All language subtitles for Diagnosis Murder s06e07 Write, She Murdered

Dr. Horace Chilworth, 36.

Very attractive.

Research scientist.

On external examination, I've discovered
a single medial lateral incision, which

has been re -sewn for purposes I just
don't understand at this time. In any

event, multiple stab wounds.

The angle of entry and depth of the
blows indicate a clockwise pattern of

which matches exactly to victim
Gwendolyn Benedict, who was...

Pulled from the Lona Creek last Friday.

Dr. Daniel Slade?

Yes, I'm Dr. Slade. We're here to take
Dr. Chilworth off your hands.

Just like that.

We do have authorization.

Thank you.

Well, I don't recognize the signature on
this document, so the body will just

have to stay with me.

Dr. Chilworth's body has to be turned
over to people who are better equipped

deal with it. Well, I can deal with the
body just fine.

Now a few gentlemen will excuse me.

Great.

This is the best opening that you've
ever written.

I'm not just saying that because I'm
your agent.

Thanks for the compliment, but I... I
mean, another 350 pages like this, and

you've got your fifth best seller on
your hands.

Not even Sue Grafton started this fast.

Well, I'm glad you're so optimistic.

So, where's the rest of it?

Jim, there's a little problem.

That's all. All what?

All the pages I've written.

I haven't got any more.

The publisher expects 350 pages by
Friday.

I have writer's block.

You don't have time for writer's block.

If you don't meet this deadline, they'll
cancel your contract. And then you'll

have to give back the 25 million
advance.

That's it. You see? The money.

It's so intimidating.

Don't.

Forgive me for being such a great agent.

Turning you into the next Mary Higgins
Clark.

I want my 2 .5 mil.

Please, don't yell at me. I'm having a
hard enough time the way that... You

don't know hard.

If you blow this, I'll make sure that
you never sell another book anywhere.

Um, you wouldn't have any ideas, would
you?

Any ideas, would I? For all I care. You
could kill some poor slob, follow the

police around, and see how they solve
it. You just get me those 350 pages by

Friday.

Okay.

Thanks.

That's a much better opening.

Not only was the victim not killed in
the woods, but his body was kept in a

freezer for six months.

Now, if it weren't for the forensic
entomologist who was able to calculate

amount of maggots in his chest cavity,
we might never have known.

That's disgusting.

Oh, but bugs are very hot right now.

And I'm just trying to do my job as your
technical advisor.

I know.

And I couldn't write the Danielle Slade
novels without you.

You know what? I like the cobra bite in
your first book.

You read Deadly Darkness?

Yeah. I have to admit, I only picked it
up because Amanda was so giddy about

having her name in print. I'm never
giddy.

Four thank you notes and flowers for a
week might be considered giddy.

Deadly Darkness is a lot of fun to read.
As a matter of fact, I picked up your

other three books, too.

I can't figure out where you get all
those great ideas.

Oh, pretty much the way you do things.

It's a fact.

I visualize the murder.

The killer.

The motive.

And then I used the great physical
evidence that Amanda always gives me.

I think physical evidence is very
important, but it's no more important

behavioral evidence.

Oh, you're right.

In fact, sometimes behavioral is more
important.

The real final clue.

The perfect solution to what would
otherwise be considered the unsolvable.

And when you find it, you know exactly
where you're going.

And when you're going to get there, the
moment of perfect synchronicity.

Not that it's easy to find, no way.

And even when you do find it, making the
physical and the behavioral work

together is a bitch.

I think I'm going to the ladies' room.

It won't be too much.

It's Kay's purse.

Oh. Will!

You can't call me. It might be
important.

Hello?

Hello? Kay?

You there?

Kay isn't here right now. Who's this?

It's Jim.

Why aren't you there?

Call me.

Hello? Kay isn't here right...

It's dead.

Dr. Sloan, if you really needed to make
a phone call, I could have loaned you a

quarter.

Actually, your purse was ringing.

Oh.

I'm afraid it was a bad connection. It
sounded like somebody, Jim, somebody.

Jim Rothman, my agent. He was being
paranoid.

He got me this huge three -book deal,
and I have to turn the first manuscript

Friday.

