Original subtitles

[man] Monte Carlo, a sunny place for shady people.

[Jessica] Next on Murder, She Wrote.

Lifestyles of the rich and famous.

That rock is worth several million dollars.

Money and power, that’ll get you between the sheets every time.

Go to hell.

I love to catch people with their pants down.

It’s a shame you’re not younger.

We might have been able to work things out.

Annie dearest, what could you have been thinking?

It’s a dangerous toy.

You just can’t break old habits, can you, darling?

Well, it would be a little awkward if somebody caught me

standing outside your door, now wouldn’t it?

What’s the matter?

We had an agreement, Barbara.

No more nights not knowing what you were doing

and who you were doing it with.

If you’re talking about Earl Harper,

he happens to be the answer to our prayers.

Yours maybe, not mine.

Then I guess you didn’t notice

what Mrs. Harper brought with her on this trip...

The third largest diamond in the world.

Of course, I saw it. You think I’d miss that... The Alexandra Stone?

And stop thinking what you’re thinking.

I did time once

in a French prison. Once was quite enough, thank you.

Suppose I told you there’s no safe downstairs,

which means when she’s not wearing it

they keep it in their suite.

It’d be so easy, Peter.

I swear I won’t touch him and I won’t let him touch me.

Darling, I love you.

And I’m begging you for this one last score

so that we can spend the rest of our lives together.

All right, I’ll do it.

But you understand this, you sleep with Earl Harper

and I’ll kill you both.

Welcome to the hotel.

Merci.

Oh, Jess.

Annie dearest.

You know, coming in the car from Nice

I was trying to remember how long it’s been.

Class reunion, 10 years ago.

And my God, look at you.

You haven’t aged a day.

And you’re as beautiful as ever.

So this is yours, The Claudine.

Oh, it’s lovely, Annie.

[speaking French]

The lunch crowd’s gonna be here soon,

but if you’d like a quick tour.

Oh, please yes. I’ve been sitting for so long,

I’d love a tour.

Your timing’s absolutely perfect.

You’ve arrived exactly at the time of the royal birthday.

It’s gonna be a blast.

Oh, this is so attractive.

Richie and I are taking you

to a diplomatic reception tonight.

Richie? You know, the last time I saw him,

he was all of 8 years old.

Now, he’s all of 21.

Oh, Peter, I want you to meet my good friend,

Jessica Fletcher. This is Peter Templeton.

Oh, hello.

Any and all requests are welcome.

Mrs. Fletcher, what’s your favorite?

Oh, I’ll have to think about it.

I’ll let you know later.

Come.

You’re lucky you have so much...

-room here. -We need it here.

You know, we do all our own baking.

Rolls, croissants, pastries, everything.

It’s quite an operation.

I’m so proud we’ve just become a five star restaurant.

How marvelous.

Ah, Robert, Jessica Fletcher.

Chef Robert.

-Madame. -Chef.

I can’t wait for you to taste his incredible food.

Mmm, it smells so good.

[speaking French]

You know, Robert is world famous for

his sauce Claudine.

Here now, watch it but have a taste.

Oh, my goodness.

That’s fantastic.

Oh, you must excuse Robert.

You know, he has this idea in his head

that some American is gonna steal his recipe

and make a fortune selling it to a fast-food chain.

Oh, but, you know, there is an ingredient in there

that is absolutely unique.

But I can’t put my finger on it.

Darn.

You’ll be on the third floor, Jess.

In case you’re interested, your next-door neighbors

will be Mr. And Mrs. Earl Harper.

-Oh, the Earl Harper, the financier? -That’s the one.

Wasn’t he under investigation for illegal stock transactions?

Yeah, yeah, and bribery among other things.

Armand, be careful.

Thank you. That’ll be all.

Yes, Madame Floret.

It’s his first day on the job.

You have no idea how difficult it is to find

good English-speaking waiters in this town.

Annie, is anything wrong?

Oh, heavens, no. Why should there be?

It’s just seems that you’re a one-woman show around here.

I mean, you have such an awful lot of responsibility.

Well, I have to admit it was a lot easier

when André was alive.

Someone to share the burden. I know what you mean.

I had hopes when Richie graduated from college

-that he’d come into the business but... -No such luck.

When André and I got married he went to live with his father.

He went to school in the States and then would come

and spend summers here with us in Monaco.

