All language subtitles for matlock_s06e20_the_evening_news_2

The scattered community of Southgate was
awakened just after midnight once again

by the sounds of sirens as fire trucks
and ambulances rushed into the area,

responding to a three -alarm fire.

This latest fire involved two single
-family homes and the landmark Jones

and Fill service station at the corner
of Main and Green Streets.

Two single -family homes were destroyed
quickly as the fire spread from one

frame and single home to its neighbor.

Both homes are considered destroyed
beyond repair.

Sam and Lavinia Dumont, residents of one
of the destroyed homes, said they woke

to choking smoke and crackling sounds of
fire.

Officials were relieved to hear from the
Dumonts that their neighbors, John and

Pat McLean, and their three young
children were away visiting relatives in

Florida and therefore were not at risk
in the fire that destroyed their home.

Police and fire officials are once again
investigating for evidence of arson.

The mayor's office has set up a special
number to call if you have any

information about this or the other
Southgate fires.

Your call will be kept confidential, and
there is a $10 ,000 reward for

information leading to the arrest and
conviction of anyone involved.

That number to call is 555 -FIRE.

Jones Tune and Fill, once considered for
preservation by the City Historical

Society, is now nothing more than a pile
of rubble and twisted steel.

Laws is considered a blow to the
architectural cultural and historical

of this city While there were no
injuries in last night's fire the anger

frayed nerves of the remaining members
of this community were plain disease

Morning, Ben.

Conrad. I thought you'd like to know.

What happened?

His sleeping pills.

The coroner's guessing he took them
about eight last night.

He'll know more after the autopsy.

Did he leave a note?

Well, it looks like he just walked in
the door, poured himself a drink, down

some pills, and passed out and died.

It's my fault.

What?

Well, if I'd have just gone after a
little harder on the stand, this

have happened.

Well, you can't know that, Ben.

What's Harvey Cordell doing here?

He's her lawyer. He was her lawyer. He's
the one who found her.

Yesterday when she left the stand, she
went straight to him and explained her

situation to him and asked for his
assessment.

He said that he told her she was in
serious trouble. He was going to go to

with her today.

Well, did she confess to killing Doug
Leavitt?

Oh, come on, Ben. Even if she had, you
know you can't use him in court.

Lieutenant Brooks.

Yeah, let's not catch up with you all
later.

We still got the guy who sold it to the
dead man. We don't know why Diane killed

Doug Letters. How can I plant the seed
of doubt if we don't know that her

was at least as strong as our client's?

Okay, I'll turn around.

Oh, yeah.

Where'd they go?

Flint Rock.

Never heard of it.

Over 40 years old, very rare scotch.

Since when did you become an expert on
scotch?

Nelson Adelson told me.

Any drinks?

Your Honor, I move that all charges
against my clients be dismissed.

We have the sworn statement of the man
who sold the detonator to Diane Becker.

We know who made the bomb.

We have the fact that knowing that she
was about to be exposed as a murderer...

She went home and committed suicide.
Clearly, my client is innocent and she

guilty. Diane Becker might as well have
signed a confession.

Your Honor, to say that Mr. Matlock is
overstating his case would be a gross

understatement. Despite all the
cartwheels he's been turning, my case

Mr. Finley remains intact.

We have the tire tracks from Mr.
Finley's car, which were found at the

the murder. I'm not turning cartwheels.

I've been working on this thing. Did you
know that Diane Becker went out and

rented a car exactly like my clients
that very afternoon? Do you know that?

have the detonator found in his garage.
She should have dumped it there any

time. And we have the testimony of five
people who all said that Bill Finley was

mad as hell at Doug Levitt for getting
him fired. And we have... Motion denied.

But, Your Honor... But I will grant you
a one -day recess, Mr. Matlock, inasmuch

as your key witness is no longer
available.

I'll need five days, Your Honor, at
least.

Three days.

This court will be in recess until 9 a
.m. on Friday morning.

Nice try.

Then can we stop now? It's after two.
I'm starving. I can't stop. I've got to

get this done. I've only got three days
to work on Bill Finley's case.

I'm still working on the case. I'm
making progress.