I'm holding on to it just to torture
him.

Maybe you ought to call him back.

Oh, not until after we have lunch. He
won't stop being twitchy until the check

clears. I should have been a call girl.

It's a lot easier way to make a living.

It's Professor.

Oh, great.

And you really own it? Yeah, me and my
son met the blurry -eyed young man in

scrub room.

Let me go take care of this. Excuse me.

Busy, huh? No kidding.

Twelve -hour shift, three nurses out
sick. We had a bus crash and an outbreak

chicken pox at a computer conference.

Ow, and now this.

What is this?

It smells like coffee. So does that
stuff at the hospital. We all know what

tastes like.

This is my restaurant.

I ordered Costa Rican.

Where is it?

Steve. He canceled my beans.

How could he cancel my beans? I let him
have these plastic little ketchup

bottles. I want my coffee.

There's been a homicide.

Okay, I'm sorry. We need you to identify
the body.

That's Jim, all right?

You all right?

No, not exactly.

That's my agent with a... whatever.

Stuck in his chest?

It's the letter opener.

And then there's this.

What's this?

A scorpion.

Ooh, well, message from the killer, I'd
imagine.

I have no idea what it means.

Well, it doesn't make sense, not at all.

Well, it will.

I hope so.

I really do.

This isn't a field trip for pencil
-pushing civilians.

You're a civilian, Sue, and you're also
a pencil pusher.

Damn right, I'm one of Jim Rothman's
best clients.

But... Once a cop, always a cop.

Retired Sergeant Mullen was meeting
Rothman for lunch. He found the body.

immediately secured the crime scene as
I've done so many times before.

Right. From the front seat of the
chief's car.

You were a driver, not a detective.

Baby, I saw more on the streets when I
was with the chief than any detective

could see in a lifetime.

That's what gives my books the stink of
realism.

Yeah, well, you've got the stink part
right.

See, look at this. Two coffee cups.

One of them could be the killer's.

Nope. Coffee's too cold.

Timing's all wrong.

Let's test these for prints.

Look at this.

Page 102 to 130.

Huh.

Chapter 12 is missing.

I noticed that, too. Glad to see you're
keeping up. I'll have it checked.

Now, that's odd.

Hmm. Three books.

Upside down? Uh -huh.

Well, Sloan, looks like you've got a
tough one here. You know, there aren't

many clues.

But if there's anything else I can do to
help, you know where to find me.

He wonders why no one gave him a
retirement present.

Who could have done this?

Don't worry.

We'll figure it out.

Thanks.

what clues were left behind.

Well, for one, there was the letter
opener left in literary agent Horace

Chilworth's chest.

Somehow appropriate, yet ordinary.

Then there were the three mundane
textbooks all turned upside down.

Greenagraph in six days, kickboxing with
Dickie Kimber, and low -cal desserts

for two. Ordinary.

Then we had, oh yes, the scorpion in the
jar.

Definitely not ordinary.

And the rifled manuscript. Could this be
the deed of some disgruntled writer who

was angered by Kilworth's cool response
to his or her work? And if so, why steal

the 12th chapter of his or her
manuscript?

Brilliant. Brilliant only if you can
figure it out. I think you left too many

clues hanging around.

There was the rifled manuscript.

The three upside -down books and that
damn scorpion.

What on earth were you thinking about? I
don't know. I just thought it would be

interesting on the jacket copy.

You're not playing fair with your
readers. You cannot plant clues not

where they lead.

Well, that's the problem. I don't know
where anything leads anymore.

Well, then how are you going to work us
through this one?

I'm not.

Mark Sloan will do it for me.

Very creative.

Amanda Bentley's always saying how
brilliant he is.

Why not use him?

Especially now that I'm stuck with a
dead whore of Chilworth and no idea who

killed him. And Mark Sloan won't figure
out that you're the one who killed Jim

Rothman, right?

No way.

I left so many clues he'll be swimming
in a school of red herring.

Well, I'll use his deductions.

for our basic plot points, and then
we'll fill in the interesting parts, and

can make alterations when it becomes
mundane or simplistic.

Not bad.

Hello?

Oh, um, well, of course, Dr. Sloan. I
don't know what I can do, but I'll

certainly try.

