Original subtitles

[Jessica] Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.

No way in hell are you gonna convince me

that one of my boys could kill a man.

You coached him. I taught him.

Jessie, that was 20 years ago.

Neither of you would want to see a murder go unsolved.

Where did you get the $50,000 to start with?

You ask that question again to me

or anybody else and I'll sue you.

[tires screeching]

He was almost killed last night

in the car run off the road.

What is going on between me and my wife

is none of your business.

I don't like what you're getting at.

You killed one of my boys! Let go of me!

[cheerful orchestral music]

Come on, Hampton. Lighten up, will ya?

A couple belts at lunch yesterday

doesn't make me a lush. Yesterday?

How about every day? How about right now?

Nobody wants to buy cars from a drunk, Dan.

You're finished. Look, Billy boy.

I'm the best salesman you got.

Oh, yeah, well, that's ancient history.

You haven't moved enough units this past year

to keep this place in lightbulbs.

[both grunting]

Hi there.

Real beauty, isn't she?

How about takin' her out for a test drive?

Thanks, maybe some other time.

All right, just say the word.

[typewriter clicking]

[doorbell rings]

Mrs. Fletcher, I'm Andrew Durbin.

[laughs]

I'm renting Lila small's house for a few weeks.

Oh, yes, of course. Lila left her key with me.

Please forgive me. Come in.

Thank you.

Lila called me last night from New York

to say you'd be arriving today,

and still it still flew right out of my head.

You must think I'm addlebrained.

No addlebrain could have written The Belgrave Murders.

Oh, thank you for those kind words.

I think I may have come at a bad time.

Oh, not at all.

I was just going out, but Lila's house

is only a couple of blocks from here.

Thank you.

It's nice to see things haven't changed much.

Oh, then you've been to Cabot Cove before.

Years ago.

Matter of fact, I stayed a bit longer than I'd planned.

Well, then this should be

quite a nostalgic vacation for you.

[sighs] Or are you here on business?

A little of both.

But mostly just to soak up a lot of sunshine

and good, clean salt air.

[laughs]

You sound to me like...

Like someone with a raging case of cabin fever.

Mrs. Fletcher, you are a master of understatement.

Oh. This place could do with a good airing.

Oh, please, let me get all that.

I've already taken up too much of your time.

Oh, it's no trouble at all.

One last favor.

I've got some papers your sheriff has to sign.

Could you tell me where I could find him?

Four blocks down, turn to the left.

It's on the outskirts of town.

Oops, I'm gonna be late.

Can I drop you somewhere?

Oh, how very kind of you.

A dear friend, Kevin Cauldwell,

is retiring as football coach of the high school.

A few of us are giving him a farewell party.

-Let's go. -Thank you.

I don't mind telling you. I'm shocked, Perry.

I'm speechless, that's it. I'm... I'm speechless.

Everyone knows that I had that accident

because the car Bill Hampton sold me was a lemon.

Now I'm welded to this chair for life.

I'm helpless as a baby.

Arnie, what I said in that courtroom is final.

Now, I am truly sorry about your accident.

Perry, the stock market has made me a very rich man.

I am not suing him for the money.

It's the principal of the thing.

Arnie, I can't hear your case

because I have a conflict of interest.

I've known you and Bill since we were kids.

We played on the same football team.

That's exactly my point.

No one has to tell you how underhanded Bill Hampton is.

Remember the time he fixed us up with a couple of chicks--

That's it, Arnie! Not another word.

Boy, Perry,

you are very strict, very strict.

And also very busy. So, if you'll excuse me.

See you at coach's party?

Are you kidding?

The year of '66 was the greatest thing

that ever happened to me.

I'll be there.

[knock at door]

-Sheriff. -Afternoon, Judge.

Could you spare a few minutes?

Of course, come on in.

Oh, uh, this is Mr. Durbin.

He's rentin' Lila small's house for a few weeks.

Well, welcome to cabot cove, Mr. Durbin.

