Original subtitles

Father, are you asleep ?

Where is she ?

In her room I expect. I haven't seen her.

What time is it ?

It's 5:30. I'm on my way to pick them up.

Is it still raining ?

No Pap, it's let up for a while.

Take care, Alex !

Drive carefully.

I will. Now you go back to sleep.

Hold it ... hold it.

Let me get this out of your way.

Okay, come ahead.

Hey Alex ! Alex !

Alex Morgan, how are you ?

Ted Lindsay.

It's Dr. Lindsay now.

I'd heard you'd come back. I couldn't believe it.

It's been a long time.

Nine years ! But it's just for the holidays. Not for good.

Even so the fact you come back at all.

After what happened means this old town ...

... can breathe a little easier.

Your sisters are coming too, so they say.

Who are they, doctor ?

The town. Just town talk, Alex.

And if there's one thing the good people at Canyon ...

... like to talk about it was the Morgan Family.

Your sisters are coming aren't they ?

I am on my way to the airport to pick them up now.

It should be arriving at 6:15.

Unless the plane is held up by this weather.

That's why I'm hurrying.

It'll be a race back to Fathers before the road washes out.

Still mothering him to death, huh.

I'll tell him you said hello.

Let's go get a drink ... before we catch pneumonia.

Freddy you drank enough on the plane ...

... to last you through New Year's Eve.

Come on Chris, help me with the luggage.

No, you've been stalling too long ...

... unless you tell me exactly what this ...

... family crisis is you can drive me back ...

... to the airport.

Please Jo.

What's wrong Alex, is Father ill ?

He is dying.

Is that the only reason you made us come back ?

He is our Father.

I swore I would never set foot in that house again ...

... not even to have the pleasure of seeing his coffin closed.

If he would just die ...

... I'd say let his new wife bury him.

But I ...

... I couldn't ignore this.

What does it say ?

One line.

My wife is slowly poisoning me to death.

We may not care whether he lives or dies ...

... but we can't let that woman get away with murder ...

... again.

Put your bags down.

Now hurry up, get your coats off.

Father is very anxious to see all of you.

Here Freddy let me help you.

Alex ... let's have a drink first.

It's been nine years.

Not now.

Do we have to see him this very second ?

ah ...

... ah please.

He's so desperate.

What a night. Let's get it over with.

Jo. He stays in the study now ...

... he can't take the stairs anymore.

Come on.

We haven't met.

I know you each have your own idea about me.

I won't try to change those opinions ...

... but I do hope that while you're here ...

... we can all at least be civil to each other.

Your Father, when he used to be in the mood to talk ...

... went on at great length about each of you.

It was talk about the past, of course.

But I still feel I know you well.

But he's in there waiting.

I would have liked to have welcomed you ...

... properly when you arrived ...

... but this moment belongs to him.

He has longed for it for many years.

Too many.

Good Lord.

When I think of her ...

... sleeping in the same bed ... mother died in.

Freddy, please, don't think about that.

It can't happen. It just can't happen.

Mother was so beautiful and he killed her.

She killed herself. Father merely gave her 2001 reasons all legitimate.

That makes him responsible for her death.

Now he's asking us to save him.

He's our Father.

And he's waiting.

Shut the door !

That woman has ears that can hear sunshine.

So you came. You all came.

Christine.

You was so young when you left.

Is it graduate school that you're in now or ...

... haven't you started yet ?

No, I'm in my first year.

Jo

I stopped counting the husbands after the third.

So did I. After I found out you didn't ...

... have to marry them to sleep with them.

As I remember it you found that out ...

... in junior high school.

Frederica, poor Freddy.

Is it pills or alcohol this time or both ?

Please.

Isn't it enough that I came ?

You think so ?

After nine years my loving daughter ?

You keep taking those pills and one night ...

... you'll go like your mother did.

Well, shall we talk about what we're ...

... supposed to be here for ?

She's out there listening. If she hears one word of this ...

... your lives won't be worth a red cent.

No, she's got out.