Jim meant a lot to me.

The three upside -down books were all
written by a client that Mr. Rothman

dropped earlier this past year. Now,
Steve figured that out when he looked at

Rothman's records.

Well, Steve checked their alibis. One of
them's dead, and two of them don't even

live in L .A. anymore.

So if there's a message there, I don't
see what it is. Well, we can't be

already. I mean, you said yourself that
there was a chapter missing out of that

manuscript, and perhaps the killer took
it with him.

Especially if the chapter included
something damaging.

Well, I don't think that's it. I mean,
it was written by that actor, Bruce

Blazer. He doesn't have any secrets.

Everybody has secrets.

Not Bruce.

And even if he did, he'd use them to get
himself a cover story in the National

Enquirer. How can you talk about the
star of Tuttle and the Mummy like that?

Tuttle and the Mummy?

You know him?

Sure. Harry Tuttle and his partner, the
Mummy, were supernatural crime fighters

in a 60s TV show.

They rerun it on one of those cable
stations at 2 a .m.

What, you guys never had insomnia?

Not that bad.

Tuttle and the Mummy was cancelled in
1968 and became an instant cult hit.

Bruce has been living off the persona
ever since.

And writing these disgustingly effective
occult thrillers for the last ten

years. The man's a walking money
machine.

Then he wouldn't want to kill Jim
Rothman.

Unless he suspected that Jim was trying
to cheat him.

Loyalty wasn't exactly in Jim Rothman's
lexicon.

We'd better find out what's in that
missing chapter.

So let's go.

I don't think so, because this is a
police investigation, and I am the

But you're not a writer.

I know these people. I know this world.

I could save you a lot of time.

Jim was my agent?

She's right.

She'd be a big help.

I don't know why I bother.

You never went anywhere without that
food.

My partner, the mummy, fighting evil
whenever it threatens the innocent.

That's, uh, that's good.

Ted was, uh, largely responsible for the
success of Tuttle and the Mummy.

The fans loved him.

And what happened to him?

He was clocked by a golf ball on the
17th hole at Pebble Beach.

Turned him into a vegetable.

That's when I started writing.

Doing personal appearances with Adam
just seemed all wrong.

The demon roared with indignation at the
intrusion into his dark sanctuary by

such virginal interlopers.

Creeping crawlers.

The prose is a little purple, isn't it,
Bruce?

Not the gritty realism of Daniel Slade
conducting autopsies in a halter top.

At least I can write.

We didn't come for a literary critique,
so if you could just print us out a copy

of chapter 12 of your latest manuscript.

I don't use a computer.

Deflexic. Hmm.

That must make it hard.

Dreadfully. Well, maybe you could just
tell us what was in it, then.

Yeah.

I, uh... Actually, I haven't read that
far.

It's your book.

All those stunts I did on the show did
bad things to my short -term memory.

Or maybe you didn't write it in the
first place.

You have a ghostwriter?

Sid always said that writing is 10 %
inspiration, 90 % perspiration.

I don't like to sweat.

Sid Abernathy?

That no -talent drudge is your
ghostwriter?

My creative collaborator.

Well, don't be so shocked.

All writers need a little help now and
then.

Well, maybe we should have a little talk
with your helper.

Why would anyone want to be a
ghostwriter anyway? Nobody knows what

accomplished.

Money.

Besides, those books would never sell
under Abernathy's name.

Well, how would he know if he didn't
try?

He did.

Remember that passage I read from
Bruce's book?

It was originally in one of Abernathy's
own detective novels.

He not only steals from himself, he
steals the worst part.

You're so bad, why do you read him?

Well, don't you keep up with other
detectives?

Not the same thing.

Oh, sure it is. Case loads, bestseller
lists, it's all competition.

Mr. Abernathy?

Hey, it's open.

No. You're right inside. Go on in.
You're not going to solve this one for

too?

How you doing, Sloan? Bentley?

Doctor? Don't tell me you had an
appointment with Abernathy. Oh, no.

scanner. You know you've got to keep up
with these radio calls. Never know when

I might be able to lend a hand.

I don't know how we're going to figure
this one out without you, Sloan.