Thank you, Judge.

What can I do for you, Amos?

Eh, never handled anything like this before, your honor.

Thought it'd be best to check it with you.

[people speaking simultaneously]

[laughing]

Parole papers?

Yes, it seems Mr. Durbin served 20 years

in the state prison for murder.

Oh, dear.

I don't know the circumstances.

He was paroled a few months ago.

One of the conditions being

that he register his whereabouts

with an officer of the court.

He sure made Amos Tupper nervous.

Well, it seems hard to believe.

I mean, he's so charming and intelligent.

Jessica. Heck of a swan song, Jessie.

Some swan song.

If I know you, Kevin Cauldwell,

you'll be spending even more time at Cabot Cove High.

I fell head over heels for this woman

my first day at the school.

But for some unfathomable reason,

she wouldn't leave her husband.

[all laughing]

Then I met Frank Fletcher,

and I gave up the chase.

Best friends a man could hope for.

Well, it was a two-way street, Kevin.

Those were wonderful years for all of us.

Mmm, some not so wonderful.

Or maybe you forgot that football camp of mine.

The one that was gonna make me the... the next Pop Warner.

[all laughing]

Hey, I'm still waiting

for my counselor's salary.

[chuckles]

I'm just kidding. It's... Coach, I'm kidding.

Remember what I told you guys.

You can't win 'em all.

Hey, we beat 'em all in '66, coach, remember?

Yeah, we sure did.

State Football Champs.

First and only time for Cabot Cove or me.

Tough act to follow, but what a year.

And I owe it all to you guys.

Perry, Arnie, Billy.

Danny. Where's... where's Danny?

Hey, Dan? Where's Dan Pulling? Dan never misses a party.

Especially one with free drinks.

-Hey, zip it up, Arnie. -Touchy, touchy.

What's the matter? Feeling a little bit guilty

about firing Dan this morning?

That's none of your business.

Well, maybe you're just nervous.

After all, I'd be nervous, too, if I was

facing a million-dollar lawsuit.

Knock it off, Arnie.

But then it is the insurance company's money.

I said knock it off!

Excuse me. I wanna talk to Jessica.

It was a great party, Jessica. Thanks. I mean it.

Everybody chipped in.

But I know whose idea it was, don't I?

[laughs] Any plans?

Yeah, goin' back to my office.

They're payin' me till Friday.

After that, I guess it's gonna seem kind of funny.

After all these years, nothin' to do.

You could get to like it.

Well, I'll give it a shot.

Thanks for everything.

He'll never be able to handle it.

30 years, you don't just quit, not like this.

If he could quit himself, it would be much easier.

I really feel sorry for him.

Well, since the guest of honor has fled the premises,

I hereby declare this party adjourned.

Let's go, honey. Jessica, can we drop you?

Oh, thanks. I thought you'd never ask.

[all laughing]

Fetch the chariot, my good man.

I don't sell chariots. It's too hard to get parts.

Uh-oh.

Danny.

Hey, coach!

Drunk as hell. Just what we need.

Come on, Jessica. Let's go.

We'll see you later.

-Bye-bye. -Bye.

Maybe I'd better go see if Dan's okay.

Let coach handle it.

-Tara, I-- -Perry, you can't help him.

School's out.

Let's go.

What is it, Bill?

It's nothing.

It's just somebody's idea of a practical joke.

[telephone ringing]

[moans]

-Hello. -Bill, who is it?

Who are you? What do you want?

Bill, what's wrong?

What is it?

Bill.

Bill.

What is that?

-Oh! [Jack-in-the-box laughing]

-Bill. [laughing continues]

Bill, talk to me. Tell me what's happening.

-Who's doing this? -Honey, it's nothing.

It's nothing. It's just a sick

practical joke, that's all.

I'm gonna call Sheriff Tupper.

No!

I told you. It's just a joke, a private one.

I'll take care of it myself.

You say you got a good look at the clipping?

It was from The Gazette.

