If you intend to write about Ellen Lombard,
I advise you not to.
If he kept his zipper up more often
he wouldn’t have so much to deny, now would he?
[Jessica] Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.
I won’t let that woman hurt Ellen,
no matter what I have to do.
We’re in the same racket.
My books are fiction. Yours are only half fiction.
I believe there’s a difference.
Jane.
Oh, God.
[Lieutenant] Call 911. Get me some backup.
[theme music]
[upbeat orchestral music]
[indistinct chatter and laughter]
[Mr. Griswold] Wow! I tell you,
I have been a fan of yours for many years J.B.
I mean, what you need is proper representation.
That’s what you need. [chuckles]
Uh, waiter, excuse me, I'll have another drink here. Thanks.
-Fine, you okay, okay. -[Jessica] Mm-hmm.
[Mr. Griswold] You see, it’s not in the advance,
or even in the royalties, J.B.,
I mean, the really heavy action is in the ancillary rights.
Yes, that’s what my agent tells me.
Well, have you ever considered changing agents? [chuckles]
Oh, before I made a move like that
I'd have to give it a great deal of consideration,
Mr. Griswold.
[laughter]
[man] Oh, Mrs. Fletcher,
I was talking to our people in promotion.
And now that we actually have you in town for a while
I thought maybe we could work up a criminology angle
for the book section of The Times.
Well, give me a couple more weeks
to kind of catch my breath and then we’ll talk about it.
-[woman gushing] I love your books. -[indistinct chatter]
Thank you. Thank you. Keep buying.
There’s Jane Dawson.
Her unauthorized biography of senator Edward Crawford
has only been out three weeks
and it’s already in second printing.
Well, if he had any plans for the oval office,
he can sure kiss 'em goodbye now. [chuckles]
Uh, have you read it, Mrs. Fletcher?
Well, someone sent it to me, but I haven’t had a chance.
I don’t know how she gets away with it.
You suppose all this stuff is true?
Well, I have no idea.
But, speaking for myself
I'd rather get my fact and fiction in different books. [chuckles]
Well, I better go say hello. Excuse me.
[Mr. Griswold] Hi, Jane.
J.B. Fletcher.
Someone told me you’d be here.
I’m Jane Dawson.
How do you do, Miss Dawson?
Call me Jane.
So, I hear you’re in New York now.
Smart move. This is where it happens.
New Hampshire’s loss is our gain.
Well, I'm just sort of camping here.
And it’s Maine.
We have to talk J.B....
My research people tell me you’re a close friend of Arthur Brent.
I’ve got to mingle right now, but I'll call you.
We’ll do lunch.
Who’s Arthur Brent?
[mysterious music]
[Jane] Stanley, turn down the volume. You’ll blow out your pacemaker.
So, the senator is calling a press conference.
Wonderful.
The more he denies, the more people will buy the book.
If he kept his zipper up more often
he wouldn’t have so much to deny, now would he?
Stanley, that’s not my problem.
The little twit should have divorced him a long time ago.
Stanley, I never said that.
Gloria Van Damme said that.
Look on page 217.
There are quotation marks.
I’ve got her on tape.
Stanley, you just keep counting the money
and let me write the books.
-What have you got? -Pay dirt.
For a weekend in St. Thomas and five Ben Franklins,
our little clerk at Gledvale Sanitarium came up with her medical records.
You were right.
Like I always tell you, Kristy,
everybody’s got something they're ashamed of.
All we have to do is dig it out.
Take this list of Hollywood people.
Get on the phone with your pick and shovel.
There’s gotta be somebody that hated her guts.
-There always is. -Right.
Oh, your sister wants to talk to you,
-if you have a minute. -Sure.
Okay. [calling out] Beth?
Hi, sweetie. You got a problem?
Do I have to have a problem to talk to you?
Never. But I am a little busy.
Got a new book working.
It’s just that I was a little worried.
About what?
I heard you and Steve fighting last night. Is anything wrong?
Beth... don’t eavesdrop.
And don’t concern yourself with Steve,
unless of course, he ever lays a finger on you,
in which case you tell me about it
and I'll rip his liver out.
That’s silly.
I don’t even like Steve.
In fact, I can’t imagine why you ever married him.
It’s not that complicated, honey.
Steve is tall, he looks great in a tuxedo, and he's terrific in bed.
Jane, I wish you wouldn't...
Look, Steve and I had a little disagreement last night.
Nothing serious.
Happens all the time to married people.