But the hotel just never rubbed off.

All his life since he’s been a kid, it was photography.

Oh, I better go check on the dining room.

Will you be okay?

Of course.

I’ll do some exploring on my own.

I have a friend in Cabot Cove who collects antique glass.

Oh, there are a couple

of wonderful places for that in the old quarter.

I’ll leave some addresses for you down by the desk.

Great.

This one is really quite beautiful,

but it has no price on it.

-[speaking French] -How much?

[speaking French]

That’s 1700 francs.

My goodness, $300.

It seems very high.

Permit me, madame. I couldn’t help overhearing.

I think our friend here is making a miscalculation.

[speaking French]

My mistake, madame.

A slight mistake and he is profoundly sorry.

It isn’t Baccarat, but it’s a good imitation.

In fact, I recommend it at 500 francs.

Well, that certainly is a lot more reasonable.

I will take it.

Merci, madame.

You are J.B. Fletcher?

Well, yes.

Inspector Charles Morel of the Department of Security

and an old friend of Annie Floret’s.

How do you do?

[speaking French]

I see I’ve arrived just in time to walk you back.

Well, thank you, that’s very kind.

I’m a widower, Mrs. Fletcher.

My children are grown.

My one remaining challenge is to keep Monte Carlo

a pleasant place for visitors, to preserve

as much of its charm and elegance as I can.

Inspector, you’re a friend of Annie’s.

Is everything all right here at the hotel?

She seemed to be under so much pressure.

I’m afraid it’s not the work that troubles her.

-Can I speak in confidence? -Oh, yes, of course.

Five years ago, Annie and her husband

needed money to keep their hotel solvent.

A certain person loaned them the money,

but with a huge balloon payment.

And unknown to them, that same person

then bought up the first trust deed.

Oh, dear.

And the balloon payment is due.

But can’t she renegotiate?

Not with that person, no.

On Monday the hotel becomes his.

That would break her heart.

Perhaps mine too.

Am I allowed to know who this mysterious person is?

Earl Harper, an American.

Surely you’ve heard of him.

Yes, indeed I have.

Good evening, madame.

Face it, Mom, you’re letting that creep walk all over you.

There’s nothing I can do.

Can’t you see that, Richie?

If he wants to come and talk to me,

I have no other choice.

Here’s the choice, mom.

You can let him have the damn place.

You can start enjoying your life again.

[knocking on door]

Anybody home?

I’m sorry, am I interrupting?

Do I... I have the right time?

You have the right time, Earl.

This is my son Richie.

Nice to meet you.

I’m Earl Harper.

Nice-looking boy.

If you don’t mind, let’s talk about what you’re here for.

Annette, you know very well what I’m here for.

You owe me one million dollars by next Monday.

I want your personal assurance that I’m going to get it.

As I wrote you in my letter, I need an extension.

The last few years have been a disaster.

Don’t talk to me about disasters.

A million dollars will barely cover my legal expenses

in the next six months.

Look, I’m really sorry about this,

but come Monday, if that money isn’t in my Zurich account,

you’d better start making other arrangements for your guests.

So you can bring in your bulldozers?

In the pursuit of progress,

sometimes it’s necessary to tear things down.

You know, Anette,

it’s a shame you’re not younger.

We might have been able to work things out.

Well, I must say, Mrs. Fletcher,

you dance as well as you write.

And I must say that you French haven’t lost your charm.

Albert DeVere, Madame Fletcher,

may I have the pleasure?

Oh, I’m sorry, Mr. DeVere, but I feel

that I’ve danced enough for the moment.

How did you know my name?

I have read your editions in French.

And it will be an inestimable honor

if you’d autograph the most recent one.

Well, I’m sorry, but I don’t have any...

It is no accident we’re staying in the same hotel, madame.

Please forgive me, I really have to sit down.

Pardon me.

-Mrs. Fletcher. -Richie.

My goodness, we’ve got so much to catch up.

Hello, Charles.

I’ll leave you two for a moment.

-I must check in with my office. -Yes.

-So where is Annie? -Oh, it got too late.

But I guess the real reason

why she didn’t want to come down

is because of him...

That crook Earl Harper. I’d like to kill him for what he’s doing to my mom.

His wife is very pretty.

Pretty maybe, but not his wife.

-That’s Barbara Calloway. -Oh, I see.