Sit Abernathy.

Looks like one of his disgruntled fans
decided to save the world for more Rick

Steele novels.

Noble motive.

Looks like we've got a serial killer on
our hands. You do? You know, preying on

the literati. And that's his calling
card.

I like his style.

I'll tell you what, while I'm here, why
don't I go out and check the perimeter,

see what you've missed? I'd appreciate
that.

Yeah. I think we have a novel here.

I get first dibs, baby.

That is the most silly, stupid,
impulsive idea.

Well, it's an interesting puzzle, all
right.

Well, you don't think Archie could be
right, do you?

About the serial killer?

I mean, the crime is identical.

Well, I admit it doesn't look a lot like
Rothman's place, but somehow it just

doesn't feel like the work of a serial
killer.

What does it feel like?

Confusing. The same M .O. as Horst
Chilworth's murder.

A single upward thrust with a letter
opener.

Piercing the descending aorta.

Causing rapid exsanguination.

And death.

There is a difference.

And it is a significant one, one I must
not overlook.

This latest victim was stung before he
was

killed.

This is way too confusing.

Mark alone is confused.

I'm not.

Well, why aren't you? I mean, we have
two killers now.

Yeah, you offed Rothen, but you didn't
off Abernathy. I know. Isn't that great?

Yeah, I hate when you get to this part
of a book. You become positively

delusional. I'm not delusional. I'm
excited.

This thing finally has a life of its
own. That's a good thing, too. It's

starting to get a little straight line
in the plot.

It needed a few more twists.

Twists?

Come on.

That's nothing.

300 pages while he or she interviews
suspects before rounding them all up in

end and dazzling them with deductive
reasoning.

I'm all for action.

Remember when you wrote Praying Mantis
and I used a corpse's rib at my kendo

stick?

Yeah,

that was good.

I don't know who killed Sid Abernathy or
why.

But this shows that if you plant a
couple good what -ifs, the whole

just lays itself out.

Oh, if you really believe that, you
would have had a manuscript ready

A dull one.

This is definitely not dull.

Well, you're right about that, at least.

Where do we go from here?

Where else?

Back to Mark Snow.

Oh, I asked for coffee.

I know, but there will be none. At least
not until the good stuff gets here.

Hey, I know these books.

Got the Dance of Death series.

Rick Steele. Super Spy.

Fast with its fists.

Faster on its feet.

Jesse has very low literary standards.

Sid Abernathy happens to be a great
writer. His constant reworking of

themes and scenes makes him one of the
most complex contemporary American

writers. Look at Cha -Cha Choker's
brilliant use of metaphor.

And then there's Lindy Hop Lunatic.

And that one, Rick is chasing after this
serial killer who preys on swing dance

competition. Look at this right here.

Cha -Cha Choker right on the edge of Jim
Rothman's desk.

That one was great.

And that one, Rick Steele uses a dead
guy's rib as a kendo stick to battle the

forces of evil.

That shot -shot choker is missing from
Abernathy's personal library.

You mean he took an already published
book to his agent? That doesn't make any

sense. Maybe not, but the lab guys found
something in Abernathy's computer that

does. A blackmail note.

The whole world will soon know the lying
thief you really are.

I guess ghostwriting just doesn't pay
enough.

Did you find that chapter 12 from
Blazer's book that Abernathy was

-hmm. The hero...

who thinks he's turning into a vampire,
gets on a plane for Albania and reviews

the eerie events of the past 11
chapters.

If there was information the killer
wanted to hide, he would have had to

the entire manuscript.

At least that red herring is dead. I
told you you left too many clues lying

around.

You know, um, this isn't working. Why
don't we just drop it? Why? When it's

getting interesting.

We managed to trace the jars the
scorpions were in.

Wopak Greek olives.

There's only a couple of stores in the L
.A. area that carry them, so I'm going

to check the surveillance tapes and see
if any of Rothman's clients are

regulars. You see that just when you're
about to give up, the perfect clue pops

right up.

It wasn't plagiarism.

My subconscious merely borrowed a few
elements from a book I barely remember

reading. Praying mantis is a lie?

My whole life is a lie, a lie.

