Original subtitles

[Jessica] Tonight, on Murder, She Wrote.

You won't feel a thing.

Seems Lila's patients have a way of dying.

There's a need for good nurses right here in Cabot Cove.

I didn't insinuate that Lila was on drugs.

You're hoping she's gonna leave you millions of dollars.

You sound like I'm hoping she's gonna die.

In a few days, we're gonna be rolling in it.

-What caused the other deaths? -They all died of poison.

Overdoses of various prescription drugs.

I heard Mrs. Saunders raging at her nurse.

You came here to kill me.

I heard Jessica was gravely ill.

[sirens wailing]

[cheerful orchestral music playing]

[siren blaring]

[people clamoring]

[man] Lila.

Lila.

[siren wailing in the distance]

I know you're there, Lila.

You can't do this.

Leaving isn't going to solve anything.

Kyle, I-- I can't stay here!

Listen to me. Wherever you go,

you're going to have trouble,

and they're gonna start asking you questions you can't answer.

Maybe... they'll believe what they want to believe.

Kyle, don't worry about me.

No.

I'm not gonna let you go. Not now.

Problem here, folks?

Oh, Dr. Adderly.

Miss Nolan.

Hello, George.

Uh, we're just having a chat here.

It's no problem.

Didn't mean to interrupt anything,

but we've been having a rash

of car phone thefts this month.

Evening, Doc.

[clattering]

You're not missing much, grandpa.

Nothing ever changes in Cabot Cove.

Everything just goes on and on as it is,

as it always was, as far as I can remember.

Justin.

For heaven's sake, what are you doing here?

I didn't hear you come in.

No, you were on the phone, as usual.

I was talking to Dr. Hazlitt.

I wanted to make sure the visiting nurse

would be on time today.

I have an appointment to get my hair done.

I have to get out of this house before I go mad.

You don't have to lower your voice, mother.

Grandpa's way beyond caring.

What an awful thing to say.

Hey, grandpa, the martians have landed

in Hickey's apple orchard.

See? He doesn't care about that.

You behave yourself, Justin Haynes.

-Good morning. -Oh, thank goodness.

Hi, Lila.

Hi, Justin.

How's my patient today, Mrs. Haynes?

He's doing just fine, Lila.

Aren't you, daddy?

He, uh, he seems a little weaker

than he was yesterday.

You're my boyfriend, aren't you, Mr. Gibbs?

Well, if he doesn't care about that, he's already dead.

Justin, if you're going to work today,

I'll ride downtown with you.

But hurry, I don't want to be late.

Then we're on our way, mother.

-See you, Lila. -Bye.

[humming]

Everything's going to be all right, Mr. Gibbs.

You won't feel a thing.

-Morning, Mrs. F. -Good morning, Mort.

Hey, what's the word on Mrs. Saunders?

Last time I heard, about the same.

I'm on my way up there now.

It's funny how all those old families with money

used to build their houses up on hilltops.

Maybe that's why they call them the upper class.

Don't tell Maggie I said that.

I'll never hear the end of it.

At this point, maybe she could use a good laugh.

That's one of the reasons that I came back

to Cabot Cove earlier than I had intended.

You know, Maggie's energy was almost legendary

before illness put her in bed.

Seth feels that depression is setting in.

Maybe I'm the one to cheer her up.

That makes sense. You are her oldest friend.

Mort, I wish there was a better way you could put that.

[laughs]

[sniffling]

Lila.

Well, what's-- what's this all about?

I called your room and Phoebe Dixon said

that you'd moved out and were planning to leave.

I told her she was mistaken,

that you just came back to town.

I hope these tears aren't for Horace Gibbs.

He was my patient, and he died.

But that's not your fault.

He was my patient, too, but I'm not crying.

And I knew the old coot

since he was a middle-aged coot.

I gave him his medication. He fell asleep.

I went out to get some sun and when I came back...

I'm sorry.

I should have warned you straight out

that Horace had more things wrong with him

than any ten patients in the county hospital.

But--

I don't know.

There might have been something I could have done--

Look, I-- I know it's not politically correct to say so,

but Horace died of old age.

Lila, there's no use running away

when there's a need for good nurses

right here in Cabot Cove.

[pager beeping]

Oh. Must be a patient.

I've got to get to a telephone.

Thank you, Dr. Hazlitt.

