All language subtitles for Murder.She.Wrote.S08E17.To.the.Last.Will.I.Grapple.with.Thee.WEBRip.x264-ION10

Today is her birthday.

[Jessica] Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.

I’ll be careful around this one,
if I were you, ma’am.

Whoever stands between me and what’s mine
is going to get hurt.

We don’t need him or his grief.

What the hell is the matter with you?

It’s a matter of life and death.

Charge is homicide. We got him dead bang.

It’s good riddance to bad rubbish, I say.

I said stay away!

Stay out of things you don’t understand,
Mrs. Fletcher.

For your own good, of course.

By my father’s blood,
I swear, I’ll kill you.

[Jessica] The problem is that often
an investigator only looks

for what he expects to find.

A detective is called to a murder.

The wound appears to have
been caused by a knife blade.

So he looks for a knife,
not stopping to consider

that the knife may
have been used to conceal

the telltale marks of the real weapon.

And by the time
the coroner’s report comes in,

the crime scene has been contaminated

and the real murder weapon
has been lost or mishandled.

Yes?

What should a detective
look for in that case?

[Jessica] Everything, that’s the point.

[student] Yeah, but you have to be able
to narrow it down somewhere, don’t you?

Well, that gets into the area
of instinct and perception.

You’re a fine one to talk about
being perceptive, Jessica.

I could have walked in here
riding an elephant and beating a drum

and you’d have been none the wiser.

Oh, my.

Happy birthday, Jessica.

Thank you.

Don’t stand there.

Come on, blow out the candle.

I only came here for the cake, you know.

[blows]

[knocking on door]

Oh, Sean, come on in.

I hope you didn’t mind
that little surprise

I cooked up with your students.

It’s just my way of saying thank you.

-Look, Sean, you don’t have to.
-Oh, yes, I do.

When I came here
at the start of the semester,

I had never taught before.

The thought of facing
the classroom... [chuckles]

Frankly I’d have rather been

back on the streets
of Dublin chasing crooks.

You helped me through
those first few weeks

and I’m grateful.

Well, I’m glad it worked out.

So am I, which is why
I’m of a mind to celebrate

my good fortune and your birthday.

Now tell me you don’t have any plans.

Well, actually I’ve been so busy--

Done and done.

I’ll pick you up at 8:00.

There’s a charming place
I’d like to show you,

a bit of home in a strange land.

Good food, good music, good company,

absolutely the best.

[man with Irish accent] Hello, Sean.

It’s been a while now, hasn’t it?

What, not a hello then?

Not a how are you,
what are you doing here,

or a wink or a nod, is that it?

Well, that’s all right.

I’ll be seeing you later,
you can count on it.

You can count on it.

[upbeat folk music, chatter, laughter]

-What a wonderful place.
-Hmm.

You know, I never even knew this was here.

Do you come here a lot?

-All the time.
-That’s right.

We’ve had more than
a few complaints about it too.

You’re losing your hearing.

That’s your watered down drinks
they were complaining about.

Jessica Fletcher, this is Patrick MacNair,

-the proprietor of Fenian’s Chase.
-What a great pleasure.

-My pleasure.
-Today’s her birthday.

[Patrick] Well, in that case,

it’s twice an honor to have you,

and the drinks are on the house.

Happy birthday, Jessica.

-I take it you two are great friends.
-Since we were boys.

When he lost his club in Dublin,
I helped him come out here and start over.

You never told me
what brought you to the States.

There was a police exchange program,

a chance to see a new place,

learn American police methods,
see new faces.

How could I say no?

So I came, I saw, I learned, I retired.

Now it’s time to pass along
what I know to the next bunch.

Dad.

Jessica, this is my daughter, Kathleen.

Kathleen, Jessica Fletcher.

-How very nice to meet you, Kathleen.
-Oh, thanks.

My dad talks about you all the time.

You said you were going to call.

-Did you know where to find me?
-Yes.

Then what would be the point of calling?

[laughs]

I give up.

