♪ Deck the halls with boughs of holly ♪
[Jessica] Tonight on Murder, She Wrote...
They certainly are an attractive couple.
Sure, they are.
They’ve got their health and they’re under 30.
Do you know what my problem is, Mrs. Fletcher?
Married or unmarried, makes no difference to her.
Someone ought to tell Wanda that nobody is gonna pay
for something that she gives away.
You promise you’ll always love me, no matter what?
Charlie, of course I will.
I can’t believe that Charlie intends
to marry you and then continue an affair with another woman.
You’re gonna be in for one hell of a surprise.
Merry Christmas.
[man] Ladies and gentlemen,
friends, neighbors, family, merry Christmas.
[woman] Merry Christmas.
Thank you for joining Mary and me
in welcoming a newcomer to Cabot Cove.
I give you Charles Davenport McCumber, late of the US army...
[man] All right, Charlie.
...who in June of
next year will be taking the hand of our treasured, wonderful
daughter, Elizabeth, in marriage.
[woman] Oh.
Well, they certainly are an attractive couple.
Oh, sure they are.
They’ve got their health and they’re under 30.
This time next year, he’ll be working for me and Irv Lazarus,
so you can take all your tax and accounting problems
directly to Charlie because Irv and I
are gonna be trying to take a couple of strokes off our golf game.
I don’t think that’s gonna sit too well
with the son of a certain partner.
Bert Lazarus, Irving’s son.
Well, isn’t he the office manager for the company?
Yes, but that’s not the same as being the Vice President,
and that is what Alan has promised his future son-in-law.
Charlie got himself an MBA in the army.
Oh, as I recall, poor Bert flunked math in high school.
Yeah.
And last but not least, because that’s her peach flambé dessert
you’ve all been moaning over, Amy Wainwright.
And we’ve got Floyd Bigelow of Benning Hardware
to thank for giving Amy enough time off to get the job done.
Floyd?
[man] Well, he was here a minute ago.
Come on, Floyd, aren’t they looking for you?
Huh?
Don’t you have to go back out there?
-Mm-hmm. -Mm-hmm?
Hi, Bert.
Could’ve knocked, Bert.
Aha.
Oh, Charlie, it’s beautiful.
How come nobody ever gave me anything like that?
Oh, Wanda, baby, do you really think
that you deserve something like that?
You think you got the world by the short hairs,
don’t you, Floyd?
I do. Isn’t that right, Bert?
Right, Floyd.
You know all I have to say?
You’re gonna be in for one hell of a surprise.
Someone ought to tell Wanda
that nobody is gonna buy something that she gives away.
How do you figure an army guy can afford a ring like that?
Oh, don’t let it eat you up, Bert.
She had my ring once.
Oh, for God’s sake, that was your high school ring.
She got the grades to go to Berkeley, you didn’t.
I got to stand by while a damn stranger
becomes a partner in my old man’s firm.
You know, I remember when you were a little girl,
you always talked about marrying a man in uniform.
Oh, yeah. Well, I got my signals crossed.
He was supposed to be a fireman.
Oh, you did.
Mrs. Fletcher, do you believe that someone can fall in love overnight?
Well, I certainly fell hard once,
but not overnight, mind you.
With Charlie it was just so sudden,
like he was so afraid of losing something.
Well, that something is you, Beth.
I understand that he was with the army in the Gulf War.
Yes.
Well, then he may have seen death and suffering,
and that can have an emotional effect on a man.
Beth told me that you didn’t have any folks, Charlie.
Right.
My sister and I grew up in foster homes.
Well, if it makes you feel any better,
as soon as those grandchildren start arriving,
they’ve always got a home here with Mary and me.
Maybe it’s selfish, but we figured they won’t go running off to California.
Excuse me, Mr. Forsythe, Mrs. Forsythe.
I haven’t met Mr. McCumber yet.
I’m Mort Metzger, Sheriff around here.
Welcome to Cabot Cove.
Nice to meet you, Mort. It’s Charlie.
Well, thanks. Listen, I heard you were
captain of your army pistol team. Is that right?
Beth sent us that army newspaper with a picture of you and your team.
Mort’s captain of ours.
You know, next Saturday is team practice.
We’ll have a weapon for you and you’d sure be real welcome.
Well, it just so happens I brought my weapon with me.
