Original subtitles

Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.

Get out!

Try your extortion tactics on this one,

and Ben Forman is history around here.

Murdered in his bathtub by electrocution, no less.

My God, that was brilliant.

I’m gonna spend as much as it takes to bury you.

Consider yourself fortunate, Hans.

He’s being uncharacteristically gentle.

I was home alone at the time of the murder.

I hope that’s true.

Listen, wuss, if I wanna hear anything from you, I’ll ask, all right?

What I’d like to do is put a contract out on Forman.

And then, you reread Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

What are you, stupid?

The worst thing that’ll happen is he’ll have us taken out and shot.

Carter, you see the numbers your way, I see the numbers my way.

I know, but, look, Kane’s offer is not gonna stay on the table forever.

And it’s an insult.

We are not gonna be new kids on the block much longer.

- Advertising dollars are up, circulation-- - Inching.

Dean, the bankers, their smoke detectors are whistling a big N-O.

Yes?

Gary Mannion on line one.

Oh, how did I get so lucky?

Look, Carter, you’re the one who thought it would be neat

- to get into magazine publishing, right? - Yeah.

Did I or did I not warn you of all the realities

long before you ever wrote out a check?

- Yeah. - Right.

So if the bankers are not gonna write us a new loan,

you’ve got to dip into that trust fund again, okay?

Come on, I got a lot of work to do.

What, Mannion?

Upon my soul, the man’s warmth

is exceeded only by his eagerness to hear my voice.

Please, get to the point.

Calling to find out how Ben Forman did with the JB Fletcher piece.

- How conscientious. He didn’t. - Say what?

What I’m saying is,

if he screws up again, I will never hire him again.

And I’ll probably never hire one of your writers again.

I’ll talk to him.

Please do, because I’d rather not.

Truth is, if that young neurotic wasn’t such a good writer,

and wasn’t represented by the biggest pain in the neck

in town, he couldn’t get arrested.

One more word and I’ll pull him off the story.

Just remind him our deadline is Friday, 3:00 p.m. and I’m holding you responsible.

Thank you... Agents.

No, no, no, no, no.

We have to do something with her hair.

- We’ll have to reshoot. - Then reshoot.

And I hate this headline.

I want something sexier, something that reaches out, pulls you in.

Okay, but the Goldberg story--

Ellen, it’ll have to wait. I’m late.

Mr. Forman, is there something I can help you with?

I had these notes from my research.

- A list of questions. - Oh, of course.

Oh, wait. Here.

Is this what you’re looking for?

Yes, yes. Thank you.

So, you were saying...

Oh, yeah. What was it?

Oh, yes, that puzzles and books,

I think, are what really led me to--

Excuse me, Mrs. Fletcher.

This thing doesn’t seem to be recording.

Could it be the batteries?

Yes, that must be it.

I have a fresh set right here. It’ll only take a minute.

Oh! Hold everything. I’ll be right back.

Oh, God, I don’t believe this.

I think we’ll have to make this--

I’ll just take it longhand.

Uh, now, my next question is,

how long does it take you

from the time that you get an idea to the finished novel?

Ben, I’m afraid I’m gonna have to leave for my meeting.

Oh, right.

How’s your time tomorrow?

Crowded. I have meetings all day, all over town.

Well, maybe I could tag along with you.

Well, if you like. I suppose so, sure.

That’d be great.

I get some of my best profiles that way, on the run.

A lot of energy.

My father insisted that I never had anything to prove.

If he insisted, he certainly did it when I was out of earshot.

Perhaps you weren’t listening.

Don’t waste your breath, Jessica.

It’s a lost cause.

Okay, okay, okay.

Anyway, I’m very grateful you’re allowing us to do this profile.

Well, I wish I was as convinced as you are

that your readers are gonna find it that interesting.

Anyway, Ben Forman, no problem.

In fact...

I find him a delight.

I have to run, darling. Three photo shoots and a looping session.

Dean, stop.

I’m flavor of the month.

- Bye, Jessica. - Have a good day, Kathryn.

She’s a lovely young woman, Dean.

Jessica, I’m much more interested in what you’re not saying.

Mr. Richards.

Ah, and Mrs. Fletcher.

It’s been a long time.

Yes, it has, Mr. Kane.

Well, I trust that Carter managed to convey

the extremely temporary nature of my offer.

Mr. Kane, you’re more than welcome to withdraw your offer

any time you'd like.

You’re making a serious mistake.

Look, Kane, even if the money wasn’t a joke,

even if I was on the brink of financial obscurity,

I would never let Follies fall into your hands.

