Original subtitles

There's a house full of people, Ginny.

Exactly. Exactly.

A house full of suspects.

[woman screams]

[Jessica] Tonight, on Murder, She Wrote.

Do you have any real reason to believe

that Duncan was murdered?

It's just a feeling I have.

Jessica must have seen the brandy glass.

Lady, we are not electing the Mayor of Fruitville, Ohio.

In my zealousness to save this company.

What's that supposed to mean, that I don't want to save it?

The rumors of my imminent resignation

have been greatly exaggerated.

I'm calling from my new office.

We did it.

[cheerful orchestral music]

There are times when the forces of life combine

to create a power where all things are possible,

where a strong man can act with speed and decisiveness.

For the timid, a moment never realized.

For the bold, a moment that can catapult him

to undreamed-of plateaus of personal wealth and power.

Your will is extremely powerful, Mr. McCormack.

It shall overpower those with whom you compete.

And I can tell you that will be soon,

very soon.

However, there is something of which you must beware--

Or, rather, someone,

a woman... a very determined woman

whose will is even more powerful than yours,

Mr. McCormack.

Oh, do you want your check tonight?

No need. My secretary will bill you.

-Mr. Paddock. -Huh?

My watch.

Good night.

Ooh! You know what this means, don't you?

Mr. Barnett is going to appoint you chairman.

Ginny, the guy has read too many Shirley Maclaine books,

and so have you.

-Have I? -Yes.

I'm not so sure that D.B.'s ready to retire.

[phone rings]

Hello.

D.B.

Virginia and I were just-- just talking about you.

This weekend?

Yes, of course we're free.

Be delighted to, sir.

Looking forward to it.

[sighs]

We are invited for a weekend at the estate.

Says that he's planning some sort of an announcement.

And I wonder what that might be.

Ginny, don't jump to conclusions.

Darling, I haven't got a doubt in the world.

The only thing that I'm not sure about is,

just who is this determined woman

with the powerful will?

Got some lovely ageratum there.

Look at those beautiful begonias.

Oh, and there's a good old-fashioned weed.

And yesterday, I want you to know,

I took special care to water that.

Oh, Jessica, I can't find a gardener worthy of the name.

If you ever get tired of being a world-famous author--

Oh, no, no, no, no.

I've spent ages getting my own garden tamed.

I wouldn't have the heart to begin all over again.

Nothing intimidates you, Jessica,

which is, I suppose, the reason I asked you

to join our board of directors.

Ah.

And the fact that your name looks good

on the company letterhead never entered my husband's mind.

[chuckles]

I got the impression at our last board meeting

that perhaps I spoke my mind a little bit too much.

Nah.

You know, I still have no idea

why you've invited us all here this weekend.

But fair warning, Duncan.

I don't intend to let you off the hook with the paper mill.

Paper mill? What paper mill?

Oh, Jessica's pet project, a large mill near her hometown.

The one you're thinking of closing down

and throwing a lot of my neighbors out of work.

Duncan, I brought with me some new facts and figures--

Well, I tell you what. Let's negotiate it at dinner.

I love nothing better than a good argument,

except winning.

When are you gonna take me to Oregon, Sprucey, huh?

Soon as I get it all bought up.

Mr. Osborne.

We've been expecting you.

-And miss-- -Serena. Just Serena.

Only one name, like Ann-margret.

So nice to meet you, miss Barnett.

That just goes to prove

there's always a handsome woman behind the throne.

May I present Jessica Fletcher?

Pleasure, miss Fletcher.

We've already met, Mr. Osborne.

-Hmm. -Through the mails.

You sent me a very generous offer

for my Barnett stock.

Well, if I was so generous, ma'am, why didn't you humor me?

The loo? Where is it? I forgot my mirror.

There's a powder room through there.

Thanks.

James, would you please show Mr. Osborne

to the Pierpont suite?

My husband especially wanted you to have it.

It adjoins his own suite.

Ladies.

Duncan isn't planning to sell out

to Spruce Osborne, is he?

Never. Why?

Well, I don't know.