Something about a hitchhiker being convicted

and $100,000 in bonds missing, but it happened years ago.

A hitchhiker?

I have a vague memory of a man who was murdered in shawmut.

A hitchhiker was convicted for the crime,

but they never found he bonds

that he was supposed to have taken.

But that was at least 20 years ago, I'm sure.

Jessica, I'm worried.

Bill has never kept anything from me before.

Who's ever behind this,

it's more than just a practical joke.

And you have no idea what it could be?

No.

I'm sure Dan Pulling's got something to do with this.

Getting back at Bill for firing him.

Oh, God.

Can you remember anything else about last night,

something that Bill might have said or done?

No... except...

a car drove by when we were outside the house.

It was moving very slowly,

as if the driver was watching us.

Did you get a look at the driver?

No, it was too dark.

But the car was an old Corvette,

you know, from the '50s.

Will you have a talk with him, Jessica?

Maybe there's something that Bill can't tell me

because he doesn't want to frighten me

but he might confide in you.

Of course, Alison.

But I'll have to do a bit of research first.

Night, fellas. See you in the morning.

[tires screeching]

-Jessica. -Oh, hello, Alison.

I've been looking all over for you.

-Have you talked to Bill yet? -No, not yet. What's wrong?

It's worse, whatever's going on.

Jessica, he's carrying a gun.

Oh, dear.

Early this morning, I came downstairs

and I heard Bill on the phone in the study.

He was telling someone

that he was almost killed last night

in the car, run off the road.

He said he thinks he knows who did it,

and they've got to do something before it's too late.

Do you know who he was talking to?

No. Just as I came in the study

I saw him putting the gun in his pocket.

-Where is he now? -At the showroom.

Alison, I think you should talk to Sheriff Tupper.

No, no, I can't do that. He'd never forgive me.

He'd be furious if he knew I was talking to you.

Hello, again.

-Ready for that test drive? -Ah, afraid not.

But I brought my baby in for some minor repairs.

Yeah, she's a real classic, all right.

Cherry condition.

I saw it parked across the street

from the, uh, Cove Restaurant yesterday.

It does attract attention.

These are pretty hard to come by.

Where did you find this one?

Bought it from a little old lady over in Shawmut.

Had it garaged ever since her husband died...

20 years ago.

A tragic incident. You might remember it.

That's if you were in these parts back then.

Try me.

Seems this businessman

picked up a hitchhiker one night.

Next thing you know, the man is dead

and $100,000 in negotiable bonds is missing.

Ring a bell?

All right, what do you want? Why have you come back here?

Sorry for rambling on like that.

Bad habit.

Comes from spending too many years alone.

It's the electrical system.

The left side doesn't work.

It started acting funny last night.

I just replaced the headlight, so it, uh, can't be that.

Probably a short.

We're pretty busy right now.

Why don't you come back about 9 o'clock?

I'll have it ready for you then.

Thanks. See ya at 9:00.

Jessica.

Don't tell me you're in the market for a car?

Oh, my goodness, no.

I spend enough time sitting as it is.

No, Bill, I came to see you.

Alison told me what happened last night and this morning.

Oh, come on. [chuckles]

Oh, Bill. That nervous laugh.

I remember that from sophomore english.

It generally meant that you hadn't done your homework.

[chuckles] Jessica, come on.

I don't want to seem to be butting in,

but a man that carries a gun has to be desperately worried

about something or someone.

Now, Alison is terribly worried.

Come on, that's ridiculous.

I mean, Alison and I have never had any secrets.

Why... why would I want to start now?

Perhaps this has something to do with it.

Bill, that was Andrew Durbin who drove by your house,

Andrew Durbin who left

that bizarre valise on your doorstep.

But why?

What is the connection between you two?

Jessica, forgive me.

I never met the man before yesterday.

And quite frankly, what is going on between me and my wife

is none of your business.

I'm sorry. I came here as a friend.

Yes, and I'd like to keep it that way.

