillance cameras

in all the elevators here.

They were added as part of the renovation.

-Oh.
-Hmm. They spared no expense.

The trouble is,
you can renovate till hell freezes over,

and if you don’t have Dean Martin
or Julio Iglesias in the main room,

you’re dead.

Takes money.

And the renovation
sucked Wes McSorley dry.

-[elevator pings]
-[indistinct chatter]

[Jessica] Oh, my goodness.

-I knew I should have changed.
-Oh, come on.

You’re just fine.

Here, let me take your coat.

Ah, that’s the owner Wes McSorley
and his wife Katherine.

I understand he was very disappointed

when he was unable to sell
this place to Sonny Barragan?

[Alice] Oh,
took the soul right out of him.

Just so you know, I'd kill for the guy.

[indistinct chatter and laughter]

Mrs. Fletcher,
this is Wes and Katherine McSorley.

J.B. Fletcher, I'm honored.

How nice to meet you both.

And if anybody at my hotel
doesn’t give you the red carpet treatment,

I want to hear about it.

-Oh!
-[laughter]

[Wes] Jerry Pappas,
the famous J.B. Fletcher.

-[Jerry] Oh, hello.
-How do you do?

[Wes] Jerry is our casino manager.

King of the one armed bandits.

Better than being King of nothing.

Excuse us. We need to talk, my friend.

Did you get Thorson’s
report this afternoon?

-Don’t worry about it.
-We have a cash leak in the casino.

-Don’t tell me not to worry.
-Jerry, relax.

Well, you nail that S.O.B.

The last thing we need right now
is an inquiry by the commission.

I said I'll handle it, okay?

Well, I'm sorry to interrupt,
but you know how business is.

Never lets you alone.

Enjoy your stay in Vegas, Mrs. Fletcher.

Thank you, Mr. Pappas, I'll try.

[indistinct chatter and laughter]

[classical piano playing]

Mrs. Fletcher, you don’t have a drink,
may I get you one?

Uh, no, thanks.

It’s getting rather late for me.
I think I'll be running along.

[indistinct chatter and laughter]

So, what do you think?

I’m sorry.

My husband and Jerry Pappas.

You’re the big mystery writer.

Don’t act like you didn’t notice
anything weird?

[chuckles] Mrs. McSorley,

I'm not sure that this conversation
is really appropriate.

Oh, come on, be honest. I saw your face.

You were wondering
who was giving the orders

and who was taking them.

You wanna know what this is all about?

It’s all about power.

Who gets to keep all the marbles?

[Jessica] Oh.

You know what I think, Mrs. McSorley?

We both need a hot bath
and a good night’s sleep.

[mysterious music]

[Susan] How long has it been,
Mrs. Fletcher?

[Jessica] Oh, time enough for a shy,
high school valedictorian

to turn
into a perfectly beautiful young woman.

[laughter]

Please don’t take this the wrong way,

but when I got the message
that you were here at this hotel,

I kind of put two and two together.

It was Dad’s idea, wasn’t it?

He did ask me to see
that you were all right.

So, I guess he told you about Eddie?

He said there was a young man.

I know you’re gonna see
the same things in him that I do.

Dad doesn’t understand,
Vegas is only temporary.

There is no place
we can make the kind of money we do here

and still finish school.

Eddie’s on a split shift.

He goes through accounting courses
at a business school downtown.

And I go in the mornings
and work evenings.

The best part about it
is we’re actually building a bank account.

-Hi, hon.
-Ooh!

And you’re Mrs. Fletcher.

-Susan’s told me all about you.
-Hello, Eddie.

Can we get you some breakfast?

Oh, I'll pass. Thanks.

I just wanted to stop and say hello.

You know,
Susan and I are both off on Saturday.

I thought maybe I could run us all
out to Hoover Dam

if you’ve never seen it, or Lake Mead.

Oh, Eddie, what a great idea.

How about it, Mrs. Fletcher?

That would be fun.

[Eddie] Okay, we’re on.

