All language subtitles for Murder.She.Wrote.S08E16.Ever.After.WEBRip.x264-ION10

[Jessica] Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.

[woman] God!

If you go through
with this grotesque charade,

if you marry this rich old fool,

I swear I’ll kill you!

I was far too busy having an affair

with your precious trainer.

Why would a killer wait in a closet

full of women’s clothes
for Walter to open the door?

It’s him! It’s Devon!

He killed Walter and now he’s after me!

I’ll always be here.

Darling, hang on.

Please, don’t leave me.

It’s a miracle.

Doctor?

Doctor!

He’s awake!

He’s awake, he’s awake!

[woman] And cut.

[man] All right. Okay...

Good going, Devon.

Listen, I need to talk to you.

Sure.

Exciting, isn’t it?

Me, the man in the coma,

finally conscious after three years.

It’s gonna add
a whole new dimension to my part.

Well, that’s what I want
to talk to you about.

The good news is the character
is going to fully recover,

and go back to his wife
and kids in Philadelphia.

The bad news is
it’s all going to happen off camera.

I don’t understand.

Well, how can I put it to you tactfully?

They’re not killing you off, Devon.

They’re dumping you.

Miss Rollins, I’m so sorry
for not getting your mail myself,

but Mrs. Barrington
needed some help with groceries.

It’s no trouble at all.

Thanks for the use of your key.

Anytime, Miss Rollins.

Excuse me, please.

Yeah.

Mrs. Fletcher,
welcome back from Washington.

Thank you so much, Ahmed.

I kept your mail as you requested.

Oh, my goodness. Would you look at that?

I’ve only been gone three days.

May I help you upstairs with your luggage?

No, thank you. I can manage.

Oh, Mrs. Fletcher. I’m terribly sorry,

but this letter
somehow got mixed up with my mail.

Oh, thank you very much.

It’s my pleasure.

I must say, I was delighted to discover

that my favorite mystery writer

is a fourth-floor neighbor.

Have we met before somewhere?

I’m Joanna Rollins.

You may have seen me
on the daytime drama called...

Happily Ever After.

Of course.

My work schedule
is pretty busy during the day, but...

sometimes I manage to catch
your show on my tea break.

You know, I’d love to know

what happened after the last episode.

Oh, which, which?

Well, you had just learned that your...

The man you thought was your husband

was actually
your husband’s identical twin brother?

Believe me, we got
a lot of mail on that one.

I’m sure you did.

And what do you have in store for us?

I suppose you’re not.
It is a bit far-fetched.

But that’s what makes it fun.

Oh, you’d be surprised
how many people think

the characters on my show
are actual living,

breathing human beings.

-I’m sure.
-It’s frightening.

Oh, what a lovely apartment.

Why don’t you come in
and have some tea with me?

Oh, that’s sounds wonderful,
but I really must get home

and check my messages.

Oh, there you are.

Joanna, we need to talk.

Jessica, this is Devon Lane

and in spite
of an overly dramatic entrance,

he’s actually a very talented actor.

Sonny Lane?

Oh, forgive me.

It’s just, well, coming face-to-face

with a famous child star
who’s all grown up.

I’m sure you hear it all the time.

You want to know the truth?

Nostalgia makes me... gag.

Yes. Well, I’m sorry.

Please excuse me, Joanna.
I really must go.

Oh, I’m sorry, too, Jessica.

-He’s usually not this rude.
-That’s right.

And I usually don’t get fired

by the women I’m sleeping with.

You were born in a barn, Devon.

You’ve got the manners of a goat.

Is that why you had me
kicked off the show?

Or have you found
some other poor slob to humiliate?

[Joanna] Maybe I have!

[Devon] Who is he?
I’m dying to know his name!

[bang on door]

[Devon] Stop acting like
a damn soap opera queen and listen to me!

You listen to me, I don’t want you here!

I don’t love you
and I want you out of my life!

Well, if you think
you can get rid of me like this,

you are straight out of your mind!

[Joanna] I must've been out of my mind

to stay with you for three years!

And you think you can wipe it out

with a snap of your fingers.

Don’t you dare threaten me!

-[banging on door]
-[Joanna] Jessica, help me!