Your making the right decision

will be thanks enough.

Oh, thank you, Henry! I love get-well presents.

Golf balls?

What am I going to do with golf balls?

You're gonna get out of that bed, you good-looking thing,

you take those golf balls down to the country club

and shoot the greatest round of golf

you ever shot in your life, Maggie.

Against the country club golf pro?

Well, I didn't say I wasn't gonna beat your socks off.

Well, you'll just have to wait till I get over my twinge.

Maybe it's something else.

It's my twinge. I ought to know what it is.

Oh, I'm just saying--

Aunt Maggie, I've put all the groceries away.

Hi, Henry. How's your golf game?

Oh, even par, as usual, thanks.

I haven't seen you out on that putting green lately.

I've been busy trying to get my boutique started

before the tourist season.

I admire industry in a woman.

Especially if she's barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen.

Not that I mind the kitchen. I'll be back later, aunt Maggie.

I'm going to make you a gourmet dinner.

Dr. Hazlitt has me on a low-fat diet.

Exactly what I had in mind.

I really should move back into the house

so I can cook all your meals.

Sarah sees to my needs.

She and her husband are very good company.

Sarah can't make ice cubes in a freezer,

and Lucas's big claim to fame

is being the chug-a-lug champion

at Barney's Bar and Grill.

That's enough, Dorie. You've made your bed.

Why don't you just go lie in it with Jason Giles?

Oh, God.

You forgave Eddie for moving out.

Eddie married his young woman.

Don't worry about my dinner.

Dr. Hazlitt's going to pick me up

some cabbage soup at the diner.

Fine. Bon appetit.

[doorbell rings]

Young people today care less about manners

than they do about morals, which is damn little.

I was too harsh on the girl.

I'll buy her a nice present and make up for it.

Maggie, you know what I think?

I think you shouldn't have let

that horse-and-buggy doctor, Seth Hazlitt,

talk you into coming home from the hospital so soon.

[Seth] Hello, Maggie.

Coming upstairs just now,

I thought I heard someone taking my name in vain.

That wouldn't have been you, would it, Henry?

Eddie, what are you doing

going through aunt Maggie's desk?

None of your business.

You're looking for her will, right?

You're hoping she's gonna leave you millions of dollars

when she dies, aren't you?

You make it sound like I'm hoping she's going to die.

I'm not, I swear it.

Besides, you were always her favorite.

You wouldn't think so,

the way she nearly bit my head off.

All I did was offer to move back in the house till she recovers.

-With Jason? -[sniggers]

The last puritan must have loved that.

Oh, I get it,

you want to be already living here

in case she takes a turn for the worse.

How convenient.

What a rotten, devious mind.

Me? Forget it, sis.

Karen's pregnant.

We've outgrown our trailer. We need this house.

Jason!

Man, I don't ever remember seeing

a more beautifully constructed house.

It's criminal the way they cover up

these magnificent hardwood floors with these rugs.

Every time I come--

What's he looking for?

That's what I wanted you to see.

[doorbell rings]

Sarah, will you get that, please?

You're not going anywhere, mister.

There's a woman sick in this house--

She won't feel any worse

if I stop out for a couple of beers.

Oh, Mrs. Fletcher.

-Hello, Sarah, Lucas. -Hi.

-How's Mrs. Saunders today? -Fretful.

I'll go get those washers so I can fix that faucet.

So long, Mrs. Fletcher.

-Jessica! -Hello, Dorie.

Excuse me.

Sarah's her usual talkative self.

You're looking very snappy.

Well, I try to keep up with things,

you know, because of my boutique.

-Then it's definite? -Almost.

I have a place picked out.

Jason's helping me raise the money.

Aunt Maggie will be so happy to see you.

She needs someone to talk to without lecturing.

I just saw Henry Post leaving the house.

He barely nodded at me.

He had such a sour expression on his face.

It's better than his phony sweet look.

I was just concerned,

in case it related to Maggie's condition.

Aunt Maggie's well enough to speak her mind.

I'm not sure that's a blessing.

[laughs]

What's she doing here?

She's aunt Maggie's best friend.

Is she?

Maggie, how are you feeling?

Oh!

Sick of being sick!

But, oh, so much better now that you're here.

About time you showed up.

This woman does nothing but complain.

Oh! Seems to me that Seth does most of the complaining.

