All language subtitles for MSW s06e13 If the Shoe Fits.eng

I'll come by the house.

No, my son will be home.

You're running
out of excuses.

FEMALE NARRATOR:
Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.

What do you mean
you may never get to see your mother again?

You know, I really should be
talking to the juvenile authorities on this.

I've lost my boy once before,
Mrs. Fletcher.

I'm so scared of it
happening again.

You know what gets me, Seth?

That all this could happen
here in our little town.

(CAR TIRES SCREECHING)

Kevin, how are you doing?

Well, this dirt's
putting up a pretty good fight, Mrs. Fletcher,

but there's no way
it's gonna win.

Well, it's lucky for me
that you're on my team,

though there must be
lots of other ways you'd rather spend

a half-day off
from school, huh? Oh, not me.

Not much time
for playing around.

You got to earn a living,
you know?

You know, you're the best
worker I've ever had.

Your mother must be
very proud of you.

Oh, yeah, sure.
You know, she's got her job at the shoe factory and all,

but as she says,
I'm the man of the house.

(SIGHS)

There.

I should have brought
my own shovel.

I work better
with my own tools. Yeah, well,

let's prepare
the rest of the bed. Okay.

All right, gentlemen,
start your hoes!

Yes, I have it.

5:00 will be fine.
I'll see you then.

You can't do that to me!

JACK: I just did.

You raised my rent
six months ago, and I've got a one-year lease.

Come on!

And if you read it
very carefully, you'll see

that I had the option
to bump you an extra ten percent after six months.

That's today.

You must be
out of your mind.

I mean, I don't pay
my workers minimum wage because I like to,

but because I have to.

I mean, I've cut
expenses to the bone. I'm barely breaking even.

Owen, tell someone
who cares.

Just be sure I get the money
next Wednesday

when it's due in full.

Hey, there, Patsy.

Well, how do we do,
Mr. Franzen?

Mr. Franzen? Is that any way
to talk to an old friend?

(CHUCKLES) Old friend?
Where?

Hey, there, kiddo,
didn't we have some laughs?

Yeah, sure, lots.

My funny bone's
still hurting.

There you go.

Glad to know there aren't
any hard feelings.

What kind of feelings
should I have, Jack?

Forget it, Marla. I need you
to finish that last batch of Lady Mocs.

I'll come in tomorrow.

You won't be able to ship them
until Monday, anyway.

Suppose the whole shop
came to me with personal problems.

I'm supposed to give them
all the afternoon off, right?

Oh, come on, Owen. You know
I always get the work done.

Oh, God, all right.
Yes, yes.

But I wanna see
you at that machine first thing in the morning.

Thanks.

Marla, let's you and I
talk about your rent.

Not right now.

Okay, we'll do it later.

I'll come by the house.

No, my son will be home.

The kid can
go out and play.

Not today, Jack.

Sweetheart, you don't get it.
You're running out of excuses.

If money's a problem,
don't worry.

I'll figure out a way
you can square things.

Here's your laces, Marla.
Thanks, Danny.

Everything okay?
Everything is fine, Danny boy.

Now why don't you go on
about your business?

Why don't you
get a new routine?

What for?
There's nothing wrong with the old one.

It's okay, Danny.

You heard the lady.
Take a hike.

I'll see you later.

You know what I like
about that guy? His humility.

Thanks for your help, Seth.

Well, there's no way
you could've gotten all this stuff

into your bicycle basket.

Well... Hi, Kevin.
Hi, Doctor Hazlitt.

Kevin.
Did you get that special plant food,

Mrs. Fletcher?
Right here.

We'll be able
to plant the bulbs after school on Monday.

That is,
if you're available.

(CHUCKLING) Oh, sure.
Great.

Good. Now, week's wages
for Mr. Bryce.

Thanks a lot, Mrs. Fletcher!

Oh, dear. You know, I hadn't
realized it was so late.

It's gonna be dark
before you get home.

Toss your bike
in my trunk, son. I'll give you a lift.

No thanks, Doctor Hazlitt.
I've got to stop and buy some stuff for Mom.

And I've got a good headlight
and I've done it about a million times.

JESSICA: Are you sure?
Oh, yeah. Yeah, don't worry about me.

I'll see you on Monday,
Mrs. Fletcher, and I'll bring my good shovel.

All right, Kevin.
And enjoy your weekend.

All right. You, too.

Now there goes a young man
that's going to make something of himself someday.