Let me in!

Jessica!

-Lock it. Hurry.
-Oh.

Joanna! Come on out here!

Don’t let him come near me.

Joanna, come on out here

or I’ll smash down this door!

Now that is just about enough, Mr. Lane.

If you don’t move away
from my door this instant,

I’m going to call the police
and have you arrested

for harassment and disturbing the peace.

Okay.

Only you can tell Greta Garbo,

this isn’t the end of it.

Well, I think he’s gone for now.

[Joanna on TV] I know
what the trouble is, Dr. Leon.

I make too many commitments.

Can’t help myself.

I keep getting involved
with people who want commitment,

who demand it.

I’m beginning to feel that...

it’s a form of emotional extortion.

There just isn’t enough time

or enough of me to share
with all the desperate people

who want to consume me.

Dr. Leon,

do you suppose
that’s why I feel disconnected?

So remote from Gregory?

Oh, I suppose the thing
that terrifies me most is...

falling in love with Gregory...

with the children, with everybody.

Well, what do you to think of her, Bo?

Certainly is a beautiful woman,
that’s for sure.

She’s a lot more than that.

She’s a reason to keep going.

Right now your heart’s going
a bit too fast, Mr. Bowman.

Why don’t you slow it down a little bit?

Daddy, Teddy wants to talk to you

about a terrific investment idea.

You don’t say.

You’re smiling, Doctor.

Is there
some sort of private joke going on here?

Because obviously you and I...

-are not connecting.
-Walter.

There’s an old saying, Doctor, remember...

It all started when I asked myself,

when people go to an amusement park,

what do they stand in line
the longest for?

Roller coasters.

So I’m thinking
forget the amusement parks.

The people want roller coasters.

And we’ll give them roller coasters.

In every major city,

the biggest and the scariest in the world.

So what do you think, Walter?

What do I think?

I think that I ought to call a bunco squad

and have you thrown in the slammer.

And if you ever walk into this room again

while I’m watching TV and turn it off,

I will personally shave

that filthy face of yours
with a meat cleaver.

Is that clear?

Oh, yeah, sir.

Daddy, why would you rather watch
that trash than listen to Teddy?

I’d rather do anything
than listen to Teddy.

And just between us,
I’ve got a little something going

with that beautiful lady on the tube.

She and I are getting married.

An actress? You’re kidding me.

Marci, there are two things
I don’t kid about.

Love and the stock market.

Oh, I get it. You kept it quiet
until the divorce was final.

Well, when Momma finds out,
she is gonna scream bloody murder.

There’s an old saying, Doctor...

"Fool me once, shame on you,
fool me twice, shame on me."

Mrs. Bowman.

Thank you, Raymond.

God!

Quiet, please! Quiet in the room.

Let us dignify this solemn occasion

by making as little noise as possible,

so that the bride and groom
can hear their vows.

[woman] All right, okay.
All right, isn’t it?

Where's Marci?

Didn’t invite her.

She would’ve brought her scuzzy boyfriend.

I don’t want to say
"I do" through clenched teeth.

Let us proceed.

Do you, Walter Vincent Bowman,

take this woman Joanna Grimsky Rollins

as your legally bound wife?

I do.

As set forth in the marriage doctrine,

in accordance with the law

of the sovereign state of New York.

You betcha.

And do you, Joanna Grimsky Rollins,

take this man...

-[Devon] No, wait!
-[man] Who’s that?

No! No!

Joanna, how can you do this?

I love you!

[woman] It’s Sonny Lane.

[man] Everybody, quiet down!
Now quiet down!

Young man, don’t you realize

that there is a legal ceremony
going on here?

Joanna, please.

Didn’t the three years we lived together

mean anything to you?

Devon, it’s over.

How many times
do I have to tell you that?

I love Walter now.

[witnesses] Aw!

No! No! No! No!

Security, remove this man.

This way, sir.

If you go through
with this grotesque charade,

if you marry this rich old fool,

I swear I’ll kill you!

I’ll kill you both!

I’ll kill you both!

Mr. Lane.

Stop, please. I’m sorry, Mr. Lane sir,

but Mrs. Rollins Bowman isn’t in.

