Original subtitles

If you intend to write about Ellen Lombard,

I advise you not to.

If he'd kept his zipper up more often,

he wouldn't have so much to deny, now, would he?

Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.

I won't let that woman hurt Ellen, no matter what I have to do.

We're in the same racket.

My books are fiction, yours are only half fiction.

I believe there's a difference.

Jane!

Jane?

Oh, God.

Call 911, get me some backup!

Well, I tell you, I have been a fan of yours for many years, J.B.

I mean, what you need is proper representation.

That's what you need. Uh, waiter.

Excuse me for a minute. I'll have another drink here. Thanks.

Fine, you okay? Okay. Mmm-hmm.

You see, it's not in the advances or even in the royalties, J.B.

I mean, the really heavy action is in the ancillary rights.

Yes, that's what my agent tells me.

Well, if you ever consider changing agents...

Oh, before I made a move like that,

I'd have to give it a great deal of consideration, Mr. Griswald.

Oh, Mrs. Fletcher. I was talking to our people in Promotion,

and now that we actually have you in town for a while,

I thought maybe we could work up

a criminology angle for the book section of The Times.

Well, give me a couple of more weeks to kind of catch my breath,

and then we'll talk about it.

- Miss Dawson. - Oh, Miss Dawson.

Oh, I love your new book.

Well, thank you, thank you. Keep buying them.

There's Jane Dawson.

Oh, I see.

Her unauthorized biography

of Senator Edward Crawford has only been out three weeks

and it's already in second printing.

Boy, if he had any plans for the Oval Office, he can sure kiss them goodbye now.

Have you read it, Mrs. Fletcher?

Well, someone sent it to me, but I haven't had a chance.

I don't know how she gets away with it.

Do you suppose all this stuff is true?

Well, I have no idea, but speaking for myself,

I'd rather get my fact and fiction in different books.

Well, I better go say hello. Excuse me.

Hi, Jane.

J.B. Fletcher. Someone told me you'd be here.

I'm Jane Dawson.

How do you do, Miss Dawson?

Call me Jane.

So, I hear you're in New York now. Smart move.

This is where it happens. New Hampshire's loss is our gain.

Well, I'm just sort of camping here.

And it's Maine.

We have to talk, J.B.

My research people tell me you're a close friend of Arthur Brent.

I've got to mingle right now, but I'll call you.

We'll do lunch.

Who's Arthur Brent?

Stanley, turn down the volume, you'll blow out your pacemaker.

So the Senator's calling a press conference.

Wonderful! The more he denies, the more people will buy the book.

If he'd kept his zipper up more often,

he wouldn't have so much to deny, now, would he?

Stanley, that's not my problem.

The little twit should have divorced him a long time ago.

Stanley, I never said that. Gloria Van Dame said that.

Look on Page 217.

There are quotation marks. I've got her on tape.

Stanley, you just keep counting the money and let me write the books.

What have you got?

Pay dirt!

For a weekend in St. Thomas and five Ben Franklins,

our little clerk at Gledvale Sanitarium came up with her medical records.

You were right.

Like I always tell you, Kristy,

everybody's got something they're ashamed of.

All we have to do is dig it out.

Take this list of Hollywood people.

Get on the phone with your pick and shovel.

There's got to be somebody that hated her guts. There always is.

Right.

Oh, your sister wants to talk to you, if you have a minute.

Sure. Okay.

Beth.

Hi, sweetie. Got a problem?

Do I have to have a problem to talk to you?

Never. But I am a little busy. Got a new book working.

It's just that I was a little worried.

About what?

I heard you and Steve fighting last night. Is anything wrong?

Beth, don't eavesdrop.

And don't concern yourself with Steve.

Unless, of course, he ever lays a finger on you,

in which case, you tell me about it and I'll rip his liver out.

That's silly. I don't even like Steve.

In fact, I can't imagine why you ever married him.

It's not that complicated, honey.

Steve is tall, he looks great in a tuxedo, and he's terrific in bed.

Jane, I wish you wouldn't...