He went out to the house in the Hamptons to cool off for a couple of days.
Nothing to worry your pretty little head over, okay?
Now look, go buy yourself something pretty.
Now get out of here. I’ve got work to do.
Kristy, why hasn’t J.B. Fletcher returned my call?
Jessica, there you are.
You are hard to track down.
Uh, actually, Miss Dawson, I'm expecting--
[Jane] Right. My girl Kristy called your publisher.
He said he was meeting you here for lunch.
I moved him back an hour so we could have time for a little chat.
-I’m sorry, but-- -Look, our time is valuable.
Let’s cut to the chase.
You’re on intimate terms with Arthur Brent and his wife Ellen Lombard.
I know they have been up to Cabot Cove to visit you a few times.
Arthur and Ellen are my friends and because they are my friends--
[Jane] Okay, so Ellen Lombard hasn’t made a movie in 15 years.
She got three nominations and two Oscars in the early ’70s.
Her face is on TV every week.
People are still interested in Ellen Lombard,
or they will be soon.
As her friend you could help her.
She has dropped out of public life.
All she asks is for a little privacy.
Mrs. Fletcher, you must know that the famous "nervous breakdown"
Ellen Lombard had was really a suicide attempt.
I’ve heard she’s hooked on tranquilizers and is heavily into booze
and probably other controlled substances.
You could protect her from these ugly stories
by telling me the truth.
Miss Dawson, I don’t gossip about my friends
and I certainly don’t talk to somebody
who will twist every detail to titillate her readers
in order to sell more books.
If you plan to write about Ellen Lombard,
I advise you not to do it,
unless you want to lay yourself open to a very serious lawsuit.
I hope you got that on your tape recorder.
[tape recorder clicks]
My books are very thoroughly documented.
I’ve never lost a lawsuit.
Oh, yes, I'm sure it’s quite easy if you have a stomach for it
to get people to say vicious things about someone and quote them.
She put herself in the public eye, not me.
I think you’ll find that anybody who really knows Ellen Lombard
will have nothing unkind to say about her.
Oh, sure. Everybody loves Ellen Lombard.
That’s why I'll have a dynamite bestseller.
When people find out that America’s sweetheart
is now a lush and a pill addict,
they’ll be standing in line to buy the book.
Why do you think people buy your books?
Because somebody gets killed and somebody takes the fall.
We’re in the same racket.
My books are fiction.
Yours are only half fiction.
I believe there’s a difference.
Let me appeal to your practical side, Mrs. Fletcher.
Your name will sell a few copies, too.
Play along and you’ll look good.
If you don’t,
well... some of the dirt could land on you.
Miss Dawson, will you please leave while I am still in control of my temper?
[dramatic anticipatory music]
[Jessica] Arthur, as Ellen’s husband I thought you’d want to know
what Jane Dawson is planning to do.
That damn woman.
Ellen has suffered enough.
Well, there must be something that we can do, Arthur.
Jessica, if you only knew the shape she was in
when everything was coming apart in Hollywood.
Oh, Arthur, I do know.
Thank God, she had you.
I mean, no one could have been more loving or protective.
I mean, I really honestly think it was your marriage that saved her.
I’m only sorry we couldn’t have been more together these past two years.
Well, after her suicide attempt,
and let’s face it, that’s what it was,
I swore that nobody would ever hurt her again.
But you’ve been so happy.
I mean, the last time you were in Cabot Cove,
I've never seen two people more, more serene, more in love.
And if dropping out,
and practically vanishing from the public eye,
is what it takes,
I'll prescribe that for anyone.
But, please, let’s all get together soon.
Ellen won’t see anyone anymore.
You mean she wouldn’t even wanna see me?
Jessica, she doesn’t want anyone to know,
but about a year ago she had a severe stroke.
Oh, Arthur.
It’s affected her legs and you know how silly and vain she is.
She just doesn’t want anyone to see her like that.
Poor darling.
But, she is making progress. Really, she is.
But, uh, if this book comes out,
it will kill her.
[ominous dramatic music]
Jessica, I won’t let that woman hurt Ellen...
no matter what I have to do.
[Beth] When you married Jane, Steve,
you must have known her career came first.
[Steve] I don’t know how these arguments get started, Beth.
I guess, I'm just jealous of her work.
Sometimes, I think she doesn’t really need me.
Of course, she needs you.
Jane may seem very strong, but everyone needs love.
I don’t know why we’ve never spoken like this before.
