Original subtitles

Well-known author Jessica Fletcher has been arrested in the town of Bremerton.

Well, Jessica, we can help you investigate.

I'll dig up some background. What happens next?

Tonight on Murder, She Wrote. I know you've got a reputation for solving

crimes and all, but right now you're in my territory.

I feel I'm committing a serious breach of medical ethics.

Bertie, you know, these files are very confidential.

Oh, chill out, Jessica.

Hold it right there, ma'am.

Well, let's see. I should have that card right here under Spaniels.

Well, here it is.

Springer Spaniels.

Larkins, Prince Regent, read by Simon McCauley over in Bremerton.

Here's the address.

Can't imagine what kind of mystery you're going to be writing about hunting

dogs, but I hope I helped.

You have indeed.

Well, I never read any of your books myself.

My mama's got them all.

If she sure be a tickle pink, I can get your autograph.

Thank you very much, Mrs. Fletcher.

Always glad to accommodate my public.

Well, I guess I'm off to Bremerton.

Well, it's getting late. Be dark time you get out there.

I'll manage.

Thanks again for everything. My pleasure. Bye.

Hold it right there, ma'am.

You'll be notified of your court date.

Until then, try to stay out of trouble, Miss Fletcher. Oh, well, of course.

Oh, kid.

Are you all right? I'm just fine. Thank you for coming.

Well, thanks for everything.

Oh, before I go, would you like my autograph?

We have to run. Thank you so much. We can get out of here.

Bye.

Well, I guess I should be grateful Dwayne's away on business.

At least I won't have to explain leaving the house at 5 a.m. so I could drive

over to Bremerton and bail Crazy Marge out of jail.

Oh, poo, it's no big deal. You told them you were Jessica Fletcher.

Well, I had to.

Can you imagine what would happen if somebody found out that Senator Allen's

mother got nailed on a B&E?

Why, they'd just laugh him right out of the statehouse.

What were you doing there anyway?

What Jessica would be doing.

Cracking the case.

Oh, come on, kids. Time's a-wasting. Let's move it.

That's it.

That's it. That's the truck I saw.

Kid, honey, my car's only a few blocks from here over by the kennel. Drive me

over, okay?

March Allen, didn't getting arrested teach you anything?

Well, it certainly did.

To check for silent alarms.

Now, are you going to drive me, or do I have to walk?

Let's go.

I'm coming.

So, you thought you'd get away with it, didn't you? What?

Who are you?

As if you didn't know. What are you talking about?

And where is your partner in crime?

I'm sure he'd like to hear this, too.

Look, lady.

I don't know what you think you know, but I'm telling you to get out of here

right now or I'm calling the sheriff.

Good. You do that, because, lady, if you don't call the sheriff, I will.

Oh, no.

Are you enjoying your stay in Big D, Miss Fletcher? Oh, yes. The book signing

yesterday was a lot of fun.

Thank you very much. Thank you. You'll have a nice trip home now. You bet.

Through a spokesman, Mr. Bishop denied any allegations of wrongdoing.

This just in, well-known author Jessica Fletcher has been arrested in the town

of Bremerton. According to authorities, the mystery writer would not explain why

she broke into the offices of a local kennel. Fletcher was released on bail

early this morning. Now let's find out what's happening in sports.

Sheriff's office, Sheriff Tanner speaking.

Yes, Sheriff, this is Jessica Fletcher.

I'm calling because there's been a terrible mistake.

Well, ma'am, the way I see it, everybody's entitled to at least one.

As long as you stick to the straight and narrow from here on, I think everything

should be just fine. No, no, no, no, no, no. You've got it all wrong.

You didn't arrest the real Jessica Fletcher last night. That was someone

else.

Look, ma'am, if you're going for one of those split personality defenses, that's

strictly between you and your lawyer, you know what I mean? My job's just to

make sure you show up at the hearing. But you don't understand, Sheriff. I'll

see you in court, Ms. Fletcher.

Hello, this is Jessica Fletcher in room 417.

I need to get to Bremerton, where I was not arrested last night.

Hello? Hello there. Anybody here?

Sheriff Tanner?

Yes, ma'am.

What can I do for you? Well, we talked on the phone a couple of hours ago.

I'm Jessica Fletcher.

Oh, is that so?

Well, I suppose you've got a driver's license to prove that, don't you?

Well, no, actually, I don't. You see, I don't drive.

Oh, uh-huh.