It looks like she's heading towards the barn.

Shall I keep the door open so we can hear her ...

... just in case she tries to sneak back in ?

My fears amuse you ?

Am I amused ?

Your ol'man is imagening things is that what you ...

You always imagine somebody is out to murders at one time or another.

She is slowly poisoning me to death !

Is that such a hard thing to believe ?

She has murdered before, hasn't she ?

We didn't come all the way up here to decide ...

... whether or not she killed her first husband.

The point is, Father believes she's trying to kill him.

But you don't believe it. None of you do.

I believe it.

Yes you must.

Even you Alex, even you would never have ...

... come home if you thought I was ...

... dying of natural causes.

And your wife knows this ? She knows why we're here ?

No. She thinks you came home because I begged you to.

I told her, I needed your forgiveness.

And you needed my money.

Well, I hope she believed you.

For our sakes.

You haven't accused her, have you ? To her face.

And she called me a senile old fool and ...

... even offered to phone Sheriff Norman for me.

Maybe that's what we should ...

No !

Don't you understand Freddy ...

... the people of this town have been waiting exactly 10 years ...

... for something like this to happen.

Our Father would rather be murdered ...

... than laughed at.

The righteous don't laugh, they cluck.

I believed in her innocence.

I believed her.

Now I was wrong.

What do you want us to do ?

Save my life !

Question is, how do we save it ?

She knows you won't let us go to the police ...

... so we can't threaten her with that.

Just what exactly do you want us to do ?

Get rid of her.

How ?

Kill her !

Don't be so ridiculous !

Really Jo, couldn't you see that humour ?

The one thing I have never seen in our Father ...

... is a sense of humour.

I was going to say the humour he's in ...

... that was only his way of making a strong point.

He wasn't asking us to literally commit murder.

I'm not so sure about that.

Don't be ridiculous.

Excuse me.

Freddy ?

So I'll get her a cup of coffee.

Hello Christine.

I came to get a cup of coffee.

It's for Freddy.

Oh, let me fix it for you.

Sit by the stove.

This weather chills right through the wall.

Please.

Does Mrs. Killian still work for my Father ?

Yes.

Yes, but she's been ill.

She cooked up the basics of a Christmas Eve dinner last night.

She kind of expected she wouldn't be well enough to come in today.

But how she walks through those boards even ...

... when she's feeling her best I'll never know.

They scare me to death.

I got dinner in the oven.

But it'll be a good while before it's ready.

There's some nice cheese if you need something to hold you.

No thank you. I'll just get Freddy her coffee.

She is not ... feeling very well.

Yes.

I understand from your Father that she also takes pills.

If that's the case she shouldn't be ...

... drinking so much alcohol.

She shouldn't be drinking any at all.

It's heartbreaking. The girl is so beautiful and so young.

I overheard Alex telling your Father ...

... that Frederica has never gotten over ...

... your mother's death.

What it's done to her.

Does Frederica still blame your Father ...

... for your mother's death ?

I think so.

Yes.

Most of us can never accept the ...

... terrible fact of suicide.

But ... I suppose ...

... drinking a little too much is ...

... better than going a little too mad.

As I did.

Your coffee is ready.

Thank you.

You know ...

She knew he was carrying on with that woman.

Why ?

Why did he do it ?

Did he think she was going to give him ...

... the sons mother couldn't ?

That ...

... murderess.

Oh Chris.

Sweet girl.

You didn't know what was going on in this house.

You were just a chop.

I remember.

He'd leave mother ...

... crying in her room ...

... while he drove across town to see her.

Elizabeth Hall.

Elizabeth Hall.

Morgan now.

Mother would have left a note.

Not for him ... for us.

She loved us.

She loved us.

I haven't been loved since the day she died ...

... of a broken heart !

Didn't she ... didn't she die of a broken heart ?

Didn't she die of a broken heart ?

Yes Freddy.

Yes I guess she did.

Look ... Freddy ...

.. why don't we get dressed in something nice ...

... and come on downstairs to dinner. It's almost ready.