You guys decide when and where.

Isn’t he everything I said?

He certainly seems to be.

Ooh, I'm gonna be late for class.

Thank you for breakfast, Mrs. Fletcher,
and I'll call you.

[upbeat orchestral music]

[Spencer] Thanks, Jessica.

Your stuff does fabulous back home.
We’ll sell out in a week.

Oh, thanks, Spence.

It’s always good to see you.

[laughter]

[wolf] Yo, Jessica! [howling]

Oh, hi there.

That voice, Betty.

-Wasn’t he a walrus last year?
-[Betty] Mm-hmm.

Captain Thorson to the rescue, ma’am.
We have a date, remember?

Oh, gosh. Yes, indeed. We have a date,
and just in the nick of time.

-Yeah.
-Thanks, Betty.

[Betty] Bye, Jessica.

[dealer] Okay folks, here we go.
Place your bets.

Place your bets.

All bets down.

Oh, Larry, I just remembered
I have a friend in New York

who asked me to put
a 20 dollar bill on number 14.

I told him it’s a waste of money,
but might as well do it now.

[dealer] Fourteen! Red is the winner.

My stars!

-[siren blaring]
-[woman screaming]

Oh, what’s that?

Somebody must’ve hit
the ten grand jackpot.

[dealer] Thirteen black, no winner.

He’s doubled my money.

How can you explain that?

Well, you left your bet
on the middle 12 numbers

and one came in, paid two for one.

Oh, this is terrible.

It’s gonna be the ruination of Ahmed.

If you’re not careful,
it could be yours, too.

[dealer] Here we go.

Come on, I'll show you
how I make a living.

[dealer] Place your bets. Place your bets.

[Larry] Now,
these boys are my bloodhounds.

They keep everybody honest.

Customers, pit bosses, dealers,
the whole shooting match.

I don’t think I'd like people
peering at me all day long.

But I suppose it does eliminate
most of the cheating.

Well, there’s always some guy
who thinks he is smart enough

to beat the system.

Now, watch this.

-How’s our boy doing?
-Nothing so far, Sir.

Whatever table he plays,

the house always loses a little more
than probabilities dictate.

Now, we know that he is taking money
from the house.

But I'm darn if we can catch him.

Well, so, what do you do?

We just hang around
until he makes a mistake.

Then we nail his butt to the wall.

[tense anticipatory music]

[mysterious music]

Hey, babe.

-[Susan sighs]
-What are you doing?

I was just looking
over our bank statement.

Why? I thought I was the bookkeeper?

Where did you find it anyway?

You’ve been going through my stuff?

You left it on your dresser
when you went to bed.

What concerns me is the balance.

It’s way short. What is this?

Suddenly, you’ve become
a certified public accountant?

I just want to know what
all these withdrawals are for?

Listen, Susan.

I’m beginning to feel
very smothered by you,

and I don’t like that feeling at all.

Eddie, you’re gambling, aren’t you?

Let’s get something straight, Susan.

Half the money
in this account belongs to me.

Now, what I do with it is my business,

nobody else’s.

[dramatic music]

[Las Vegas show music]

-Mrs. Fletcher, I've been looking for you.
-Hello, Alice.

-How are you?
-Well, the word is tired.

My fingers feel atrophied.

If I never sign another autograph
in my life, it’ll be just fine.

-Oh, excuse me, miss.
-Yes, ma’am.

I’ve been trying to locate Susan Hartley.

I called her at the casino
and at her home, but she’s not--

Yeah, well, she didn’t
show up for her shift tonight.

Lots of people have been asking about her.

Well, if you do happen to see her,

would you ask her
to call Jessica Fletcher?

It’s really rather urgent.

Sure, I'll pass the word.

Thank you.

Just so you know,

the bookseller’s breakfast tomorrow

will be followed
by the mystery writers lunch.

And, in case you’ve forgotten,
tonight at 8:30 is--

The cocktail party. I had forgotten.