Well, allow me to sweeten the pot for you.

If you don’t agree to sell me the magazine in 48 hours,

under my current terms, you have my promise.

I’ll put you out of business before the end of the year.

Have a nice lunch.

The most disgusting thing

is that he just may have the financial wherewithal to do it.

I take it your experience with him wasn’t such a pleasant one.

Last year, without my permission,

he shopped one of my books to all the studios and networks.

Let me guess. And you didn’t have an option for the movie rights.

So by the time a legitimate producer wanted it,

it was regarded as damaged goods.

Oh, Mr. Kane.

Such a fine gentleman.

Very well then.

You have my permission to leave any time you’re ready.

Oh, uh...

"Fine. Then I’ll just throw my things in a bag

and I’ll be out of here in an hour."

Fifteen minutes would be better.

Preferable. "Fifteen minutes would be preferable."

Oh, God!

I really hope I get this one.

- Great, because you’re perfect for this. - Thanks.

I bet if I had a killer agent like you do,

I’d be a big star by now.

Well, at least a working actress.

I mean, not that you aren’t a really good writer or...

It’s okay. I know what you mean, Abby.

I really wish that he wouldn’t smoke these things.

Oh, you know, it’s funny

that you should say that, because when he was here last night,

I was thinking of saying something to him about it.

Ben, do you suppose...

I mean, would he consider ever

branching out from just handling writers

and maybe take on someone, you know, like me?

It won’t hurt to ask. The worst thing that’ll happen

is he’ll have us taken out and shot.

Geez, Abby, what the hell are you doing?

I’ve been calling your place for, like, an hour.

I’m sorry. We were just reading lines.

How did your audition go?

- It went great-- - Hi, Doris, listen, is Gary there? Uh shh!

Hi, Gary, it’s Ben. Ben Forman.

Listen, I was wondering if you’d be able to take the time

to meet with Abby Peters.

She’s that actress I’ve been telling you about.

She’s really terrific. I really think that you...

You will? That’s great! That’s really great.

Yes, I will have the Fletcher piece done by tomorrow.

All right, Gary. Thank you.

He said you should call him this afternoon

and he’ll set up an appointment.

Oh, Ben, that is so hot!

Hey, come on, you’re gonna be late for your audition.

I just hope you know your lines for a change.

She’s been working really hard.

Listen, wuss, if I wanna hear anything from you, I’ll ask, all right?

Dave, just leave him alone.

C'mon, let’s go, Abby.

Good... good luck.

Bye, Ben.

Yes.

How are you, Mr. Kane?

Wonderful.

Listen, but not as wonderful as that screenplay of yours.

You’re kidding?

No. I think we can get Squeegee made.

Oh, wow, Mr. Kane.

Harrison. Please, please.

Can I talk to you as a friend here, Ben?

Uh, sure.

Good, ’cause I have a favor to ask you.

I wonder if you’d have a word with

that SOB agent of yours

and maybe slip him some reasonable pills.

Uh, Mr. Kane, you’re putting me in a very awkward position.

Okay, suit yourself.

I just wanted to hear from your own lips that you were gonna take a hike

if I didn’t come up with $100,000 for the option.

Wow, he’s asking for that much.

Oh, demanding.

Issuing ultimatums.

Well, I’ll see what I can do.

Listen, Mr...

- Harrison, I got a favor to ask. - I’m listening.

The role of Paula, there’s this actress I know,

she’s really terrific. Her name is Abby Peters.

Yeah, look, have her give me a call.

You really don’t care whether you get this role or not, do you?

Not really, no.

Is there anything that you really care about?

I mean, passionately, deeply?

Well, I have this cat.

She looks into my soul and I into hers.

I care about her.

How long ago did you start writing mysteries?

Fourteen years ago, as a matter of fact.

Of course, that was back when I was still teaching high school English.

You see, I read about this murder in Bar Harbor,

and I, uh... oh, dear, Ben.

I’ve got ten minutes to get to my publisher’s.

I have everything I need. I love working this way. Here’s a cab.

This has really been absolutely terrific, Jessica.

Well, it’s been great fun for me, too.

I just hope that it measures up to your expectations.

Oh, gosh, sorry!

It’s all right. Listen, don’t forget. I want to see the copy

before you send it in to Follies.

- Absolutely. Yes. Thank you. - Thank you.

Oh, and Ben,

at the risk of raining on your parade,

a word of advice about Harrison Kane.

I suggest that you keep a very close eye on your script

and on your wallet,

and that your agent does the same.