This sudden gathering of the board

and his conspicuous hospitality

to a man who's been trying to take over his company.

I gave up trying to read Duncan's mind years ago.

Better luck next time, Osborne.

[chuckles] Luck was not a factor, Barnett.

You can outplay me.

At least on the tennis court.

[both laugh]

Enjoy the game, darling.

Which game is that, Kate?

D. B. didn't gather his minions just for the sport.

Or did he?

[chuckles]

I think this skirt is too short.

Oh. I thought that was the idea.

Don't be catty, darling.

Anne has actually been taking lessons.

Don't worry yourself, Morgan. I know the drill.

Vice presidents are expected to look good,

especially when they lose,

which, in my case, will be no problem at all.

I can't keep up with these modern women.

I don't think that modern women

are really all that different, you know?

Oh, I could never keep up with Anne Hathaway.

Having a secretary would just throw me

into a tizzy and trying to figure out

what to wear to work every day.

Ginny McCormack isn't a career woman.

Oh, now that's another story.

The silly posturing,

the pressure to perform, the scrutiny.

It's something we all have to go through

the price we pay to help our husbands scale the ladder.

I guess I was lucky.

My husband Frank sold real estate,

and the only person he ever tried

to butter up, was my mother.

[chuckles]

And he wasn't very good at it.

[people laughing]

You know, Jessica, there's a rumor

that Global Oil is about to take over your publishing house.

Oh, I certainly hope not.

I'm just getting used to the furniture company

that bought it two years ago.

Jessica, you simply must have a dessert.

Our chef is famous for them.

Oh, I couldn't resist.

Two hours of dinner...

hello.

And still no announcement.

I don't think he's gonna do it.

Trust me. The evening's not over yet.

[vibrant laughter]

Excuse me.

Darling. Your medication, darling.

Ah, yes.

Josette, no-salt seltzer, please.

[chuckles] No-salt seltzer?

Give the man some brandy.

My doctor allows me one brandy before bed,

and that's it.

You see, I plan to be around a long time.

Did I hear a nervous rustle, a momentary panic,

a loud crash of fallen expectations?

[laughs]

I must admit, this day has been fascinating,

watching you all scurry about, wondering,

"What's he want? Why am I here?"

And of course, the biggest question of all,

"Why in God's name did he invite Spruce Osborne?"

Speaking only for myself, of course,

these questions did sort of, uh, pop to mind.

You thought you could pull a few strings,

push a couple of buttons,

and my company would fall into your gunnysack

like an apple off a tree.

Well, my friend, you couldn't be more wrong,

because Barnett Industries is not available to you

or anybody else at any price, under any conditions.

And as for the rest of you,

the rumors of my imminent resignation

have been greatly exaggerated.

I intend to be around for many years to come--

In control, as always.

Should any of you have a problem with that,

please feel free to bring it to my attention.

Enjoy the evening.

What we have here, my friends,

is the waste of a good Saturday night.

But then again, maybe not.

Uh, D.B., I don't know where you got that idea.

Tom and I never dreamed you'd retire.

I have to be honest, Mr. Barnett.

I would have no objection to my husband being promoted

anytime, anywhere.

But after playing tennis with you,

well, I realized that Barnett Industries

must remain in your very capable hands.

[laughing]

Who the hell does he think he is?

He's the guy that runs the game, Ginny.

My God, you act like you don't even care

that that dinosaur refuses to become extinct.

Even the dinosaurs died, Ginny.

Time's on our side.

It's the law of nature.

Maybe we should give nature a little push.

Let's go to bed, Ginny.

Morgan, we're talking about your future.

Our future.

With him in control, how are you going to get to the top?

He's only going to keep on playing you

like a little lapdog.

There are other companies.

-I mean, you just don't-- -Starting over?

Morgan, is that what you want?

Besides, everybody thought

he was gonna die last year anyway.

He's living on borrowed time as it is.

There's a house full of people, Ginny.

Exactly. Exactly.

A house full of suspects.

Morgan, it doesn't even have to look like murder.

His heart medication.

It could look like a heart attack.

No, no.

We can't.

You mean you can't.