What I'd really like to do
is to go to bed,

curl up with a good book,
but I'll be there.

[chuckles] Thanks, Mrs. Fletcher.

You’re a real trooper.

[tense anticipatory music]

[tense dramatic music]

All right, that’s it, let’s go.

Yes, Sir.

Better luck next time, Sir.

[tense dramatic music]

Listen, creep, under Nevada law,
I can hold you for any amount of time

for the city police and during that time,

we can make you wish
that you’ve never seen a deck of cards.

But I'm not calling the police,
not yet, if you cooperate.

Now, first, you’re out of a job.

Second, you don’t leave
town until you’re told.

-Are you listening?
-Yes, I'm listening.

You’re just lucky
that the McSorley’s have an image problem

with the gaming commission.

So, this time, there may not be any cops
or criminal charges.

It all depends on what Mr. Pappas
has to say.

In the meantime,
I don’t wanna see you around

until you hear from me.

[anticipatory music]

[tense dramatic music]

What are you doing, Eddie?

Double-crossing snitch.

[Frank] No, no. Let me explain.

I thought you said we had protection.

We do.

Honest, Eddie,

it’s just that the wrong
guys got wise to it,

but everything
is gonna be worked out all right.

By who?

-The Lone Ranger?
-No, Jerry-- Jerry Pappas.

Come on, Frank, I'm not stupid.

It’s true.

You can ask him yourself.

He’s gonna be at the penthouse tonight.

You told me that last week,
he wasn’t there.

[panting] Okay.

I don’t know what happened last time,
but he’s gonna be there tonight.

Ten o’clock sharp.

And he’s gonna straighten everything out,
I swear.

[anticipatory music]

[indistinct chatter and laughter]

[Alice] Mrs. Fletcher?
Don’t you look smashing?

Well, you ain’t half bad yourself, kid.

Where is our host?

Which one?

Oh, Jerry Pappas isn’t here yet,

and Katherine McSorley,
madam is also unaccountably absent.

As for host number two,
he is right over there.

I’m about to mount a rescue operation.

Oh, I wouldn’t worry, Alice.

That’s Wanda Leroux,

she’s just written a book
called A Celibate Woman Over 30.

She doesn’t look very celibate to me.

And who said she is over 30?

Excuse me.

[woman] Jessica Fletcher?

[indistinct chatter and laughter]

Katherine?

I can’t seem to locate
your husband to say good night.

I’ve given up keeping track of Wes.

Well, perhaps you’ll
deliver my thanks for me.

And I'll see him tomorrow.

And where is Alice Baxter?
She seems to have disappeared, too.

Ah, Wes and Alice? [laughing]

I suppose stranger things have happened.

Well, good night.

-[indistinct chatter and laughter]
-[Las Vegas show music playing]

Eddie, Eddie, I have to talk to you.

Another time, Mrs. Fletcher.

Eddie, you are in trouble

and what’s more important,
it’s gonna affect Susan.

I’ve been trying to reach her all day.

Stay out of my business, okay?

Just leave me alone.

Hang on to my place here, will you, hon?

This one’s ready to blow.

If I don’t make a pit stop
in the next two minutes, wowie.

[mysterious anticipatory music]

[siren blaring]

[indistinct chatter and laughter]

[Las Vegas show music playing]

[woman screaming] Oh, my god!

-[man screaming]
-[patrons screaming]

[man] Oh, my God.

It’s Jerry Pappas.

[mysterious music]

[Susan] Mrs. Fletcher!

Oh, Susan.
I’ve been looking all over for you.

-For heavens’ sakes, what’s the matter?
-[Susan] They arrested Eddie.

-What for?
-There was a murder last night.

-The casino manager, Jerry Pappas.
-Yes, I heard.

And they say that Eddie did it.
They arrested Eddie this morning.

Oh, Susan, I'm so sorry.

I don’t know what to do.

You’re the only one I could think of.

I can’t call my dad
and I need somebody to help me.

Now, listen to me.

