All language subtitles for MSW s04e05 The Way To Dusty Death.eng

There's a house
full of people, Ginny.

Exactly. Exactly.
A house full of suspects.

- [Woman Screams]
- [Woman] 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.

[Man]
There are times when the forces oflife...

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? Have I?

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

[Phone Rings]

Hello.

D.B.
Wh-

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

This weekend?

Yes. Of course, we're free.

Be delighted to, sir.

Looking forward to it.
[Exhales]

[Line Clicks, Dial Tone]

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.
I've spent ages getting my own garden tamed.

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

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...

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

[Chuckling]
[Jessica] 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.

[Lydia]
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-

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, uh-

Serena. Just Serena.
Only one name like Ann-Margret.

So nice to meet you, Miss Barnett.

Just goes to prove
there's always a handsome woman behind the throne.

May I presentJessica 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.

[Osborne]
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.

[Door Closes]
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.

[Woman]
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.

[Laughing, Chattering]

You know, Jessica,
there's a rumor that, uh,

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.

[Woman Laughing]

[Chattering]

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?

[Laughing]

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.

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.
Ginny.

But after playing tennis with you,

well, I realized
that Barnett Industries...

must remain
in your very capable hands.

[Laughing]

Ah!
[Continues 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-

that dinosaur refuses
to become extinct!

Even the dinosaurs died, Ginny.

Time's on our side.

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.

[Virginia]
Because you haven't got the guts.

[Ticking]

[Ticking]
[Woman Screaming]

[Screaming Continues]

[Sobbing]

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

Duncan and I were adversaries,

but 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!
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 accidently 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- a separate room.

Lydia, would you like
a drop of brandy?

Strange. I thought I saw
a glass ofbrandy 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?
Ah.

[Tom]
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.

[Tom]
Are you implying I'm not? [Morgan]

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 who 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-
[Chuckles] I'm not ecstatic about.

Except-
Except it counts as, uh... triple frequent flier miles.

All right. So, uh, what
the hell are we waiting for?

Well, uh, perhaps
it would be nice...

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

[Laughing]
Lady, lady.

You must be quite new
at this, huh?

I'll tell you what.
I'll, uh- I'll steer you in the right direction.

Mr. Frubson, I don't believe
that you've metJessica 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, uhh,
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?

[Sniffs]
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?

Go ahead. And thank you.
Mm-hmm.

You don't think that
somebody gave him an overdone?

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.

[Laughs]
E-Excuse me.

Uh, this is something
that probably all of you know, but, uh, how do we decide that?

I mean, do we hear
candidates'positions-

Uh, lady, we're 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.

Uh, 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 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, l-

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- Uh- Uh,
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?

Uh, 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.
[Mouths Word]

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.

[Dr. Chatsworth]
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 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 gonna 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 gonna happen
if there's a murder investigation?

Murder?
Well, I mean, it is possible.

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. L-
[Laughs]

I just wondered if you might happen
to have been aware of any, um, well, suspicious behavior during the night.

No.

Virginia and I were asleep
by, uh, 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 liked about this
city place is it puts me plunk in the middle...

of the people I work for-
the stockholders.

Newspeople, all they see
is the money I make, but I help the little stockholder.

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.

That was before
the big fella died.

Kinda took the sport out of it.
L- 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, 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,

it'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 gotta look at who did.

You don't understand.
You weren't there.

Jessica knows!
Oh, how could she?

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?

[Dr. Chatsworth]
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, uh, 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.

Yep.
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?

- Oh! Oh, look at that mess.
L- I'm so sorry! - Don't worry about it.

Oh, Lydia,

l- 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.

Jessica. Uh,

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.

Well, 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 l-We never did anything.
That's why I didn't want anyone to see 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, um-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-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 will 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."

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.

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.
L- 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- a little after.
- Are you quite sure...

it was Serena's voice you heard?

Yes. I'm positive.

Go ahead.

[Water Running]
[Laughter, Chattering]

Uh, the door was
just a peep open, but I told you that, didn't I?

Uh, about like this, ma'am?

[Laughter, Chattering
Continues]

It's just so foolish of me.
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.

[Murmuring Continues]

Okay. You can come in now.

[Gasps]
Anne.

Anne, oh my God!
How could you?

You killed Mr.-
'Fraid 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.

L-

I didn't want to kill him.

Really, I didn't. L-

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.

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 theirjobs.

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.

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