[Jessica] Tonight, on Murder, She Wrote.
[driver] Nothing ever happens in Gila Junction.
Is everybody happy?
[all cheer]
[Tiny] But I’m getting real close
to the treasure now, real close.
But don’t tell anybody.
Be our little secret.
Got a problem with that, pilgrim?
Yeah, you bet there is, Mr. Whoever You Are.
Just stay away from my daughter.
Sorry, baby. Gotta go.
You are not gonna get away with this!
I have reason to believe
there is a massive cover-up going on around here.
[Jessica] There’s no way that I’m going to get involved.
[Norma] The pot is finally coming to a boil.
-[Hawkins] All right, who’s in? -Yeah, I’m in.
[male player 1] You better have those aces, Hawkins.
[male player 2] I think he’s got ’em.
I’m out.
[male player 3] Well, I got two-fifty says he doesn’t.
[female player] I think you’re bluffing, Todd.
I’ll see ya
and I raise ya.
-[door crashing] -Hey, hey, hey!
[all clamoring]
[male player 2] What’s going on here?
Just give him all your money. All your money.
[Hawkins] You want the ring, too?
[male player 3] Just take the money.
There you go. Nobody’s gonna get hurt.
[tires screeching]
[man] Anybody get a license number?
This is Todd Hawkins. I got a situation that requires special attention.
[tire hissing]
Kinda unusual for anybody to get off here.
Don’t expect too much, Mrs. Fletcher.
Why’s that?
Well, nothing ever happens in Gila Junction.
[laughs] Ah.
[creaking]
[whistling]
Hello. Could...
[scraping]
Excuse me. I was looking for the sheriff.
Oh. Well, you found him.
-Oh. I thought... -Well, being a sheriff
in a town this size is only a part-time job.
I mostly use the lockup
to store extra supplies for the gas station.
Well, what can I do for you?
Well, my friend... maybe you know her,
-Norma Shey? -Oh.
She was supposed to meet me here, but...
[chuckles] That’s Norma for you. Always running late.
She’s probably out at her pottery furnace, lost track of time.
-Oh. -Well, come on.
We’ll give her a jingle on the phone. Take your bag?
Thank you.
[Whitey] Marge!
[door closes] [sighs]
What?
Hey, when a man comes back all gritty from a trip,
is it too much to ask
his wife to have clean laundry waiting?
What do you do around here all day anyway, Missy?
Besides memorize Cosmopolitan magazine?
I also deliver the mail.
Oh, that’s it, run to your daddy now.
Tell him how mean I am to you.
[door slams] [sighs]
[ringing] [Spencer] No answer.
Funny she doesn’t have her machine on.
You sure she was expecting you?
Well, it was a bad connection
when I spoke to her yesterday from Las Vegas,
but I’m sure that she understood.
[rings]
Spencer’s Gas.
Hey, hon, how’s it going?
Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down, Deena.
[Deena] Looks like it went off the road.
Uh-huh. How bad’s the car?
[horse neighing]
Yeah. Okay, where you at exactly?
Okay, be right there.
-Norma? -My girlfriend found
miss Shey’s car in a ditch out in the desert.
And?
Wasn’t anybody in it.
[motorcycle approaching]
[sighs]
So, you’re back.
Whoa.
Who’s been twisting your tail? Huh?
Let me guess. He’s twice as old as you are and half as bright?
[chuckles]
Now, that’s my girl with the million dollar smile.
Yeah, well, where were you last night?
We could have had the whole evening.
I was taking care of business.
Chasing other women, I bet.
Yeah. Got real lucky, too.
Crap game over in Newtonville.
Why don’t you buy yourself a little present?
I don’t want your money.
Oh!
I told you. I told you.
He saw us the other night out at that old army base.
Don’t worry about it.
Yeah, but you don’t know Whitey.
He’s got a crazy temper, and he might just...
Tiny won’t say a word. He listens to me.
I’m just so tired.
I’m just so tired of this small-minded, dried-up, nowhere town.