I guess I felt you never really liked me.
I don’t know where you ever got that idea.
Anyway, I got to thinking, out there...
I love Jane.
I think she loves me too.
So, why don’t we just talk it out.
And that’s why I stopped by class tonight to bring you back with me.
You're the only one she ever really listens to.
Uh, maybe we could sit down, talk it out,
you know, be friends again.
[Steve] Who’s that?
[Beth] No idea.
I guess she’s got a little company in the night.
Yeah, well, who’d be coming to the house at eleven o’clock?
Steve, she’s in there by herself.
Let’s go in.
[funky anticipatory music]
[tense anticipatory music]
Jane?
[Steve] Why don’t you take a look in the living room,
I'll take a look in the kitchen.
[tense anticipatory music]
[Steve] Jane!
-Jane, you all right? -Jane?
[tense dramatic music]
[Steve] Jane?
-[Beth cries out] -[tense dramatic music]
[Steve] Jane!
-Jane! -[dramatic anticipatory music]
[suspenseful music]
Oh, God.
-No, no, no, please. -[Beth cries out]
[Steve] Call the police. Beth, call the police.
[tense suspenseful music]
[upbeat orchestral music]
[Jessica] Good morning, Ahmed.
Oh, good morning, Mrs. Fletcher.
-Your newspaper. -Thank you so much.
Oh, Ahmed, I wonder if you could help me with something.
You know, this market around the corner,
it’s very convenient, but the produce isn’t very fresh.
I wonder if you could suggest somewhere else in the neighborhood.
Oh, most certainly, Mrs. Fletcher.
I know an excellent little market.
Everything always fresh.
My cousin is employed there.
Regrettably it is not close,
but for special clients like yourself, Mrs. Fletcher,
my cousin would be most happy to deliver.
[Jessica] Yes, well, thank you, Ahmed. I’ll get to you on that.
There’s no extra charge.
[anticipatory music]
[Ellen] Yes, Jessica, it has been too long.
I can’t tell you how thrilled we both were when you called yesterday.
Ellen, what is this that Arthur tells me about you not seeing anyone.
[Ellen] I just can’t.
Not even old friends?
[Ellen] I’m sorry.
You know my apartment is only a few minutes from you by taxi.
[Ellen] Jessica.
[chuckles] Well, what do you say, I get hold of some Maine lobsters.
They say you can get anything in New York.
I’ll bring them over.
We’ll have an old fashioned New England dinner.
Of course, Jessica, that would be wonderful.
We’ll get together soon.
Soon as I, I feel just a little stronger.
Ellen, is Arthur there?
He’s gone out, Jessica.
Dear sweet Arthur,
he’s cooped up so much of the time looking after me.
Last night he was here reading to me all evening.
It was well past midnight before we went to bed.
Yes, well, I'm sure that’s where he wanted to be, with you.
Will you ask him to call me when he gets back?
[Ellen] Will you be home?
Yes.
And we’ll talk again soon.
[Ellen] Yes, soon.
Bye.
[mysterious music]
Do you have some information about the homicide, ma’am?
Well, no, not exactly.
That is to say I did see Miss Dawson yesterday
and I thought it might be of some interest to the authorities
if I could just have a word with the officer in charge.
What was the name, ma’am?
Jessica Fletcher.
-Thank you, Phil. -Yes.
Jessica Fletcher?
Yes.
Look, I'm sure you’re very busy but--
Right! Ah, your name was on the victim’s calendar.
Lunch, yesterday.
That’s right.
Jessica Fletcher.
I know that name from somewhere. Publishing?
Well, actually, I am a writer.
The writer. Of course, I've heard of you.
Very nice to meet you.
[laughing] Henry Gerard, Lieutenant, Homicide.
Oh, how do you do, Lieutenant Gerard?
Say, could you stick around?
I’d like to talk to you about something.
Oh, yes, yes, of course.
Exactly what happened here?
Electrocution.
Eight years in homicide, first one I run into.
Come on, I'll show you.
[Jessica] Uh-huh.
[mysterious music]
The lady was in the tub when we got here.
The water was still warm.
Well, the guy comes in, pushes the TV into the tub...
enough juice to put her lights out permanently.
-11:03 p.m. last night. -Oh, how awful. You said 11:03 p.m.?
Yeah, blew the circuit breakers that stopped every clock in the house
and we got two witnesses.
Who actually saw the murder?
No, the lady’s husband and sister saw the perp running down the stairs.