Look. Steve and I had a little disagreement last night.

Nothing serious. Happens all the time to married people.

He went out to the house in the Hamptons to cool off for a couple of days.

Nothing to worry your pretty little head over, okay?

Okay.

Now, look, go buy yourself something pretty.

Now, get out of here. I've got work to do.

Kristy! Why hasn't J.B. Fletcher returned my call?

Jessica! There you are. You are hard to track down.

Uh, actually, Miss Dawson, I'm expecting...

Right. My girl, Kristy, called your publisher.

He said he was meeting you here for lunch.

I moved him back an hour so we could have time for a little chat.

I'm sorry, but...

Look, our time is valuable.

Let's cut to the chase.

You're on intimate terms with Arthur Brent and his wife, Ellen Lombard.

I know they've been up to Cabot Cove to visit you a few times.

Arthur and Ellen are my friends, and because they are my friends...

Okay, so Ellen Lombard hasn't made a movie in 15 years.

She got three nominations and two Oscars in the early '70s.

Her face is on TV every week. People are still interested in Ellen Lombard,

or they will be soon.

As her friend, you could help her.

She has dropped out of public life.

All she asks is for a little privacy.

Mrs. Fletcher, you must know that the famous nervous breakdown

Ellen Lombard had was really a suicide attempt.

I've heard she's hooked on tranquilizers and is heavily into booze

and probably other controlled substances.

You could protect her from these ugly stories by telling me the truth.

Miss Dawson, I don't gossip about my friends,

and I certainly don't talk to somebody

who will twist every detail to titillate her readers in order to sell more books.

If you plan to write about Ellen Lombard,

I advise you not to do it.

Unless you want to lay yourself open to a very serious lawsuit.

I hope you got that on your tape recorder.

My books are very thoroughly documented. I've never lost a lawsuit.

Oh, yes. I'm sure it's quite easy, if you have a stomach for it,

to get people to say vicious things about someone,

and quote them.

She put herself in the public eye, not me.

I think you'll find that anybody who really knows Ellen Lombard

will have nothing unkind to say about her.

Oh, sure. Everybody loves Ellen Lombard.

That's why I'll have a dynamite best-seller.

When people find out that America's sweetheart is now a lush and a pill addict,

they'll be standing in line to buy the book.

Why do you think people buy your books?

Because somebody gets killed and somebody takes a fall.

We're in the same racket.

My books are fiction, yours are only half fiction.

I believe there's a difference.

Let me appeal to your practical side, Mrs. Fletcher.

Your name will sell a few copies, too.

Play along, and you'll look good.

If you don't, well, some of the dirt could land on you.

Miss Dawson, will you please leave while I am still in control of my temper?

Arthur, as Ellen's husband,

I thought you'd want to know what Jane Dawson is planning to do.

That damn woman. Ellen has suffered enough.

Well, there must be something that we can do, Arthur.

Jessica, if you only knew the shape she was in

when everything was coming apart in Hollywood.

Oh, Arthur, I do know. Thank God she had you.

I mean, no one could have been more loving, more protective.

I mean, I really honestly think it was your marriage that saved her.

I'm only sorry we couldn't have been more together these past two years.

Well, after her suicide attempt, and let's face it, that's what it was,

I swore that nobody would ever hurt her again.

But you've been so happy. I mean, the last time you were in Cabot Cove,

I've never seen two people more... More serene, more in love.

And if dropping out and practically vanishing

from the public eye is what it takes,

I'll prescribe that for anyone.

But, please, let's all get together soon.

Ellen won't see anyone anymore.

You mean she wouldn't even want to see me?

Jessica, she doesn't want anyone to know,

but about a year ago, she had a... A severe stroke.

Oh, Arthur.

It's affected her legs, and you know how silly and vain she is.

She just doesn't want anyone to see her like that.

Poor darling.

Well, she's making progress. Really, she is.

But if this book comes out,

it'll kill her.

Jessica, I won't let that woman hurt Ellen,

no matter what I have to do.

When you married Jane, Steve, you must have known her career came first.