Why can’t we just take off?
Yeah, sure, baby. One of these days.
Well, I am not going to wait indefinitely, Pete.
I gotta make a move.
You don’t mind my saying, Mrs. Fletcher,
you don’t seem that worried about Norma.
Well, I suppose it’s because
she’s always lived a charmed life.
When Norma was with the Associated Press,
she covered riots, earthquakes, wars.
Really? She never talks about any of that.
Oh, she was even a prisoner of the Viet Cong for one day.
I mean, then she escaped into the jungle.
Wow. Imagine that.
As long as she could walk away,
it’ll take more than running into a ditch to stop Norma.
[male newsreader on radio] A backing from the governor
could go a long way
in this tightly contested primary race.
In other news, the truck stop bandit
has struck again.
This time, in Bishop, Arizona.
This is KHCK-FM,
Phoenix’s choice for new country and old...
Oh, heck, maybe I’m just being a crybaby.
And you have a right to be.
I want to take that husband of yours,
grab him, and shake him.
I wanted so much more for you, honey.
Well, look around, dad. Who else was there?
Yeah, you’re right.
And that’s why I should have dumped this place
when you and Deena were little, and raised you
where you could have had some advantages.
Like maybe in Phoenix, or Tucson...
Hey, hindsight’s always 20/20.
You did the best you could, and you hung onto your dream.
Yeah.
But to tell you the truth,
your sister, well, she always kinda fit in around here.
You, on the other hand, I was always thinking that
you would be moving on, you know?
Who knows? I might still just do that.
[telephone rings]
Gila Grand Hotel. Cal Harding speaking.
[man chattering on phone]
The reason I didn’t call
is that I don’t have anything to report.
Mr. Parks, we agreed on 60 days,
and according to my calculations we still have 18 to go.
And I can guarantee you, it’ll be taken care of by then.
Thank you very much for calling.
And I was burdening you with my problems.
Anything serious?
Nah. Nothing for you to worry about.
Creech. What kinda name is that?
-Navajo. -Oh, yeah?
You’re working for the great white father now, huh?
What you... what you gonna survey, Chief?
Routine stuff.
They’re thinking of widening the road north of town.
How... long you gonna be around?
[both chuckling]
As long as it takes.
Got a problem with that, pilgrim?
Who the hell he think he is?
Hey, Pete.
What’s up, buddy?
Listen! Listen what happened. I’m getting real close.
I was out last night excavating for the treasure.
Yeah? What else is new?
Look!
I found this on a cactus spike
right near where I was digging.
That’s real, ain’t it, Pete?
Why, that’s part of the treasure, for sure!
Tiny, your long lost treasure
is supposed to be, what, 20, 30 years old?
Mmm-hmm.
Well, the date on this bill here is 1993, see?
[Tiny] Well, so how come it looks so old?
I don’t know. But I’ll tell you what.
I’ll just hold onto this for you,
and we won’t tell anybody about it.
Be our little secret.
Okay.
It’s a lucky thing you just came by this far out.
Oh, it’s my job.
I’m with the Fish and Wildlife Department.
It looks like she had a blowout.
[Spencer] Yeah, well, lucky she didn’t catch on fire.
There were some footprints leading off up the road.
But then over there, they go out into the open desert.
I tried to follow ’em,
but it’s awful rocky and I lost the trail.
[vehicle honking]
[laughs]
Well, looks like you called that one, Mrs. Fletcher.
I might have known.
Thanks a lot, Wayne. I’ll be fine now.
[man] See you, Norma.
Jessica! What are you doing out in this neck of the woods?
Oh, thank goodness.
Oh, are you a sight for sore eyes!
Here, let me give you a hand.
You know, this is my own fool fault.
I took a spin, I got so distracted looking at the scenery,
and I drove myself right to a ditch.
Oh, but I’m sure that I...
You could have broken your ankle.
Oh, no, I think it’s just sprained.
I tried to take a shortcut back to the highway,
and stepped right into a prairie dog hole.