Well, I didn’t come to see her.

I just came to get something.

A painting I own.

Sir, I’ve been instructed
to call the police

if you try to go up

to Mrs. Rollins Bowman’s apartment.

Do you know how easily
I could break your arm?

I don’t suppose that it would take
more than one good snap.

But I simply cannot allow you
to go up there, Mr. Lane.

No, no, no.

I’m sorry, you cannot use these elevators.

Can’t you see, service elevator
is too small for this here ladder.

-Then perhaps the stairs.
-Maybe I should...

just levitate up the whole ten flights.

Yeah, an excellent idea.

Please let me know
when you intend to try,

so I may alert the press.

[knocking on door]

-Yes?
-Irwin Fisk.

Mrs. Rollins Bowman asked me

to appraise a painting
that she wants to sell.

She said that she’d left you her key
and you could let me in.

Yes, of course. Just a moment, please.

This way, Mr. Fisk.

I understand Mrs. Bowman

has an original Von Hochhauser.

Well, I’m great admirer of his works.

Especially his large nudes
with the plump bottoms.

Irwin darling, we made it.

I told Walter if we were late,

I’d never forgive myself.

Jessica, thank you for coming to my aid.

Joanna said she hated
to impose on you again,

but I said "what are friends for?"

Yeah, that’s one way of looking at it.

-Excuse me.
-Yes.

-After you, sir.
-Oh!

Oh, no.

What a desecration.

It’s him. It’s Devon.

Are you sure?

Yes, he gave me that painting

and he knows I’d try to get rid of it.

Oh, but to slash it like that,
it’s so sick.

If you want my opinion, it’s symbolic
of what he’d like to do to Joanna and me.

Oh, now, honeybunch, don’t you worry.

That lunatic
is not getting near you, I promise.

And forget about that painting.

I’ll get you
all the damn paintings you need.

911.

Operator, get me the police.

I need to report a felony.

Let me ask you.

Did he ever make any threat about

possibly returning later?

No.

He was here one moment and gone the next.

So what you’re saying is...
you didn’t see him...

-get in the elevator and go upstairs?
-Correct.

But you didn’t see Mr. Lane
leave the building either?

Exactly so.

Did you see anything?

Him!

I saw him. He distracted me.

Is that true?

The only way I could’ve distracted him

is if I was to take that elevator.

And these elevators
are for residents only.

I always use the service elevator.

That’s standard procedure.

Yes, but that’s not what happened exactly.

Excuse me. Then what did happen?

I... There you see? He did it again.

Mrs. Bowman,

did you ever give this guy Lane
a key to your apartment?

I told you I lived
with the man for three years,

so the answer to that should be obvious.

Well, I don’t know
how you expect me to help you here.

There was no breaking and entering.

And even if he was the perpetrator,

all he did was slash your painting

you said was his personal property.

Officer Bronsky, Devon Lane
made violent threats

against me at our wedding ceremony.

He threatened to kill us both.

About 3 million people
saw it on television.

Where were you?

I’m sorry,
but until he actually tries something,

I can’t do a darn thing about it.

So if he actually tries something,

we may be dead, hmm?

Ma’am, I would certainly hope
that doesn’t happen.

I believe a cocktail would be in order.
Now what do you think?

I think I’d like
to freshen up a little bit

before I meet the woman
who used to share your bed.

Hmm, you make it sound
a whole lot racier than it was.

Okay.

It makes me absolutely furious

that he’d marry a woman like that.

She’s an actress.

She’s used to being treated like a star.

And that’s exactly how Daddy treats her.

Oh, it’s really disgusting.

She’ll probably end up
with every cent he’s got.

My poor baby, I just hope
she doesn’t end up with your inheritance.

Oh, don’t worry, Momma.

Teddy and I have come up
with this little plan

to prevent that from happening.

You see, what we’re gonna do is what...

Hello, Miriam.

Hello, Walter.

Daddy, would you like me
to fix you a drink?

Miriam, go count the silverware.

Ever since you brought that...

shifty-eyed hoodlum
of yours into the house,

I’ve had a feeling it’s been disappearing.

See, how impossible he’s become? Ugh!

-Oh, poor Walter...
-Mm-hmm.