I'm getting in tight with the game, all
right?

Daggone. There's another car stopped.

How did he see that stop sign with that
bush in front of it? Maybe he saw a

little red and he knew it was a stop
sign. I'm not paying that ticket.

How much that camera cost?

It's a rental.

Expensive, huh?

Some. So you're into this for a lot of
cash now. You got two cameras. You got a

tripod. And those boots you're wrecking
in the mud now.

Oh, no.

And now you wrecked your jacket.

Ben, you lost perspective. Stop.

I'm not paying that ticket.

Forget it.

You were in jail.

You killed my brother.

Who the hell are you?

I'm not sure, man.

What are you doing? Research.

On what?

Adelton Enterprises. I thought I told
you to stay at home. I'm going nuts

Ben. Well.

Work on your book.

I can't concentrate.

No?

Meditate or something. Oh, that stuff's
a crock. I mean, it's fine when your

biggest problem is worrying about going
on camera with food stuck in your teeth,

but when you're facing the prospect of
going to prison for life, somehow

around with your fingers in circles just
doesn't cut it.

Ben Maloch?

You are?

How come?

No,

it doesn't.

No. Well, thanks. Thanks. Yeah, yeah.
Keep in touch.

Yeah.

What?

Bob Brooks.

Homicide.

He said the police are stepping up their
investigation into Diane Becker's

death. They're no longer...

Certain it was a suicide.

Why not?

They just found out that on her way home
from talking with the lawyer, she

stopped by a travel agent and bought a
one -way ticket to Brazil.

Why would she do that if she was just
going to go home and kill herself?

Doesn't make sense, does it?

Right, and the guy that Nelson Allen
gave the money to is known on the

as Reggie.

Apparently some kind of social worker.

Does a lot of work with gangs.

And this Reggie gives the money to the
gang members?

Right. And they immediately went out and
they firebombed this house in

Southgate. Anybody hurt?

No, luckily nobody was home.

There's another car stopped.

How can he see that sign with that bush
in front of him? Because I told you.

They see a little red, and they figure
it's a stop sign.

Maybe the wind blew that bush away from
the sign a little bit from where it was

when I got stopped. I'll fix it.

You're tampering with evidence.

I'm not tampering with the evidence. I'm
just putting it back the way it was.

If you move the bush. I'm not tampering
with the evidence.

My friend Hattie down at City Hall said
that Nelson Adelson's been buying a lot

of land down at Southgate lately. Gets
it real cheap because everybody's so

anxious to sell. A lot of gang -related
violence down there lately.

Yeah, that's better.

What I saw last night was part of a real
estate scam.

Yeah, I'll just get some of this lower
stuff in a little closer.

Oh, Ben, I hate to be the one to tell
you, but you're working in poison ivy

there.

There's no justice.

Come on.

Let me get something put on it.

Okay.

Get in the car.

Forgot the camera.

That's all.

He didn't see the sign.

Smell that. Good to see you again.

What's wrong with your hands? Oh, little
boys and I.

It's nice of you to have lunch with me
on such short notice.

Well, it's a slow day.

Again. It's your session to kill it.
Itching.

No? Yes, gentlemen.

Gentlemen. No, thanks.

Glass vise, please.

All right.

Is that flint rock?

No, no, they don't stock that here. It's
hard to get.

That's why I was kind of surprised to
see a bottle of it at Diane Becker's

house. Did you give it to her?

Who? Diane Becker, the news anchor over
at WDRN.

That woman that committed suicide. No, I
never met her.

Well, I thought that Doug Levitt used to
produce her news program that maybe he

introduced you to. No, he never did.

How about Reggie? Where'd you meet him?

Reggie? That enterprising young man you
gave all that money to on the street

yesterday.

You've been spying on me.

Yeah, sure.

You've been conspiring with Reggie and
his...

gang member friends to force people to
sell their property in Southgate,

you?

Mr. Medlow, it's one hell of a story.

But the truth is, I met Reggie at a
charity banquet.

I like what he had to say about his work
with the inner city gang members, and I

made him a donation. You have a problem
with that?

Mr. Medlow?