-Oh. -Well, we should tape that up.
-Oh, thanks. -Yeah, I’ll get your car locked down.
Okay.
What is this all about, Norma?
I’m sure I saw a bullet mark on your tire rim.
Okay, we’ll talk about it later.
Jess, as I would’ve said,
if I hadn’t been unavoidably detained,
welcome to Gila Junction.
Thank you, Norma.
[Norma] So after all those years
of living out of a suitcase,
finally I have a home of my own.
Oh, what a wonderful studio!
Isn’t it great?
I’ve mostly been working in ceramics lately.
And that clay is such a lovely color.
Yeah, you can only find that clay in one special place,
and it’s right around here. Ow!
Now, Norma, Dr. Mcfarland said
that you really have to take it easy
on that ankle for at least a week.
Okay, okay.
All right. Now, no more small talk.
Who put a bullet in your tire,
and why don’t you want anybody to know about it?
Look, it’s not that I won’t ever tell anybody about it.
-It’s just... -I know.
You’re just not sure who you can trust.
This is beginning to sound like a replay
of that book that you were working on years ago
about Agent Orange.
Jess, this could be just as big and just as dirty.
Now I’ve had to go have a stupid accident.
I really need your help.
Well, look, I can extend my stay a few days.
I can cook for you, run errands...
No. I mean help.
I think I know what you mean, Norma.
And the answer is no.
All right, I’ll lay it out for you.
I have reason to believe there is a massive cover-up
going on around here.
Cover-up? Of what?
Some top secret stuff
that took place out at the old army base,
back, like, 25 years ago.
Dangerous chemical and biological warfare experiments
that I think are still affecting the area around here.
I think they may be poisoning people for miles around.
Well, I think that’s a very serious supposition.
I know it is, and I can’t get any answers out of anybody.
All the way from the local retired sheriff here,
up to the State Capitol and the Pentagon.
But I must be getting close, Jess.
Why else would people be taking shots at me?
I have no idea, Norma.
But my advice to you is either drop it immediately
or get some help from the law.
In any event,
there’s no way that I’m going to get involved.
Okay, Jess. You leave me no choice.
I’m just going to have to follow up these leads myself.
Ow! Ow!
Norma, I may never forgive you for this.
Thank you, Jess.
Now, may I suggest you start
by getting yourself up to speed on my research?
[exhales] Yeah.
[flies buzzing]
[people laughing]
[people chattering]
[pop music playing]
Oh, I almost forgot.
This came for you today. It looks important.
It’s from the Department of the Interior.
Whoa! Wait, wait, they’re offering me a promotion,
and a new job in the National Park on the Olympic Peninsula.
Well, that’s way up near Seattle, right?
Incredible! Hey, dad,
someone in the family is finally escaping Gila Junction.
So, what do I hear?
One of the girls is finally flying the nest?
Yeah, well, I’ll believe it when I see it.
Hey, didn’t the doctor tell you to stay off of that leg?
Oh, doctors tell you all kinds of things.
There’s nothing wrong with me that a couple
of tall, cool vodka and tonics won’t cure.
And where’s Jessica?
I put her to work.
Well, did you give any thought to what I said?
Yes, I did.
And I don’t think so, Cal.
I’m just not ready to play house
with anybody again right now.
Besides, I like our arrangement the way it is.
Don’t you?
Yeah.
Mr. Parks, what are you doing here?
Just came in for a look around.
I wasn’t expecting to see you for another 18 days.
Since it seems unlikely
you’ll be able to come up with the balloon payment by then,
I felt that it’d be prudent to assess
what we’ll need to invest here
to make this place profitable.
I see.
[dinging]
[groaning]
That’s what happens when you try to cheat, buddy boy.
[car engine starting]
[horse neighing]
So I was walking in the desert,
and I fell down this hole,
and there was a kind of a room down there,
and a chest, you know, like a pirate’s chest,
and it was all full of money, all full.
Oh. So what did you do, Tiny?