I just wanted to let you know
that I’m going to meet

some friends for dinner
and I’ll see you back at the house.

It was a pleasure meeting you,
Mrs. Fletcher.

Oh, she’s a lovely girl, Sean.

Here we go.

Two Tuesday special, same as always.

Here you are.

Enjoy.

Thank you.

Good heavens, I don’t know where to start.

Then just close your eyes,
take up your fork

and hope for the best.

[chuckles]

[slow folk music playing]

This isn’t a good night
for you to be here, O’Connor.

No, and why might that be?

You know full well.

Now why don’t you leave
before things get ugly

as they have a habit of doing
whenever you show up.

Patrick, I’m telling you,

I had nothing to do

with that business back in Dublin.

Now I’ve come in here
with my nephew for a pint

and I won’t be leaving until I get one.

Finn Dawley, my uncle, Michael O’Connor.

Well, Mr. Dawley.

Let’s see if we can work out
our little problem here.

What do you say?

Patrick.

Cullane.

Uh, Sean--

No, no, no, it’s all right, Jessica.

What do you want?

When did you slime your way
across the Atlantic?

Oh, not long ago.

As for what I want,

you came and made a life for yourself.

It seemed like a fine idea for me too.

This isn’t a visit then.

No. Sold everything I had, Sean, my boy,

house, land,

what little property I had left,
thanks to you, cashed it in.

Cashed it all in,

put everything into a joint account
with my--my nephew Ian here.

You see, we’re in
the reconstruction business,

new homes out of old,

just like Aladdin’s lamp.

That’s why I came by the school,
to tell you about it.

I figured you’d be happy to hear that.

The only thing that’ll make me happy

is to see you on
the first boat back to Ireland.

Meanwhile, stay out of my way.

Otherwise I won’t be responsible
for the consequences.

I’d be careful around this one,
if I were you, ma’am.

His safety record with women

leaves considerable to be desired.

Sean, I really do think
we should be leaving.

[Sean] I’m sorry
you had to see that, Jess.

His name is Michael O’Connor.

That genetic cul-de-sac with him
is his nephew, Ian.

I gathered from the discussion
you knew each other in Ireland.

We came from
the same village outside Dublin.

We’ve been at sixes and sevens
since we were kids.

Fights in the school yard,
fights off the school yard,

even vandalized my old man’s store.

By the time I joined
the Police Department,

he had a record as long as your arm.

Didn’t do much to improve
the relationship, I wouldn’t think.

Oh, it was as if the moment
they gave me a badge,

Michael O’Connor had a focus
for all the things

that had gone wrong in his life.

And true, over the years I had to
arrest him for one thing and another.

Then he took his family business.

They had been in construction
going back five generations

and used it to scam pensioners

and young folk.

So I shut him down.

The judge sent him away for two years.

-And he blamed you, of course.
-Mm.

And that’s not the worst of it.

When we were young, we both fell in love
with the same woman.

Long story short, she married me.

He swore he’d break us up to get even,

but Beth and I stayed together
for 30 years.

When she passed away
five years ago, he blamed me.

It was an accident,
but he'll never say that.

He’s obsessed. He’s blind with hatred.

He’s trouble, Jess,
and if he ever comes near you,

you're to tell me immediately, all right?

Mm.

[Sean] A police detective
approaches his job coolly and logically.

What Balzac called
clean hands and composure.

A crime scene is a terrible thing,

but you have an obligation to the victim

not to let your emotions
get the best of you,

because then you blow the case
and serve no one.

You must study the scene

carefully and logically.

Then, as that great Irish detective

Sherlock Holmes said,
"Once you eliminate the impossible,

whatever remains,

however improbable, must be the truth."

I thought Sherlock Holmes was English.

That’s British propaganda.

[students laugh]

[laughs]

Well, anyway,

seeing as how you have
a lot of reading ahead of you,

I release you from your bonds
ten minutes early.

And that’s chapters 9 and 12
and be prepared

to discuss them in detail tomorrow.

