All language subtitles for Murder.She.Wrote.S00E03.A.Story.to.Die.For.720p.WEB-DL.H.265

So there's no age
limit on reinventing yourself.

Sometimes it just
takes us a while

to discover what it is
that we're good at.

It doesn't matter

if you decide to take up
writing at the age of

20, 40, 60, whatever.

I mean, what matters
is the quality of your writing,

and the quiet determination
of your most secret heart.

And striving for quality
will not always come easy.

You may throw out a half
of what you write, that's okay.

The idea is to keep going.

Keep writing.

It will take a great deal of
energy, but it'll be worth it.

In the end, it all comes down
to four things,

Patience, direction,

determination,

and strength.

Thank you so much for coming.

Mrs. Fletcher, I have been a literary
assistant with Speakers Incorporated

for years, but I have never
seen a crowd react to a speaker

the way they do to you.

Well, thank you.

Are you writing something new?

As a matter of fact, I am.

I've just started a new mystery

set in the television industry.

Oh, yes, well we better get you to
the hotel to pack up your things,

your flight to Los Angeles
is leaving on schedule.

You know, this upcoming event,

it's the first time all the speaker in the
agency will be together in one place.

It's gonna be a huge PR event.

Did you know
that for the first time

Yuri Malenkovich is coming
in all the way from Russia?

- No, I didn't.
- Yes.

- Well, I'm ready.
- Great, let's go.

Be careful with this case,
it's my typewriter.

- Yes, sir.
- I'm sure you've heard of a typewriter.

It's kind of like
a word processor,

but you don't have
to plug it in.

You're hungry, aren't you?

You usually wait until at
least six to get this cranky.

I'm not cranky.
I'm the very soul of refined manners.

Ha. A damned soul, perhaps.

That's no way to talk
to your mentor.

Warren, with you
it's the only way.

Where's the elevator?

No, there has been a mistake.

When the reservations were
made, I said smoking room.

I cannot have a nonsmoking room.

I'm sorry, Mr. Malenkovich.

I'm sure we have something
available for you,

just let me check the computer,

This is typical.

Americans export tobacco
all over the world,

now we all smoke,

Russia, France, England,
everybody smokes!

Then you change the rules
so that we cannot do it here.

Now where is the fairness
in that? Hmm? Hmm?

I'm afraid
that's not my department, Sir.

Enough of this.

Have my bags taken
up to my room, immediately.

He has it.

What if he says no.

Then we will convince him.

Message for you, Mr. Cole.

Hi, I'm William Batsby, I'm one
of the motivational speakers.

Didn't I see you
on a cereal box, once?

It's all together possible.

So how do you do that?
Get on a cereal box, I mean.

You train all your life,
ten hours a day,

seven days a week, until you
get this little gold medal

that says you're the best
in the world at what you do.

And then what?

Just try to hang on.

Thanks, I'll see you later.

Hi, the name is Penny Ryan,
I think you have...

All ready to go, Ms. Ryan.

Mrs. Fletcher? John Mendoza.
An intern with the agency.

I've been assigned
to be your gopher.

If there's anything I can do,
any errands, just say the word.

Well, thank you. Come in.

Actually, there is something.

I was planning
on wearing this jacket

at the closing dinner
on Sunday night,

but I'm afraid it came out of my
luggage worse than it went in.

- I know it's the weekend, but...
- No problem.

I'll have it ready for you
first thing in the morning.

That would be wonderful,
thank you.

It's my pleasure,
that's why I signed up.

And as soon as I heard
that you were going to be here

I called and asked
to be assigned to you.

I figured it's
the least I can do.

You see, my mom,
she was a big fan of yours,

and she passed away
about six months ago.

Oh, I'm sorry.

No, don't be,
because you kept her going.

I used to come to the hospital and
read to her from your last book.

We'd finish one chapter and then
she'd have me start the next one.

It was like, like Scheherazade.

It gave her something she knew
she would have to finish.

You mom must've been
quite a woman.

I'm sure you loved her
very much.

I did.

Anyway, you helped her get her
mind off of her treatments,

and for that I owe you.

Thank you, John.

Can I have
a bellman to the front desk?

That was Penny Ryan.

- Yeah.
- I can't believe it.

She hasn't been seen in public
in what, over three years?

Well, if I lost my last
chance at a gold medal

in one of the worst showings
in Olympics history

I'd go into hiding, too.

Still, it doesn't
change the fact

that she is one of the best
skaters in the business.

I do believe
you're rather taken with her.

I was a big fan.

Well then go talk to her.

No, I can't.
Not now, maybe later.

Jang, you can't hope
to motivate other people

if you can't motivate
yourself first.

Rule one, remember?

Yes, I remember.

So, any sign
of Jessica Fletcher?

No. Knowing her she got here
early, she's already settled in.

I have no idea how she does
it, it makes me crazy.

- Does what?
- Perfection.

Do you know she charges
less for her lectures

than any of the other clients?

So she want to make sure
that anybody

who wants to be a writer
can afford to get in.

Some days I think
she does it deliberately,

just to make
the rest of us look bad.

Come on, she's the last person
who'd do that sort of thing.

Yeah, but if you read
her books then you know

that the person we think is the least
likely to do that sort of thing

is almost always
the one who turns out

to be the most likely to do
exactly that sort of thing.

Jessica, you must join us
for dinner.

Otherwise we'll have
to share our table

with one of those dreary
colleagues of ours downstairs.

And frankly, I would rather hurl myself
off the roof to my untimely death,

and I would leave you
with all kinds of guilt,

which I would never do
to an old friend.

So, there you are.

Hey, how are you,
you look wonderful.

Thank you, Warren.

And who is this?

I'm Patricia Williams,
I've been studying with Warren.

She's my protégé.

I'm teaching her
everything I know.

Warren, I have a good idea,

why don't we continue
this over dinner?

Splendid. Splendid idea!

And I met
Warren about a year ago,

at a writing workshop
in Seattle.

First time I read her stuff,
I knew she had it.

Just needs a little seasoning.

Aw. So how long have
you two known each other?

Oh, ages.

We both had our first novels
published in the same year.

Hmm, which put us in contention
for the same awards.

So, we attended
the same receptions

the same awards banquets,

and somehow we became friends.

A miracle of somewhat
biblical proportions.

This may surprise you,

but it's not easy,
being my friend.

Oh, I'm shocked.
Shocked, I tell you.

I've heard it said that I'm cranky,
impatient, judgmental, short-tempered...

- Tempestuous.
- Volatile.

Well, we noticed that you
were going alphabetically,

so we thought
we would just help you out.

Well, despite all that,
we've managed to remain friends.

Cause we've always had a
mutual respect for each other.

Jessica's the real deal.

Look around you.

Half the people in this room
won't even be here next year.

They're flavors of the month.

With about as much
depth of character

as a piece of cardboard.

As speaking
of our esteemed comrades,

I believe this is the latest
addition to our ranks.

Yes, I heard.

He's the former head of the KGB.

You don't sound too happy
about that.

Well, many unfortunate things
were done by the KGB

before the fall
of the Soviet Union.

Yuri.

I know you.

Mack Rolands,

the political connotator.

It's commentator.

No, connotator.

I've read your columns.

You engage in connotation.

Implication, innuendo,

but very little real news.

How're you still able
to earn a living, I wonder.

I do just fine.

Excuse me, if I can
have your attention, please?

