[alarm blares] What's that?
Trouble.
[Jessica] Tonight on Murder, She Wrote...
Mary drove the syringe home.
I say we use her as a shield and blast our way out of here.
You made a deal with me.
You gonna try and have us all killed?
A lot of people are going to die
unless I get the truth from you now.
For 20 years, I've lived in fear of something like this.
You have to hold off the National Guard.
I think I know who the murderer is.
She's in the hallway.
[tense music]
What? [woman screams]
[cheerful orchestral music]
[ominous music]
-Want to open it up for me? -Yeah, sure.
There you go.
Okay, ma'am, take her through.
[buzzes]
-Excuse me. I was told to-- -Please state your name.
-Jessica Fletcher. -Fletcher.
Here.
Wait here a moment.
Give me your personal effects,
then step through the metal detector.
Wait.
All right. Go on through.
Why didn't you tell me about the new guard on the gate?
You worry too much, Mims. I took care of her.
Yeah, I hope so.
All personnel, uh, I'm pleased to announce
that a registered nurse will be joining the staff
to assist in the infirmary.
[knocking]
Come in.
Warden, Mrs. Fletcher's coming through.
There's nobody to greet her.
I'd better get down there. Where's Dr. Matthews?
She was supposed to see me.
I think she's signing out for the night.
Have reception hold her.
This is ridiculous.
You can't hold me here.
I'm not one of the prisoners.
Sorry, doctor. It's the warden's orders.
-Dr. Matthews. -Mary.
What are you doing here?
I have escort duty for the new teacher.
Could I talk to you for a minute about Susie?
She's in a lot of pain.
Mary, I don't need your advice
on how to treat my patients.
You know what I want you to do. Just do it.
You have a parole hearing coming up soon.
[door buzzing]
I'm Jessica Fletcher, and I, uh-
Oh, yes, we've been expecting you, Mrs. Fletcher.
Mrs. Fletcher, I hope I didn't keep you waiting.
I'm Elizabeth Gates.
Oh, I'm delighted to meet you, Warden.
And actually I just arrived.
I have to admit I'm a little nervous.
Oh, I remember how I felt the first time
they locked me in here.
I want to thank you for taking over Margaret's class tonight.
-How is she? -Oh, she's fine.
Thank goodness there are no complications.
And she should be back quite soon.
Good. I can't tell you how honored we are
to have a writer of your stature helping us out.
Oh, this is my administrative deputy, Amanda Debs.
How do you do?
I've read several of your books.
Found them very interesting.
Well, that's awfully nice. Thank you.
If there's anything you need while you're here,
just get in touch with Amanda.
Excuse me. Hello, my name is doctor--
This is our prison physician, Irene Matthews.
-Oh, how do you do, doctor? -Nice to meet you.
Uh, Mary--this is one of your students, Mary Stamm.
Mary will show you to the recreation room.
Mary Stamm. Of course.
Margaret sent me some of your stories.
You know, you're a very talented young lady.
Oh, thank you, ma'am.
[warden] Mary's also helping Dr. Matthews out in the clinic...
Until I can hire a registered nurse.
Which, despite opposition,
-the state board approved today. -Oh.
That should take some of the pressure off of you,
Dr. Matthews.
Perhaps you too, Warden.
Suppose we talk about it in my office... Now.
Excuse me.
I'll be in my office if you need me.
-Thank you. -Mrs. Fletcher.
You know, I thought your story
had a great deal of sensitivity... and skill.
Well, I worked pretty hard on it.
I know it doesn't come easy.
You know, I used to always dream about becoming a writer.
Well, it's never too late to start.
Look at me. I'm living proof.
You didn't have to fight your way past a parole board.
Oh, I can't believe you're going to have a difficult time.
Why? What are you in for?
I murdered my husband.
[arguing] At least you could have let me pick my own nurse!
[warden] A friend on the board says
you're preparing a report on me.
Liz, I'm just trying to do my job!