I've been trying to get him to let me go outside

so I can see what's happening to my garden.

Maybe you'd like to go horseback riding

while you're at it.

He's a beast. He won't let me have any fun at all.

Now, see here, Maggie,

you're getting well, that's what I'm trying to tell you.

Just stop fidgeting and let it take its course.

Easy for you to say.

Plenty of pedestrian traffic,

tons of parking in the back. This is absolutely perfect.

Yeah, and twice as much rent as we estimated.

So you tell aunt Maggie you need a little bit bigger loan.

I couldn't bring myself to ask her.

For any of it?

Oh, Dorie, you've gotta do this.

With what? I've barely got enough saved

to cover the deposit. I mean,

There won't be anything left over for fixtures or inventories--

Dorie, look, in a few days,

we're gonna be rolling in it.

Oh, Jason, another crazy business scheme?

This one's gonna happen.

It's targeted for the discretionary income group.

Oh, honey, wouldn't you just once, for me,

like to feel a paycheck coming in every week?

-Do you remember our deal? -Yeah, I do.

It's not working out.

Look, just give me a week.

I know I can make this happen.

And if it doesn't, you'll take the job at The Gazette?

We'll talk about it. I gotta run.

But I want you to call them

and tell them that you'll sign a lease.

Okay?

That's my Dorie.

Hi, Dorie.

Justin.

Welcome back.

Thanks for the, uh, sympathy card.

I wish you were here for better reasons.

How's your aunt doing?

Up and down. Thanks for asking.

I guess the banking business is doing all right by you.

Hope you can say the same thing for Jason Giles.

We're fine, thank you.

-Dorie, I-- -Justin, please.

We've covered this ground before--

Okay, okay. He tells me you're planning

to stay here for a while and open up a shop.

He's been talking to you?

Oh, some, yeah, about business.

Listen, if you're free for lunch some day this week,

maybe we could drive up the coast like we used to.

Um... I'm not sure that'd be a great idea.

Yeah.

Well, I think you know I wish you the best, Dorie.

Thank you, Justin.

Always.

[Metzger] I don't get it, Serena.

You just had your father's funeral,

and now you want to have his body exhumed?

Yes, and as quickly as possible.

Would you mind telling me why?

I have reason to believe my father was poisoned.

"Jerry, left alone in the mist and darkness,

dismounted to ease his spent horse."

And that is the end of chapter four.

Maggie, would you like me--

Maggie? Seth!

It's all right, Jess.

The medication I gave her is taking effect.

But it happened so suddenly.

Hmm, well, it's her nap time.

She'll sleep for a while,

and then she'll be ready to talk your ears off.

Jess, your visit is just what Maggie needed.

But shouldn't she be in the hospital?

She was in the hospital. I signed her out.

You know my feeling about that subject.

I know, the hospital is the right place to be sick

and the wrong place to get well.

You've got that right.

I mean, it's fine when you're here.

But you're not around all the time.

I really can't vouch for Maggie's housekeeper

or her husband.

That's been taken care of, too.

Lila? Lila Nolan?

It's nice to see you again, Mrs. Fletcher.

I've persuaded Lila

to be Maggie's round-the-clock nurse.

Here you go.

I appreciate your coming in, miss Nolan.

Please understand, this is merely informational.

There's no evidence of a crime having been committed,

but there has been a complaint, and it's necessary

for me to ask a few questions to clear it up.

I understand.

How long have you been in Cabot Cove?

I was born here.

I thought you were from Boston.

I went to nursing school in Boston...

thanks to Dr. Hazlitt.

You see, Lila, when she was a little girl,

used to bring home wounded birds and small animals

and take care of them.

And her family wasn't very well off,

so Dr. Hazlitt started a college fund for her.

Boston's a great place for a nursing career.

Why did you come back to Cabot Cove?

There was a situation.

Basically, I was homesick.

And Horace Gibbs was your first patient

as a visiting nurse?

How'd you get that job?

Dr. Hazlitt recommended me.

Lila, did the medicine that you gave Mr. Gibbs

come from Dr. Hazlitt?

Yes, ma'am.

Miss Nolan, Mrs. Haynes says

her father's gold watch and cufflinks

were missing from his bureau after he died.

Do you know anything about that?

Are you asking me if I stole those things?

I have to.