I don't know how these arguments get started, Beth.

I guess I'm just jealous of her work.

Sometimes I think she doesn't really need me.

Of course she needs you.

Jane may seem very strong, but everyone needs love.

I don't know why we've never spoken like this before.

I guess I felt you never really liked me.

I don't know where you ever got that idea.

Anyway, I got to thinking out there.

I love Jane.

I think she loves me, too. So why don't we just talk it out?

That's why I stopped by class tonight, bring you back with me.

I mean, you're the only one she ever really listens to.

Or maybe we could sit down, talk it out. You know, be friends again.

Who's that?

No idea.

Guess she's got a little company tonight.

Yeah, well, who'd be coming to the house at 11:00?

Steve, she's in there by herself. Let's go in.

Jane?

Jane!

Why don't you take a look in the living room? I'll take a look in the kitchen.

Jane! Jane, are you all right?

Jane?

Jane?

Jane!

Jane!

Oh, God.

No, Beth, don't...

Call the police. Beth, call the police!

Good morning, Ahmed. Oh, good morning, Mrs. Fletcher. Your newspaper.

Thank you so much.

Oh, Ahmed, I wonder if you could help me with something.

You know, this market around the corner, it's very convenient,

but the produce isn't very fresh.

I wonder if you could suggest somewhere else in the neighborhood.

Most certainly, Mrs. Fletcher. I know an excellent little market.

Everything always fresh. My cousin is employed there.

Regrettably, it is not close, but for

special clients like yourself, Mrs. Fletcher,

my cousin would be most happy to deliver.

Yes. Well, thank you, Ahmed. I'll get back to you on that.

It's no extra charge!

Yes, Jessica, it has been too long.

I can't tell you how thrilled we both were when you called yesterday.

Ellen, what is this that Arthur tells me about you not seeing anyone?

I just can't.

Not even old friends?

I'm sorry.

You know, my apartment is only a few minutes away from you by taxi.

Jessica...

What do you say I get hold of some Maine lobsters?

They say you can get anything in New York.

I'll bring them over and we'll have an old-fashioned New England dinner.

Of course, Jessica. That would be wonderful.

We'll get together soon. Soon as I feel just a little stronger.

Ellen, is Arthur there?

He's gone out, Jessica.

Dear, sweet, Arthur.

He's cooped up so much of the time looking after me.

Last night, he was here reading to me all evening.

It was well past midnight before we went to bed.

Yes, well, I'm sure that's where he wanted to be, with you.

Will you ask him to call me when he gets back?

Will you be home?

Yes. And we'll talk again soon.

Yes, soon.

Bye.

You have some information about the homicide, ma'am?

Well, no. Not exactly.

That is to say, I did see Miss Dawson yesterday,

and I thought it might be of some interest to the authorities.

If I could just have a word with the officer in charge?

What was the name, ma'am?

Jessica Fletcher.

Thank you, Faylen. Yes, sir.

Jessica Fletcher?

Yes. Look, I'm sure you're very busy, but...

Right! Your name was on the victim's calendar. Lunch yesterday.

That's right.

Jessica Fletcher. I know that name from somewhere. Publishing?

Well, actually, I'm a writer.

The writer! Of course. I've heard of you.

Very nice to meet you.

Henry Girard. Lieutenant, homicide.

Oh, how do you do, Lieutenant Girard?

Say, could you stick around? I'd like to talk to you about something.

Oh, yes. Yes, of course.

Exactly what happened here?

Electrocution.

Eight years in homicide, first one I run into.

Come on, I'll show you.

Uh-huh.

The lady was in the tub when we got here.

Water was still warm.

Well, the guy comes in, pushes the TV into the tub.

Enough juice to put her lights out permanently.

11:03 last night.

Oh, how awful. You said 11:03?

Yeah. Blew the circuit breakers and stopped every clock in the house.

And we got two witnesses.

Who actually saw the murder?

No, the lady's husband and sister saw the perp running down the stairs.

I was about to get a statement from the sister.

And then, a few seconds after the lights went out,

this man came running down the stairs in the dark.

