Original subtitles

# I was running like a shadow

# On a hungry street

# You were just the kind of man

# I didn't wanna meet

# Your eyes said too much

# No-one I want too much

# Want too much

# Closer, closer

# Your lips to mine

# Make love to me baby

# One more time

# Closer, closer

# Into my heart

# Make love to me baby

# Make love to me baby

# Like fire in the dark

# We are twisting into darkness

# Like the night itself

# You're turning into music

# Where I lose myself

# Sweet heat captures us

# You are so dangerous

# Dangerous

# Closer, closer

# Your lips to mine

# Make love to me baby

# One more time

# Closer, closer

# Into my heart

# Make love to me baby

# Make love to me baby

# Closer, closer

# Your lips to mine

# Make love to me baby

# One more time #

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at the beach house,

2:30 to 4:30.

Any other times they meet?

Lady's got commitments.

You, um... You got the camera outta there, didn't you?

Yes, sir. Last night.

Any more copies of this? No, sir. No copies.

And I presume there are no more copies of this?

You presume correctly, Counsellor.

Hugh, open the door!

Hugh, open this door!

Hugh, I am warning you. Open the door!

$378,000 above the estimate.

Why, Charlie? What am I supposed to tell the bank?

Glass went up 60 cents a square foot.

The prime rate went up today. I gotta renegotiate every loan.

I don't know what to tell you. Look at these cost run totals

Hi, darling. Hi, Charlie. Afternoon, Mrs Creighton.

What do you think of your building? It's beautiful.

Gosh, what a beautiful view.

I'll talk to the bank and get back to you tomorrow.

OK. Bye, Mrs Creighton. Bye, Charlie.

Alright, you. What's this all about?

You throw my things out and lock me outta my house?

It's very simple, sweetheart. We're finished.

Done, through, over.

Hugh, after four years, that's it? Mm-hm.

You decide we're finished? You throw my things outta my house?

And change the locks? It's my house, Marcy, not yours,

not ours, mine.

No, it's not gonna be that easy.

You want out, OK, but it's gonna cost you.

Gonna cost me? What, money?

Aren't you forgetting one thing? We're not married.

But we've been living together for four years as man and wife.

Everyone calls me Mrs Creighton - Charlie, the servants, everyone.

Well, the fact is you're not Mrs Creighton.

I'll tell you what you are.

You're a has-been rock star who used to be Hugh Creighton's mistress.

That's what you are.

Sweetheart, be careful there, honey.

You fall off this building, somebody might think it wasn't an accident.

You can see the headlines right now, "Famous lawyer kills mistress."

That's not real good for business. Be careful, alright?

You want headlines? I'll give you a headline.

Marcy tells how America's most famous lawyer buys cops,

judges, witnesses. You little tramp!

It'll be your word against mine and who will they believe?

The shyster lawyer...

..or sweet little me.

How much do you want? The same as I get as your wife.

You've made $10 million since we've been together.

Half of that's $5 million. I want it in cash.

I don't have $5 million in cash.

Every cent I've got is tied up in this building.

So sell it. I'll give you two months.

Until then, we'll continue living exactly as we have been.

Now, may I have the keys to the house,...

darling?

Morning.

Beautiful day, huh?

You're in the paper again today. Oh, yeah.

Yeah, it's a nice picture. Come take a look.

Nice picture, eh? Mm-hm.

As opposed to what? It's a big article.

You've got three columns. Mm.

Not bad, huh?

Want a refill? Sure.

So, how come you're being so sweet this morning? Guilt, I think.

Yeah, it's guilt.

I've been worried about the trial

and the cost overruns on the building and I, er,

I guess I took it out on you and that's not right.

Oh, you know what else? Know what?

I love you.

I do.

You going to the beach today? Yeah.

What time are you coming back? About 5:30 - same as usual.

Same as usual? Mm-hm.

OK, why don't I meet you back here at six?

I'll take you out to dinner, some place not... not unromantic.

OK? OK.

I'm coming!

(SHRIEKS)

Oh, no, you don't!

Lemon.

Number one.

And caviar.

(LAUGHTER)

(MUTTERS)

Bang.

Whoa, does this taste alright to you? Yeah, what's wrong?

Nothing, I just don't feel like having champagne today. Here.

(LAUGHTER)

Mm, that's good.

(SOFT ROCK MUSIC)

Are you OK? Yeah, I'm feelin'

dizzy.

I think I'm gonna pass out.

It's too much champagne too fast, hon'.

Hey?

Oh, I hope I'm not disturbing you lovebirds.

No, Hugh, don't hurt him.

(MUSIC INTENSIFIES)

Hey, Marcy?

Wake up, babe.

It's late.

Hey, Marce?

(CAR BACKFIRES)

(HORN HONKS)

Hey, you? You?

What? How much did you pay for that?

What, this? Yeah. 299, list.

299?

299?

Yeah, well, you can get 'em cheaper, I suppose.

How? You shop around, in discount sto...

Dodie's Discount Store, man. Dodie's is the best in town.

My wife's nephew's birthday is coming up. Yeah?

They been droppin' hints, you know?

299, list. What does list mean? I don't know.

Come on, let's go around here, Lieutenant.

Dodie's.

Keep everybody outta here until we find out

who those footprints belong to. It's OK, Lieutenant.

Sergeant Habach identified them as the cleaning lady's.