What kind of a person

would kill another human being for a handful of trinkets?

Well, that's a better question than I asked.

Thanks for coming in, miss Nolan.

You can go back to your patient now.

-Bye. -Bye.

Mort, I'm amazed that Serena Haynes could believe

that nice young woman

would intentionally cause her father's death.

Look at it this way, Mrs. F--

Serena Haynes just made the Guinness Book of World Records

for conclusion-jumping.

I'm telling you, Justin,

the bank cannot lose on an investment like this.

It's a natural for Cabot Cove.

You could certainly make a case for it, yeah.

I mean, every year the population of the United States,

it gets older.

You have any idea how much wealth

is controlled by the over-50 group?

Jason, the loan committee doesn't want to go for it.

You went to them already?

You didn't wait for me

to get the additional numbers together?

I'm sorry, Jase, I want to help,

but your asset-to-debt ratio simply doesn't scan.

If you had equity in some real estate,

it might make a difference--

Wait, wait, wait. This--

This isn't about assets or equity.

This is about Dorie and I, isn't it?

This has nothing whatever to do with Dorie.

Maybe in a year, when the regulators

aren't peering over our shoulders with such intensity--

Maybe in a year?

Don't bother.

Hey, Mr. Haynes, you got a minute?

For you, sheriff, two minutes.

It's a shame about your grandfather.

Jessica Fletcher tells me he had a good word for everybody.

Nice of you to say so. What can I do for you, sheriff?

Your mother has asked Judge Rayburn

to issue a court order to have her father exhumed.

I'm supposed to find out if there's just cause.

Oh, for Pete's sake!

That about sums up the way I feel about it.

I need a description of the gold items

that were allegedly stolen from your grandfather's room

the night he was allegedly murdered.

I told mother that grandpa most likely

lost that stuff in a poker game.

Some of those fellows he always had a good word for

used to sandbag him on a regular basis.

Are you saying he wasn't robbed and murdered?

Tell the Judge to hold the shovels.

My mother doesn't know what she's talking about.

That's kind of the way I had it figured. Have a good day.

What can I do you for, Mr. Giles?

I got a proposition for you, Henry.

Proposition? What kind of a proposition?

A very profitable one, if you've got the guts for it.

The guts? You realize you're talking to a former marine.

I've had experiences in my life that would freeze your guts.

What exactly do you want from me?

Will you stop fussing with it?

Hold still.

I've changed my mind. I don't want my hair done.

Every woman likes to look attractive.

Yeah, after two weeks in bed, I can imagine what I look like.

Not now. I swear you look ten years younger.

-Oh! -See for yourself.

[mirror shatters]

Damn you!

Last thing I wanted in the world

was to feel sorry for myself!

I only meant to cheer you up.

[phone rings]

Hello?

Speaking.

I'm sorry, I can't hear you. Who is this?

[doorbell rings]

Oh, it's you. I was going to call you.

Well, yes, that's what I was going to call you about.

You know, this is very strange.

Now I can hear you perfectly clearly,

but you're not making any sense.

Don't say things like that!

Because they're not true, that's why!

Would you stop it right now?

Just stop it!

Oh, Jessica.

That wasn't a very friendly call.

No, it wasn't.

Are those flowers you're trying to hide

behind your back for me?

The first lilac from my garden.

Oh!

Oh, they're beautiful. Oh, thank you.

I found the vase in the pantry.

Oh, do you know Dorie gave me that one mother's day.

Not being her mother, I was especially touched.

And Eddie, when he found out that she'd given it to me,

he decided to give me something from his woodworking class.

It turned out to be a necktie rack.

[laughs] -Keep it under your hat,

but I'm buying Dorie a piano.

What a grand present!

Lila, if you'd put those flowers over there on the dresser,

I could see them better.

I'll make some room.

Jessica, listen up.

I want to tell you something.

-Oh! -I'm sorry.

-Can I help you? -No!

Thank you. I'm just having a klutzy day.

Uh, Jessica?

Guess what I have a craving for right now?

You'll have to give me a hint.

You and I pigged out on it.

We ate a whole one, all by ourselves.

A whole one, all to ourselves? Just the two of us?

Ha! Well, that can only have been

your grandmother's applesauce cake.

Do you remember where I kept the recipe?

Mm-hmm. I haven't made one for years,

but if that's what you want,

I'll have another go at it.