I don’t know where the hell you would hear that, Mannion,

but it’s a lie. I would never shop a property

I don’t own the rights to.

That’s not what I heard, pal.

A cashier’s check for the option dollars,

100,000 of them, on my desk by noon tomorrow.

Mannion...

And if you try to sell that script without a deal,

both Ben Forman and I will sue you for every cent

you’re ever gonna be worth.

- Look, I-- - Another thing, Kane.

About this young actress, Abby Peters.

You pull any of your famous scope-and-grope on the lady

and we’re gonna rewrite the definition of trouble.

Harrison, I’m asking you as a friend,

please don’t pull your offer.

What is this, good cop, bad cop?

I warned you not to play games with me.

I told you, that’s not how I operate.

Just give me another day or two, and I promise you,

I’m certain I can turn Dean around.

Well, you’re too late, Carter.

You can keep your magazine.

I’m already on to Plan B.

I’m gonna spend as much as it takes to bury you

and Follies and your terminally short-sighted partner.

Now get out.

And you can give him a message for me.

Tell him not to mess with Harrison Kane.

Energy, come on, Kathryn, give it some life, for God’s sake!

I’m trying.

The hell you are. The whole day, you haven’t been with me.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hans, cut her some slack.

She’s gotten what she deserves.

And you haven’t been any help.

She’s had zero concentration.

- You know, Hans, I think you’re-- - Dean, stay out of it.

Okay, why don’t we just call it quits?

- All right? That’s a wrap. - That's a wrap!

Why don’t you and I go dive into a nice, cold drink, hmm?

All right, everybody, makeup at 9:00 a.m. sharp.

And Dean, do me a favor. Stay at the office.

Hans, do me a favor. The Malibu pictures, I’d like ’em.

Couple of days, end of the week at the latest.

No, no, no, no. Ten o'clock, my desk, tomorrow.

I hope they’re a hell of a lot better than that crap you gave us last month.

You’re joking.

You’re not joking, huh?

That was some of my finest work.

Consider yourself fortunate, Hans.

He’s being uncharacteristically gentle.

I heard from a very reliable source

that Harrison Kane’s finances are in the dumper.

We’re talking a complete meltdown.

I can’t say I’m surprised.

He always struck me as a phony.

That’s because you’re much more perceptive than most people.

While Follies is hardly out of the woods,

at least we won’t have Harrison Kane kicking us around anymore.

Good night, darling.

It’ll go better tomorrow, I promise.

Listen, I’m sorry I had to move our appointment

to such a late hour, Miss Peters.

But it’s just been one of those days, you know.

Business meetings and phone calls.

Oh, Mr. Kane, really, this has been such a day for me.

First, Mr. Mannion agrees to represent me and then, he gets you to meet with me.

Well, I’m the one who’s impressed.

For the role of Paula?

Of course.

Nobody’s got a lock on that yet.

But I’m also impressed with that very appealing

special quality that you have.

You’ve got that fire in the belly, you know.

That hot, hot thing that actresses need to have.

And you’ve got it. You got the fire.

Unfortunately, you also have that lowlife Gary Mannion representing you.

Not that that has to be a deal breaker.

It’s just, uh... Let’s not talk about it.

Let’s not let that spoil our night.

I’ve got room service, dinner for two, candlelight.

Mr. Kane.

Well, I am very disappointed.

For God’s sake,

what do you think this is, the ’50s?

No, but you must. I may be awfully naive,

but I thought this sort of thing went out of style about then.

You stupid...

Evening, sir.

No!

West Ninth Street. 427.

Abby!

Room service.

Mr. Kane?

Mr. Kane?

Mr. Kane?

Mr. Kane?

Are you...

Oh, my God!

Yep, room service waiter found him.

Murdered in his bathtub, by electrocution, no less.

- Hair dryer, probably. - Oh, how dreadful.

I thought there were safeguards against that sort of thing.

The power was supposed to shut down automatically.

The hotel is in violation of the electrical code.

Anyhow, since Dean Richards claims

that the last time he saw Harrison Kane alive

was a couple of days ago when you were having lunch with him,

I’d appreciate a statement.

Well, of course.

Plus, your name, address and phone number turned up in Kane’s book

and Richards says even you weren’t that fond of this guy.

Yes, we had less than positive business dealings.

Look, Jessica, I know that this is not the best time for this,

but could we do this a little quickly?

Doris made reservations at a resort in the Catskills.

I’m supposed to pick her up in a few hours.

- That sounds lovely. - Yeah, well...

She really is looking forward to it.

We’re meeting another couple up there.

Her best friend from college.