Good day.

You just can’t walk away, Sean.

It’s not that easy, not from me.

What do you want from me?

[Michael] Oh.

Just for you to know
that I’m thinking of you

and that every day
for the rest of your life,

every time you look over your shoulder,

I’ll be there waiting for you to slip up.

I know you will, bucko.

And that will be my chance
to even the score.

I’m going to call security.

Oh, that won’t do any good, you see,
because I got myself a visitor’s pass,

all right and proper.

I told them I wanted
to check out the college

for some relatives back home.

I guess I got lost and wandered in.

Get out.

Patrick, what’s this I hear,

you’ve got some fresh scones in.

Sean, I--

I’ll not have you holding out on me.

Sean, maybe you ought to come back later.

You’re right.

It’s not the best time
what with you having

the place fumigated and all.

Fumigated?

What else in here could smell that bad?

Cullane.

Saw your daughter Kathleen
as we came in the other night.

She is every bit
as attractive as Ian said.

You know, there’s a lot
of her mother in her.

You stay away from my daughter.

Well, I would--

I said stay away!

Because if you go near her,

if you so much as talk to her,

by my father’s blood,
I swear, I’ll kill you.

Excuse me, are you Sean Cullane?

Yes. Is there a problem?

We need to speak to you
about a Mr. Michael O’Connor.

If there’s some place we could go.

Of course, this way.

So what’s he gotten into this time?

Then you admit knowing Michael O’Connor?

Of course, he’s been a thorn
in my side for years,

one I’d give almost anything to be rid of,
I don’t mind telling you.

But I knew he’d make
a mistake sooner or later.

So what’s he charged with?

Nothing.

I don’t understand.

Mr. Cullane, Michael O’Connor
came in this morning

to swear out
a criminal complaint against you.

He said you threatened
his life last night.

I... Oh, that’s absurd.

Apparently there were witnesses.

You want to reconsider your answer?

All right.

Look, we argued
and I got a little hot, that’s all.

If you’ll excuse me, sir,
but given what you said

when I mentioned Mr. O’Connor’s name,
it sounds like this runs a little deeper.

No, this is ridiculous.

Well, I hope so, Mr. Cullane.

And I hope this is the end of it.

In the meanwhile, I suggest
you exercise a little discretion,

if you happen to run into Mr. O’Connor.

That will save both of us
a lot of trouble.

Thank you for your time.

Sean.

Jess, I take it you heard.

Enough that I was able
to fill in the gaps.

All the things he’s done

and he files charges against me.

Every time I think about it,
I feel like my heart’s going to explode.

Which is only complicated
by too much coffee

and not enough food.

Knowing you, you probably
haven’t eaten a thing all day.

Let’s just say the cafeteria food
is a little beyond my tolerance just now.

Well then, let me repay you
for the dinner the other night.

I’ve got a perfectly good roasting chicken
sitting in my fridge waiting to be cooked.

No, I’m not sure I’d be fit company.

I’ll survive

and I’ll expect you around 7:00.

Jess... thank you.

Uncle Mike, there you are.

I was wondering
what was taking you so long.

I think we got a problem
with the drywall out back.

A lot of it’s broken. I think we might--

-What the hell is the matter with you?
-What?

I went by the post office
to pick up the mail.

And I found this bank statement,

$10,000 in one month, Ian.

Now I know it didn’t go into supplies.

That leaves just one option.

What in God’s name
do you think you’re doing?

Finn says he won’t wait.

He says he wants his money now, all of it.

Damn, you can’t let
those creeps muscle you.

They’ll get it when I’ve got it.

Look, Unc, I’m telling you,
you don’t know what he’s like.

Wrong.

He doesn’t know what I am like.

Now I’ll handle this from here on out.

We had ourselves a nice little talk
the other evening

and I think that
we’ve come to a reasonable...

a reasonable compromise.

Finn’s not reasonable
and he doesn’t compromise.

Look, I didn’t cash
everything in back home

to watch you squander it away.