Now please excuse me,

because I've got a very, very busy day.

He was just here.

Durbin, yes.

No, no, it was him all right.

You bet we're in this together,

and we're gonna take care of him together.

Come to my office a little before 9 o'clock tonight.

Yes, of course this is me.

I don't believe I ever made a secret of it.

Mm-hmm.

And that's the murder you served the 20 years for.

I served the 20 years, sheriff.

I did not commit the murder.

Jury thought otherwise.

The jury was wrong.

I maintained my innocence then.

I maintain it today.

You have an excellent memory, Mrs. Fletcher.

The events of the last couple days

have helped to jog it.

All right, Durbin.

I want to know what you're doin' here

in Cabot Cove spookin' Bill Hampton.

Really? Has he filed a complaint?

No, he hasn't. At least not yet.

But it's evident that you've gone to a great deal of trouble

to attract Bill's attention.

Why?

20 years ago, I was a college student

spending my summer vacation

thumbing from one anti-Vietnam rally to another.

One night over in Shawmut,

I hitched a ride from a businessman.

He wouldn't happen to have been

driving a Corvette, would he?

Just on the outskirts of Cabot Cove,

we were run off the road by a teenager playing chicken.

The kid's car had only one headlight.

He came straight at us.

The man swerved the car, hit the shoulder,

and cracked his head on the steering wheel.

Now just hold on here.

You're not saying that he died

from that bump on the head.

'Cause I read the autopsy report.

Amos.

Sorry, Miss Fletcher.

No, sheriff.

The man was unconscious,

bleeding heavily from that bump,

but very much alive when I left the car to get help.

I ran down the road to a farmhouse we passed.

On the way, I saw the car with one headlight

make a turn up ahead

and come back toward the Corvette.

There were people in that farmhouse.

They were watching TV.

I rang the bell.

I pounded on the door,

yelled that there'd been an accident.

They kept on watching TV.

By the time I got back to the car, the man was dead.

His head bashed in, his luggage all over the roadside.

Just then, a police car pulled up,

and...

the rest is a matter of record.

Then you're saying whoever was in the car

with one headlight

killed the man and stole the bonds.

The police searched for those bonds for days.

They never found them.

What was I supposed to have done with them,

burned them, eaten them?

It made no sense, but they convicted me anyway.

But you still haven't answered my question.

What are you to Bill Hampton, and what is he to you?

While I was in prison,

I subscribed to The Cabot Cove Gazette,

certain I would find a photo

of the kid I saw in the car that night.

You saw the driver?

Not the driver, Mrs. Fletcher.

The passenger.

That's him.

He was in that car

wearing a white dinner jacket,

like kids wear at a prom.

That's right, Mrs. Fletcher.

The murder of that man,

the senior prom at Cabot Cove High,

they happened on the same night.

I don't care what night it was.

Just-just-just a minute, Amos.

There were no lights on that road.

How can you be sure that was Bill Hampton?

Oh, his face has been burned into my mind for 20 years.

You haven't identified the driver, have you?

What makes you so sure I haven't?

Because you continued to collect Cabot Cove history

long after you identified Bill.

Maybe the reason you were pressuring Bill

was that you hoped that he would, uh,

lead you to the driver.

All this theorizing is gettin' us nowhere.

Now, you take my advice, mister.

You leave town before I put you under arrest.

On what charge, sheriff? I haven't broken any law.

No, but you're plannin' to.

By your own admission, you come here for revenge.

Not revenge. Justice.

And unless I'm mistaken,

neither of you would want to see a murder go unsolved

or justice undelivered, would you?

This guy Durbin must be out of his mind.

Bill Hampton's the last man on earth

who would murder somebody.

These are my boys, Jessie.

Arnie, Perry, Dan, Bill, especially Bill.

He was like my own son.

That's why I'm here, Kevin.

Now, this will surprise you. I know it did me.

But I believe Mr. Durbin's story.

Jessie.