Well, I climbed out, and I went off to tell my mom,
but before I got back, there was this storm,
and when I got back, everything kind of looked different.
So I grabbed a shovel, and I started to look for it.
When was this, Tiny?
Eight... no, 19 years ago.
But I’m getting real close to the treasure now,
Mrs. Fletcher, real close.
-But don’t tell anybody. -Tiny.
Are you boring the nice lady to tears with your tall tales?
Oh, gee, I hope not.
Then you better get back to work.
Excuse me, Mrs. Fletcher.
Good luck, Tiny.
My goodness, that’s quite a bit
of memorabilia you’ve got there.
[Whitey] Twenty one years of my life.
Saw a lot of the world.
[Jessica] Oh, yeah.
That bridge right there, it looks very much like the one
at that abandoned army base just outside of town.
You’ve got sharp eyes, Mrs. Fletcher.
Can I help you with something?
Oh, just a tube of toothpaste, please.
No problem. Toothpaste’s right there, Mrs. Fletcher.
Yeah, I was stationed there,
at Camp Rosslyn for most of my first hitch.
Camp Rosslyn?
I read somewhere that that was connected
to the chemical warfare branch.
That’s two forty-five. Fifty, three, four and five.
Thank you.
Have a nice day, Mrs. Fletcher.
Pete, I don’t like that you’re hitting on my daughter.
Look, Cal, with all due respect,
when I’m not on the job, my time is my own.
Just stay away from my daughter.
Which one?
Oh, Mr. Creech.
Mr. Harding.
Well, looks like we got a thirsty Native American here.
Or maybe we’re still not allowed to sell firewater to redskins.
Mr. Creech...
would you overlook Pete’s bad manners?
What would you like?
Some change for the jukebox, please, and a glass of merlot.
Oh.
We have been through this so many times, Spencer.
Deena, don’t you think I want to leave Gila Junction?
I mean, if I could find a buyer for the gas station,
if I just had enough money to take the chance.
If? How much is enough?
We are so young. What do you have to lose?
I don’t want to lose you, Deena.
Am I interrupting anything?
[Spencer] We’re just talking.
I just wanted to congratulate you on your good news.
Thanks, Pete. See you around.
Rude.
[Creech] Oh, yeah, a real tourist mecca.
[man chattering over phone]
No, things are going very nicely.
[man] Good.
I ought to be able to terminate matters here very soon.
Keep me posted.
Yeah. I’ll be in touch.
Well, I thought you forgot.
We’re off for tonight.
It’s Deena, isn’t it? You’re starting up with her again.
Hey, you’re the one I’m crazy about.
Just got a little business to take care of.
Oh, yeah, right. What am I supposed to do?
Just go home and watch TV with Whitey?
Sorry, baby. Gotta go.
That’s it?
[Norma] Jessica, I must be losing my touch.
You are here for four hours, and you make the connection
that Whitey Deaver was stationed at Camp Rosslyn?
Well, it was pure luck.
I just happened to remember seeing that bridge from the bus.
Well, from the way you described his reaction,
it’s obvious he knows something
about whatever it was that went on out there,
and he’s just afraid to talk about it.
Maybe. I just wonder
if it’s the same "whatever" you think it is.
What do you mean? I don’t follow.
Well...
Tiny and the treasure that he’s endlessly searching for.
I mean, he said that it was 18 or 19 years ago.
Well, that would be just about the time
that Whitey Deaver was at the camp.
Yes, but hold it, Jessica.
When you’re talking about Tiny, you know,
he does live in major fantasy land.
Yeah, but he was very specific.
Yeah, he’s specific about Jack and the Beanstalk, too.
Anyway, now we’ve got this guy Creech
claiming to be a government surveyor,
I think the pot is finally coming to a boil.
I made up an agenda for us tomorrow.
We’ve got quite a heavy schedule.
Norma, I think it’s wonderful
that you haven’t changed a bit.
But I am still a person who needs her sleep.
Now, can we save this until breakfast?
Of course we can. I’m sorry, Jess.