But I do have identification.

Here's my I.D. card.

There you go.

Hmm.

Now, the lady we had in here last night had I.D., and it was real similar to

this.

Well, uh, there are credit cards. I've got receipts made out in my name. I've

got my Cabot Cove library card, and... Let me tell you, see, these are just

paper. I mean, this doesn't prove anything.

Do you have a bookstore anywhere nearby?

A bookstore?

Well, the closest thing we've got is a drugstore across the way. They've got a

couple of racks of paperbacks.

I'll be right back.

Well, I guess I'll have to change that arrest record to Jane Doe. Oh, thank

you. Now, what do we do next?

As far as I'm concerned, nothing.

But what about the woman who was impersonating me? Don't you want to know

who she really is?

We'll take care of whatever needs taking care of, Miss Fletcher.

But I want to thank you for coming in.

Well, perhaps you could tell me who bailed her out.

Perhaps you could stop wasting my time.

Thank you.

Kip Parkins, 15 Longacre Street, Sunville, Texas.

Here you go.

Thank you very much, and please keep the change.

Well, much obliged. And, Ms. Fletcher, there's no doubt in my mind you got a

bum rap.

Excuse me. My land, it's you.

I beg your pardon? I just can't believe my eyes.

Oh, come in, come in.

Well, perhaps I'd better explain.

My name is Jessica... Oh, we all know what your name is.

All of us do.

Ladies, look who just dropped in.

Oh, Jamie, what?

You're in the flesh. My God, I don't believe it.

Miss Fletcher, where are your biggest friends? I've never arranged this to

you.

You're right here in Sunville.

What can I tell Mom?

You look just like yourself.

Hold on. You're not one of those celebrity impersonators, are you? Oh,

no. No, I really am Jessica Fletcher. Although I've had a hard time proving it

to anyone just lately.

And, uh, you?

Oh, excuse my manners. I'm Kid Parker. And I'm Florence.

And I would just love your autograph. Oh, me too.

Oh, let me take your purse.

Well, come on, J.B., take a load off.

Thank you. Here, sit right there, dear.

Oh, we're so thrilled to have you.

Well, now, Kit, what exactly is all this?

Well, this is the weekly meeting of the J.B. Fletcher Literary Society.

I thought you knew.

Well, believe me, this is the first I've heard of it.

Well, then why are you here?

Because according to the sheriff in Bremerton, Kit posted bail early this

morning for Jessica Fletcher of Cabot Cove, Maine.

Oh, my God.

You were arrested?

No, it was Marge.

Marge? Oh, Kit, you never told us that Marge got arrested. No.

Well, if she'd wanted you all to know, she wouldn't have used her J.B. Fletcher

I.D. now, would she?

Her J.B. Fletcher I.D.?

My family runs a little print shop.

We all like to pretend like we're you, you know, solving mysteries the way you

do. So I made us up each a picture ID.

Just for fun.

And Marge's son Ronald is a state senator.

Very stuffy. No sense of humor at all.

So when Marge got caught, she told the sheriff she was you.

I see.

Ladies, will you do me a great favor?

Get rid of those I.D. cards immediately.

Oh, absolutely. Yes, ma'am. You're right.

Oh, there it is. Here's mine. Thank you. Thank you.

Now, kid, can you tell me why Marge broke into the kennel?

Oh, she's got a bee in her bonnet about Bellarmé Feldhammer.

Bellarmé's dog, Prince, has won amateur field trials three years running, and

Marge thinks she's cheating.

Because she's beaten Marge's dog?

Oh, Marge doesn't have a dog. Just an overdeveloped sense of fire play.

Anyway, she told me this morning that she had cracked the case.

Well, I think that I'd better have a little chat with Marge.

Poor Marge. I just can't believe it.

Marge, poor people.

It says here that she apparently lost control of her car driving on Wilkes

Creek Road outside of Bremerton and crashed into the ditch. A passing

motorist found the body.

And presumably the I.D. card.

Lost control. That's a load of fertilizer.

Marge drove that road all of her life. What was she doing out of Wills Creek

Road? Yeah, she should have been on County 14 if she was heading back home

to Sunvale.

Kit, exactly what happened after you bailed her out?

Well, she had me drive her to the McCauley house.

Those are the people who run the kennels.

Marge recognized a truck that was parked. Then she got all excited and had

me take her back to her own car.

That's the last time I ever saw her.