No, you're trying to destroy me!
That's crazy!
You know, I have a shot
at the state senate nomination next year.
I don't know who got to you, doctor,
but I know how to take care of you.
You're going to find that out the hard way!
Warden, please.
Your financial reports are a month overdue.
I want them on my desk tomorrow morning.
Warden...
Oh.
[clears throat]
[Jessica] Now admittedly, I am out of my bailiwick.
But I do sincerely believe that this can be a fun
and educational experience for all of us.
Well, now, I'm not at all sure
that authors should only write about the things that they know,
but I am certain that they should only teach
about the things that they know.
Don't you know who she is?
Who cares?
One of the things I'm going to discuss tonight
is the "perfect crime."
[chattering]
Perfect.
[chattering continues]
Now, this, of course, can fall into several categories,
some crimes being more perfect than others.
But of course I don't have to tell you about that.
[chuckling]
Now, I'm not able to match...
the name with the face yet,
but is there a Miss Tug here?
[chattering, laughing]
Miss Tug, I thought your story was quite delightful.
-Say what? -Well, I particularly liked
the way the gas station bandit was caught.
You know, having the getaway driver
shift into reverse by mistake and crash
into the police car.
Now, that showed a great deal of imagination.
Not exactly. That's the way it happened.
Hey, I didn't know it had a stick shift,
or I wouldn't have stole it!
[laughter]
Well, I thought it was wonderful.
Actually, I thought all of your stories were wonderful,
particularly one by Mary Stamm.
Mary?
[Susie] Mary?
How're you feeling, Susie?
Not good.
Take it easy. I'll see what I can do.
-I think you're overreacting. -The hell I am.
Oh, Irene! Come back!
This can be ironed out.
Oh.
-[woman outside] Dr. Matthews. -What is it?
Can I speak to you a minute, please?
Thank you, doctor.
[typing]
Dr. Matthews?
[alarm blares]
-What's that? -Trouble.
Doctor, are you in there?
Doctor? Open up!
Code red. Medical West. Connect me to the warden.
Stand back!
Oh, my God.
She's dead.
Brady, Henderson, search the pharmacy and these offices.
The rest of you guards come with me.
Nobody's in there.
Get her!
[bangs] [Mary gasps]
[gasping]
Mary, why?
[blaring continues]
Mrs. Fletcher.
What's the matter?
Come with me. We'll get your things later.
-What's going on? -Nothing. Get back in the room!
Come on. What's going on?
[shouting]
This way.
Come on, lady. What's the alarm?
[all shouting]
[over radio] Mary Stamm. We're bringing her down now.
Girls, the doctor's dead.
They're sayin' Mary did it!
[shouting]
Quickly!
Hey, they got Mary. Come on.
Don't move.
Drop it. Drop it quick! Get it!
Shut the gate. Reset the key! The key!
[shouting]
Good Lord! What's happening?
This place has been ready to blow for a long time, miss.
Sorry, Mrs. Fletcher. You're not going anyplace just now.
[guns cocking]
Oh, please, before anyone gets hurt,
put those guns down and take me to the warden.
The warden? Sure, we can arrange that.
Sit down.
Okay. The guards have got the rest of the joint sealed off,
but we've got our dorm and this whole compound.
And we got the warden,
which gives us a pretty good handle to get what we want.
For 20 years, I've lived in fear of something like this.
Surely this can't last very long.
You don't know prisons very well, Mrs. Fletcher.
I've made a career of it.
Listen! We're only asking for two things
that the charges against Mary be dropped,
and they clean things up around here.
[phone ringing]
Pipe down. This is it.
[phone continues ringing]
Library, Louise.
It's the Lieutenant Governor.
She wants to speak to Warden Gates.
She's not doing the talkin' here anymore.
We are, and we've got some demands.
Number one, we want to speak to the governor, not you.
[Lt. Governor] I'm not interested in your demands.