Sleep well. I’m just going to sit up
and noodle with this for a little while more.
Well, get some sleep now.
Okay, I will.
-Night-night. -Night-night.
[telephone ringing]
[fax beeping]
[door opens]
Norma, would you happen to have...
Norma?
[car engine starting]
[clanking]
[hissing]
Wow!
[grunts]
[laughs]
[hissing]
Hey, now wait a minute. Let’s talk about this.
There’s plenty here for both of us.
Let’s be sensible here.
Let’s divvy this up and go home.
[gun fires]
[man] Watch your step.
[Tiny] Well, right after I found the treasure,
somebody hit me. Real hard.
Did you see who it was?
No, Spencer, I didn’t. And when I woke up,
there was blood everywhere,
and Mr. Creech was standing over me.
Thanks, Tiny.
Why did you stop, Mr. Creech?
I just happened to be on the way up to my surveying site
when I saw this pickup parked here,
and I thought they might need some help.
And when I got here, I found this guy.
Okay, boys, you can take him away.
-Yes, Sir. -You okay, Spencer?
You look a little green around the gills.
Uh, no, I’m okay, thanks. Just... all that blood.
-Mmm-hmm. -What’d you find?
Well, cause of death was a stab wound
to Whitey’s chest.
Looks like the murder weapon might’ve been Whitey’s own knife.
We found it clutched in his hand.
Oh, so you figure maybe the killer struggled with Whitey
and then turned his own blade on him?
Could’ve played out just that way, Spence, yeah.
The killer might’ve got nicked, too.
In any event, it’s fairly certain
that the killer’s clothes would have gotten blood on them.
You’ve got a point, Mrs. Fletcher.
That’s why I brought her out here.
So, you gonna do some tests? DNA?
Of course, Spencer. That’s standard procedure.
Oh, yeah, right. Of course.
I hope I’m doing the right stuff.
I’m really not used to this kind of thing.
Well, you’re doing just fine, Spencer.
Is that the trunk that Tiny dug up?
Yeah. He said when he opened it that it was full of money.
[Jessica] Tiny’s long-lost treasure.
Doesn’t quite figure, though.
The dates on these coins and bills are all fairly recent.
I wonder if what Tiny found
was your truck stop bandit’s loot.
Hey, sure.
And then Whitey and someone else showed up and fought over it.
The other guy won.
[Jessica] Spencer, look at that.
It’s a ski mask.
It’s like the one on the wanted flyers.
[Jessica] It’s Whitey’s.
Whitey was the truck stop bandit?
Spencer! Where’s Whitey?
Is Whitey hurt bad?
Isn’t Mr. Creech’s surveying assignment
supposed to be north of town?
Well, yeah, that’s what he’s told everybody.
Oh, hey, should I consider him a suspect, Mrs. Fletcher?
Well, ’cause I wasn’t. I mean, if Creech did it,
why draw attention to himself by calling the murder in to me?
Maybe to put himself above suspicion.
Oh, wow, I am definitely in deep water.
Here, let me give you a hand with that.
Thanks. Maybe I ought to get the state police
to send some people down to help me. I...
Look, you’re doing fine, Spencer.
Just one step at a time.
[sighs]
Sure be nice if that Creech fella did do it.
I’d hate to think it was someone who lives here.
-This is Hawkins. -It’s me.
-I just wanted to check in. -What’s up?
A complication has come up.
How big a complication?
It’s minor.
Yes, the money’s still in play, but...
[Hawkins] You fooling with me, boy?
[Creech] I’m not running games on you, Mr. Hawkins.
I’d never do that.
If you don’t trust me, I’m outta here.
-Cool down, Creech, I trust you. -What?
[Hawkins] I trust you.
[Creech] Okay. Have I ever let you down?
[sighs]
You know, I’m absolutely shocked.
I’ve wanted Whitey out of my family’s life
so many times,
but to have it happen like this? Uh-uh.
Nope.
Cal, I came by to see you last night.
And?