It’s at the hotel. You bet I’ll be there.
Oh, that’s great.
Hey, listen, you wouldn’t happen to be a tenor, would you?
I’m a fair shot, but no way a singer, except maybe in the shower.
That’s a pity. See you then.
Mort is also the leader of the Cabot Cove Caroleers.
You’re gonna see him tomorrow night at the Christmas shindig.
I heard my parents.
They’re already talking about grandkids?
Look, I have something important I have to talk to you about.
It looks like the only way you and I are ever gonna be able to spend some time
alone is if you come to my hotel room.
Wow.
Do I have to make an appointment?
Thank you, Mary.
Smell that, Seth.
No.
Smell what, Mrs. Fletcher?
Well, the air isn’t cold and wet.
It’s dry and crispy.
And there’s a wind from the north.
What Jessica is trying to say is that we’re in for a white Christmas.
Wishful thinking, Jessica.
Besides, snow leads to traffic accidents and frozen extremities.
Well, how do you like the car, Charlie?
Oh, it’s great.
Just a loaner, but I’m thinking about buying one.
Now, you’ll get a better deal in Portland.
That’s where I got mine.
Listen to him.
Floyd’s a killer of a dealmaker.
See you tomorrow, Charlie.
Floyd.
Tomorrow, Mrs. Fletcher.
Something wrong, Seth?
I don’t think so.
What gives you that idea?
Well, you’ve been going out of your way
to deny even a smidgen of Christmas spirit.
I guess it has come over that way.
Fact is, these last few days,
I’ve been reminded of when I was ten years old.
Oh. What happened when you were ten?
You’d think it was silly.
Try me.
Well, that was the Christmas I decided to sneak down
and explore under the tree, the way kids will do.
I was dead sure my pop had saved up to buy me a train set.
I remember the tingle of anticipation,
all those mysterious colorful packages.
Well, later that morning when I opened them up,
it wasn’t a train set.
No, it was underwear and socks.
Jess, I don’t think you can understand
how incredibly disappointing that is for a ten-year-old.
Oh, I think I do.
This year, with the world in the shape it’s in,
Christmas is a hollow promise.
We should not be looking for toys anymore.
It was lovely. Thanks so much.
Congratulations, Beth.
I gotta go on a buying trip to Portland tomorrow.
Should be back by about 11.
So, I’ll get the best deal I can for you, all right?
I appreciate that. Thanks.
Here, I’ll get it.
Thank you.
[woman on tape] Hello, there.
This is a friend of yours.
I know the game you’re playing.
Unless you want me to blow the whistle,
be at Sally’s Landing at 10:00 tonight.
[Beth] Charlie?
Bye, see you tomorrow night.
Merry Christmas.
Willie Nelson? I love him.
I didn’t know you liked--
Charlie, what’s the matter?
Sorry.
Hasn’t been enough of that lately.
You promise you’ll always love me, no matter what?
Charlie, of course I will.
You have that worried sound in your voice again.
I’ll pick you up for dinner at 6:30.
I’ll be waiting.
[woman on tape] Hello, there.
This is a friend of yours.
I know the game you’re playing.
Unless you want me to blow the whistle,
be at Sally’s landing at 10:00 tonight.
You and me have to come to a little business arrangement.
This way you have time to think about what it’s worth.
Bye.
Bye, Amy.
Merry Christmas, Mr. Nelson.
Merry Christmas.
[telephone ringing]
Here.
Mrs. Fletcher, I’m just on my way out to Portland,
but Amy will help you with whatever you need.
Oh, thank you.
Just the roll of paper, please, Amy.
And I’m gonna see you tomorrow night at the community center?
Certainly will.
Have a good trip.
I’ll have that January inventory breakdown for you when you get back.
You sure you have to leave so soon?
It’s just tonight I'm bushed.
I’m decorating at the community center in the morning.
I’ll be at the hotel prepping for the state CPA exams.
Pick me up at 6:00?
You bet.
You were right about the star.
Do you have the time, Jessica?
Yeah, it’s about 9:45.
Oh, the party’s tonight, but I gotta go.
I have to hold the fort till Floyd comes back from Portland.
Oh. Well, you run along, then.
Amy, leaving so early?
I’m assigned to balloons.
When I find them, what am I supposed to do with them?