Because you haven't got the guts.

[ticking]

[woman screaming]

[sobbing]

I just wanted to extend my sympathies, Mrs. Barnett.

Duncan and I were adversaries,

but, well, I wish it hadn't had to be this way.

Had to be this way, Mr. Osborne?

I didn't mean that the way it sounds.

-Oh! -I'm sorry, young lady.

I didn't mean to startle you.

Serena, Mr. Osborne, this is Dr. Chatsworth.

-How do you do? -Doctor.

Well, we'll be going back to town.

Early bird, that worm, you know.

Lydia, I think I can safely say that Duncan suffered very little.

It seems as if it all happened quite quickly.

-His heart? -An electrical shock.

But with his medical history,

he could have had a heart attack,

and in struggling to get out of the tub,

he could have accidentally

pulled the television set in with him.

I'd better tell lieutenant Grayson.

He's waiting downstairs.

-Uh, Dr. Chatsworth. -Yes?

Just out of curiosity,

could it have been the other way around?

I mean, could the electrical shock

have caused the heart attack?

I suppose so. It is possible.

Excuse me.

Oh, Jessica. I warned Duncan.

I told him it was dangerous

watching television in the tub like that.

I even gave him a stand for the TV.

He used to perch it on the edge.

He wouldn't listen to me.

He wouldn't listen to anyone.

He wouldn't slow down.

His idea of-of relaxing

was watching the stock quotes before he went to bed.

That's one of the reasons I moved to a separate room.

Lydia, would you like a drop of brandy?

That's strange.

I thought I saw a glass of brandy there.

Uh, Lydia.

Virginia and I can't tell you how sorry we are.

If there's anything that we can do...

I need to borrow Jessica for a moment.

Business.

[clears throat] I, uh--

I hate to bring this up now,

but I've called an emergency meeting

of the board for tonight.

Tonight? Isn't that a little hasty?

Well, perhaps.

But there are some decisions that have to be made

before the market opens in the morning.

This, uh, tragedy

is all that Spruce Osborne needs to stage a takeover.

I have scheduled the meeting

for 8:00 this evening in the boardroom.

We'll understand if you can't make it.

-You're a very busy woman. -Oh, nonsense, nonsense.

Well, it's going to be very boring--

Legal posture, fiduciary proceedings.

Of course you'll be choosing a new chairman of the board.

Uh, yes, of course, yes.

Then I think I should be there.

Don't you?

Uh-huh.

I don't see why we had to rush into this meeting, that's all.

The market responds instantly to this sort of thing.

I am just serving the stockholders' interest.

Are you implying I'm not?

-Jessica. -Mrs. Fletcher.

Good of you to come.

So glad that you could make it.

Well, I'm not sure that I can contribute very much.

Nonsense.

It's people like you that keep us honest.

Those of us who tend not to be.

God! I had to fly in from Chicago.

Can you believe it?

And tomorrow's the annual board meeting of American Auto.

Or is it American Steel?

Well, anyway, I've got a 2:00 a.m. flight back,

which I'm not ecstatic about,

except-except it counts as triple frequent flier miles.

All right, so what the hell are we waiting for, huh?

Well, uh, perhaps it would be nice

to start with a moment of silence in Duncan's memory.

[laughs]

Lady, lady.

You must be quite new at this, huh?

I'll tell you what.

I'll steer you in the right direction.

Mr. Frubson, I don't believe

that you've met Jessica Fletcher.

Mrs. Fletcher, this is Q.L. Frubson,

the former assistant secretary of the treasury.

Oh, of course. Now I remember.

You were on television quite a bit last year.

Hey, my boss was the one who got indicted.

I resigned without a blemish on my record.

And since that point in time, I have served

on the boards of 19 corporations,

and my integrity has never been called to question

especially here at, uh, Barnett Industries.

I would like to put Mrs. Fletcher's suggestion

into a motion.

Listen, there is nothing in rules of order

about moments of silence,

and Barnett himself never would have observed one.

So can we please cut the crap?

[sobbing]

Excuse me.

Perhaps I could give you a hand?

I suppose this isn't very professional of me.