The cleaning lady's? Yes, sir. Look at the way that's raked.

You got that herringbone on either side and a mishmash in the middle.

It's better if we go in the front. Whatever you say, Lieutenant.

Alright, we need to clear a path for the lieutenant.

(SHOUTING / CHATTER) I just got here.

Outta the way, people. I just got here.

You're here at 8:00 every morning? Excuse me. Thank you.

Morning, Lieutenant. Morning, Sergeant. What do you have?

Housekeeper found her this morning, a few minutes after she arrived.

The victim's in the bedroom. Her name is Marcy Edwards.

Upstairs? Upstairs. Celebrity? Used to be.

Ex-rock and roll singer. She was kinda famous for a while.

What have you got, George?

The lady and her friend were having a party.

The way I figure, she changes her mind,

guy got persistent, and next thing his fingers are on her throat.

End of party.

Oh, they're big. Guy must have had big hands.

Have the lab boys check for prints.

They look too smudged for an ID.

Too smudged?

Yeah, you could be right.

What's her name? Marcy Edwards? Yeah.

Did she sing a song, 'Closer, closer, your lips to mine'?

I don't know. 'Make love to me one more time'?

I don't know. Those are her albums on the wall.

I think that she was my nephew's favourite singer.

He used to play that song over and over again. I think she's the one.

What am I bothering with this for now?

Something's wrong with me, George.

OK, any idea when this happened? My guess is yesterday afternoon.

Somewhere around three or four o'clock.

Yesterday afternoon, somewhere around three or four.

Er, yesterday was Wednesday?

Yeah.

They look good. Don't come any better. Both bottles.

What are you looking for?

The cork and that little metal thing that you find on champagne bottles.

They were opened in the kitchen.

How d'you know that? Well, that's where we found the foil and corks.

In the kitchen? In the kitchen.

Both corks? Both corks.

What, Lieutenant? What's bothering you?

I don't know why they opened both bottles here. One I can understand.

They open a bottle, fill the glasses,

make a toast and take the bottle to the bedroom.

But after they finished the first bottle,

why did they both come back to open the second bottle?

Who says they did? One of them comes to the kitchen, opens the bottle,

takes it back to the bedroom... That's not the way it's done.

This is a romantic situation

and there's sex in the air

and two people are drinking champagne together.

They wanna open a bottle together, wanna share the pop and the spritz.

That's what champagne is all about - pop and spritz.

Why else do you drink champagne if not for the pop and the spritz?

Gary, would you take a picture of these corks and the foil?

Sure.

Excuse me. Mm-hm.

What d'you think a thing like this costs?

Costs? I don't know. It looks like a good one. Four or five hundred?

Four or five hundred, wow. These things, they go high.

Do you want 8 by 10s, Lieutenant? That'd be fine, Jerry.

You ever hear of Dodie's Discount? No.

I gotta check them. I hear they got good prices.

You got a handkerchief? Uh, sure.

There you go, Lieutenant.

Have the lab check these but, when they're through, get 'em back to me.

OK. Mind telling me what you expect the lab to find, Lieutenant?

Oh, I don't know. Maybe nothing.

I found this emergency notify card in Marcy's purse.

I think it'd be better if you made this call.

Why me? I'm just a sergeant.

I figure someone higher should break the news to a guy like this.

Hugh Creighton.

The lawyer that never lost a murder case?

That Hugh Creighton? He's the one.

The prosecution has proved beyond a reasonable doubt

that the defendant cold-bloodedly planned

and ruthlessly murdered his mother,

plunging a butcher's knife into her body.

Not once, not twice,

not three times, or four times,...

..not five times,

not seven times or nine times.

I'll wait. I'm sorry, Your Honour.

My apologies to the court, please, and to the counsellor too.

I hope I didn't break your rhythm. You left off at nine times.

That's enough, Mr Creighton. I assumed we was going up to 14.

I said enough.

Continue, Counsellor. Thank you, Your Honour.

Don't let my celebrated colleague's theatrics

distract you from the one inescapable fact of this case.

The fact that the defendant's fingerprints

were found on this knife.

The knife he plunged into the woman who gave him life.

Not nine times,

or eleven times, but fourteen times

into his own mother.

(SLURPS NOISILY)

The prosecution rests, Your Honour.

Mr Creighton? Thank you, Your Honour.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I'd like you to take a look at this young man. Look into his eyes.

Are those the eyes of a murderer?

Look very closely, please.

You know they say the eyes are the mirror of the soul.

Are you looking into the soul of the murderer?

No, those are the eyes of a loving son.

A son who, when his father died,

devoted his life to his mother.

A son who denied himself friendships

and the pleasures of youth

to be close to his mother,...

..a very lonely woman

whose only happiness in life...

..was her son.

A son attending to her every need.

A son who spared her the drudgeries of everyday life,

who was her constant companion,...

..who brightened her life with little gifts.

The most precious of which

was his love for his mom.

Ladies and gentlemen, today

this young man's life is in your hands,

and the Lord's.

And I know that the Lord has looked into his soul

and I hope that he will guide you today

in your solemn deliberations.

If you listen to his voice,

as I have by the way,...

..you will know... Sorry to interrupt, Mr Creighton.

I'm adjourning until ten tomorrow.

Is there any reas- It will become clear

after you've talked to the gentleman over there.

Court adjourned. All rise.

Who the hell is that? I don't know. What's going on?

