Original subtitles

[Jessica] Tonight, on Murder, She Wrote.

How long will you be in Milan, Mrs. Fletcher?

Well, through awards night.

Have you seen All The Murderers?

Well, not yet,

but if it’s as strong as Jim Randall’s script

I think we may have a winner.

Catherine Wayne is the one person

standing between us

and one of the greatest films ever made.

Whatever you have to do, man, whatever.

Throw her off the roof.

Are you expecting the best actor award?

Well, one never expects, one hopes.

If you think I’m gonna let you direct for anyone else

but Catherine Wayne Productions, you’re out of your mind.

[man] Louise and I are going to be married.

[all] Oh!

Here’s to all the little Randalls to come,

to making love every night of your lives.

Isn’t that Mel Gibson over there?

Mel Gibson?

That woman is evil.

She’s a manipulator.

[woman screaming]

[man] Here we are telecasting

live by satellite in Milan, Italy,

site this week of one of the newest,

yet already one of the world’s

most glamorous and exciting film festivals.

Hub of activities this week is the famed super luxurious

Paradisio Hotel.

You may think that a film festival

is just about choosing the best picture and talent.

But trust me when I tell you

that is just a small part of it.

Here, movie deals are made and broken.

Careers are shattered and resurrected.

Celebrities and moguls

mingle with phonies and it’s all part

of this always fascinating festival game

carried on 24 hours a day

for business or pleasure or both.

Now the crowd is just returning

from morning screenings

of two of the front running films,

All The Murderers from Wayne Productions

and Day Of Heroes from Morrison Films.

Ah, Jim Randall, hot,

and I do mean hot, young director

of All The Murderers

accompanied by his beautiful ingenue lead

Louise Thayer.

Jim, congratulations.

Everyone is saying that Murderers

is the best thriller in years.

Well, it’s a damn good film.

What’s this deal we hear about

between you and Steve Morrison?

No comment.

I promised to have a drink with Steve Morrison.

-Will you join us? -I can’t.

I’m going with dad at the Galleria.

Oh, you’re gonna love it.

I’ll see you later. Bye-bye.

[man] Hey, look, I’m gonna be honest with you.

Mike Douglas is crazy about the script.

Hi, Paul, how is it going?

Great. I talked to Jody this morning.

She said to say hello.

-Great, I’ll see you. -Okay.

We got all the elements in place.

We got top notch people, it needs a little more finance,

get first class distribution.

Oh, Countess.

It’s been too long.

You received my invitation, Marcello?

I’ll be there on condition

that I have the honor of your first dance.

Happily granted, Marcello.

Whoever voted Nick Nolte to be the sexiest man alive

never met Marcello Abruzzi.

Jim Randall, you come to my party?

I wouldn’t miss it, Countess.

You’re so sweet. Thank you so much.

Hey, no obviously Day Of Heroes,

I’m very proud of.

Now listen, are you gonna be in the bar later?

-Mm-hmm. -Yes.

I’m gonna speak to you, all right.

Good morning, Steve.

Jimmy, it’s a great morning for both of us, believe me.

According to the Morrison straw poll

All The Murderers, Days Of Heroes

are both frontrunners.

-What do you drink? -Nothing, thanks.

What about Bella Femina?

No. It’s slipping.

I mean, it’s still dangerous,

but so is [speaking Italian] and Wheel Of Life

out of Bombay Films, but believe me,

it’s gonna be one of our two pictures, pal, automatic.

You talked to Angelica?

Yes, yes.

She is dying to do Ark Of Steel

if I produce and you direct.

I’m on my way to talk to Catherine.

Jimmy, make it happen.

Please whatever you have to do, man, whatever.

Throw her off the roof.

You know, Catherine Wayne

is the one person standing between us

and one of the greatest films ever made.

I’ll do what I can.

Thank you, Jimmy.

Miss Fletcher.

Miss Fletcher.

Jessica Fletcher!

Bella, si, bella.

How long will you be in Milan, Mrs. Fletcher?

Well, through awards night.

Have you seen All The Murderers yet?

Not yet, but if it’s as strong as Jim Randall’s screenplay,

I think we may have a winner.

Jessica, you made it.

I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

Ah, you two are old friends?

Oh, we certainly are.

Jim’s father lives in Cabot Cove

and Jim used to come up every summer with his camera.

In fact, he shot his first 16 millimeter film right there.