Not necessarily that he saw Bill in the car that night,

but that he did see a young man wearing a white dinner jacket.

That's ridiculous. He's lying.

I don't think so.

You were one of the chaperones at the prom, Kevin.

Now, think back.

Can you remember what Bill did when it was over?

Jessie, that was 20 years ago.

No, I'm sorry.

There's no way in hell are you gonna convince me

that one of my boys could kill a man.

Look, Kevin, how do you think I feel?

You coached him, I taught him.

I don't want to believe it any more than you do,

but he is acting very strangely.

He is carrying a gun, and he is lying to Alison.

Now, something must be terribly wrong.

No, no, no, you're way off the track, Jessie.

No, it's not just Bill that I'm worried about.

I'm sure that Andrew Durbin's after a second person.

Whoever was driving the car that night.

Has he put a name to this other person?

No, but my guess is that he's waiting

for Bill to lead him to the driver of the car.

And you want me to talk to him.

If he'll listen to anyone, it has to be you.

Okay, I'll tell you this, Jessie.

As far as I'm concerned,

this guy Durbin committed that crime.

And if he thinks he's gonna lay it off on Bill Hampton--

Kevin, don't do anything foolish.

Yeah, okay.

Guess it was just an old man wishing...

wishing he were 20 years younger.

[clattering]

You're early.

[gun cocks]

[police chatter on radio]

Miss Fletcher. Mr. Cauldwell.

Sorry to start your mornin' off this way.

Oh, thank you for calling me, Amos.

Who found Bill's body?

Hal Avery, about an hour ago.

Accordin' to Doc Mathews, he must've shot himself

some time between 9:00 and 11:00 last night.

Yeah, we found this typewritten note in the car next to him.

It's pretty clear Bill couldn't take the pressure

that Durbin was puttin' on him.

-Excuse me. -Thanks.

Are you positive that it was a suicide, Dr. Mathews?

Bullet in the right Temple.

Yeah, from Bill's own gun.

Checked the registration myself.

Yes, but that doesn't make any sense.

The right Temple? Bill was left-handed.

That's right.

Bill was the only lefty quarterback I ever coached.

But what does that mean?

Well, it means, it's unlikely that a left-handed person

would shoot themselves in the right Temple.

But a stranger, someone who didn't know Bill very well,

probably wouldn't have known that he was left-handed.

A stranger?

Uh, don't ask me to be a hypocrite.

Hampton's dead.

In a way, he's paid a debt long past due.

But did I kill him?

No.

Bad news, Miss Fletcher.

He was havin' dinner at the Cove Restaurant.

My deputy just confirmed it.

From 8:00 until they closed, just past 11:00.

-Long time for supper. -I'm a slow eater.

They found the keys to his car

locked in Bill Hampton's service office.

Well, Mr. Durbin,

it seems that your mission is accomplished.

I guess you'll be leaving Cabot Cove.

Not just yet.

Well, I can think of only one reason

that you'd want to stay.

You're hoping that the driver of the car

will reveal himself to you.

You'll understand if I don't comment on that.

You know what's wrong with your alibi, Durbin?

It's too airtight.

You're gonna trip up somewhere.

And when you do,

I'm gonna be there waitin' for you.

Comin', Miss Fletcher?

In a moment, Amos.

I'm sorry, but what you did was totally reprehensible.

Even though your friend was guilty of murder?

That was a matter for the courts.

Was it?

You mean the same courts that sent me away to prison,

that robbed me of 20 precious years,

that locked me away in an 8x10 cell like an animal

for a crime I didn't commit

while Bill Hampton and his confederate were free

to enjoy a life I never had and never will have?

You have a bizarre definition of justice, Mrs. Fletcher.

We still only have your word

that it was Bill Hampton

that was involved in that killing.

You're a bright woman, Mrs. Fletcher.

You take this, read through it, read it carefully,

the accounts of the trial, everything,

then come back and tell me I'm a killer and Hampton wasn't.

My task here is only half over, Mrs. Fletcher.