I’ll do everything I can to help you,
but first of all, I want you to go home

and try and get yourself calmed down,
all right?

And I promise that I will call you
as soon as I find out anything.

[Susan sighs]

[mysterious music]

It happens that the press concludes

that there’s some sort of scam going
in the casino.

We’re gonna
have to come up with another angle.

Something like Jerry and me,
life-long buddies,

a senseless crime committed
in the heat of anger.

Maybe there was
a lover’s triangle in there some place.

-You got that?
-Got it.

Here, fix your face.

We got reporters
and photographers downstairs.

[Walt] Okay, people,
thank you for your time.

I’d appreciate it
if we could clear the room now.

Walt, I want you to meet a friend of mine,
J.B. Fletcher.

Jessica, this is Lieutenant Murphy
of the Las Vegas Police Department.

How do you do, Lieutenant?

-It’s a real pleasure, Mrs. Fletcher.
-Thank you.

My wife hasn’t missed
a single one of your books.

Keeps telling me I'd be a better cop
if I had more of a woman’s intuition.

And you told her, I'm sure,
it’s not so much intuition

as logic and common sense
that solves crimes.

[laughs] Well, as a matter of fact,

I don’t tell her much of anything.

Lieutenant,

Eddie Wheaton is a very close friend
of a friend of mine.

I wonder if I could ask you

what makes you think
that he killed Jerry Pappas.

Logic and common sense.

Plus the fact that he doesn’t deny

being with the victim
minutes before the murder.

The surveillance tapes
from the elevator will corroborate that.

And he doesn’t deny Pappas
took a swing at him and he struck back.

Pappas was gonna make sure he never worked
a casino again

as long as he lived.

Yes, but surely Eddie wouldn’t kill
because he lost his job.

I mean, he was going to school,
Lieutenant,

he was studying accounting.

[Walt] Your myth.

He spent his afternoons
down at the bus depot

working short cons on the tourists.

Cheap grifters like Wheaton
are a pet hate of mine, Mrs. Fletcher.

Well, it sounds as if you’ve got
the case locked up, Lieutenant.

You have a better idea?

There must be others
who had motive and opportunity.

Is that your intuition, Mrs. Fletcher,

or just wishful thinking?

[mysterious music]

I swear I didn’t kill anybody.

I went to see Pappas
because my pit boss, Frank Stinson,

said he was our protection,
but when I got there,

Pappas pretended
like he didn’t know anything about it.

Eddie, this morning,
after the police arrested you,

they found a whole lot of money
in another footstool by the TV,

where did it all come from?

That was ours, baby.

[crying] Eddie, ours was supposed
to be in the bank.

All right, Eddie. I want you to tell me
exactly how it all happened.

I heard Jerry Pappas had a lousy temper,
but this was incredible.

He started screaming and raving

about how I'd never work in Vegas
or any place else,

then he sucker punched me
and knocked me down.

-And the coffee table went over?
-[Eddie] Yeah.

I thought he was gonna
kill me right there.

Well, then what?

[sighs heavily] I hit him,
in self-defense,

and I got out as fast as I could.

Anything else?

Nothing.

Except I remember thinking
that maybe he had a woman up there

-in one of the other rooms.
-Why?

Because there was this thing
like a lady’s silver compact

on the coffee table.

And what time did you leave?

10:15 p.m., now the reason I remember
is because when I got downstairs,

I was going to look for Frank

and I checked the time to see
if he’d still be working.

You believe me, don’t you, babe?

Oh, Eddie, I wanna believe
you didn’t kill Mr. Pappas.

I wanted to hear you say
that you hadn’t been stealing.

Eddie, I wanted to hear you say
that none of this ever happened.

I blew it, huh?

I guess you’re gonna
be walking out on me, too?

Don’t tempt me, Eddie.

As much as I despise
what you’ve done to Susan,

there’s a lot here
that doesn’t make any sense.

And I'll talk to you later.

There’s some things
that I have to check out.

[anticipatory music]

Okay, here we go.