If you want to know how Mrs. Harper

copes with Mr. Harper’s indiscretions,

look over there.

The damsel with the rock around her neck...

That’s Mrs. Harper. And her escort

is her husband’s bodyguard.

He’s hired to keep an eye on her.

If I’m not mistaken, that is the Alexandra Stone.

Lifestyles of the rich and famous.

Forgive me, Richie, but you sound so angry.

It’s Mom.

Ever since André died, every year I come back here

I see her get more and more frazzled

trying to keep that damn hotel together.

Now Earl Harper’s gonna take it away.

I could care less, but what I do care about is her.

Of course, you do.

We all do.

Hang loose for a second, okay?

The prince has just arrived.

-Larkin. -Hello, Harper.

Look, are you shifting gears or something?

I understand our meeting’s back on for tomorrow.

Oh, it’s on, but don’t get

your hopes up. Nothing’s changed.

The two arch-enemies.

Like the mongoose and the cobra.

Oh, yes, Inspector.

I know Earl Harper, but who is the other man?

Scott Larkin.

He owns a fleet of tankers

Mr. Harper would dearly like to get his hands on,

if he can stay out of jail.

In this case I hope that the mongoose eats the cobra.

Between Harper and Larkin, who's to say which is which?

Madame Fletcher, fortune shines to run into you like this.

Mr. DeVere, isn’t it?

It will take only a few minutes for us to go back to my room.

You could sign your book for me.

I’m sorry, but I’m not sure that I have a few minutes.

Madame Fletcher, I won’t let you escape

without your signature.

Excuse me, I’m sorry I’m late.

But if we hurry we can still catch...

-the start of the regatta. -The regatta?

Oh, yes, yes of course, regatta.

Perhaps later, Mr. DeVere.

If you bring the book to the lobby.

[speaking French]

Oh, thanks for the rescue.

[indistinct]

I thought we’d have lunch in Saint-Paul-de-Vence,

watch the old men play boules,

and then take a run down the Grande Corniche.

[speaking French]

Bonjour, Suzette.

Bonjour.

-Do I have any letters? -One letter, I think.

Excuse me, I’ve been expecting a phone call from London.

Has it come in?

I’m not sure, Mr. Harper.

No, I don’t see anything.

You don’t see anything.

What kind of answer is that?

I want to know if I’ve been called or not.

Well...

Why don’t you just check out?

I beg your pardon?

Take your wife and your girlfriend

and that musclehead, hit the road.

Your mother didn’t do a very good job

with your manners, did she?

But then that’s to be expected.

After all, failure is stamped

into her genetic code, isn’t it?

I can’t wait till they put you in jail

with the rest of the slime.

Apologize to Mr. Harper.

Here’s your apology.

Let him go, Henry.

This is a dangerous toy for a boy.

Hello, Richie. Where’s your mother?

She asked me to say she’s sorry

things got too crazy at the hotel.

Will you give her a message for me?

Will you tell her that I know what’s going on

and if I could help I would,

but I’m fighting for my own survival right now?

Thanks. That will mean a lot to her, Mr. Larkin.

Good boy.

Hey, Pete, don't tell me Mom

unchained you from the piano today.

Barbara.

Oh, I didn’t know you were here.

No, obviously not,

the way you were crawling all over Harper.

I’m the decoy, remember?

That’s my part of the job.

Money and power,

they’ll get you between the sheets every time, won’t they?

Go to hell.

I am already there, thanks to you.

So let’s just call it a scratch, shall we?

You, me, and the job.

You and me, fine.

The job, I’ll do that myself.

You wanted to talk?

Well, it’s either that

or a less than friendly takeover.

You know what that’s gonna cost your precious...

stockholders, don’t you?

How can you go around raping one company after another,

leveraging assets you don’t even own,

breaking lives into little pieces?

It’s a game, sport.

And you play it just like the rest of us,

which reminds me, by the way,

I happen to know that you planted a spy

inside my organization.

One of these days, Harper,

you’re gonna lie your way into the grave.

Yeah, well, before that happens

I intent to find your spy

and hang him up by his toes.

Well, perhaps it doesn’t really matter anyway.

I mean, really you’re too stupid

to understand what he’d tell you, right?

Now excuse me.

Gotta join the Y, to get rid of some of that flab.

Excuse me.

[speaking French]

If you please, this kitchen is off limits to guests.