I was about to get a statement from the sister.
And then a few seconds after the lights went out,
this man came running down the stairs in the dark.
I was terrified.
Now, this would have been a couple of minutes after 11:00 p.m.?
[barely audibly] Yeah.
[Jessica] Here.
Just take your time.
-[Beth sniffs] -[Jessica] Miss Dawson,
you said that you and Steve Lockner just came in.
Had you been somewhere together?
[sniffs] Steve had been out at the summer house in the Hamptons.
He picked me up after my night class about 10:15 p.m..
[stammers] He wanted to talk about Jane.
See, they had some silly argument.
And he wanted me to come in with him and try to help smooth things over.
An argument? About what?
[Beth] I don’t know. [sniffs]
Jane told me it was something silly. Nothing to worry about.
Anyway, Steve and I were sitting outside in the car talking
when we saw the man come to the door.
This man... how would you describe him?
I guess he was about, um, 60,
tall, well-dressed.
I had never seen him before.
You know a lot of people in the writing business, Mrs. Fletcher,
this description ring any bells for you?
It could be just about anyone, Lieutenant.
Well, I'm afraid I have to meet someone.
I’m so sorry for your loss, Miss Dawson.
I hope I haven’t taken up too much of your time, Lieutenant.
Oh, no, no.
As a matter of fact, I still wanna talk to you.
You mind dropping by the precinct later?
Oh, of course.
[mysterious music]
[Arthur] I'm afraid Ellen lied to you, Jessica.
Look, Arthur, if I'm going to be any help at all
you’ll have to tell me the truth.
Yeah.
Well, about ten o’clock last night I telephoned her
and made some threats.
And what did Miss Dawson say?
She must have been in a hot tub because I could hear the water churning.
Anyway, she agreed to discuss the situation
and suggested that I come over at eleven o’clock.
Uh-huh, she may have been planning to record your conversation.
Well, I appeared promptly at 11:00 p.m., but there was no reply to the doorbell.
Well, I tried the doorknob and it was unlocked.
Go on.
I could hear the tub churning upstairs,
so I assumed that she couldn’t hear me when I called.
There was nothing to do but go up.
And she was still in the hot tub?
[sighs] Jessica, it was terrible.
The tub roiling,
the TV and the water with her and she was dead.
Jessica, I swear to you, she was already dead when I found her.
But, Arthur, why didn’t you call the police?
I was thinking of that.
But suddenly I heard voices downstairs and then the lights went out.
I panicked. I, I just ran out of there.
Look, Arthur, if what you say is true
and I do believe you,
you have to come forward and tell the police what happened.
You are right.
I’ll see my lawyer and then go to the police.
One thing that is encouraging,
the homicide detective is very friendly.
I’m not sure why.
[upbeat orchestral music]
[Lieutenant] Okay, routine stuff, Miss Parrish,
but we have to get a statement.
Now, what capacity were you employed by the victim?
-I was her research assistant. -[Lieutenant] Aha.
And-- Mrs. Fletcher, come in, please.
-I’ll be through here in a minute. -Thank you.
-[Lieutenant] Sit down. -[Jessica] Thank you.
This is Kristy Parrish, Jane Dawson’s research assistant.
-[Jessica] Uh-huh. -Jessica Fletcher, the writer.
How do you do, Miss Parrish?
It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Fletcher.
I admire your work.
-Thank you. -[Lieutenant chuckles]
Yes, well, do you want some coffee?
Oh, no, no thank you.
I hope I'm not interrupting something here.
Oh, no, I'm glad you came. There’s something I wanna show you.
I’ll be wrapped up here in a minute.
Uh... [clears throat] Okay,
now, uh, what time did you leave work last night?
Uh, just before 8:00 p.m..
The film I went to catch started at 8:30.
And Miss Dawson was alone at home when you left?
Yes. She was still working. She never stopped.
Apparently, she was watching television.
Uh, yeah, she used to catch up on the news
and return phone calls when she was in the tub.
Well, thanks, Miss Parrish.
If there is anything else we’ll be in touch.
[Kristy] Right.
-It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Fletcher. -Thank you.
Now, that’s odd.
What?
Well, Kristy Parrish said that she left the house at eight o’clock.
But I saw a telephone message marked 9:45 p.m.
signed Kristy lying on the hall table.
Well, maybe she got confused.
Anyway, we know a man murdered Jane Dawson at 11:00 p.m..
Here, take a look at this.