Thing is, her husband is about as interesting as a TV test pattern.

Listen, Lieutenant Gelber, excuse me.

Jessica, I think I better go home and plug these changes in,

so that I can get the new pages over to Follies.

Hold it.

Mr. Forman.

I now remember where I saw your name.

Yeah, here it is.

Right in Harrison Kane’s little black book.

Why don’t you just hang out for a few minutes

while I get a statement from you, too?

Yeah, sure.

Are there any suspects, Artie?

Outside of maybe half the people in Los Angeles and Manhattan,

this guy has been accused of everything

from sexual harassment to bunco to grand theft.

Apparently,

Mr. Kane had a visitor last night.

Someone with a taste for expensive cigars and straight bourbon.

We haven’t ID’d him as yet.

We’ll run it in three or four pieces.

Sounds moderately interesting.

Moderately interesting? Mannion, please. This is a major assignment.

This kid will get so much material, he’ll get a book out of it.

It’s gonna be one of these long pieces like in The New Yorker.

Just don’t expect to buy in

for the kind of mini bucks you’ve been paying.

Whoa, whoa, hey, pal.

Try your extortion tactics on this one, and Ben Forman is history around here.

And that’s assuming he doesn’t blow his deadline

on the Jessica Fletcher piece, which is in 53 minutes.

Richards, when you’re ready to treat Ben with the respect he deserves, call me.

That pencil neck, high-handed, pretentious...

That is it. That’s the last time I deal with him or Ben Forman.

That’s what you said last month.

I heard you.

Okay, look, Carter,

I have a magazine to get out, so if you--

Dean, we might not have it much longer.

Alive, at least Kane looked like a possible source of revenue.

Now the bankers really won’t talk to us. They just want their loans repaid.

Okay, okay. Look.

I have a couple of leads on some money that’ll get us to the next payroll.

I hope that’s true.

And I hope we’re not in a lot deeper trouble

than we were yesterday at this time.

Doris, not to worry. I’ll be there by 5:00.

Then we’ll be off to the mountains with Lorraine and Ernie...

If I can get off this phone right now.

Yeah. Me too. Mu-mu.

Ernie. The man hasn’t stopped talking since the flood.

Listen, Jessica, I am so sorry to drag you up here.

But we found this manuscript in Harrison Kane’s hotel suite.

It’s got no title page, but, well,

your fingerprints are on a lot of the pages.

Artie, by any chance, does the opening sentence read,

"Danny Carvaggio opened the dead man’s wallet

and realized that he was staring at more money than he’d ever seen"?

You wrote this.

Yes, and Mr. Kane shopped it all over Hollywood

without my authorization.

Excuse me, Ms. Fletcher.

Lieutenant, to bring you up to speed on the Kane homicide,

there’s still a bunch of prints we haven’t been able to ID.

Plus, I still can’t seem to locate this Gary Mannion.

Oh, Henderson, come on.

He’s gotta have a phone, an office...

Yes, sir. Locked up tight.

His machine says he’s in Boston for a few days,

but he’ll be checking for messages.

I’ve left about five of ’em and contacted the Boston PD.

Well, good. What about his residence?

No listing for him in the five boroughs or surrounding counties.

Then check the airlines.

Okay. One other thing.

We still haven’t found the mate to Kane’s room key.

Hotel desk insists they always issue two of them

when people check in.

Well, keep looking.

Anyway...

There have been several phone calls from this Mannion

to the victim in the last couple of days.

According to Kane’s appointment book,

they were supposed to have a breakfast meeting this morning,

only Kane wasn’t quite up to it.

I just hope to hell this doesn’t interfere with the weekend.

Doris is gonna kill me.

You know, Artie, you might speak to Dean Richards.

He’s had plenty of dealings with Mannion.

Or for that matter, Ben Forman.

After all, Mannion’s his agent.

I’m sure he’d be able to help you locate him.

We’re a couple of steps ahead of you on that one, Jessica.

Ben provided this.

Guy’s licensed in California as a literary agent three years ago.

Signatory to the Writers Guild and Dramatists Guild contracts.

By the way, you wouldn’t know him, would you?

- I don’t think so, no. - Listen, Jessica,

I hope you don’t think I meant anything by that business with the manuscript.

Of course not, Artie.

You were only doing your job.

And for what it’s worth,

I was home alone at the time of the murder.

Why should you be any different than anybody else

who has a beef with Kane?

There is not an alibi in the bunch that will float

any better than the Titanic.

Honest, Carter, I haven’t come up with anything.

You’ve got the hots for him, so you’re protecting him.