Now, these are the tapes
from the camera in the penthouse elevator.

As you can see,
Wheaton boarded the elevator at 9:55 p.m..

Now, we’ll fast forward it.

And he came back down
from the penthouse at exactly 10:20 p.m..

So, there it is,

Wheaton’s story that he left
the lobby at 10:15 p.m. is a lie.

You saw it,
he was in the elevator at 10:20 p.m..

Jerry Pappas’s wristwatch
stopped with his death at 10:18 p.m..

Could we see the tape
one more time, Lieutenant?

I’m sorry, Mrs. Fletcher.

Wishful thinking
won’t change what all of us just saw.

Thanks for everything, Larry.

You can have your tape back
just as soon as all of this is over.

Larry, I need some help.

You’ve got it.

I have to see Eddie again,
this afternoon, it’s urgent.

[Jessica] I want you to tell me
how well you knew Jerry Pappas.

[Eddie] He was the casino manager
and I was just another dealer.

Now, was that to say

that you’ve never been
up to the penthouse before last night?

Now that you mention it,
I was up there just less than a week ago.

It’s kind of a flaky thing.

Frank Stinson told me
that Pappas wanted to see me,

kind of hinting
there might be a promotion,

but when I got up there,
Pappas wasn’t there.

Later, I asked Stinson about it
and he said,

"The whole thing was probably a mistake."

I guess that that time
when you went up to the penthouse,

it was close to 10:00 p.m.?

Yeah. It was right around 10:00 p.m.
on my second shift.

How did you know that?

[Walt] I've told you, Mrs. Fletcher,
that tape is in the vault

and it won’t come out
except for the grand jury.

Look, all I am asking is

that you at least consider the possibility
that the tape was tampered with.

Now when I saw Eddie
at the jail this morning,

his vest was torn.

It probably happened
in his fight with Pappas,

but when I looked at the tape
in the second part

where Eddie reenters the elevator
at 10:20 p.m.,

it wasn’t torn.

It wasn’t evident on the tape.

That’s all that means.

No, it means that the first segment
where he entered the elevator is genuine,

but the second piece
could have been made earlier.

[Larry] You’re saying somebody
could’ve dubbed over the real tape

and synced in a new piece,
showing him leaving at 10:20 p.m.

instead of 10:15 p.m. like he testified.

That’s exactly what I'm saying.

She has got a point, Walt.

Well, just so you know,
I ran Wheaton through the N.C.I.C.

he did time four years ago
for armed robbery and aggravated assault.

I’m sorry, Mrs. Fletcher,
you’re fighting for the wrong cause.

Lieutenant, I'm not defending
Eddie Wheaton’s reputation.

What I'm saying is that somebody
who wanted Jerry Pappas dead,

worked with Frank Stinson to set Eddie up.

Find out from Stinson who that was,

and I guarantee, you’ll have your killer.

[woman operator] Officer Kimbrough,
check out abandoned car

in underground parking, level 3.

Roger.

[tense dramatic anticipatory music]

[tense dramatic music]

Susan, I'm sorry to have to tell you this,

but Eddie’s pit boss,
Frank Stinson, was murdered.

They found his body in his car.

He was killed sometime last night.

And Lieutenant Murphy
considers that Eddie is the prime suspect.

I’m just wondering how
this could get any worse.

Well, I'm afraid it can.

The police think that Eddie killed Stinson

after he killed Pappas,

before they arrested him this morning.

Do you have any idea
where he was last night?

If you’re asking me
if I can give Eddie an alibi,

the answer is no.

I’ve been such a fool, Mrs. Fletcher.

No, Susan, you weren’t a fool.

There isn’t anybody alive
who hasn’t been deceived

in a relationship at one time or another.

I felt we had the same dream,
that we were building something together.

I know.

All along he was a cheat and a thief.

He was stealing from me
along with everybody else.

I know how painful this is for you,

but I promise you that the time will come
when you will understand it.

God, I don’t know how.

I want you to know one thing, Susan.