My goodness, you have this case file together already?
This is not a case file. It’s my manuscript.
-Your manuscript. -It’s kind of rough.
Basically it’s just notes on my best cases.
Take it with you. Read it. It will knock your socks off.
Oh, I'm sure, it’s fascinating reading.
I figured it was destiny when you showed up yesterday.
The way I see it, a hotshot writer like yourself
can take my stuff and whip it into a bestseller
and then we’ll split the profits right down the middle.
Does that sound fair?
[chuckling] Oh, that’s very generous.
But you see, Lieutenant, this isn’t the way I usually work.
I-- well, I like to develop my own material,
put my own personal stamp on my own books.
I’m sure you understand.
Oh, sure. Take it and run with it.
I’m not very good at spelling, punctuation, things like that anyway.
-Use your own words. -[knocking at door]
Come in.
-Lieutenant Gerard? -Yes.
I’m Arthur Brent and this is my attorney Gerald Albian.
-Hello, Jessica. -Hello, Arthur.
This guy a publisher friend of yours, Mrs. Fletcher?
Oh, not a publisher. My very dear friend.
It was Mrs. Fletcher who persuaded me to come forward, you see.
I am the man who left Jane Dawson’s home last night at eleven o’clock.
Mrs. Fletcher, I checked you out with some of the guys in the precinct.
You’ve got quite a reputation. I can sure see why.
Well, I think that you should listen to what Arthur has to say.
I’m sure I'm gonna enjoy working with you.
You just wrapped up the case for me
and you got the killer to come in and surrender.
[dramatic music]
[Kristy] I wouldn’t be wasting your time, M.. Bannon,
if I wasn’t convinced you’d be interested.
Just hear me out, please.
Jane Dawson was one of Wedgewood press’s biggest ticket authors.
We published her first book
and nurtured her career over the years, yes.
She made you a ton of money, Mr. Bannon.
And just because she is dead, it doesn’t mean it has to end.
Just exactly what are you proposing?
I was her research assistant.
She taught me everything she knew.
I wrote half of the senator Crawford book.
Are you making some claim against profits now that she is dead?
You still don’t get it, do you?
I’ve got all the research on her next victim.
I want a book contract.
And who was the subject of Jane’s next biography?
Ellen Lombard.
Yours is hardly a name to be reckoned with in American letters, Miss--
Neither was Jane Dawson five years ago.
If you’re not interested...
Kendon House will be.
Sit down, Miss Parrish.
[dramatic music]
[Lieutenant] Lunch is on me, Mrs. Fletcher.
I’ll keep the receipt and take it out of our profits.
-[chuckles] Strict accounting, right? -[chuckles] Yeah.
You should've had the pastrami. It’s terrific here.
Uh, 50-50 sound okay with you?
Well, that’s very generous, Lieutenant.
Of course, I haven’t even had a chance to look over your manuscript.
Actually, what I'm more interested in
is our present project, the Dawson murder.
[Lieutenant] Oh, I already got that locked.
I’m going to the DA tomorrow.
But, isn’t that a little premature?
I mean, Arthur Brent swore that Miss Dawson was dead
-when he got there. -Ah, they all lie, trust me.
But, at least, he came forward of his own volition
and with Miss Dawson’s body in the hot water,
well, it’s gonna be very difficult to establish the time of death.
Now, we already know when she died
from when the circuits blew and the lights went out.
-But-- -Being a woman,
you probably don’t know too much about,
you know, circuits and fuses.
I’m going back over there right now.
Why don’t you come along and I'll explain it to you
and we can talk about our book on the way over.
-Mmm? -[Jessica sighs]
I can’t think of anything I'd rather do.
[Lieutenant] Color TV has a zillion watts of juice.
Now the pipes and the tub make a terrific ground
and water conducts electricity pretty good.
Yes, I do understand how it works, Lieutenant.
So, when this Brent guy pushes the TV into the tub,
it’s like throwing the switch on the electric chair.
Oh, yes, I ran across that means of murder before.
You have? First time for me.
Oh, Lieutenant Gerard, I didn’t realize you were here.
-Mrs. Fletcher. -Miss Parrish.
-Cleaning up some loose ends? -Uh, yes, as a matter of fact,
now that Jane, uh, Miss Dawson is dead, I'll be looking for another job.
I was just clearing out some of my personal possessions.
Oh, really? [chuckles]
People usually take things like potted plants,
pictures, old scarves, comfortable shoes,
things like that, but that looks more like papers to me.