I'm Lieutenant Columbo from the police. Yes?

From homicide. Yes?

Is there some place private that we could go?

Here, come in here.

Now, what's this all about, Columbus?

Er, not Colom-bus, sir. Colum-bo.

Columbo, what the hell is this? It's about a Miss Marcy Edwards.

What about her? You were a good friend of hers, weren't you, sir?

Will you get to the point? A close friend?

We lived together, yeah. Uh-huh, was that at er,

25903 Pacific Coast Highway? That's my beach house. We live in Bel Air.

When was the last time you saw Miss Edwards? Wait a minute.

No more questions. What is this all about.

I'm sorry, sir, but Miss Edwards is dead.

What are you talking about? She was murdered.

Well, where? B-b-by whom?

At the beach house. We don't know who did it.

What's wrong? What happened?

What is it, what's wrong? Are you a friend of Mr Creighton's?

Yes, I'm his associate. Trish,

Marcy's... Marcy's been murdered.

Oh, my God, Hugh. Oh, I'm so sorry.

When? I-I don't know.

When did it happen? Yesterday, between 3:00 and 4:00pm.

Sir, I know that this is a bad time

but I'm going to have to ask you

to come and identify the body.

(Oh...)

That hasn't already been done? No, sir, not officially.

(I pray to God it's not Marcy.)

(Oh, God.)

That's Marcy.

Wait a minute.

(I want to look at her.)

Death by strangulation.

She was strangled but the cause of death was a broken neck.

Neck's broken.

Any signs of a struggle? No.

Nails are intact? Mm-hm.

No violence, huh?

Any signs of a sexual assault?

No.

Mr Creighton, your knowledge of forensic medicine is very impressive.

I wanna see the autopsy reports.

Of a loved one? That's why I wanna see them.

I understand but it- No buts, I wanna see that report.

I'm sorry, sir, but it's regulation. We break regulations every day,

I wanna see the autopsy, everything.

It's not just another case. It's someone I care about. Understand?

I'm sorry, sir.

Do you know who I am? Yes, sir.

And you still refuse? I can't.

We'll see about that.

(KNOCK AT DOOR)

Come in.

Hey, Trish.

You wanted to talk to me?

I've been thinking about Marcy.

Yeah,... so have I.

You knew, didn't you, Hugh? Mm?

You knew she was having an affair? Oh, no, no.

If I had I could have

maybe prevented what happened.

You're not telling me everything. What do you mean?

You can tell me.

You knew, didn't you?

(Yeah.)

And it hurt you, didn't it?

Yes, it did. Sure it did.

Did you kill her? What?

You killed her, didn't you? What are you talking about?

You killed her and you used me to help you.

Are you outta your mind?

Since you borrowed my car and sent me on assignment

I've been trying to figure out why. Now I know why.

So, what are you gonna do about it? Do? What could I do?

If I go to the police I can be charged as an accessory.

You're not gonna do anything? I didn't say that.

I'm gonna trust you to give me that partnership you've been promising.

Fine, fine, but that's next year.

No, start of business tomorrow.

Trish, in deference to Marcy

don't you think we should wait

till after the funeral, two months?

Not for the partnership.

I can wait six months for us to get married. Married?

For your own protection.

As your wife I can't testify against you.

Best insurance you could have. I have insurance.

You should have some too.

Wh-What insurance do you have?

Life insurance.

If I should fall out an office window,

have a sudden heart attack,

get bit by a rabid dog,

an envelope like this one would turn up on all sorts of desks

including Lieutenant Columbo's.

Do we have a deal, partner?

(Yeah.) (Good.)

The chief will see you now.

What have you got on the rock singer case?

Well, it's a little early. I got a call from Creighton.

He's an old friend of mine and an old friend of the mayor's.

You do know who Hugh Creighton is, don't you, Columbo? Yes, sir, I do.

You know he's one of the most famous criminal attorneys in America?

Yes, sir.

You know he has tried more murder cases than anyone in the country?

Yes, sir.

And you know he's never lost a case? Not one!

Yes, sir. You know he has a legitimate interest in this case?

I do, sir, yes. When he offered to help you solve it

why in the hell did you refuse his help?

I didn't refuse his help. Good, good. Glad to hear it.

Creighton's expecting you for dinner at seven o'clock, at the Darryl Club.

And be sure to bring all the case files, understand?

Yes, sir. Good.

Oh, Columbo? Give you a little tip.

They have the best steaks in town -

New Yorks an inch and a half thick.

New York steaks? New Yorks.

Well, that sounds good.

Ah, Lieutenant, how are you?

Very well. Good. Sit down, please.

Well, it's very good of you to come over.

Well, it was very nice of you to ask me, sir. My pleasure.

Ready to order, Mr Creighton? Take a look, Lieutenant.

I think I'm ready, Carl. I'm gonna order soup. Make it chicken noodle.

Very good, sir. You're just having soup, sir?

Yes, I haven't had much of an appetite these last few days.

You go ahead. I'm not too hungry myself

so let's see what they have.

How is that steak, that New York?

The speciality of the house. We're famous for it. Well, I'll have that,

medium rare and some asparagus with hollandaise sauce and roast potatoes.

Maybe to start a shrimp cocktail.

And some kind of a salad...

You like Caesar salad? Caesar salad, I'll have that. Yes, sir.