- That’s not true. - Yeah, right.

Ellen, listen, I wasn’t born five minutes ago.

You said you could find out who Dean’s been talking to,

and what kind of deals he’s been making behind my back.

Now I expect information, not pangs of conscience.

Okay.

You’re right. My heart hasn’t been in it.

Yes, I was bitter about Kathryn Scofield.

But this is the end.

Even if you tell Dean, even if it costs me my job,

I’m not spying on him anymore.

So you are covering up for him.

Know something, Carter?

Maybe you oughta think about spending some of that money of yours

on a good psychiatrist.

Hello.

Have you seen Ben? I haven’t received his piece yet.

- You haven’t? - No, I haven’t.

And we were supposed to go to press over an hour ago.

But I went over the pages with Ben this morning.

It was all done except for a few minor changes.

Minor changes, major changes, I haven’t seen bupkus.

And to make matters worse, the police were here looking for him.

Dean, can’t you just kill the story and remake the pages?

It’s impossible. It’s billboarded on the cover,

which we’ve already printed.

What I’d like to do is put a contract out on Forman,

and his agent, who hasn’t got the guts

to meet me face to face. And you know what?

I’d probably get away with it, because between the two of them,

it would barely add up to killing an entire person!

Dean, I’m afraid I have to make another call.

Please let me know if you hear anything.

Yes, I will, Jessica. And you, me.

Yes. Yes, I will.

Business Office. How may I help you?

Yes, this is the office of Gary Mannion, 555-6700.

There seems to be some sort of discrepancy in our phone bill.

- Area code 212? - That’s right.

I believe that we’re being charged for a service

that we’ve never requested. Call forwarding?

We show your calls being forwarded.

Really?

Yes, to 555-7688.

- Yes, well, thank you. - You’re welcome.

- Yes, I’ll speak to Mr. Mannion about it. - Okay.

Look, I’m just not sure. That’s all.

I’ll let you know later.

What, after you find out if that wimp writer’s available?

Dave, look, I’m...

I’m just not feeling too terrific, okay?

That’s who you were out with last night, isn’t it?

God, you know, Abby,

I can’t believe that you’re buying into his whole act.

Mr. Mannion.

Mr. Mannion’s not in?

No and I just spoke with him a half hour ago.

I should’ve taken him at his word.

He said I could mail these, my pictures and credits.

- Oh. - I just didn’t wanna wait.

What is this, everybody in Manhattan wants to talk to Mannion?

I have a couple of questions I’d like to ask him, yes.

Not as many as I would. Excuse me.

- Excuse me. - Oh, by the way,

we traced those cigars we found at the murder scene.

They’re Mannion’s.

We ran his credit cards... orders them by the box.

Eight bucks per smoke, if you can believe it.

There you go, Lieutenant.

Henderson, let me ask you something.

You ever get caught flat-footed?

You know, when you weren’t prepared for a situation before it happened?

In the second grade, I think it was.

I figured. You can give me the details some other time.

Looks like Mannion’s our man.

Smells like it, too.

Okay, okay, we’ll get forensics down here ASAP,

so let’s don’t touch anything.

Ten’ll get you 75 Mannion’s prints will match

the ones that are all over the murder weapon.

And I’ll put out an APB.

Excuse me, Artie. It might be a good idea to call the airline.

- We did that. - If you don’t mind me saying so,

it might not be a bad idea to call them again.

Hold it, Jerry.

I’m not sure I’m getting your drift.

Okay, okay, I’m telling you,

I hear one more word of abuse about Ben,

one more insult,

and I’ll never let him near that crummy magazine of yours again.

Now, look here, Richards, relax.

Yes, now you listen to me, chum.

Ben Forman is one...

is the finest young writer I’ve ever seen.

Yes and as far as his being a wimp,

or dishonest, you, sir, don’t know the first thing about him.

You, sir, don’t even have enough class to crank up his computer.

It finally just added up, Ben.

I made a guess

that you forwarded Gary Mannion’s phone calls

to an unlisted number in your apartment.

And when none of the airlines showed any reservations in Mr. Mannion’s name,

Mrs. Fletcher said we should try yours.

Mid-town traffic this time of the day,

you wouldn’t have made it to the airport anyway.

Well, it worked for a while.

Yeah. Mr. Forman,

I’m placing you under arrest

for the murder of Harrison Kane.

Those first couple of years, they were really tough, Jessica, ya know?

Being shy didn’t help.

Oh, I know. The rejections.

It really helps to grow a thick layer of elephant hide.

Yeah, tell me.