Yes, yes, I made you up. Oh, don't you
become a realist on me now.

Oh, damn.

Wolfpack Greek olives. You don't have
the plotting ability of a wombat.

Go away.

Hi. Hi.

Uh, yeah, come in.

My setup you've got.

Everything you need, huh?

Tools of my trade. Can't do without
them.

Kind of like surveillance cameras are
the tools of my trade.

Kind of, I guess.

You take a nice surveillance photo.

Especially the one from Lindler's
Market, where they sell these.

Wopak olives.

Glad you left the scorpion home.

Oh, there was no scorpion.

I got this from a recycled bin.

You were digging in my garbage?

It's always interesting.

Look, Lieutenant, don't play cat and
mouse with me. It won't work.

I didn't kill Jim Rothman.

Well, we don't think you did.

You don't?

You didn't have motive. I mean, he just
got near that big deal.

And he didn't have opportunity.

He called you before he was killed, and
from that point on, you were with that

and Amanda.

I know that.

But you were at the scene of the Rothman
murder.

You went over every piece of evidence
with us.

And it made you realize it was a perfect
opportunity to kill your blackmailer.

What blackmailer?

Sid Abernathy.

Sid wasn't blackmailing me.

Even though you stole from Cha -Cha
Choker?

Figured that out, did you?

When Jesse was telling us about Rick
Steele and the kendo stick, Dad

a similar scene from Praying Mantis.

Where Danielle fights off the bad guys
with the corpse's rib.

You did plagiarize Abernathy.

Borrowed. Borrowed.

Unconsciously. Just a tiny part.

But I didn't kill him.

I'm not a copycat.

Then why were there olive jars from your
favorite brand at both murder scenes?

I wish I could answer that.

So do I.

Since you can't, I'm afraid I have to
arrest you for the murder.

I framed myself for a murder I didn't
commit.

By committing the murder I did commit.

And I can't convince them I didn't
commit the second murder unless I admit

committed the first one.

You know, I usually like it when a
character starts taking over the story,

this is getting a little out of control.

Oh, I think it's Dr. Sloan who's gotten
out of control. And what about all those

red herrings he's supposed to be
swimming in? Don't start with me.

At least you told the truth about the
blackmail.

Yeah, the truth will set me free.

No, but it'll make a great ending.

Oh, Amanda, thank you for coming to get
me.

I'm just glad I was in the path lab when
you called.

I didn't know how I was going to get
home after I posted Bill. You know how I

hate taxis.

I can't believe they're doing this to
you. I told Steve he was all wrong.

he is.

I said if Kay Ludlow really wanted to
kill Sid Abernathy, she would have

of something more intelligent.

Nefarious. Exactly.

And you're a mystery writer. I mean,
there's no way that you would have been

sloppy enough to leave all those obvious
clues lying around.

Amanda, the real clue is still out
there.

And he might be getting ready to kill
another one of Jim's clients. Maybe even

me.

Okay, no one's going to kill you.

All we need to do is find out who
committed the first murder.

We do?

Absolutely. And once that person
confesses to both murders, well, you'll

and clear.

Yeah.

Right. Great.

Okay, come on. Let's go over and talk to
Mark about it.

Hey.

Didn't you kill Sid Abernathy?

No, she didn't, Jess.

I knew he'd believe you.

You know, it's possible that this was
about killing Sid Abernathy and

Jim Rothman was just a point of story to
Kay. And since Rothman called Kay just

before he died... She had an alibi that
the real killer couldn't have known

about.

So who is our killer?

Why would I kill my co -author,
ghostwriter?

The real unknown author of Creeping
Crawlers? I'll read the acknowledgments.

He's mentioned prominently in every one
of my books.

Acknowledgments aren't royalties. And
why would someone as famous as you go

ahead and hire a ghostwriter anyway?

Hmm. Writer's block?

Laziness?

Paranoia?

General lack of talent?

Or all of the above.

The truth is, Tuttle and the Mummy made
me famous.

Once you've been a celebrity, it's hard
to go back to being a nobody.

And being a best -selling author made
you famous all over again.

Fame of a different kind.

But I'm certainly not complaining.

Maybe Sid Abernathy got tired of still
being a nobody.