Oh, darling Jane.

Did she tell you where she was going?

Back to the McCauley house. She was hell-bent on confronting them with her

evidence, whatever that was.

But you have no proof that she ever got there.

Well... It might be worth making a trip to find out. I'll take you.

I'll be happy to drive you over.

I'll be happy to drive you over.

Somebody

in

the neighborhood must be having a party.

Are you all right?

Oh, yeah.

Marge isn't the first friend I've lost, and she won't be the last.

But she was the best.

I was wrong about the property.

Miss Fletcher?

I'm kind of surprised to see you here. Sheriff, I should have called you

earlier in the confusion.

Did you read the newspaper?

Oh, a damn fool reporter. He ran that story without checking his fax.

That car was registered to Miss Allen. We found her driver's license in the

glove compartment.

You mind telling me what you all are doing here?

Well, we came to talk to Mr. and Mrs. McCauley.

After she got out of jail this morning, Marge came over here to see them.

Yeah, well, there's no way she could have seen Simon.

Because he was killed in a hunting accident late yesterday afternoon.

Oh, how awful.

Was he shot by another hunter?

Nope.

By his dog.

Yeah, from the looks of things, he must have leaned his gun against the tree and

the dog knocked it over.

Shot him square in the back at close range.

Oh, shit.

Oh, that's Miss McCauley over there.

Who is the young man that she's talking to?

Just why do you want to know that, Miss Fletcher?

It's a character flaw.

I'm curious about everything.

His name's Rick.

He works in the kennels. He grooms the dogs and feeds them. Oh, I see.

Listen, Miss Fletcher, I don't want to hear that you've been pestering Miss

McCauley. Oh, of course not.

While I'm here, I... Like to pay my respects.

What the Sam Hill is he doing here?

Excuse me, ma'am.

That's Mitchell Lawrence, the insurance agent.

We have a homeowner's policy with him.

Howdy, Miss Parkinson. Hi, Mr. Lawrence. This is my friend Jessica Fletcher.

Jessica Fletcher.

Why, didn't I read that... Yes, you did, but it was a mistake. Actually, the

woman in the car was a friend of Kit's.

Oh, I'm sorry.

This must be a doubly sad day for you, Miss Parkins.

Did you know Simon well?

Actually, I never met him.

Oh, it's a long story.

Was Mr. McCauley a close friend of yours, Mr. Lawrence?

I knew him for years, but it'd be a stretch to say we were close.

Simon didn't care too much for people.

His best friends were of the canine variety.

Well, if you'll excuse me, I've got to be going.

Kit, I'm going to try and have a talk with Mrs. McCauley. Do you mind waiting

for me here? No, go.

And I'll keep a lookout for anything unusual.

Don't worry, I'll take care of everything.

Mrs. McCauley.

Yes?

I'm terribly sorry to intrude on your grief, and this may not be the best

time, but there's something very important that I have to clear up.

A woman was arrested last night for breaking into your kennel.

The sheriff told me.

Well, as it turns out, she was using my name, Jessica Fletcher. Oh.

And I wanted to be quite sure that you knew that I had nothing to do with it.

Thanks, but that's really the last thing on my mind right now.

Yes, yes, of course, yes. I quite understand it.

Must have been very upsetting when she showed up this morning asking to see

your husband.

No one came here this morning.

Except for the sheriff.

Oh. Well, I must have been misinformed.

You see, the lady was killed in a car crash several hours ago.

That's too bad.

Mrs. McCauley, do you have any idea of why someone would break into your

kennel? No, there was nothing valuable in the office. Just paperwork, breeding

records, things like that.

Well, I guess we'll never find out what the lady was thinking.

Probably just some gray-haired old wacko.

Miss McCauley, just wanted you to know, ma'am, I'm mighty sorry about your loss,

even under these circumstances.

How very kind.

Would you excuse me?

I'm feeling a bit worn out.

Bim?

Jessica. Oh, Kitty, what are you doing there?

Keeping the room under surveillance.

You know, I was watching the sheriff and that big fella, and I couldn't hear a

word, darn it.

But I don't think the sheriff likes him much.

Well, I don't think that Mrs. McCauley liked him either.

She was more than a little rude to him just now.

What'd she say about Marge?

Well, she said that no one came here this morning.

That can't be.

I knew Marge Allen 30 years, and when she decided to do something, she did it.

Well, I'll take your word for it.