Here's your pill, Mrs. Saunders.

Thank you, Lila.

Serena Haynes said what?

That there's also a murderer on the loose,

-and she's right upstairs. -Oh, come on!

I'd say this is the time to have a man in the house.

If something was to happen to Mrs. Saunders,

how would we come out on it?

Well, she's hinted more than once

that we're provided for.

But we've never seen anything writing, have we?

No. Why?

What's going through that head of yours?

I'm just wondering.

You can do that till the cows come home.

But you're not going out to drink with that floozy

down at Barney's, mister!

And that's the end of it!

Sarah! Sarah, you come back here!

[Seth] Well, what was so unsettling about it?

Lila being klutzy or Maggie asking you to bake a cake?

The disturbing phone call that Maggie didn't want to talk about.

Perhaps that was some deep-breather,

trying to find out what sort of nightie she had on.

As for Lila, I couldn't tell if she was simply embarrassed

for spilling everything out of her bag

or because I saw all the pills that were in it.

May I remind you that Lila is a nurse?

Yes, with one patient.

How much medication did you prescribe

for Maggie Saunders?

One philomin tablet every four hours.

Now, now, now, hold on, Jess.

I have worked with Lila for a long time,

and I have never had any indication

of substance abuse from her.

I didn't insinuate that Lila was on drugs.

The thought never even entered my mind.

Then what in the Sam Hill are you driving at?

You've known Lila Nolan as long as I have.

She's always been health-conscious.

I'll bet she carries her vitamins with her wherever she goes,

not to mention those herbal things.

Well, that was Mort's theory, too.

Mort!

You told Mort about Lila spilling her bag?

Oh, he must have been staggered

by a big piece of news like that.

It's a shame you waste so much time in New York.

If you stayed around here, you could become

as big a gossip as Serena Haynes.

All right, Seth.

Get as huffy as you want, I've had my say.

[Seth] Why did you send a request for information on Lila Nolan?

So I'd have something to show Serena Haynes

to prove that Lila's record was clean.

Only it turns out they have a couple of smudges on it.

Seems Lila's patients have a way of dying.

That Horace Gibbs--

Mort, you have finally gone over moon mountain!

Next, you'll be talking about spaceships

and little green men.

Seth, let him finish. What was that about Horace Gibbs?

He wasn't the first of Lila's patients to die in his sleep.

He was the fourth.

Oh, no. What caused the other deaths?

[cellphone rings] -Well, I've got--

Excuse me.

Metzger.

Thanks, Andy. Later on.

That was the answer to your question, Mrs. F.

They all died of poison.

Overdoses of various prescription drugs.

Good Lord.

They held Lila each time for questioning

but always released her for lack of evidence,

but not lack of suspicion.

And if that's not enough to spoil your evening,

it was cause enough for Judge Rayburn to issue a court order

to have old Horace dug up.

Oh, dear! Maggie!

I just hope we're not too late.

Yeah, me, too.

[Jessica] Seth, is she all right?

I'm sorry, Jess.

Maggie's dead.

Oh!

[everybody talking together]

Can you tell us what killed Mrs. Saunders?

Strychnine, injected with a hypodermic syringe.

When can we see Lila Nolan,

the serial killer nurse?

No, no! Lila Nolan isn't a serial killer!

Look, she hasn't even been charged.

She was in a state of shock last night.

Is it true she was found alone with the body?

Why are you holding out on us?

All right, come on, give me a break, huh?

Justice must be done. Sheriff Metzger,

you have betrayed my murdered father with your neglect.

[Justin] Mother, please.

Who are you, lady?

I am Horace Gibbs' daughter,

Serena Haynes.

H-a-y-n-e-s.

Oh, Lord, this is not your press conference, mother.

Let the sheriff take care of it.

The sheriff is incapable of taking care of anything.

[talking together]

Poor Maggie Saunders is dead

because he wouldn't look into my father's murder.

Oh, Serena, that's not true, and you know it.

Thanks, Jean, you better stay out of this.

Serena, if you want to make a speech, rent a hall.

Justice is in short supply

where sheriff Metzger is concerned.

[talking together]

That is why I intend to circulate a petition

to have him recalled.

[taking together]

[Seth] Morning, Lila.

Did they at least give you a decent breakfast?