Well, you weren’t there, so I hung around waiting for you.
I finally fell asleep on your sofa.
When I woke up this morning, you still hadn’t come home.
You don’t think...
Norma...
when Deena told me
that she was seriously considering moving away,
taking that job out of town,
I got so depressed I drove out into the desert,
and I sat there last night looking at the stars,
thinking about my kids, and I fell asleep.
Don’t you believe me? I had no idea
you were coming by to see me last night.
Well, neither did I, until I got this fax
from my buddy in Phoenix.
[Jessica] I requested this re-transmission
of a fax that Norma received last night.
In answer to her query,
the Arizona Highway and Roads Department
has no record of a George Creech on their payroll.
Well, then, who the heck is he?
Well, that’s one good question.
Another one is, where does that sort of clay there come from?
Why is that important?
Because this morning at the crime scene,
I saw the same red dust on Mr. Creech’s pick-up.
Well, there’s only one place around here
you can find that stuff.
Out at the old army base. I’ll go check it out.
Good.
Some shock about Whitey.
But at least he left you the store.
Mortgaged to the hilt.
The only thing Whitey left me was a big pile of bills.
But he was telling everybody he bought store fixtures, and...
Forget it.
The only real money that Whitey ever saw
was in that strongbox that Tiny dug up.
Pete, there’s no way he was the bandit.
He’s just not smart enough.
So who do you figure got the money?
Why don’t you tell me?
Me?
Come on, Pete.
We’ve know each other for a long time.
Your secrets are safe with me.
Whatever you did, you did it for us and for our future.
Uh-uh, baby. I mean, you’re terrific and all,
but I didn’t kill your husband.
You’re lying, and you’re being greedy.
Whitey died for that money, and as his widow,
I am entitled to my share.
The hell with this! I’m outta here.
You are not gonna get away with this!
Harvey, I ordered three kegs,
but your man only delivered two.
[Harvey] You sure, Cal?
Hold on a second.
[footsteps approaching]
Oh!
[door opens and closes]
[gasps]
All right, Mrs. Fletcher, I’m listening.
Mr. Creech, I know how this looks,
but I realized that I was in the wrong room,
and then when I heard you coming in, I panicked.
Let me explain something to you...
[door opens]
-Put the gun down right now. -Oh, thank you, Spencer.
Ma’am, I asked you to just wait until I could...
Well, I was afraid that he might get away.
Well, you’re lucky I showed up when I did.
Sheriff, there’s been a misunderstanding.
Yeah, you bet there is, Mr. Whoever You Are.
All right, I’m not a state surveyor.
I was hired by Todd Hawkins, owner of the truck stops
the stick-up artist has been hitting.
I’m a private investigator.
[Spencer] George Creech is his real name.
Look, sheriff, you’re welcome to call Mr. Hawkins to confirm.
I’m in Gila Junction because I traced some of the bills
taken from the most recent robbery.
Spencer, maybe Mr. Creech
would be willing to let us in on what else he’s found?
Yeah, besides a dead body.
Well, the other morning I was tracking the bandit’s car
to its hiding place in the high desert,
and then I realized another car was tracking me.
-Norma. -So it was you
who shot out her tire and almost killed her.
No, that wasn’t me.
I think he’s telling the truth, Spencer.
It was probably the bandit.
Whitey.
And incidentally, ma’am, you’re right.
I found the getaway car up where you thought it would be.
Is that all you’ve come across?
That’s all.
Except, I just located an item from the bandit’s stolen goods.
A ruby ring taken from Mr. Hawkins.
Where’d that turn up?
Over at the general store.
There were too many people around to ask about it.
I was gonna go back later.
It’s on Marge Deaver’s finger.
[Marge] I found it in Whitey’s dresser drawer
with a wad of bills.
He said he won big in a poker game the other night.
What he meant was, he took the pot.
Marge, you had no idea
that Whitey was the truck stop bandit?
Well, he was always complaining
that we were strapped for cash.
Said that I was spending too much.