I'm not leaving until it's finished.

No!

Bill would never commit suicide.

Of course he didn't.

Bill, he was a... he was a fighter, not a quitter.

"Never say die" Hampton.

12 points down in the fourth quarter,

and he couldn't wait to get out there

and stick it to the other guys.

Remember, honey?

Look, all of you,

the alternative is just as hard to take.

I don't think it was suicide.

I think it was murder.

Why would anyone want to murder Bill?

Let me show you something.

Now, you all know about Andrew Durbin,

but what you may not know is that he swears

that he is innocent of killing that businessman

and stealing those bonds,

and I'm afraid that I believe him.

But what does that have to do with Bill's death?

Everything.

It's possible that Bill was involved.

You don't know what you're saying.

She seems to know exactly what she's saying.

I'm sorry, Alison.

I'd give anything to be wrong.

The night of your senior prom,

it's possible that Bill and someone else

committed the crime

that Andrew Durbin went to prison for.

Well, if that's true, then

Durbin must have killed Bill out of revenge.

No. He has an unshakable alibi.

I see.

What you're saying is,

Bill's killer is the person who was with him

the night of the prom.

Yes.

That's a strong possibility.

You were close then, all of you.

You traveled together. Think back.

Can't you remember anything unusual

that could have happened that night?

We had a hell of a good time. That's all.

Look, Jessica, I don't like what you're getting at.

Take it easy, honey.

You're talking after the prom?

It was around midnight, I guess.

A bunch of us drove over

to that all-night diner on route 6.

We stayed there till after sunrise.

Including me and including Bill.

We left the prom early and went straight to the diner

just like everybody else.

Isn't that right, Perry?

That's right.

Bill and Alison were with us.

You're certain, Perry?

Someone else could be in danger if you're wrong.

They were there, Jessica. All night.

Durbin!

I'm Durbin.

The name's Cauldwell.

Bill Hampton was a friend of mine.

Hey!

Kevin! Stop that!

You bastard! You killed one of my boys!

-Kevin, please! -Coach, take it easy.

Get your hands off me! Let go of me!

-Are you all right? -Yeah.

Kevin, you come with me.

I wanted to kill him.

You might have succeeded too.

That would have complicated things.

I'm gonna heat some coffee. Sit down, Kevin.

So, Jessica, do you really believe

Bill was involved in that killing 20 years ago?

I'm sorry, Kevin, but, yes, I do.

And what's worse,

I think that someone else was involved.

You know, Alison lied to me, and Perry swore to it.

Have you been able to think of anything,

anything that could have happened

that was unusual on the night of the prom?

Well, after you left my office,

I... I gave it some thought.

Fact is, I left early, around 11:00,

an hour before the dance was really over.

Oh, why was that?

The same reason you stayed home that night, the flu.

Besides, the last thing those kids needed

was good old coach spying on them.

Then you have no way of knowing

if Bill and Alison left the dance at the same time.

No, Jessica, I'm sorry.

But what I do remember about that night is my boys.

I can't, I won't believe any of them is involved.

Their killer instincts are restricted

totally to the gridiron.

Even Dan Pulling?

I seem to remember they used to call him "the animal."

Yeah, Dan used to have that kind of wild ferocity

before he lost it in a bottle of gin.

Funny, back then.

Danny never touched the stuff, not even beer.

I wonder what got him started.

Well, the problem with that theory

is that Dan never had two dimes to rub together.

If Mr. Durbin's right,

then Bill's accomplice shared in the spoils.

Which brings me to Arnie Wakeman.

Now, Arnie Wakeman was always

the poorest kid in school, Kevin,

but he managed to make a fortune on the stock market.

Now, how did he do that?

I already told the sheriff I don't know where Dan is.

It's 20 years ago that I'm curious about, Arnie.

The night of your senior prom.

What about it?

You know, Perry called me and told me

what you've been up to.

I... I... I can't believe you're trying to nail one of us.