Um, I don't think that we should outwear our welcome, you know?

Excuse me, ladies.

I apologize for the sloppy parking. I'll get it right out of your way. Oh, thank

you, Mr., uh... A Willoughby. A Boone Willoughby.

And, uh, bet there's Roscoe.

Hey! Say hello, Roscoe.

I bet that's one of Mr.

McCauley's dogs.

Yep. Raised and trained.

although I've taught him a few tricks of my own now.

You're a hunter, then?

Well, in my spare time.

I'm with the highway patrol.

I've been trying to form a canine unit and wanted Macaulay to be the trainer.

But he wasn't interested?

Well, that's what he said every time I asked.

Well, as long as I'm out this way, I think I'll hang around for a couple of

days and see if I can bag myself some quail.

Nice to see you.

You know...

He talks a good game, but he doesn't say much.

My thoughts exactly.

So Lisa McCauley didn't tell you anything?

Oh, on the contrary.

She told me that she did see Marge early this morning. But she said she didn't.

But she also said that Marge must have been a gray-haired old wacko. Now, I

never mentioned Marge's age.

So how did she know what color her hair was unless she had seen her?

Wow, Jessica Fletcher in action.

So what happens next?

Well, I have a hunch that there's a connection between Simon McCauley's

death and Margie's accident.

I'd like to stick around for a couple of days and satisfy my curiosity.

Oh, good.

Well, Jessica, we can help you investigate.

Now, I have a nephew that works at the same insurance company as Mitchell

Lawrence. I'll just bet you that I can get the password from him.

Well, I'm something of a computer whiz, you know. And my husband works in the

county coroner's office. I know I can get a peek at the autopsy reports.

And I'll dig up some background on Macaulay. And I'll... Well, I don't know

right now. But I'll do something.

Well, thank you, ladies.

Thank you. I appreciate your help. But I think that I should take my suspicions

through the proper channels first.

There's no reason to believe that Marge Allen's death was anything but an

accident. But don't you think it's the slightest bit unusual that she was

headed for the Macaulays the last time she was seen alive?

But Lisa said she didn't see her.

Yes, well...

Uh, uh, look, Miss Fletcher. Now, I know you got a reputation for solving crimes

and all, but right now you're in my territory.

And if there's any investigating to be done, I'll do it.

Got me?

What do you mean my card's been canceled?

Well, that's what the box says, lady.

Sorry.

It's all a silly mixer.

Look, I know that it said in the local paper that I've been killed.

But obviously I wasn't, since I'm standing right here.

Well, it don't matter.

If the box says you've been cancelled, you've been cancelled.

This is so frustrating.

How could this happen?

I suppose that newspaper report got picked up by the wire services.

It's probably all over the country by now.

Oh, no.

Oh, Seth, just listen to me for a moment, will you?

I've called Grady in New York, and he'll contact my family.

My publisher will handle the media. You take care of Cabot Cove.

Well, make it easy on yourself. Just go tell the girls down at Loretta's Beauty

Parlor. And I'll call you tomorrow.

Okay, thanks.

So, what's the next move?

Well, a good night's sleep.

Then we'll get up first thing early tomorrow morning and borrow a dog.

Butch, come on, baby. Come on, Nolly. Come on, get up on the table. Good boy.

He doesn't mind very well, does he? Oh, no, he is one big problem.

Perhaps y'all can do something about him here. I've heard just raves about this

kennel from my friend Bellamy Feldhammer. I wouldn't know her. Well,

perhaps it was Aunt Marge Allen?

No, Mr. McCauley did all the training, ma'am. I'm just the groomer. Oh, yeah.

I was so sad to hear about before Mr. McCauley. I heard such wonderful things

about him.

Not unless dogs will learn how to talk.

Oh, really?

Oh, I saw.

Your dog will be ready in a couple of hours, ma'am. Fine.

Thank you very much. Okay.

Okay, the coast is clear.

I got your message. What's up?

Take a look at these.

Florence, did you take these reports from the coroner's office?

I know. I said I was just going to peek at them, but the copy machine was

sitting right there.

Kit, look.

Look right here.

Oh, my gosh.

What is it?

Marge couldn't have been driving that car when it crashed.

This says they found her glasses in her purse, and she always wore them when she

drove.

It's a real clue.

It certainly is.

Oh, how odd.

Another clue?

Something quite unusual.

Oh, dear. I'm going to be late for Herman's lunch. I'll keep in touch.