You must have been terribly lonely

to jump into another marriage

without giving it any thought at all.

No, I didn’t have to think.

Unlike our marriage,
I could feel it was real.

And I suppose you feel

disinheriting Marci is right, too.

If that happens,
it’ll be because she defied me

and let that Cardozo bozo
move in with her.

Such a typical father.
You can’t bear the thought

of any young man
sharing your daughter’s bedroom.

I can’t bear the thought of him
being anywhere in my house.

And I don’t care for you
being here either, Miriam.

So you jump back in that limo of yours
that you got from me

with that stud chauffeur of yours
that you got from me

and get the hell out of my life.

Walter, you’re wrong about the chauffeur.

I was far too busy

having an affair
with your precious trainer.

Bo not only knows
how to take care of his biceps.

He knew how to take care of me, too.

-Bo?
-[Bo]Yes, sir.

If you’ve got a few minutes,
I’d like to see you in the den. Thanks.

Right away, sir.

Darling, I’m sorry,
I couldn’t help overhearing.

My god, how did you ever live
with such a horrible creature?

Thank you for waking me
from that nightmare.

Oh, Bo. Come in.

I don’t believe you know my wife.

Joanna, this is Bo Wilder,

my loyal trainer and trusted friend.

Nice to meet you, ma’am.

Now, Bo, it’s payday.

How much do I owe you?

Gosh, I don’t know, Mr. Bowman.

$500 sound right?

Well, maybe not quite that much.

Go to the safe and take out $500.

Now take out another 1,000.

What for?

Severance pay. I don’t need to count it.

I trust you with the money.

I’m fired?

Why? Did I do something wrong?

No, I did. I trusted you with Miriam.

That wasn’t my fault, Mr. Bowman.

I don’t want to hear about it.

Just get out.

And don’t come back.

You’re not being fair, Mr. Bowman.

And believe me, I won’t forget it.

[Joanna] Oh, I don’t know, Jessica.

Sometimes I feel
like giving the whole thing up.

Everybody thinks I live
such a glamorous life,

but I don’t.

Well, you’d have a lot of trouble

convincing your fans of that.

It’s just too much responsibility.

Unless I scream at the writers,
I get horrible scripts.

All the producers
want to do is cut the budget.

And I even have to fight
with the studio execs

who look and act like they’re 12.

12 years old.

Well, it’s taken me a long time

to find the real secret.

But, you know, I’ve decided

that success is really within yourself,

not out there in the world.

Well, maybe after this season I’ll quit,
just be a wife to Walter.

Oh, do you know how long it’s been

since I’ve baked a pie
or even run a vacuum cleaner?

Oh, Walter.

It’s twenty to seven. I promised
I’d call him at 06:30.

Is Walter in town?

No, I came in alone for my taping.

He’s at home,
probably in his gym, working out.

He’s terrified I’ll fall in love

with a younger man who has bigger muscles.

-Do you mind if I use your phone, Jessica?
-Oh, no, of course.

Why don’t you use the phone
in my bedroom there?

Thank you.

[man on TV]
Now looking at the numbers,

the industrials are steady at 269.5.

Transportation’s off...

[telephone ringing]

Hello?

Hello, darling. You’re late.

I’m sorry, darling.
I lost track of the time.

After my taping, I met Jessica for tea.

And we’ve had
a wonderful two hours of unwinding.

Well, don’t rush home on my account.

I’m gonna have some of that...

vile no-sodium soup the doctor suggested.

I think I’ll pass on that.

Maybe I can talk Jessica
into having a bite here in town.

I’m waiting for you.

Oh, poor Walter.

It’s the cooks night out
and he’s on a hideous diet.

So I have a marvelous idea.

I know a place that has the most

divinely authentic Chinese food.

And if you’re up to it, I’ll buy.

Divinely authentic? I can’t resist.

I’ll change.

My condolences, Miss Bowman.

I know how it feels to lose your father.

I called to him
as soon as I came home tonight.

And he always answers.

When he didn’t,
I went straight to his bedroom

and I found him
in a pool of blood, Sheriff.

As soon as she screamed, I ran upstairs.

What a mess. We’re talking grotesque.