Andy brought me some scrambled eggs and toast

over from the diner.

It looked good, but I couldn't eat.

Andy, I'll take over here.

Keep your chin up, Lila.

Thanks for everything.

You feel like talking this morning?

Tell him what you told me, Lila.

What happened last night?

Lila said she was wakened out of a sound sleep--

I don't want you to tell me what she told you.

I want her to tell me. Please.

I went to bed early after a rough day.

Mrs. Saunders was edgy and out of sorts.

As soon as I crawled into bed, I was wiped out.

I don't know how long I'd been asleep before...

I heard something in Mrs. Saunders' room.

-What kind of something? -A man's voice.

I couldn't make sense of what it was saying.

Something about how Mrs. Saunders deserved a better place.

Well, what did she say?

I didn't hear her say anything.

And then when the man stopped talking,

I got up to go and check on her.

She was alone, and I took her pulse.

She didn't have one.

The fellow who was talking to her did her in.

Then he searched her room, probably looking for jewelry.

No, Mrs. Saunders' niece said

that nothing she knew of was missing.

When we entered the room, you were standing there

holding the hypodermic needle.

I saw it on the floor and I picked it up.

The state police lab said it contained strychnine,

and the only prints on it were your prints.

What about the rest of the room?

Yours, Mrs. F's, Dorie Saunders'.

I didn't kill her. What about the others?

I didn't kill any of them!

Look, Lila, I've seen the reports.

In every case, you were alone with the patient.

Now, hold on, Mort. In every case,

those other patients were already dying.

Maggie was recovering. How do you explain that?

It isn't bad enough you're gonna answer the question,

now you're gonna ask them as well?

They were all very old, like Mr. Gibbs,

and in terrible pain.

If this is gonna be a confession to mercy killings,

I want to get somebody in here to write it down so you can sign it.

I'm not confessing.

I couldn't take away somebody's life,

no matter how little of it was left.

[people talking]

Would it matter if Lila was on record

as being against euthanasia?

It might.

Do you know if she made any phone calls?

-Hello, Jean. -Hi.

-I don't think so. -Hi, Jean.

Mort told her she had the right

to make a phone call, but she said

there was no one she wanted to talk to.

I wonder if she received any phone calls.

Come to think of it, Andy did say somebody called her,

but she wouldn't talk to him. Didn't give his name.

Calling a jail must have scared him off.

He told Andy he was an old boyfriend.

An old boyfriend?

In other words, not somebody that she met just recently.

Maybe an old boyfriend from Cabot Cove?

Well, I seem to recall

a skinny young fella with a bad haircut.

That's half the boys in Cabot Cove.

[laughs]

This one wanted to be a doctor.

Now, there is a coincidence.

He interned at Boston Memorial,

where Lila studied nursing.

You know a doctor there, don't you?

Yeah. Dan Radcliffe.

We went to medical school together.

I think I'll give him a call. Excuse me.

Excuse me, Sarah. Can I give you a hand?

No, thank you.

Tell me, what are you planning to do now?

Wait and see if the ones who take over the house

will be wanting a housekeeper.

Maybe someone whose checks don't bounce.

If not, I'll likely go back to Vermont

to live with my sister.

You know, it's strange.

Last night, when Dr. Hazlitt and I arrived,

the front door was wide open,

and I couldn't find you or Lucas inside the house.

Lucas went to the store to get some ice cream.

Didn't come back.

I went looking for him.

Did you find him?

He was sitting in a bar

with some floozy

and a bagful of melted raspberry twirl.

I told him not to come back.

But I don't see how the front door could have been open.

I recall locking it.

Nobody can come in without a key.

Of course, someone already inside

could have let someone else in.

No need of that.

Yesterday, I heard Mrs. Saunders raging at her nurse.

If you ask me,

I think that's what led to her murder.

-Jean. -Eddie.

I'm surprised to see you here, doctor.

Really? I was not only your aunt's doctor,

I was her friend, too.

How could a friend hire a killer to take care of her?

Lila Nolan is not a killer.

And I resent your talking to me like that.

I brought you into this world.

Don't make me regret it.

Dr. Hazlitt, I want to talk to you.

If you don't mind, Jess, I'd like to get out of here.

I was going to suggest it, Seth.

Yes, Mr. Pearson, I'm calling about your check

to the water department.

Well, there's not enough in the account to cover it.