Yes, but they’re my papers.
Yes, but nothing should be taken away from a crime scene.
Don’t you agree, Lieutenant?
Oh, right, absolutely.
Why don’t you check back with us in a few days?
We’ll make sure you get your stuff back.
Fine, whatever you say.
Just be sure I get these back.
Lieutenant, it occurred to me
that there might be some very interesting background information about the case
tucked in here with Miss Dawson’s papers.
And since you’re so busy,
maybe I could help you to go through them.
Sure. Maybe we’ll get a line on Arthur Brent’s motive.
-Motive? -[Lieutenant] Mmm.
Yes, well, I suppose that is something that you should try to establish.
Arthur Brent had one hell of a motive, Lieutenant. Ellen Lombard.
The movie star?
He was married to her.
You’re Ellen Lombard’s friend?
Let me explain it to you, Lieutenant.
Ellen Lombard was the subject of my wife’s next book.
People can get pretty paranoid
when they think that Jane is about to hang their dirty little secrets out to dry.
You’re saying
that Arthur Brent didn’t want the victim writing this book about his wife?
Oh, Lieutenant, I'm sure there are many others
who might have had a reason to kill Miss Dawson.
Arthur Brent was furious about that book.
He even offered her a couple of million not to write it.
That’s the one piece we were missing.
Did you know about this, Mrs. Fletcher?
[telephone ringing]
-About the book? -[Lieutenant] Mmm.
-Oh, well, actually, as a matter of fact-- -Lieutenant, it’s for you.
-[Jessica sighs] -[Lieutenant] Excuse me.
Oh, my goodness, I'm gonna have to dash.
Uh, Lieutenant, I'll phone you later.
-[Lieutenant] Gerard.Yeah. Yeah -[upbeat orchestral music]
[Jessica] Ellen Lombard’s medical history.
And I thought medical records were supposed to be confidential.
[mysterious music]
[Jessica] Elizabeth Pruitt's birth certificate.
Tupelo, Mississippi, October 15th 1962.
[telephone ringing]
Hello?
Hi, partner, I checked out that phone message.
You know, the one marked 9:45 p.m. signed Kris?
Well, it turns out it’s from Jane Dawson’s attorney,
Barry McAdams.
He’s on his way over here to make a statement.
I thought you might want to pop over.
Yes, thank you, Lieutenant. I’ll be there in just a few minutes.
[mysterious music]
Kristy took that message.
She told me that Jane was busy.
And did she call you back?
Yes, she called me at home at 10:02 p.m..
We only talked for about a moment.
It was very difficult to hear over that hot tub turbulence.
So, she was in the hot tub at ten o’clock?
Yes, that’s where she unwinds and returns her calls.
Anyway, she got another call. She has call waiting. [chuckles]
She said she’ll call me back the next day.
Mr. McAdam, what did you and Miss Dawson talk about?
Well, Mrs. Fletcher,
I'm afraid that falls under client confidentiality.
A murder has been committed and your client is dead.
Well, she told me she intended
to initiate divorce proceedings against her husband.
Steve Lockner.
There’s a pre-nuptial agreement in place and Jane wanted to go through the papers,
double check to see what she’d have to give Steve
in the case of a settlement.
Not a bad motive.
Not bad at all.
Except her husband couldn’t have done it.
Yes. Well, I've got work to do.
Excuse me.
[telephone ringing]
[emotive music]
-Hello, Beth. -[Beth sniffs]
-Oh! -I thought I might find you here.
Forgive me for intruding on a private moment.
[Beth] No, no. It’s nice to see someone, Mrs. Fletcher.
There hasn’t been anyone here all morning.
Well, you're here
and I'm sure that’s what Jane would have wanted.
She didn’t have a lot of friends.
There are a lot of flowers.
[sniffs] Yes.
I imagine the funeral tomorrow will be well attended.
Quite a few of them will be gloating.
[Beth] Who was it who said,
"Give people what they want and everyone will come."
Someone cynical.
She made a lot of enemies.
But you loved her.
[Beth] Yes.
I may have been the only one.
No one else really knew her the way I did.
Knew how hard she had to fight to get to the top.
Do you have any idea how far my sister came?
It’s a long way from Tupelo, Mississippi.
I think I'm beginning to understand, Beth.
Jane Dawson wasn’t your sister.
She was your mother.
-[Beth sighs] -[emotive music]
[Beth] She was a very strong woman, Mrs. Fletcher.
