[Jessica] Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.
The brake lines had been cut.
I almost totaled the car before I could come to a stop.
He's come back.
But in my opinion, I think she needs help.
Today, you imagine a murder.
I mean, what's gonna be next? An invasion from Mars?
Please, Victor! Something's happening!
I don't know what it is! Francesca! Now, stop it!
Or the wires have been cut.
Mrs. Fletcher?
He's back! Don't you understand?
He's not dead! He never died!
[woman screams]
[lively theme music]
[music box playing "Beautiful Dreamer"]
[distant bang] [gasps]
[music ends]
[footsteps]
Scott?
Scott, are you home?
Cheryl?
Margaret.
[cries]
this is Francesca Lodge, Carlton House, River road.
Please.
There's someone in the house, and I'm here alone.
Oh, for God's sake, hurry!
[whimpering]
[footsteps]
Francesca, it's me!
It's Scott! It's Scott!
[sobbing]
It's okay.
My God, what happened?
Scott.
Jessica.
Thank you for coming. She's been asking for you.
Well, I-I took the first flight after I got your call,
but the service between Boston and Cincinnati
is a little sketchy.
Scott, the psychiatric ward?
I know. She was in quite a state.
The hospital thought it was best.
Mr. Lodge?
We had a report of a break-in at your place last night.
Oh, I'm sorry, sheriff.
It was a false alarm, a little misunderstanding.
Oh, I'm glad to hear that.
Then Mrs. Lodge is all right?
Oh, yeah, she's fine. A little upset.
Uh, Jessica Fletcher,
I'd like you to meet Sheriff Bodine.
Sheriff.
How do you do? Are you a doctor?
No. Just a friend.
Around here, it's tough to tell which ones are the shrinks.
[chuckles]
I see you've hurt your hand.
No, no, no, it's-it's nothing.
It's just a scratch.
Good, good.
Well, if you have any other problems,
just let us know,
and I hope Mrs. Lodge gets better real fast.
Thank you.
-Nice meeting you, ma'am. -Thank you.
Scott, what's happened to Francesca?
And I'd appreciate the truth.
Jessie, sit down.
She's, uh she's been coming apart.
Well, what happened last night?
I was working late in the office,
preparing for a board meeting.
When I came home, I found her hiding in a closet, hysterical.
And-and your hand?
She attacked me with a pair of scissors, Jess.
She's not herself. She's not responsible.
It's getting worse.
Well, in what way?
Last week, I lost my brakes.
I almost totaled the car before I could come to a stop.
The brake lines had been cut.
Is that what the police said?
Jessica, I don't need someone to tell me
what a broken brake line looks like.
I didn't report it.
Well, then how can you assume...
I found a hacksaw
and some of Francesca's clothes
splattered with brake fluid
hidden in the back of her closet.
Well, she said she didn't know how they got there.
Jessie, I'm just so glad you're here.
-I hate leaving her alone. -Alone?
Yes, there's a board meeting in Chicago.
One of us has to be there to protect the family interests.
I want to see her.
Of course. I told her that you were coming.
-And Cheryl's with her now. -Oh, good.
Jess. Jess, you came!
Well, of course I came.
You didn't think that I wouldn't?
-You're so famous now. -Oh, rubbish.
That'll be quite a day, Fran, when I don't have time for you.
It is so good to see you.
Of course.
This must be Cheryl.
Hello, aunt Jess.
My goodness, I would never have known you.
Well, you've blossomed. It must be five years.
Mom and Scott's wedding.
Jess, I-I don't know what they've told you,
but I'm just a little bit tired.
You know, nerves.
Mom, it wasn't just nerves last night.
You called the sheriff.
I thought I was alone.
I heard noises. I guess I overreacted.
Well, that's enough to frighten anyone.
Believe me, I'm an expert on the subject in my books, of course.
Jess, I want to get out of this place.
I don't belong here.
I've called Dr. March. He'll know what to do.
I want to go home.
Best place for you.
Oh, thank you for coming, Victor.
This is mom's old friend Jessica Fletcher.
Dr. March.
-How do you do? -The mystery writer.
Yes, Cheryl told me all about you.
Uh, The Corpse Danced At Dawn.
-Midnight. -Couldn't put it down.
The murder weapon was a crossbow, right?
Poison.
Must have been thinking of another book.
How are we feeling, Mrs. Lodge?
Victor, there's really nothing wrong with me.
Well, of course there isn't.
I don't know why they put you in here in the first place.