I mean, I could hardly stand him,
but, no, I still can’t believe
that he was the robber, Mrs. Fletcher.
Come on, Marge.
While he was doing a number on you,
he was burying a fortune.
Literally.
I mean, it’s ironic how after taking all those risks,
Whitey would end up the loser he always was.
You got that right, dad.
I mean, he winds up with only a pinky ring
to show for all of his troubles.
Spencer, you might want to take a look at this.
Huh. It’s an old army .45.
I believe the wanted flyer says the warning shot
the bandit fired
in one of the robberies was a .45 caliber?
It appears to have been fired not too long ago.
The state police can run a ballistics test.
And even if it turns out to be Whitey,
we still don’t know who the killer is
or where the money went.
Why do you have to go away, Pete?
It’s just time to move on.
Well, you’re my best friend, Pete, and I’m gonna miss you.
Maybe he’s not leaving, after all.
Hand over the saddlebag, Pete.
Saddlebag? What the hell’s going on, Spencer?
Is it a crime to leave town now?
You know, ever since we were kids, you’ve been jealous...
There’s blood on some of this money, Pete.
Hey, I don’t know where that came from.
Why don’t you ask him?
He’s been sniffing and skulking around town.
What do you think, Mr. Creech?
I think on behalf of my client,
I’ll be filing a property claim for this money.
How do you like that?
I’m sure that the rest of that $100,000
that Whitey stole will turn up in good time.
Now can we get back to the cover-up?
I’m afraid you’re not going to like this.
It’s from an old friend of mine at the Pentagon.
The only secret connected with Camp Rosslyn
is a payroll robbery that they’re still investigating.
-Took place 20 years ago. -[groans]
All in cash. And they never found it or the thieves.
Tiny’s treasure.
He probably stumbled over the money
shortly after the thieves hid it,
and then they removed it,
and poor Tiny’s been hunting for it ever since.
[clicks tongue] Well, that’s the end of my conspiracy.
Easy come, easy go.
Boy, would you look at the mess
that that clay makes of my hands.
[Jessica] Oh, yeah, you could do with some loving care.
[Jessica chuckles] Mmm-hmm.
[gasps]
-I’m going to have to use your phone. -Sure.
I hope Mr. Creech hasn’t checked out
of his hotel room yet.
[phone ringing]
I think I know who the real truck stop bandit was.
[man] Ma’am.
Oh, hi, Mrs. Fletcher.
I was just doing a rough inventory.
Whitey used to take care of all that for me.
But anyway, you don’t want to hear about my problems.
What can I do for you?
I just heard some very surprising news.
I was talking to Mr. Creech,
and it turns out that there’s good reason to believe
that Whitey wasn’t behind all the robberies, after all.
Oh, well, I’m confused.
What about all the evidence?
I mean, the ski mask, and the gun?
There’s a simple explanation for it, Marge.
You are the truck stop bandit.
Me?
[stammers] You gotta be kidding.
Every time Whitey was out of town on business,
there was a robbery.
There, you see? He was...
But Mr. Creech checked,
and Whitey actually was meeting with various suppliers
and wholesalers in Carson City
and elsewhere, while you were always left alone.
So you think that every time he turned his back on me
that I ran off and held up people?
Do you have any proof of that?
You virtually confessed in front of us all.
I didn’t pick up on it at the time
but it was when we were talking here before, about Whitey.
You got that right, dad.
I mean, he winds up with only a pinky ring to show
for all of his troubles.
You’re wearing the ruby ring on your middle finger.
Now, Mr. Creech confirmed that the real owner,
Todd Hawkins, wore the ring on his pinky.
Now, only the person who took it from him
would have known that.
[stammering] No, no, I... that’s...
There must be some kind of misunderstanding.
I read that in the paper, or on TV, or something.
I’m afraid not.
All information about the ring was withheld from the press.
The ski mask belonged to Whitey,
but you wore it and hid it out there in the desert
with the money that you stole.