(CHUCKLING)
I believe you're right.

He sure has grown a lot
since he and his mother moved into town.

Nearly six years ago.

Yeah.

I remember
he had a case of measles

practically the day
they got here. Bad case.

He had spots on his spots.

Tough on a woman
being alone,

new in town,
working in a factory.

But don't get me wrong.
She paid her bill, in full, in a timely fashion.

Meaning?

Well, meaning that
I wasn't going anywhere especially, neither was she.

Look here, woman,
do I go nosing around in your business affairs?

Occasionally. You
staying for dinner?

Well, that depends.
What are we having?

Well, I've got a couple
of cans of tuna fish up on the top shelf.

I thought I might
make something interesting out of them.

(CAR TIRES SCREECHING)

Jerk!

SETH: Jessica Fletcher,
you are the remembering-est woman I ever did know.

Why can't you be like
normal people and forget your relatives' birthdays?

Because they're family
and I like to remember them.

And there are
so many of them.

Besides,
wrapping all these parcels

has kept me out of trouble
this entire weekend.

Be thankful
for small favors.

Isn't that your young
handyman over there?

Yes. And it looks as if
he's waiting for someone.

Jess, this way. Oh, drat.

Kevin?

Oh, hi, Mrs. Fletcher.

Are you waiting
for someone?

Me? No.

Hey, I better get
over to your house and start on the yard.

See you later, okay?

Strange.
Kevin's acting very oddly.

I believe it's
called puberty, Jess.

Turns even a nice kid
into a jangled mass of obnoxious contradictions.

Well, perhaps you're right.

Still, I give him credit
for being industrious.

He stopped by my office
earlier, see if I had any work for him,

so I gave him a couple
of dollars to run some forms over to the pharmacy for me.

Well, he's very serious
about his "man of the house" status.

I just hope he's not
taking on too much.

Yeah.

I'll get the door.

Quite a pile of outgoing mail
you have there, Jessica.

Oh, yes, I have a
bumper crop of birthdays and anniversaries this month.

I prefer
the incoming variety myself.

You know, you could
save yourself a ton of trouble

if you shopped
by catalog like I do.

When I wanna send
someone a gift, I just pick up the phone.

How's Jack doing, Gloria?
I haven't seen much of him around lately.

You're not the only one.

There you go, Mrs. Franzen.

GLORIA: Thank you, Lou.

Believe me, Jessica,

life is so much simpler
now that I let my fingers do the walking.

Her fingers
and Jack's credit cards.

Well,
considering the deficit, I suppose

the Postmaster General
sends you a lot of thank-you notes.

Oh, Seth,
it wasn't that much.

(SETH SCOFFS)

Oh! Jessica, I'm sorry.
Oops!

That's all right.
I wasn't looking where I was going.

Lydia, it's okay,
no harm done.

How's work?
Oh, you know how it is.

Nearly 40 kids
in the seventh grade,

each and every one
teetering on the brink of adolescence.

Uh-huh.
Didn't I tell you? Mmm.

We were just
talking about Kevin Bryce.

Oh, Kevin.
He's a sweet boy.

He's in my third
period history. He's a very hard worker.

Oh, I know.
He's doing a wonderful job for me in my garden.

Well, I better run.
There's an enormous stack of homework papers

just waiting to ambush me.

Well, take care.
Oh, Jessica,

if you speak to Kevin,
tell him I hope he's feeling better.

Is he sick?
I assumed so. He wasn't in school today.

Oh.
Hmm.

How you doing, Kevin?

Pretty good, Mrs. Fletcher.

Oh, it must be
awfully hard working with that little spade.

What happened to
the shovel you were gonna bring from home?

I couldn't find it.
I left it in the front yard,

and somebody
must have swiped it.

You look as if
you could do with a little break.

What would you say to a
nice piece of banana bread and a glass of milk?

You bet.
Good.

There you go.

That's an old recipe
that I have been making for years.

(CHUCKLING) Oh, I guess
I was kind of hungry.

No need to apologize,
that's a compliment to the cook.

Well, you see,
my mom really didn't feel good today,

so she forgot
to make me lunch.

Oh.

Well, Miss Johansen
will be glad to know that you're all right.

I ran into her earlier,
and she was concerned because you weren't in school.

Right. Well, you see,
my mom really felt bad,

so I had to stay home
and take care of her. Oh, dear.

Maybe I should
have Doctor Hazlitt drop by and see her.