Well, just sniffing, just sniffing.

[speaking French]

[Richie] Come on in.

Just make sure you close the curtain.

Richie.

Hello, Mrs. Fletcher, welcome to purgatory.

Your mother told me you were developing pictures on Scott Larkin’s party.

You’re just in time to see

some award-winning candid shots.

Oh.

That’s my specialty.

I like to catch people with their pants down.

What did you do to your, hand, rich?

Oh, I cut that on the trimmer.

It’s not as bad as it looks.

Well, these aren’t from the party.

Oh, no.

That’s from the camera store.

That’s where I get my stuff.

They offered me a break on film

if I’d do some publicity stills.

This is the new waiter, Armand.

Mm-hmm, the clumsy one.

He certainly seems to need a lot of audio tape.

What is going on here?

How about that?

Harper’s own bodyguard getting a payoff from Scott Larkin.

Your mother told me what happened in the lobby this afternoon.

That’s what I thought this visit was all about.

Richie, the last thing in the world

I want to do is to meddle.

It’s just that your mother is at her wit’s end

and if anything should happen to you

I don’t think she’d ever get over it.

I know how my mom feels

and I’m not gonna do anything to make it worse.

Mrs. Fletcher.

[laughter]

They’re gonna arrest us for disturbing the peace.

It’s enough.

You go back to your cage and lock the door.

[growling]

Annie, call the police right away.

I’m so sorry.

[speaking French]

The police are coming. They’ll be right here.

Yes.

Jessica, perhaps it would be a good idea

to take Mrs. Harper into the bedroom.

Yes, I will.

Well, please, everybody, go back to work.

The police will be here shortly.

It will just hinder the investigation.

Armand, what are you doing up here at this time of night?

There was a call for alcoholic beverages,

a fitting salute to the local royalty, I’d imagine.

Would you tell my son I’d like to see him please?

He’s not here, ma’am.

I saw him leave around 9:00 this evening.

He hasn’t returned.

Thank you, Armand.

My pleasure.

Mrs. Harper, I’m sorry to trouble you further

at this late hour,

but I must ask you to describe the events

that led to this most unfortunate discovery.

I left earlier just before 8:00.

We were planning on going dancing

in some disco by the beach.

And at the last minute he said he had a meeting, so I went without him.

Yes, I saw you pass through the lobby.

May I ask if you went to the disco

by yourself, Mrs. Harper?

No, not exactly.

Meaning?

I had an escort, Inspector.

The insurance company requires a bodyguard

to keep an eye on my jewels.

That would be that gentleman?

Yes.

Forgive my curiosity, Mrs. Harper,

but was there any particular reason

why you didn’t wear the Alexandra Stone tonight?

Well, I wouldn’t wear it to go disco dancing.

It’s only for special occasions and I...

Oh, God.

Oh, God, it’s gone.

Somebody’s stolen the Alexandra Stone.

Take Mr. Templeton to headquarters.

Book him for first degree murder.

-Good morning. -Morning.

From the looks of things you’ve had a busy night.

Busy, but rewarding.

Come, let’s take some fresh air.

I told you, Mrs. Fletcher,

we have the most...

thorough security system in Monte Carlo.

So I knew all about our piano-playing friend

even before he arrived,

also about the woman he travels with,

his inamorata, Barbara Calloway.

Oh, yes, the attractive blonde woman.

Well, she is well-known throughout Europe

for luring wealthy men, usually married,

into compromising situations.

For substantial gain, no doubt.

No doubt.

And it may surprise you to know that...

Peter Templeton spent many years

in one of our jails for jewel theft.

Yes, he was what your newspapers call a "cat burglar".

You know, Inspector, the modus operandi

of a successful burglar seldom involves anything...

as serious as murder.

Correct, but picture the scene if you will.

Mrs. Harper leaves just before 8:00 last night.

Her husband now has two visitors.

The first one is Barbara Calloway.

You saw the bottle and two glasses.

Miss Calloway leaves around 8:15

at which time Templeton climbs up the third floor,

breaks into the suite through a window.

To steal the Alexandra Stone.

Mr. Harper is now most probably in the shower.

He comes out in his bathrobe and surprises Templeton

who has to make a quick decision.

Do I go back to jail again or do I grab the scissors

I see there on the desk and silence the man?

But if Miss Calloway and Mr. Templeton were working together,

why didn’t she try to get Mr. Harper out of the room?