Thanks. Let’s get you to some elevators.

Thank you.

You’re pre-registered.

You have a non-smoking suite like you wanted.

Jessica Fletcher, big smile per favore.

Isn’t that Mel Gibson over there?

Mel Gibson?

Very good, Jessica.

Well, it’s the old red herring ploy, you know.

There’s somebody I want you to meet.

Paul Crenshaw.

I recall my agent mentioning a Paul Crenshaw.

He wanted to be involved in the Murderers,

but Catherine Wayne beat him to it.

No, that is absolutely untrue.

Look, you’ve read the script.

Jay Stanley is set to direct Douglas’s.

What the hell do you mean you’ve changed your mind?

You can’t change--

Damn it.

Henri Montillier.

Do you believe it? We had a deal.

I’m sorry, Paul.

Paul Crenshaw, Jessica Fletcher.

Oh, forgive me, Mrs. Fletcher.

Mr. Crenshaw.

But I thought I had a picture sold

and everything just went out the window.

Here, let me buy you a drink.

Oh, no, no, thank you.

Obviously, we came along at a bad time.

Well, we’ll talk in a little while.

All right. Bye.

There’s a black tie screening

of All The Murderers tonight

and that’s followed by--

I know, the annual ball given by the Countess Di Mondi

in her magnificent palazzo.

I did my homework on the plane.

Oh, you get an A.

Meanwhile, the terrace in an hour

to see an old friend, meet a new one.

Oh, I’ll be there.

Okay.

Damn.

Come in.

Good morning, Catherine.

Good morning.

Please sit down.

I’ve been hearing rumors, Jim, ugly rumors

about Steve Morrison and Ark Of Steel.

Do you want to fill me in?

It’s simple.

Steve’s got the rights. He’s got Angelica.

He’s got financing and he wants me to direct.

I’m sure you told him you have an iron clad

personal service contract with me.

Yes, I did.

That binds you to direct my next picture.

I also told them that I thought you’d be reasonable.

Look, Ark won’t be just another picture.

It’s one of the great novels of the century.

This could be one of the finest films ever made.

Hold it.

There are certain realities here.

You’re hot, but that’s thanks to me.

Before I picked you up, you’d shot three little

underground films you’d financed on your visa card.

Now if you want to play that game,

if I hadn’t stepped in

and saved your last picture, you never could have financed

-Murderers. -Jim, Jim, there’s nothing to fight about.

The lawyer settled that a long time ago.

I have two years to come up with another property for you.

Two years?

You’re not gonna actually hold me to that.

Why the hell shouldn’t I?

Look, I don’t care if it’s Ark Of Steel

or another Gone With The Wind.

If you think I’m gonna let you direct for Steve Morrison

or anyone else

but Catherine Wayne Productions,

you’re out of your mind.

Tom, can I talk to you for a moment?

Sure.

I give up.

I’ve been on the computer all morning

I still don’t understand what’s going on.

What’s wrong?

I got a very disturbing call from New York.

We finished post production six months ago on time

and I thought on budget.

Now all of a sudden they’ve come up

with a new bottom-line and we’re a million over.

A million?

Yeah, that’s right.

Billings against certain new account numbers

I don’t even recognize.

These are the new accounts?

Yeah.

Let me worry about it.

I’ll get back to you right away.

Okay, thanks.

]Andrew] Jessica, beautiful as ever.

Oh, it’s so good to see you again.

You know, I heard you were here, Andrew.

Oh, Jessica, this is my daughter Louise.

Oh, of course. Our lovely new star.

I’ve seen the most beautiful pictures of you,

Louise, all over the place.

You know when I was out in California,

your mom and dad used to talk about you all the time,

but you were never there.

Well, I was in school most of it,

but mum and dad told me all about you.

Jessica, this is Steve Morrison.

Hello.

It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Fletcher.

You’re in contention with Day Of Heroes.

I’ve read some excellent things about it.

It sounds very good.

Would you care for something?

Oh, yes, Pellegrino with lemon, per favore.

Tell me, Andrew, do you have a screenplay in the competition?

No, no, actually I don’t.

The truth is, I’m here because these two asked me.

Tom, join us.

Oh, Jim, thanks.

I only have a moment. I’m taking a breather.

Hi, Andrew. Louise.

-Mrs. Fletcher, isn’t it? -Yes, it is.

Tom Hiller.