I mean, do you know what kind of people they keep in a place like this, huh?
First we're going to get you out this hospital,
and then we're going to get you well.
Right.
That doctor, Dr. March,
he certainly has an unusual bedside manner.
He's one of the best.
He treated me when I had my problems.
Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know.
Oh, no problem, aunt Jess.
Cheryl, there's no need to go into all of that.
Come on, mom.
Victor says you have to be open, talk about these things.
All kids go through a wild phase, you know.
A couple of years ago, I ran away with a rock group.
My head was pretty messed up.
We did drugs, a lot of dumb, dumb things.
Scott and I were frantic.
We had to hire a detective to find her.
I was in a place like that, only a lot worse,
until Victor got me out.
Oh, that must've been a terrible experience.
It's all behind me now, believe me.
-Scott, look out! [tires squealing]
Did you see that guy? That's incredible.
Practically in the middle of the road.
I don't know how you managed to avoid him.
Reflexes.
I used to drag race a lot as a kid.
Here we are.
[bird chirping]
Now, Jess, tell me about you.
How have you been?
Oh, just fine.
I worry about you being lonely by yourself in that empty house.
Oh, lonely? You don't know Cabot Cove.
Sometimes in the evening,
I look across at Frank's chair
and start to tell him something.
After six years, look who needs help.
Jess, you didn't think it silly, did you, my marrying Scott?
I mean, the difference in our ages.
Oh, of course not. What an absurd idea.
I understand how you felt when you lost Frank.
It was the same for me when Ross died
half seeing him sometimes, thinking I'd heard his voice.
I was so lonely, Jess, desperately so.
And then when Scott came along...
You don't have to explain.
I think Scott is a delightful man.
Thanks. I didn't know.
You and Ross were such good friends.
We all were.
And that was 30 years ago.
Say, I remember this.
Ross gave this to you as an engagement present,
and I helped him to pick it out.
[chuckles]
Fran, what's wrong?
Nothing.
[nervous chuckle]
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me.
Well, in what way?
Oh, nothing.
I don't remember doing things.
I forget things.
Sometimes it's as if Ross is still here.
Oh, please, Jess.
I love Scott, I really do. I know that I do.
Feeling better, darling? Hi, Jessie.
Yes, much, now that Jess is here.
Mm, good.
I'm gonna have to be leaving soon for the stockholders' meeting.
Do you have to?
Darling, we do control the corporation.
One of us has to be in Chicago.
Why don't you come down and have a drink with me
before I leave, huh?
I'll see Jessie to her room.
-What do you think? -Oh, I'm glad I came.
Did she give you any indication of what's troubling her?
Well, we've hardly had a chance to talk.
Scott, wasn't this Francesca and Ross's bedroom?
When he died, she had it sealed.
It was an automobile accident.
It came as quite a shock to her.
Yes, I remember. It was a closed coffin.
She could never bear to go back in there.
No one's entered that room since the funeral.
-Your secretary is here, Sir. -Oh, yes.
She probably has a few hundred documents for me to sign.
Uh, Margaret, would you see Jessica to her room?
And I'll see you downstairs later.
Of course. Thank you.
Oh, what a lovely room.
You'll be very comfortable here, ma'am.
And don't you worry about that burglar business.
You mean last night?
I can tell you there was no burglar.
Mrs. Lodge imagined it all, poor lady.
Oh, but I understand you were off last night.
Oh, I was.
And I'd be the last one to be carrying tales,
but you being an old friend and all,
you have a right to know.
She hasn't been quite right lately.
Always misplacing things.
Like her diamond bracelet.
I found it in the garbage disposal.
She never even knew it was gone.
Well, how do you suppose it got there?
Well, it's not for me to say.
But in my opinion, I think she needs help.
I'm glad you are here.
Anything you need, you let me know.
Thank you, Margaret. I will.
I think that's everything I need, Brooke.
What about my needs?
Are you crazy?
What about tonight, Scott?
I'm booked on a 6:30 flight to Chicago.
Well, you're just gonna have to unbook it.
Now, damn it, Brooke, I have told you...
And I don't accept it, any of it.
How long are you going to keep kidding yourself about us?
About her?
Listen.
Francesca is in trouble right now.
She needs my help.
And I care about her deeply.
Do you love her?
[sighs]
I'll be patient, Scott, as long as I can.
Maybe you'd rather break it off right now.
You are. You are.
You're the handsomest little dog in the world.
Yes, you are.
Hello, Cheryl.