Thank you. Bye.

Afternoon, ladies.

Oh, hello, Mr. Willoughby.

Uh, looks like you have something mighty important in that envelope.

Whatever do you mean?

Oh, uh, I was sitting over there in the corner and I saw that lady in the dark

glasses slip it to you. You both seem pretty excited about it.

Actually, it's just some research on a book.

Oh. Are you a writer, ma'am?

Jessica Fletcher is one of the preeminent mystery writers of the United

States.

Oh, Jessica Fletcher.

Oh, weren't you supposed to be, um, uh... No, I'm not. dead. That was an

error.

Mr. Willoughby, I'm curious about something I heard you saying to Lisa

McCauley yesterday.

When you were offering your sympathies on the death of her husband, you added,

even under the circumstances.

What circumstances?

Stupidity. No right-thinking hunter would ever lean a loaded gun up against

a tree.

No, Simon McCauley died of pure carelessness.

Well, I have to admit that it did seem mighty odd to me that a dog could knock

over a gun and cause it to fire.

Oh, you never know what a dog might do.

Especially if you've trained him right.

Nice seeing you, ladies.

Oh, Sheridan.

Miss Fletcher.

I think you'd have something better to do than just waste my time.

Well, this won't take long.

Now, I understand that Simon McCauley's body was found lying face down on the

ground. Yeah, what of it? Well, the coroner removed a hunting jacket from

the body, which was soaked with blood on the right side, which would indicate

that the body was lying on its right side after it was hit with a shotgun

blast. Wait a minute.

Just where'd you get all this information?

Well, I'm sorry, but I can't reveal my sources.

Oh, you can't?

You know, Miss Fletcher, I'd be well within my rights to throw you in that

lockup back there just for interfering with police business.

But because I'm such a nice guy, I'm just going to let you go with a warning.

This doesn't concern you, Mrs. Fletcher. Now keep out of it.

I bet the pay's not great, but the fringe benefits dynamite.

It's Mrs. Fletcher, isn't it?

Yes, I come for my dog.

I'll go get him, ma'am.

Your dog?

I was under the impression that you're from out of town.

Oh, she is.

It's really my dog.

Jessica brought him in for grooming as a surprise to me.

You are an angel.

Anything wrong, Sheriff?

Well, looks like maybe I was.

Miss Fletcher, after you left, I got to thinking about what you'd said.

So I ran it past our coroner, and he's inclined to agree with your theory.

So Mr. McCauley wasn't shot out in the fields?

Yeah, well, if he died where he fell, he should have bled all over the front and

back of his jacket.

Seems we got a murder on our hands.

I can't believe I let you talk me into coming all the way out here.

Well, if I'm right, you'll have another piece of evidence. What I haven't got is

good suspects.

Both Rick and Lisa claimed to have been home alone when Macaulay was killed.

Well, there's your spot.

I reckon his chest was about right there.

If he really was shot here, a great deal of blood should have soaked into the

ground where he fell.

But the lab report will tell us that.

It's all a misunderstanding.

I'm not dead.

How can I prove it?

Well, I'm talking to you, aren't I?

Hello? Hello?

Hello?

Something wrong, Miss Fletcher?

Well, I got cut off.

I mean, do you believe that they cancelled my phone card all because of

that report in the newspaper?

Well, is there anything I can do?

Well, how about skywriting, Jessica Fletcher is alive and well?

Well, I'm afraid that's beyond me, but...

I'd be glad to offer you the use of my phone. Oh, I'll take it.

Come with me. Thank you.

You see, if I'd come home when I planned to, I wouldn't be so short of cash.

Well, would you send it to the Western Union here in Bramerton?

Yes, Seth, I'm good for it.

Thanks.

I'll see you soon.

You've had quite an eventful little visit in our sleepy little town, haven't

you? To say the least.

You know, rumor has it that Simon McCauley's death might not have been an

accident.

News travels as fast here as it does in Cabot Cove. Yes, there is some question.

In fact, Sheriff Tanner is taking some evidence to the lab in Dallas right now.

Well, I better notify my home office.

You know, if murder's involved, we can't pay any benefits until the case is

resolved. No, I can certainly understand that.

Did Mr. McCauley have a very large policy?

Pretty standard.

Mrs. McCauley should be provided for.

There's Kit. Thanks so much for the use of the phone. My pleasure, Miss

Fletcher.

Y'all come back now. You bet.