Sheriff! Sheriff!

Look what I found under the bed
in the master suite.

The killer must have slung it there.

I hope you didn’t spoil any prints

or add any of your own.

No, sir. I followed the discovery manual.

That’s one of my father’s shotguns.

He keeps it in the closet in the den.

I remember when I was six years old,

he caught me lugging it through the hall.

It was the first smacking I ever got.

No kidding, then maybe you can tell me

how many other people in this house knew

where that was kept.

Maybe she doesn’t know.

Come on, let’s go upstairs.

Do they desensitize reporters

when they hire them
or are they born that way?

Mrs. Bowman,

allow me to express
my heartfelt condolences.

Your husband and I
were old poker playing buddies.

He was a fine man and a good citizen.

Does that mean he contributed
to your campaign fund?

Forgive me, Sheriff.

I’m just not myself tonight.

I understand. I have lost
someone close to me this year.

My father.

Of course, in his case,
it was natural causes.

Do you know
how I found out about this, Sheriff?

I was having dinner with my friend

at a restaurant in Manhattan.
It was getting late,

I thought I should call Walter
so he wouldn’t worry.

My stepdaughter’s boyfriend
answered the phone

and I think his exact words were,

"somebody just blew a hole through Walter

the size of a manhole cover."

Now what I want to know from you is

what are you doing to find the murderer?

Well, we recovered the murder weapon.

And as soon
as the fingerprint people get here,

we’ll have them go over it.

There’s a shotgun.
May I have a look at that?

-No, wait just a minute.
-Oh, it’s all right, Sheriff.

This is Jessica Fletcher,
the mystery writer.

Sure. I’ll be darned,
I should have recognized you.

Would you be able to tell me

about these two marks on the stock?

What marks?

Well, these two round swirls,
you can barely make them out.

Looks to me
like they’re imperfections in the wood.

Two marks on the same side of the stock?

Sure, I’ll bet your dollar
to a doughnut my deputy here

can tell you when that happened.

When the killer
tossed the shotgun under the bed.

There, what did I tell you?

Thanks, Ginger.

Is there anything else
we can do for you, Mrs. Fletcher?

Yes, with your permission,

I would like to take a look
at the murder scene.

You can see where he fell.

Yeah.

Was he shot in the back?

No, he took the blast of both barrels
right in the chest.

Now was the closet door open
when they discovered the body?

Well, that’s what his daughter says.

Of course, the killer

could have been waiting for him
in the closet.

You know, that’s my theory, too,

but the sheriff doesn’t buy it.

The question is

how did he know that Walter
was going to open the door?

I mean, he could've been waiting
in there for hours.

Well, that’s what the sheriff said, yeah.

Was Walter getting dressed
when he was shot?

No.

He was wearing his sweat suit

like he’d just come from his private gym.

Yeah, but why would he go in the closet

if he was gonna take a shower?

Maybe he’s like me.

I always layout all my clothes
before I shower.

Well, having met Walter,

I doubt if that’s what he had in mind.

Women’s clothes. That is strange.

What’s even stranger

is why would a killer wait in a closet

full of women’s clothes
for Walter to open the door?

Unless he was waiting
for a woman to open it.

You mean to say this guy
threatened to kill both you

and Walter in front of witnesses?

And TV cameras,

dozens of reporters, and a city clerk.

His name is Devon Lane.

He was a former child actor
called Sonny Lane.

Hell, I remember Sonny Lane.

It’s a cute little rascal.

Well, I can assure you,
he’s not so cute anymore.

[telephone ringing]

Bowman estate.

Yeah, Doc.

The medical examiner.

Can you me give me an echo on that?

No, I’m not criticizing.

Uh-huh.

Probable time is good, too.

Thanks, Doc.

The preliminary examination

fixes the probable time of death

somewhere between 6 and 8 o’clock.

Joanna, what time did you call him?

About 06:45, wasn’t it?

He was on his treadmill.

And he said he’d be in his gym
for another 15 minutes.

Well, then it seems likely

that he must have been killed about 07:05.

That’s my calculation.

Oh! It’s him! It’s Devon!

He killed Walter and now he’s after me!

Well, now what have we got here?