The editors, if they would talk to me at all,

they would ask me if I had an agent.

I would say no and they would say,

we really don’t want to see your work unless it comes from an agent

and then, the agents would say, call me when you’ve sold something.

It made me nuts.

And then you reread Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

That’s where it came from.

I created Gary Mannion to be everything that I wasn’t.

Sophisticated, arrogant, tough.

The guy in the photo.

My Uncle Max.

Anyway, little by little,

it began to work. He...

I began to get the assignments. That was the good part.

I suspect I saw some of the bad a little while ago.

Yeah.

When people didn’t like me, or my work, or both,

Gary Mannion would have to listen to them dump all over me.

It wasn’t a lot of fun.

Anyway...

none of that matters much anymore.

Okay, I’m afraid to tell ya.

We matched your prints against the liquor glass,

- the bourbon bottle and the murder weapon. - The hair dryer?

So you may as well give us a confession.

But, Artie, what about the motive?

A beauty. Kane was peddling Mr. Forman’s screenplay--

Without owning the rights to it.

You got it, Jessica.

Besides which, we have eyewitnesses

that place Ben at Kane’s door around the time of the murder.

Ben, for what it’s worth,

I urge you not to talk to anybody

until you’ve spoken to your attorney.

Thank you, Mrs. Fletcher, but there’s no point.

Lieutenant, I’m ready to sign a confession.

With that charade he pulled, that phantom agent and all,

any halfway competent lawyer should be able

to get him off on a diminished capacity plea.

Ah, Jessica, come on. He did it.

Look, Artie, I can’t believe that.

Jessica, I have to be on the thruway with Doris in an hour,

or my marriage is in the dumper, so please, don’t start in.

Listen to me, Artie. This just doesn’t make any sense.

Why would Ben plant evidence pointing to Gary Mannion

when he knows it would come right back to him?

He told us why. He’s trying to buy more time.

Then why didn’t he leave town last night?

No, I’m sorry, but that can’t be the reason.

But I think I have an idea what might be.

Doris, you had to tell me, "Don’t retire, it’ll make you meshugah."

You do look sensational today.

And, darling, why am I getting the feeling

that you’re finally coming to the point?

Because I am.

Do you remember that interim financing that I was so sure of?

Mm-hmm.

Well, it isn’t going to happen

and the bank is going to pull the plug.

How much are we talking about?

Oh, just 20,000.

Kathryn, I hate asking you.

I may not be able to pay you back for

six months, maybe a year.

Excuse me.

Hi, Miss Scofield.

Dean, I just want you to know

that we went to press five minutes ago,

with Ben Forman’s profile of JB Fletcher in place.

Oh, that’s wonderful.

And by the way, it’s awfully good.

Uh, well, I better be getting back.

Thank you, Ellen.

I’ll think about it.

The truth is, Ben is in a great deal of trouble, Miss Peters.

Look, Miss Fletcher, no offense,

but she doesn’t have time for this right now.

- What he means is-- - What I mean is,

you gotta learn this role for tonight.

- It’s only a walk-on, Mrs. Fletcher. - It’s only a walk-on,

but it could lead to something important.

Mr. Wolski, this happens to be very important.

I promise, it will only take a moment.

I just want to know if your interview last night was with Harrison Kane.

Wait, that producer that got killed?

No, Mrs. Fletcher.

Abby, are you denying it because you’re afraid

you’ll be accused of killing Mr. Kane?

I have a hunch that

Ben Forman believes that you did it.

Ben thinks that?

Would he have any reason to think that?

Perhaps self-defense?

Whoa, whoa, time out. What the hell are you talking about, Mrs. Fletcher?

I’m talking about the reason Ben seems so willing to admit

that he killed Harrison Kane

and why he planted evidence implicating Gary Mannion.

To protect Abby.

Come on, this is completely crazy.

- Like I told you before-- - Dave, stop!

- Is there somewhere that we could-- - Why don’t we sit down?

Now why would Ben try to protect me?

I could be mistaken, Abby,

but I have a feeling that Ben cares a great deal about you.

Were you in Harrison Kane’s hotel suite last night?

Carter, you scared the hell out of me.

- The pictures, Hans. - I haven’t got ’em.

Don’t jerk me around, Hans.

I want what I paid for.

And I hope to God, for once you remembered

that you weren’t paid for art,

only for shots of Kathryn Scofield

in the sack with Harrison Kane.

Now come on, give ’em to me, Hans.

It’s important that I show them to Dean

before he does something stupid, like commit to the lady.

Now come on, Hans. Face it, you’re a whore just like she is.