I'm having my dinner.

Hoh, how christmassy.

You'd really think we were home for the holidays.

Sit down.

Are we going to wait for ...

She's drunk.

I was going to say our intended victim.

Shhhh ... keep your voice down, Jo.

Good evening.

Would one of you like to say grace ?

Thank you Lord for this food that was set before us ...

... and hold us, all of us, close to thee ... Amen.

I was so hoping your Father could join us for this.

The Christmas Eve dinner is one tradition ...

... he's always found strength to uphold.

For last year ... he had a very high fever.

He was down with something ...

... Dr. Lindsay called "galloping old age".

And what does Dr. Lindsay call my Father's present condition ?

Your Father has forbidden me to call in Dr. Lindsay ...

... or any doctor.

Why ?

Some men are too proud to die of old age.

So they convince themselves it isn't happening.

Or else ...

... blame it on something else.

Or someone else ?

Father may be too proud but he's not paranoid.

All men are paranoid. That's why ...

... some of them finally do get murdered.

I mean a wife can take just so much, can't she ?

You sound like you've been married.

More than once ! But then I always had Alex ...

... to run home to when things got crazy.

So I never had to resort to murder.

Nor have I.

Heavens I ... I hope you don't think I was implying ...

I'm quite aware of the implication.

Ah, did they ever find out who did poison your husband ?

For the two of you were alone in the house that evening ...

... according to the papers that is.

Yes, the two of us were alone.

And ... wasn't it in something he drank just before going to bed ?

The hot tardy that I made for him ... just as I did every night.

Maybe he did it himself.

You are the first person that's considered that possibility.

Aside from the Grand Jury and myself, of course.

Oh well, it's all in the past.

I'd hardly ever think of it at all ...

... if it weren't for the people in this town who ...

... still enjoy treating me as if I were a cold-blooded murderess.

I still remember it though.

The long days in that cold prison cell.

The months looking for someone ...

... fearless enough to give me a job ...

... and a place to live.

It was like a nightmare that ...

... didn't seem like a nightmare until I woke up.

Screaming in an asylum.

I will tell you this. If a nightmare like that should ever happen again.

If for some ... evil reason I'm ever accused by anyone of killing ...

... the next time ...

... I will not be the one who wakes up screaming.

" Screamings "

She's in the sawing room.

Drop that Freddy.

So beautiful.

Why die ? Why did ?

Freddy, please let us help you.

Drop that glass Freddy.

Killed ... murdered ... murderer ... no suicide ... no suicide.

He killed her !

Freddy, you're gonna bleed to death.

Death ? Death ?

Who'll care about me ?

Mother will, oh my God. Mommy loves me.

Mother's gone, Freddy.

No ... No ... not gone ... not gone.

I ... I ... I ... feel her.

I've seen her. I ... I ... see her. I see her.

I see her. I see her.

Come on Freddy.

The door was locked.

How did she get in here ?

I have no idea.

I am not running out on you Alex ...

... if I am running out on anyone it's Father ...

... because wether he dies because of arsenic or galopping old age ...

... simply doesn't matter to me anymore.

It may have once, but no more.

Whatever he may have been or done - he's still our Father.

Look who's talking.

Who wanted us to leave him in the first place ?

Well I never considered him guilty for mother's death ...

... morally or otherwise.

She was beddy from the day Chris was born.

As bad as poor Freddy is now.

Charming way to talk about your family.

Alex, I'm a big girl now. Stop treating me like a child.

Stop playing big sister.

I am sorry.

You know ...

... I once told Chris that I felt we were your emotional prisoners ...

... and she said:

"Wouldn't it be funny it was the other way around ?"

If you are our emotional prisoner.

Are you ?

I'm sorry if I made you feel like a prisoner, Jo.

But please, don't take this moment to make your great escape.

We need you.

Doesn't it matter to you that we need you ?

Don't try giving me the guilts. I am the first ...

... to admit I am no good at family crisis.

But not bad at causing them.

I didn't cause this one !

All right but something has to be done about it.