Victor, what are you doing here?
I just dropped in to check on my patient's progress.
I know how worried you are.
Look, could we talk about it later over dinner?
Victor, please.
Let's just keep this on a professional basis, huh?
Well, they're holding the company jet at the airport.
So how about one for the road, huh?
He never flies without a couple of ounces
-of his favorite anesthetic. -Aha.
I like to think of it as flight insurance.
Will you join us, Victor?
Uh, no. I really should be going.
I really should be checking in on a patient,
somebody who's really sick.
-See you all later. -How about you, Jessica?
It's a little early for me. Thank you, Scott.
It's never too early for a good martini.
-Ladies. -Thank you, darling.
Well, here's to clear skies and no turbulence.
Oh! Sorry, Cheryl.
No, no, it's my fault, mom.
No, really. I'll just get another one.
Don't stay away too long.
Promise.
-How about a game of cribbage? -Cribbage?
I seem to remember you owe me $3.50 from the last time.
Oh, you do have a memory.
Well, I have some letters to answer,
so I'll just let you two wallow in nostalgia.
Telephone for you, Mrs. Lodge.
A gentleman. He didn't give a name.
Thank you, Margaret. I'll take it here.
Hello?
Remember that I love you very much and I'll see you again tonight.
Mom, what's the matter?
It was Ross.
Daddy? But that's not possible.
Hello? Hel-- Who is this?
Is this some sort of cruel joke?
Hello? Hello?
Well, he disconnected.
It was Ross.
He's come back.
Is he badly hurt?
I'm sorry, miss. I'm afraid he's dead.
His car went off the road three miles from the house.
-Oh, Lord. -Oh.
Are you sure?
I mean, couldn't there be some mistake?
There's no mistake, miss.
Here are some of his things.
Oh.
We usually ask a member of the family to identify the body, but, uh...
But what?
There isn't much there for you to recognize.
It would be pretty unpleasant.
Is there a family doctor?
Dr. March, I guess.
I think that would probably be best.
The body's in the morgue.
You can make the arrangements.
I'm really very sorry.
Oh, I've got to tell mom.
No, let her sleep for a while.
Sheriff Bodine?
Ms. Fletcher?
Sheriff, are you sure that there was not another vehicle
involved in that accident?
Yes, his car just went off the road.
Well, it happens, ms. Fletcher.
Yes, but it's very unlikely to a man who spent his youth drag racing.
It sounds like you're hinting around at something.
Well, I don't know.
I mean, do you think it's possible
that something mechanical could have been tampered with?
Ma'am, I'm responsible for a whole county.
Last night, Mrs. Lodge imagines a burglar.
Today you imagine a murder.
I mean, what's gonna be next, an invasion from Mars?
This morning, Scott Lodge told me that last week his brake line was cut.
-Is that so? -Yes.
[music box playing]
[music ends]
[whimpers]
Oh!
[screaming]
Francesca, what's the matter?
It's dead. My canary is dead.
Calm yourself, sweetheart.
Uh, Margaret, Mrs. Lodge's canary has died.
Would you take it out of her room, please?
Yes, ma'am.
Now, why don't we go in my room?
Cheryl and I want to talk to you.
[bird chirping]
Feeling better?
There's nothing wrong with this bird, ma'am.
Chirpy's all right. Mom, it's okay.
No, he was dead.
Well, he's sure alive now.
Excuse me, I'll put him back.
But I was so sure.
He was just lying there.
Fran, I'm terribly sorry,
but there's something that we have to tell you
about Scott.
At Mrs. Fletcher's suggestion,
I took another look at the circumstances surrounding Mr. Lodge's death.
You found something wrong with the car?
The car was in perfect condition.
Mr. Lodge wasn't.
The medical examiner found
a high level of benzodiazepine in his body.
Oh, please!
Scott was too straight to be fooling around with drugs.
Benzodiazepine is a tranquilizer.
Then he didn't just crash? He was drugged?
There was enough of that stuff in his system
to knock him out in a couple of minutes.
Now, did he have anything to eat or drink just before he left here?
We had cocktails.
Oh, but Scott mixed the martinis himself.
I mean, I'm sure the glass wasn't out of his hand.
Does anyone in the house use tranquilizers?
I have some.
I prescribed them, Sheriff.
I'd like to see those, please.
They're upstairs in my room.
Margaret, would you get them, please?
Yes, ma'am.
Sheriff, do you have any idea how widely prescribed tranquilizers are?
Yes, doctor, I know that.