For heaven sakes, I'm trying to get to the truth, Arnie.

Your friend is dead.

Never mind that terrible lawsuit.

He was your friend and mine.

I didn't kill Bill.

And I sure as hell didn't kill the guy

in that car 20 years ago.

Well, I've been doing some digging around.

Four years after the murder,

Bill came up with $50,000 to buy his car company.

Now, I think that it was his half

of the missing bond money.

I always knew that guy was a crook.

And his partner got the other half.

What are you driving at?

Well, according to the clipping

in The Gazette,

you returned to Cabot Cove after five years in New York

having made your fortune in the stock market.

I never did like that picture.

It also says that you parlayed a $50,000 investment

into a multimillion-dollar portfolio.

Jessica, you're crazy if you think

I had anything to do with Hampton killing that guy.

Well, then set me straight. Tell me.

Where did you get the $50,000 to start with?

I'm warning you.

You ask that question again to me or to anybody else

and I'll sue you for defamation.

Arnie, do you think that I like this coming here,

asking questions of you and Perry?

There's been one murder in this town.

And unless somebody gets to the truth now,

there's liable to be another.

I'm sorry, I can't help you.

Oh, I almost forgot.

I found this special delivery on your doormat.

It's from the, uh, insurance company.

I'll just leave it on this hall table.

My telephone Bill.

I'm sorry, Arnie.

I saw the scuff marks on the newly polished floor

from a man's shoes.

Maybe we'd better have a talk with Sheriff Tupper.

Attempting to defraud an insurance company.

That's pretty serious business, Mr. Wakeman.

So I can walk. I didn't kill Bill.

And the $50,000?

It's from an inheritance.

20 years ago, an uncle of mine died and left me a trust fund.

-Suppose you can prove that? -Yeah, I can prove that.

But you did keep it a secret.

So I wanted to be a big man,

to show all these people that Arnie Wakeman

had something on the ball,

that I'm not just another poor kid from the edge of town

with holes in my jeans.

But now the money has run out,

which I assume is the reason

that you decided to sue Bill Hampton.

I phonied the accident.

I got some shyster doctors and lawyers

to swear I was paralyzed.

All in the hope of collecting enough money

from the insurance company to continue your lifestyle.

Hey, if you think it was fun

sitting in that wheelchair, you guys--

Suppose you tell us

what happened the night of the prom.

Oh, we're back to that?

Mr. Wakeman, right now you're in a mess of trouble.

You best cooperate.

Can you remember anything unusual happening,

something to do with Bill Hampton?

[chuckles]

Sure, Bill was plastered.

Alison left him flat on the dance floor.

-Then what? -I don't know.

I think he ran after her. They had a hell of a row.

He tried to get her to stay but she wouldn't.

-About what time was that? -11:00.

[telephone rings]

Sheriff Tupper here.

That so?

Are you sure about that?

Okay, thanks a lot.

Well, there goes my number one suspect.

Dan Pulling he's been over in the drunk tank in Bartlesburg

for the past two nights.

Looks like we're right back to square one.

-Jessica? -I'm sorry, Perry.

I should have called first.

Tara and I were just leaving.

Uh, before you go,

I'd like to ask you all a question.

Why are three people

whom I consider very dear and close friends lying to me?

That's out of line, Jessica.

I've been talking

with several of your old classmates

ones who were at the prom and at the dinner.

And none of them remember

seeing Bill or Alison that evening.

Alison forced you to back up her story.

I understand, Perry.

You were Bill's closest friend.

Are you suggesting that maybe I was in the car

-with Bill that night? -No more!

Lying won't bring Bill back or change the truth.

You and Bill had an argument,

and you left the prom separately.

He was drunk.

He kept trying to make me leave the prom early...

and go to a motel with him.

I got angry, and I told him if that's what he thought of me,

if that's what he wanted,

then he could find himself another girl.

He wanted to take me home,

but I wouldn't get in the car with him.

He was too drunk.

Was there anyone in the car with him

when he drove off?