Not a chance. The man had no ego.

But he loved money.

As long as he got paid, he didn't mind
being used.

And how much is being used worth these
days?

A lot.

Fortunately, I could afford it.

Maybe somebody else decided they
couldn't.

So where are we going now?

Dad's found something at Abernathy's
house.

Do people really read this stuff?

Only people with bad taste, which
explains Jesse's infatuation with him.

You said you found something?

Yeah. You know, Abernathy's got quite a
collection of books.

Oh, well.

Most authors have big collections. It's
sort of an addiction.

None of Abernathy's books are organized
except on this one shelf.

These are alphabetized by author.

That's not all.

This is everything any one of these
authors ever wrote, including Bruce

Exactly. All of these books are books
that Sid Abernathy ghost wrote. Then why

are retired Sergeant Archie Mullins'
books here?

Probably because all he ever knew about
the street was how to find one on a map.

I think you better have a talk with him.

reinforcement? Shut up.

Archie, this is a friend.

Yes, darling.

You know the cops are on to you. They
know you killed your ghostwriter.

They're on their way. If I were you, I
would run.

Run, run, run.

You know what they do to cops in jail.

Bye -bye.

You're warning your suspect?

No. I do hate to manipulate the plot
like that.

I recall you giving an interview to one
of those unbearably pretentious literary

periodicals, and you prided yourself on
letting your characters, namely me, tell

the story.

Well, I does feel a little ham -fisted.

Unless you're becoming one of those
terribly plot -heavy hack writers you

profess to hate.

Like Sid Abernathy?

Well, let's face it.

He couldn't have been all that bad. You
did steal a book from the man. It was a

plot point.

It wasn't stealing. It was an homage.

I thought you called it unconscious
borrowing. Look, Danielle, this is the

solution, okay?

If Archie Mullen runs away, they'll
blame both murders on him, and they'll

forget about me and about Jim Rothman,
and I can finally type the end on this

nightmare, and I can even make sure that
Archie doesn't write a book about it

before I do.

Okay, are we ready? Thank you very much.

I did some more checking on the way
over. Turns out Mullen was on

one of those grocery store surveillance
tapes.

Don't tell me you missed one.

No, one of the clerks took it home to
record a couple of South Park episodes.

You know, but Lucky didn't tape over
everything.

See, in real life, not everything comes
easy.

No. At least you were able to locate
that pet store when Mullen bought that

scorpion. Oh, no. People use scorpions
as pets?

No wonder Mullen used a ghost rider.
He's not very good at hiding his set

Get out of here, Sloan!

You're just making this worse, Archie.
You know how to fight for a carpentry,

Sloan! Now get out of here!

I'm calling for backup, Archie. You know
what happens if you don't give it up

now.

Yeah!

Amanda?

How it ends.

You all right?

I'm perfect.

Doesn't make sense.

Archie Mullen wasn't the gung -ho, self
-sacrificing type.

No, he said he was afraid of prison.

Not enough to keep him from killing
Rothman and Abernathy.

No.

Blackmail can make you stupid.

At least it makes my character stupid.

Looks like it had the same effect on
Mullum, too.

Same note we found on Abernathy's
computer.

I wonder how many people he's gonna
blackmail.

He certainly put the wrong person to
start with.

I guess Archie did exactly what we
thought he did.

Killed Rothman to set up Kay for both
murders.

And when Kay was released, and he
thought that his plan was going to fail,

decided to depart in a poorly thought
-out blaze of glory.

Well. It's never a good idea to kill off
your protagonist.

No, it definitely isn't.

It is nice to close both cases at once.

Kay, how are you with all of this? I
mean, now that it's over and you have to

get a new agent.

Oh, I'm okay.

In fact, maybe we could talk about that
maggot stuff after all.

For my next book.

And there will be a next book.

Don't worry. Oh, I'm not worried.

Well, you don't look happy.

I don't like these kind of surprises.

Always makes me think I missed
something.

I know.

It's like when I write and it turns up
short.

I'm sure that I've missed a big chunk of
the story.

Have you?

Well, sometimes.

But usually it means that the story was
too simple to begin with and that the

solution was too easy to find.