No! No! That's okay.
She felt a lot better when I left.

Is there anything
that your mother might need?

No, I don't think so.

Well, perhaps
I better call her and just ask.

We don't have a phone.

Well, we did for a while,
but we couldn't afford to keep it.

Mrs. Fletcher,
would you mind paying me for today's work?

I mean, I may need
to buy some medicine or something for Mom.

Sure, I'll just get my wallet.

Kevin, be sure
to tell your mother to let me know

if there's anything
I can do for her, okay?

I will, Mrs. Fletcher.
Thanks.

(SIGHS)

No bicycle?

It's back at the house.
I bent a wheel.

Oh, I see.

KEVIN: Mom?

Oh, Mrs. Fletcher.

Kevin,
are you all right?

Oh, sure,
everything's fine.

I came by
because I was worried about your mother.

Oh, she's sleeping.

Then why did you think
it might be her at the door?

Perhaps I'd better
speak to her, huh?

You can't! I mean,

I don't know
where she is.

She wasn't sick,
Mrs. Fletcher. I made it up.

When I came home Friday
there was a note from my mom

saying she'd be home
that night.

But she never showed up.

You mean
you've been alone here for three days?

Yeah.

Oh, you must be
worried sick.

You should have told
the Sheriff right away.

No!

Mrs. Fletcher,
if the Sheriff finds out,

I may never see
my mother again.

Kevin, what do you mean
you may never see your mother again?

I mean, if the Sheriff
finds out I'm alone here,

it'll be Chicago
all over again.

I don't understand.

I think I was
about four or five.

Mom didn't have a job,
and we were broke.

She called one of these
agencies for help,

and I ended up
in a foster home.

Oh, I see.

It was awful!
I never wanna go back to that place again.

That's why
I didn't tell anyone.

Yes, but, Kevin,

you've got to
think of your mother.

She might be hurt
or in trouble.

She's probably
worried sick about you, too.

But, Mrs. Fletcher,
if you tell the Sheriff,

he'll have to call
one of those agencies.

Yeah, well, I think
I can convince him to put it off for a little while.

What do you say?
Shall we go see him?

Yeah.
Good.

"Going to Portland,
back tonight."

But she never said
why she was going or who she was going to see?

No, sir.

Okay. We're gonna
put your mom's description out on the wire

and then we're gonna
check with the hospitals and the police in Portland.

You look like you've
been hanging in there pretty good, son.

Just keep it up.

Mrs. F,
talk to you for a sec?

Yes, Sheriff?

You know, I really should be
talking to the juvenile authorities on this.

I know.

You know, normally I wouldn't
dream of asking you to go against proper procedure,

but if you could
put off calling

until you've checked
with the agencies in Portland...

I mean, there's no
harm in that, is there?

I guess not.

Good.

Kevin can come home with me,

and if you hear anything,
you'll know where to reach us.

Will do. Just have him
check over this report

before I have Floyd
type it up, will you?

All right.

Kevin,
would you come over here?

Oh, hello, Gloria.
Jessica.

Sheriff,
I want to file a report.

This is just for the record,
you understand. Sign.

In case my lawyer needs it.

You know,
lawyers just love paperwork.

Yes, ma'am.
Now, what seems to be the problem?

No problem.
My ever-Ioving hubby, good old Jackie,

has finally flown the coop.

When did you see him last?
Friday.

Before he left,
he mentioned something about meeting a client.

Probably in some
motel room in Mexico City.

Missing since Friday,
that's good.

Oh, I don't mean it's good
that your husband is missing.

It's just that
since it's been more than 72 hours,

we can get right on it.

You were right the first time.

Where do I sign?

Here, just fill out the
first page of this report, and we'll get the ball rolling.

I think this is okay,
Mrs. Fletcher.

Fine. I'll give it
to the Sheriff.

You wanna meet me outside?
Okay.

Gloria, excuse me,
I couldn't help overhearing. I'm so sorry.

Don't be. I've been waiting
years to dump Jack.

Well, perhaps it's
not what you think.

It is, unless he's had
a personality transplant.

I don't suppose
he happened to mention Marla Bryce.

Is she missing, too?

Since Friday.
Well, that figures.

Jack has always
had his eye on her.

Two hundred a month rent

he charges her for that
place of hers, and it's worth twice that.

I guess Missy Marla
made up the difference in services rendered.

Kevin, do you know
who that woman in the Sheriff's office was?