I'm giving you just five minutes to surrender.
[scoffs] The hell you are.
We got gold-plated hostages here, lady,
and you're gonna give us money and a chopper
to fly our way outta here.
Shut up, Kat!
That's not what we're doin' this for.
-We'll get back to you. -Are you crazy, Bertha?
We can get out of here the easy way
and spring Mary the same time.
And get everybody killed doin' it!
Come on. Maybe Kat's right, Bert.
Mary's already doin' time for murder.
If they frame her for this one,
she'll never get out of this place.
Tug, nobody is trying--
Nobody is trying to frame Mary.
Lay down your weapons.
I guarantee she'll get a fair trial.
Oh, sure. Just like she did the first time.
Come on. Mary's only part of it.
What about the living conditions and the food?
You know I've tried to improve things.
I've only been here a few months.
Oh, save it for your campaign!
You managed to con the media,
but, lady, you don't show me nothin' but hot gas.
That's why you grabbed Mary so fast,
so you could show the newspapers
that you just cracked the case in five minutes.
"Hey, it's not my fault. A murderer did it."
Hey, I'm tellin' you.
The only way to save Mary from another 20 to 30
is to spring her.
-Bust her outta here. -No!
Wait a minute. [gasps]
What we need is--is someone the police will respect.
Somebody who knows how a killer thinks,
and can figure out who really killed Dr. Matthews.
You're dreamin', Louise.
We have that somebody.
-Where? -Right here.
-Oh, come on. -Listen to her, will ya?
[sighs] Oh, no.
Mrs. Fletcher, if you don't,
they'll do things Kathryn's way.
[Louise] Please.
Will you give me your word...
That the murderer will be turned over to the police?
No matter what, no matter who?
Yeah, sure.
Very well then. I'll do what I can.
[woman's voice over intercom] Mrs. Fletcher, do you understand
the risks in this plan?
Oh, indeed I do, Mrs. Campbell,
but I think it will avoid unnecessary bloodshed.
The Governor is out of the state.
I'll have to reach him.
But I'll recommend he give you a chance.
But, ladies, this will have to end by daybreak.
And I warn you, if any harm comes to the hostages,
the prison will be retaken by whatever force necessary.
I'm not an expert,
but certain things indicate that she died of respiratory failure,
probably caused by a massive dose of morphine
injected in her arm.
There is a slight sign of a struggle, of course.
Warden, show me how you think it happened.
I would, uh, say that, uh,
Mary used her job in the infirmary,
to steal a key to these offices.
We found it on her.
As much as I hate to say it,
apparently she was...
Sneaking drugs out of the pharmacy.
-Mary never dealt drugs. -[warden] That would explain...
Her popularity with the other prisoners.
She must have just come through that door
when she heard Dr. Matthews returning unexpectedly.
I wonder why the doctor came back.
Did you hear her on the telephone, or--
No. No.
But, uh, when I was hiding, I heard her typing.
I thought that was strange
because she never touched her typewriter.
Did you find what she was typing?
Oh, no. She must have filed it,
which would explain what probably happened.
Mary hid in the pharmacy locker room and armed herself
with the only weapon available, the syringe.
And when Dr. Matthews finished typing,
she went to the file.
And with the doctor's back towards her,
Mary came out of hiding
and sprang at her with the syringe.
Irene must have twisted for the alarm,
but she missed and hit the riot locks instead.
Because Mary was hitting her and hitting her again and again,
a-and when the doctor fell stunned,
Mary drove the syringe home.
Her, uh, fingerprints...
Will be on the morphine vial, of course.
It isn't true, any of it!
I was hiding in the examination room.
When the alarm went off, I panicked. I wanted to run.
But when I looked out,
I saw the doctor in her office lying on the floor.
I wanted to see what was wrong.
-And no one else was in here? -No.
And you didn't touch anything?
I picked up the vial.
I thought maybe if I knew what it was,
there might be something I could do for her.