For those of you
I haven't met yet,

I'm Joseph Brennan,
President of Speakers Inc.

Thank you, thank you.

In the last ten years,
we have become

one of the most popular
speaker's bureaus

in the United States
and Britain.

Our clients include
writers, actors, athletes,

politicians, scientists,
and others.

But now I would like to
introduce our newest clients.

Penny Ryan, four time international
gold medalist and figure skater.

Mack Rolands,
syndicated columnist

and author of half a dozen of
the most inflammatory books

written about American
politics in the 70's.

As my late lamented writing partner
used to say at these occasions,

I'm bombed to meet you.

And finally, I would like to introduce
to you Yuri Ivanoff Malenkovich.

Previously head of military intelligence
for the former Soviet Union,

educated at Eton, in England.

Well, I am pleased to announce that he has
just completed a new nonfiction book.

A history of his tenure
as head of the KGB.

And it has just been sold,
sight-unseen,

to Hathner-Loeb's publishing.

It should cause quite a stir
in both our countries.

Names are named,
there are scandals, secrets.

My former comrades offered me
a million dollars

not to sell the manuscript,
just to turn it over to them.

I told the I had a better offer.

To wrap things up on Monday,

Yuri will hand over
the manuscript

for the very first time
at a press conference,

in return for a check
for two million dollars.

Two million dollars?
I'd kill for a deal like that.

If he's right about
what's in that manuscript,

you're not the only one.

Excuse me.

Mr. Rolands, a moment
of your time, please?

- Excuse us.
- Sure.

- My time is your time.
- Good. Then stop wasting it.

What the hell
was that all about back there?

What're you talking about?

We had an agreement,
me and your publisher.

While we're on tour,
there's no drinking.

This is not the tour, that
doesn't happen til next week.

But this is to promote the tour,
this place is lousy with reporters

and we have an image
to maintain here.

- Please.
- Look, look, when you came to us

with this little dog and pony
show we were supportive.

Now, despite some serious
misgivings on my part

your published and I invested a significant
amount of money in this project.

I'd rather not lose my shirt.

You won't.

I'm just being colorful.

That's all.
People like colorful.

Surely you've heard about it,
it's been in all the papers.

Fine, okay, okay, fine.

Do what you want.

But if you screw up
I'm pulling out and it's over.

Hey, I didn't notice you getting
that heavy handed with Yuri

for saying a lot more
and a lot worse than I did.

It kind of makes me think
you wanna swing this deal

over more in his direction.

But, after all,

he's the bigger ticket, right!

Those are your words,
Mack, not mine.

But not exactly inaccurate,
either.

Hey, I didn't like what you
said to me back there.

We had an understanding, there's
a line you don't cross.

Mr. Rolands.

At this moment,

you need me
more than I need you.

Do you wish to end our little
agreement, do you? Hmm?

- No.
- Good boy.

But you're a real piece of
work, Yuri, you know that?

My wife said I was signing
a deal with the devil,

but Mr, next to
you he's a piker.

Go have a drink, Roly. Tomorrow we
begin the Cold War all over again.

Mrs. Fletcher.

William Batsby,
Motivational Ideologies.

This is my associate,
Everett Jang.

- Oh, hello.
- We're big fans of yours.

Oh, well thank you.

That said, can I ask you
a tactless question?

Well, that depends
on the question.

Do you feel that solving real life murders
has helped raise your visibility,

in terms of book sales,
appearances, PR?

I don't know. I must confess,

I've never really thought about it.

I think you're being slightly
disingenuous, Mrs. Fletcher.

Even in my country,
your work is well known.

Why, you're not a law
enforcement officer

and yet you take great risks every time you
get involved in a murder investigation.

Why else do it,
if not for the publicity?

If you bring something special
to a situation,

that may be of help, and if the
circumstances merit your intrusion,

don't you think it's the
responsibility of every citizen

to become involved if a
crime has been committed?

But I did not
come here to argue,

I thought we could begin fresh.

Let the past stay in the past.

I believe that all things work out
for the best in the end, huh?

So do I.

I sleep well at night
comforted by that thought.

You, perhaps, should not.

Pretty night.

Yes, yes it is.

I couldn't take much more
of that crowd in there.

My capacity for superficial
chatter only goes so far.

Where's Patricia?

Inside, dancing the
night away, I imagine.

I can't keep up with her.

I know what you're thinking.

I didn't know
I was thinking anything.

There's nothing more
between Patricia and myself

than student and mentor.

I never thought there was.

Not that she's not
important to me, Jess.

I'm very fond of her.

You know, when I look at her
I see myself at that age.

Full of energy.

Idealistic as hell.

And very bright.

All she needs is that one big
break and she's on her way.

I just hope I don't pack it in
before she gets her chance.

Well, it's a little premature
to be talking about the end,

you've still got a lot
of years ahead of you.

You know, Jess,

there are times when I think
I can no longer bare

the weight of my own existence.

You said the same thing
when your son, Brent, died.

If it was true then,

why is it not true now?

It was a hard thing,
losing a son.

It made you question everything.

You had to get on with
the job of living again.

Yeah.

You're right.

Tell me something, Jess.

How is it that you and I
never got together?

Oh, because
I am completely busy,

and you are
completely disagreeable.

Yeah, I thought it was something like that.

You, boy!

I need to copy something,
a manuscript,

can you tell me
where I might do that?

No.

And first off, I'm not your boy.

And second, I'm here
for Mrs. Fletcher, not you.

You are an intern
of this agency, yes?

Sorry.

Insolent, little...

Come back here!

Two millions dollars
for one book.

House keeping.

Yeah, just take it around the back.

Jessica Fletcher's here and there's
been a murder. What're the odds?

'Scuse me.

It's Yuri.

I heard it from one
of the cleaning staff.

She found his body when they
went in to clean his room.

They said he was shot,
but no one heard a gun.

Oh dear.

- So?
- What?

Aren't you going to investigate?

I thought you'd be
discovering clues by now.

Oh. I'm quite sure
that the local authorities

have everything well in hand.

I'm not gonna get
in their way. Excuse me.

I can't believe it.
I just saw him last night.

We were supposed
to have breakfast.

Had the staff bring in
caviar, onions, sardines...

Breakfast? If you ask me, whoever
killed him didn't have to do it.

With a diet like that,
just wait a few weeks, huh?

- Hello, Jessica.
- Oh, Joseph.

Are you all right?
Is there anything you need?

- No, thank you, Jessica.
- Jessica Fletcher.

- That's right.
- Lieutenant Detective Bob Mankowski.

It's an honor to meet you.

I've read all of your books.

Well, most of them.

I would've read all of them,

but who's got that kind of time.

I assume you've heard
the details.

Well, actually I...

Yuri was shot
some time last night

around midnight in his room.

Possibly with a silencer,
since nobody heard anything.

And only one thing
was taken from the room,

the manuscript of Yuri's book.

So isn't this where you tell me
what you think happened?

Don't worry, Officer Mankowski,

I am not going to interfere
with your investigation.

What, you think I don't want
you getting involved?

Well, it's usually the case.

Well not me.
Like I said, I'm a big fan.

So as far as I'm concerned, you get
involved to your hearts content.

Well thank you,
I'll remember that.

Now, what're you gonna do, Joesph?
I mean in terms of the conference.

Well Officer Mankowski
thinks we should continue,

and I agree.

I mean, we've arranged
this gathering for our clients

to showcase their
individual presentations.

We have free lectures
all weekend, tons of press.