They’re in the ladies’ lockers, Wanda.
Strangely enough, we’re doing what we usually do with balloons.
We’re blowing them up.
Oh, there’s also a helium tank in there,
just in case you may need it.
Wanda came from upstate.
She got a job with the city
and immediately started playing the field.
Married or unmarried, makes no difference to her.
Amy works in the hardware store, doesn’t she?
For Floyd Bigelow?
That’s right.
And she has been carrying a torch for him forever.
But as far as Floyd’s concerned, she doesn’t exist.
Fact is, Floyd has no respect for women.
Oh, dear.
And the poor girl has to work in the same office with him every day?
And wonder what he’s doing with his nights.
Jessica, with Wanda roaming around,
do you think that I should be worrying about Charlie?
Seems like his mind has been someplace else lately.
Why don’t you nab him? Ask him out to lunch.
Now?
Yes, right now.
I mean, get some of these doubts of yours out in the open, face to face.
Well, he’s over at the hotel working on his CPA exam.
You know, maybe I will around noon, if we’re finished here.
We will be.
Here you go, Linda.
Thanks.
[telephone ringing]
Benning Hardware.
It’s for you, Floyd.
Who is it?
Some lady. I didn’t ask.
I’ll take it in the back.
[muffled shouting]
We made it, Beth. Off you go.
-Thank you, Jessica. -Okay.
Oh, Jess, I need four more red balloons.
Oh, I’ll get them for you.
Thanks.
Absolutely, yes.
Beautiful.
Mary needs four red balloons.
Okay, I’ll tell you what.
I’ll trade you four red balloons for my lunch.
I think I left it up front.
It’s in a white plastic grocery bag.
Oh, don’t I see it in there?
I have personal business matters in there.
I shouldn’t have left it open.
Sorry.
Those are green balloons.
Whoops, right.
Do you know what my problem is, Mrs. Fletcher?
Yes, possibly achromatopsia.
You’re color blind, Wanda?
-Right. -Right.
No problem, these will do.
Surprise!
Charlie?
[woman on tape] Hello, there.
This is a friend of yours.
I know the game you’re playing.
Unless you want me to blow the whistle,
be at Sally’s Landing at 10:00 tonight.
You and me have to come to a little business arrangement.
This way you have time to think about what it’s worth.
Bye.
Charlie, I am so sorry.
Beth said to tell you that she is just not up to it.
Did she say what was wrong?
Who knows? It must have been something she had for lunch.
She was right as rain when she left the community center this morning.
She left?
12:30.
Why, I thought she went looking for you.
Are you sure Beth’s okay?
Oh, I’m sure she’ll be fine tomorrow, don’t worry.
Charlie, it’ll disappoint so many people
if you’re not there tonight.
Look, you can deliver best contribution
to the Fire Department’s toy fund for underprivileged kids.
-Now come on. -Come on.
♪ Deck the halls with boughs of holly ♪
♪ Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la ♪
♪ ’Tis the season to be jolly ♪
♪ Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la ♪
♪ Don we now our gay apparel ♪
♪ Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la ♪
♪ Troll the ancient yule-tide carol ♪
♪ Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la ♪
♪ See the blazing yule before us ♪
♪ Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la ♪
♪ Strike the harp and join the chorus ♪
It would be nice if it were a proper Christmas
and they had some real snow on those boughs of holly.
Oh, Seth, try to forget about the underwear and socks.
Look, we may not have snow on the ground,
but look at all those beautifully wrapped gifts
for those children who really need them,
and there’s a whole bunch of toys there, too.
♪ Sing we joyous, all together ♪
♪ Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la ♪
♪ Heedless of the wind and weather ♪
♪ Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la! ♪
Hey.
Thank you.
Jess, I haven’t danced the samba in years.
Oh, that was a samba? I thought I was doing the rumba.
Oh, no, no, if that had been the rumba,
I wouldn’t have been doing the box step, I would have been doing the cross,
and it wouldn’t have had all those nice dips.
Oh, is that what those were? Dips?
Oh, I’ve got to sit down.
Hey, Mrs. Fletcher, Doc, Charlie.
Oh, Sheriff, you’ve done such a wonderful job
with the Caroleers since last Christmas.
Thank you.
The nice thing about it is that
the Fire Department’s toy drive doubled what it did last year.