When you got in over your head in debt,

I told you not to go
to that loan shark Finn,

but you wouldn’t listen to me.

Well, you’ll listen to me now.

You’ll not be giving
one more penny to Finn Dawley.

-Do you hear?
-All right.

[shouts] Do you hear?

All right.

Good.

[folk music playing]

You look like you could use
a man’s company.

You’re right.

Let me know if you see one.

You haven’t changed a bit, have you?

Still stubborn as ever.

That’s your problem, you know.

You got too much of your father in you.

You leave my father out of this.

Just making conversation.

All right, fine,
you want to make conversation?

Then how about this,

take a message back to your uncle,

tell him to leave my father alone,

tell him to take his evil

and his spite and his money

and buy a one-way ticket back to Ireland.

We don’t need him or his grief.

Next thing you’ll be saying
is you don’t need me, like you used to.

All right, that will be enough of that.

I hear there’s a fine night air
out tonight, Ian.

Why don’t you go find out?

[sniffs] I like the air in here just fine.

Ah, that’s as may be,

but at least outside
you’ll be able to enjoy it.

That will be much harder to do in here,

what with you about to become
unconscious and all.

You know, I remember

when you were a lot more fun,
a lot more fun.

Ah, there is bad blood
in that family, Kathleen,

no doubt about it.

-Something ought to be done.
-Aye.

And if he doesn’t leave my father alone,
by God, something will be done.

Where’s my money, Ian?

I’m sorry, I don’t have it.

I thought-- No, wait.

I thought you talked to my uncle.

I talked to him,
but I made the deal with you,

so now I’m talking to you.

Where’s me money?

I can’t get to it.

He watches the accounts like a hawk.

There is nothing I can do.

Well, that’s too bad
because whoever stands

between me and what’s mine
is going to get hurt.

[gun cocks]

Are we clear on this, Ian lad?

All right.

[Sean] I appreciate the dinner, Jess.

At times like this, you know,
there’s part of me

that just wants to sit alone
in the dark and burn.

I’m glad now I didn’t.

Thank you.

You sound like a man

who’s made up his mind about something.

When Michael O’Connor walked in like that,
he threw me off my game

which is exactly what he wanted.

But I’ve been dealing with him for years

and I can do it here as well as back home.

I won’t let him ruin
what I’ve built up here.

I know what needs to be done.

Now it’s just a question of doing it.

And that is?

A topic best left for another day.

Meanwhile, thanks again
for the excellent dinner.

I’ve some things to do,
so I’ll see you at the campus.

Things, this late?

Aye, and if I don’t get them done

-and home early, Kathleen will kill me.
-[chuckles]

You think I’ve got a temper,
you should see her when she gets wound up.

She is deadly, no mistake.

Well, all right, I’ll see you tomorrow
and take care, Sean.

Aye, I will.

Good night, Jess.

Good night.

[sirens wailing]

You sure this is the right address?

Yeah.

This is the address dispatch gave me.

A gun shot report, 11:45.

[police radio chatter]

Okay, tell the coroner
he can roll the body anytime he wants.

Lieutenant, we’ve got the victim’s nephew
in the other room.

He’s pretty upset.

Yeah. Keep him there.

He’s distraught, he might get crazy
and disturb the evidence.

Who knows, he might want
to disturb the evidence.

Be right there.

So, Lieutenant, how do you
want me to write this up?

Murder, no question.

The victim was killed by a single gunshot
wound to the head.

We found one spent cartridge, but no gun.

That rules out suicide.

The wound was up close and personal.

That rules out an accidental shooting
from across the room.

There’s nothing here to steal.

That rules out robbery.

No signs of a struggle or forced entry,

which means the gone goose
was probably killed by someone he knew.

Where is the nephew?

He’s right in here.

Sir, I understand
you were related to the victim.

That’s right.

God, I can’t believe it.

How could this happen?

I was about to ask you the same question.

Can you think of anyone
who would have wanted to hurt your uncle?