That’s precisely the way they made me feel,

which is why I burned them. Now get out!

The shouting, the loud noises, he was coming after you, wasn’t he?

It got kind of scary, but he was alive when I ran out of there.

Ben, Abby is telling the truth.

It couldn’t have been five minutes after you left

that I found him dead.

It was so sweet of you...

all of this...

- I had no idea that you felt this way. - Yeah, well.

Miss Fletcher picked up on it just like that.

But I guess maybe ’cause I was so caught up in

trying to make it.

Hey, Abby...

in case you haven’t noticed,

I’m not all that terrific at this myself.

Listen, I’m sorry that I lied to you

about Gary Mannion.

Ben, my God, that was brilliant.

Ben, try to describe what you remember

after you entered Mr. Kane’s suite.

That won’t be too difficult.

It’s not something I’m ever gonna forget.

Uh, Mr. Kane?

Mr. Kane?

I called out his name and there was no answer.

All I could think of

was letting him know what I thought of him for hitting on Abby.

By the time I got to the bathroom,

I was ready to tell him he couldn’t have my script either.

Then I found him. I was panicking.

All I kept thinking was Abby had killed him

and I had to cover up for her.

That’s when I decided to blame it on Gary Mannion.

So you cleaned up any evidence that Abby had been there.

Yeah. Her pictures, any fingerprints.

And I left as many of Gary...

my own as I could,

you know, like, on the hair dryer.

And on the bourbon bottle and the glass?

Yeah.

The one thing I’m not gonna miss is smokin’ those cigars of his.

I finally broke loose and shoved him away

and just ran out of the hotel and took a taxi home.

Nothing else?

That’s about all of it, Lieutenant.

I have to admit, that’s a hell of a story.

We always knew there was a mystery woman, we just never knew who she was.

Miss Peters absolutely fits the description

of several of the eyewitnesses who saw her running out of the hotel.

Jessica, I can’t tell you how happy I am

that you convinced her to come forward.

Believe me, Artie, I wasn’t all that sure it would work out.

And I figure two minutes from now,

when we fingerprint you, we’re gonna come up with

a match for the only unidentified print in the victim’s suite.

And then, we’ll be able to nail the case on Ben Forman.

- But... - You told him what Kane did,

Forman goes up there to avenge your honor and kills the guy.

And my Doris doesn’t do the same to me.

Did I tell you, Doris?

I’ll pick you up in 22 minutes.

Good. Ciao.

Gelber.

Jessica, I can’t talk to you right now.

You want me to what?

Run a financial check?

- And meet me at Abby Peters’ apartment. - Jessica.

Oh, and you can ask Abby a couple of questions before you leave.

Jessica, the case is closed. Besides which, Doris--

What we need to know for starters is

would she happen to be personally acquainted

with a photographer named Hans Dietrich.

Artie, I promise, this will not take long.

It can’t take long.

- Here. Here it is. - So?

Look at the mailing label.

So it’s addressed to the photographer.

- Jessica, I don’t get it. - Don’t you see?

Abby told you that she didn’t know this Dietrich fellow.

Right. She claims she picked this up at Harrison Kane’s hotel room.

Kane can’t tell us where he got it, obviously.

Not that it would make much of a difference. It means nothing.

No, Artie, it means that we can prove that neither Ben Forman

nor Abby Peters murdered Mr. Kane.

I’m amazed how the advance copies turned the bankers around.

Well, I’m so pleased for you, Dean.

Another 90 days to pay off our loans.

This means we are almost out of the woods.

I can’t believe that my presence in Follies

had anything to do with that.

Well, not by itself, obviously,

but, Jessica, you really do underestimate the public’s interest in you.

You represent something very special.

I hope you’re right about Ben’s innocence and the young woman’s.

I am so sorry I missed dinner.

The ad agency people couldn’t make up their minds,

so we kept shooting take after take.

Jessica, thank you for keeping him entertained.

It was my pleasure, Kathryn.

As I was saying,

Abby’s the one that I am really worried about.

I mean, the evidence is really piling up against her

and the police now feel that robbery may have been the motive.

Robbery?

Well, it’s all a little vague.

But according to my friend in homicide,

they’re planning to go over Abby’s apartment

very, very carefully tomorrow

and they expect to find some of the items

that apparently were missing from Mr. Kane’s hotel suite.

At any rate, I hope you two have a lovely time this evening.

I wish you could join us at the theater.

Oh, forget about it. She is a driven woman.

She can’t bear to be away from her computer.

If we hurry, we just may make the curtain.