That’s wonderful.
Where is Mrs.?
Same as every year, taking baskets
for the poor down to that church in Grove Creek.
She’ll by later, though, if it’s not too late. Excuse me.
That reminds me, I’d better get into my Santa Claus suit.
What’s that about?
Oh, that’s the raffle.
You see, Seth matches the number on your dinner ticket,
and if you’re lucky, you might win a prize.
She’s on the raffle committee, but it’s just more foolishness.
Last year, I won a pair of sequined bedroom slippers.
Weren’t even my color.
Hello?
Yes.
Oh!
You’re doing wonderful, Charlie.
Thank you.
You’re a great dancer, too.
Thank you.
[man on mic] This is your last chance to buy extra raffle tickets
while the band takes a short break.
Santa Claus will be arriving soon.
Excuse me.
You know, I’d like to give Beth a call and see how she’s feeling.
Is there a phone around here?
Yeah, there’s one in the office, another one out by the lockers.
Oh, thanks.
Mrs. Fletcher, would you like some eggnog or some punch?
Oh, no thanks, Floyd.
Listen, you’re on the raffle committee.
Aren’t we supposed to be organizing things for Seth about now?
Sure are.
Perhaps we should rustle up some of the committee.
Yeah.
Where is Mattie Lazarus?
I saw Mary here a minute ago.
I’d better go get them.
Okay.
[gunshot]
Wanda?
Seth, what the hell was that shot?
It’s Wanda. She’s been shot.
She’s still alive, fellas, so easy.
Very easy.
Don’t ask me why or how, but her heart’s still beating.
What are her chances, Seth?
Next to none, I’m afraid.
I’ll go with her.
Sheriff, somebody dumped these in the bushes out back.
Handy disguise, wouldn’t you say, Mrs. F?
Must have been worn by whoever it was Charlie McCumber
saw just before he discovered Wanda.
Sheriff, Wanda’s locker was wide open and empty when we all came in.
Does that suggest anything to you?
Oh, what are you thinking? That something was stolen from it?
Well, I’m thinking that Wanda was very protective
about something in it this morning.
Whatever it was, it isn’t there now.
Providing a possible motive.
Some kind of shame, isn’t it?
You mean it being Christmas?
Yeah. It’s almost as though Doc stacked the deck against us.
You noticed that about Seth, too, huh?
Kind of hard not to notice.
I’ll have Andy drive you home, Mrs. F.
Thanks, Sheriff.
Andy.
[man] This city, being as small as it is, government’s run on a part-time basis
by businessmen like myself and Floyd here.
Wanda just kind of kept the whole thing glued together.
Yeah, the Mayor said that Wanda was the best executive assistant he ever had.
Ran the city like a well-organized household.
Did you just get here?
No, I’ve been in the kitchen.
Then you know what happened. How are you feeling?
What’s the matter?
I went to your hotel at noon.
I listened to the tape.
I saw you at the Light House Motel.
God.
Look, Beth, I can explain everything.
I’ve been wanting to so badly, but--
[Bert] Sheriff.
Look what I found.
Sure smells like it’s been fired recently to me.
Where did you find it, Bert?
Out in the bushes, back of the lockers.
This is army issue.
Charlie, what you said to me yesterday about having one of these at your hotel--
That’s mine, Sheriff.
Any idea how it got to where it got?
Hell, no.
Somebody must’ve stolen it from my hotel room.
Charlie, you don’t plan on leaving Cabot Cove in the next few days, do you?
What the hell are you insinuating, Metzger?
That’s okay, Alan.
Sheriff, I’m not going anywhere.
Not until all this is cleared up, anyway.
I’ll see you tomorrow, Beth.
[Seth] Wanda Andrews is still alive.
She struck me as a rather ornery young woman,
all gristle and not much heart.
Maybe it was the gristle that saved her life.
What do you mean by that?
Well, the bullet struck the occipital lobe,
a glancing blow, that was deflected in some
fluky fashion, centimeters from where it could have done real harm.
Dr. Nielson relieved the resulting hematoma.
I take it she showed more heart than you thought.
[door bell ringing]
Excuse me.
Beth, hello.
Mrs. Fletcher, I’m sorry it’s so early, but I just had to talk to you.
The Sheriff has arrested Charlie for Wanda Andrews’s murder.