Oh, sure. Mrs. Franzen.
Her husband owns the house we live in.

He's always hanging around.
You see, we're a couple of months behind in the rent.

Oh, so he used
to come over quite often

and talk to your
mother about it?

I guess so.
I think he really bugged her, though.

Well, what makes you
say that?

Well, one day,
after he left,

Mom said that he was gonna
get what was coming to him, one way or another,

and that we were gonna
get out of that place.

(BUS HORN BLOWING)

Hey, there's the 4:15.

Maybe she'll be
on the late bus tonight.

Yeah, but if she is
and I'm not at home, she's gonna be worried.

Yes, you're right.

You know,
I've got a spare bike in my basement.

Why don't we ride out
to your place, leave her a note,

and pick up some
of your things, too? Okay?

Okay.

Kevin, are you sure
about this shortcut?

Oh, yeah. I don't use it a lot
'cause I can't ride my bike through here,

but it comes out
right near my house.

Mrs. Fletcher, look!

No, Kevin.

Kevin, I don't think
you should go any closer!

But maybe somebody's hurt.
Kevin, wait!

KEVIN:
That's Mr. Franzen's car!

Mrs. Fletcher...

Oh, my lord, it's Jack.

KEVIN: You think
they'll be much longer?

Oh, probably not.

I used to think
it'd be cool to find a dead body.

Well, it isn't.
You can say that again.

METZGER: Well, that's about
all we can do today.

Probably take a couple
of tow trucks to get that car out in one piece.

I don't wanna
damage the evidence.

Sheriff, do you
have any idea how the accident happened?

Oh, it was no accident,
Jess, not unless

Jack had learned
how to drive a car completely turned around.

The back of his
skull was caved in,

probably by
the proverbial blunt object.

I'd say a two-by-four
could have done it.

Seth, can you pinpoint
the time of death?

Oh, he's been there
quite a while. Three, maybe four days.

Four days would
make it last Friday.

That's the last time
his wife saw him and when...

I think
I'll take a look around before it gets too dark.

Kevin, why don't you
give me a hand

putting those bikes
in the back of my car? Then I'll drive you two home.

What have you found?

Some pieces of red plastic.

Looks like they
could have come from a taillight cover.

Yes. Jack's Mercedes?

Could be. I'm gonna
bag the pieces just in case.

Sheriff, look.

METZGER:
That's a pretty fresh scar.

Sheriff, I think we
found Marla Bryce.

One of the hospitals
in Portland's got a Jane Doe, fits her description.

NURSE: Like we told you
on the phone, Sheriff, she was a mugging victim.

Paramedics brought
her in late Friday night.

She had a mild concussion
and was suffering from post-traumatic amnesia.

But she's fully
recovered now?

Well, for the most part.

But she still may be
a bit confused about details.

I'll be down the hall
if you need anything.

Thank you.

Kevin!
Mom!

Oh, thank God
you're all right.

Hello, Mrs. Fletcher,
Sheriff.

Marla, it's such
a relief to see you.

Mom, what happened?

Well, I came to Portland
for a job interview,

but I didn't wanna
tell you, honey,

'cause I didn't wanna
get your hopes up.

Oh, Kevin was so worried.
We all were.

Ma'am, do you remember
how you got here?

Yes, I took the 3:00 bus
from Cabot Cove

and I went to the interview,

and then I got lost
on my way back to the bus station.

And is that when
you were mugged?

Yes. I asked a man
for directions,

and he grabbed my purse
and then he knocked me down,

and then everything's a blank
until I realized I was in a hospital.

Did you happen to see
Jack Franzen on Friday?

Jack?

Well, yes,
I'm sure I did. Why?

His body was found
in the woods near your house this afternoon.

Seems to be a homicide.

Oh, Jack... Jack's dead?

I spoke to your doctor,
and he tells me

you're well enough
to be released tonight.

I'm sorry, ma'am,
but I'm gonna

have to take you back
to Cabot Cove for questioning.

Oh.

Sheriff, the idea
that Marla killed Jack

just because he annoyed her
is simply ludicrous!

It gets worse.

We found this
in the woods near Franzen's car.

It's got traces
of blood on it that match his.

It's got to be
the murder weapon. And check this.

The name of Bryce is carved
right here in the handle.

Oh, Lord.

Now, here's how it
went down, Mrs. F.

Jack was coming after her,
so she let him have it with the shovel.