What’s the big deal?
I heard about the murder.

I just wanted to find out
if Joanna was all right.

Liar. You killed Walter
and you came back to kill me, too!

How are you gonna prove that?

You were caught trespassing
at a murder scene.

That’s reason enough
to hold you for questioning.

Read him his rights, Ginger.

Wait, please.

Devon, where were you
at seven o’clock this evening?

Seven?

He was right here in this house,

waiting in Walter Bowman’s bedroom

with a loaded shotgun.

No, not true.

I was in the casting office

in Manhattan from 6:00 till after 8:00.

I had to read for a part.

Would anybody there remember you?

Yes, Dorothy Fremont,
the casting director.

Her card is in my wallet.

No.

And the second number is her home phone.

Try it.

I don’t care what Dorothy Fremont says.

I know he killed Walter.

Yeah, is this Miss Fremont? Mm-hmm.

Yeah, I’m with the Gull Harbor
Sheriff’s Department.

And we have a man here
who says he was in your office

for two hours tonight
starting at 6 o’clock.

Yeah. That’s the one.

Thanks for your cooperation.

I’ll do that.

What’d she say?

Well, he was there, all right.

But she wants us to tell him
that she wishes

we could arrest him for obnoxious behavior

and lock him up as a psychopath.

You see, baby? I still have some fans.

Okay, Sonny, you’re free to go.

But, if I ever see you around here again,

I will lock you up.

It’s the truth. Walter’s tragic death
has made me rededicate my life

to make his dream come true.

Walter saw this great land of ours covered

by humongous roller coasters
from sea to shining...

Hello?

Ted?

Mr. Turner?

We got cut off.

But I think I piqued his curiosity.

Well, you certainly piqued mine.

Roller coasters?

You know, I knew they’d made
some of your books into movies,

and if you don’t mind me asking,

where did you invest the money?

Teddy, she’s not interested, okay?

All right.

Mrs. Fletcher, what do you want from us?

Well, I’m trying to get
the events of last night

straight in my head.

It would help me to know
where you were at seven o’clock.

Out to dinner. We... I don’t know,
the cook was off duty.

We left the house around 05:00,

went to the beach club,
had a few cocktails,

went to the Hamptons
and had some polluted oysters.

And did anyone happen to see you?

Nobody but a bunch of damn tourists.

Nobody under 30.

It was like aliens had landed

and carried off
all the interesting people.

I see.

What you really mean, Mrs. Fletcher,

is we could be lying.

Either one of us could’ve done it

for exactly the same reason.

To make sure Daddy
didn’t cut me out from his will.

Isn’t that what you really mean,
Mrs. Fletcher?

Jessica, I can’t stand it here
another minute.

I’m going into town to tape
a segment of my show,

but I can drop you
at your place if you’d like.

Oh, good. Thank you.

Well, I’m sorry to see you both go.

Marci, I’ll be back for the funeral.

Until then, I’ll be living in town.

Oh, a word of caution.

Until the will is read,

don’t take anything from the house

or I’ll have to have you arrested.

So much for the wicked stepmother.

This is Walter’s car.

Can you imagine a man well over his age

driving a car like this?

Are you all right?

You murderer, you tried to kill me.

No, baby, not true.

I saw you were leaving.
I wanted to stop you and talk.

Devon, you were driving straight at us.

I lost control for a second.

If I wanted to kill you,
why did I honk the horn?

To scare me, and it worked.

I couldn’t move.
If Jessica hadn’t been here...

I’m sorry, okay? I got excited.

I got carried away for a moment.

All I wanted to ask you was,

now that Walter is dead,
is there any chance for us?

You’re insane.

You’re a monster.

An animal. I’m calling the police.

You know the funny part?

If we were playing this scene
on that stupid program of yours,

all those vapid people who watch you

would be jumping out of their wheelchairs.

Please leave right now.

Listen, my soap queen.

If I decide to kill you,

I’ll think of a lot cleverer way

than to run you down with a car.

Oh, Mrs. Fletcher, a thousand welcomes.

Well, one will do very nicely.

I’ve only been gone overnight.

Would it be appropriate to ask

if you’re acquainted with a woman

who is waiting to see Mrs. Rollins Bowman?

