Original subtitles

Barnaby Jones, starring Buddy Epson, also starring Lee

Merriweather, with guest stars Pamela Franklin, Robert

Pine, Ed Power, Christina

Holland, special guest star Phyllis Baxter.

Tonight's episode, Murder Once Removed.

Ah, my little bride.

Look at this.

See, the Y4 shutter cuts the shutter to 100.

Look at the detail.

Brad, it's beautiful.

Yeah, isn't it?

I better get packing.

Heavy dew last night. Those wildflowers are gonna have a texture to them like

velvet today.

I won't be back till sunset.

You miss me?

Mm -hmm.

Like crazy.

Mm -hmm.

While you're gone, I better drive into the city today and...

Do some shopping.

The lottery is getting a little low.

Well, it looks cleared.

As soon as we get this series off of the annual, we'll be stopping again.

You'll see.

Okay, bye.

What are you doing here?

Well, surprised.

How did you get on board?

Haven't you ever heard of Stowaway?

I thought I made it clear a month ago.

Nothing. Not a cent.

How can a rich man like you let his son live from one day to the next, from hand

to mouth?

I bet it came as quite a surprise to you, didn't it?

The bride of poor Brad Fredericks discovered she's actually married a

Heir to an untold fortune.

You had to know he was a Catlin or you wouldn't have married him. I found out

accident that he was your son.

Brad doesn't know that I even know who he really is.

He wants to wander around like a hippie taking pictures of crocuses for $20 a

crocus? That's his business.

And if he's too proud to put on a suit and a tie and take his rightful place in

the Catlin industries, then both of you can go right on living on thistles and

pine cones and chicken fat.

That's final.

I wouldn't have come, Mr. Catlin.

Only I'm going to have a baby.

Come now.

How can you disinherit your son when he's about to make you a grandfather?

You are something else.

Let me tell you something, young lady.

I don't buy that any more than I buy the rest of your little conniving story.

I say you're much too smart to let motherhood interfere with your plans.

plans. All I want is... All you want is what you married Brad for, money.

I think it's time he understood that.

Now, wait a minute.

I don't want to hurt Brad.

You're not going to hurt Brad.

I haven't disinherited Brad, but I think it's time he was disenchanted.

I'm going to turn this boat around and we're both going to see him.

Let him take a second look at the little money -grabbing earth mother he's

married to.

Mr. Jones, my brother was an excellent yachtsman. He didn't make dumb mistakes.

He didn't get where he was in life by making dumb mistakes.

You don't get there without making a few enemies, either.

Meaning what, Barnaby?

Meaning if it wasn't an accident, then it was something else.

Enemies are something else.

I don't know.

There was some fight over voting proxies.

A Mr. Sloan was involved.

But I didn't follow R .B.'s business dealings that closely, Mr. Jones.

I invested 700 of my hard -earned schoolteacher dollars with my brother

first started out.

And he made me comfortably wealthy, but that's all I know about business.

Where do I find out about this Mr. Sloan?

Well, it should be in R .B.'s ledger.

He kept a daily ledger, a diary of sorts, for 20 years.

You're welcome to look at it.

Yeah, I think I ought to do that.

Your brother had two sons.

Will they carry on?

Arthur, he's been carrying on since he was a teenager.

That's R .B.'s son by his first wife. His mother died when the boy was only

And the other boy?

Bradley.

That's R .B.'s son by his second wife.

Poor Bradley.

He thought the demands of being Mrs. Catlin helped kill his mother.

Does Bradley live here?

No, he's been tracing off to become a nature photographer.

He took his mother's maiden name, Frederick, as if he wanted to disown his

father.

I'd like to talk to both of them.

Well, I sent notifications to the last whereabouts, but neither one of them

it to the funeral.

Eddie, you check with the Coast Guard and see if they took pictures of the

exactly as they found it. See if we can get copies.

Then you will look into it. My decks are cleared.

Let's get out of the way.

You mean this is where you lived?

Brad, I just don't believe it.

Well, don't let it fool you.

Nothing but a factory in the skies.

I'm a little scared.

You know, it's like I don't know who you are or who I am.

Come on.

Let's pay our respects and then we'll get back to where we belong.

Bradley!

Aunt Meg!

Get off!