I was terrified.

Now, this would have been a couple of minutes after 11:00?

Yeah.

Here. Just take your time.

Thanks.

Miss Dawson, you said that you and Steve Lockner just came in.

Had you been somewhere together?

Steve had been out at the summer house in the Hamptons.

He picked me up after my night class about 10:15.

He wanted to talk about Jane.

See, they'd had some silly argument, and he wanted me to come in with him

and try to help smooth things over.

An argument? About what?

I don't know. Jane told me it was something silly. Nothing to worry about.

Anyway, Steve and I were sitting outside in the car talking

when we saw the man come to the door.

This man, how would you describe him?

I guess he was about, um, 60,

tall, well dressed.

I'd never seen him before.

You know a lot of people in the writing business, Mrs. Fletcher.

This description ring any bells for you?

It could fit just about anyone, Lieutenant.

Well, I'm afraid I have to meet someone.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Miss Dawson.

I hope I haven't taken up too much of your time, Lieutenant.

Oh, no, no. As a matter of fact, I still want to talk to you.

You mind dropping by the precinct later?

Oh, of course.

I'm afraid Ellen lied to you, Jessica.

Look, Arthur, if I'm going to be any help at all,

you'll have to tell me the truth.

Yeah.

Well, about 10:00 last night I telephoned her and made some threats.

And what did Miss Dawson say?

She must have been in her hot tub because I could hear the water churning.

Anyway, she agreed to discuss the situation

and suggested that I come over at 11:00.

Uh-huh. She may have been planning to record your conversation.

Well, I appeared promptly at 11:00, but there was no reply to the doorbell.

Well, I... I tried the doorknob, and it was unlocked.

Go on.

I could hear the tub churning upstairs, so I assumed she...

She couldn't hear me when I called. There was nothing to do but go up.

And she was still in the hot tub?

Jessica, it was terrible.

The tub roiling, the TV in the water with her, and she was dead.

Jessica, I swear to you, she was already dead when I found her.

But, Arthur, why didn't you call the police?

Well, I was thinking of that, but suddenly I heard voices downstairs.

And then the lights went out.

I panicked. I... I just ran out of there.

Look, Arthur, if what you say is true, and I do believe you,

you'll have to come forward and tell the police what happened.

You're right. I'll see my lawyer and then go to the police.

One thing that is encouraging, the homicide detective is very friendly.

I'm not sure why.

Okay, routine stuff, Miss Parrish, but we have to get a statement.

Now, what capacity were you employed by the victim?

I was her research assistant. Uh-huh.

And... Mrs. Fletcher! Come in, please.

I'll be through here in a minute. Sit down.

Thank you. Thank you.

This is Kristy Parrish, Jane Dawson's research assistant.

Jessica Fletcher, the writer.

How do you do, Miss Parrish?

It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Fletcher.

I admire your work.

Thank you.

Yes, well, you want some coffee?

Oh, no. No, thank you.

I hope I'm not interrupting something here.

Oh, no. I'm glad you came. There's something I want to show you.

I'll be wrapped up here in a minute.

Ah, okay. Now, what time did you leave work last night?

Uh, just before 8:00. The film I wanted to catch started at 8:30.

And Miss Dawson was alone at home when you left?

Yes, she was still working.

She never stopped.

Apparently, she was watching television.

Uh, yeah.

She used to catch up on the news and return phone calls when she was in the tub.

Well, thanks, Miss Parrish.

If there's anything else, we'll be in touch.

Right.

It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Fletcher.

Thank you.

Now, that's odd. What?

Well, Kristy Parrish said that she left the house at 8:00,

but I saw a telephone message marked 9:45, signed "Kristy,"

lying on the hall table.

Well, maybe she got confused.

Anyway, we know a man murdered Jane Dawson at 11:00.

Here. Take a look at this.

My goodness, you have this case file together already?

This is not a case file. It's my manuscript.

Your manuscript?

It's kind of rough.

Basically, it's just notes on my best cases.

Take it with you. Read it. It'll knock your socks off.