When she realized
what she'd done, she hopped the next bus to Portland.

Probably meant
to go on to New York or somewhere.

And abandon Kevin?
Oh, no.

So she planned
to send for him.

It was her bad luck
she got mugged while she was on the lam.

"On the lam"?
Sheriff, aren't you getting just a little carried away?

Hey, Mrs. F., you wanna
prove me wrong, be my guest.

I don't like keeping
Mrs. Bryce locked up any more than you do.

METZGER: Want some coffee?

(TWITTERING)

Kevin, is there anything
I can do for you?

Yeah. You can get my
mother out of jail.

Believe me, there's
nothing I'd like more,

but right now it's...
It's just not possible.

It's just like my mom said.

You can't trust the cops
or the welfare workers or anybody.

All they do is
mess up your life.

(DOORBELL RINGS)

That must be the friend
I was telling you about.

Come on in.
Hello, Mrs. Fletcher.

Thanks for coming
at such short notice.

Short notice
is my specialty.

You must be Kevin. Hi.
Hi.

Kevin, this is Lee McAdam.
I used to teach her in high school.

Now she works for the county.

County? You mean
like a social worker?

Something like that.

Kevin, I told Lee about
the foster home in Chicago.

Yeah, sounds like you got
a pretty raw deal.

Yeah.

Well, you know, Kevin,
it happens sometimes, especially in big cities.

There's too many cases,
too few workers,

too few people
willing to pitch in and help out.

And you're right.
Sometimes kids do fall through the cracks.

I mean,
nobody wants it to happen,

but, I mean,
there isn't always enough time and money

to give each child
the attention that they deserve.

From what Mrs. Fletcher's
told me,

you're having
a pretty rough time of it right now.

Would it help
if you were placed in foster care?

No way!

Not even here?

Here? With Mrs. Fletcher?

Why not? As long as we
have your mother's consent,

and a responsible adult
is willing to accept temporary custody.

You are responsible,
aren't you, Mrs. Fletcher?

I try.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

Mind if I come in?
Okay.

You know, this is
the first time that I have

volunteered for something
quite like this

and, well, I wanted to
make sure that you have everything that you need.

I'm okay.

Kevin, is there anything,

anything at all
that you can remember about Friday

that might help your mother?

No. I went to school,
I worked in your yard and then I went home.

Uh-huh. What about your bike?
Now, I saw that at your house.

You said that
you banged it up.

Hey, that's right.
Some guy ran me off the road.

It wrecked up my bike
pretty good.

Was that near your house?

I guess. It was coming
from that direction.

And did you get a look at it?

No, it was too dark.

But it only had one taillight.

Kevin, are you sure?

You know, Sheriff Metzger
found some pieces of red plastic in your front yard.

They might have
come from a taillight cover.

Mrs. Fletcher, do you think
that it's possible

that they came
from the car I saw,

and that that car was at
my house and that maybe the killer was in it?

It's possible.

So all we have to
do is find the car,

and the Sheriff will
have to let my mom go.

Whoa! Now slow down.
We're not even sure that there's a connection.

Besides, I think we should
let Sheriff Metzger handle the investigation.

But Mrs. Fletcher,
what if it is the car and he doesn't find it?

What's gonna
happen with my mom?

Your mom is
gonna be all right.

I'm quite sure of it.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
JESSICA: Kevin? Are you up?

How do blueberry pancakes
sound for breakfast?

Kevin?

Come on, Seth.

Will you slow down, woman?

The boy can't have
gotten very far. This isn't Boston, you know.

Yeah,
but he's my responsibility.

I mean, if anything
has happened to him...

Oh, Danny.

Oh, good morning,
Mrs. Fletcher. Doc. Yeah.

Danny, have you seen
Kevin Bryce this morning?

You know,
as a matter of fact, I saw him on Third Street

a couple of minutes ago.
He was checking out all the parked cars.

Thank goodness.
What did I tell you?

Thanks, Danny.
Okay.

For pity's sake, woman,
you know where he is now. Put it in low gear.

Kevin?

Oh, hi, Mrs. Fletcher.

Oh, you scared
the heart out of me.

Oh, I'm sorry.
I just thought I ought to help out the Sheriff.

Hard to quarrel with that,
wouldn't you say, Jess?

Well, I don't know about you,
young fellow, but I'm getting mighty hungry.

Me, too.

Well, come on, then.
Pancakes for everyone at my house?