You're thin as a rail. You're not eating.

See, she's accusing you of starving me.

Aunt Meg, I'd like you to meet my wife, Melissa.

I'm sorry.

No apology necessary. I am a terrible cook.

Come on, get your things. Your room's ready.

Oh, Aunt Meg, we can't stay. I just stopped by to pay my respects.

Why, of course you'll stay.

Well, isn't Art here?

Arthur arrived early today, but he was so overcome with grief that he had to

into town to drown his sorrows, I presume.

Now, come on.

I sent you a wire to Taos, New Mexico. Oh, we left there over a month ago.

been photographing up near Idlewild for the past couple of weeks. Our newspapers

are a little ancient. We only learned last night.

Mr.

Jones?

I'd like you to meet my youngest nephew, Bradley.

How do you do? My pleasure.

Oh, and his wife.

Melissa. Melissa Frederick. I mean, Catlin. It's okay to use her.

How do you do?

I guess we can put these away.

No smoke, no fire.

That proxy business was settled several weeks ago.

What's going on, anyway?

I've hired Mr. Jones to look into your father's death.

Well, I thought the newspaper said it was an accident.

Did you ever know your father to have an accident?

Not unless you count me.

I understand you enjoy working out of doors. You're a man after my own heart.

Oh, I'm sure my Aunt Meg has billed me as the starving photographer.

This color seems good.

I wouldn't worry about the woodsy ones.

Well, I like to enjoy living while I'm making a living.

Well, you can't ask for more than that.

Call you in the morning?

I'll see you out. No, never mind.

Very happy to have met you all. Yeah.

I want to look around that side. Oh, you go ahead. I want to talk to Aunt

Maggie.

Well, now, tell me what you've been up to.

Aunts have a right to know a few things.

A gentleman would invite me in, you know.

A gentleman wouldn't be seen talking to you.

Now you wait for me at the apartment.

Okay, what do I tell them if Harry Olmo calls again?

You tell them to get them off my back.

At the very least they can do, they can have the decency to wait until the will

is read.

Now come on, shoot.

Guilty.

I'm Barbie Jones, private investigator.

Good old Aunt Meg. She doesn't even trust an act of God, does she?

I understand you were out of town and didn't make it to your father's funeral.

Yeah, I was in Las Vegas. I was buying the cornerstone to a new hotel.

That's a confession. Only one to a customer.

When did you hear about your father's death?

Four o 'clock.

I don't remember whether it was a .m. or p .m.

You know Vegas.

Well, thank you very much, Mr. Catlin.

Look at me. I don't need anything.

And I don't want anything.

Very nice speech, Brad.

Still playing Robinson Crusoe, huh?

Aye, aye.

Is that any way to greet your brother?

And don't you think you've had enough?

That Meg.

A private investigator?

Really?

Something new's been added.

Who's the new pool man?

That's Brad's wife, Melissa.

Living with the birds and the bees gave you some ideas, eh, Brad?

Leave her be.

Don't worry about it, Melissa.

She can take care of herself.

Hello.

Hello. Hello, hello, hello.

I'm Melissa, Brad's wife.

You must be, um... Baa!

Art.

The black sheep of the family.

You know, for a half -sister -in -law, you don't have that.

Hey, don't I know you?

I don't think so.

I'm sorry about your father.

Sure.

Your hair was different and you weren't wearing any jeans or anything like that.

I think you've had a little too much to drink. We've never met before.

We met in the Bahamas.

They imported a whole group of pretty young things like you for the customers.

You were the best one of the lot.

I don't know what you're talking about. Now let go of me. Yes, you do, Melinda.

My name is Vanessa.

I liked you, remember?

I never heard those wedding bells you kept tinkling in my ear.

But after you struck out with me, you kept pumping me about that shutterbug

brother of mine back in Taos, didn't you? That's what you did.

You changed your outfit. You went after him.

I'm afraid that you're mistaken.

Nothing to be afraid of.

This is great.

Let's just say that your secret will be something that you and I share together.

Now, here's something.

I'm sorry, Barnaby. That may be a brush stroke to you, but it looks like a

sandwich to me.

It's exactly what it is, and it looks like you took one bite out of it.

Looks like Mr.

Catlin had sat down for lunch, but he didn't finish it.