I can't justify closing down
that opportunity

for our clients to generate
some valuable attention.

Besides, the odds are somebody
here pulled the trigger.

So you think Jessica
Fletcher's working on the case?

Come on, she said
she wasn't gonna get into it.

Yeah, but what if she does.

You know, between the two of us

we could beat her
at her own game.

Solve it first.

Oh, come on!
Can you imagine the publicity?

Can you imagine the attention?

Can you imagine the book sales?

You're not thinking what I think
you're thinking, are you?

Yeah. Listen, I'll catch
up with you later,

I'm gonna get on this before
anybody else figures it out.

Patricia, you up?

Hey.

Nothing personal,
but you look like hell.

Thanks a lot.

I couldn't sleep,
I had nightmares all night.

Mm. Point of logic,

how could you have nightmares
if you couldn't sleep?

Warren.

Never mind. Come on.

You okay?

Fine.

Want something to drink?

Before breakfast?

That's not like you.

Yeah, well, I guess a lot of
people think I'm somebody else these days.

I'm going to take a shower.

Do you wanna get something
for breakfast?

Yeah.

Yeah, I'll...

I'll meet you downstairs.

That's why sometimes you
have to sacrifice a little privacy,

for piece of mind.

Now, frankly, I'm not at all
concerned about the liberal left.

Organized crime,
there is a real threat.

Worst thing a liberal can do
is talk you to death.

Next question, please.

Ah, a fellow speaker

and a member
of the liberal press.

What, did you come here
to learn a few things?

What's your question?

Well, I was just wondering

where you were last night
around midnight?

It's none of your business.

But I'm gonna tell you anyway.

I was in my room, preparing
for this little lecture.

Can you prove that?

If I have to.

What the hell are you, pal?
A cop?

If you are, say so.

I'm just an interested
member of the audience,

and I think that you've got
something to hid.

And what might that be?

You tell me.
You and the murdered man had some words.

That was a friendly exchange.

Now look, pal, I'm not on trial
here, and you're not a judge.

Next question.

Hello, Patricia.

Oh, hello.

Are you all right?

Uh, yes, I'm fine,
I'm just a little tired.

Didn't get much sleep.

Oh sure, I know the feeling.

Um, may I ask you something?

- Of course.
- How badly did you want to be a writer?

Well, I think it was always
in the back of my mind,

but I didn't start
writing seriously

until after my husband died.

Why do you ask?

Well, I'm afraid it's becoming

a bit of an obsession with me.

You see, Warren has given me so much of
his time, and I appreciate that so much,

and I just wanna make him proud,

And I know I'm gonna
have to work very hard

if I wanna gain any recognition
at all as a writer, so...

Well, it's a very
competitive world.

But don't worry,

a little obsession
never hurt anyone.

Thank you.

Let's just drop this at the desk.

How ya doing?

We're looking
for the hotel manager,

we understand
someone's been murdered.

Right. Well,
he isn't talking to anyone.

FBI, genius.

Upstairs to the left, sir.

Come in!

- Good morning, John.
- Good morning.

I got it for you,
just like I promised.

Oh, thank you.
Set it right down there.

Are you leaving?

Oh, no, no, no.

I'm just gonna work outside
for a few hours.

Why don't you take
the afternoon off.

Well, some friends of mine
asked me to go to Santa Monica

for a birthday party, but...

No buts.

You go and have a good time.
I can take care of myself.

I guess you heard
about last night.

Yes, very unfortunate.

Yeah, well I'm not gonna
shed any tears for him.

He shouldn't have talked to you.

He shouldn't have talked
to people the way he did.

John, rudeness is hardly
grounds for murder.

If it was, half the planet
would be gone tomorrow.

All right, Mrs. Fletcher,
have a good day.

Thanks, you too.

Here's your drink, Ms. Ryan.

So, let's go over the evidence.

We don't have any evidence.

Jang, we're motivators.

Think positive, be positive,
act positive.

Now, one, Yuri was murdered.

Two, his manuscript was missing.

Therefore, three, Yuri was
killed for the manuscript.

Unless whoever did it
took the manuscript

to make it look like
that's why he killed him

when in fact that manuscript
had nothing to do with it.

Are you trying to make this more difficult?

What else is there?
Murder needs motive.

Now, I was talking to some
of the company people,

and Yuri was apparently
a recluse.

This was his first time
outside Russia

since the fall
of the Berlin Wall.

Sounds like a sore loser.

The point is that

whatever he might've done
in Russia,

he was killed here in America.

But he hadn't done anything yet.

He just got here, he was
practically just off the boat.

He had a book published
last year.

It was a novel. Fiction.

Come on, Jang,
let's get on the same page.

Okay, it was a novel.

It got slammed by the reviewers,

maybe that had something
to do with it.

If people got
murdered for writing bad books,

someone would've taken out
Judith Cranze a long time ago.

Okay, I'll give you that one.

Well, maybe he slandered
somebody in the novel.

That's why God made lawyers.

No. Yuri said
his nonfiction book

was filled with secrets
from the Cold War.

So that's why he was murdered.

Now maybe it was someone
who wanted to cash in

on the information in the book.

Or maybe it was
a political killing

by somebody from the old country

who didn't want
those secrets to get out.

Yeah, there's probably a copy
on his computer back home

but it's probably coded,
triple encrypted,

booby trapped and Trojan horsed.

- What do you think, Mrs. Fletcher?
- Hmm?

You think
that's a likely scenario?

Uh, well,

I mean there are always
many likely scenarios,

the trick is finding
the one true scenario

among all the likely ones.

I mean, for instance
in my experience,

the person who's being the most
helpful in trying to solve the murder

is often the one
who committed the crime.

I mean, he does it in order
to discredit real clues

and create
misleading information.

Oh yes, too much eagerness
to solve the crime

is all too often a sign
of the killer himself.

Don't look at me like that.

Well, you said yourself,
the killer could be anybody.

Anybody means you, me, Jessica.

Exactly, or even...

Those guys.

If you ask me, those guys
look pretty suspicious.

- Well, their FBI.
- How do you know?

Ear piece visible
behind the left ear.

Slight bulge
in the right sleeve,

where the mic for the
walkie-talkie is located.

Second bulge
just under their jackets,

looks about the right size
for a nine millimeter,

semi-automatic
standard FBI issue.

Suspects.

Good going, Sherlock.

Come on.

Let's give the pro
some room to work.

Jang, she may be right about the FBI,

but I still think there's
something going on here.

Let's get real, shall we.

They call it the Russian Republic
now, and not the Soviet Union,

but it's the same old player,
the same old game.

And they want the past
to stay dead.

And if Yuri's
dead along with it,

then that's business as usual.

Now, I think...

I think we should let the people

who know
what they're talking about

try to figure out what happened.

At last,

the voice of common sense,

what took you so long?

Caught in traffic outside of DC.

Common sense hasn't been able

to get into that place in years.

I'm sorry, where are my manners.

Penny Ryan, Everett Jang.

- Everett, this is...
- Oh, I know, believe me.

I saw you skate
in Sarajevo, Paris,

- Chicago...
- Chicago?

That was my first
real competition.

- Nobody saw me in Chicago.
- I did.

- I'm glad to hear you're on the comeback trail.
- Thank you.

It's getting a little thick
in here, isn't it?

Mack Rolands?

- Yes.
- Mason Phillips.

Paul Neeley, FBI.

Would you come with us, please.