Hiller’s Catherine Wayne’s money cruncher.

Oh, more and less than that, depending on how you look at it.

I try to keep things running smoothly.

So if you have any problems while you’re in Milan,

I’m at your service.

Well, that’s very kind, Mr. Hiller, thank you.

Tom, please.

[cellphone ringing]

Oh, excuse me.

Hello.

I’ll be right up, yes.

Well, duty calls.

Why all the pressure, Hiller?

You got your picture made. It’s in the can.

It’s gonna be released.

Don’t pretend you haven’t heard.

It seems there have been

some unexplained late charges on All The Murderers.

Or you might say, alarming cash leaks.

Well, you can say it anyway you like, Morrison,

but I’ll get to the bottom of this.

Don’t worry about it.

Well, good luck, and do tell Catherine

that I’m looking forward to seeing her

at the screening tonight.

I sure will.

He’s been with Catherine for years.

Roughly the equivalent of a stay on Devil’s Island.

He was in love with her once and may still be.

Still wrong.

I can’t remember authorizing these purchases.

I got hard copy on the way so we can cross check it.

It could be some kind of clerical error.

We should talk to Jim.

I’m for that.

And bring in accounting help from New York.

I’m gonna get to the bottom of this damn thing,

whatever it takes.

[chattering]

[Jessica] I can’t believe you, Andrew.

[Andrew] Unbelievable.

[Jessica] Oh, this is exciting.

You know, Jim, people kept telling me how great it was,

but I really wasn’t prepared for it.

It is truly a great movie and, Louise, you know,

you were simply lovely.

[Louise] Oh, thank you, Jessica.

-Uh-huh. -We’ll see you at the party.

-Yes. -We’ll see you later.

[Jessica] Absolutely.

I’ll go get the car. I’ll meet you out front.

[Marcello] Thank you. Thank you very much.

Marcello, are you expecting the best actor award?

Well, one never expects, one hopes.

Marcello, excuse me a moment, I’ll be right back.

Yes, of course.

Jessica.

Jessica, so good to see you again.

Catherine, many congratulations on a really superb movie.

Oh, well, thank you.

We couldn’t have done it without your book.

I hope you and Jim and I can work together again soon, okay.

Well, I hope so.

All right. Well, see you at the ball.

Yes.

You badmouthed me with Henri Montillier, didn’t you?

What are you talking about?

You’ve been doing it the whole damn festival.

You stole Murderers from me.

We were supposed to be partners.

Now you’re trying to ruin me.

No. I am merely setting people straight.

We were never partners on Murderers

except in your imagination.

We were never partners in anything

but those two miserable cheapies

I wish I had never gone near.

Oh, so you’re a liar and a thief.

I’m warning you, Paul, you keep harassing me,

and I’ll file a lawsuit that’ll keep you broke

the rest of your life.

You’re not going to sue anybody, sweetheart.

Catherine, you’re a damn fool

if you think you can hold on

to Jim Randall against his will.

-Really? -That’s right.

Now I want this young man to direct my film,

Ark Of Steel, and he wants to do it.

Now believe me,

one way or another he’s gonna direct this film.

Why don’t you just play like a magnanimous lady

and back off?

What do you take me for?

Nobody steals from Catherine Wayne, nobody.

Get out of my way.

Save your squabbles for another day

and no long faces tonight please.

Yeah, thank you, Countess.

This is a lovely party.

Hmm.

I can’t ever imagine enjoying a role more than

Inspector Corelli, brilliantly conceived.

Oh.

And brilliantly acted by you.

But I must say, I’ve grown

so used to seeing you in American films

that I’d forgotten that this is where you came from.

I was born here in Milan.

Yes.

Perhaps you’ll allow me to show it

to you through the eyes of a native.

Oh, I’d be delighted.

Catherine’s watching us.

You know, that lady once more than worked for me.

Are you having a good time?

Enjoying those two.

How serious are they?

Very.

Jim’s helped me a great deal, you know,

psychologically, and not just because of Louise.

He believes in me.

He’s invited me to collaborate

on the screenplay of Ark Of Steel.

Oh, that’s wonderful.

It’s been tough for me the last few years, Jessica.

I fell out after my wife died

and I haven’t been able to get back in.

This could do it for me though

if he can only get away from Catherine Wayne.

Oh, Andrew, you’re wrong if you think that your fate

depends on Catherine Wayne.