Oh, I think everyone understands

how you feel, Nicole.

After all, you were Duncan's secretary for many years.

Twenty-two years, four months, and one day.

I know that you were very, very important to him.

I kept track of everything

from his wife's birthday to his Digitalis.

Digitalis.

Oh, that was after the bypass surgery, I suppose.

I had to remind him to take it every morning

with his decaf.

He must have hated being dependent on it.

Nicole, do you know

if he also took a dose after dinner?

Of course. Twice a day.

Would you mind if I made a phone call?

No, go ahead. And thank you.

Mm-hmm.

You don't think that somebody gave him an overdose.

Well, to be perfectly Frank, I don't know what to think.

I mean, all of his guests saw him take his pill

after dinner.

And he did have a heart attack.

And whatever the cause,

a few of them are getting ready to divide up the spoils.

Is there any way that we could determine

if there was an overdose of Digitalis?

Well, there is a test,

but it has to be executed very quickly.

I'll call the authorities right now.

[clears throat]

All right, well, it'd appear to be

that the first order of business

is the election of a new chairman of the board.

Excuse me.

Uh, this is something that probably all of you know,

but how do we decide that?

I mean, do we hear candidates' positions--

Uh, lady, we are not electing the Mayor of Fruitville, Ohio.

No bake sales. No baby kissing.

We just vote.

Nicole, can we get on with this?

Mr. McCormack.

I vote for myself.

Mr. Dutton.

Tom Dutton.

Miss Hathaway.

Abstain.

-Mr. Berger. -Tom Dutton.

Mr. Ventura.

Morgan McCormack.

Mr. Frubson.

I cast my vote for

Anne Hathaway.

Mrs. Fletcher.

Mrs. Fletcher, we need your vote.

Uh, well, I, um--

Well, as I said,

I-I just don't know what to base this on.

Is that an abstention, then?

Well, it's-it's just that

I don't want to make a cavalier decision

about something that is this important.

It's gonna be a long night, boys.

I guess you know why I asked you out to dinner.

[laughs] I believe it's called pitching?

Mrs. Fletcher...

the next occupant of this office

is gonna have an awesome responsibility.

That responsibility belongs to someone

who cares about this company,

not some hotshot who'll just parlay it into his next job.

You were here quite a while

when Duncan brought Morgan in, weren't you?

Since I was 17.

That's why I'm the right man for the job.

I've been everything from mail boy

to factory foreman.

You must have been quite disappointed

when Duncan announced that he wasn't going to leave.

Duncan as good as promised me I'd take over someday.

And I think we should honor that.

Believe me, Mrs. Fletcher,

I only want what's best for this company.

Well, that seems to be

what everybody says that they want.

I know perfectly well

why you threw your support to her,

and I'm not gonna let you get away with it.

I've got to change my plane reservation...

to next month.

Anne, I-I didn't mean to imply

that you don't have sufficient skill.

I was just being realistic

about the market's perception of a chairwoman.

Morgan, I understand.

Jessica, you, uh, you need anything?

A sandwich or--

Oh, thank you, I already have one, but--

Oh, my goodness, I left it in Duncan's office.

Don't worry, I told you.

Would you listen, Mr. Osborne?

I've got everything under control here.

Yes--

What do you mean, there are no planes until morning, huh?

Well--

I'll be damned if you're gonna turn Barnett Industries

into another credit--

Is that kind of politicking what you want

from the chairman of the board of one of the--

Gentlemen, gentlemen, please!

Now, look, as I understand it,

we are all here to represent the stockholders' interests.

And what do you know about stockholders' interests,

Mrs. Fletcher?

How many shares do you own?

Well, not many, Mr. Frubson.

I don't pretend to know how these things are managed.

But, I mean, a man has died,

and all you seem interested in doing

is making your own deals

and cutting each other's throats.

You're right, Mrs. Fletcher.

I owe you all an apology.

In my zealousness to save this company--

What's that supposed to mean? That I don't want to save it?

Morgan, Tom.

You both have so much to offer.

Can't you come to some kind of compromise

between the two of you?

Okay. All right.