She must have been very young when you came along.
She was in high school. 15.
Her parents threw her out, Mrs. Fletcher.
That’s so sad.
She ran away, had me in a charity ward in Tupelo.
We’ve never been back.
For a while she supported us by dancing in a club in New Orleans at 17.
It must be very painful for you telling me all this.
No. You see, I'm very proud of my mother.
It was a struggle, Mrs. Fletcher,
but when she had time,
she used to hold me and promise me
that someday we’d have all those nice things
that other people have.
She kept her promise.
You know, I don’t remember exactly when we-- we became that sister act.
I suppose it was hard to explain a 15-year-old daughter
when you were only 30.
But things got better.
She sold her first book
and created this whole phony bio or the dust jacket,
even a new name.
Did anybody else know about this?
-Steve or Kristy Parrish? -No, nobody.
She liked the life she’d invented for us.
The past was buried. We’d escaped.
Beth, let's, let’s sit down here for a moment.
There’s something that I want to show you.
Something that I want you to have.
I found your birth certificate and some of your baby pictures
among some papers
that Kristy Parrish was trying to steal from your mother’s house.
I think that they belong to you now.
You’ll want to treasure them.
Well...
I suppose...
now people will learn the truth about my mother and me.
Oh, not from me.
I firmly believe that people are entitled to their own privacy.
Beth, is it possible that Kristy Parrish found out about it,
that she could have been blackmailing your mother?
Oh. I suppose it’s possible.
Kristy was ambitious, even ruthless.
She was a lot like Jane.
Beth, did you know that your mother was planning to divorce Steve Lockner?
No.
I mean, sure they had their problems but Jane said it was nothing.
You told us that Steve picked you up after class,
wanted you to talk to your mother.
Could that have been about the divorce?
If only we hadn’t sat in his car talking,
if only we’d gone in sooner.
When we went in the lights went out,
I just knew something terrible had happened.
Beth, did all the lights go out?
Yeah, all over the house.
[Ellen] I can’t tell you how reassuring it is to see you, Jessica.
I just know you’ll be able to straighten out this horrible mess.
Well, Arthur’s out on bail and that’s a good start.
But the important thing is for you to keep your spirits up
and getting out and seeing your friends is what I prescribe.
You’re right, Jessica. You always are. [chuckles]
I feel so much better already in spite of everything.
This is the first time she’s been out of the house in six months.
You can see she’s getting better. She really is.
She’s gonna be out of this wheelchair in no time.
[Jessica chuckles]
Jessica, have you made any progress?
A little.
Arthur, did I understand you correctly when you told me that the lights went off
after you found Jane Dawson’s body?
Yes. Well, I got a good look at it.
Before they went out I could see she was dead.
I mean, the tub was still running,
her body still moving in the water.
No, there’s no doubt in my mind she was dead.
And the TV was in the water with the body?
Yes.
Arthur, try to remember.
This could be very important.
Was the TV still plugged in to the electrical outlet?
Jessica, I-- I didn’t notice.
Think. I mean, you saw the TV.
Try to visualize the scene.
No.
Now I remember!
The-- the chord was dangling over the edge of the tub.
It was not plugged into the socket.
It probably came loose when it fell into the water, Jessica.
Arthur, did you ever talk to Jane Dawson,
except for your telephone conversation with her at ten o’clock?
No, that’s the only time we ever spoke.
And you offered to buy her off?
Well, I was upset.
I told her I thought I could raise nearly two million on the duplex.
I’d have paid that woman every penny I had.
Arthur, I think that you should take Ellen home.
I have to talk to Lieutenant Gerard.
[Steve] No, of course not, Lieutenant, that's no problem at all.
If you need me, I'll be upstairs making a phone call.
[Lieutenant] Thanks. We won’t be long.
Look, I was just headed home
to gulp down a cold beer and a TV dinner when you called.
Well, thank you so much for sending a car.
So, you want me to explain about circuit breakers now?
That’s exactly what I want to talk about.
All right, let’s go into the kitchen.
Now electricity runs in the wires inside the wall.
[Jessica] I know.
So, all the wires are connected to this little box.
So when the TV landed in the tub with Miss Dawson
it caused a short which tripped the circuit breakers.
Lieutenant, I know all about circuit breakers.
I had my house in Cabot Cove rewired a few years ago.
You see, that’s how I figured it out.
Figured what out?
Look, let me explain it this way.
Beth Dawson said all the lights in the house went out
shortly after she and Steve came in.