Excuse me.

Anyway, I say follow the book.

You find that manuscript,
you'll find the killer.

You sound
pretty sure about that.

It's hard to believe
it's so simple.

Well, when you've been
around for a while,

perhaps you'll observe more.

Maybe.

But from what I've seen now,
it seems pretty inconclusive.

I mean, don't you need
a motive anymore,

or do people just go around
getting arrested?

Oh, there is motive all right.

Rolands had plenty
of reason to kill...

Well, that's none
of our business, now is it?

Well, no,
but I just thought I would...

Don't. Leave the thinking to the FBI.

Excuse me.

I'm sure you understand, Mr. Rolands,

the murder of Yuri Malenkovich

has set off alarms all over
the state department.

Not to mention we've received
some rather sharply worded faxes

from the Russian Consulate.

And what's that got to do with me?

Well, during the 70's,

while you were overseas
on book tours,

you did some freelance work

for the American
Intelligence community.

Covering the activities of campus
radicals, here and abroad.

It would pose
a considerable embarrassment

if the unfortunate events
of last night

would come knocking
at your door.

This is insane.

According to reports,
the two of you exchanged words

the night he was murdered.

Something about a deal?

Would you care to explain,
Mr. Rolands?

He and I had the same publisher.

Six weeks ago we signed a deal
to do a tour together.

Sixteen cities,
a little dog and pony show,

like the G. Gordon Liddy,
Timothy Leary tour.

East versus West,

in the final shoot out
of the Cold War.

Then what was that little
exchange about during dinner?

Well, that was just part
of the show,

I figured I'd warm up
the act a little.

Warm? I hear it got pretty hot.

I lost my temper, that's all.

We had an agreement not to
make the debates personal,

to stick to the issues.

Right out of the gate
he starts taking personal shots.

Yuri Malenkovich wasn't big
on keeping promises.

Knowing your feelings towards anyone
involved with the former Soviet Union

I'm surprised you went
along with this.

My published thought
it would help move my books.

Sales have been soft

since the Berlin Wall came down.

I guess nobodies building
things to last anymore.

Do you ever talk?

We will of course
review this material.

It's in the best interest
of the agency

and everyone involved here
to make this go away

as quickly as possible.

Why?

It's not like he was
dearly loved, you know.

Perhaps not, but there's
still a manuscript missing

which may or may not contain
politically sensitive information.

Ah, I see you decided to get away
from that feeding frenzy in there.

Pack of vultures.

Picking at someone else's
misfortune.

Now tell me, Jess,
do you ever stop working?

Well, it's so easy.

You see, it's one of the
benefits of a notebook computer.

Ah. I wouldn't know.

This, I made myself.

Works like a dream.

See you later, John!

Keep walking.

Okay, listen man,
if this is a car jacking

- you can just take the car, okay?
- Open it.

All right.

You're going to give me
the manuscript.

What?

You have Yuri's manuscript.

I don't believe it.
This is a mystery novel, this is my novel!

Okay, I've been working on it
for the past two years.

I was hoping to give it to Jessica
Fletcher after the conference.

Freeze, FBI, drop your weapon.

So the real question is,

what ever happened
to common courtesy?

Little things, like
"Thank you", "You're welcome",

"I'm sorry", "After you".

It's gotten to the point now,

where you can't even go
to the movies without worrying

about creating
an international incident

just by asking somebody
to be quiet.

I've been threatened
just for going, "Shh".

So I made this little gadget.

About so big, with a spring
and a little match on it.

Perfectly harmless.

But it sounded like a gun
being cocked.

Now, if you could just
tell me who you saw in the hallway,

I need more money.

This is not enough.

This better be worth it.

So when I'm in the movies,

and when I heard
somebody talking,

I give them a shush,

if they didn't pay
any attention,

I would take out the little
gadget, and I would...

And suddenly it got very quiet.

Til one night,

I went to the movies in Chicago,

and there was a guy behind me
and he kept talking,

so I reached into my pocket,

and I took out
the little gadget,

And...

I confidently waited
for the silence.

A couple of seconds later, from
behind me I heard another...

So I thought to myself,

"What are the odds
that this guy has

a little gadget just like mine.

Or what are the odds
that he's got a real gun

"pointed at the back of my head."

I dropped the little gadget
in the trash bin,

and I have never,
ever tried that again.

Excuse me,
I don't think we've met,

I'm Patricia Williams.

Hi, I'm Penny Ryan.

Oh, yes of course, I know.

I was lucky enough to see you
in the Olympics.

So, what happened there?

What do you mean?

Well, I mean you went
into that competition

ranking number one in the world,

and finished fifth,
and stopped skating.

Well, we were all under
a lot of pressure,

and I had a bad day.

Well, if you don't mind
me asking,

was there more to it
than the pressure?

I think you said...

You know, I don't really care
what you think.

I know what I went through.

And it's actually just
none of your business.

Well actually, it is my
business, you see, I'm a writer

and I look for stories.

You mean fabricating stories?

No, I gather facts
and I have them published.

Well, there's nothing here
for publication.

Guess I hit a nerve.

I'm sorry.

No, you're not.

Look, there is no story here.

Leave me alone.

Yes, of course, I'll be right there.

No, it's not a problem.

John, don't be silly,

it's not as if I haven't done
this sort of thing before.

I'll be right there.

Oh!

I was just about to knock.

Are you going out?

Uh, well yes, I just got a call

from my intern, John Mendoza.

He was picked up by the FBI.

Needs someone
to go to bat for him.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Could you spare a minute
before you go?

Oh, of course, come in.

Jessica, I was wondering
if you would

be willing to look into
this whole murder situation?

- As a personal favor to me.
- May I ask why?

A little while ago you were complaining
about this feeding frenzy,

and everyone trying to capitalize
on somebody else's misfortune

- by trying to figure out who did it.
- That's true.

Well, what happened
to change your mind?

Well nothing,
they're still vultures,

but the hysteria we've got
out there, it's dangerous.

I think we're in desperate need
of some panic control.

That'd be you.

Warren,

if I get into this,
I have to follow the truth.

Wherever it leads.

I understand.

All right, I'm in.

Walk with me.

Hello, John.

I'm am so sorry to have to
drag you all the way out here.

Oh, that's quite all right.

How long were you planning
on holding him, Lieutenant?

Well, if it was up to me I
would've cut him lose an hour ago.

But the Feds wanna hold him
as a material witness.

But I didn't see anything.

Some guy tried to rob me.

- Who tried to rob you?
- A Russian.

The Feds think maybe it's the
same guy who capped Malenkovich.

He thought I had
the stolen manuscript.

And I thought for sure
that he was gonna kill me.

They're questioning him
in another room.

- Wanna see?
- Yes, perhaps I should.

Don't worry, I'll be right back.

We'll get you out of here
in just a few minutes.

Okay, once more,
and this time give me the facts.

I have already told you.

That's the guy.

Tell me again.

I just love being lied to,
reminds me of my last marriage.

Boris.

What were you doing
at the hotel?

I came to speak with Yuri
Malenkovich about his book.

Do you always bring a gun and a silencer
to talk to somebody abut his book?

Or are the Russians just harder
on their writers than I thought.

It was for protection
in case Yuri made a problem.

We knew he had been offered two
million dollars by his publisher.

I was sent to make a counter
offer of equal value,

if he would not sell it
to anyone else.