Ready, Nicole?

I move that Morgan McCormack be appointed temporary chairman

for 90 days.

I second that

and compliment Tom on his loyalty to the company.

I move that we make that unanimous.

All those in favor?

-Aye. -Aye.

-Aye. -Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

[phone rings]

Yes. Hello?

Morgan? What happened?

I'm calling from my new office.

That's right, baby. We did it.

Lieutenant Grayson tells me

he's still awaiting the results of the test.

And until then,

they regard Duncan's death to be from natural causes.

Mmm.

You know, even if there was

an excessive amount of Digitalis in Duncan's system,

he could have taken it accidently.

Well, perhaps, but--

Jessica, do you have any real reason

to believe that Duncan was murdered?

No. It's just a feeling I have.

Quite a few people who stood to gain from his death

have been acting, well, a little strangely.

Morgan, I think you've made some excellent choices.

Thank you. And this too, all right?

Okay.

Oh, my goodness, Anne.

You've got your work cut out for you.

I'm just helping out the chief.

Thanks again for all your help last night.

Oh. [chuckles]

Jessica, what can I do for you?

Morgan, I know that you're very busy.

But I was-- I was a little worried

about what you said to Mr. Frubson last night

about why he voted for Anne.

-Please, sit down. -Thank you.

Well, I certainly don't want you to worry, Jessica,

but I would rather not make any direct accusations

without proof.

Oh, you mean proof that he had been

working for Spruce Osborne?

Who told you that?

Well, I've been doing some checking up of my own.

Morgan, I hope you don't mind, but as a member of the board,

I do feel that it's my duty to, you know, find out about things.

And I think it's very peculiar

that Mr. Frubson has served on four boards of four companies

that were taken over by Mr. Osborne.

Jessica, rest assured,

getting Frubson off the board

is going to be one of my first priorities as chairman.

Oh, forgive me. I'm confused.

I understood that your official title

was temporary chairman.

Morgan, I am very concerned about the company.

I mean, what is going to happen

if there's a murder investigation?

-Murder? -Well, I mean, it is possible.

Now, if I'm not mistaken,

your guest room was across from Duncan's bedroom?

You're certainly not accusing me--

Oh, no, no, no, no.

I-- I just wondered

if you might happen to have been aware

of any, well, suspicious behavior during the night.

No.

Virginia and I were asleep by... 11:30.

Of course.

Oh, my, how charming

for you to have her photo on your desk.

And so quickly.

I agree with you, Tom. Absolutely.

What are you gonna do about it?

I just think I'm of better use to you if I keep my nose clean.

You can get those proxies signed.

-I know you can. -Oh, excuse me.

I was looking for Nicole.

We were just looking for her too.

Well, I wanted to know

how to get in touch with Spruce Osborne.

Perhaps you could tell me.

Osborne.

You're not thinking of selling your stock?

Oh, no. No, no, no.

He works out of his townhouse on 63rd street.

Oh, thank you. And don't worry.

I only want what is best for this company,

just like everybody else.

What I like about this here little city place is,

it puts me plunk right in the middle

of the people I work for, the stockholders.

Now, the news people,

all they see is the money I make,

but I help the little stockholder.

Now, when I make money, they make money.

Well, that sounds like

a good businesslike relationship.

I hope you haven't changed your mind

about selling your Barnett stock.

I'd hate to disappoint you.

Oh, you're not interested?

You seemed to want it so badly a couple of weeks ago.

Now, that was before the big fella died.

Kind of took the sport out of it.

I-- I withdrew my bid.

I hope it wasn't anything that Mr. Frubson said last night.

Uh, what's the name?

Oh, I must be confused.

I heard him say the name Osborne on the phone.

But maybe there's an airline named Osborne.

The minute I set eyes on you, I knew you were a smart cookie.

Would you care for some Oregon beer?

It doesn't taste very good, but, well,

it reminds me of home.

No. No, thank you very much.

So Mr. Frubson advised you to quit.

-Please. -Thank you.

You see, Frubson called me back later.

He said he had been unable to complete his mission.

So you withdrew your takeover bid.