All right.

Have you any more
of that delicious blueberry syrup?

Hey, there's my mom's boss.

Owen Brownwell
and the widow Franzen.

What do you make of that?

Jess!

Did Kevin get to
school on time? Yeah.

Though no sooner
did he get out of the car

than young Ritchie Mills
started to tease him

about having a jailbird
for a mother.

Ritchie Mills. Yes,
I might have guessed.

Ritchie stopped that
pretty quick when I reminded him

he was due for a
tetanus booster next week.

You know what gets me, Seth?

That all this could happen
here in our little town

where everybody
seems to know everybody else's business.

I mean, Marla has
been in desperate trouble for months.

Why is it that
none of us could see it?

Most people lead
busy lives, Jess. Even here in Cabot Cove.

Yeah, and what bothers me
is that right here in Cabot Cove,

what's happened
to the communal spirit?

I mean, neighbor
helping neighbor.

If you mean the good
old days, I'm afraid you're talking ancient history, Jess.

Well, if I am,
there's something very wrong.

Will you give me a ride
down to the Sheriff's office?

Sure.

Find something in the paper?

No, but I'm hoping
that Marla will.

This is last Friday's
Portland Tribune. Yeah.

I wanna try
and jog her memory. Mmm.

Here it is, Mrs. Fletcher!

This is where
I went for the job interview. Warren Industries.

They were looking
for a finished goods inspector.

Are you sure?
I am positive.

I remember now.
I had this ad circled in red pencil.

Good. I'll get Sheriff Metzger
to call the personnel manager.

That'll be one step closer
to getting you out of here.

Mrs. Fletcher,
I'm so scared.

Of course you are.
I would be, too.

Well, there's something
I think you should know.

I've been
in trouble before.

Broke back in Chicago,

we snuck out of an apartment
in the middle of the night

because I couldn't
pay the rent.

Yes, I know. Kevin told me.

I've lost my boy once before,
Mrs. Fletcher.

I'm so scared of it
happening again.

You won't, because you
didn't kill Jack Franzen.

No, I didn't.

And this might not
be fair because I have nothing to back it up,

but I can think of someone
who might've killed Jack.

Who?

(SIGHING) Owen Brownwell.

Jack owned
the shoe factory building

and on Friday
he raised Owen's rent for the second time in a year.

Well, Owen was furious.
He has a terrible temper.

Sometimes he blows up
over the slightest thing.

You know, I suddenly have
an uncontrollable urge for a pair of moccasins

direct from factory to you.

Hello again, Danny.

Hi, Mrs. Fletcher.

You find Kevin okay?

Oh, yes, thanks.

How's Marla holding up?

Well,
as well as can be expected under the circumstances.

If she needs anything, money,

I haven't got much,
but she's welcome to it.

Well, I'm sure she'll
appreciate the offer.

Oh, by the way,
I understand that Jack's funeral's on Friday.

Yeah?

Well, I wouldn't look
for much of a crowd.

That's odd. I remember you
and Jack in high school.

You were always
the best of friends.

Yeah,
I know it looked like that,

but Jack always liked having
guys like me around him

telling him how great he was.

Kids do dumb things like that.

Excuse me, I got to get
these shoes to the shipper.

Oh, yes. Of course.

Hello, Patsy.

Hiya, Mrs. Fletcher.

What can I do
for you today?

I need a pair
of mocs for a gift.

You know, the ones
with the beading across the toes,

a size seven.
Oh, the Lady Moc.

You know, that's our
most popular style.

Well, great.

Oh, I see that Owen
has a guest.

Guest? Hell, she's getting
to be like part of the family.

That's the third time
today she's come by.

I'll be right back
with your shoes.

Thanks.

GLORIA:
I think this is mandatory. Mmm-hmm.

Yeah, we can do that.
See here? Yeah, that's all good.

Now what about this corner?
Excuse me,

am I interrupting anything?

Just a little
business discussion.

Listen to this, Jessica.

Gloria's figured out
a way for me to buy this building outright,

and then we're
going into a mail-order catalog business together.

Really?

Gloria,
I had no idea you were interested in business.

I never got involved
because Jack

didn't wanna share
any of the glory.

In fact,
about all we did share was a name and an address.

"Owen Shoes Direct to You."

Oh! I tell you,
this is the best thing that ever happened to me.

Yes, it's
just one of those little quirks in life, isn't it?

I mean, so much good
coming out of such a misfortune.