Yes, of course, these things happen.

Why don't you drop by the bank and we'll, uh,

transfer funds from your savings?

All right. Right. Bye-bye.

Hello, sheriff. Hello, Dorie.

That fax come yet from her aunt's lawyer?

Yeah, all the way from Monte Carlo.

Picked a great time to take a vacation.

He assigned you power of attorney, Mort.

And he requested that I express his condolences to Dorie,

and I'd like to extend mine as well.

Thank you. I'd like to go in

and look in her safe deposit box now, if I may.

Look as long as you want. You're entitled.

Tracking down Maggie's lawyer

and getting her power of attorney was very clever.

Why were you so disappointed

when you opened the safe deposit box?

-Because of what I didn't find. -Maggie's will?

I was so sure it'd be there.

I searched the house, and I couldn't find it.

What did you find in the box?

Her jewelry.

Some lovely pieces, but--

Nothing else? No papers?

-No insurance policies? -No.

Hmm.

What is it, Jessica?

Well, I was just thinking that that's the sort of thing

the killer might have been searching for.

Oh! I've got to run.

Jason's taking me out for my birthday.

I just wish I felt more like celebrating.

I know.

You must be very pleased with Maggie's gift.

Gift? What gift?

You didn't receive it?

She told me that she bought you a piano.

You're kidding.

No.

Jessica, I have spent the better part of the afternoon

making phone calls at the county's expense.

And I've found it's very gratifying.

I recommend it to every taxpayer.

Well, thanks for sharing that with me.

I assume you had another reason for bringing me down here.

Of course I did.

It seems that we had

a small measure of success

in identifying Lila's unnamed boyfriend.

Oh, did Lila tell you?

Oh, that would be too easy. No.

I spoke to my old friend Dr. Radcliffe

at Boston Memorial hospital.

He remembered Lila

in connection with the euthanasia outbreak.

He also recalled that she was crazy in love

with some skinny intern who had a bad haircut named Kyle.

There was a Kyle in my English class

when I taught at Cabot Cove high school,

-and Lila was in that class. -Ah.

Now, what was his last name?

This might help, Mrs. F. I just got a list of Boston physicians

who might have worked with Lila.

-There's a couple of Kyles on this. -I'm listening.

-Kyle Monahan? -Mm-mm.

-Kyle Greenwood? -Mm-mm.

No, I think Kyle was his middle name.

Well, there you go-- John Kyle Adderly.

Yes!

Now I can put the name with a face,

and I remember that Kyle and Lila were very good friends.

Okay. All we have to do now is find him.

And then celebrate with a big piece of homemade cake.

Maggie's grandmother's applesauce cake.

Oh!

That's what Maggie was trying to tell me.

Tell you what? When?

Uh, never mind. I've got my own leads I've got to follow.

Doc, Mrs. F, I'll see you both later.

Oh, dear, oh, dear.

Jess, you okay?

Could you give me a ride to Maggie's house?

I need to get into Maggie's recipes.

Are you going to make an applesauce cake? Maybe I can help.

Well, I'm sure you can help,

because we are going to catch us a killer.

I wasn't near Maggie's house the night of the murder.

I was in my apartment,

playing gin rummy with my lawyer.

Well, that's strange, because one of the neighbors

gave us your description as the man they saw

running away from the murder scene.

So what? I know at least 20 members

of the country club that fit my description.

Oh, really? And do they all sound like you, too?

Sound like me? Why do they have to sound like me?

[Lila] That's him.

That's the voice I heard in Mrs. Saunders' room

the night she was murdered.

Wait a minute. She's the one you arrested for the murder.

Yeah, based on her alleged connection to other mercy killings.

But her ex-boyfriend, this Dr. Kyle Adderly,

he was picked up by the Boston PD a little while ago,

and he swore she had nothing to do with them.

He'd led Lila to believe

that she'd be considered his accomplice.

All right, all right. The truth.

Somebody offered me a part ownership

of a first-class retirement home

if I would just--

Figuring I knew a lot of wealthy seniors

at the country club.

So I figured if I got Maggie to sign on,

then the others would follow.

When I entered her room, her eyes were closed,

and I figured she was asleep,

so I started talking to her to wake her up.

When I realized that she wasn't going to hear me,

I got out of there.

This somebody who offered you part ownership,

does he have a name?