[Seth] Oh, it’s not murder yet, young lady.
Not with the victim still alive and kicking.
Thank God.
Beth, come in.
They flew Charlie’s gun up to forensic experts
in Portland last night and found out that it was
the same weapon that was fired at Wanda.
This morning they went to his room,
they found this blackmail tape that was left in his car
threatening a disclosure of some kind.
They recognized Wanda’s voice.
But, Beth, there’s something odd about that.
I mean, how could Wanda know enough about Charlie to blackmail him?
All I know is he went to Sally’s Landing
on Monday night to meet her, Mrs. Fletcher.
He told me that he went there to reason with her,
but he couldn’t even summon the courage to face her.
[Seth] Now, hold it, Beth.
If he couldn’t face her,
where in the world did he find the courage to shoot her?
I’m wondering what it is that Wanda
had on Charlie or what she thought she had.
Well, why don’t I grab some shuteye and then get back to County Hospital?
Ladies.
Maybe it has something to do with this ring, Mrs. Fletcher.
It seems so expensive.
I can’t imagine where he got the money to buy it.
I told you how secretive he’s been.
I found out that there’s this girl,
she’s very pretty.
She’s been staying at the Light House Motel.
And Charlie’s been seeing her.
Now, Beth, I can’t believe
that Charlie intends to marry you
and then continue an affair with another woman.
[Wanda on tape] ...be at Sally’s Landing at 10:00 tonight.
You and me have to come to a little business arrangement.
This way you have time to think about what it’s worth.
Bye.
I hate to say it, Mrs. F,
but it sure seems to give Charlie a motive.
It’d help if we knew what his secret is.
Sheriff, as far as you know,
was Wanda Andrews out of Cabot Cove for any length of time last year?
Like where?
Well, like California?
Oh, no way, she was too busy.
You weren’t here when the Mayor and a bunch from the City Council
and their spouses took a hankering to go to Tokyo.
Tokyo? No, I certainly wasn’t.
All in the interest of trade relations.
Like we were gonna build a chain of Cabot Burgers on the Ginza.
Well, Floyd Bigelow went too, and while he was gone,
Wanda kept up the city books for him.
Now, when he came back,
Floyd complained that the books didn’t balance.
He cried for weeks about the cost of that trip.
Hey, Sheriff, Mrs. Fletcher.
I brought you the light bulbs you ordered.
Hey, Floyd, I was just telling Mrs. Fletcher
about the problems you had in the Tokyo junket.
Oh, the junket wasn’t a problem.
It’s when I got back from Tokyo,
there was something screwy with the city pension account.
The books said one thing,
but the banks and the S&L quarterlies I got said something else.
I mean $400,000 something else.
Are you saying that Wanda Andrews was involved in the discrepancies?
Yes, I think so.
I mean, there was some comingling
between the pension account and the short-term CDs.
And once these short-term CDs matured halfway through the summer,
I think Wanda recorded them as rollovers,
when in fact she forged the signature and cashed them out.
Well, unless she recovers and tells someone
what she did with the money,
the pension fund is gonna be out $400,000.
That means a lot of pensioners are gonna find
nothing but a hole in their Christmas stockings.
I am blasted if that isn’t the meanest thing a person can do,
depriving retired folk of their independence.
Another good reason to keep Wanda alive, Seth.
I mean, she is the only person that can help us to locate the money.
Yeah.
But the question in my mind
is what was it that provoked the attack on her life?
I mean, was it her own blackmail scheme or was it her knowledge of the investment?
Hmm, well, that is two different kettles of fish.
And who was she blackmailing?
I mean, the tape that I heard in the Sheriff’s office
could have been directed at almost anyone.
At the same time, there was something downright personal about it.
Then if the intended victim was somebody else,
Wanda might have become impatient and contacted them directly.
And he or she retaliated by trying to kill Wanda.
Jess, I hate to bring this up, but if Charlie’s gun was stolen,
you have to consider who had access to Charlie’s room at the hotel.
I know, Beth.
Like anybody else from here,
she could have recognized Wanda’s voice on the tape,
tried to kill her to protect Charlie.
Sorry, I just don’t believe that of Beth.
You just don’t or you’d rather not?
Well, I’d better be getting back to the hospital.
Thanks for the coffee.