Isn't it wonderful?

Oh, I've got to go.

Owen, shall I pick you up
around sixish?

No, not tonight, Gloria.
I've already got a ride.

Well, take care.
Bye-bye, Jessica.

Bye.

Car trouble?
(CHUCKLING) Oh, the worst kind.

My old clunker
finally gave up the ghost. I had to junk it.

Fellow in Rockport
gave me $50 for it for the parts.

Not much else
you could do with it.

Oh, and when did
you do that, Owen?

Saturday morning.
First thing.

Got a new car coming
this week. It should be here by this weekend.

Why do you ask, Jessica?

You're not thinking
of taking up driving, are you?

Oh, my, no.
I have enough trouble keeping my bicycle in shape.

Well,
I must pick up my shoes.

Goodbye, Owen,
and good luck with your new car.

Hello, Sheriff.

Any news?
Yes, ma'am.

None of it good,
I'm sorry to say.

I called that company
in Portland Mrs. Bryce said she had the appointment with.

They never heard of her.

And she was there
shortly before five and she stayed for 20 minutes?

Thank you, Mr. Ashland.
You have been very helpful.

Okay, Mrs. F., I give up.
How come when I called

nobody ever heard
of Marla Bryce, and when you call, they did?

Because you spoke to
Mr. Ashland's secretary,

who did not come
into the office on Friday.

He spoke personally to Marla,

but he forgot to write
the appointment down on his calendar.

Okay, okay.
So she had a reason to go to Portland,

but that still doesn't
put her in the clear.

She could have killed Franzen
before she left.

And there's a little matter
of the murder weapon,

which she admits
belongs to her.

Yes, but Kevin told me
he left it out in the front yard.

Anyone could have
walked up and taken it.

And what about these,
Sheriff?

I mean, could these have
come from Jack's car?

No, no,
both of his taillights were intact.

I'm trying to pinpoint
what make and model

might take this type
of cover, but it's gonna take a little while.

If they came from
a 12-year-old station wagon,

you better talk
to Owen Brownwell.

Oh, yeah? Why is that?

Yes, ma'am,
please stay on the line.

Ma'am? Don't hang up.
Hello? Hello?

What's the problem, Floyd?

Anonymous caller, Sheriff.
A woman.

Said she saw Jack Franzen
leave Patsy Dumont's house about 3:30 Friday afternoon.

Anonymous, huh?
That's one thing about Cabot Cove.

There's no shortage
of people willing to stick their noses

into other
people's business.

Maybe so, but if it's true,

that means there isn't
any way that Marla

could have been involved
in Jack's death.

Yeah.

I could use
the fresh air anyway.

PATSY: Jack? Here?

Whatever gave you
a crazy idea like that?

A witness.
A woman who said she saw Jack Franzen

leave your place
at about 3:30 last Friday.

Mrs. Vibber. Thanks a lot!

I'll do you a favor someday,
you old bat.

Look, Miss Dumont,

Marla Bryce caught
the 3:00 bus to Portland.

If Jack Franzen was here,
alive, at 3:30,

that gives her
a concrete alibi and I can let her go.

I wasn't trying
to hurt Marla.

I just didn't
think it was anybody's business what I did.

So Franzen was here.

I snuck out of work
about 2:00.

Owen was so riled up
he didn't even notice I was gone.

Jack came by about 2:30.

He left at 3:30,
just like you said.

What are you doing?

Thanks for your cooperation,
Miss Dumont. You've been most helpful.

Yeah, that's me.
Heart of gold.

That's wonderful, Sheriff.
Well, I'll tell Kevin as soon as he arrives.

Well, thanks for calling.

Marla has an alibi
for the time of Jack Franzen's death.

He's getting
ready to release her.

I'd say that was
about time.

Seth! Now I baked those
for Kevin.

Besides, what's happened
to your diet?

Not only is the flesh weak,
but so is the spirit,

especially when it
comes to chocolate.

Well, all right,
maybe just one.

Thank you.

And to show you
my appreciation and gratitude,

I'm going to freshen up
your coffee.

Oh.
What is it?

Well, it looks as if you've
only got half a pot of cold coffee left, Jess.

The little red light is out.

Feel the side
of the coffee pot, but very carefully.

(EXCLAIMS)

Wrong again, Doctor Hazlitt.
It's hot.

Yeah, well, the light broke
nearly a month ago.