But then when I took her pulse, there wasn't any.
I heard people coming. I had to get out of here.
[sighs] I know how this sounds. But I didn't kill her.
[Jessica] We need complete tests on the body
and the morphine vial right away.
No. Once the cops get their hands on the evidence,
they could pull anything with it.
Well, at least send out the vial.
I mean, the worst that the police can say
is that Mary's prints are on it,
which she already admits to.
She's right. Might as well.
[sighs]
Warden Gates, are you quite sure...
That there was no one else in the medical suite?
I told you. Brady, the infirmary guard,
heard the fight after the riot locks
had sealed the doors.
Only the master passkey can unlock them.
[warden] No one could have gotten out.
And Mary was the only person we found.
Believe me, we searched.
Staff came running from all directions--
Mrs. Debs, the prison cook, Miss Springer,
uh, my head guard and--and her squad members.
If anyone had been in that room, we would have found them.
You mentioned the prison cook.
Why would the cook come running to the doctor's office?
Maybe she ate some of her own cooking.
Hey, Cookie, what's going on?
[chattering] Ha! Caught you.
Caught her nippin'.
Girls-girls, you're just in time for tomorrow's lunch.
Ew. What is this mess?
Navarin printanier.
It's from the approved meal plan.
Help yourself.
-Ew. -No way.
My daddy wouldn't feed this to his hogs, and they love slop.
We don't have to eat this stuff.
We own the kitchen now. Let's get some real food.
-Yeah, I heard that! -Girls-
Girls, wait a minute.
Open it up!
[indistinct chatter]
-Mrs. Springer. -Yes.
If this is navarin printanier,
I'm afraid both the lamb and the vegetables
died of old age.
I suggest you give it a decent burial.
This food meets every state nutritional requirement...
[prisoners scoffing]
In spite of the fact that I've been denied
sufficient funds to buy the best ingredients.
That is a lie.
Your budget is perfectly adequate.
That's more than I can say about the meals.
Have you ever tasted them, Warden?
It gives new meaning to cruel and unusual punishment.
I'll look into it when this is over.
That is a promise.
Miss Springer, you were in the corridor
with the warden and the others when the prisoners took over.
Yes, and I have never been so frightened in my life.
How did you get into that corridor?
Which way did you come?
Up the front stairs, from the dining hall.
The front stairs were cut off by the riot locks.
[prisoner] Come on, Cookie. [chattering]
She must have come up the back stairs from the basement.
Hey, come on. Let's go. Check it out.
Whoo-hoo. [chattering]
You don't have anything to gain by concealing the truth.
I don't know what you're talking about.
I forget how I got to Dr. Matthews's office.
Maybe it was the back stairs.
[chattering angrily]
Look what we found hiding in the basement with the rats.
What about this, huh?
Of course, the truck.
I saw you driving in the gate when I arrived.
Well, when I first heard the alarm,
I told Mrs. Mims to stay put.
And then later, I could see no reason
why she should be taken hostage.
Right.
She has you to thank for this, honey.
Mrs. Fletcher, if Cookie didn't kill the Doc, who did?
[Kathryn] That isn't too big a mystery, is it, Mrs. Fletcher?
You're just afraid to say it.
Well, I know who the murderer is,
and I'm looking right at her.
-Unload the truck! -Set up the barricade!
Come on. Let's go! Hang on, you guys.
Get out of there.
[indistinct chatter]
I oughta kill you.
-Kathryn, wait! -Dixie, get Brady.
Maybe I didn't go to finishing school, lady,
but I can still add two and two.
If the killer wasn't trapped inside the offices,
then she must have gotten out after the riot lock was thrown.
And only one lady has the magic key to do that.
Brady, you sure you didn't see the warden
coming out of the doctor's offices after the hit?
No. In fact, I couldn't find her.
I mean, I had to call her to come with the key.
Oh, you know what we do to liars, Brady.
-Where was she? -I don't know.