[knocking on door]
Yes?
Hello. My name is Jessica Fletcher.
I’d like to ask you about Charlie McCumber.
Come on in.
Thank you.
I heard the news on the radio,
and they say Charlie tried to kill some woman.
This is-- it’s all a crazy nightmare.
Look, I’d like to help if I can.
Now first of all, if I may ask you,
what is Charlie McCumber to you?
I’m Monica, his sister.
Oh, for heaven’s sakes, Monica, all is not lost.
What do you mean?
Well, first of all, I’m gonna make you a cup of tea.
Then you’ll be able to pull yourself together
and then you’re gonna tell me what all this odd business is about.
Momma? Momma?
Is that your little girl, Monica?
No, this is Belinda, Charlie’s little girl.
Back in California, before he met Beth Forsythe,
Charlie was going with a girl named Belinda Nordstorm.
Ah, little Belinda’s mother, I take it.
She and Charlie were planning to get married,
but Charlie’s outfit was suddenly
called to the Persian Gulf,
and while he was away,
Belinda died in childbirth.
And you took charge of the baby?
Charlie was mentally and emotionally destroyed.
Until he met Beth Forsythe,
and then his whole life just seemed to turn around.
They fell in love.
But he didn’t tell her about the baby.
Well, why ever not?
Well, it’s difficult to explain.
First, he was afraid of Beth’s reaction to Belinda’s illegitimacy.
He didn’t want Beth to go out of his life
the way Belinda had.
You see, we lost our parents when we were young.
Charlie’s whole life has been about losing people he loves.
And that’s why he postponed telling Beth.
I know it seems ridiculous.
But when Charlie came to Cabot Cove,
he faced the prospect of telling Beth’s parents, too.
I know the Forsythes and they’re good people.
But I can see how in Charlie’s eyes,
they’re the very ones who are depending on him
for their grandchildren.
Not somebody else’s illegitimate child.
I mean, they’ve guaranteed him a new start,
a place in the community.
I find it very hard to believe that Wanda Andrews,
knowing Charlie’s secret,
would attempt to blackmail him on something so harmless.
Of course, the colors.
Why didn’t I think of it before?
It was all an accident.
What colors?
Well, in this case, the red and the green.
Thank you, Belinda.
May I use your phone?
Oh, please, but--
And I’ll need a phone book.
Unless you need anything else, I’ll be going now.
Oh, yeah, you go ahead, Amy.
Oh, and tomorrow’s Christmas Eve,
so we’ll be closing around noon.
And when you go, do you mind turning out the lights?
Merry Christmas, Floyd.
Well, Merry Christmas to you too, Amy.
[telephone ringing]
[Jessica] Floyd?
Oh, yes, Mrs. Fletcher. What can I do for you?
[Jessica] Floyd, I may have a lead on those
missing pension funds that you were talking about.
[Floyd] You don’t say?
I was wondering if you could meet me
at the community center at about 7:00.
Well, can’t this wait till after the holidays?
Well, it really can’t.
It’ll only take a few minutes of your time.
Seven o'clock, well, that’s in an hour.
I guess I can meet you.
Where exactly would you like to meet?
In the ladies’ locker room.
And, Floyd, please bring a key to Wanda Andrews’s locker.
Look, how in the hell would I have
a key to Wanda Andrews’s locker, Mrs. Fletcher?
[Jessica] Well, you cut keys for the community center, don’t you?
Like you do for all the hotels and motels in town?
Yes, I suppose you’re right.
In which case, you must keep masters.
Yes, I do. It’s gonna take a little time, though, but I can do it.
Oh, and, Floyd, it might be a good idea if you brought Amy.
[door closes]
Amy just left, Mrs. Fletcher.
I’ll be there though.
Thank you.
[Amy] It’s not in there, Floyd.
I took everything out yesterday for safekeeping.
Amy, why are you all dolled up?
What the hell are you doing here?
Well, that’s a pretty funny question coming from you.
It is the ladies’ locker room.
You know, I always knew Wanda had something valuable in there,
but I never knew what it was,
until she called yesterday and tried to blackmail you.
What do you know about that?
I listened.
When you were in Tokyo and she found out how you’d robbed those pension accounts
and put the money in those three bank accounts in Portland,
I always knew about that, Floyd,
but I never told anyone.