She gave her name as Mrs. Bowman.

Oh.

Excuse me, Mrs. Bowman?
I’m Jessica Fletcher.

Oh, yes. Joanna’s friend.

I was told she’d be along any moment.

Well... She just dropped me off.

Actually, she’s on her way
to the television studio.

Oh, oh.

You see, Marci, my daughter,
phoned me to gloat over

chasing her out of the Long Island house.

And I suddenly felt...

Well, it must have been
so difficult for Joanna,

living in that house
with such a spiteful stepchild.

It’s funny, but it took Walter’s death
for me to realize Joanna

would have been good for him.

Well, I think that’s very gracious of you.

Oh, actually, no. It was out of guilt.

You see, when I told Walter
about the affair

I’d been having with his trainer,

he fired him like that.

So if I hadn’t been
such a vindictive bitch,

Walter wouldn’t have been alone
in the house.

Would you please tell Joanna

that I would like to sit down
with her sometime

and have a nice, long talk?

You see, my analyst feels
it would benefit both of us.

Mrs. Bowman, do you know

how I could get in touch
with Walter’s trainer?

Bo?

Excuse me.

Are you Bo?

-Mrs. Fletcher?
-Yes.

You know, I got to thinking about

what you said on the phone.

But I must have been pretty upset
that Walter had fired me.

Well, I was upset at first.

Then I sort of understood
how Walter must have felt.

Miriam was his wife at the time.

She was feeling neglected and I was handy.

I never know what to do
in a situation like that.

I don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings.

Where did you go
after you left the estate?

I drove back to the city
to my apartment in Soho.

But I had so much nervous energy

that I couldn’t sit around
watching the sports channel.

So I went out and ran three hours.

What time was that?

I guess I left around 5:30.

And you were back home by 08:30?

Yeah, yeah, something like that.

And then I took a shower
and I made a tofu salad

and watched the basketball game.

That’s when the news came on

saying that Walter
was found murdered in his room.

I cried like a baby.

Walter was like a dad to me.

I don’t remember my own father.

I don’t suppose I’ll ever forget Walter.

Excuse me.

Name?

Jessica Fletcher.

You here for the hooker?

Well, no, not exactly.

I came to see Dorothy Fremont.

You got it. Come on in.

Oh, thank you.

I got your message.

Typical.

Whenever some screwed-up former child star

gets himself in a mess,
it ends up on the news

and makes the whole industry look shabby.

He told to police
that he was here in your office

at the time
that Walter Bowman was murdered.

Oh, he was here, all right.
I couldn’t get rid of him.

The dumb thing is I had a director here,

well-known director
who wanted Sonny or Devon,

or whatever he calls himself,

to read for the lead role in a feature.

It was for the part of a former child star

who’s a little bit nuts,

and how is that for typecasting?

And did he get the part?

No. He showed up a day late.

The part was already cast.

He claims we never told him

that the meeting was moved back a day.

But our telephone log shows

that my girl called him three times

and left a message on the machine.

And how did he explain that?

He blamed it on me.

He demanded that I call the director

and tell him it was my mistake.

And when I said
I couldn’t possibly do that,

he went bananas.

He began waving and ranting for hours

till I finally had to call security.

You know this is
a very interesting old lamp, Ms. Fremont?

Not old, it’s ancient.

I got it for my graduation.
Believe it or not,

I went to the same high school
as Walter Bowman.

You know it’s a shame.

A horrible way to die.

Opens a closet door and bam!

Yes. That’s right. Thank you.

That’s exactly what happened.

Jessica?

[Jessica] I’m upstairs.

Jessica?

I got your message.

What on earth are you doing here?

There have been some new developments
in Walter’s murder,

and I wanted to share them with you.

Why come all the way out to Long Island?

Because I needed to talk
to Sheriff Beals, too.

Oh, about what?

A rather bizarre plan.

One of the boldest
that I have ever encountered.

A plan that was set in motion

the day that I met you
in the lobby of Penfield House.

You wanted that meeting to appear casual.

You must have known
Ahmed was holding my mail

while I was in Washington.

He told me that you asked him
to keep yours in his desk, too.

You said you were expecting a large check.