We would also arrange
for certain favors

to be done for members
of his family still in Russia,

whose living conditions
have been rather hard

since the fall
of the Communist Party.

Of course, it would've been
much simpler

just to kill him, take the book,

and keep the money
for yourself, I think.

It's not that simple!

Thank you.

He didn't kill Yuri.

Well, you sound
awfully sure of that.

Look, if he had done the job,

he would've had the manuscript.

He wouldn't have gone after
John thinking that he had it.

Well, he could've killed him and
found the book was already missing.

Oh, no. Yuri wasn't
the sort of person

who would lose track
of something that important.

If that manuscript had been
stolen before he was killed,

he would've cause a commotion

that you would've heard
all the way back to Moscow.

So the killing is related
to the manuscript.

No, I didn't say that.

In a situation like this,

there's what we think,
what we know,

and what we can prove.

I mean, Yuri is dead,

the manuscript is missing.

But how do those facts
relate to one another?

I mean, we don't know.

Tell your people
to keep looking.

What? What do you mean?

Forensics report says
the gun we found on this guy

didn't fire the bullet
that killed Yuri.

I'll get into it.

Well, if you're going to,
you'd better do it quickly.

What do you mean we'd better...
What did...

What is she doing in here?

She is my guest.

She has no official role
in this investigation.

She has no business...

What do you mean
we should do it quickly?

Well, this man here
is a Russian citizen, isn't he?

That's right. Why?

Well, if I was in his situation,

I'd have orders to check in with
my handler every few hours.

- And if I didn't...
- Yeah?

My handler might think
that I had been arrested.

In which case, he would immediately
arrange for the kind of assistance

that only he could get as a
diplomat of another country.

Diplomatic immunity.

Mr. Phillips,

there's a guy on the line

from the Russian consulate
in New York.

He'd like a word with you.

I'll take that in the other office,
then I want her out of here.

Oh, just one other thing,
Mr. Phillips.

If that call
is what I think it is,

and if our guest is about
to receive diplomatic immunity,

- then you have no case against him.
- That's right.

Well then, how can you hold John
Mendoza as a material witness

in a case that no longer exists?

Kick him loose.

That was a thing of beauty,
Mrs. Fletcher.

I mean, the look on his face was perfect.

Someone's here to see you, detective.

Yeah, send him on back.

Gonna put through t
he paperwork on your friend,

and we'll have him out of here
in a little bit.

Oh, thank you.
That'll be wonderful.

Oh.

I'm sorry, I didn't know
you were here.

Oh, that's all right.
I can leave if you like.

Oh, no. That's okay.

You'll wanna hear this.

I think I know who killed Yuri.

Hi, mind if I bother you
for a minute?

Please.

Thanks.

After we met,
I asked around about you.

And from what I gather, when it
comes to motivational speaking,

you are the one to talk to.

Even more than your partner,
William.

Well, I don't know
if I'm any better than...

I also heard
that you were very modest.

That is a rare trait these days.

So, what can I do for you?

You mentioned
the comeback trail.

Well, I am ready
to find it all right,

but I'm not really
sure which trail to take.

I've tried writing, but so far
nothing's really worked out,

you can consult on ice skating,

but not unless you
really want to coach,

and I'm not really
ready for that.

So I have a name.

A little worn out maybe,
but still a name.

Just not a lot of options
on how to use it.

So I was thinking,

maybe motivational speaking
might be the best way to go.

I think that's a great idea.

You see, the harder
your life has been,

the more it means if you can pull yourself
out of it and make something of yourself.

And from what I know about you,
you've had a pretty hard life.

You've worked yourself
out of poverty,

you've educated yourself,
you've trained yourself.

You've got a pretty
interesting story to tell.

And I think people
will want to hear it.

Do you really think so?

I mean, I wouldn't need, like,
some kind of gimmick or...

No, just be yourself.

Patricia Williams?

- Yes?
- Lieutenant Detective Bob Mankowski.

Is there something wrong?

Ms. Williams,
you told our officers

that you went straight
to your room after dinner.

But we now have a witness
who has placed you

leaving Yuri Malenkovich's room

at roughly
the time of the murder.

You were crying,

you looked as though
you'd been in a struggle,

and you were seen leaving
with a thick manila envelop.

Would you come with me, please?

You're sure this won't get
you into any trouble?

It probably will,
but I can handle it.

I don't buy any of this.

Where'd this so-called
witness come from?

And if they saw something, why
didn't they come forward earlier?

That's all too convenient
for me.

The witness works the four
pm to midnight shift.

She didn't hear of the murder until
she got back to work this afternoon.

Ms. Williams, do you understand
the penalty for lying

to an agent of the FBI in the
course of a homicide investigation?

- I'm not lying.
- No?

Interesting.

I still don't understand

why Patricia
didn't want an attorney.

Hmm.

She was afraid it would be
an admission of guilt.

It was naive. Stupid.

We couldn't talk her out of it.

Just let me see
if I understand this.

You say you were never
near Yuri Malenkovich's room.

That's right.

So the maid that saw you...

She's confused or lying.

So you were never there?

No.

Oh, that's interesting.

Let me show you something.

On the left are fingerprints we
took when we brought you in here.

The fingerprints on the right were
taken from a broken wine glass

we found in Yuri's room.

They're the same.

One hundred percent,
absolute match.

Is there anything you want to change
in your story now, Ms. Williams?

After the reception,

I did call him to see if I
could speak to him privately.

He agreed, we set a time.

What time?

A little before 11:00.

Didn't it strike you odd

to be seeing someone
so late in the evening?

I figured he was still on Russian time.

What were you seeing him about?

I thought if I could interview
him about his years with the KGB

and his new book,

I could sell the article
to a major magazine.

I felt that this could be
my big break.

My first big sale.

I brought my clip so I could show
him what I'd done previously,

mostly some articles and a few short
stories I'd published over the years,

just so he would know
I was a writer.

But as it turned out, he
wasn't interested in my work.

We struggled.

But I didn't kill him.

He was very much alive
when I left that room.

That was the last time
I saw him.

That's a fine story, Ms. Williams.

It's what happened.

Look, from what I've heard
it sounds like he was shot.

I don't even own a gun.

But it is entirely possible

that you saw his manuscript
as the big break.

- Or maybe you just wanted to sell it to the Russians.
- No.

One the other hand, maybe
he did try to assault you

and in the course of the
struggle, you grabbed his gun,

fired, self defense.

I'm sure a jury will find
that story more sympathetic.

I can hold you for 24 hours before I
have to charge you with anything,

until then, you're the person
closest to the center of the storm.

And I'm keeping you here.

She didn't do it.

She couldn't have,
I just won't accept it.

I'll give you that
she's wild in some ways,

but it's because she's so
passionate about things.

Her life, her work, her career,

but something like this?
No, never.

You know, Warren, when you
asked me to look into this,

I sensed that there
was a lot more

than what you were saying.

You were afraid of this,
weren't you?

Yes, I was.

Phillips is so desperate
to pin this on somebody,

he'll try anything.

I know. It's the hardest thing

to see someone innocent being blamed
for something that they didn't do.

I don't want anything
to happen to Patricia.

I lost my son,
I just don't want to go through

anything like that again.

You know, Warren,

you've never really
talked about him.

I mean, I knew that Brent

was a reporter, that he had been
killed in Afghanistan, but that's all.

He loved to write.

Even as a little boy,
he just loved to write.

So he decided he wanted
to become a journalist.

He was covering the activities
of the Afghani rebels,

when he was killed.