About her and I can't do it alone.

It's Freddy in that state and Chris, oh, Chris is just a baby.

I need your help, Jo.

To do what exactly ?

I don't know.

All I know is we can't let her kill Father.

You really believe him, don't you ?

What about you ?

I can't explain it Alex but ...

... the first moment you showed me his letter ...

... I had this eerie feeling we were being tricked ...

... into coming here.

Why would he do that ?

Okay.

Suppose she is trying to kill him.

Why ?

Well, I guess she can't wait to ...

He's already told her we're back in his will now that all's forgiven ...

... so she can't possibly hope to get the whole thing for herself anyway.

There are other motives besides profit.

Countless ... some people kill just for the thrill of it.

Does Elizabeth Hall Morgan strike you as ...

... the kind of woman who's searching for thrills ?

Maybe she's just looking to be free.

What was that expression you used ?

'Emotional prisoner'

Alex.

I'm going.

And it's still raining. You can't fly in this weather.

Better call and make sure there'll be an evening train.

I've already called ...

... but I'll need to borrow your car. Can I have the keys ?

There are in my bag.

Jo, how are you going to explain your leaving to Father ?

He'll never believe you're going home.

He'll think you're going for the Sheriff.

If I miss the last train I just might.

Chris ?

Chris, I'm ready to lead.

I must have left the keys in the car.

What's the matter ?

I ... I can't face Freddy when she's like that and ...

... she's liable to make another scene.

Say goodbye for me.

Please Jo.

Okay - I'll say goodbye to her.

Alex ?

What tell Father ... that he'll believe I mean ?

Let me handle it.

It could be months before he even notices you're gone.

Freddy ?

Aren't you gonna tell him that ...

No, Alex is handling it.

Leave with me Chris.

Why ?

Oh Jo, don't start spooking me with your eerie feelings.

Oh baby, don't you be the one who wakes up screaming.

Ted.

Hi.

Hi.

I was just in the neighborhood and I thought I'd ...

... drop by and say Merry Christmas.

Come on in.

What is it ?

Open it.

Oh.

Ted.

Oh that's lovely.

Glad you like it.

Oh, this is so nice of you.

I'm sorry but I don't have anything to give you.

Oh, how about letting me get warm by the fire. I'm freezing.

Sure, come on in.

Tell me, what's a nice sane man like you ...

... doing all the way out here on Christmas morning.

Had to stop in looking at Mrs. Killian.

Oh, how's she doing ?

She's doing much better.

Cool.

Anyway, being as I was so close I couldn't help but stop by ...

... and take a fresh look at someone who secretly worshipped me...

... when she was all 16.

Well, I guess I wasn't as secretly as I thought.

Your face was never a very good place to hide things.

You're not married.

Why ? Do I look not married ?

Yeah, how come ?

Well ... truth is I scare them off.

How ?

I don't know I ... I have a habit of needing too much.

That's not a habit - that's a way of life.

Well, all as much as I hate to, I better be heading back to town.

Am I scaring you off ?

No, you're not scaring me off.

Eh, if your Father found out I was here he might be very upset.

He gave Ms. Morgan strict orders.

Did she tell you that ?

Didn't have to. I was standing right outside the door. Heard it myself.

Ted.

Could you tell just by looking at him ... ?

Tell what ?

What's the matter with him ?

Come on.

Yeah, can't throw me out for just wishing a Merry Christmas.

Dr. Lindsay just wanted to wish Father a Merry Christmas.

He's sleeping.

Look, I know what's bothering you ...

... but unless your Father would allow me to do the lab test ...

... it would be his word against mine.

And hers.

Well, how do you know ? Did Alex show you the letter ?

No.

Well, Father wrote her that ... Elizabeth was trying to poison him.

That's funny.

Because it was Elizabeth ...

... who asked me to come here. It was about a month ago.

She told me that he'd accused her of trying to poison him.

She was hoping that ... I'd be able to prove to him ...

... that he was just imagining things.

Oh no she ... she wouldn't have done that if she weren't innocent.