You find anything interesting in those old newspapers, Caroline?

Yeah. A sale I missed at Bed and Bath of Ram. Oh, shoot.

Well, I don't know how in the world we're going to replace Simon McCauley.

Jane, I never realized that you were a friend of his.

Oh, I didn't mean him personally.

I meant his blood.

You see, I'm the area coordinator for the blood bank, and he was our only top

B negative donor.

Well, that is a very rare type.

Oh, it certainly is.

I did it. I did it. Oh.

Oh, Jessica, you've been so proud of me. I got the password for the insurance

company's files from my nephew.

Bertie, you know, these files are very confidential.

I don't think it's quite ethical to be accessing them this way.

Oh, chill out, Jessica. We've got a murder to solve here.

You know, I just realized something.

The Macaulay truck was at the house when Marge and I drove past there, but this

says it was parked in the field near the body.

Well, then, the body was probably taken there sometime after six in the morning.

Oh, Florence, you get anything out of Bella Mae?

No, she still says she trained that dog herself.

I really put the pressure on her, too. I gave her my best Jessica Fletcher

technique. Really?

But I don't go around putting the pressure on people.

Jessica, come here. We're in.

Come here. Oh!

This is so exciting!

I've got him to call his file up now. Here, just a second.

One, two, three.

There! Land six alive!

Look at that!

Now, it says here that Simon McCauley's life insurance policy was raised to $2

million just a couple of months ago.

Oh!

One faithful wife and a big insurance policy.

Ladies, I think we got us a motive.

Yay!

Well,

you were right on the money, Miss Fletcher.

The lab analysis showed very little blood in that dirt from the murder

scene. McCauley had to have been killed someplace else.

Yeah, we think we know who plugged him.

What was that?

Mrs. Parkins and I happened to be at the kennel. We saw Mrs.

McCauley and Rick in a rather compromising position, and we've learned

that there was a $2 million policy taken out on Simon McCauley's life.

Is that a fact?

Tanner here.

Lucas, you copy?

Yeah, yeah, Sheriff. What's up?

I'm over at the McCauley place.

I just saw Rick tear out of here on his bike like something big and ugly was

chasing him.

I think you better pick him up.

Will do.

Yeah, and send me some backup, will you?

Something doesn't smell right.

Ms. McCauley?

Sheriff, I'm about to give up here. If anybody's killed in this house, except

for that lady upstairs, well, somebody did a bang-up job of removing any traces

of the crime.

Or Simon McCauley was killed someplace else.

Well, if I was going to set an ambush, I would do it right here.

Mr. McCauley kept his shotgun shells in that cabinet.

If he came down here to get some, the killer simply had to walk out from

underneath these stairs to shoot him in the back.

Uh-huh.

Well, that's a tidy scenario, Miss Fletcher.

Unfortunately, it's not backed up by any physical evidence.

Well, maybe we're overlooking something.

I mean, something obvious.

Something in plain sight.

Could I borrow your flashlight for a moment, Deputy? Yeah, sure.

Thank you.

Now, would you mind running upstairs and turning off the switch that controls

that light?

Sure. Oh, sure. We got nothing but pan.

Now, if I'm not mistaken, yeah, just as I thought.

Dried specks of blood.

Well, I'll be damned.

Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am. Well, I mean, you couldn't see the blood flecks before

because of the glare of the bulb.

All right.

Miss Fletcher, you call this one, okay?

Look, Sheriff, I'm not trying to compete with you. I just want to help in any way

that I can. Well, you have. You've been a help. I mean, it's a good possibility

that McCauley was killed in the basement.

Unfortunately, the coroner's upstairs zipping one of my prime suspects into a

big, oversized baggie. Yes. Has he determined how Lisa died?

Strangled.

The way she was dressed, I'd say that she was expecting whoever did it.

I can't wait for Rick to try and come up with an alibi.

I told you I didn't kill Lisa.

She was dead when I got there.

You mind telling me why you thought you could just walk right into her bedroom?

We... We had a thing.

You had a what?

We had a thing.

A thing? Yeah.

You know.

Simon would take some of the dogs out for field work every afternoon around 4.

I'd lock up the kennel. I'd meet Lisa at the house. She'd always leave the door

open for me.

But today when I got there and I saw Richard, I just got scared and I took

off. I didn't even get down to the house till around 10 after 4.

Oh, come on. Now, Rick, it was only about 4.15 when I saw you leaving the

McCauley place.