But in this case, they were slipped to Mr. Lodge
just before he got behind the wheel.
You're not accusing one of us?
I'm not accusing anyone, ma'am,
but there is money here, obviously, and someone's been killed.
I have to consider every possibility.
Most of the family assets are in my name.
That was an arrangement made by my first husband.
Scott owned almost nothing in his own right.
Thank you.
It's empty.
Francesca, I gave you a full bottle this morning.
I-I only took one.
It can't be empty.
I'll take this with me for analysis.
No!
I couldn't have done it!
No one's saying you did, mom.
I loved Ross!
Who's Ross?
I didn't say Ross; I said Scott.
You said Ross.
I said Scott! You're trying to confuse me!
Mrs. Lodge has been under a terrible strain.
Now, I insist that she get some rest.
Okay, I'll be back tomorrow, and I want everyone here.
Everyone.
[floorboards creaking]
You know, I got grease all over my best uniform.
It could have been the brake line.
That's all right, ma'am.
If it wasn't for you,
we could still be saying it was nothing but an accident.
[screaming]
Fran, what's wrong?
He was here.
Oh, it's all right. It's all right. You were just having a bad dream.
No!
I saw him in the bathroom.
There's no one here.
Now, just try to calm yourself down.
I'm going to stay here with you for a while, all right?
No, I did see him.
Fran, you have to accept it.
Scott is dead.
Oh, it wasn't Scott.
It was Ross.
[dog barking]
Good morning.
I don't think we've met. I'm Jessica Fletcher.
It's Carl, isn't it?
My goodness, this is a perfect bed for begonias.
Look, lady, did you want something?
Um, that is Mrs. Lodge's bedroom, I believe.
I wouldn't know.
Oh, too bad.
-You've raked over the earth there. -Is there something wrong with that?
Oh, no, no, no. I just wondered if you'd seen any footprints.
No, nothin', no footprints.
I see. Well, thank you.
You're welcome.
Something else?
Well, as a matter of fact, there is.
Would you by any chance have a ladder?
The window's been nailed shut, just like the door.
It's got a couple of coats of paint on it too.
Looks as if the windows haven't been washed either for a while.
Look, lady, I only get paid to do the yard, all right?
Oh, thank you for your help, Carl.
[dog whimpering] Get out of there!
Go on, get out!
What's he got there?
A dead canary.
That stupid dog's always burying things around here.
Is anything wrong, ma'am?
Well, I'm not sure.
Margaret, did you clear away the cocktail things yesterday?
Yes. Aren't the glasses clean?
Oh, yes, they're absolutely spotless.
But this is a new, unopened bottle.
Yes, ma'am.
But when Mr. Lodge made the drinks yesterday,
he opened a new bottle,
and there should be a good part of that one left.
In all my years, I've never been accused of dipping into the household liquor.
Oh, that isn't what I meant.
I know what you meant, ma'am.
But if you're looking for somebody with a dry mouth and a shifty eye,
you should talk to that no-account gardener, Carl.
No, you misunderstood.
What I'm saying is that the gin in that bottle
could be very dangerous.
You can say that again.
It was gin that carried off my brother Arnold,
may he rest in peace.
That's why I never touch the stuff.
[doorbell chiming]
Excuse me.
Did you find what you're looking for?
These letters are mine.
Now that Scott's dead, I want them back.
What is it about a death that makes people have second thoughts
about what they've written down on paper?
Maybe something incriminating.
I'll examine these when I get a chance.
Right now, I want to see everyone in the next room,
and that definitely includes you.
[music box]
[gasps]
it wouldn't stop.
Fran, Sheriff Bodine is here. He wants us all downstairs.
Jess, please, call Dr. March and ask him to come over.
It's all right.
Everything is gonna be all right.
Mrs. Lodge, I've given you every chance to come forward and tell me what you know.
Now I'm just going to ask you flat out.
Did you know your husband was having an affair
with his secretary?
That's ridiculous.
Scott wouldn't--
Brooke?
I think it's possible that you did know and that you decided to put an end to it
with a handful of your own tranquilizers.
No.
Sheriff, think.
Those tranquilizers weren't under lock and key.
Anyone could've gotten to them.
Anyone with a motive, Mrs. Fletcher.
What about Brooke?
She was here just before Scott went to the airport.
Why would I kill him? I loved him.
Maybe he wasn't about to walk out on his wife
and all that money.
Stop it! Stop it!
Maybe I did do it! I just don't remember!
All right, that's enough.