[Lieutenant] So I hear you used
to be a cop in Ireland.

That’s right, I retired last year.

Yeah, I’m thinking of
hanging it up myself.

Taking the plaques and certificates

and my gun and checking out. [sighs]

You take your gun with you when you quit?

Yes, but what’s this got to do--

What did they give you, .38?

Nine millimeter. Anything else?

Yeah, what were you doing
at Michael O’Connor’s house last night?

I told you,
I wasn’t anywhere near the place.

I left Jessica Fletcher’s
a little after 10:00 to run some errands.

But every store you said
you checked was closed.

That’s quite a coincidence,
wouldn’t you say?

Look, I didn’t do it.

No?

According to our files,
you threatened to kill O’Connor

less than 24 hours
before he was found dead.

Boy, that’s got to be the quickest
anyone’s gotten his wishes

since Moses parted the Red Sea.

Look, I wasn’t there last night.
I have never been there.

Then what were your fingerprints
doing at the scene?

I don’t know.

They were there because you were there.

That’s a damnable lie.

Well, how did they get there? Magic?

Maybe that would explain
the nine-millimeter slug

we dug out of the deceased.
What do you think?

I think you’re bluffing.

If you’d dug out
a nine-millimeter, intact,

you’d just do a comparison

and we wouldn’t be
having this conversation,

which tells me you got a bullet

too damaged for comparison,

meaning you got nothing.

You go on thinking that, Cullane.

And maybe when they come back
with a sonography,

you’ll come up with a story
that will convince a jury because frankly,

pal, I don’t think the one you’ve got now
is gonna hold up.

I can’t believe it.

I can’t believe they
would arrest Dad for this.

Well, they haven’t arrested him yet.

They’ve just brought him in
for questioning.

But they wouldn’t do that unless
they thought he was involved, right?

Well, I know the detective
who is investigating the case,

and he’s tough, but he’s fair.

I’m sure he’ll realize
he’s made a big mistake.

[Patrick] Maybe.

Me, I don’t believe it, not for a minute.

It’s good riddance to bad rubbish, I say,

but Sean’s not the type.

Then who is?

Well, I’ve been thinking
about that, I have.

And there is this fellow
name of Finn Dawley

that I’ve seen hanging
about with Michael and Ian,

a loan shark.

He’s a dangerous man.

Everybody knows Ian was in deep with Finn.

Michael was trying to get him to back off

and my guess is he tried to muscle
the wrong man.

Finn Dawley?

Big fellow, red hair, comes in here a lot.
You can’t miss him.

I think he does half his business
right at that table.

What about Ian?

What, that little weasel?

He doesn’t have the nerve by half.

Oh, I don’t know.

Dad said Michael sold off
everything he owned back home

and put it into a joint account with Ian.

With Michael out of the way,

he could have complete control
of the money.

But I don’t understand,

you said that Michael sold off
everything that he owned back in Ireland.

Doesn’t that seem rather curious?

I mean, surely he would have kept

something behind,
in case he’d ever wanted to go back.

[Patrick] No, no, no,
not Michael O’Connor.

People like him never look more
than one day ahead.

No, perhaps you’re right.

Well, we better be getting
over to the police station.

Your father may be finished by now.

Oh, right, I’ll get my coat.

Patrick, I wonder
if I could ask you a favor.

You and Sean and Michael all came
from the same part of Ireland, didn’t you?

That’s right. Why?

I was wondering
if you could make a phone call

to any of your old friends
or members of the family back home,

find out what you can
about Michael O’Connor.

When he left,
why he left, anything at all.

Perhaps what killed him here

was started there.

Sure thing, I’d be happy to do it.

Thanks.

[door closes]

Right, I’m set.

Good.

Kathleen, just one thing.

Just now, when Patrick learned
that Michael was dead,

he seemed almost pleased by the news.

Can’t say I blame him.

Oh, didn’t Dad tell you?

Patrick had a club
just like this back in Dublin.

It burned down a couple of years ago,
the day after he threw Michael out

once and for all for starting trouble.