Or clever.

Look if the roads are clear tomorrow I gonna stop in again.

You think it would be a wash out ?

Hard to tell - the river is still rising.

In any case, call me if you have a sudden need ...

... to hear a friendly voice.

Keep it that way ... til I get back.

See you later.

What's the matter darling, can't you sleep ?

Alex, what are we gonna do ?

Well, I'm gonna get a good night's sleep. And then ...

I mean about Elizabeth.

Well, in the morning, I'm gonna talk to her ...

... calmly and reasonably.

What are you gonna say ?

I'm gonna ask her to leave quietly.

Alex.

This is her house. If she's innocent why should she just ...

... give it up and walk away without a fight ?

If she's innocent ?

You really think she might be ?

She might be.

Oh Lord, how naive you are.

Don't you ever get tired of being so eternally childish ?

Oh I am sorry Chris, I didn't mean to say that.

Just that ... well, it's been a hard day for me too.

It's just that it never seems to change.

I ... feel like this whole thing is on my shoulders.

Freddy runs to her bottles and pills.

Jo runs to her parties.

I am still here.

Don't mind me ... this storm is getting on my nerves.

Good night Darling.

Good night.

It's cold in this house. Do you have enough blankets ?

Yes I'm fine, thank you.

All of us seem to be having trouble sleeping tonight.

Would you like some of this ?

What is it ?

Warm milk and honey.

I made some for your Father earlier.

But I don't suppose your sister allowed him to drink it.

Why don't you get yourself a mug and have some ?

No thank you, I never need anything to help me sleep.

Just restless.

Yes, I guess that's it.

I understand.

Good night.

Good night.

Did you know the telephone was out ?

Yes I did.

From the storm I would imagine, wouldn't you ?

Yes.

She is dead.

What's happened ? What's going on up there ?

Stay with Father.

Please tell me ... what's happened.

Frederica ...

... has killed herself.

Oh.

God forgive her.

Poor Frederica.

She has finally done it.

It could have been accidental.

I saw some pills on her dressing table and ...

... I have warned her that mixing alcohol with ...

... barbiturates can easily be fatal.

Were you in her room last night ?

Yes.

Why ?

Her crying disturbed me. I brought her something ...

... to help her get some sleep. Milk and honey.

And she drank it ?

You mean, after you'd warned her about me ?

I don't think any of them believed you, Ben.

I know Joanna didn't.

Even so she did not drink it.

Oh ...

... how do we know that ?

Because I drank it myself.

You'll find the empty mug on my bedside table still unwashed.

Sheriff Nolan should have no trouble ...

... analyzing what's left in the mug nor my fingerprints.

You know, I wouldn't have let them call the sheriff.

Well, they couldn't even if they wanted to ...

... the phone is dead.

And it rained heavily all night. The roads ...

... are bound to be washed out.

We are trapped here. There's no way back ...

... until the river goes down again.

Now, you'd better get back to bed before you catch your death.

There's no mug on your table.

There is no mug ... and there are no pills ...

... or vials in Freddy's room.

Come on Chris.

Freddy doesn't need us anymore ...

... but we may need each other.

I think I'd better look in on Daddy.

You fix some coffee.

We need something in our stomachs.

Alex, I don't want to be alone.

That's all right darling.

Uh, she's in her room. I lead the study door open ...

... so I can hear you if you call.

It's still dead.

Alex ... it couldn't been accidental, Freddy's death ?

Overdose of Vodka.

Yes but if she was taking sleeping pills ...

Where would she get them ?

Don't you think I took that precaution ?

After she cut her wrist I searched her room.

Medicine cabinet or handbag ?

Besides ...

... if there was nothing in that milk ?

Why get rid of the mug ?

Darling, can't you understand ?

Elizabeth is afraid that we've got to take ...

... all of this away from her.

Oh, it's not just the money, the property but ...

... but this is ... her sanctuary.

So she's gonna kill all of us ?

How can she hope to get away with it ? It's insane.

Course it's insane.