When you picked up your letters,

you deliberately took one of mine

and used it as an excuse
to make my acquaintance.

Why would I go to all that trouble?

To ensure that I would be with you

when Devon gave
one of his more convincing performances.

That carefully staged fight
outside your apartment door,

which was designed
to show me his volatile nature

and makes me a witness

to the dramatic end of your relationship.

Why?

For what conceivable purpose?

Well, to advance
your meticulously planned plot.

The big scene at City Hall came next.

Now that was pure television
and it was on television.

How perfect for the villain,
or should I say decoy,

a newsworthy former child star

to threaten Walter’s life
in front of millions of people.

You seem to be building up
to an accusation, Jessica.

So let me remind you that I was with you

the entire evening
that Walter was murdered.

Who better for an alibi
than the loyal neighbor

who had already been through
so much with you?

Oh, this is really incredible, Jessica.

Poor Devon, he needed an alibi, too.

Because the readings for a part

he was up for got pushed back one day.

And he was forced to stay away
from a casting call

that could've led
to an important part in the movie

because the date of the murder
was already set.

It had to be the cook’s night out.

So Walter would be in the house alone.

The irony of it is,

I would have killed for that part.

But you had to sacrifice it

because you needed the perfect alibi.

Your shouting match with Dorothy Fremont.

I was with Dorothy.

If you’re saying I came back here,
that’s impossible.

I couldn’t be in two places
at the same time.

No. Nor could Joanna.

But that murder was designed for that.

You see, Mrs. Fletcher figured out

how you two did it as a team.

When she examined the murder weapon,

she noticed two round marks
on the same side of the stock.

Slight indentations in the wood.

Swirls indicating pressure
had been applied.

Not being much of a carpenter,

I couldn’t imagine what made those marks.

Until I saw a desk lamp
in Dorothy Fremont’s office,

it was the kind
that clamps onto the edge of a desk.

So Mrs. Fletcher called me

and asked me to check
the shelf and the closet.

See if I could find
any circular indentations.

Sure enough, there were two.

Perfect matches for the ones
on the murder weapon.

Care to take a look
and see for yourself, Sonny?

I will.

I don’t have anything to hide.

Oh!

That’s how Walter died.

The murder weapon was secured to the shelf

like this one with the c-clamps.

And when he opened the door,

the twine pulled the trigger
like a string pulling a tooth.

I checked the closet
and couldn’t find any clamps.

So I had to buy those
in the hardware store.

These I found in your car, Mr. Lane.

Along with a ball of twine.

You can’t prove I rigged up that shotgun.

No, because you didn’t.

But you did come back to the house

after the murder to unfasten the shotgun

and slide it under the bed.

Kind of stupid of you
to leave that stuff in the car.

All right, I took the gun
out of the closet,

but I didn’t set it up.

His loving wife did that.

Why did she put the shotgun
in her closet and not his?

Because Walter might've opened
his closet any time.

She wanted it to happen during the period

when they both had
their carefully planned alibis.

So she set it up in her closet.

When she called him from my apartment,

she must have asked him
to get something for her.

A credit card

she said she left
in the pocket of a jacket.

No. This whole sick plan, it was his idea.

He said he’d be a decoy
so no one would suspect me.

He is mentally deranged,
he’s violently ill.

Oh, I’ve taken the abuse,
I’ve taken it day after day

and month after month, but he said to me,

he said if I didn’t cooperate,
he’d kill me.

And I knew he would. I did.

I knew he would. I knew it.

Bravo, darling.

How about trying it again?

Only this time with conviction.

Oh, Mrs. Fletcher.

Let me help you with these.

Thank you, Ahmed.

I see you made the papers again.

This Sonny Lane thing though,
it’s very sad, huh?

Yes.

You would think that people would learn.

The first lesson you learn as a writer is,

don’t complicate the plot.

Were there any packages for me today?

No, not today.

Oh, but you did have a visitor.

When I asked him
what he wanted to see you about,

he mentioned the wonderful business
he was starting.

A terrific opportunity for investment.

So I called my cousin back home
and I think we can get...

Wait a minute, Ahmed. Slow down.

What kind of investment?

Roller coasters.