Well, I thought Reggie was helping you
purchase land cheap so that when the

got ready for their big renovation
program downtown, why, you'd have the

that they needed.

You'd make a fortune, Mr. Adelson.

What an imagination.

That's what Diane was drinking when she
took all those sleeping pills, Flint

Rock.

Well, if you're going to commit suicide,
may as well go and stop.

The police are no longer sure it was
suicide.

They think it may have been murder.

An irate boyfriend?

They're not sure. Me, I think it had
something to do with that false

that she accidentally gave out over the
air about a month ago.

You made a fortune selling land that was
next to worthless, remember?

We've been through this before, Mr.
Medler. But only Doug Levitt was dead

Now Diane's dead, too.

And you think I'm a suspect?

Well, maybe the three of you were in
cahoots.

Maybe Doug Levitt got out of line and
you and Diane killed him, and then maybe

you killed Diane because you realized
how close I was coming to breaking her

down.

The night Diane died, I was at the
charity banquet that I told you about.

sponsored by the Policeman's
Association.

From 7 .30 to 10 o 'clock, I was sitting
at a table surrounded by policemen.

How's that for an alibi?

Very good.

Thanks for the drink.

What the hell's going on?

Bill Finley's lawyer, Ben Matlock.

I just found out he's been having me
tailed.

Why would he want to do that? Because he
thinks that I'm involved with your

murder and Diane's, too.

Diane committed suicide?

Yeah. Well, apparently the police don't
think so.

I think I'll leave town for a while. Oh,
no.

No, you won't. You want your share of
the 20 million?

You stay in town.

Why? Because I need you.

For what? To deliver some money Reggie's
buddies want to raise.

The hell was that? Hey, listen to me,
Doug.

Four more cash outs and we've got two
square blocks in our pocket. Now, I

deliver the money.

Not with Matlock breathing down my neck.
It'll take you all of 20 seconds.

What are you worried about? You're
already dead.

Remember?

Who's that dude over there with Reggie,
man?

You ever seen him before?

Yo, man.

Don't sweat that.

So what's going on, Tucker?

Business, home.

That's all.

You ain't got nothing against making a
little money, do you?

Of course not.

How about raising a little hell?

I like that, too.

Will you ever do them both at the same
time?

No.

You will tonight, my man.

Yeah.

Yeah, you will tonight.

Now shoot.

I am going to shoot.

Get it on, man. Let's go.

There's nothing here.

Come on out of there.

Very slowly.

Go to join up, G.

Yeah, yeah, let's go.

You pay for this, sir?

Yeah. Sweet deal, ain't it?

Yeah, G.

Get a fire in it.

Get out of the car.

How'd they get in so bad, man?

Let's go.

Move over there.

What's up, man? Get over there. Get over
there and put your hands on the car.

Stand very steady, gentlemen. Don't make
this your last day on earth.

You're lucky they let you go. If I were
the DA, I'd have thrown the book at you.

Come on, Ben. I was just looking around.

You weren't trespassing.

And in the house of the very man you're
accused of murdering.

That's not smart, Bill. That's not
smart.

But I found a clue.

When are you going to get it through
your thick skull that you're not a cop?

You're not an investigator.

You're not even a good reporter.

That's what you think?

Hey, isn't that... So you found a clue.
Good. Let's go to the Pancake House. You

can tell me all about it.

Hey, Vance. In here.

You're just in time.

Nothing like a little eggs and potatoes
and bacon toast after a hard night in a

slammer.

You look awful.

I have a headache.

And I can't imagine why after a night in
a tank with 37 criminals, I should feel

great. Yeah, well, sit down there.

Eat.

He's paid you.

There you go, Reggie.

Yeah, one phone call, he was right
there, cash in hand.

You were right on the money about those
gang members getting paid to terrorize

Soski. By Nelson Allison.

Yeah, but the only thing they know is
that somebody pays Reggie, and Reggie

them.

Ben, do you have any aspirin?

Yeah.

There's no way any of those guys are
going to rattle Reggie, so I don't know

what our next move is going to be.

Oh, man.

Hey,

Ben. In here.

Oh, great.

Reporting to us live from the ozone
layer, it's Bill Finby.