Now, they never proved anything,
but it’s quite a coincidence.

Mm.

Ahmed?

[Finn] I’m afraid he’s not here.

Someone told him there’s a late delivery
coming in out back.

Finn Dawley, I assume.

I have a little message for you,
Mrs. Fletcher.

Stay out of this business
with the O’Connor folk.

It’s none of your concern. Lay off.

I see.

You wouldn’t have any special reason
for wanting me to drop this, would you?

My reasons are me own.

And you should look
for the source of your problem

closer to home or didn’t you catch

that little lover’s spat the other night
between Ian and Kathleen?

-Lover’s spat?
-Oh, aye.

Back in the old country,
when they were at university,

they had a little fling together.

[sighs] I can’t believe that,
not with the nephew of the man

that Sean arrested so many times.

She didn’t know.

And when she found out,

she figured she’d been used
to hurt her father

and she’s been looking for a way
to get even for a long time.

So you see, there is far more here
than meets the eye.

Stay out of things
you don’t understand, Mrs. Fletcher,

for your own good, of course.

Yes, well,

you’ve conveyed your message, Mr. Dawley.

Now I suggest that you leave.

[Jessica] I just can’t understand
your attitude, Lieutenant.

I mean, between my confrontation
with Finn Dawley last night

and what I told you
about his nephew’s debts

and possible motive,

why you’re still
focusing in on Sean Cullane

as a prime suspect is just beyond me.

Because you don’t see
the big picture, Mrs. Fletcher.

You don’t have access to all the evidence
we’ve accumulated so far.

That’s because you won’t let me look at it

which makes it rather hard
to see the big picture.

Mrs. Fletcher,
you’re the friend of a suspect

in a murder investigation.

You know the regulations.
My hands are tied.

Well, what about the forensics report
on the body?

You can at least tell me, can’t you?

All right, fine.

There’s nothing in the autopsy
which contradicts

what I observed at the scene.

Death was caused by
a single bullet at close range.

-Thank you.
-Since there was no sign of forced entry

and no overt signs of a struggle,

that just reinforces the idea
that the victim was killed

by someone he knew.

Uh, wait, just back up please.

You say there were no
"overt signs of a struggle"?

Whenever there is death by violence,
the coroner checks for defense wounds.

When they checked O’Connor’s hands,
they found traces of gunpowder residue,

which means he raised them

in a defensive gesture
when the gun was fired.

It’s a natural reflex.

Well, yes, but isn’t there also
the possibility--

Anything is possible.
My experience tells me--

Lieutenant, excuse me.
This tape just came in the mail.

I checked it out, but I figured
you’d better take a look at it.

Who’s it from?

Michael O’Connor, the deceased.

Put it on.

I think this is recording.

I think it’s recording.

I’m making this tape
because I fear for my life.

I’ve been told that unless
I leave town for good,

someone is going to blow my brains out.

Now if anything should happen... hap...

happen to me, I wanted to go on record

that the man responsible is Sean Cullane.

Stop it.

Damn, I knew I should have gone ahead

and charged him the first time.

Get me the DA’s office.

I want an immediate warrant
for Sean Cullane, the charge is homicide.

We’ve got him dead bang.

[Sean] Listen to me. This is insane.

What’s the matter with you?
I didn’t do it.

[Jessica] Sean!

-Oh, Jessica, talk to them.
-I’m trying. I called Kathleen.

She’ll be here anytime,
but there’s something you should know.

-On Michael’s hands, they found--
-Sorry, Mrs. Fletcher,

I’m afraid that’s gonna have
to be it for now.

Go ahead.

Lieutenant Parnell.

Mrs. Fletcher, wait.

Look, you know I respect your views,

but this is a stone lock.

The word of a dead man
is admissible evidence in court.

We got his fingerprints on the scene.
We got reports of threats.

We got means, motive, opportunity
and the victim’s own words.

Mrs. Fletcher,
this isn’t enough to just charge,

this is enough to convict.