She didn't answer.
Right after I called her, there she was with the key.
Warden, don't you think you
should give them an explanation.
Well, it's very simple.
I was in my office when the alarm sounded.
I grabbed the passkey, and I was gone
by the time Brady called.
That'll be easy enough to check.
Jamie was on mop duty there tonight.
Why don't we just fetch her?
We'll have ourselves a little trial
in the library so everyone can watch.
-Hey, over here. -[Jessica] Preparing for battle?
Do you seriously think you can win?
If we had any brains,
none of us would be here to begin with.
[indistinct chatter]
-Hey, Warden. -Here she comes.
Okay. It's gonna be a short trial.
Come on, Lizzy. On your feet. Tell her.
Go on.
I heard you fighting mean with the Doc tonight.
And then you ordered her to stay late.
Guess that's why she came back to the infirmary.
Did you see the warden come out of her office?
I sure did. Way before all the excitement.
And she never came back.
If she had that key of hers with her,
it's 'cause she was already planning on using it.
You're really somethin', Warden.
You kill the Doc, and then you try and lay it off on Mary.
-No, I-- -Ladies?
-Guilty. What else? -Yeah, guilty!
No, no. No, Kathryn.
You still have not made your case.
You say, lady. I say different.
So do I.
Mrs. Gates, tell them why you were upset with the doctor.
Amanda, it wouldn't help.
Mrs. Gates has tried to improve conditions here.
[all scoffing] but it is very hard.
She even started to have fainting spells.
Well, because of the strain.
[prisoner] It's probably from the food.
And Dr. Matthews knew about the spells?
Oh, yes. Was going to file a report with the board.
Mrs. Gates found out about it today.
But that is certainly no reason to kill anybody.
[chuckles] I have worse reports from my doctor all the time.
But you ain't runnin' for state senator, are ya, Debs?
Who'd vote for a lady who had fainting spells on the job?
Nobody. Right, Lizzy?
So you ordered the doctor to stick around
until the building was empty,
and then you killed her, didn't you?
What are we gonna do about her?
Yeah, get her. You know they'll never convict a warden.
I say we use her as a shield and blast our way out of here!
[all shouting] No, no. Kathryn---
[shouting continues]
Kathryn, you made a deal with me.
-I don't remember any deal. -Well, I do.
Kat, listen, you said you're doing this for me.
Then do it.
I'm with her. What's it gonna be, Kat?
[phone ringing]
Library, Louise.
Mrs. Fletcher, it's the Lieutenant Governor for you.
-She has some news. -[Kat] Hold it.
Dixie, take the warden and Debs outta here,
back to the hostages. You too, Mary.
-Why? -I have a right to hear this.
-I want her out of here. -You heard her. Move it.
-Come on, Debs, move it.
[chattering] All right.
[chatter continues]
Uh, Mrs. Campbell, this is Jessica Fletcher.
I understand you have some information for us.
[Mrs. Campbell] First of all, the morphine in that vial was diluted.
Second, I must warn you, all of you,
that you are in danger.
We found two fresh sets of prints on the vial,
and neither were the doctor's.
-Whose were they? -One set belongs to Mary.
We cannot identify the other.
But one thing is certain,
they don't belong to any of the prisoners or the staff.
We checked.
It looks like there may be an outside killer loose among you.
Why would a pro break in to nail the Doc?
-That's enough. Hang up. -I'll get back to you.
I want a cell-to-cell search.
If there's a stranger in here, I want to know about it.
Where would a stranger hide in this place?
Where are you going?
We must get to that grocery dealer right away.
Louise, you stay by the phone.
The Lieutenant Governor may call back.
-Where are the other hostages? -In the rec room. Why?
What? [woman screams]
-You stay here. -Who screamed?
Come on.
[Jessica] Good Lord.
Mrs. Mims.
I-it happened when the lights went out.
-Mary, what happened? -I don't know.