I mean, Jim tells me that you’re writing really well

and Andrew Thayer at his best

doesn’t need help from anyone.

[man] Champagne.

[speaking Italian]

Thank you.

Catherine and I have some problems

about production costs.

I’d like to talk to you about some figures.

Can you step in my office tomorrow morning?

-Sure. -Great.

-I’ll see you then. -Okay.

Good morning.

Good morning, Louise.

You wanted to talk to me?

Yes.

First, I want to make it clear, that for you

or anybody else to press me to release

Jim from his contract, will be a waste of time.

I wasn’t even considering.

Good.

However, there may be a deal

you and I can make that will benefit us both.

Go on.

On my part, I’m willing to guarantee

you the lead in my next picture

and I’ll give your father a mutually

acceptable screenplay assignment.

I see.

And on my part, I’m to try and persuade Jim to forget

Steve Morrison’s film.

Try? No.

No, either it happens or there’s no deal for anybody.

Talk to your father and see what he thinks.

Go to hell.

Good morning, Catherine.

Oh, Jessica, right on time. Great.

I’ll be with you in one moment.

But, meanwhile, Jim’s here.

He’s in with Tom Hiller.

He asked you if you’d just poke your head in for a sec.

Oh, yes, of course.

[speaking Italian]

Jim, ashtray.

Jessica, Louise and I were wondering,

could you join us at the terrace for lunch about 1:00?

Oh, yes, of course I’d love to, thanks.

[speaking Italian]

I’m sure you’re aware by now of the disagreement

between Jim and myself.

Oh, yes.

How do you feel about it?

That it’s between the two of you.

I’m for both of you.

You’re both bright and talented

and I’m sure that some sort of compromise

can be worked out.

It won’t be easy I can tell you that.

Nowadays, the director is everything.

A hot director and a hot script mean

easy financing and distribution.

But even with a rotten script

and a hot director, you still get

your financing and distribution.

Jim’s hot and he knows it and he wants things his way.

You know, Jim has always had good values, Catherine.

I can’t believe a little heat

will make that much difference.

I hope you’re right.

Now let’s see

what Jessica Fletcher can do to do help

All The Murderers win first prize.

Key judges whom we believe are still undecided.

They are not all movie people as you can see.

I thought you might know some of them. Do you?

One or two, yes, slightly.

Hmm, well, great. Let’s see if we can get you together

to do a little arm twisting.

Oh, no, Catherine,

coercing a jury is not my style.

If All The Murderers is the best film, it will win.

Otherwise, another fine film will.

Fair enough.

Your itinerary, conferences, talks, luncheons.

Any problems with that?

That’s what I’m here for.

I’ll see you later.

Great. So long.

-Hi. -Hi.

If you get a picture in contention for a big award,

you start hearing from people

who wouldn’t return your calls two years ago.

Jim, you have to direct Ark Of Steel.

I know.

Steve Morrison wants your father to do the script.

Oh, it’ll be good for him, get him back on his feet.

Catherine’s not gonna budge.

That woman is evil.

But she happens to be a good producer.

She’s a manipulator and without you she is nothing.

You know that she offered me a lead in her next film?

Well, she has an eye for talent.

On condition that I persuade you not to do

Ark Of Steel.

And she plays hardball.

Jim, you do not understand.

This isn’t about business anymore.

She wants you.

Oh, that’s crazy.

And she’ll do

absolutely anything to get what she wants.

You know, for a little girl you sure are tough.

Well, I know how to fight for what I want too.

[laughing]

[Jim] I have an announcement to make.

Louise and I are going to be married after the festival.

Oh, congratulations to the both of you.

I love you both.

Here’s to a happy life to both of you.

Here’s to all the little Randalls to come.

To making love every night of your lives.

Ooh.

On this very happy occasion,

I would like to make a toast to Catherine Wayne.

May she see the light.

Hear, hear.

[phone ringing]

Hello.

It’s Catherine.

Now that’s quick service.

Yes.

Yeah, that’ll be fine.

Your suite in an hour.

Good or bad?

She wants to talk.

More champagne.

[knock on door]

Jim, come in.

Look, Jim, I’ve been doing some thinking and I thought--

Look, don’t come at me again, Catherine.

I want my release. I want to make Ark Of Steel.

No, no, that’s not what I want to talk to you about.

Come here.

I’ve got another problem.