What else do you want from me?

I want you to think, Lieutenant.

Look, you’re a bright man,

but you’re only looking
for what you expect to find.

Now doesn’t it seem a little odd
that a former homicide investigator

would leave his fingerprints
all over a murder scene?

Killers make mistakes.

If they didn’t, we’d both be out of a job.

All right, look,
you think you got something, fine.

Go ahead, look at the evidence.

I got to turn it over
to his defense attorney anyway.

Then give it your best shot.

But after this,
you’re out of the loop, period.

-Okay?
-Agreed.

Now can I start by seeing
that tape over again?

Sure, why not.

[Michael] I think this is recording.

I think it’s recording.

Stop.

Stop the tape. Freeze it. Freeze it.

Ah.

Now...

Look here. Now you see this photo?

Now, this photo was taken

-after O’Connor was found dead, right?
-Mm-hmm.

Now there’s a black smear you see
on the edge of this opening here.

-Mm-hmm.
-And there’s another one right below it.

-You see it?
-Mm-hmm.

But--but neither one of them
are here on the tape.

Right.

What does that prove?

They were working on the house.

What this tells us is that
something scraped here

sometime between
when he shot this and the murder.

But yes, Lieutenant,
that is exactly the point.

Exactly what point?

Uh, wait.

[tape whirs]

...anything should happen...
hap... happen to me...

I wanted to go on record

that the man responsible is Sean Cullane.

Yes, yes, all right, Lieutenant.

I have to check out one other thing.

Could you meet me this evening
at the crime scene around 6:00?

Look, I gave you your chance.

You proved nothing, so you’re out of it.

I won’t be there.

Yes, you will.

What makes you so sure?

Because you’re a good cop
and you don’t like loose ends.

And the thought that
I might have just found one

will make sure that you’re there.

No, absolutely not.

Patrick.

Oh, Mrs. Fletcher, I just heard.

Is it true they’ve arrested Sean?

Yes, I’m afraid so.
Did you ever get around

to making that call
to Dublin about Michael?

Aye, but there was nothing new,
nothing that we didn’t already know.

Well, tell me anyway, anything at all.

It’s very important. Leave nothing out.

Well, like we heard,
Michael sold everything he had,

lock, stock and barrel,
put it all in a joint account with Ian.

Seems he took less than
he might have gotten if he’d waited,

but he was in a hurry to get over here.

So he must have decided to leave quickly.

Good, that fits.

Anything else?

Specifically, did anyone
ask about Michael’s health?

It’s odd that you’d ask that.

At least half the people
I talked to asked about that.

Seems the local doctor
had been trying to find out

if anybody’d heard how Michael was doing.

They kind of got the impression
it was important.

Patrick, could you get a hold
of that doctor right now?

I suppose. Why?

Let’s just say it’s a matter
of life and death.

[Lieutenant] This better be good.

Hello, Lieutenant.
I’m glad you changed your mind.

Okay, I’m here.

I may be crazy, but I’m here.

So what have you got?

Well, if I’m not mistaken, this is
the same room that was in the photograph,

the room where Michael O’Connor
was found dead.

Right, over by that wall.

Mm-hmm.

"Mm-hmm" what?

Well, you see that opening here,

where it appears that
they were going to make a window,

now there are dark scrapes

in the wall beneath it,
just like in the photos.

Look for yourself.

I’m looking.

I’m seeing drywall, I’m seeing the scrape,

I’m seeing the opening, I’m going home.

Oh, wait please.

Can you please bring me
that ladder over there?

Thank you.

Right about there?

-Fine, thank you.
-Mm-hmm.

Well, so what do you see?

Nothing.

Good night.

Threads.

Rope threads, just as I thought.

What the hell are you doing here?

Doing my job, O’Connor.

Check your paperwork.

Murder scenes are open
to inspection day and night.

Right.

Right.

Except this wasn’t a murder.

Then what was that body? Tinker Bell?

No, Michael O’Connor is dead all right,

but he wasn’t murdered.