Some of the prisoners are such hotheads
that I was worried about the hostages,
so I was staying close to them.
Then, like the warden said,
the lights went out and I heard a scream.
Were you really worried about us, Mary,
or did you just mistake Mrs. Mims for me in the dark?
Mary.
The cops are playing games with us.
Where'd you get the knife, Warden?
Kat, Kat, somebody threw the master switch in the basement.
Mims.
Mrs. Fletcher,
how did you know that something was going to happen
to the grocery lady?
-Call it a hunch. -Yeah?
You got any more of those hunches?
Keep an eye on the warden.
The warden.
Mary--Mary, a lot of people are going to die
unless I get the truth from you now.
I told you the truth.
Maybe about the doctor's murder,
but not about why you were in the office.
-And where did you get the key? -What does that matter now?
Well, because time is running out, and I need answers.
Now, where did you get the key?
From Dr. Matthews.
She forced me to type her reports.
She knew I wouldn't understand anything in them.
And she was right. I hated it.
Well, then why did you do it?
[Susie] Oh, Mary, tell her. Who cares if they prosecute us now?
She did it for us.
So you could have access to medication?
Shh, shh, shh, shh.
[sighs] Dr. Matthews never believed the girls
when they said they were in pain or maybe she just didn't care.
So you slipped up here at night to help them.
When I could.
And covered up by diluting the drugs that you used?
No. I didn't dilute anything. I wouldn't know how.
That's the truth, Mrs. Fletcher.
But the truth is hardly a defense.
-I found that out the hard way. -By your husband?
[sighs] He beat me so bad I was hospitalized three times.
But there wasn't enough evidence
for anybody to stop him from doing it to me again.
I finally made up my mind to leave him,
when a friend called me to warn me that he was coming home
mean, nasty drunk.
I called the police.
And then I went and I hid in the bedroom
with my husband's .22 rifle.
My husband got there first.
Surely a plea of self-defense.
I was armed. He wasn't.
[door opens] Mrs. Fletcher, come quick.
Kathryn says she's got everything figured out,
and I don't like the way she says it.
One of us is a snitch, working for Warden Gates.
She's trying to save Gates' neck so Gates will save hers.
Are you sure about that, Kat?
Somebody had to cut the power so Gates could knife Mims.
Kathryn, what makes you think that Warden Gates killed her?
Look, lady, it is still the only way it adds up.
The prints show an outsider killed the Doc.
Well, the warden must've hired Mims to make the hit,
and then gave her the passkeys to get away.
Only instead, she got trapped by us,
so Gates killed Mims to keep her from talking.
Yeah. [prisoners affirming]
Mims was the only outsider in here.
You know what this means?
If the warden hangs this killing on us during a riot,
it won't be just Mary.
We'll all be convicted of murder.
[prisoners shouting]
Who's gonna believe us? We gotta shoot our way out.
-That's right. -Get Warden Gates!
If she got us into this, she's goin' out first.
-Listen to me. -Nah, shut up, teacher!
-Please, listen. -Or what?
Or maybe you'd like to lead this parade outta here.
Yeah, we sick of you.
-Yeah! Right. -Stop it! Will you stop it?
Stop it! Will you just listen to her?
Look. Now, maybe Kathryn is right. Maybe.
But if you try to shoot your way out of here,
you are all going to be guilty of murder.
Now, not one of you has a chance of escaping.
Will you please give me a little bit more time?
Better make it fast, Mrs. Fletcher.
I don't think we can keep Kathryn out of here for long.
I-I've been trying to protect you,
and maybe that was a mistake-
it stopped me from asking you some hard questions.
If you didn't kill Dr. Matthews,
what were you doing with that key?
It wouldn't help, even if I could tell you.
Well, maybe I could tell you.
If you're innocent,
you were probably carrying that key...
So that you could meet with someone secretly.
And since you could have met any member of your staff...
Anywhere at anytime, it had to have been a prisoner.