Is that sweet corn there. Is that fresh? Yes, sir, it's fresh.

Er, I'll have a piece of corn. Very good, sir.

So,

I assume that is the report?

Oh, yes, sir. There it is. Thank you very much.

And that autopsy report? It's in there, sir.

Oh, good. Good.

From this report I think it's obvious what happened.

Marcy met somebody on the beach,

invited him in for champagne and caviar.

After the second bottle of champagne he made advances,...

..she resisted,...

..it got out of hand

and he strangled her.

I just can't believe it.

I still can't believe it.

I don't think that she met him on the beach, sir. What's your theory?

I don't have a theory yet but it looks like she knew who killed her

and she knew him very well. Why do you say that?

Because of the statements

from the neighbours and all the guys playing volleyball on her beach.

It seems that Miss Edwards was seeing the same man on a regular basis.

I just happen to find that very hard to believe, OK?

It's all in the report.

Three neighbours and any number of volleyball players

all remembered seeing her car and a motorcycle in the driveway

at the same time on several Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Are you telling me that Marcy was having an affair?

Sir, it - Nothing indicates she had sexual relations before she died.

No, sir, but in the report it sa- That's a little tough to take, OK?

That's a little tough to take. I don't wanna hear it.

Well, let's just drop it, sir. Why don't we?

There's something in the file that's bothering me.

Maybe you can help me with this. Sure.

You'll notice that in the autopsy report there was no alcohol

in her bloodstream. She didn't feel like drinking?

But we found two empty champagne bottles and two empty glasses, sir.

Could that have been the Disulfiram?

Disulfiram, what are you...?

It's there in the autopsy report.

They found traces of Disulfiram in her bloodstream.

But that's a pill that people with a drinking problem

take when they don't wanna drink.

So you can see my problem. I might be able to help you out with that.

This is only conjecture, mind you,

but you see I, from time to time, have a drinking problem myself

and I happen to take a little Disulfiram.

Marcy was a vitamin nut - she used to take 'em by the handful.

And there's just an off chance she took one of my pills by mistake.

Oh, I see. Yeah.

Yeah, that could explain it.

What about the fingerprints? Did you find out whose they are?

We sent them to the FBI.

If this person was in the service or or was ever arrested, we'll get him.

Well, I have to say, it is an excellent report.

Thank you very much.

When you do arrest this man, please, do everything by the book.

I would hate to see Marcy's murderer

get off because of some stupid mistake.

And so would I, sir.

(DOORBELL CHIMES)

Yeah? Lieutenant Columbo, ma'am.

I'm from homicide. Yeah.

Do you mind if I come in, look around?

Wipe your feet. Yes, ma'am.

I'll just leave the umbrella out here.

I should hope so.

Hey - don't make a mess.

(POP! / SLOSHING)

What are you looking for?

A cork, ma'am, like this one

No cork. No cork.

Could there be a cork in the garbage can outside?

They're empty. You're sure?

The trash men came yesterday.

Could you have put something in the garbage can this morning?

No. Could I see?

Man, I'm glad I ain't married to you.

You don't trust nobody, do ya?

It's not that, ma'am. It's a habit.

I like to see things with my own eyes.

See?

Was the gardener here Wednesday, the day Miss Edwards died?

No, he only comes on Tuesday afternoons and Friday mornings.

So he was here today? And those are your footprints.

But when I first saw that herringbone pattern somebody had raked over it.

But you said the gardener wasn't here that day.

Do you know his name?

No, it's er, Japanese

and he comes real early, before me.

Hey, you satisfied these are empty? Or are you gonna come back again?

No, they're empty, ma'am. I saw.

Don't mention it.

'Closer, closer, your lips to mine.' She's the one.

He's in here.

Police person looking for ya.

We got a make on those fingerprints. He's been in trouble before.

Do you have an address? Not yet. We got an APB out.

Good. Listen, see if you can find Miss Edwards' gardener.

He comes Tuesdays and Fridays.

Maybe works for somebody else in the neighbourhood.

Sir, there's dozens of gardeners in Malibu. Anything special about him?

He's Japanese.

The Matisse with the red background on this wall, the Picasso opposite.

Yes, ma'am, you did mention that. What about this beautiful bronze?

Gone. Gone? Gone. Gone.

All Indians, buffaloes, cowboys in this room and any other room,

including Mr Creighton's bathroom, bye-bye! Bye-bye, all cowboys.

Where are the plans to my bathroom? I have the floor plans. Good.

Oh, this is beautiful. How much is it?

I'm not sure. Never mind, I want it!

Drapes in this fabric for this room and, Nigel,

the same decor here as in my office.

Oh, hi, Lieutenant. Congratulations. Thank you.

I saw the sign. Creighton and Fairbanks. I assumed it was you.

It is me. It's very exciting.

Where was I? The bathroom. We have to knock down a wall. A wall?

For what reason? A Jacuzzi. Jacuzzi?

Yeah, Mr Creighton loves a Jacuzzi.

But isn't this your bathroom, ma'am?

He'll have to wait. He loves to wait!

Er, ma'am, do you think I could see Mr Creighton?

Judy, tell him the Lieutenant's here. Nigel, lot's of fresh flowers.

Lieutenant Columbo to see you, Mr Creighton.

Send him in, please.

How are you, Lieutenant? Fine, sir.

What can I do for you today? I thought you'd like to know

we matched up those fingerprints with the suspect.