Right.
[Jessica] But Arthur Brent told me
that the TV was already in the tub with Miss Dawson
when he came in at 11:00 p.m.,
but the lights were on.
Well, sure they were on
until he pushed the TV set into the tub with her.
[Jessica] If that’s what happened
it would have blown the circuit for the bathroom.
Lieutenant, different rooms in the house are on different circuits.
I knew that.
Now, I think that Jane Dawson had been dead almost an hour
when Arthur Brent arrived.
Why would you think that?
Because it’s the only thing that makes sense.
Now, let’s suppose, theoretically,
that Miss Dawson’s husband, Steve,
arrived back from the house out on Long Island about 10:00 p.m..
Okay, so what?
Wait a minute. You got that all wrong, Mrs. Fletcher.
I got back here at 11:00 p.m. and Beth was with me.
Well, technically true, Mr. Lockner,
but I think you were here also about 10:00 p.m.
before you went to meet Beth.
Here’s what I think happened.
Miss Dawson was upstairs in the tub on the telephone.
The tub was running. She wouldn’t hear you come in.
I think that you picked up a downstairs telephone extension
and overheard both phone calls she made at ten o’clock.
You mean he heard the little lady was about to cut him loose
leaving him on the short end of the pre-nuptial agreement.
Oh, wait a minute. This is crazy.
I think that you went upstairs and confronted her.
You had also overheard Arthur Brent’s call and knew he was coming.
[Lieutenant] A dead wife couldn’t divorce him
so he short circuits her with the TV set.
Which must have blown the bathroom circuit
but the tub was running and the lights were on
when Arthur Brent arrived an hour later.
You knew Arthur was coming so you laid a little trap.
I don’t believe this. She is making all this up.
Let’s put a sock in it, pal.
I wanna hear what Mrs. Fletcher has to say.
You must have unplugged the TV set after she was dead,
reset the circuit breaker to keep the hot water circulating.
Which would disguise the time of death.
This is all speculation, Lieutenant.
[Jessica] You made a point of going to find Beth
and bringing her back on the pretext of her talking to Jane.
Who was already dead.
Sure, so we had a convenient witness to see Arthur Brent arrive
and take the fall for Miss Dawson’s death.
Beth said that after you and she came in
all the lights went out.
You must have slipped into the kitchen here
and tripped the main circuit breaker plunging the whole house into darkness.
Right! And he could have plugged the TV set back in
while she was on the phone calling the police.
It’s all this woman’s fantasy, Lieutenant.
She gets paid to dream up stuff like this all the time.
Don’t let her make a fool of you, Gerard.
There is absolutely no proof at all.
But I'm afraid there is.
You told Lieutenant Gerard
Arthur Brent offered Miss Dawson two million dollars not to write the book.
That’s right. He did.
Arthur never spoke to Miss Dawson
except on the telephone that night at ten o’clock,
which means that you must have been in the house to overhear the conversation.
[mysterious music]
Give me the gun, Lieutenant.
[Lieutenant] Call 911. Get me some backup.
[Jessica] Wait!
Your backup’s already outside.
I suggested to my police driver to restrain Mr. Lockner
if he should try to leave the house.
Very good.
[melodic orchestral music]
Well, I can see that if this keeps up
we’re gonna be able to donate that wheelchair
to someone who really needs it.
[Ellen] I feel alive again, Jessica. The, the first time in years.
-You’ve worked a miracle, Jessica. -Oh, hardly. [chuckles]
However, I have heard that the sea air at Cabot Cove
has wonderful medicinal qualities
especially if you walk on the beach a little each day.
Meanwhile, we have to keep you warm, Ellen.
Now that Steve Lockner has confessed
I don’t think that the police will be interested
in a certain secret file that Jane Dawson collected.
[melodic music]
[telephone ringing]
Hello?
[Lieutenant] Now that we've got the Dawson case sorted out
it’s time we started on our book.
Yes, I think we have to talk about that, Lieutenant.
I’ve given it a great deal of thought during the past couple of days
and I'm afraid that I couldn’t possibly collaborate with you on your book.
What do you mean? Why?
This material, well, it’s you, Lieutenant,
and I don’t know what I could bring to it.
I’ve had this stuff for years.
I just can’t seem to get a handle on it by myself.
I do know a writer that might be interested
and I think she might be looking for a project.
-[Lieutenant] Who? -Kristy Parrish.
[upbeat orchestral music]