Some late costs have come in on Murderers.

They’ve put us way over budget.

And there’s some new account numbers involved

I never saw before.

[phone ringing]

Hello.

What is it?

Can’t it wait?

Fine. It’s Tom Hiller for you.

Hi, Tom.

Yeah.

Yeah, okay.

Sure.

Uh, listen, I got to make a personal call.

Can I use the phone in the bedroom?

Yeah, sure, go ahead.

Jessica Fletcher.

[speaking Italian]

A big smile.

Well, thank you, Giorgio.

[speaking Italian]

You did splendidly, Jessica, splendidly.

Well, thank you.

You know, it’s my very first press conference

half in Italian.

You are having tea with the London Times critic

and breakfast tomorrow with Perry Matt.

And then there is this symposium with Oliver on

"Crime and Conspiracy in High Places"

as the subject for fiction and motion pictures.

I’ll get back to you.

[man] Mrs. Fletcher, one last look.

Excuse me.

I want to leave something for my friend.

[speaking Italian]

Could you open the door?

[speaking Italian]

[woman screaming]

Jessica, she’s dead.

I was in the bedroom.

I came out, and I found her this way.

Signora Fletcher, one more question.

When you came around the corner of the corridor,

did you see anyone else besides the chambermaid?

No.

Okay, thank you very much.

You have been most helpful.

I’m sure you have many other obligations,

so please feel free to go.

Inspector, is there anything else I can do?

Oh, no, no, no, I would not impose on you anymore.

And besides, I believe we have things

pretty much in hand.

You certainly do, but there’s something

so compelling about really fine European police work.

I mean, if I could just, well, observe.

Somehow, Mrs. Fletcher,

I do not believe you for one sec,

but I admire your tenacity.

You may stay here as long as you wish.

Thank you, inspector.

Si.

Signor Randall, the telephone call

you received from Mr. Hiller, what exactly did he want?

He told me to call him back

from the bedroom on his private line.

He didn’t want me to talk in front of Catherine.

Why?

You’ll have to ask him.

I mean, we never did connect.

I called him back and he didn’t answer.

I tried twice and that’s

when I came back into the room and I saw Catherine’s body.

The chambermaid says she saw you enter the suite,

then miss Thayer and then Mrs. Fletcher.

No one else entered or left.

Signor, I would like to invite you down to the stazione polizia

where we could talk a little easier.

Suppose I refuse.

Eh, then I will be forced to arrest you

which I do not want to do.

[speaking Italian]

He will take you out the service exit, no paparazzi.

-Jim. -I’ll be all right.

Miss Thayer, why did you come up here this afternoon?

Jim forgot his notebook on the terrace.

He and his notebook are usually inseparable.

I thought he might need it.

Ah, signora Fletcher.

[speaking Italian]

-Thank you. -Thank you.

Mrs. Fletcher, you’ve just proved to me

the only way into this suite is from the corridor.

[speaking Italian]

Jessica, I don’t like this.

It’s as if they already convicted him.

You’ve got to help him please.

I can’t guarantee anything, but I’ll see what I can do.

Look, I promise you Jim Randall to direct.

Now we got him.

No, no, no, no, don’t even worry about that.

Hey, Jim didn’t kill anybody.

Listen, everything they’ve got is circumstantial.

I’m lining up some of the best lawyers in Italy.

They’ll have him out before you know it.

And we’re gonna begin thinking about a start date, hon, okay?

Talk to you, bye.

Well, Mr. Morrison, Catherine’s death

does seem to have eliminated

one of your major obstacles, doesn’t it?

Well, a lot of people had reason

to want Catherine dead, Mrs. Fletcher.

And I suppose you can include me,

but I couldn’t have done it.

I was at a screening when she was killed.

Well, I’m sure that inspector Lombardo

will be pleased to hear that.

It was nice to see you, Mrs. Fletcher.

Thank you.

Louise, it sounds to me like you’re not sure of anything.

Well, one thing I am sure of is that Jim isn’t capable

of murdering anyone.

I’m not sure anybody’s incapable, darling,

given the right circumstances.

That’s the writer talking, dad.

Yes, the writer to whom Jim promised a script

that could mean a whole new career

if he could just get free of Catherine.

You’re not saying that you killed her.

And I don’t believe that Jim did either,

but not everybody would agree with us.

Damn it, get out of here!

I know you’re trying to help Jim.