She is not responsible for what she is saying.
I am taking her to the hospital.
Hold it; she's not going anywhere.
Oh, yes, she is, Sheriff.
That is, unless you are prepared to make an arrest right now.
All right, you take her straight to the hospital.
I'll talk to you later, both of you.
Well, Sheriff, I hope you're satisfied.
She is a very troubled woman, and your approach has only made it worse.
Maybe the lady is trying to cop out with a plea of diminished capacity.
She wouldn't be the first.
Well, at least keep an open mind.
Funny, I was about to offer you the same suggestion.
Folks change, Mrs. Fletcher.
The years do damage.
Look, I'm not taking any particular pleasure in this.
If you have an idea, share it with me.
Yes, I've got one.
The answer may be in that sealed room upstairs.
We shouldn't be doing this without a warrant.
Mrs. Lodge has forbidden anyone to go in there.
Margaret, I will take full responsibility.
Carl, will you please pry open that door?
Hmm, ten years.
Why do I feel like we're intruding?
I don't even know what I'm doing in here.
Mrs. Fletcher, what are we supposed to be looking for?
I was hoping we'd find an explanation
for some of the strange things that have been going on.
Nothing seems to have been disturbed.
I heard something last night.
Someone was in this room.
Well, then he was wearing a red suit and left his reindeer on the roof,
because even the windows have been nailed shut.
What do you think this ghost was doing?
Well, uh, I'm not sure.
This place gives me the creeps.
An old house like this is full of moving and creaking.
That noise you heard could have been anything.
Precisely, anything.
Mrs. Fletcher, let's face it.
This notion of yours adds up to a big zero.
The next time you hear a ghost, why don't you call a medium?
Come on, let's go.
Carl, be sure you get that door sealed up again.
Oh, thank you, Margaret.
My sister's expecting me by 6:00.
There's some food in the refrigerator.
If there's nothing else...
You run along. We'll be fine.
Thank you.
Actually, I was going to pop over to the hospital and see mom,
maybe have a bite to eat with her.
Well, don't you worry about me.
I'm used to being alone.
Cheryl, when Dr. March treated you, did he prescribe drugs?
Yes, there was some kind of medication.
I was pretty wiped out for a while.
He seems to like you.
Oh, Victor comes on, but he's not my type.
You know what I cannot understand is
why Francesca feels so responsible for your father's death.
I don't know.
Sure, they had a squabble, but it was no big deal.
-They fought? -No, not a fight.
The day Daddy died, he had to go somewhere.
Mom didn't want him to go.
He was late leaving because of the argument,
so he had to speed up to make up time...
and crashed.
Just like Scott.
That's right. I hadn't thought of that.
[barks]
Ruff, you naughty boy!
Oh, don't worry. Don't worry.
You run off and see your mother at the hospital.
Yes, I think I will.
I may take a little nap.
If you're here alone, better lock everything up.
Be sure to give her my love.
Why would this room have a bathroom but not the old master bedroom?
[door creaks]
Even ghosts disturb dust when they move vases.
Cheryl, honey, I'm sorry.
I'm going to miss your party this afternoon,
so I'm leaving you this little cassette to wish you a very happy birthday.
Have a wonderful party, and remember that I love you very much,
and I'll see you again tonight.
Ross.
Oh, there's a storm coming in.
Oh, I'm terribly worried.
I tried to call the hospital, but the phone is out of order.
I know; I tried to phone you.
Must be the electrical storm.
Or the wires have been cut.
Cut?
Victor? Victor?
[crying]
Francesca, what are you doing?
Victor, there's something wrong at the house.
What? What's wrong?
Please, Mrs. Lodge, get back in bed.
Please, Victor! Something's happening!
I don't know what it is!
Francesca, now, stop it!
Stop it!
Get ahold of yourself.
I don't want to alarm you,
but something very sinister is going on here.
[nervous chuckle]
Aren't you being a little melodramatic? Just because the phone's dead...
what has Ruff got?
That's Scott's cap.
There's blood on it.
Scott was wearing that cap when he drove away.
Are you sure?
[thud]
What was that?
Well, I don't know.
I'm not sure that I want to.
[banging]
It's only the wind blowing the window.
Margaret forgot to latch it.
Aunt Jess, do you smell something?
Why, yes.
Pipe tobacco, I think.
My God! Scott's pipe.
And it's still warm.
I'm frightened, aunt Jess.
That's exactly what someone wants you to be.
Cheryl, there's an explanation for everything.