And since that meeting was secret,
that tells me that you didn't trust your staff.
I can see how you earned your reputation.
Warden... Elizabeth,
what was going on here?
Why would women like Bertha and Louise feel compelled to riot?
I don't know.
In the five months since I've been warden here,
I've spent most of my time at the State Capitol
lobbying for more funds.
And, yes, I have been chasing my senatorial nomination.
But I have made big reforms here.
The prisoners don't seem to care.
At first I thought it was my staff undercutting me,
so I had Amanda run an audit on all the departments.
That wasn't the problem.
So you were trying to talk to a prisoner secretly
when the alarm went off?
Possibly to someone in the infirmary?
Susan, for instance?
Please.
If Kathryn and her friends had the faintest idea
Susan was willing to talk to me, they would kill her.
Jessica,
this thing is probably going to blow all to hell.
But if you don't try to defend me, maybe you'll survive.
[door opens, closes]
[indistinct chatter]
Mrs. Fletcher. Oh, Mrs. Fletcher.
It's--it's--it's Kat. She's out of control.
Well, never mind Kat.
I want to talk to the Lieutenant Governor right away.
But I must have privacy.
[Lt. Governor] I'm sorry. It's out of my hands.
I've just heard from the Governor,
and we're sending in the National Guard.
I hear Kathryn's voice.
Just tell me, have you matched the prints
on the morphine vial with Mrs. Mims?
How could we?
Her prints aren't in the state's files,
and the prisoners wouldn't let us in
to lift them from the body.
Mrs. Campbell, you have to hold off the National Guard.
I think I know who the murderer is.
She's in the hallway.
Mary, Louise, I need your help.
Do you know where Dr. Matthews's body is?
We put her in the infirmary.
I've had it with this, Bertha.
I'm not gonna take the rap-- I don't care!
Listen to me!
Mrs. Campbell, I need just ten more minutes!
Time for talking is past, teacher.
We're bustin' out of here.
And you and the warden are gonna be our shields.
-Get moving. -Kat.
-No. -I said get moving.
Frankly, dear, I don't care what you say.
Is this what you've risked everything for?
So that Kathryn can lead you to a slaughter?
They're going to hang the murders on us.
No, they're not, because I know who committed them.
Mrs. Debs, would you pull the folder for Dr. Matthews
out of the file, please?
It's another stall. She's been stalling us all night.
-Yeah, yeah. -No, wait, wait.
Can you really prove it, Mrs. Fletcher?
Yes. Yes, I can.
But I need her fingerprint records.
The police didn't match the fingerprints
on the morphine vial with Dr. Matthews.
They couldn't, because you wouldn't give them the body.
So they matched them with the state's records,
which are the same as these records here.
-Isn't that right, Mrs. Debs? -Yes.
But somebody has taken her file.
-Here they are. -Oh, for heaven sakes.
I'm so rattled, I don't know what I'm doing.
Mrs. Fletcher. Mrs. Fletcher.
We got them. And I hope I don't have to do that again.
Thank you. I asked Mary and Louise
to get these fingerprints
straight from the doctor's body.
-Hey, those aren't the same. -[Jessica] No, you're right, Tug.
The prints in the folder are frauds.
The police did get the fingerprints of Dr. Matthews
on the morphine vial,
but they were different from the ones in the file,
and they couldn't identify them.
That's when they thought of the outside person theory.
Ah, that's beautiful.
You see what she's just done?
She's just pinned the murder on Mary.
Mrs. Fletcher?
No, Mary. These prints prove that you're innocent.
Let's go to the clinic.
But the fact is, Mary can't be the murderer because no one is.
Yeah, Dr. Matthews committed suicide.
Now, sometimes a killer goes to a great deal of trouble
to make a murder look like a suicide.
I thought something was strange
when we first examined the scene.
Finding the sterile swab,
it made me wonder if the injection
might have been taken with care,
rather than in the heat of battle.