So if there’s anything I can do help you, please.

Thank you, Tom.

There were business problems between Jim and Catherine, weren’t there?

Movie business problems,

but we’re an industry full of people with problems.

Jim is young, but he’s been around.

It’s hard to believe he’d have lost control.

And maybe if I hadn’t made the phone call.

Why did you make it?

After the engagement party

I came back here to go over production costs again.

I wanted to tell Jim that I didn’t think

he should make any commitments.

I didn’t think it was either in his interest or Catherine’s.

And you made the call from this office then?

From my private line.

I wish he’d called back.

He told the police that he did.

Hmm.

Well, I suppose he could have mis-dial

or maybe he didn’t remember the private number right.

He hadn’t used it very much.

[phone ringing]

Excuse me.

Yeah.

It’s inspector Lombardo.

Oh, thank you.

Yes, inspector.

Signora Fletcher, I know you are very close to this case.

I thought you should know

we found signor Randall’s

fingerprints all over the ashtray.

Thank you, inspector.

They are filing murder charges against Jim.

Thanks for coming.

Are you all right?

Jessica, I’m worried.

Nothing makes any sense.

Those fingerprints can’t possibly be mine.

I didn’t touch that ashtray.

Is it possible they are trying to frame me?

A quick and easy scapegoat, but inspector Lombardo seems

to have more sense.

Catherine Wayne's suite at the hotel had a door

that opened to an outside balcony.

When you first got there, do you remember

if the door was open or closed?

No, I can’t remember.

Catherine Wayne had a reputation

for astute financial management.

Right.

I mean, is there any reason

why she might have gotten

careless on All The Murderers?

Oh, yeah, I suppose there are a lot of reasons.

We were back and forth across the Atlantic four times

and a couple of our backers had pulled out early on

and some of our usual suppliers

had gone belly up and she had to find new ones.

I was rewriting every night as we went

and she was into that too.

I mean, there was just so much,

she couldn’t stay on top of it all.

But as your producer, I mean, she must have talked to you

often about financial problems.

There wasn’t much to talk about.

I was always on time and on budget.

Now wait a second.

When I went in to talk to her, I thought it was to settle

this Morrison thing once and for all

but that wasn’t what she wanted to talk about.

She said that some late costs had come in on Murderers

that put it way over budget. That, and she mentioned some

new account numbers that she didn’t recognize.

Did she mention the account numbers?

No.

That’s when the phone rang.

Oh.

Oh, Jessica, did you see Jim?

Yes, I did.

And he’s doing very well, under the circumstances.

But they can’t believe that Jim murdered anyone, can they?

Well, I’m afraid they do.

But it’s all based on preliminary evidence.

Can I see him?

Yes, if you call ahead.

But he’s gonna need some cheering up.

Sure.

So keep your chin up.

I have something I have to do, but I’ll see you later.

Buon giorno.

I left my glasses in signora Wayne’s office.

[phone ringing]

[man on phone] Hupton and Davenport.

Yes, this is Jessica Fletcher.

May I speak to Sir Jonathan please?

Just one minute please.

Thank you.

Jessica?

Hello, Jonathan?

Are you in London?

No, no, I’m still in Milan.

Ah.

But I’ll be in London next week.

I’m looking forward to our lunch.

Oh, Capitol, we’ll meet at the club.

Meanwhile, I wonder if you could check on

some companies for me.

I’d be glad to.

You know, their financial status, background,

reputation, that sort of thing.

Absolutely.

Wonderful.

Now listen, the first one is--

Hang on.

Kronstadt Limited, Geneva.

-Kronstadt Limited, Geneva. -Right.

Then Service General de Berne?

Service General de Berne.

Right.

Good evening, Jessica.

Hello, Marcello.

The restaurant chef and I had a small conference,

the result of which undoubtedly

will be the finest dinner served

anywhere in Italy tonight.

Oh, I can’t wait.

I’ll just get my purse.

Shame on you, Marcello,

you’ll spoil that magnificent dinner.

What? Oh, my cigarette.

How thoughtless of me.

A reflex, I’m trying to give them up.

I’m afraid I don’t have an ashtray.

This is a non-smoking suite.

My goodness, of course.

Marcello, I’m sorry,

I won’t be able to have dinner with you tonight.

Why? What is it?

Excuse me.

Inspector Lombardo, please.

This is Jessica Fletcher.