Morning.

Hey, you're out of jail.

That's great.

Ben told me how you infiltrated that
gang.

Scary stuff.

I went undercover once.

Would you pretend to be a reporter?

Ben, check out that dentist.

Bill, it's not even 8 .30 in the
morning.

You haven't checked it out yet?

Checked out what?

Two days before he died, Doug made a
dentist appointment with somebody who

wasn't his dentist.

What are you talking about?

Doug used the same dentist for years.

He swore by him. In fact, one of the few
decent things he ever did for me was

turn me on to the guy.

And just before he died, he made an
appointment with somebody else.

I mean, why would he do something like
that? Suddenly switch dentists. It

doesn't make sense.

What's the name of this new dentist?

I told you last night.

No, you didn't.

You sure?

Bill, what's the name of the new
dentist?

I don't remember.

What did we do at the minute?

It's on his death calendar.

Over here on the table.

Where are you going?

Get some aspirin.

Tomberg. That's the new guy's name.

The name of the guy he used to go to is
McClure.

Or is it McCoy?

Thanks, Bob.

I appreciate it.

Dr. Tomberg supplied the dental record
the police used to identify Doug

his new dentist. He was the only dentist
in his Rolodex, so people do change

dentists. Hey, Ben.

When we were here before, this bottle of
blood pressure medicine was full,

right? Yeah. That's empty.

Did you... What would I want with Doug's
blood pressure pills?

You don't suppose...

I

need to speak to Dr.

Tomberg. It's an emergency.

What's going on?

Doctor, my name is Ben Matlock. I'm an
attorney.

I represent the man who's accused of
killing Doug Leavitt. I understand you

some work on him just before he died.

Really?

He looked like he hadn't seen a dentist
in five years?

Doug? Yes, he has. Doug Levitt was what,
about 5 '11", 170 pounds, brown

hair, mustache? That sound about right
to you?

A man who was with him looked like that.

Doug, what kind of work did you do for
Mr. Levitt?

$1 ,200 in bridge work.

Oh, he paid cash.

We have dental insurance.

Bill, it wasn't Doug.

No, I ain't selling.

Mr. Foster, you're not going to get a
better offer. I ain't interested.

Everybody in the neighborhood is
selling.

Well, I'm not.

Look, how many times do I got to tell
you? This is my home.

It's been my home for 11 years and it's
going to stay that way.

Even after what happened last night?

I've had to deal with garbage everywhere
I ever lived.

You're wasting your time.

Well, if you change your mind, give us a
call.

Yeah, Matlock.

It's Matlock.

He was here.

Yeah.

Ben Matlock.

Judge Katz.

I certainly didn't expect to see you
here.

Well, I didn't expect to see you here in
traffic court, Judge Katz.

Just filling in, Mr. Matlock.

Just filling in.

Where's your client? I'd like to see
who's paying your price to defend a

ticket.

I'm defending myself, Your Honor. I'm
the one who got the ticket.

Well, and you're pleading.

Not guilty.

Okay.

Here we go.

An interesting start to my day.

Let's hear it from the officer.

Well, he told me he didn't see the stop
sign, so I wrote him a ticket.

Anything to add, Sergeant?

Yes, sir. I could see...

that that stop sign was partly obscured
by that little bush, but I could still

tell it was a stop sign. Now, wait a
minute.

Your Honor, I'm just driving along, 35.

I did not see the stop sign.

I saw the bush, but I did not see the
stop sign.

I see.

Anything further, Sergeant Turner?

Yes, sir. There is a flashing light
before that stop sign that reads,

stop sign 100 yards.

This doesn't look good, Mr. Matlock.

But, Your Honor, I have pictures of cars
going through that stop sign. Some

stopped, but a lot of them didn't. I
guess some of them just got lucky.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to fine you
on the infraction.

But, damn it, Your Honor, I went to a
lot of trouble to get pictures of those

cars going lickety -split through that
stop sign.

Doesn't matter.

There was a warning sign before the stop
sign.

But, damn it all, Your Honor.