While you were out, I think I found it.
Come with me. I'll show you.
Remember that I love you very much and I'll see you again tonight.
It's the recording daddy made for my birthday.
And that was the voice from the grave that your mother heard on the telephone.
Let's get out of here.
I think we should go. Now!
You see the bird cage?
I mean, there was a dead canary in your mother's room.
Somebody else brought a live one back.
We have to get out of here, aunt Jess.
[doorbell chiming]
Cheryl?
Mrs. Fletcher?
He's back! Don't you understand?
He's not dead! He never died!
You remember, Scott's body was disfigured beyond recognition.
It wasn't Scott in that car. It-it was someone else.
He knew what we were doing, and he faked the whole thing.
What you were doing, Cheryl?
He knows I tried to kill him, and now he's out there waiting to kill me!
Shut up!
Not one more word.
Carl.
Or should I say Carson Todd?
That's good. That's very good.
Yes, well, I'm sure you know a great deal more about music
than you do about gardening.
You should have kept your nose out of this, lady.
Well, I knew that Cheryl couldn't make all those things happen
without a confederate.
And then I saw your face on that album cover.
Well, I'm not sure whether I like you less with or without your beard.
Carson, it's Scott! He's still alive!
Now, listen to me! Listen! Don't be stupid.
We killed him. You killed him.
Oh, no, you're in this with me all the way.
I'm telling you he's still alive! He's out there somewhere now!
Then it must have been Scott
that Francesca saw in her room last night, not Ross.
No, no, that was me.
Oh, then it was you
who left the bloodstained cap and the pipe.
But why?
Lady, I don't know what you're talking about.
What cap?
-Cheryl? -Don't you understand?
He's come back to kill us!
[Cheryl screaming]
For a moment, I thought you'd wandered off.
I couldn't get the damn window open.
Did you hear everything?
I heard enough.
There we go.
Wrap you up there.
I know I pulled every nail out of that window.
The storm must have warped it shut.
Ooh.
Here, this'll help to warm you up a bit.
Oh, thank you.
I still don't know how I let you talk me into that.
Well, you have to admit it worked, Sheriff.
You mean this whole thing was planned?
You almost blundered in and spoiled it, you know.
Why did you come to the house?
Well, Francesca was was terrified, some sort of premonition.
Listen, I was just humoring her by coming here.
I'm sorry my deputy grabbed you like that.
We didn't want anybody interfering.
Hold your nose. Don't give in to it.
Wait, wait a minute, Mrs. Fletcher.
I'm-I'm confused.
You mean you knew that Cheryl and Carl killed Scott?
Well, not at first.
But I knew that somebody was trying to destroy Francesca's sanity,
and I knew whoever it was
had put the tranquilizers in the bottle of gin.
And then when I spilled my tea, I started thinking about it.
You see, doctor, you didn't have a martini,
and neither did I. And that left three.
Cheryl spilled her drink deliberately.
And when she fixed herself another, she took sherry,
which means she knew that the gin was drugged.
And Francesca didn't faint after she got that phone call.
She had been drugged by the gin, just like Scott.
You see, Cheryl and Carl, working together,
succeeded in driving her poor mother to the edge of madness.
With Scott out of the way
and Francesca committed to a mental institution,
Cheryl would have access to all that money
to lead the wild life that she wanted with Carl.
When I found all those things in the sealed room,
I called Sheriff Bodine.
Wait a minute, the phone was dead.
I called before the phone went out.
When Mrs. Fletcher showed me what she'd found,
her theory made a lot of sense.
The problem was, there was no real evidence against them,
nothing that would stand up in court.
We needed to stir things up.
Sheriff Bodine provided the props.
Yeah, Mr. Lodge's cap and pipe from the scene of the accident.
What I can't figure out is why she went to all that trouble.
Why shouldn't she just kill her mother and get it done with?
I can answer that one, Sheriff.
Because of Cheryl's wildness, even though she was better,
Francesca provided in her will a trust for Cheryl
until she was 35 years old.
Well, don't you get it?
She couldn't touch the money for another 12 years.
Oh, poor Francesca.
I don't quite know how to break this to her.
You won't have to. I will.
She's checking out of the hospital
in the morning and joining me in Cabot Cove.
A change of scene, some rest, and sea air is what I prescribe.
Uh, what I need is a week on a beach in Hawaii
before I come down with pneumonia.
Sheriff, are you aware that colds are mostly psychological?
Have you ever considered therapy?
Oh, dear.