Hello, inspector.

Listen, I just had an idea.

Would it be difficult for you

to get hold of telephone records?

Good morning, inspector.

Oh, buon giorno, signora.

I do not know what this is all about,

but here is the information you asked for.

Well, I appreciate your trouble.

What exactly are you looking for?

This.

I’m Tom Hiller.

Ah, signor Hiller.

Inspector.

Mrs. Fletcher.

Tom.

What can I do for you?

Please sit down.

This is a fax that I received a little while ago

from my lawyers in London.

It’s in response to some enquires

that I made yesterday

about certain Swiss based production service companies

which Wayne Productions was dealing.

Six in all.

What about them?

Well, they all have no account numbers

and Catherine was concerned about

the late billings that they had submitted.

Oh, how did you know about that?

She started to tell Jim about them

and I found a separate list

of the account numbers on her desk.

I matched them up with the company names on the computer.

My lawyers investigated and found that

they are apparently sophisticated

shell companies set up for the sole purpose

of collecting funds from Wayne Productions

for services never rendered.

All right, if Wayne Productions was being billed

I’m certainly glad to know about it

but you should have come to me before you made inquiries.

Perhaps.

But we thought, that under the circumstances,

we’d best go ahead on our own.

What circumstances?

Those surrounding Catherine Wayne’s murder.

You see, it wasn’t until Marcello lit a cigarette

in my suite and I couldn’t find a ashtray,

that I realized that Catherine

was a non-smoker too and had a non-smoking suite.

So there wouldn’t have been any ashtray in her living room

unless someone had brought it there.

Then I remembered where I had seen a hotel ashtray

just like the one that Catherine was murdered with.

[speaking Italian]

Jim, ashtray please.

[Jessica] You decided that you had to kill Catherine

to prevent her from exposing you

as an embezzler, and you wanted to get

Jim’s fingerprints on the murder weapon.

Inspector, I can’t believe

you’re allowing these wild accusations.

Signor Hiller, perhaps you better listen

for your own good.

Okay.

When you learned Catherine would be alone

with Jim in her suite that afternoon,

you went ahead with your plan.

[cellphone ringing]

[Jessica] It required a cellular phone

and you already had one.

Hello.

[Jessica] Yesterday, after the murder,

when I saw the paparazzo on Catherine’s balcony,

I realized that the killer

could have gotten into the living room from there.

The inspector thought that I had proven

the balcony door could not be opened from the outside.

What I actually had proven was that it could be locked

from the outside.

Well, I don’t see what any one of this has to do with me.

I was in my office when Catherine was murdered.

No.

You left your office by the patio door,

went around the side of the hotel,

climbed up to Catherine’s balcony.

I wondered how, until yesterday afternoon,

when I saw the outside trellis.

From there, not your office,

you called Catherine’s suite.

You spoke to Jim

and got him out of the living room

to return your call.

All right, you are very inventive.

I mean, that’s your bag.

You’ve got a theory, but no proof

that any of it ever actually happened.

I think I do.

A record of a call made from your cellular phone

to the hotel switchboard at 2:57 p.m.

yesterday, approximately the time of the murder.

Oh, there must be a mistake.

Signor Hiller.

All right,

well, maybe when I made the call from my office

I did use the cellular phone.

But that would have made no sense whatsoever, would it?

On top of that, you showed me the phone in your office,

your private line, a conventional phone

that you told me

you used to call Catherine’s suite.

Signor Hiller,

when someone kills someone else in Italy,

it almost always amounts to a life sentence.

Perhaps you should think about that

and make a full confession.

Congratulations, Jim, on best picture.

[Andrew] Four weeks and I’ll see you in New York

for pre-production on Ark Of Steel .

Whoa, that doesn’t give you much time

to finish the script, Andrew.

Can we make it six weeks, fellows?

Oh, it’s Giorgio.

Unbelievable. Oh, should we let him in?

Paparazzi.

No, I say call the cops.

Hop in here, signor.

-Grazie. -How are you?

Grazie, signore e signori.

Signora Fletcher,

everyone, can we make one photo di tutti?

Oh, why not? Come on, everybody.

I always wanted a photo di tutti.

May I propose a toast

to Jim and All The Murderers ?

And to Louise for giving it beauty.

Mmm.

And to the words given me and those to come, father.

To second chances

and with great thanks to Jessica Fletcher.

[speaking Italian]