Oh, God.
You killed Wanda?
I always thought it was Charlie--
You thought it was Charlie McCumber,
and poor dead Wanda would take the blame for the money you stole.
Well, yesterday I wrote her a note from you
and I told her to meet you here during the party last night.
So I’m still in the clear.
I mean, no one knows the difference.
Well, except me, Floyd.
I’ll share the money with you, Amy.
It’s not about the money, Floyd.
It’s what you give to everybody else.
Can't this...
Can’t this wait?
They’ll be here pretty soon.
Just make me think that what I did was worthwhile.
Please, Floyd.
Amy, I can’t have you hanging around my neck
for the rest of my life! Don’t you understand that?
[Mort] Police! Freeze right there.
Now!
Amy Wainwright,
I’m arresting you for attempted murder.
Attempted murder?
I thought Wanda was dead.
Lucky for Amy, she’s alive.
Doc Hazlitt and some high-priced surgeon
are over at County General trying to keep her that way.
Floyd, I’m arresting you for being an accessory after the fact
and for embezzlement of city funds,
and in the present circumstances, assault with a deadly weapon.
Why did you have to get involved with this?
Wanda deserved anything she got.
Because it was Wanda’s mistake that brought Charlie McCumber into it,
and at that point I had to be involved.
What do you mean mistake?
When Floyd was away last summer, Wanda discovered his embezzlement
and decided to blackmail him.
Evidently, she didn’t want to confront him directly at first,
so she chose a rather bizarre,
nonetheless effective, way to set him up.
She left a blackmail tape in what she thought was his car.
Wanda is color blind and unable to distinguish green from red.
Except for color, Floyd’s car is identical to Charlie’s,
so she put the tape in Charlie’s car by mistake.
When no one showed up at Sally’s Landing on Monday night,
Wanda decided to call Floyd directly,
only that was the night that he was in Portland.
So she had to wait until yesterday to call him,
when he was at the store
and you were there to listen in.
At the Forsythes’s party, you heard Charlie say
he had his service weapon at the hotel.
Getting a key was simple, since Benning Hardware supplied
most of our local places with keys.
So you got Charlie’s gun and a Santa Claus outfit
and waited for Wanda right here in the ladies’ locker room.
I couldn’t let her hurt you.
I didn’t know what it was gonna be like to shoot somebody.
She came in and I shot once.
I was so scared, I didn’t even wait to see if she were dead or alive.
I just cleared out the locker and I left.
I was always there for you and you never noticed.
The only thing I ever wanted
was to have you pay attention to me.
I didn’t want to get Charlie McCumber in trouble,
I just wanted to save Floyd.
So tell me, Mrs. F, what was Charlie McCumber’s secret?
Well, that’s not for me to say.
But I don’t think it’ll be a secret much longer.
Oh, I had to be crazy to doubt Beth and her folks.
Well, Beth knows that you were afraid of losing her,
and that’s what counts for her.
And if you have any doubts about her being an instant mother,
how about a couple of instant grandparents?
[Charlie] Thank you, Mrs. Fletcher.
It’s a Christmas I’ll never forget.
Nice young man.
Oh, Seth, I’d given you up for lost.
I was at the hospital checking on Wanda Andrews.
She’s gonna be all right.
Oh, thank goodness.
That’s great.
Just a little something.
Oh, well, I’ve got yours here, too.
Oh.
Well, let’s see.
A train.
I deserve that.
The little train that could.
Tonight, when Wanda pulled through
and I was part of it,
Jess, suddenly everything seemed brighter.
Then Frank was right,
when he said that Christmas should remind us
of what could be, not what is.
Yeah.
I hate to admit it,
but I guess I was still looking under the tree.
♪ We wish you a merry Christmas ♪
♪ And a happy New Year ♪
♪ We wish you a merry Christmas ♪
♪ And a happy New Year ♪
♪ Good tidings to you, where ever you are ♪
♪ Good tidings for Christmas and a happy New Year ♪
♪ We wish you a merry Christmas ♪
♪ And a happy New Year ♪
♪ Good tidings to you, where ever you are ♪
♪ Good tidings for Christmas and a happy new year ♪
♪ We wish you a merry Christmas ♪
♪ And a happy New Year ♪
[man] Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas, Jess.
Merry Christmas, Seth.