That must have been expensive.

I made my first million in the lumber business,

and I made my second million

knowing when to get out of the lumber business.

I sold my Barnett stock this morning

before the news got out.

I did okay.

What about your little stockholders,

the ones you work for?

Well, that Barnett stock gets low enough,

that's when I buy back in the game.

Doesn't that mean that you intend to continue

having Mr. Frubson manipulate our board

and provide you with insider information?

Jessica, if you had my kind of investment,

wouldn't you want someone keeping an eye on it?

Nothing illegal about what I've been doing.

Not unless you felt you had to do something

to clear the way for your takeover bid.

If I would have wanted to win, I would have won.

I think you got to look at who did.

You don't understand.

You weren't there. Jessica knows!

Oh, how could she?

You remember Paddock's warning?

A woman, a woman with a will more powerful than mine.

It's Jessica.

You picked a great time to start believing in portents.

She must have seen it.

Jessica must have seen the brandy glass

before I took it away.

What am I gonna do?

I can't imagine

what's holding up those test results.

Leon, do you know how many pills were left

in Duncan's current prescription?

No, but I could find out. Why?

Well, if we subtract two pills per day

from the prescription

and then compare them to the number of pills

that were left in Duncan's pillbox...

we'd know if he took an overdose

without waiting for the tests.

Yeah.

I'll phone my office from inside.

Leon, you know, the next morning,

I noticed the glass of brandy beside Duncan's bed was gone.

Now, why would somebody go to the trouble of removing it

unless it was incriminating?

Leon, is it possible to dissolve a Digitalis pill

in a liquid, say, like brandy?

Well, you'd have to grind it up first,

but that's easy enough. And it wouldn't discolor it.

That's a very persuasive theory you have.

The only problem is,

the brandy was still in the glass when I saw it.

Yes, madam.

A brandy snifter is missing since the night Mr. Duncan--

Thank you very much, Josette.

Why don't you go help Marie with the refreshments?

Yes, ma'am.

Jessica, I don't understand.

Why is all this important?

Well, we don't know anything for certain, Lydia,

but there is a possibility that Duncan's death

was caused by something other than natural causes.

You mean somebody killed him?

Do you have any suspicions, Lydia?

Did you see or hear anything?

That Hathaway woman.

She was with Duncan that night?

No, but they spent a lot of time together,

too much for a business associate.

More time than he spent with Morgan or Tom?

No.

I suppose that was my jealousy speaking.

But he was having an affair with someone, Jessica.

I know that.

Excuse me, Lydia.

Jessica, four of Duncan's Digitalis pills

are unaccounted for.

Would that be enough to create a heart attack?

More than enough.

Then it was murder?

[vase shatters]

Oh! Oh, look at that mess.

I'm so sorry!

Don't worry about it.

Oh, Lydia, I'm just so sorry.

I came to help you out, and--

And I appreciate your being here.

Duncan murdered? That's sick!

Well, we don't have any real proof,

so it's probably best if we just keep it to ourselves

for the time being.

Leon, I'd like to take a look at the hot tub

before we head off for the service,

if that's all right with you, Lydia.

Yes.

Uh, Jessica?

I didn't want to say this in front of Lydia.

I mean, it's probably nothing.

But promise you won't tell Lydia if you don't have to.

Oh, of course not, Kate. What is it?

The night that Duncan died,

I passed by his door on my way to the kitchen.

I was gonna make some nice, hot milk for Tom.

And I heard some voices coming from Duncan's hot tub.

Voices?

You mean Duncan was in the tub with someone else?

That, uh, Serena person.

You know, the one who came with Mr. Osborne.

You can see why I didn't want Lydia to know.

You know, it's possible

that Duncan did have a heart attack,

and in struggling to get out of the tub,

he accidentally pulled the television

right into the water with him.

[sighs]

What'd you find?

Looks like a charm.

Hmm. Not quite Duncan's taste, is it?

No.

But I have an idea whose it might be.

Jessica, I wanted you to know as soon as possible

the test results.

Sorry for the delay,

but we ran the test twice just to make sure.