Oh, I'm sure it's fascinating reading.

I figure it was destiny when you showed up yesterday.

Look, the way I see it, a hotshot writer like yourself can take my stuff

and whip it into a best-seller.

And then we'll split the profits right down the middle.

Does that sound fair?

Oh, that's very generous, but you see, Lieutenant,

this isn't the way I usually work.

I... Well, I like to develop my own material.

Put my own personal stamp on my own books.

I'm sure you understand.

Oh, sure. Take it and run with it.

I'm not very good at spelling, punctuation, things like that anyway.

Use your own words.

Come in.

Lieutenant Girard?

Yes?

I'm Arthur Brent, and this is my attorney, Gerald Albion.

Hello, Jessica. Hello, Arthur.

This guy a publisher friend of yours, Mrs. Fletcher?

Oh, not a publisher. My very dear friend.

It was Mrs. Fletcher who persuaded me to come forward.

You see, I am the man who left Jane Dawson's home last night at 11:00.

Mrs. Fletcher, I checked you out with some of the guys in the precinct.

You got quite a reputation, and I can sure see why.

Well, I think that you should listen to what Arthur has to say.

I'm sure gonna enjoy working with you.

You just wrapped up the case for me.

And you got the killer to come in and surrender.

I wouldn't be wasting your time, Mr. Bannon,

if I wasn't convinced you'd be interested.

Just hear me out. Please.

Jane Dawson was one of Wedgewood Press' biggest ticket authors.

We published her first book and nurtured her career over the years, yes.

She made you a ton of money, Mr. Bannon.

And just because she's dead doesn't mean it has to end.

Just exactly what are you proposing?

I was her research assistant. She taught me everything she knew.

I wrote half of the Senator Crawford book.

Are you making some claim against profits now that she's dead?

You still don't get it, do you?

I've got all the research on her next victim.

I want a book contract.

And who was the subject of Jane's next biography?

Ellen Lombard.

Yours is hardly a name to be reckoned with in American letters, Miss...

Neither was Jane Dawson five years ago.

If you're not interested, Kendon House will be.

Sit down, Miss Parrish.

Lunch is on me, Mrs. Fletcher.

I'll keep the receipt and take it out of our profits. Strict accounting, right?

Yeah.

You should have had the pastrami, it's terrific here.

Fifty-fifty sound okay with you?

Well, that's very generous, Lieutenant.

Of course, I haven't even had a chance to look over your manuscript.

Actually, what I'm more interested in is our present project, the Dawson murder.

Oh, I already got that locked. I'm going to the D.A. tomorrow.

But isn't that a little premature?

I mean, Arthur Brent swore that Miss Dawson was dead when he got there.

Ah! They all lie. Trust me.

But at least he came forward of his own volition.

And with Miss Dawson's body in the hot water,

well, it's going to be very difficult to establish the time of death.

Now, we already know when she died,

from when the circuits blew and the lights went out.

Being a woman, you probably don't know too much about, you know,

circuits and fuses.

I'm going back over there right now.

Why don't you come along and I'll explain it to you?

And we can talk about our book on the way over.

I can't think of anything I'd rather do.

Color TV has a jillion watts of juice.

Now, the pipes in the tub make a terrific ground,

and water conducts electricity pretty good...

Yes, I do understand how it works, Lieutenant.

So, when this Brent guy pushes the TV into the tub,

it's like throwing the switch on the electric chair.

Oh, yes. I've run across that means of murder before.

You have? First time for me.

Oh, Lieutenant Girard. I didn't realize you were here.

Mrs. Fletcher. Miss Parrish.

Cleaning up some loose ends?

Uh, yes. As a matter of fact, now that Jane... Uh, Miss Dawson is dead,

I'll be looking for another job.

I was just clearing out some of my personal possessions.

Oh, really?

People usually take things like potted plants, pictures,

old scarves, comfortable shoes, things like that.

But that looks more like papers to me.

Yes, but they're my papers.

Yes, but nothing should be taken away from

a crime scene. Don't you agree, Lieutenant?