Sometimes the best laid plans go wrong.

But you seem concerned.

Perhaps you know something I don’t.

Let’s just call it intuition.

Oh, Jess,

I didn’t know you were here.

Annie, I think that you and I have a few things that we have to discuss.

Last night you asked me to take Cynthia Harper

into the bedroom of her suite.

And while I was gone

you opened a window and the safe.

Annie dearest, what could you have been thinking?

I wanted to make it look like the motive was robbery.

Oh, God, forgive me for saying this,

but I think that Richie killed Harper.

Now are you guessing this or do you know?

Well, the scissors in Earl’s body were the same scissors

that Richie used to try to attack him in the lobby.

He’s been so concerned about me.

I’ve never seen him behave like this before.

And has he admitted it?

What he says doesn’t make any sense.

You can’t talk to him. He talks in riddles.

And where is the Alexandra Stone?

Well, that’s where it gets sticky.

You see, when I opened the safe

someone had been there before and taken the darn thing.

Are you sure?

Yes.

Annie, are you absolutely sure

there’s nothing else that you want to tell me?

I’ve told you everything.

Well, for your sake and Richie’s,

I hope it’s the truth.

Mrs. Fletcher, could I talk to you?

Yes, yes, of course.

It’s about Peter Templeton.

Mrs. Fletcher, I love him desperately.

He isn’t capable of killing anyone.

Look, I know your reputation and, well,

I don’t have anyone else to turn to.

You are desperately in love with Peter

and yet last night you made a date

with Earl Harper to meet him in his suite.

I wanted to talk to him because,

you see, he’s been after me like a bloodhound.

And I just wanted to set him straight.

But when I got there, he was furious

and he accused me of spying for one of his competitors.

Scott Larkin?

He said some kind of information leaked out.

I got blamed because I happened to be around

when he made some business calls.

Calls from his suite?

Yes.

Somebody told me that Peter Templeton

wasn’t at his piano last night.

Do you know why?

He said there had been a message for him at the desk

from me, supposedly asking to meet him

some place at the harbor.

But I never left any message.

Well, all this must be very difficult for you.

If I can help, I will.

There is something that I don’t quite understand.

For somebody who claims to be devoted to Peter

I saw some photographs of you both at Scott Larkin’s party.

And they were to say the least, peculiar.

In what way?

You were attacking him.

And it didn’t look like a lovers’ quarrel.

Oh, forgive me, mademoiselle. My phone doesn’t work.

I was just checking to see if this one does.

[gasping]

Armand!

Armand, who did this to you?

[speaking French]

Yes, I can hear you, go on.

[speaking French]

I confess I was wrong about Peter Templeton.

I’ve given orders for him to be released from custody.

But I’m not sure that I understand.

I mean, what does Armand’s death

have to do with Earl Harper’s murder

and the theft of the Alexandra Stone?

Both mysteries were greatly clarified

by the discovery of this.

You’ll recognize it immediately.

It was found on his body.

Oh, yes, that’s the Alexandra setting,

but where is the diamond?

With whoever Armand decided to sell it to.

Probably in Amsterdam by now, being cut into smaller stones.

So you’re saying that Armand killed Earl Harper

for the diamond and when he tried to fence it...

Some cutthroat decided to pay him

with a knife instead of money.

Let me tell you a little more about the recently deceased

Armand Beauclair, that being only one of his many aliases.

We were aware that he was a private investigator

with a somewhat shady reputation.

Evidence in his room suggest

he was working for Scott Larkin.

To spy on Earl Harper’s business activities.

Precisely.

He was known to take bribes,

sometimes even to blackmail his own clients.

Now just picture this man,

so agonizingly close to a three-million-dollar diamond.

So that’s what you believe, that he killed Harper

and died as the result of his own greed?

Well, after 30 years of police work,

I can safely tell you that greed

has trapped more criminals

than all the fingerprints in the world.

You mentioned that Armand spoke or mumbled

something just before he died.

Well, it didn’t make any sense.

In your language he said...

[speaking French]

[speaking French]

"In the fish."

Poor man, he must have been delirious.

[speaking French]

Mrs. Fletcher, hi. Annie’s looking for you.

She’s inside with Richie.

They’re about to do a little celebrating.

Celebrating?