She's insane.

Well, then why didn't she try to stop Jo ?

Maybe she didn't know Jo was going.

Just be thankful that you got away.

At least if anything does happen to us then we ...

... have someone to see that she doesn't get away with it.

What are we gonna do ? Just sit here and wait for it to happen ?

What would you suggest ?

The roads are washed out, the telephone lines are down.

It's 10 miles to town !

Can you walk 10 miles in this weather ?

Or have you forgotten Jo took my car ?

No, but I can walk one mile to Mrs. Killian's house !

What could she do ? An old woman sick in bed.

I know, maybe her phone is working ?

Alex, I know I'm grasping at straws but I can't just ...

... sit here and wait to die !

What do you think will happen to you if you get lost in those woods ?

Alex, I know those woods inside and out. Every tree, every ...

That was nine years ago.

You think everything stays the same, don't you ?

Nothing ever changes.

Nothing ever will until I do. I'm going out.

Chris !

Christine

I was so worried I wouldn't find you.

Christine ... Christine ... come baaaack.

Alex !

Alex !

Alex !

Alex !

Alex ?

Alex !

Alex ! She's in the cellar !

Christine ?

Christine ?

Christine ?

Where are you ?

Christine ?

You're safe now, darling.

Christine

I know you're here.

Father ?

He's dead.

Christine ... Christine ... come back ... come baaaaack.

Help me !

Help me !

Please help me !

Alex ... Alex ... Alex ... Father is dead.

And she killed Jo. I ran to the house. I was looking for you.

She chased me and if all bothered ...

... I managed to get out of the house.

I ... I just ran.

I know Chris.

I knew you'd come to me.

You all always came to me.

Alex ...

... she would have killed me if I hadn't gotten away.

She wouldn't have killed you Chris.

She didn't kill Jo.

She didn't kill Freddy.

She didn't kill Father.

Alex ...

... why ?

I wanna be free ... of you all.

But you ... you could have left any time.

No, not really.

Not emotionally.

Your ... your helpless little faces would have ...

... followed me wherever I went.

Sooner or later I have come running back ...

... because somebody needed me even farther after all these years.

Even farther !

Alex, look, please ... please help.

Now none of you will ever need me again.

Alex.

Ted.

Alex, what happened ?

Ted, they're all dead !

Jo and Freddy and Father. They are all dead !

What ?

Mrs. Hall killed all of them.

I ... I was going to help.

I thought Chris would be safe.

We ... we thought we locked her out of the house.

We locked every door.

When I was driving were, I looked back ...

... and I saw Chris running out of the house. Running for her life.

Oh she was ... she was wearing that little blue parka ...

... I gave her for her birthday.

She must have been frightened out of her mind.

I called to her - she couldn't hear me.

She just kept running into those god forsaken woods.

Let me take you back to town. We'll take your car.

No, I've got to find Chris. She is all I have left.

She is in there somewhere. She may be hurt.

Do you think you can ... get back to town alone ?

Oh ... You mean ...

You mean, you'll look for her ?

I think I have a better chance on foot than you have.

Yes, I suppose so.

Take the main road. They've got part of it cleared now.

Tell Sheriff Nolan ... to get some troopers in there to back me up.

It'll be morning before.

I'll be okay. You just come back here with the Sheriff.

Tell him everything. Show him the letter.

The letter ?

Chris told me your Father wrote to you and what he said.

How could Chris ?

I stopped by Christmas morning.

Oh ... oh yes, I forgot. I saw your car.

I was busy taking care of Freddy.

You can find the main highway, can't you ?

You won't get lost again ?

No

Hurry Alex !

My Father's in the study.

Jo's body is ... over there behind the barn.

And your sister's body ?

Upstairs in the ... bedroom.

Thank you.

I show you.

Alex.

I found Chris.

I put her in there.

Sheriff ... I have to call the coroner.

Well, before you do I have a few questions.

Oh Chris, oh my poor baby.

Aaaaaaaah

ha ha ha

Take care of her.

I will.

Chris.