It was the worst thing that ever happened
to me in my life, Jess. I just...

I can't go through
anything like that again.

I'm going to do everything
I can, Warren. I swear.

Thanks.

So, what's our next step?

Well, the killer
is still out there.

So our job is to find him,
or at least produce evidence

that eliminates Patricia from
the list of possible suspects.

Mm. So we don't necessarily
have to show who did it,

as long as we can prove
that she didn't do it.

Right. What we need to do right now
is to prove that the real killer

is still at large.

And how do we do that?

I've got an idea or two.

Mm.

- Hi.
- Hi.

You made it.

Are you kidding? I wouldn't
miss this for the world.

You know, I'm surprised you're
at this conference by yourself.

Well, I'm kind of
on my own these days.

My husband and I separated
about six months ago.

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.

It's okay, he was a skater
for the East German team.

And I've spoken to Lieutenant Mankowski,

and he has agreed to attend a press
conference on Monday morning.

Hmm. And that's when you'll
make your announcement?

I should think so.

I don't know how
you do it, Jess.

I would never would've
seen those clues,

and they were right there
in front of me.

Well, it's just a matter of
knowing what you're looking for,

how to recognize it, and how
to organize the information.

I mean, once you've done that,

everything else invariably
falls into place.

By Monday morning, we should have
the last two pieces of information

to nail down the case,

and then we can all get back
to our respective lives.

Huh. You think he bought it, Jess?

Oh, yes. I'd like a lager.

Lager sounds good.
Two lagers, please.

Where is he now?

Oh, back in Germany.

He had some kind of run in
with the authorities there.

He dropped out of sight
completely about a week ago.

I suspect he's in
some kind of trouble...

Jang! I've been looking
everywhere for you.

Did you hear?

I'm kinda busy here, Bill.

Hi. Fletcher's on the case.

- You're kidding.
- No.

I heard her talking with
that friend of hers, Warren.

She figures to have this whole thing
completely wrapped up by Monday.

That gives us just 24 hours
to crack this thing.

Why?

If she knows who the killer is

and justice gets served,
that's great.

Great for her, maybe.
Not so good for me.

All right, I'll see you later.

I've got something I gotta do.

Excuse me, Mr. Brennan.
Can I have a minute?

What is it?

Well, I've got some ideas
about Yuri's murder

and I've got no body
to bounce them off of.

Why don't you just bounce
them off your buddy, Jang?

Well, he's, he's got his
hands full with other things.

No, I just thought that
if I could sort of test

my theory out on you,
that there might be,

I don't know,

some interest in a book or
something, somewhere down the line.

- Or, perhaps, um...
- Look, Batsby.

I'm president of a company that
represents people who write books.

- I'm not a publisher.
- Oh, I know.

I know, but I thought
that if I told you my ideas,

and you thought they had merit,

that you might direct me to
somebody who could help me?

And put in a good word,
you know?

All right.
All right, let's hear it.

Well, um,

the way I see it.

We need to find
a connection between Yuri

and somebody at this conference.

Somebody who needed that manuscript
bad enough to kill for it.

Correct. Yes.

Now who would that be?

I don't know. Yet.

But I will.

One thing I do know,
it's not gonna be obvious.

The killer, I mean.

So, um, if you thought
it might be worth a shot,

sorry, no pun intended,

I might be able to nose around.

See what I could find out.

Well, do some sleuthing
if you'd like, and we'll see.

If you come up with something,
maybe we'll talk.

But I'm gonna tell
you something,

I don't wanna get led
on a wild goose chase.

And before you come back to me,

make sure you know
what you're talking about.

Oh, yes, Sir.

You can bet I will.

Now, I want you to stay right
here, and don't answer the door.

I'm going to pick up a few things and
I'll be back before you know it.

I beg your pardon?

Oh, this couch
looks very comfortable.

Warren, you're not staying here.

Of course I am.

We as much as told the world
you know who the killer is.

And the killer will obviously
consider that a threat,

which should bring him out.
That's a good thing.

It's a bad thing if he decides to
eliminate the threat by eliminating you.

So you will stay in the bedroom,

I will sleep here on the couch,

no one will get past me,
I guarantee it.

You don't have
to do this, Warren.

No, if I did
I probably wouldn't.

Since I don't, I am and I will.

I'm gonna go to my room
and get my pillow.

Because I've broken
it in quite nicely.

- Yes?
- Room service.

- Good evening, ma'am.
- Oh, over there, please.

I always have a cup of
chamomile tea every evening.

Oh, good idea.

I think I'd like some myself.

Back in five.

Tea for two, ma'am?

So it would seem.

- Thank you very much.
- Oh, thank you, ma'am.

- Goodnight.
- Goodnight.

Well, it doesn't prove anything.

We have no proof this
even came from the killer,

it could've come from any one
of those other people out there

who are trying
to solve the murder.

Well, unless the neighbors
heard you snoring.

What would
"Stop now or die" refer to

other than our investigation?

Yeah, well it's possible... What?

What do you mean my snoring?

I don't snore,
I have never snored.

Warren, you're a dear man.
And a good friend.

Either you snore,

or there was a bear
in here last night,

and one of us should inform
the management.

Look, I'll grant,
it's not much but it's a start.

It means
that we've been noticed,

now we have to turn it over
to the police.

The more we can create
a legitimate paper trail,

the better Patricia's chances
of being cleared.

Gimmie just a minute
to put myself together.

Warren, are you all right?

Jess!

Warren, what's wrong?

I've been shot.

Oh, my God!

Don't move, it'll only
make it bleed more.

See, I told you
you were in danger.

Oh, there are simpler ways of
proving it than by dying, Warren!

Dr. Shriner to NICU.

You really should stay here
and let them keep an eye on you.

Jessica,
it's just a flesh wound.

Doctor said
nothing vital was hit,

I can sit here
or I can sit at the hotel,

what difference does it make?

Look, Warren.
Someone tried to kill you.

Yes, and whoever tried it may
probably come after you next.

I'm not going to stay here
and let that happen!

You know, I thought
you might want to know

that we tested
that bullet that grazed you.

And the double striations
on the bullet

match the one that we pulled
out of Yuri's body.

Double striations.

Yes, indicating that the bullet

was fired from a gun
equipped with a silencer.

Which is why no one heard it
the night Yuri was murdered.

That's interesting.

What?

Well, a silencer indicates

a certain degree
of premeditation, doesn't it?

I mean, most people who own
guns don't own silencers.

They're very expensive
and hard to find.

Well, see.
That's the other thing.

The lines cause by the silencer

don't match anything else
we have in the file.

A silencer certainly mitigates
against the murder

being a spontaneous act
of rage or passion.

Well, that clears Patricia.

If she was in a cell
across town,

she couldn't possibly have been
outside the hotel this morning

with a gun, now could she?

No, she couldn't have.

Agent Phillips is not gonna
be happy about this.

Would he have been happier
if I'd been killed?

Well, he's a Fed.
You never know.

Shall we?

Bobby, Mrs. Fletcher is moving
to the Siesta Suite.

Take care of her luggage,
please.

Henry's already up there,
he'll help you.

Thank you.

No, I can manage those.

Oh yes, with one arm.

I'll go along with him.

I'll just be a moment.

No, Clem, listen.

We know she was in Sarajevo,
I need more.

Any connecting
with Yuri Malenkovich.

Anything between them,
or even someone they both knew.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

You said yourself, this woman
is not even a police suspect.