There was no Digitalis overdose

in Duncan's system.

I talked to the coroner myself.

In his opinion, the cause of Duncan's death

was accidental electrocution.

Leon, the light by my bed dimmed briefly at 12:15.

Now, that could have been caused by a power surge

when that television fell into the tub.

Or was thrown in.

All right. That's possible. But why is the time important?

Well, when I mentioned the possibility of murder

to Morgan yesterday,

he seemed very anxious to establish an alibi.

He said that he and Virginia were in bed by 11:30.

So how can that be incriminating?

Well, why be so specific about the time

unless he knew that the death occurred later?

No, Jessica.

You have no proof that there has been a murder

or that Morgan had anything to do with it.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to go along

with the coroner's assessment.

I'm very sorry.

Excuse me, Serena?

I thought you might be up here.

Looking for this?

I couldn't help but notice your charm bracelet

the day we met,

the day that Lydia showed you the loo on the ground floor,

if I'm not mistaken.

[laughs]

My ma always told me not to wear loud jewelry.

[chuckles]

The morning after Duncan died,

you seemed very anxious to get into the bathroom.

Uh, yeah.

Well, it must have come off when I took my clothes off.

Don't you just hate it when they do that?

[giggles]

I'm beginning to see.

It was Duncan who put Mr. Osborne

into the Pierpont suite

so that you could use the connecting door.

Oh, now, Mrs. Fletcher, it's not what you're thinking.

Dunkey and I, we never did anything.

That's why I didn't want anyone seeing my lion.

Well, if you didn't do anything,

why did you pretend that you didn't know Duncan?

Unless-- unless it was Duncan's idea

to involve you with Mr. Osborne.

[scoffs]

Well, now, why would Dunkey want that?

Can I have my lion back?

Well, I'm afraid the police will want to see it.

But don't worry.

I mean, if there were no arrangement

between you and Duncan,

well, there's no need to worry about them finding this.

Okay. Okay.

A couple of weeks ago,

Duncan arranged for me to meet Spruce.

So that you could keep him informed

of Mr. Osborne's activities?

And I did a real good job too.

Sprucey didn't guess a thing.

There's a possibility that Duncan was murdered.

Well, he was alive when I left him.

-What time was that? -12:15.

And you can ask Spruce. He'll remember.

He woke up, and we, well... you know.

Yes, I think it's best if Lydia

doesn't find out about this.

No problem.

-Excuse me, Morgan. -Yes.

I wonder if we could have a word.

Oh, sure, Jessica.

You come by my office anytime.

Perhaps we could find somewhere private

and discuss it now

over a glass of brandy.

Jessica, I really can't imagine

what you're getting at.

I think you can, Morgan.

Only an imaginative mind could have come up with the idea

of creating a heart attack with Duncan's own Digitalis.

Jessica?

I do hope you're not accusing my husband of murder.

Because if you are, I think you ought to know

that we have an excellent attorney

whose only unattractive quality

is his penchant for winning lawsuits.

Actually, Virginia, I was referring to attempted murder.

Legally, the fact that you didn't succeed

is beside the point.

Oh. Quite right.

But your accusation could still be grounds for libel.

Only if I'm mistaken.

Must have come as quite a shock that morning

to find the full brandy glass still there,

knowing that it would indicate

at least incriminating intentions.

You got rid of it in the confusion afterwards.

Jessica, if that were true, then you would also know

that there's no way for you to prove it.

Maybe, but I can talk with the police,

and they can question you

and quite possibly give you a lie-detector test.

[laughs] Really, Jessica.

One can refuse to take those, you know.

True, but by that time, the cloud of suspicion

would probably force Morgan to step down as chairman,

which, I imagine, is the reason you tried to kill Duncan

in the first place.

Perhaps I should talk to lieutenant Grayson.

That won't be necessary.

Full marks, Jessica.

Except that Morgan didn't stay long.

I had to do the dirty work.

Ginny!

We don't have to say anything.

You don't have to say anything!

You're innocent.

Thanks to you, it's my behind that's on the line.

She can't prove anything. Now, don't be stupid.