Oh, right. Absolutely.

Why don't you check back with us in a few days?

We'll make sure you get your stuff back.

Fine. Whatever you say. Just be sure I get these back.

Mmm-hmm.

Lieutenant, it occurred to me that there might be

some very interesting background information about the case tucked in here

with Miss Dawson's papers.

And since you're so busy, maybe I could help you to go through them.

Sure. Maybe we'll get a line on Arthur Brent's motive.

Motive? Mmm.

Yes, well, I suppose that is something that you should try to establish.

Arthur Brent had one hell of a motive, Lieutenant. Ellen Lombard.

The movie star?

He was married to her.

You're Ellen Lombard's friend?

Let me explain it to you, Lieutenant.

Ellen Lombard was the subject of my wife's next book.

People can get pretty paranoid

when they think that Jane is about to hang their dirty little secrets out to dry.

You're saying that Arthur Brent didn't want the victim

writing this book about his wife?

Oh, Lieutenant, I'm sure there are many others

who might have had a reason to kill Miss Dawson.

Arthur Brent was furious about that book.

He even offered her a couple of million not to write it.

That's the one piece we were missing.

Did you know about this, Mrs. Fletcher?

Oh, about... About the book? Mmm.

Oh, well, actually, as a matter of fact... Hello? Yes.

Lieutenant, it's for you.

Oh, excuse me.

Oh, my goodness, I'm going to have to dash. Lieutenant, I'll phone you later.

Girard. Yeah.

Yeah.

Ellen Lombard's medical history.

And I thought medical records were supposed to be confidential.

Elizabeth Pruitt's birth certificate.

Tupelo, Mississippi. October 15, 1962.

Hello.

Hi, partner. I checked out that phone message.

You know, the one marked 9:45, signed "Kris."

Well, it turns out it's from Jane Dawson's attorney, Barry McAdams.

He's on his way over here to make a

statement. Thought you might want to pop over.

Yes. Thank you, Lieutenant. I'll be there in just a few minutes.

Kristy took that message. She told me that Jane was busy.

And did she call you back?

Yes, she called me at home at 10:02.

We only talked for about a moment.

Very difficult to hear over that hot tub turbulence.

So, she was in the hot tub at 10:00?

Yes, that's where she unwinds and returns her calls.

Anyway, she got another call. She has call waiting.

She said she'd call me back the next day.

Mr. McAdams, what did you and Miss Dawson talk about?

Oh, well, Mrs. Fletcher,

I'm afraid that falls under client confidentiality.

A murder has been committed, and your client is dead.

Well, she told me

she intended to initiate divorce proceedings against her husband.

Steve Lockner.

There's a prenuptial agreement in place, and Jane wanted to go through the papers,

double check to see what she'd have to give Steve in the case of a settlement.

Not a bad motive.

Not bad at all.

Except her husband couldn't have done it.

Yes. Well, I've got work to do. Excuse me.

Hello, Beth. I thought I might find you here.

Forgive me for intruding on a private moment.

Oh, no. No, it's nice to see someone, Mrs. Fletcher.

There hasn't been anyone here all morning.

Well, you're here, and I'm sure that's what Jane would've wanted.

She didn't have a lot of friends.

There are a lot of flowers.

Yes.

I imagine the funeral tomorrow will be well attended.

Quite a few of them will be gloating.

Who was it who said, "Give people what they want and everyone will come"?

Someone cynical.

She made a lot of enemies.

But you loved her.

Yes. I may have been the only one.

No one else really knew her the way I did,

knew how hard she had to fight to get to the top.

Do you have any idea how far my sister came?

It's a long way from Tupelo, Mississippi.

I think I'm beginning to understand, Beth.

Jane Dawson wasn't your sister,

she was your mother.

She was a very strong woman, Mrs. Fletcher.

She must have been very young when you came along.

She was in high school, 15. Her parents threw her out, Mrs. Fletcher.

That's so sad.

She ran away, had me in a charity ward in Tupelo. We've never been back.