What do you think happened?

Why would he set the automatic pilot?

Come out here, start to eat his lunch.

take one bite, and then suddenly decide to change course unless something or

someone interrupted him.

Barnaby, everyone said that when he left, he was alone.

And he was alone when they found him.

It still is to believe that he would spin this wheel hard enough to override

automatic pilot, jive the boat, and let the boom swing over here and kill him.

I'll bet you a dollar to a slice of salami that something interrupted his

Meaning someone.

Yeah, and the list can get pretty long.

Let's start close to home. There's his son, Art Catlin, who said he was in Las

Vegas when his father was killed. Why don't you check the hotels down there?

Right, I can do that.

And I have a license number. He has a female chauffeur. She ought to know

something about his coming and going.

Why don't you just ask him?

Well... like to let people study the questions too long before i hear the

answers to my dear sister meg whose faith in me has already made her a

woman i leave only my best wishes for a long life and good health she already

has everything else that money can buy

to my

son arthur who long ago gambled away any hopes that i had for him

I leave the sum of $50 ,000 so that he may make one last gamble on himself or

any game he chooses.

No! I promise, self -righteous.

Father, be quiet, please.

Go on.

Well, except for that bequest and two other small gifts to charity, the entire

estate and interest in Catlin Industries is left to you, Bradley.

Melissa.

Are they through in there?

Yeah, they're through in there, but we're not through out here.

You look like a little boy who only got the wing in the neck at a chicken

dinner.

Yeah, you're right. Bradley got it all, baby.

Except for the nickels and dimes.

But Bradley doesn't know that I have a little prior interest.

Stop that.

I've got a little proposition for you, Melinda.

You call me anything you want, and you tell Brad anything you like, I'll deny

it. And he'll believe me.

Yeah, Bradley's going to believe you.

But I'm not so sure a certain Mr. Barnaby Jones won't want to dig a little

deeper when he knows all about you.

He'd just love to know how you happened to meet and marry dear, dear Bradley.

What do you want?

You're going to have a say in running the financial matters of Catlin Industry

now.

You're going to see to it that your favorite brother -in -law is very well

care of.

Aren't you?

There's plenty for everybody.

Amen.

Barnaby Jones.

How's the Sherlocking going these days?

Oh, so -so.

How's the Shylocking?

Of course, our percentage is not nearly as good as in collecting.

How's everything in Vegas?

You know me, Barnaby. Las Vegas is just another town in Nevada to me.

I'm sorry. Gotta run.

See you around, Harry.

Harry Omo is a friend.

What business is it of yours anyway?

Harry can't afford friends.

He's a collector for gambling spots halfway around the world.

Well, you know what?

I don't have to tell a private investigator anything.

So why don't you just leave while it's still nothing to nothing?

Over at the Catlin house, I got the impression that Art owed somebody.

Harry is a collector.

That's not nothing to nothing. That's two and two.

So Art gambles. Everybody knows that.

And everybody knows he's got credit.

All over.

He had credit.

I talked to his aunt a couple of hours ago.

Arthur didn't inherit enough money to finance a lifetime career at the tables.

Oh, yeah?

That's not the way I heard it.

Well, it must be the way Harry heard it, or he would have left her with a bigger

smile on his face.

Hey, wait a minute.

All Harry Olmo has to know is that he's going to get his money.

I'm a little harder to please. I want to know how.

Why are you asking me? Ask him.

I suppose you were up there in Las Vegas, watching him gamble away his

inheritance during his own father's funeral?

He didn't know such a thing. He was right here.

Because we had a party going, a four -day swinging party.

How about the afternoon his father died, the 7th? Would you hear that?

You get out of here!

No!

Better think about it, Junie.

The district attorney will be asking that question.

Only he'll want an answer.

I still don't understand why you have to go tonight.

I'm sorry, Mrs. Catlin. I had to get the board of directors together before

tomorrow's deadline.

I guess it's the least I can do for my father.

Well, wait up for me, huh?

I'll do.

Bye -bye. Good night.

I'll see you tomorrow, Vanya.

That's just the start.

The overnight trips, nighttime meetings.

It's going to get very lonesome around the old barn on those long nights.

She wouldn't do that.

Wait a minute.

I know you, remember?

A real Barracuda, but not without talent. Please.