Harper’s death relieved me of some pressure,

so I’m arranging a no-strings loan

to take care of the balloon payment on the hotel.

Oh, that’s wonderful.

I heard about the waiter, Armand.

I guess the whole mess is over now.

No, Mr. Larkin, it’s not over, not by a long shot.

Oh, Madame Fletcher, finally.

Would you please take just a moment?

Of course.

There you are, Mr. DeVere.

[speaking French]

Le Poison dans mon cœur...

The Poison in My Heart.

Mr. DeVere, in French, is the word "poison"

the same as the word for "fish"?

There is a slight difference

in the spelling and prononciation.

Fish is "poisson."

The two "s" giving it a softer sibilance...

Yes, Mr. DeVere, thank you.

Whereas "poison" with one "s"...

Perhaps in America you keep poison

in the kitchen but in France...

Are you telling me that you have no mice in France

who love to eat your delicious food?

Well, yes, but fortunately

we have the wisdom to separate food

that kill from food you eat.

Will you please just tell me where it is?

It is a matter of the utmost urgency.

In the storage room.

Thank you.

In a place it will not be mistaken

for American breakfast cereal.

Ah.

Oh, my goodness, Jessica, you scared me half to death!

What are you doing down here?

Well, I could ask you the same question.

The police sealed this room. What were you looking for?

Anything that the police might have missed,

anything that would've connected Richie up to Armand.

Annie, Richie did not murder Earl Harper

in spite of what Inspector Morel says.

Armand didn’t either.

Well, I hope you don’t think I did.

Please not another word, Annie.

Forgive me for eavesdropping, Mrs. Fletcher.

I came down here because...

of this.

An audiotape which almost certainly

has the voice of Earl Harper’s killer on it.

Your voice, inspector.

Oh, Charles, not you.

I’m sorry to say yes.

My guess is that he did it because he loved you, Annie,

and because he wanted to save your hotel

from being demolished.

You never said a word.

I wanted to, a hundred times.

But I felt what’s the use?

I’m just a dull policeman

with a few crumbs for a pension.

Mrs. Fletcher, when did you first suspect me?

When certain presumptions you were making didn’t add up properly,

and I started to think that Peter Templeton

was being intentionally implicated.

I thought it was strange when you ignored

the flowerbed under Harper’s window.

It showed no footprints.

Cat burglars climb, but they don’t have wings.

It was more than that.

Barbara Calloway, she helped me inadvertently

with some other information.

She said that before Harper died,

he accused her of spying for Scott Larkin.

That seemed absurd.

But what it did do is to tip me to the possibility

that someone might have planted a bug in his suite.

I knew that Armand

bought a large supply of recording tapes

so he became a logical candidate.

And in the process of spying

he recorded Earl Harper’s murder.

-He was blackmailing you, wasn’t he? -Quite true.

So you killed him right here in this room.

But you couldn’t find the tape.

It wasn’t until I told you of Armand’s dying words

that you figured out where it was hidden.

Unfortunately, you got to the storage room ahead of me.

Yes, for you it was.

An urgent business matter just came up, Mr. Harper.

You might say an account that needs settling.

The only account...

Fortunately, with a man of your character,

there’s only one way to do it.

After I killed him I broke into the safe

and removed this...

to make it look like a robbery.

Well, now it’s finished.

Oh, Charles,

I never realized how you felt.

I never wanted you to.

I’ll get you help.

I’ll get the best lawyers in France.

Annie, I’ve taken two human lives.

I’m guilty. I don’t want help.

But I just...

Sshh, not another word.

Mrs. Fletcher, you’d be doing me a great favor

if you’d return this to Mrs. Harper.

Of course.

And now, most wonderful ladies,

I must ask you to turn me in.

Shall we?

Oh, Jess, how can I ever thank you?

You don’t ever have to.

I think Robert has something to say to you.

I want you to have this.

Sauce Claudine.

Robert, I don’t know what to say.

Do with this what you will.

Sell it to McDonald’s or Taco Bell.

It’s small payment

for what you have done for Madame Floret.

Oh, but, Robert, why would I sell anything

so magnificent that I can enjoy?

Oh, veal stock,

brandy, garlic,

bay leaf, thyme,

I knew that much.

But there’s a soupçon, some mysterious ingredient

that I can’t place.

Anis would be too obvious

and I went through the lighter herbs.

And, uh...

I guess I’ll never know.