For a while, she supported us by dancing in a club in New Orleans at 17.

It must be very painful for you, telling me all this.

No. You see, I'm very proud of my mother.

It was a struggle, Mrs. Fletcher, but when she had time,

she used to hold me and promise me

that someday we'd have all those nice things other people had.

She kept her promise.

You know, I don't remember exactly when we became that sister act.

I suppose it was hard to explain a 15-year-old daughter when you were only 30.

But things got better.

She sold her first book and created this whole phony bio for the dust jacket.

Even a new name.

Did anybody else know about this? Steve or Kristy Parrish?

No, nobody. She liked the life she'd invented for us.

The past was buried. We'd escaped.

Beth, let's sit down here for a moment.

There's something that I want to show you.

Something that I want you to have.

I found your birth certificate

and some of your baby pictures among some papers

that Kristy Parrish was trying to steal from your mother's house.

I think that they belong to you now.

You'll want to treasure them.

Well, I suppose

now people will learn the truth about my mother and me.

Oh, not from me.

I firmly believe that people are entitled to their own privacy.

Beth, is it possible that Kristy Parrish found out about it?

That she could have been blackmailing your mother?

Well, I suppose it's possible. Kristy was ambitious.

Even ruthless. She was a lot like Jane.

Beth, did you know that your mother was planning to divorce Steve Lockner?

No. I mean, sure they had their problems, but Jane said it was nothing.

You told us that Steve picked you up after class, wanted you to talk to your mother.

Could that have been about the divorce?

If only we hadn't sat in his car, talking.

If only we'd gone in sooner.

When we went in, and the lights went out,

I just knew something terrible had happened.

Beth, did all the lights go out?

Yeah, all over the house.

I can't tell you how reassuring it is to see you, Jessica.

I just know you'll be able to straighten out this horrible mess.

Well, Arthur's out on bail, and that's a good start.

But the important thing is for you to keep your spirits up.

And getting out and seeing your friends is what I prescribe.

You're right, Jessica. You always are.

I feel so much better already, in spite of everything.

This is the first time she's been out of the house in six months.

You can see she's getting better. She really is.

She's gonna be out of this wheelchair in no time.

Jessica, have you made any progress?

A little.

Arthur, did I understand you correctly

when you told me that the lights went off after you found Jane Dawson's body?

Yes. Well, I got a good look at her before they went out. I could see she was dead.

I mean, the tub was still running, the body still moving in the water.

No, there's no doubt in my mind. She was dead.

And the TV was in the water with the body?

Yes.

Arthur, try to remember. This could be very important.

Was the TV still plugged into the electrical outlet?

Jessica, I... I didn't notice.

Think! I mean, you saw the TV. Try to visualize the scene.

No! Now I remember. The...

The cord was dangling over the edge of the tub. It was not plugged into the socket.

It probably came loose when it fell into the water, Jessica.

Arthur, did you ever talk to Jane Dawson,

except for your telephone conversation with her at 10:00?

No, that's the only time we ever spoke.

And you offered to buy her off?

Well, I was upset. I told her I thought I

could raise nearly two million on the duplex.

I... I'd have paid that woman every penny I had!

Arthur, I think that you should take Ellen home.

I have to talk to Lieutenant Girard.

No, of course not, Lieutenant. It's no problem at all.

If you need me, I'll be upstairs making a phone call.

Thanks. We won't be long.

Look, I was just headed home to gulp down a cold beer and a TV dinner

when you called.

Well, thank you so much for sending a car.

So, you want me to explain about circuit breakers now?

That's exactly what I want to talk about.

All right, let's go into the kitchen.

Now, electricity runs in the wires inside the wall.

I know.

So, all the wires are connected to this little box.

So, when the TV landed in the tub with Miss Dawson,

it caused a short, which tripped the circuit breakers.

Lieutenant, I know all about circuit breakers.

I had my house in Cabot Cove rewired a few years ago.

You see, that's how I figured it out.

Figured what out?

Well, let me explain it this way.

Beth Dawson said all the lights in the house went out

shortly after she and Steve came in.