Stupid? You're the one that's stupid!

You didn't have to remove that glass.

Anyone could have laced it.

That was the beauty of my plan.

My plan.

Now...

now Mrs. Fletcher and I are going to have a talk,

a talk which I will deny to the grave.

And you, Morgan, are going to go in there

and charm those people before they start to talk.

My psychic predicted this, you know?

He did.

He warned us, "Beware a woman with a powerful will."

Of course, I'm fairly determined too.

Morgan was right, though. You can't prove any of this.

Well, right now, I'm more interested in proving

who did kill Duncan.

Now, you were in his bedroom.

Perhaps you saw or heard something?

I can't think of anything. No.

Maybe if you reconstructed the events.

Now, you took the pills from Duncan's pocket.

Mm-hmm, and ground them up into the brandy.

It was a good plan, and I had ample time.

Yes, and it worked in your favor,

Duncan being a man of habit.

Stock quotes in the hot tub and a glass of brandy

before going to bed.

Exactly. It was a brilliant plan.

Just that one tiny thing we hadn't counted on,

and it scared Morgan off.

I had to finish the job.

What was it that frightened him?

Oh, he heard a woman in the tub with Mr. Barnett.

Oh, yes. Serena.

Well, perhaps. I-- I don't really know.

But you were in the bedroom. You must have heard her.

Well, I heard a voice.

It was impossible to identify it

with the water gushing and the door closed.

The door closed...

We're just about to wrap this up, Mrs. Dutton.

Thanks for helping out.

Well, of course. I'm only too glad.

Kate, you said you were passing this door right here

when you heard Serena's voice,

and that was about...

Uh, midnight. Maybe a little after.

Are you quite sure it was Serena's voice you heard?

Yes. I'm positive.

Go ahead.

[water running]

[laughter, chattering]

The door was just a peep open,

but I told you that, didn't I?

Uh, about like this, ma'am?

Oh, ah, it's just so foolish of me.

I mean, I meant-- I meant I saw her.

I saw her leave Duncan's room.

I'm afraid not, Kate.

They had adjoining rooms.

Serena left by the connecting door.

The only way that you could have seen or heard her

was if you had been in Duncan's room, hiding,

waiting for Serena to leave.

Lieutenant, I don't know why Jessica's saying--

I mean, listen. You can hear her, can't you?

That is obviously Serena.

[laughter]

Okay. You can come in now.

[gasps] Anne.

Anne, oh, my God!

How could you?

You killed mister--

Afraid not, miss Dutton.

See, miss Hathaway has an airtight alibi.

Thanks. You two can go now.

You dropped a vase earlier today

when you heard us talking about murder.

Up until then, you must have believed

that you'd been successful

in making it look like an accident.

Suddenly, there was a need to incriminate somebody else.

And so you implicated the one person

you knew was in the bathroom with Duncan

besides yourself.

I-- I didn't want to kill him.

Really, I didn't.

I-- I just went to talk to him.

What he was doing was so unfair!

Tom played by Duncan's rules his whole life.

And now his reward was being taken away.

Well, God only knows how much longer Duncan could have lasted.

Tom would have been too old to be chairman

if Duncan stayed on until--

Until he died?

I begged him to give Tom a chance.

And all he did was ask me

to adjust the horizontal hold on my way out.

I'm not sorry I did it.

I'm not sorry at all.

He was a horrible man, and he just used people!

He hired good men and just used them up.

That being the case,

this meeting of the board of directors

of Barnett Industries is adjourned.

[gavel taps]

Tom, what you just did was admirable.

Can't have been easy for you to nominate Anne.

There wasn't much choice with Morgan's resignation.

And I'd just be a liability at this point.

Frankly, I don't think I'll be around much longer anyway.

Jessica, I want you to know

that the paper mill in Maine is gonna stay in business.

Your neighbors will keep their jobs.

That's very public-spirited of you.

It isn't, actually.

We just bought three magazines,

and my figures show that if we can supply our own paper,

we're gonna save a bundle.

Well, it seems to me

that this company is in very good hands.

You have my word on it. I'm a very determined woman.