Jason Giles.

What difference does it make? She was dead.

When you got there-- if that's the truth.

Maybe he got there first.

[car door clicks shut]

[doorbell rings]

Coming.

-Oh, Serena. -Dr. Hazlitt.

Jessica invited me to tea.

She didn't tell me you were coming.

I'm here professionally.

Jessica's indisposed,

and I'm afraid the tea party's been canceled.

Ah! So it is true.

I heard Jessica was gravely ill.

-Where did you hear that? -It's all over town.

It's some new flu bug she picked up

from the filthy streets of New York, isn't it?

Now, Serena, you know I can't comment

on the condition of a patient.

I can, however, go up and ask her if she'd like a visitor.

No, no, don't bother. Let her sleep.

You just tell her that I stopped by and wish her well.

Actually, it wasn't the flu

that made Jess take to her bed.

She was stressed out from finishing her new book.

At the same time, she was trying to prove

Lila Nolan didn't kill a soul.

She even found a piece of new evidence

that points to someone she'll name

just as soon as she's back on her feet.

Is that a fact?

Now, remember, what I've just told you

is in the strictest confidence.

Trust me, doctor, I won't breathe it to a soul.

Good-bye. Good-bye.

Bye, Serena.

Aah!

Oh!

What's in that thing?

Philomin. The same lethal dose I used on the others.

What?

What are you doing in my house?

I-- I followed her. I saw her trying to break in.

Would you please call an ambulance? And hurry.

This woman's poisoned me.

You didn't follow her here, Justin.

You came here to kill me.

What? What are you saying?

Maggie told me you were her killer just before she died.

I realize now that she'd begun to suspect someone

who was systematically swindling her

out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

[Metzger] We did some checking, Mr. Haynes.

Her late husband set up a trust agreement for Mrs. Saunders.

That trust threw off $30,000 a month,

only there was never more than 10,000

that ever showed up in her checking account.

When I arrived to see her the day she died,

she was in the middle of a disturbing phone call.

Don't say things like that!

Well, just stop it right now!

Just stop it!

Rather than talk about it, she asked me

to bake her a cake.

Do you remember where I kept the recipe?

Mm-hmm. I haven't made one for years,

but if that's what you want,

I'll have another go at it.

It seemed very odd then, but what I realize now

was that she was really saying,

"Look in my kitchen cooking files,"

where I found the trust agreement and her checkbook.

Sheriff, sheriff...

none of that has anything to do with me. None of it.

Dr. Hazlitt, please, I beg of you, do something.

This woman has poisoned me!

Maggie wrote a check for over $15,000

to buy Dorie a piano.

It came as a real shock to her when that check bounced.

She must have started looking into her back balances.

She discovered the discrepancies

and called you on them.

Face it, Mr. Haynes, this syringe

this is the only evidence we're really going to need.

All right, all right, all right.

I-- It was too late to cover up what I'd done.

I had to kill her.

My mother's suspicions about my grandfather's death

gave me the idea.

Doctor, please, I beg of you--

I-- I can't--

I can't keep my eyes open. I'm fading here.

Nonsense.

You're suffering from nothing more than your own guilt.

I filled the hypodermic myself, with distilled water.

Come on, let's go.

Wait. But you said she told you

that I killed her before she died?

That's right, Justin.

It was probably her final act.

Pointing to the heading of the chapter

I'd read to her earlier that day,

and the title that described you--

"the money changer".

Maggie Saunders was a very determined lady.

[Seth] I'd say congratulations are in order, Jessica.

That is one beautiful applesauce cake.

Well, it's a good thing that I kept my promise

to Maggie to bake it,

because along with the recipe and the deposit slips,

I found the deed to this house, as well as her will.

"Being of sound mind, etcetera,

I leave my house and my estate

to my niece Dorie and my nephew Edward,

with the provision they share both equally.

It is a large house, with room for two families

and a flock of children."

What do you say, sis? You and Jason

up to living with in-laws and three kids?

I am, but not with Jason.

I think I'll take my time picking a roommate.

The next one's going to be a keeper.

Here's to a great lady.

Uh, wait a minute.

Which great lady are we toasting-- Maggie or Mrs. F?

Neither one. I was referring to Maggie's grandmother,

the lady who created the recipe

for this delicious applesauce cake.

[laughter]