Really? Yes, sir. Excellent.

Yeah, excellent. Is that...?

It is, isn't it? What?

That's champagne. Oh, yeah.

Oh, boy, that looks like a fine collection

for a fella that doesn't drink. You a wine connoisseur, are you?

I wouldn't say that but these are all vintage wines.

Do you mind if I look? No, go right ahead.

Oh, yeah, these are six years old. There's 1985.

Lieutenant, have you picked him up yet,

this Neddy Malcolm? No, sir, but we will.

Did Miss Edwards know anybody by that name?

I was just thinking, Neddy Malcolm, that sounds...

Lieutenant, wait a minute. This character used to play drums.

This was Marcy's drummer.

I don't think she's seen him for years.

Those are Malcolm's fingerprints. There's no question.

If this is who I think it is, this is one bad apple.

He's done it all - booze, dope, women. Always in trouble.

He's got five assaults on women, even an attempted rape three years ago.

And they dropped the damn charges! Not this time. No, sir.

Not this time. No, sir.

I'll give you my card. It has home, service, car, everything on there.

As soon as you hear anything at all, will you call me? Yes, sir, I will.

Can I keep this? That's yours, sir.

This is excellent, really. Oh, I know it's none of my business

but your new partner, she doesn't plan to re-do this office too?

Cos I like it. I like it just the way it is.

I hear you.

Good day, sir. Thanks, Lieutenant.

(DOOR CLOSES)

Uh, sir? Take a minute, uh...

At your beach house, in the kitchen, you have a radio cassette player?

Would you ever consider

selling that to someone?

No.

Great office, sir.

He was seen going into apartment 21.

D Glinski.

(DOORBELL BUZZES)

Who is it? Police.

OK, just a minute.

(KNOCK AT DOOR)

Excuse me, sir.

(MUSIC PLAYS)

There you go, Sam.

Take it easy.

What'll it be, sport? I'm looking for Darlene Glinski.

Why? You don't wanna know.

What are you, a cop or somethin'? Somethin'.

That's Darlene there.

That's Darlene? That's Darlene.

If you wanna talk to her, go through the door there and down the stairs.

Watch your step. It's dark down there.

Another Grasshopper, Mike. Sure.

Hi. Hi.

Darlene Glinski? Yeah.

How're you doin'? What do ya want, mister?

I'm looking for Neddy Malcolm. I don't know him.

Oh, OK.

Well, just in case you run into him

tell him that a friend of Johnny Few Hairs is looking for him.

Wants to give him the money that Johnny owes him.

Tell him I'll be back in town around the Super Bowl. I'll look him up.

Wait. You might find Neddy at the LA Rock Box.

At the LA Rock Box?

Yeah. Ask for Little Richard.

Ask for Little Richard.

# I'm doin' somethin' I never done before

# But now this time ain't gonna no good no more

# Woogie boogie

# Boogie woogie woogie Boogie woogie

# Boogie woogie

# Boogie woogie boogie Boogie woogie

# Ow, ow, ow

# Friends on a drive in and outta town

# Lookin' for my friend but my friend can't be found

# Boogie woogie

# Woogie boogie boogie Boogie woogie

# Woooooo

# Boogie woogie

# Woogie boogie boogie Boogie woogie

# Ow, owwwww #

Hey, Richard, you got a minute? Who are you?

I'm lookin' for Neddy. I'm meeting him.

Haven't seen him in weeks but I'll put word out. Ned is a good drummer

when he's behaving, know what I mean? I do, yeah.

What d'you want with him? I got some money for him. Money?

It's from a fella I work for, Johnny Few Hairs. No kiddin'? Yeah.

First time someone gave Neddy money of his own free will.

Mr Few Hairs is a man of his word.

Sounds like he's a man of many, many words to me.

Two minutes. Rich? Yeah?

Is that you? Yeah, who's that?

It's me. Oh, hey, man. Where you been?

I been tryin' to reach you. You don't call back or nothin'.

How're you doin'? I'm doin' good. I really miss you.

I miss you, man.

Hi. Hi.

I gotta get me a new drummer. The dude I got can't keep a beat.

Do you wanna go to Chicago with us? Chicago? Yeah, when?

Tomorrow night. You got a deal.

Great. This man got money for you. He got it from Johnny Few Hairs.

Is he really bald? For me? Must be baldheaded with that name.

You got some money for me? Johnny Few Hairs. I'm afraid not.

Is that his nickname? Oh, no.

I don't have any cuffs. Am I gonna need 'em?

Hey, what's happenin' here?

No, no, no, no.

'I didn't kill her.'

You claim you loved this woman. Yeah, we were in love,

whatever that means. I don't think you know what love is.

You were so in love but you only saw her Monday, Wednesday and Fridays?

Marcy had a good thing goin' with Creighton.

Money, jewels - whatever she wanted.

She didn't wanna blow until she'd worked out a financial arrangement.

She wanted money from him? Five years and he was goin' to dump her.

Did Creighton know about you two? I don't know.

If he'd wanted to, he would have found out.

Did you kill her? I don't know what happened.

I blacked out.

When I came to

Marcy was dead.

That's all I know.

(KNOCK AT DOOR) Yeah?

Sam Marlowe? I charge $150 an hour.

$150. $750 minimum for domestic cases.

Uh-huh. Here, fill that out. You need a pen?