Right.

But Arthur Brent told me that the TV was already in the tub

with Miss Dawson when he came in at 11:00,

but the lights were on.

Well, sure they were on, until he pushed the TV set into the tub with her.

If that's what happened, it would have blown the circuit for the bathroom.

Lieutenant, different rooms in the house are on different circuits.

I knew that.

Now, I think that Jane Dawson had been dead almost an hour

when Arthur Brent arrived.

Why would you think that?

Because it's the only thing that makes sense.

Now, let's suppose, theoretically,

that Miss Dawson's husband, Steve,

arrived back from the house out on Long Island about 10:00.

Okay, so what?

Wait a minute. You got that all wrong, Mrs. Fletcher.

I got back here at 11:00, and Beth was with me.

Well, technically true, Mr. Lockner.

But I think you were here also about 10:00, before you went to meet Beth.

Here's what I think happened.

Miss Dawson was upstairs in the tub on the telephone.

The tub was running, she wouldn't hear you come in.

I think that you picked up a downstairs telephone extension

and overheard both phone calls she made at 1 0:00.

You mean he heard the little lady was about to cut him loose,

leaving him on the short end of the prenuptial agreement?

Oh, wait a minute. This is crazy!

I think that you went upstairs and confronted her.

You'd also overheard Arthur Brent's call and knew he was coming.

A dead wife couldn't divorce him,

so he short-circuits her with the TV set.

Which must have blown the bathroom circuit.

But the tub was running and the lights were on

when Arthur Brent arrived an hour later.

You knew Arthur was coming, so you laid a little trap.

I don't believe this. She is making all this up.

Let's put a sock in it, pal.

I wanna hear what Mrs. Fletcher has to say.

You must have unplugged the TV set after she was dead,

reset the circuit breaker to keep the hot water circulating...

Which would disguise the time of death.

This is all speculation, Lieutenant.

You made a point of going to find Beth and bringing her back

on the pretext of her talking to Jane.

Who was already dead.

Sure, so he had a convenient witness to see Arthur Brent arrive

and take the fall for Miss Dawson's death.

Beth said that after you and she came in, all the lights went out.

You must have slipped into the kitchen here and tripped the main circuit breaker,

plunging the whole house into darkness.

Right. And he could have plugged the TV set back in

while she was on the phone calling the police.

It's all this woman's fantasy, Lieutenant!

She gets paid to dream up stuff like this all the time.

Don't let her make a fool of you, Girard.

There is absolutely no proof at all.

But I'm afraid there is. You told Lieutenant Girard

Arthur Brent offered Miss Dawson two million dollars not to write the book.

That's right, you did.

Arthur never spoke to Miss Dawson

except on the telephone that night at 10:00,

which means that you must have been in the house to overhear the conversation.

Give me the gun, Lieutenant.

Call 911, get me some backup!

Wait! Your backup's already outside.

I suggested to my police driver to restrain Mr. Lockner

if he should try to leave the house.

Very good.

Well, I can see that if this keeps up,

you're going to be able to donate that wheelchair to someone who really needs it.

I feel alive again, Jessica, for the first time in years.

You've worked a miracle, Jessica.

Oh, hardly.

However, I have heard that the sea air at Cabot Cove

has wonderful medicinal qualities.

Especially if you walk on the beach a little each day.

Meanwhile, we have to keep you warm, Ellen.

Now that Steve Lockner has confessed,

I don't think that the police will be interested in a certain secret file

that Jane Dawson collected.

Hello.

Now that we've got the Dawson case sorted out,

it's time we started on our book.

Yes, I think we have to talk about that, Lieutenant.

I've given it a great deal of thought during the past couple of days,

and I'm afraid that I couldn't possibly collaborate with you on your book.

What do you mean? Why?

This material, well, it's you, Lieutenant,

and I don't know what I could bring to it.

But I... I've had this stuff for years.

I just can't seem to get a handle on it by myself.

I do know a writer that might be interested,

and I think she might be looking for a project.

Who? Kristy Parrish.