He... he didn't drive anywhere.

He walked back inside.

He said that

[crying]

he had a trophy to collect.

Hello, Kevin.

You caught me, Jessie.

I was hearing the roar of the crowd again...

seeing my boys win that state championship for me.

One of the advantages of age.

The storehouse of memories

that we get to replay over and over.

But after 30 years,

to be left with just a handful of memories...

well, my fault.

I was never one to plan for the future.

But you did have the opportunity.

Not many high school teachers get their hands on $50,000.

What are you talkin' about?

Your share of the missing bonds.

Bill used his half to buy a car lot.

You probably invested yours

in that football camp

that you'd always dreamed of having.

How did you know?

You said that you left the prom early, at 11:00...

because you weren't feeling well.

Not true, Kevin.

Look at the clock.

You presented the boys with their trophy at 11:45,

long after you said you'd left the dance.

You know how many years

that picture's been on my office wall?

Bill Hampton was always your favorite.

When I realized that you lied

about the time you left the prom,

I knew that there had to be a reason.

You were the other person in Bill's car that night.

Hmm.

Always said Jessie Fletcher never missed a trick.

I don't understand, Kevin.

How could a fine man like you commit a cold-blooded murder

and live with that secret for 20 years?

In those days, Bill was my boy,

the son I never had.

He was roaring drunk prom night. Too drunk to drive home.

So you put him in your car.

And we had the bad luck to come upon that man

in the Corvette.

Bill kept grabbing the wheel,

trying to get me to turn around

and take him to that diner where his friends were.

Just then, the Corvette came round the bend,

and Bill jerked the wheel over hard.

I was worried the driver might be injured.

Bill was scared and wanted to get outta there fast.

He was too drunk to think straight.

I swung around and went back.

The door was open on the passenger side.

I thought the crash sprang it open.

The driver was unconscious and bleeding.

Then I saw the bearer bonds scattered all over the floor

from an open valise.

Good as cash.

The driver came to and saw me holding the bonds.

That's... that's... that's when I panicked, Jessie.

The sight of all that money just there for the taking.

I didn't even think about it.

I just picked up a rock

and I hit him again and again!

I hadn't planned it, Jessie.

But the man was dead, there were all those bonds,

and done was done.

Yes, but what about Bill?

The boy idolized me.

Would have done anything for me, and he did.

And once Bill sobered up,

you swore him to secrecy in return for half the bonds?

That's right, Jessie.

We sat on those bonds for a couple of years

and then cashed them in.

And allowed Andrew Durbin to spend 20 years in prison

for a crime that you committed.

I know, I know, it was a terrible thing,

but I've lived with that secret for 20 years, Jessie.

Do you understand?

I guess...

I guess I should've known that nothing good would've...

come of that money.

A couple of things I don't understand, Miss Fletcher.

Could I get you another piece of pie, Amos?

Well, now that you offer. It is mighty good.

As I was sayin',

I wonder why coach Cauldwell and Bill Hampton

didn't just kill this fella Durbin.

Well, that wouldn't have been very smart.

That's as good as saying that he was right,

and it would have opened up the case again.

The other thing.

Coach shot Bill Hampton on the right side of the head

to fake the suicide,

but he knew that Bill was left-handed.

Yes, but he wanted us think that a stranger had done it,

someone that didn't know that, like Mr. Durbin.

[doorbell rings] Who can that be?

-Excuse me, Amos. -Mm-hmm.

-Mrs. Fletcher. -Mr. Durbin.

I came to say good-bye and to thank you.

I'd rather you didn't.

But I was telling you the truth,

and I did spend 20 years in prison unjustly.

Yes, and I'm sorry.

But you knew when you came here what would happen.

I wasn't sure, but I did warn you I was after justice.

I can't help but think that

justice could have been served in a better way.

Oh?

Well, you give it some thought, Mrs. Fletcher,

and when you figure out what could have been,

you let me know.

[cheerful orchestra music]