I'm afraid you have it wrong, sir. I'm not having trouble with my wife.

Heaven forbid. What do you want, Mr...?

Columbo. Lieutenant Columbo, LAPD.

Oh, yeah. Yeah, I knew I'd seen you somewhere before.

You're handling that rock singer's murder, aren't you? I saw you on TV.

So, why you knockin' on Sam Marlowe's door?

I understand that you are Mr Hugh Creighton's private investigator?

Handle all his cases, do ya? I can't reveal clients' names.

Uh-huh. Yeah, I can understand that.

Here's my problem. I'm workin' on a homicide case

and I would appreciate all the help I could get.

Yeah, sorry, Lieutenant. Professional ethics.

Ethics are important, no question about that.

Yeah, they sure are. Lieutenant?

That's private.

How come all those Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons are blank?

Am I gonna have to take this down to the lab to see

if this paint on this lens

is the same as the white paint on the air-duct in Miss Edwards' room?

Or are you gonna answer my questions?

Oh, Lieutenant. Not now, I'm in a hurry. Sorry.

I've got an appointment. No problem, sir.

I dropped by to tell you we found Neddy Malcolm.

Great, that's great. You read him his rights before...?

Oh, yes, sir. Yeah, we did that. And? And what, sir?

Did he confess? No, sir. No, he didn't.

Frankly, I don't think he did it. Oh, Lieutenant...

Why don't you... Can you come with me? Come on, get in.

Hurry up, if you're coming.

Those are Malcolm's fingerprints, right?

Yes, sir. That puts him at the scene of the crime, right?

He admits that he was there, sir. But he didn't do it?

He passed out. He had three glasses of champagne and he blacked out.

When he came to, there she was. He panicked and ran.

And you believe him?

Watch the car!

You believe him? I think so. You think you believe him?

He was there. He's had trouble with women.

You don't think he did it? I don't think he did.

Should I wait here? No, come with me. It'll take five minutes.

Hi, Trish, you know the Lieutenant.

I didn't know you had this case too. Oh, no, ma'am, the other case.

They picked up Neddy Malcolm, did you hear?

But the Lieutenant thinks they got the wrong man, right?

Why's that? Those finger marks on her neck.

They were very big and it turns out the guy was wearing gloves. Yeah?

Big work gloves. Work gloves?

Yeah, the marks on the neck were glove marks.

But the marks on the champagne bottle were fingerprints. It don't add up.

Why would a fella be so careful to put on gloves when he strangled her

and then leave his prints all over the bottle?

Lieutenant, this place is full of people who make stupid mistakes.

It's just a stupid mistake. Yeah, yeah, that could happen.

There's something else that's been bothering me, sir. What's that?

I don't know why you told me that you didn't know

Miss Edwards was seeing Neddy Malcolm when you knew it all the time.

Sam Marlowe, private investigator.

He had a camera out there at the beach house.

Why did you tell me you didn't know?

Well, it's... You're right, I should have.

I was... It wasn't easy to admit

she was having an affair with the likes of that Neddy Malcolm.

I don't know. It was just tough. I see.

Hey, Billy. How're you doin'?

You are in my seat.

Oh, sorry.

Lieutenant, thanks for coming by. Well, I won't stay. Bye-bye.

Ma'am.

Lieutenant, I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want first?

Ah, give me the bad news first.

No-one saw Creighton or his car at the house the day she was killed.

What's the good news? I found the gardener.

Thank you would be nice.

Thank you!

No, no, no. No, please, no touch.

I'm from the police.

LAPD.

Is your name Andy Miaki?

Ando Miaki. Ando Miaki.

Gardener? Gardener.

Mrs Creighton gardener?

Creighton gardener.

And you work for her on Wednesday?

Mrs Creighton Tuesdays, Fridays.

You're sure? Tuesdays, Fridays.

See, Tuesdays, Fridays, Mrs Creighton.

Uh-huh. No Wednesdays?

Wednesday work Rockingham.

That was day truck move.

Truck move?

Your truck moved?

Moved two blocks to long street

of trees that rains berries.

Street that rained berries.

Oh.

Your truck was on Rockingham,

and it moved two blocks to a street...

..that has these berries.

Ahhhh, where's that street?

La Mesa.

OK, excuse me.

We're gonna have to check your truck for fingerprints.

Gonna check your truck. Fingerprints?

Fingerprints.

Yes, that's right.

That's right.

So what can I do for you today, Lieutenant?

Well, sir, what I want to do is cut right to the heart of this thing.

Er, ooh. Do you mind, sir? No, not at all.

Neddy blacked out. If it wasn't the champagne it was from something.

And I'm saying it was from a knockout drug.

There was nothing in the lab report

that said there was a knockout drug in the bottles or glasses, right?

All they had to do was empty them and wash 'em out. That's simple, sir.

But there wouldn't have been champagne in the bottles or glasses

and the fact is there was.

Well, that's because the perpetrator took a second bottle of champagne

and poured it into the first bottle and the glass. The man's not a dope.

You see, for me, sir, the real question is,...

..how does someone administer a knockout drug, Mr Creighton?

I don't have the slightest idea.

Well, I'm gonna say he used a syringe

and he injected it through the cork into the champagne bottle.

Er, is that possible? Oh, yeah, they could do that, sir.

Yeah? But you gotta get rid of the cork because of the needle mark.

Which he did. Mm. Now, these are the two bottles

that we found at the scene of the crime.