Whatever else Eddie may have done,

I'm convinced
that he is not guilty of these murders.

And however else you may feel about him,

he is entitled to justice.

You do believe that, don’t you?

Yes.

All right then, we’ll make a phone call.

A company called Seashore Properties
owns half of this hotel

and I've got a hunch who’s behind it.

And I have a friend
who’ll verify it for us.

Come on.

[Jessica] You know, Larry,
I'm convinced that Lieutenant Murphy

has been ignoring something very obvious.

I mean, with all of its security features,
the penthouse has to have fire stairs.

Now, wouldn’t they give someone access?

Well, you’re partially correct.

The hotel fire stairs
start on the ninth floor

and the penthouse has
a separate flight of its own

starting on the ninth floor.

And can anyone use them?

Well, coming down from the penthouse
would be no problem,

but going up, you need a special key.

And who would have that key?

I for one have one,
and Jerry and Wes had one,

a group of guards, maintenance people,
they’re all serialized and signed for.

And can it be duplicated?

Not easily, but it can be done.

Would you let me borrow
yours this afternoon

just for a couple of hours?

-What are you up to?
-Mmm, I have a theory.

Well, why don’t you let me in on it?

[laughs] Well, that would spoil
half the fun now, wouldn’t it?

[laughter]

Here.

But if you have a mind

to start poking around
in those fire stairs,

you’re gonna have to wait
until after eight o’clock.

Lieutenant Murphy
is not pulling his men out until then.

[indistinct chatter]

Would you mind some company?

Oh, not at all.

They had been looking for you
all day over at the book fair.

Well, I had more important things to do.

Ah, I understand you know
Eddie Wheaton’s girlfriend.

Yes, her father is a close friend.

How’s she taking it?

Well, the most difficult part is
convincing her

that Eddie didn’t commit the murder.

Oh? I was no fan of Jerry Pappas’s,

but if it wasn’t Eddie--

[Jessica] Well,
maybe you can help me with that.

I left the party sometime
before the murder.

Do you remember where
Wes McSorley was around 10:00 p.m.?

Or his wife Katherine?

I don’t know.
I went up to my office about 9:30 p.m.

to finish up some paperwork.

And you didn’t see them
again that evening?

No.
I’m sorry I can’t help you, Mrs. Fletcher.

That’s okay, Alice.

You’ve actually helped me a great deal.

[mysterious music]

[Jessica] Lieutenant Murphy?
This is Jessica Fletcher.

Among the pieces of evidence
that your men took from the penthouse,

was there by any chance
a small silver filigree compact.

It might have been on
the floor with a broken vase.

No?

You sure?

Oh, of course, I'll explain.

But first,
I have to check something out, Lieutenant.

Thanks.

[mysterious music]

[door opening]

Oh.

Hello, Mr. McSorley,
it’s just me, Jessica Fletcher.

You had me going there for a moment.

[puffs out air] Likewise.

I must say I'm a little curious
as to what you’re doing here.

Well, I could ask you
the same question, couldn’t I?

I own the joint, Mrs. Fletcher.

Maintenance called to say
there was a break in the coaxial.

And do you always do your own repairs?

A penny saved is a penny earned, so--

Well, you’ve answered my question.

So, it’s only fair
that I should answer yours.

You see, I was quite certain

that the surveillance tape
was tampered with.

I’m no expert, but I do know
that if someone spliced into the coaxial

with some kind of portable transfer unit,

they could have recorded
over the true tape.

The new version would have gone
into the security office unblemished.

Hmm, some sloppy patch drama.

Yes, it is.

Why don’t we go up to the penthouse?

It’ll be more comfortable
to talk up there.

[anticipatory music]

Would you care for something to drink?

Uh, no, thank you.

So, go on, you’re thrilling me today.

If it wasn’t the young Mr. Wheaton,
who was it?

You, Mr. McSorley.

[laughing] That’s--
that’s absolute nonsense.

What confused me at first

was your upside down
relationship with Jerry Pappas.