Baby, Bradley isn't your type.

Bradley doesn't know the first thing about the care and feeding of Barracuda.

Are you crazy?

Your girl's been in the house all the time.

Well, she's a very heavy sleeper.

I know a place that's nice and cozy.

Why don't you drive down the road and wait for me?

Well, you wouldn't be just trying to get rid of me, would you?

No. Now, go on.

I'll go up to my room, then I'll sneak down the stairs up to the balcony.

Yeah, that's the Melinda I remember.

You know, I just had a thought in it then, then.

I looked at you and I said to myself, I wonder if she could have knocked off the

old man herself.

Wouldn't put it past you.

If you're that far gone in the brandy, you're not going to be much fun,

Don't worry about me, baby.

Just down the road.

I'll be waiting.

Dead awfully.

Yes. I hope he's all right to drive I'm tired. I think I got certain lie down to

brag. It's very well dear. Good night

You're

running time consider I'll drive

I don't want to spoil everything by getting stopped.

That's my baby.

I've got the feeling that this is going to be the start of a beautiful

relationship.

Take it easy, Arnt.

Look, it's tricky enough driving through here as it is.

You better get out and take a look.

Forget it. Let's go. I'll have a check tomorrow.

No. Better check the headlights.

The police will stop us if the light's out.

Man, you've really got to be born with a death wish to drive this canyon under

the influence.

You think he was thrown clear of the car?

Looks like it.

No. He shouldn't have come.

I knew Arthur had been drinking, but I didn't know he was that drunk.

No way of actually telling what really happened.

Suicide.

Wanted that money so bad, couldn't see himself living without it.

Well, now, there isn't any evidence of that, Mr. Catlin.

Sure there is.

I've seen it all my life.

He should have known.

I would have given it to him, all of it.

What good is it anyway?

How can you say that, Brad?

I mean, you don't know this could have happened anyway.

then everything would have ended up no use to anyone.

One last gamble.

Isn't that what the will said?

I don't understand why you've come to see me, Mr. Jones.

Well, the circumstances of Mr. Catlin's accident...

I figured he could have been on his way to see you. And if not, he may have told

you where he was going.

No, Arthur didn't exactly confide in me.

I was his companion.

And a darn good one, too.

Now I'm out of work.

You were fond of Art Kettler.

That's a jerky word.

It's for teddy bears. He was a habit, okay?

There's bad and there's worse. At least he wasn't worse.

Yeah, I guess I was fond of him.

Where'd you meet Arthur?

In the Bahamas. I was working as a lounge photographer in a spot down

Among other things, you don't have to look at me like I invented sin or

something.

Arthur had a whole string of girls. I never tried to fool myself.

But I was his favorite.

I had a talk with Harry Olmo.

He said that Art called him and said that although the inheritance wouldn't

cover his debt, he was expecting a lot more soon.

Any idea where from?

All I remember is Art said old lovers

never die. They just pay and pay.

He said it like it was the magic word or something. I could just tell.

It doesn't sound like the magic word to me. It sounded like blackmail.

Now, come on. He must have mentioned a name.

He knew something.

Someone who was like money in the bank to him. Now, think back.

Well, he was asking to see those pictures, but that wouldn't have

with here.

What pictures?

We may be getting warm and don't know it.

Yeah.

They're copies of a lot of the pictures I took of people in the Bahamas in the

lounge. Any particular one?

Yeah, um... This one.

Melinda Pollock.

She's put a web all over the place trying to catch art.

If it wasn't the marrying kind, I could have told her.

William here. I've got great news.

No, ladies first.

I've got a surprise for you. All right.

I've ordered an absolute fortunate darkroom equipment.

They're going to set it up in that big room right behind the servants'

And you can play photographer till your heart's content.

Big busy man. Now you'll need the relaxation. Oh, that's what I've been

to tell you.

I'm no longer a busy man.

I've decided to tuck the whole thing.

What? After two meetings with the board of directors, I'm already strangling.

So I decided to turn it over to somebody else. Slow down. You're not making any

sense. It's the first sense I've made in days.

I've already talked to Lyle Stratton, and he's going to start setting it up

first thing on Monday when he gets back from New York.

Set what up?

The Catlin Foundation.