I ruined my camera. I ruined my boots. I
tore my suit. I got poison ivy on my

hands. And somebody ripped the door
right off my car trying to get those

pictures. That's $61 for the code
violation and another $61 for the use of

profanity in my courtroom.

But, daggone, Your Honor. Too late.

Take your clothes.

Pay on your way out.

Say one word to me and I'll take you
right in front of that damn judge.

Can I say it with the principal?

He won't sell.

Oh, he will.

All he needs is another incident.

Reggie's guys just got out of jail.

They're not going to risk it.

For ten grand, they'll risk anything.

You gonna give them ten grand?

You are.

What's up, man? What you gonna do?

Oh, yeah, is that what you gonna do?
You're losing it, Conrad.

You're losing it, home.

Look at that.

Yo,

wait, it's your shot, man. Yo, shoot the
ball, man.

You ain't gonna make it no way you're
able to shoot.

Well, as I live and breathe, Doug
Leavitt. Get the hell away from me.

Don't be that way. I want you to meet
some of my friends. This is Lieutenant

Brooks. I'm Ben Matlock. I figured you'd
be making another drop when Mr. Foster

wouldn't tell his house.

Welcome back to the land of the living,
Mr. Leavitt.

My name is not Leavitt.

It's Holdren.

James Holdren. It's like it's because of
my driver's license.

So what is it, a fake license and birth
certificate cost these days, Doug? A

couple grand?

My name is Jim.

You take the same blood pressure
medication as Doug Levitt. So do a lot

people. It's a coincidence.

Who really died in that explosion?

What explosion?

You knew Diane was setting you up, so
you set up somebody else and watched him

die, and then you went after Diane.

Diane who?

Okay,

we just checked your fingerprints
against Doug Levitt.

What, that's my lawyer?

Wait just a minute, Doug. Your practical

jokes are one thing, but standing by and
watching me go to prison for a murder

that you knew never happened, that
really... Get him out of here!

You have some aspirin?

No.

I didn't know you could break your hand
punching somebody.

That never happens in the movies.

If I had any idea you were going to
punch out Doug Leavitt, I told you it

going to hurt.

I was just going to tell him off, and
then all of a sudden my fist just took

off.

You think he's serious about what he
said about suing me?

Yeah.

I'll plead insanity.

I'll back you up.

He's not gonna sue you. He's got too
many troubles already.

They're really gonna charge him with the
murder?

Yeah. But if they don't know who died in
the explosion, how are they gonna prove

Doug was the murderer?

They're not.

Ben, why are we here?

I told you we might find something.

But the case is over.

Bill Finley's going to walk out of court
a free man tomorrow, right? Yeah, and

Doug Leavitt will get away with murder.

Two murders.

Let's see.

There's thunder on the floor here.

Let's, uh, let's move this sofa.

Why? Oh, let's move it and I'll find
something.

All right, get that in.

Oh, oh, no, big old boy.

Oh,

ow.

Don't touch it. Don't touch it? No,
don't touch it.

Mr. Matlock, in view of recent events, I
would imagine there's something you'd

like to say?

Thank you, Your Honor.

The defense would like to call its final
witness.

Witness? But, Counselor, the man your
client was accused of murdering is

Surely you want to move to dismiss?

Oh, I do.

But believe it or not, in the interest
of justice, it is my duty to call this

last witness.

Really? Yes, ma 'am, and my right.

Mr. Matlock, there is no precedent for
this, but I am not going to waste

everybody's time by arguing, so call
your witness.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Defense calls Mr. Doug Levitt to the
stand.

Well, you look good for a dead man.

I mean, real good.

Mr. Matlock.

I'm sorry, Your Honor.

Would you please explain to the court
who Nelson Adelson is?

Well, he's a local real estate
developer.

Do you need friends?

No. Business partners?

I hardly know the man.

Well, would you explain these phone
records?

indicate that you called each other more
than a dozen times last month. Well,

I'll be glad to. In fact, I'd be glad to
explain everything, if you're

interested. We are.

Well, last month, when I was still
producing the news for WDRN -TV, Nelson

Adelson called me.

Because Diane Becker, my anchorwoman at
the time, had called him. Now, it seemed

that Diane had heard that the zoning
commission was going to rezone a parcel

land adjacent to Mr.