Jessica, what are you doing here?

I think you know what, Kathryn.

- You murdered Harrison Kane. - That’s ridiculous.

Well, then perhaps you can explain why you’re here.

I thought that I had forgotten something last time I was here.

You’ve never been here before, Kathryn.

But you forgot something, all right.

The magazine you took from Hans Dietrich’s studio

and inadvertently left in Mr. Kane’s suite.

And later, Miss Peters borrowed the magazine from Kane

and brought it home with her.

That doesn’t mean that I murdered anyone.

Maybe not by itself,

but that magazine alone isn’t the only thing

that can prove you were in Mr. Kane’s suite.

We kind of leaned on your pal, Mr. Dietrich.

Seems he took some pretty intimate photographs of you and Mr. Kane.

Also the fact that you bought the story that I told Dean,

obviously jogged your memory about the magazine.

And you realized it could be traced to Hans Dietrich,

and then, of course, back to you.

So you came down here to retrieve it.

That should be enough to convince a jury of your guilt.

Plus, I expect when we search your belongings,

Miss Scofield, we’ll find the missing key that gave you access

to the victim’s hotel rooms.

I killed him.

Doris... Doris, 30 minutes, okay?

We’ll be up there in time for a nightcap with Lorraine and what’s-his-name.

Ernie, right. Anyway, gotta go.

Excuse the interruption. Go on, Jessica.

As I was saying, Lieutenant Gelber ran a check on your finances...

And you discovered the money I’d advanced to Harrison.

Half a million dollars, huh?

Some parts of town, those are still considered big bucks.

I was hoping it would help ensure getting his movie off the ground.

With you as the female lead?

I wanted a new life, something more challenging

than modeling the latest eye shadow or the newest lip gloss.

That got old a long time ago.

I forgot that damn magazine after Harrison and I had made love.

But then you discovered that he was insolvent,

that he was all smoke and mirrors.

Not only wouldn’t I have a new career,

I would never see my money again.

I felt used.

Betrayed and swindled.

So last night, you went up to his suite and killed him.

He was out.

I let myself in with the other key

and cleaned up anything I could think of that might have indicated I was there.

Except that you forgot the magazine.

Then when I heard him coming in with someone else, I hid in a closet.

It was that little actress.

Abby Peters.

From where I was hiding, I saw her put the magazine in her bag.

I didn’t think it would matter.

Anyway, a few minutes later, he made a clumsy pass at her

and she was out of there.

Then I heard him filling the bathtub.

Mr. Kane?

Jessica, I still don’t understand

how you knew about the magazine.

Well, when I realized that you’d worked with that photographer,

Hans Dietrich,

I recalled having seen the mailing label on the magazine

in Abby’s apartment, with his name on it.

And I asked Lieutenant Gelber

to ask her if she knew him, or where she’d got it.

She'd never heard of the guy.

But she remembered taking the magazine from Kane’s room.

We checked Kane’s appointment book.

He never met with Dietrich.

And then it became a question of how did the magazine

get into Mr. Kane’s suite.

It seemed possible that it might have been from you.

That’s when we ran a search on your bank records

and found those big withdrawals of the mutual funds

and the checks you wrote to Kane.

I was counting on a couple of things.

First, that you’d seen Abby take the magazine

and second, that you’d buy my story about the police

intending to search her apartment.

It worked.

I knew I had to retrieve it.

It had my fingerprints all over it.

I don’t regret killing Harrison Kane. Not at all.

He was a pig.

Oh, that’s wonderful, Richie.

Will you have them come right up? Thanks.

That must’ve been awfully painful for you, Dean.

I’m glad that you’re taking it so well.

Oh, please, please. It could’ve been much worse.

I could’ve married her.

Jessica, you not only caught the murderer,

but you saved me from myself

and for that, I am forever in your debt.

Good. I’ll let you know when I’m ready to collect.

Well, actually, I was hoping you would accept

partial payment by having dinner with Ellen Harper and me.

Well, how nice. Thank you.

Ah, Abby, Ben, come on in.

- Hi. - Hi, Jessica.

Hi, Dean. Look, we can only stay a minute.

We’re going on sort of a working vacation.

Sounds interesting.

He just got this terrific assignment from Follies.

Mm-hmm. And try to get it in on time for a change.

Abby’s gonna be doing this great role.

A real plum at this little theater in Connecticut.

Oh, well, I certainly hope that Gary Mannion

isn’t negotiating your deal.

We’ve severed that relationship.

Ben is my manager now.

And you should hear him on the phone, Mrs. Fletcher.

He is a regular killer.