Well, that's hardly enough time to get to the house and commit murder.

Sheriff, I just spoke with Miss Hidalgo and, uh...

She says she was with Rick at the kennel till ten after four.

So, Rick has an alibi, and the sheriff is stymied.

That's it?

I'm afraid so.

But the lab reported that the blood on the light bulb was Simon McCauley's

type. B negative.

I thought we'd figured it all out.

Lisa and Rick killed Simon for the insurance money, then Rick got greedy

and killed Lisa. It was perfect.

Well, not really.

I mean, Lisa never received the insurance settlement.

And Mr. Lawrence said that it would probably be held up. I mean, what reason

would Rick have for killing her? To cover his tail?

Well, maybe.

But I don't think he's the type.

On the other hand, I do think that Lisa was involved in her husband's murder,

particularly as it took place in their home.

But she had to have help.

That's right. I mean, there's no possible way she could have carried the

body up the cellar stairs all by herself.

And then somebody had to go along to bring her back to town because they left

the truck in the field with the body.

Oh, you're absolutely right. But there's one thing that bothers me.

Now, how does Marge fit into all this?

Oh, Jessica, I'm ashamed to say it, but I almost forgot about Marge.

And she's the reason you got involved in all of this. I mean, when Marge went to

the McCauley's house, Simon most probably had just been killed.

Maybe she saw something she oughtn't.

Or someone.

But who? It could have been practically anyone.

Bertie, do you still have the readout of that insurance information?

Oh. Right here.

Great. Now, when I first read this, there was something that I couldn't

quite remember.

What is it, Jessica?

Something important.

Something very important.

We have to get in touch with Jane at work right away.

I certainly hope that Dr. Dunn doesn't catch me out here with these files.

Lighten up, Jane. They're not medical records. They're just donor lists from a

blood drive.

Well, still, I feel I'm committing a serious breach of medical ethics.

Well, if it's any consolation, you have just helped to expose a murderer.

Oh!

Miss Fletcher, I wasn't expecting to see you.

Hope you don't mind. I let myself in.

No, that's fine.

So what brings you here?

You have some information on the McCauley claim?

Yes, but you may not want to hear it.

What do you mean?

I mean you and Lisa killed Simon McCauley.

She agreed to split the insurance money with you.

Why, Miss Fletcher, I do believe your writer's imagination is a bit out of

control. I didn't imagine the $2 million insurance policy.

It was easy for Lisa to handle a paperwork part of it. She could probably

sign her husband's name as well as she could sign her own.

That left a little matter of the insurance physical.

Now, we've all taken them. Simple exams, just blood and urine specimens.

Your mistake, Mr. Lawrence, was in presenting yourself as Mr. McCauley when

the company nurse came to call.

Because the results of that exam, including blood type, are listed on the

insurance file.

It says type A positive, your type, according to the records from the last

blood drive.

You've been a regular donor for years, so has Mr. McCauley.

But he was type B negative.

Now, it's my guess that when Marge Allen saw something incriminating when she

came to the house, You killed her and staged the car wreck.

I couldn't take a chance.

Simon hadn't been dead ten minutes before she showed up.

I don't know who she was.

She said she knew what was going on and that she'd caught us.

Marge had uncovered what to her was a major scandal, that a supposedly amateur

-trained dog had actually been trained by Simon McCauley.

She knew nothing about the murder.

Well, I'm sorry about that.

Just like I'm sorry about this.

It's not in there.

This what you're looking for, Mitch?

Hey, Lucas, come on in here.

You know, you shouldn't leave your office unlocked, Mitch.

You never know who might decide to let herself in.

So once you arrived on the scene and started asking questions, Lawrence knew

the truth of the real murder would come out.

Yes, he was certain that Lisa would crack under the strain and turn him in.

He also knew that she had a regular rendezvous with Rick.

He got to the house first and killed her. Then Rick showed up and made

himself the perfect fall guy.

But he had an airtight alibi.

The only crime that Rick committed was picking the wrong woman to have an

affair with.

Imagine, three murders solved.

Oh, Jessica, you are the most amazing person.

Actually, the real hero in all this is Marge. I mean, if she hadn't stirred

things up, Lisa and Mitchell Lawrence might well have gotten away with murder.

Ladies, I would like to propose a toast to two of the finest investigative

minds of this century.

Jessica Fletcher.

and Marge Allen.