[Spencer] Once we search this place,
I’m sure we’ll find the other clothes you wore.
Probably some more trinkets and souvenirs
from the robberies with your prints on ’em.
It all worked perfectly for you, Marge.
Once he was dead,
Whitey took the blame for your robberies.
All you had to do was plant part of the stolen money on Pete
to cover the murder, and you were home free.
All right.
I did the robberies, but I did not kill Whitey.
You’ll have a chance to tell that
to the circuit Judge.
Anything wrong, Mrs. Fletcher?
No, not anymore, Mr. Creech.
Marge Deaver is telling the truth.
Someone else killed her husband.
But to be absolutely sure, I’ll need to speak to the highway patrol.
[sniffles]
Hey, Cal.
How you doing, Spencer?
Where’s our mysterious Mr. Creech?
He checked out and left.
Can’t be. Well, we had an appointment
to write up the paperwork on the ruby ring
and the recovered money for his...
[telephone ringing]
Gila Grand Hotel.
Mmm-hmm. What?
[man] Mr. Creech was involved in a fatal accident.
Is the sheriff there?
You better hear this, Spencer.
It’s the highway patrol.
-Hello. -There’s been an accident.
A man named Creech ran off the road.
-Well, was he badly hurt? -Well, he’s dead.
We found the checkout receipt from the hotel
and a bag stuffed with a whole lot of cash.
-I mean, a whole lot. -I’ll be right out.
What happened, Spencer?
What happened?
[Jessica] It’s all there, Spencer.
The rest of the money you took after you killed Whitey Deaver.
You faked me out!
It was Mrs. Fletcher’s idea.
If we made you think that I’d located the money and run off with it,
you’d get nervous enough
to check where you’d hidden it.
And I led you right to it.
No, but, look, you’re jumping at the wrong conclusion.
[stammering] I mean, sure, I found the money, but I didn’t kill Whitey.
Tell him, Mrs. Fletcher.
It was the blood, Spencer. It got on everything, the money...
I mean, certainly it soaked the killer’s clothing
so when you got back in your tow truck,
blood got on the seat covers and...
What blood? There’s not a spot of blood anywhere.
Oh, you did a good job of cleaning up afterwards.
Probably burned your stained clothing
and scrubbed down the car’s interior.
Oh, I don’t have to listen to any more of this.
I didn’t realize it either,
until Marge tried to lower the blinds in the store
this afternoon.
She couldn’t, because the cord was twisted,
and that’s what made me remember.
[Spencer] Oh, come on. Does this make sense to you guys?
I remembered your seatbelt, Spencer.
I saw something then,
but it didn’t register at the time.
There was a spot on the belt
that wasn’t there the day before.
It was the one spot of blood that you missed
and it’s still there.
Maybe you think you cleaned
all the blood off the upholstery.
Now that the lab boys know where to look,
they’re sure to find more in the fabric.
Look, I never meant to kill anybody.
Whitey’d been acting suspicious,
so I followed him out to the desert.
And when I saw him knock Tiny unconscious
over the money, I moved in.
And decided to get rich for yourself.
No, no, no, it wasn’t like that exactly.
I mean, there was a moment when I could have arrested Whitey,
and then he pulled his knife and lunged at me,
made my bullet miss,
and I had to fight him for the damn knife.
Guess Whitey was reading my mind.
He was thinking if I had money like that,
I wouldn’t lose Deena.
It was the only way I could afford to leave Gila Junction
and go with her.
It’s now official. The Department of Highways
will be adding an off ramp to the freeway
about half a mile away.
Well, that should be good for business.
And that will be none too soon.
Well, honey, I guess you’re off.
Best of luck up north.
Thanks, dad.
Don’t you worry about your daddy, Deena.
I’m gonna take good care of him.
After everything that’s happened,
I am through chasing phantoms.
All I want now is to have a great relationship.
And more wonderful friends like you, Jessica.
Norma.
Well, Mrs. Fletcher, was I right?
About what?
Nothing ever happens in Gila Junction.
[laughs]