He died at his own hand.

That’s rubbish.

You’re off-base.
O’Connor died of a gunshot wound.

There was no gun found at the scene,
which means it has to be murder.

Unless you’re saying he shot himself
and then hid the gun after he was dead.

That’s exactly what
I’m telling you, Lieutenant.

If you want proof,
the gun that killed Michael O’Connor

is inside this wall,

directly beneath that opening.

You’ll find that
it’s attached by a long rope

to an extremely heavy weight.

Mrs. Fletcher,

I don’t believe I’m doing this.

I should be home...

reading.

This is stupid. [grunts]

[grunting]

[sighs]

You were saying?

[thud]

Guess it got stuck
just short of the floor.

Well, thank you for shaking it loose.

Um, do you mind?

I don’t believe it.

That doesn’t make any sense.

I’m afraid it makes perfect sense.

Michael O’Connor blamed Sean
for all of his problems

and hated him for taking
the woman that he loved.

When Michael left Ireland,
he was in such a hurry

that he sold his property
for a fraction of its value.

Something extraordinary must have happened

to make him cash in everything
and leave like that.

[Lieutenant] It’s as if he knew
he wouldn’t be coming back.

It’s the kind of thing you do
when you know you’re going to die.

Close everything out,
put your affairs in order,

make sure the money
goes to your next of kin.

Which hardly fits the picture of a man

who never thought ahead.

But why?

Why would he do all this?

Because he was already dying, Ian.

This evening,
I spoke to his doctor in Ireland.

A few months ago, Michael was diagnosed

with an inoperable brain tumor
and given six months to live.

I noticed when he spoke,
he sometimes stammered.

And he repeated his words
at unnatural intervals,

both indicators of a possible tumor.

It must have come as a double blow

to know his own life was ending,

just as Sean was beginning a new life

in the United States.

[Lieutenant] So he decided a quick death

was preferable over
a slow and painful one.

And why not take Sean with him?

It would be his final revenge
to frame Sean for his own death.

Michael went out of his way
to provoke Sean

into threatening him
to start a paper trail with the police,

taunted him so that Sean would get his

fingerprints on the card
that you would later

find beside the body,
establishing his presence.

He was carefully building a body
of circumstantial evidence,

knowing that the word of a dead man

is admissible in court.

And, of course,
the videotape was the final touch.

What about the gun?

Well, that was the ingenious part,

but it was also the part
that betrayed him.

He cut into a high wall,
ostensibly for a window,

but mainly to get access
to the hallow space within the wall.

He then slipped a heavy
steel weight into the gap

and attached the other end
of the long rope to the gun...

knowing that as soon
as he released the gun,

it would be yanked up into the wall.

[gunshot]

But when he released the gun,
it was pulled back

with enough force to cause this scrape,

and the rope itself to cut into the wall
at the edge of the opening.

"To the last will I grapple with thee."

What’s that?

[Jessica] Melville.

Captain Ahab lashing out
at the great whale even as he died.

"For hate’s sake I spit
my last breath at thee."

Hmm. Yes.

Obsession has always extracted
a terrible price, Lieutenant.

Terrible price indeed.

[Sean] You don’t know
how good it feels to be back.

Having been on the
other side of the badge,

I have to tell you, Jessica,
it’s not exactly my idea of a good time.

I don’t know how we can ever repay you.

Well, you can’t
because I didn’t do it as a favor to you.

I did it entirely for myself.

I’m busy enough with writing
and trying to teach my own class.

You think I want to have to take on
your class as well?

Oh, no.

I made sure that I got you back here
as quickly as possible.

You’re a glorious liar, Jess.
And thank you.

Well, there’s my class.
I’ll see you later.

Count on it.

Oh, by the way Dr. Auerbach tells me
you’ve got a new student in your class.

Enjoy.

Oh!

Good afternoon.

[students mumble]

Today, our topic is going to be

the criminal mind.

Captain said I could use
the extra credits,

so here I am.

All right, let’s begin.