I'm going to put the Catlin fortune to work.

A board will manage Catlin Industries using the profits from all that money

where it'll do the most good.

Brad, you can't just... But I can do it.

Oh, Aunt Meg can have the house if she wants it, but the rest is all going to

put to work for the people who need it the most.

I've never been any good at handling money, and now I don't have to handle a

dollar of it.

What's wrong?

It's just such a shock.

I mean, your father wanted you to. But what good did it do my father? He's

And Art's dead.

And if I have to sit through another board of directors meeting, I'll be

Well...

We have to live our own lives, Melissa. We agreed on that when we got married.

And I'm not going to let you down.

So why don't you pack up the camper and we'll get back where we belong.

Yes, of course, darling.

Whatever you say.

Just for long as I'm with you.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Well, what's the verdict from Taos, New Mexico?

Melissa Morgan arrived in Taos one year ago and by the strange of coincidence

enrolled in the same photographic class as Bradley Catlin or Frederick, as he

called himself then.

Photographic class?

Yes, it was an eight -weeks course conducted by a famous nature

And nature took its course.

Nature isn't quite that natural because two months earlier, Melinda... Pollock

had tried to get Brother Art Catlin to tumble for her in the Bahamas.

She gets around.

Driver's license issued to Melinda Pollock shows her last address, Orlando,

Florida. The owner of the building at that address said that she was a swimmer

with a water ballet group at Undersea Gardens.

Barnaby, are you sure it's the same girl?

Darken the hair.

Take away the makeup.

earrings, and Swingin' Melinda becomes Sweet Melissa.

Oh, you're quite an artist.

Not half the artist that Sweet Melissa seems to be. A quick -change con artist

who dragged out with Brother Art, but not before she finds out he has a

who is roughing it in towels.

Bradley. Bradley.

But she has a problem. Little does she know that Bradley will not touch his

father's money with a ten -foot pole.

You think he tried to get money out of Arby Catlin on her own?

Didn't you say she was a professional swimmer?

Catlin, but... Barnaby, you're not saying she killed him?

I don't know.

30, 40 minutes, she's sure. Then all she has to do is wait for the inheritance.

Wait and worry a little. She must have known that she'd have to meet Art Catlin

again. Yes, and if he did recognize her, that might explain why he was so

confident about getting more money.

Well, what can you do?

There's one thing I have to do in a hurry.

I have to have a quick, quiet talk with Bradley Catlin.

Catlin? Oh, hello.

Is Bradley around?

No, he left about a couple of hours ago.

Drove up to Lake San Fernando to take some pictures.

Never could understand that boy wanting to look at the world through a

viewfinder. Now, maybe I do. Maybe that's why he wants to give it all away.

It's coming a little too fast for me. Give all what away?

Everything. Everything that has the Captain Brand on it.

He's having Lyle Stratton start the whole thing in motion Monday.

a foundation for worldwide charities or something like that.

Well, how did his wife take that little piece of news?

All right, I guess.

I don't understand her quite, but she seemed happy enough about the whole

when Brad left.

I'd like to talk to her.

Well, she should be back shortly. She went to the doctor's, coming down with a

cold.

Is something wrong?

Do you happen to know which doctor?

Yes, our family doctor.

Edwin Majeski.

Do you have his number?

Let's see.

Hello? I'm trying to locate Melissa Catlin.

Is she in your office now?

Why has she been there?

I see.

Well, thank you very much. I'm sorry to have bothered you.

She isn't there?

She had an appointment, but she didn't keep it. That's strange. She said she

going. Where did you say that Bradley was taking these pictures?

Somewhere up around Lake San Fernando.

Thank you.

oh

Yeah, yeah, I'm all right. Wait here.

All right.

If you had taken a course in auto mechanics instead of photography, you'd

that a car just doesn't have the old get up and go with the coil wire missing.

Might as well crawl out of there, Melissa or Melinda or whatever your name

This is one murder scene you're not going to walk away from or swim away

Mr. Jones, I'd like to talk to him.

You're like a doctor.

Melissa... Um... If you just

told me how important that money was to you... You'd never understand.

How could you?

You were born rich. You lived rich.

You were so rich you didn't even want the money.

I've never had anything my whole life.

But was it worth killing two people?

I'd have sold my soul for it.