I don't care. Come on.

Call in your sources,
pull in some favors.

I've told you who's here, see if you
can connect any of them with Yuri.

Bats, Jessica Fletcher
knows what she's doing.

Leave it to her
and go motivate somebody.

You know,
she isn't always right.

And if I could crack this,
it would me a lot more dough

than I'm getting right now.

All right, I'll do what I can.

Don't expect any big secrets
to be uncovered.

Yeah, thanks, Clem.

I'll be in my room,
call me with anything.

Excuse me. I wonder,

did you by any chance see a man

standing around here
around nine am?

- Funny you should mention that, but yeah.
- Why funny?

Well, I've seen him around the hotel
a few times the past couple days,

but I don't think
he's a guest here.

Why not?

Well, he orders a drink
once in a while,

but he always pays cash, never
puts it on a room account.

Anyway, I saw him this morning and
he was standing there looking up,

and all of a sudden
he just took off.

Haven't seen him since.

I see. Do you think
you could describe him for me?

Sure. About five-six,

maybe five-seven,

always wearing a black jacket.

Oh yeah, and he had one of those

small leather shoulder bags.

Carried it with him like it was the
most important thing in the world.

Oh, interesting.

Well, you've been very helpful.

Thank you.

Jang.

I got it. I worked it out.

Ah, Mr. Holmes,
so good to see you again.

Yeah, laugh all you want, but I
think I know who the killer is,

and I'm ready to go with it.

You know why your pal,
the athlete, got divorced?

Penny? No, she just said that
she and her husband split up

some time after
he got back from Germany.

East Germany,
that's what you said.

Well, I called in a few favors from
some reporter friends of mine,

it turns out that she
was involved with somebody

on the East German team
while she was married.

That same year, she turns in the
worst performance of her career

and we lose the gold.
That's too much of a coincidence.

Maybe the Russians were
holding her husband hostage,

and it was blackmail, maybe she got
paid to throw the competition,

maybe she did it out of love.

Maybe she was upset

because her marriage
was falling apart.

Jang, she's the only one here

with a direct connection
to the old Soviet Union.

She knew Yuri
had a book coming out,

maybe she was afraid
that she was in it.

If she did throw the
competition and it came out

it could ruin her career.

She'd lose her endorsements,

there'd be a scandal,
she'd lose everything.

So you're saying she did it.

I'm saying that either
she did it,

or she hired somebody
to do it for her.

To kill Yuri and anybody else who
gets too close to the truth.

Agent Phillips and Neeley,
what a pleasant surprise.

What can I do for you?

The night Yuri Malenkovich
was murdered

you spoke with him, correct?

We had a few words, yes.

What kind of words?

Oh, the usual. Nouns, verbs,

adjectives to round things out.

Any heated words on that
list, any rash words?

Not that I can remember, no.

Please, come in.

Thank you.

Have a seat.

I am told that you were
upset by the idea

that someone who repressed writers
and artists during the Soviet days

might profit from his actions.

Uh, upset, no.

Annoyed, yes.

I mean, the morality
of this is rather dubious.

Mrs. Fletcher,
do you recognize this?

Yes, of course,

it's the note that I took from
under my door this morning.

And what did you do with it
upon finding it?

Well, I gave it to
the police straight away.

Well, when we went over the paper,
we found traces of handwriting.

To be precise, we found
the impression of a signature.

Now, the signature is under the
ink spelling out the words,

"Stop now or die".

Meaning that the impression

was made before
the warning was written.

Well, that's good.

That means the writing
belongs to the killer,

or someone involved
in the murder.

Exactly.

So you'll understand
my surprise when our experts

checked out
the indented signature,

and determined that the handwriting
and the signature on the note,

is yours, Mrs. Fletcher.

Now think about it.

Is there something
you're not telling me?

Yes.

Yes, there is.

And would you care
to enlighten me?

At this precise moment, no.

What do you mean "no",
Mrs. Fletcher?

Do you or do you not want the person
responsible for Yuri's death?

Of course I do.

Then give me a little more time.

I need 24 hours.

I have one last lead
to check out.

No.

Forget it. Not a chance.

Look, all you have
is a series of clues

that don't add up.

Now, you can pressure me
to tell you what I know,

and being a good citizen,
I probably will,

but you still won't be able
to prove anything.

To conference
will be over tomorrow,

and everybody will have gone
their separate ways,

and this case will have
slipped through your fingers.

Give me those 24 hours,

and I will give you the person
responsible for Yuri's murder.

A man has been murdered,
Mrs. Fletcher,

- I am not able to...
- Let her go.

What?

You heard me.
I said, let her go.

Give her the 24 hours.

Why?

Because I trust her.

I know her work,
and I know her rep,

and I trust her.

You got a problem with that?

Hello.

I think the lady
wants to talk to you.

What do you want?

Well, I'd like to know
what you're doing here.

I believe that you were
in the garden this morning

standing under my window.

No, I, I...

Please, I have a witness.

All right, fine.
I was there, so what.

I was also told that you left
in quite a hurry. Why?

Well, I was standing there,
minding my own business,

when all of a sudden
there was this big whack

from the tree right next to me,
like something hit it real hard,

and I didn't know if somebody
was throwing something at me,

or if there was some kind
of an animal in there,

but I wasn't gonna stick
around to find out.

What kind of a sound was that?

Well, like I said, it was a sharp
whack right next to my head.

So, if you don't mind...

One other thing,

what were you doing standing
there in the first place?

I'm a collector.

I was hoping for an autograph.

I've been waiting two days

just to get five minutes alone,

An autograph,
oh for heaven sakes!

Let me find a pen.

Oh no, no, not yours.

His. Warren Pierce.

Oh, Joesph.

If your face was any lower,

I'd have to dig a hole
in the floor

to accommodate it.

I'm sorry, I'm just tired.
It's been a long day.

I know.

What can I do for you?

You know, everything
about Yuri's murder

screams premeditation.

Yet relatively few people
knew about his new book.

It was a nonfiction memoir
of his years in the KGB.

So, if the Russians aren't
responsible for his death,

then the murder had nothing
to do with his memoirs.

And this is where
I need your help, Joseph.

About a year ago,

Yuri published another book.

It was a novel, based
loosely on his experiences.

Would you by any chance
have a copy of that book?

Sure.

I was going to have it out for
the press conference on Monday.

Why?

I need to see it.

The recent insurrection
against civil authority

brought this warrior
to a barren battlefield.

Death and destruction abound,

but even here he would seek
out pleasures of the flesh.

Colonel Boris Yeltenoff was a man
of healthy sexual appetites.

Loved by women,

feared by his enemies.

When she entered the room
and he saw her,

he knew that he had seen
his true opposite number.

As he looked into her eyes, he knew their
paths were locked from this day forward.

I didn't know you'd be here.

I had to come.

I had to come and see
what sort of man you were.

What do you think?

I think that my life
has just changed forever.

Warren, I was afraid I was never
gonna get out of that jail.

Mm, and now we're gonna
celebrate your liberation

from unjustified incarceration.

And I'm buying.

Then we do live
in miraculous times.

Mm, I'm gonna call Jessica.

I know she'll want
to be in on this.

Boris had no choice
but to shoot his way out.

- Come Boris, we must hurry!
- Where are we going?

To a place of great danger
to our people,

where a man of your talent is needed
to deal with insurgents and spies.