I saw it that night
at the cocktail party when we first met.

It puzzled me.

Until I realized
that he was the real boss of McSorley's.

This afternoon a friend of mine at S.C.C.
confirmed that.

Pappas owns Seashore Properties,
you're equal partner in this hotel.

My guess is that
Jerry Pappas was an alias,

and at some time,
he was convicted of a felony.

So far so good.

Pappas was a world class swindler
by the name of Alex Rogus.

But of course, a man with a felony record

wouldn’t be permitted
to operate a gaming establishment

in the state of Nevada.

So, he changed his name
and hid behind Seashore Properties.

In the beginning,
it seemed like a good idea.

Until the renovation.

Yes, he took back most of the paper,
which in his mind,

would give him the right
to call the shots.

And you wanted out

because even after the renovation,
McSorley's was losing money.

You tried to get out,
but Pappas wouldn’t let you sell.

So you killed him.

[chuckles]

Well, I'll admit it crossed my mind.

Fortunately, Eddie Wheaton beat me to it.

Oh, he came up here, all right,
and blows were struck,

but Jerry Pappas was alive
when Eddie left.

Timing was all important
because of the way you rigged the tape

from the penthouse to the elevator.

So, the second Eddie left,
you came out of hiding.

You overpowered Jerry Pappas,
hauled him onto the balcony,

then threw him over the edge.

That was murder number one.

The second murder
was Frank Stinson, the pit boss.

He helped you set up Eddie

and you weren’t certain
that you could trust him.

It’s a fascinating theory, Mrs. Fletcher,

but you can’t prove I was anywhere near
here the night Jerry died.

Oh, but I can.

Do you remember
your wife’s silver compact?

Last night at the cocktail party,

Katherine didn’t have it in her bag
because she left it right here

when she rendezvoused with Jerry Pappas.

Eddie saw it on that coffee table

just before Jerry Pappas hit him.

He figured there was a woman
in one of the other rooms.

Go on.

When the police arrived,
the compact was gone,

which meant someone had removed it.

That could only have been you
because it was in your pocket,

and I saw you give it to Katherine.

-[chuckles]
-[anticipatory music]

You know, there's something peculiar
about this penthouse, Mrs. Fletcher.

People keep falling
off the edge of the balcony.

No, no, no.

I said the balcony, it’s out there.

Hold it!

Not one step further.

[Jessica] How did you know?

Mrs. Fletcher, from the minute I knew
you were investigating this thing,

you haven’t been out of my sight.

-I only had one small problem.
-Well, what’s that?

I gave you my key to the fire door,

and I had to go to hell and gone
to find another one.

Oh.

[Las Vegas show music]

Yes, it’s two blocks down to your left.

-[Ahmed] Oh, Mrs. Fletcher, welcome back.
-Thank you, Ahmed.

[Ahmed] Allow me to take these.

Listen, would you like to come upstairs
and have a cup of tea?

Oh, no. I better be getting back.

-I can’t wait to surprise my dad.
-Will you be all right?

I think so, thanks to you.

Promise to keep in touch.

I promise.

You won’t be able to get rid of me.

[chuckles]

So, how’s everything been going, Ahmed?

Oh, very quiet, but I had good news.

My brother Rashid
has been admitted to Kings College.

Oh, that’s wonderful.

Yes, my family should
be calling anytime now.

Oh, by the way,
about that bet I asked you to place?

It must be very expensive
to go to college in India these days.

Yes, indeed, very expensive.

But as my father says,
"Allah will provide."

Now, about that bet,

you see,
there’s a new jacket I was planning.

I mean, I remember how difficult it was
to get through college on limited means.

[telephone ringing]

Excuse me.

Hello?

Yes, Mother, hold on.

I have your winnings from Las Vegas.

I hope you’re planning
to do something very worthwhile.

Uh, yes, Mother, I'm still here.

[exclaims]

Tell Rashid I have a surprise for him.

-[Jessica chuckles]
-[upbeat orchestral music]