Did you know
that nearly every part of a coffeemaker is replaceable?

But if you want a new light,
you have to buy a whole new machine.

Oh, that's modern
technology for you.

Give me
an old-fashioned percolator and a gas flame anytime.

Seth, that's it!

We've been going
about this all wrong.

That's what I'm
trying to tell you, woman.

The coffee
you get from an old-fashioned percolator,

you can stand a spoon in.

Not the coffee,
the red light.

Sheriff? Jessica Fletcher.

Something's just
occurred to me.

In our area, there can't
be more than, say,

four or five stores
that sell auto parts.

I think you ought to
start checking them out.

What you doing, Kevin?

Oh. Hi, Danny.

I just came to pick up
my mom's paycheck.

You won't find it
in the back of my truck. What are you looking for?

Nothing.

Why are you
nosing around here?

I'm not, honest.

Look, I got to go, okay?

Hold it. Kevin!
Kevin, come here!

Kevin, wait!

Let go of me!

Take it easy, kid!
I'm not gonna hurt you.

You're the reason
my mother's in jail.

You killed Mr. Franzen!

I didn't mean to,
I swear to God!

Will you cut it out!

Now listen to me, kid.
I didn't start it. He did.

Danny!

I wasn't trying to hurt him.

He killed
Mr. Franzen, Sheriff.

He has a new
taillight on his pickup.

I know, son. We know.

You all right?
Yeah.

It wasn't
something I planned. It just happened.

Oh, God.

The past few days
I've been so scared, looking over my shoulder,

waiting for somebody
to figure it out.

Why don't you just
start at the beginning, Danny?

I like Marla.
She's a great lady.

And I hated the way
Jack was always trying to strong-arm her.

At the factory last Friday,
I heard him tell her

he was gonna come over
to the house

to work something out
for the back rent.

I figured if
I gave her the rent money,

maybe she'd begin
to look at me differently,

not just some dumb
delivery guy.

So I told Owen
I had an errand to run and I went to her house.

She wasn't there.

I was getting ready to leave,
and Jack pulled up, looking for Marla.

When he found out
she wasn't there, he got really mad.

He thought she was trying
to skip out on the rent.

So he took it out on me,

just like he always did
even in high school.

Jack loved to rub it in

about how we both
came from the same place, but he'd made it big

and I was still just a nobody.

Well, this time,
I tried to stick up for myself.

I wasn't gonna take it.

He hit me and he
knocked me into the dirt.

And then he laughed at me.

The way he'd been
laughing at me my whole life.

Something in me snapped.

I saw the shovel laying there.
I picked it up and I swung.

When I realized
what I'd done,

I knew I had to
get rid of his body,

so I drove his Mercedes
into the woods

and I threw the shovel
as far as I could.

Then I pushed
the car into the gully.

I figured somebody
would think it was an accident.

And I ran back to the house,
I got in my truck,

but I was in such a hurry
to get out of there

that I backed into
the firewood in the front yard

and I broke my taillight.

I found as many pieces
as I could in the dark,

and then I just
beat it out of there.

That's when you
nearly ran me down.

Yeah.

Next day, I drove
over to Rockport

and I bought a new
taillight cover.

Yeah, we know.

We've got a copy
of the receipt.

Lock him up, Floyd.

SETH: Poor fellow
just went crazy, is all.

Diminished capacity.

Of course, I'm no lawyer,
but what I think is...

Oh, Seth, we all know
what you think,

you've been
telling us all evening.

Kevin,
there's just one piece of chocolate cake left.

It would be an awful shame
to have it go to waste.

Well, I...

If you're not hungry, son,
it won't go to waste, I promise you that.

Well, actually, Jessica,
we have to get going.

Kevin has school
in the morning, and I've got to be at work early.

That old slave driver
still at it, huh?

No, Doctor Hazlitt.
Owen has promoted me

to day foreman
with a nice raise in pay.

Oh, Marla,
that is wonderful news.

Yes, and between that

and what Kevin's
gonna pick up working for the Sheriff...

(STUTTERING)
What's that?

Washing the squad cars
and doing some of the landscaping.

Now, hold on there.

I had it in mind to
hire the young man myself.

I've got that fence
needs painting.

Oh, now, Seth.

Kevin's a healthy young man.

He's gonna be
able to handle all of our odd jobs

in his spare time,
aren't you, Kevin?

Oh, sure thing,
Mrs. Fletcher.

Of course, I get him first.

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