So I just put it in a drawer and start
something new.

Maybe I ought to put this in a drawer.

Yeah.

Want some?

We back in the coffee bit? Yeah, even I
compromise. I get the Costa Rican beans,

but then we have to cut it with the
canned stuff.

Sounds fair.

I thought the Abernathy Rothman case was
closed now that Mullen is dead. Well,

it is, supposedly.

We've got coasters now?

Oh, yeah.

You know what it does to public morale?

The water rings everywhere?

You know something, Jesse?

Mullen's dead. I think the killer's
still out there. And I know just what to

about it. Put that on my tab.

I told you Mark Sloan would get me my
plot and miss the truth besides.

You got lucky.

I got enough material for a dozen books.

There is the self -sacrificing cop
story.

The blackmail scheme story. The missing
author story.

Kay Ludlow.

I know what you did.

Did? His spirit will walk until it's
avenged.

What are you talking about?

And I will be the instrument of that
vengeance.

What vengeance?

Archie Mullen may be dead by another's
hand, but the fault lies with you.

Oh, come on, Bruce.

As to the deaths of Jim Rothman and Sid
Abbott.

You know, you really should stop
watching your old reruns. You're not

Tuttle.

I approve.

What? And so will the police.

Very soon.

And then, the restless can rest.

Wait a minute. I didn't kill Sid
Abernathy.

I believe I have to drop another body.

But it's an excellent final chapter.
Besides, it'll fix that lame ending

got right now.

When did you get so pragmatic?

Oh, God.

I don't want to know.

Hello.

We did the same thing in episode 39.

You should have been watching my old
reruns.

I thought you were going to put it in
the drawer.

Well, I tell you, I'm never satisfied
when it gets that easy.

I'm the same way.

So how did you know?

Well, you write detective stories.

What's missing in this scene compared to
Jim Rothman's office?

The upside -down books, different
titles?

Nice guess.

But wrong.

Rifled manuscript.

Chapter 12 is missing, I assume, but
irrelevant. Right.

Well,

there's the damn scorpion and coffee
cup.

No coasters. No coasters.

When you were Barbecue Bob's, you always
found yourself a coaster to put on your

coffee cup.

And you did the same thing in Jim
Rothman's office.

But after Nathie's house, there were no
coasters at all.

And Archie Mullen's kitchen table was
covered with water rings.

Oh, the man never used a coaster in his
life.

Well, obviously it wouldn't occur to him
to use one in Jim Rothman's office

either. Hmm.

You know...

This could add a whole new layer of
psychological motivation to my killer. I

could blame his murderous bent on an
obsessively, compulsively neat mother.

Well,

I did have an alibi for the time of
Jim's murder. Yes, you did, and it was a

neat piece of plotting, too.

Instead of making us believe that you
were nowhere near Rothman when he was

killed, you made us believe that he was
alive when he was actually already dead.

I like that.

Thank you. You're welcome.

Well, simple is usually best.

That's what Mommy always told me.

Brilliant powers of deduction behind
that body wrap.

But obviously there was a mistake.

Rothman asked why you weren't there.

Now, that's something you'd say to an
answering machine, not to a bad

on a cell phone.

I don't know.

That's kind of weak on the physical
evidence.

But terrific on the behavioral.

You should have modeled me after him.

I still didn't kill Sid Abernathy. It
really was Archie Mullen.

We know.

Please, apologize to Amanda for me.

I guess I'm not as good as either one of
us would like me to be.

But I was telling the truth. There will
be another book.

Why did you kill Jim Rothman in the
first place? Was he trying to cheat you?

No.

Nothing that defensible.

Writer's block.

You have no idea.

You need a drink after you, you know.

Great kiss.

Too bad that's all we've got time for.

Great plan, show worth.

And almost a perfect murder. Two perfect
murders.

The false... Clues, the apparent coffee
cat killing, all to cover the fact that

you plagiarized your last book.

Hello, Lieutenant.

Yes, I have the real literary agent
killer.

The end.

Brilliant. Really brilliant.

I still didn't get to sleep with the
very attractive Horace Chilworth.

Wait till I write the prison breakout
story.

You're going to love it.