Adelson's.

Farmland. Well, she told Mr.

Adelson that for a price, she would make
a little mistake on the air. She would

make it seem like it was his land that
was being rezoned. And, of course, its

value would skyrocket overnight.

Well, Mr. Adelson refused her offer.

But she kept on calling him, so he
called me to see if I could get her to

I couldn't.

When I approached Diane, she denied any
wrongdoing whatsoever.

Unfortunately...

My boss, Howard Price, heard about the
call that I'd been making to Mr.

and he presumed that I was responsible
for Diane's little mistake on the air.

He fired me.

So I went back to Diane, and I told her
that I had to tell Howard the truth,

even if it jeopardized her career.

Diane denied everything again, and then
she told me,

that if I ruined her career, she'd kill
me.

Oh. Well, I was scared.

So I figured the best thing to do was
just stay out of her way. So I went down

to Macon. The next thing I knew, my
summer house at Sydney Lake had been

up, and I was supposed to be dead.

She actually had tried to kill me. Yeah.

Well, now I was really terrified.

I mean, I figured that if she was crazy
enough to do a thing like that once, she

wouldn't hesitate to try it again.

So I decided to just let everybody think
that I was dead.

And I started a new life. How did you
intend to make a living in this new

I hadn't quite figured that one out yet.
You didn't go into business with Mr.

Adelson? No.

You didn't help him use gangs to
intimidate people in the inner city into

selling their homes cheap to Mr.
Adelson?

No, no, of course not.

Okay.

Anything else?

No.

Well, that's a good story.

I mean, that's a real good story.

But I don't think Diane Becker
frightened you out of town.

In fact, I don't think you left town at
all. I think you, Diane Becker, and

Nelson Adelson conspired to air that
false rezoning story and then split.

The huge profit that Nelson Adelson made
as a result.

Well, that's ridiculous.

Just speculating, Mr. Levy, just
speculating.

I think Diane got greedy, and she played
what looked like a practical joke on

Mr. Finley here, knowing he'd be fired
and blame you.

Then she blew up your summer cottage to
kill you, and the police blamed him.

And then she went to Mr.

Adelson. and demanded your share of the
profits as well as her own.

What she didn't know is that you had
already figured out what she was up to.

And I think, I think that sometime
before the explosion,

you found somebody to take your place.

Dressed him in your clothes, put your
watch on him, made sure he was in that

cabin when she blew it up.

No, no, I didn't.

I was in Vegas. Now, this isn't
speculation. This is fact.

You took this unknown person to a
dentist, a Dr.

Tomberg. And he did extensive dental
work on him. And you took him there as

Levitt. Introduced him as Doug Levitt.
There could only be one reason for this

strange action.

You knew that when the police went
looking for Doug Levitt...

Dental records.

This man's would be the ones they'd
find.

No, I didn't.

Dr. Tomberg identified you as the man
who brought this Doug Levitt to his

office. Then Dr. Tomberg made a mistake.

You set this poor man up to die in your
place.

Diane Becker pushed the button, but as
sure as you're alive, you killed him.

You can't prove that, Mr.

Matlock. I think you know that.

No.

No, I can't.

But the good news is I can prove you
killed Diane Becker.

I thought Diane Becker committed
suicide. Everybody thinks she committed

because you made it look like suicide.

No, I didn't. You went over to her house
that night and you forced that bottle

of sleeping pills down her throat.

And then you wiped your prints off of
everything and made sure that her prints

were on the glass and the empty bottle.

No, I didn't.

You recognize this?

No.

That's one of Diane Becker's sleeping
pills.

Mr. Conrad McMaster found it on the
floor of her condominium. I guess you

know you had dropped it.

You know what the police found when they
examined it?

Two prints.

A thumbprint and an index fingerprint.

And they weren't Diane's prints.

They were yours.

No.

Mr. Latt, it's over.

Howard, what's going on?

A little celebration, Bill. Not only is
your trial over, but you've got your old

job back.

That is, if you want it. You bet I do.

Thanks again, Ben.

You're getting my bill.

That's why I'm shaking your hand now.