What better place to show
the world what you are made of

than Afghanistan.

Come!

At last, he was back in uniform.

Now he could discard the pretense of
being anyone other than who he was,

a loyal servant
of the Soviet Party.

General Yeltenoff,

we found this men
in the rubble of Ghandi Camp.

- We're reporters.
- Be quiet.

Do they have any identification?

No. You know damn well we don't.

Your goons here
confiscated our papers.

And our passports.

And you know we're not the CIA.

No? Perhaps.

Perhaps so.

It is not my fault

that your own government has compromised
all of it's journalists everywhere.

When you know that one reporter
is actually a spy,

then any of them can be a spy.

If you'd just let me
call my newspaper.

There are no telephones here.

There's just you, and me,
and all those soldiers outside.

Boris looked at the two intruders,

he could not afford
to take chances,

No!

Jessica?

I had one of the staff
let me in.

We've been together so much,

they didn't seem to question it.

Terrible lapse in security.

I came by your room last night,

I called you a couple of times,
but there was no answer.

Around midnight
I turned off the phone.

Ah, writing again?

No.

I was up reading.

Mm.

I see.

It's funny,
the more important an emotion,

the fewer words
are needed to express it.

I'm your friend. Four words.

I love you, three words.

Marry me.

I'm sorry.

Two words.

You are my friend.

That puts you just three words
from the center of my heart.

Over the years
I've lost so many people.

Sometimes I felt there was no
one left for me to play with,

and then I met you again.

And everything changed.

Warren, you are my friend.

I would do anything for you.

- Except...
- Except,

betray what I believe in.

And pretend that I don't know
what this book has told me.

After I finished
reading it, I...

I came in here and took the liberty
of going through your bags.

You seemed so protective of them

when they were being carried
by the staff out of my room.

I suspected that the gun
might be hidden in one of them.

I didn't find it.

But I did find this.

How did you know?

It came to me in pieces.

Oh, it must be very hard
to kill a man, Warren.

Even if you think
it's justified.

That's why you were so depressed
the night of the murder.

It didn't mean much
to me at the time,

not even when Yuri was discovered
dead the following morning.

I knew you were good
at making your own gadgets,

but I didn't put it together
with what Lieutenant Mankowski

said about the silencer
being hand made.

And then there was that business of
the note on the hotel stationary.

The night before you were shot,

I ordered in some room service.

I'd put out some of
the hotel stationary earlier

while sorting
through a few things.

And as I signed the bill,

my handwriting left
an impression on the paper.

During the night, you took
one of those sheets of paper

then you wrote the warning note
and put it under the door

so that I'd find it
in the morning.

No one else had access
to my room or that paper.

You then put the handmade
silencer on the gun,

pulled the trigger,
and wounded yourself,

hoping, I suppose,

to take suspicion
away from Patricia.

You were very good
at covering your tracks.

I might never
have given it a thought

if you hadn't asked me
to investigate her arrest.

It was a calculated risk.

I couldn't let Patricia take the
blame for something that I'd done.

See, I didn't know
that she'd gone to see Yuri

until the next morning.

The timing was too close.

I had to clear her name, I knew you
were the one person who could do that.

I was hoping that we could clear
it without going any further.

And then you told me the most important
thing was to prove that the killer

was still on the loose.

Then I knew what I had to do.

And that's where
you made your mistake.

After you were shot
I went out to examine the area

where the shooter
would've been standing.

On inspection,
I found a bullet hole

in a tree that was on
a direct line to my window.

Meaning a bullet had not been
fired in from the garden,

it had been fired
out from the room.

Then when the police found the
bullet in the wall of my room

and it matched the one
that killed Yuri, I knew.

I was hoping that, somehow,

some way it wasn't you.

That perhaps
I'd misread the clues,

or you were being set up
to take the blame.

One thing finally changed that.

And I feel confident that when forensics
checks the powder burns on your shirt

they'll realize only
you could've fired that gun.

Everything about the murder
pointed to premeditation.

Which meant that the murder must've
had something to do with the contents

of his previous novel.

Yuri killed your son, didn't he?

Jess, do you know what it's
like to go through life

wondering why your son
was murdered?

Who killed him?

And then one day,

I opened a book.

This book.

My publisher sent it to me,
he wanted me to review it,

it was Yuri's book,
can you believe it?

As I read it,

bit by bit, I realized I was...

I was reading the intimate
details of my own son's murder.

Information that no one else
could've known

but the man who did it.

The man who killed him.

Yuri must've thought

nobody would put it together,
he must've thought

he was immune from prosecution,
but it's all here, Jess.

It's all in the book,
all the facts.

I wasn't gonna let
him get away with it.

Yuri Malenkovich killed my son.

Shot him.

He shot him.

Then he dumped his body
in a ditch.

And he just left it there.

For as long as I've known you,

I've felt that a part of you
has been in terrible pain.

Now I know why.

And I am so sorry, Warren.

I truly am.

Are you sorry enough?
Do you understand enough,

not to go to the police?

- Warren.
- What else did you tell them?

Well, nothing significant,
I didn't name you,

I didn't need to.

Why not?

Because you are going
to turn yourself in

to the police,

and you are going to confess.

And you will tell your story
in front of a jury.

Jessica, you're the only one
who knows I'm involved in this.

What's to keep me
from killing you?

Because I still believe

that you're an honorable man.

I've already killed once.

That was because you believed

you were avenging
your son's death.

There's a big difference
between that and...

And this.

You could've let Patricia
take the blame for the murder,

and you could've gotten away before any
of this unraveled, but you didn't.

And that proves that
you can't hurt an innocent.

Or a friend.

You'll always be my friend.

Excuse me, Mrs. Fletcher.

I don't understand
how you could do it.

I mean, you said yourself,
he was your friend.

The guy he murdered was probably
a killer several times over.

A lot worse than your friend.

So why do it?

Yes, well, uh, it was...

It was the hardest thing
that I've ever done.

But, popular culture
not withstanding,

there is such a thing
as right and wrong.

The taking of a human life
for any reason is wrong.

I mean, you can never nudge
the moral compass

far from its true North

without losing something vital.

A compass is essential
for everyone.

Writers in particular.

Yuri Malenkovich asked
why I investigate murders.

He said that I had to have
a personal agenda.

Well, he was quite right.

It's important to me

to pursue those
who cross the line

and take another human life.

In my investigating murders,

I have seen
some terrible things.

So many of them, it would take
the wind out of anybody's sails.

Go ahead.

You ready?

Officially, for the record,
I'm giving you this confession.

But Patricia here has first rights
of publication of the story.

Told you I'd get you
that one big break.

I always keep my promises.

I'm surprised Mrs. Fletcher
doesn't want to tell this story.

I mean, she has every right to.

I think she understands.

Well, here we go.

My son Brent was a correspondent

for the Washington Seminal...

But because I
am a romantic, I still believe

that we have the potential

to be nobler than we know,

and better than we think.

That the darkness I've seen
is only a shadow

on the potential
of the human heart.

Warren in his own way
was a romantic.

Made hard by the world around
him, until he finally made

a tragic mistake.

He walked away
from his own moral compass.

So I urge you

to keep your heart's compass
on the true North

of your dreams.
Be free to be romantics,

to reject cynicism.

To believe that good
will prevail.

And that those who do wrong
will be punished,

because when the hour
of the wolf comes,

as it comes to all of us,
sooner or later,

those are the things
that sustain us.

Thank you, and good night.