Are you with me, sir? Well, I-I... I think, I think so.

Well, sir, look at the label

and just above the name Champ Du Bois there's one star, right?

Yes, one star.

Both bottles. Mm-hm.

I checked the liquor store where Miss Edwards bought all her alcohol

and that's the only kind of champagne she bought.

Champ Du Bois, one star.

Which is a lot cheaper than the vintage champagne - the two star.

Is that right, sir? It's a lot cheaper, yeah.

Which brings me to the corks.

The corks. Yes, sir.

They use one star for the cheap one

and two stars for the good stuff.

I'll bet you never noticed that, did you, sir?

Mm. Well, here, let me show you.

This is 1985. That was a good year.

This cost me $175. I'm well aware of that.

I just hope the captain will OK it on my expense account.

(POP)

You see there?

Two stars. Yep.

And two stars on the label. You got it.

Which is just like, if I remember correctly,

and I think I do...

Boy, I looked at that very closely.

All the labels on your bottles, two stars.

Well, now are you implying that that bottle came from my stock?

I don't think that I could rule that out.

Are you also implying that maybe I had something to do with it?

Yes, sir, I think that's a real possibility.

Mm-hm.

I'll tell you what, Lieutenant,

why don't you take your corks and get the hell outta here.

Oooh.

You've done it now. What'd I do? I don't know.

All I know is I got a call from the DA himself.

Told me to come up and bring that bleeping cop with me - meaning you.

Everett, I've studied the case file.

He's got enough to indict.

Fingerprints place the suspect at the scene at the time of the murder.

A suspect who... A suspect previously charged with sex crimes.

A suspect who admits he was there but doesn't remember what happened.

He might have killed her, he might not have.

And does the Lieutenant here believe he did it? No, he thinks I did it.

Why? Because I had a private investigator...

..confirm that the woman I loved was having an affair with another man

and I chose not to reveal

the sordid details of that investigation to the police.

What else have you...? Oh, corks - champagne corks, right?

Corks with one star, two stars.

He's got a cork from a bottle of champagne

that he paid $175 for - with taxpayers money. Why did he do that?

Because he saw a similar bottle in my wine vault.

You wanna tell that to a jury? Go ahead, go ahead and indict me.

Let's just see what happens when my colleague from Idaho here

and my partner get the Lieutenant on the stand

with his corks and his $175 champagne.

Alright, Hugh. You got anything else?

Just a lot of little things,

nothing that'll stand up in court,

but I know he did it.

I know he killed that girl.

Now you know what kinda lunatic I'm dealing with.

He's got lot's of little things but he knows that I killed Marcy?

I'd be happy if you could prove I was wrong. How could I do that?

Where you were when Miss Edwards was killed?

Whoa, now. Mr Creighton's not here to answer any questions, Lieutenant.

Maybe we can clear this up. Correct me if I'm wrong

but the time of death was Wednesday between three and four?

Is that correct? That's correct.

Well, I was in my car. In your car?

Yeah. Alone? Alone.

Nobody with you? Nobody. Where were you?

I was driving back to my office. I'd been at the Huntingdon Museum.

That's in Pasadena, isn't it? That's right, Lieutenant.

Pasadena is 50 miles from the beach. Yes, ma'am.

While you were driving, did you see anybody that could identify you?

While I was driving? Yes. No, Lieutenant, I didn't.

Did you stop at a gas station? No.

D'you get a cup of coffee? No.

D'you make or receive any telephone calls from your car? If you did, sir,

the phone company will have a record. Will have a record. No calls, Hugh?

No phone calls. None at all. None.

Then you have no alibi.

No, Everett, no, I have no alibi.

So, what are you gonna do?

You gotta choose now, don't ya?

Let me tell you something.

That woman meant everything to me...

..and I would hate to see her name smeared across front pages.

And that's up to you.

The ball is in your court.

Well, let me think about it, Hugh.

These corks, you don't have an alib- Let me take that back, OK?

Don't think about it.

I'll just see you in court. It'll be fun.

Hugh? Wait a minute, just a minute.

What time was Marcy killed? Between three and four, ma'am.

And that's what he said, between three and four he was in Pasadena.

There's no question about it. This proves it. Just look at it.

Whoops.

You wanna let us in on it, Hugh? Yes, I think I do.

Why don't you take that over to him?

It's a speeding ticket he got in Pasadena

which proves he was a long way from Malibu at 3:33pm on Wednesday.

He got a speeding ticket round about the time Miss Edwards was killed?

And you waited till now to bring it out? I just got it this morning.

Good thing I remembered. In the mail?

How d'you get a speeding ticket in the mail? It's not that kinda ticket.

It's a new gadget. They take a picture while you're speeding

and they send it to you in the mail.

Not a very good picture of me, Lieutenant, but er...

..yet there I am

caught in a Pasadena speed trap.

It's precisely the hour you were hoping I was at the beach.

Any more questions?

No, no more questions.

I guess you win again. I guess I do, Lieutenant.

Oh, there's one thing that bothers me.

That ticket. I don't see any way of beating that.

This may be the first case I ever lost in my life.

Well. Oh, bye, Everett.

Hey, there's a line here! What's the matter with you? Hey!

Hey, where are you going, man?

Officer? Officer?

Excuse me, ma'am, I'm sorry. I'm with the force.

Yeah, what force? No, seriously.

I'm with the police force.

Homicide. What can I do for you, Lieutenant?

I want to ask about this ticket.

As much as I'd like to help, this is a radar ticket.

Nothing can be done about it. 100% conviction rate. Pay the fine.

This is not my ticket. Er, what I wanna know is, is that a real ticket?

Why'd anybody fake a $150 ticket?

I wanna be sure this is not a counterfeit ticket.

Looks real. You wanna be sure?

The company that operates the system have the film from the cameras.

What's the number on that ticket, Lieutenant? 0-5-2

7-9-1-C-D

2-2-4-5.

(Oh, yeah). Date, time and speed.

See, that looks real, doesn't it?

But this is on a computer.

Do you have the film from the camera that this picture was taken from?

Oh, yeah. We keep all the negatives down in the vault.

This picture was taken directly from the film.

Can you blow this picture up?

Just the head, a big head. Sure.

Yeah, that's him.

Alright.

This is one ticket on a roll of film with a bunch of other tickets?

Could the roll of film be tampered with?

Could you add a ticket?

Or could you substitute one ticket for another?

Not so that we couldn't tell.

Each frame is numbered consecutively. Let me show you.

Now, this is your ticket, 2245.

Right. This is 2244.

This is your ticket again, 2245. Right.

And this is 2246. They're consecutive.

There's just no way that anyone could have tampered with this film.

Alright, can you make a blow-up...

..of the drivers that got a ticket about the same time as Mr Creighton?

Sure.

There they are, Lieutenant.

The radar and camera are up there.

Any car that exceeds the speed limit triggers the system. And smile.

You're on camera.

And it's all automatic? Yep.

I'll get it ready.

You know all the years I had this car,

this is the first time I ever had the top down.

OK, go.

(SHUTTER CLICKS)

OK, you can slow down now.

Just slow down, OK?

He's here. His car just pulled up.

Well, relax, honey. We got nothing to worry about.

(DOORBELL CHIMES)

This better be important. We're on our way out. It is important.

What is it? There's something I want to show you.

Can I come in?

He says it's important. He wants to come in.

Well, tell him to come in.

Excuse us. We're running late. I appreciate that, sir.

You really threw me with the ticket.

I couldn't figure out how you could be in two places at the same time.

You said this was important?

Where you were the night of the murder is important.

We gonna plough that field again? I was in Pasadena, speeding, remember?

I know it looks that way. The ticket has the time and date on it.

But, you see, I got these photographs

and I put these very...

Ma'am, would you like to see these pictures? Just take a minute.

Do you see anything unusual in these pictures?

No. No, you don't see anything?

No, that's what I just said. No.

I'm getting my jacket. We're late. OK, honey.

Sir? Would you be interested in looking at these pictures?

I don't know. What are they? This is a blow-up of your picture

on your speeding ticket.

Oh, yeah.

And this one is a blow-up of another driver

in a convertible taken four minutes before your ticket.

Mm-hm?

Do you notice the shadow under her nose, sir?

Yeah.

But there's no shadow under your nose, Mr Creighton.

None. So?

If you'll just look at this other photograph.

This one is of me and was taken today at the exact same place and time

and you'll notice the same shadow under my nose.

But there's no shadow under your nose, Mr Creighton.

None.

Proving what?

Proving that that is not you. That's someone else wearing a mask.

Someone? Someone like who? Maybe your new partner.

Oh, now we're getting ridiculous, aren't we?

Where would I get a mask for myself?

And even if I did there would still be a shadow under the nose, right?

I think I can explain that, sir.

Would you mind coming with me?

Sir, I think you'd better come with me.

I appreciate you coming out, sir.

It makes it easier to explain.

Just take a minute. I'm going to get something from the car.

Oh, got it right here.

Had it in my pocket. Forgotten.

You see, sir?

There's no shadow.

That's just a photograph.

That's just a flat cut out photograph

just like the one you had, sir,

and that's why there's no shadow.

That's interesting but you haven't placed me at the beach house.

The gardener's truck is gonna do that, sir. What gardener's truck?

That you drove to the beach house and back.

You see the glove marks on Miss Edwards' neck

match the glove marks on the seat adjustment lever on the truck.

This Miss Fairbanks' car? Yeah. Yeah, I thought it was.

Oh, I got a search warrant here

to search this windshield wiper well.

You know, Mr Creighton, there's no way you could have known this.

But there's only one place in all west Los Angeles

that these berries coulda come from at this time of the year

and that's on La Mesa.

The street of trees...

..that rains berries

where you parked this car

when you stole the gardener's truck.

You're under arrest, sir. Suspicion of murder.

Thank you, Sergeant. Oh, gee, almost forgot.

Gotta read you your rights,

cos we wanna make sure we don't make any mistake.

'You have the right to remain silent.'

You know anything that you say, they can hold that against ya?

'You have the right to retain a lawyer.'

'You have the right...'

What is that?

# Closer, closer Closer, closer

# Your lips to mine Your lips to mine

# Make love to me baby Make love to me baby

# One more time One more time

# Closer, closer

# Into my heart

# Make love to me baby

# Make love to me baby

# Closer, closer

# Your lips to mine

# Make love to me baby

# One more time

# Closer, closer

# Into my heart

# Make love to me baby

# Make love to me baby

# Closer, closer

# Your lips to mine

# Make love to me baby

# One more time #

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