But I let the fingerprints mislead me.
After all, the swab might have been discarded
earlier in the day.
-But what about the typing? -A suicide note possibly.
She was probably finishing it...
When officer Brady heard the typing,
hurried up the hall to investigate.
It was a terrible moment for the doctor.
Having made up her mind,
she was determined not to be stopped.
And the only way she could shut out Brady
was to throw the riot lock.
What Brady thought was the sound of a brief struggle...
Was the shock of a massive injection taking hold.
But I never would have arrested Mary
if we'd found a suicide note.
Oh, of course not.
Mary didn't see it either.
She rushed straight to Dr. Matthews,
no doubt to try to help her, but it was already too late.
When Mary heard you coming, she panicked.
The suicide note was probably in plain sight.
But while you were intent on capturing
the doctor's murderer,
which meant searching the offices, in the excitement,
no one noticed the suicide note in the typewriter.
Well, almost no one.
-You haven't proved a thing. -Yeah,
Who'd be crazy enough to make a suicide look like a murder?
Right! [chattering]
Someone who needed to escape, and would have,
if the riot hadn't trapped her.
-Escape from what? -Why?
The doctor's suicide letter
might have confessed to staff improprieties,
embezzling of funds and supplies,
which would explain the diluted medicine in the pharmacy.
That's why the patients were always in pain.
That's right.
Yes. I'm afraid the doctor was selling off her drug supply,
just as you were selling off the kitchen supplies to Mims.
Oh, come on. [chattering]
From the library window I could see prisoners pulling boxes
out of a truck to build a barricade.
A truck I saw arrive here empty this evening.
If you think I'm gonna say anything, you're crazy.
Come on. Anything this big, the top brass must have run it!
-[all] Yeah. -Right. The warden.
[all shouting]
[shouting continues] Ladies! Ladies, please!
Listen up! Listen to Debs! She's makin' sense.
Ladies, please. You've already won your victory.
Nobody has to get hurt.
With crimes like these laid at the warden's door,
there will be no retaliations.
-I promise all of you. -Right. Listen,
you guys stay here till we get back.
Debs will tell the cops that, uh,
Mrs. Fletcher's got it all worked out.
Yeah, that's the smart thing to do.
No, I'm afraid that's not the smart thing to do.
If you let them leave,
these two may convince the police
to shoot their way in here.
You're cracked.
Look, you're right about one thing.
Corruption on this scale could only have been organized
by the top brass.
The doctor was hired years ago,
long before Mrs. Gates became warden.
No, the problem was that Warden Gates' reforms
might have worked.
Hiring a registered nurse was the first threat.
That's what panicked Dr. Matthews.
But wait. If it wasn't the warden, then who?
-Yeah. -Who?
Why are you all looking at me?
Mrs. Debs, you've been deputy warden for 20 years.
While Mrs. Gates was pursuing funding for her reforms
and a nomination to the senate,
you ran the prison, Mrs. Debs.
According to Dr. Matthews's file,
you even certified her fingerprints.
I would never have time to certify every fingerprint card.
Now, who could?
Look. Th-this is just crazy speculation.
We're going out to call off the police!
Miss Springer, I think you'll find
that they are planning to leave without you.
Oh, is that it, Amanda?
You're going to try and have us all killed
so there won't be any witnesses?
Keep your mouth shut.
She's been looting the prison for years,
ever since they passed her up for promotion to warden.
Yeah, it's like Mrs. Fletcher said, except for one thing.
I'm sure you did kill Dr. Matthews.
Springer, you're wrong.
You see,
I still have Matthews' suicide note.
[murmuring]
She was a coward.
We could have handled that nurse.
Instead of having some guts,
she tore away from me and came down here and killed herself.
Oh, no, you may convict me of fraud,
but never murder.
All the suffering you caused us.
You ain't gonna fall just on no fraud rap.
No, Dixie. The charge will still be murder!
You're forgetting Mims, the grocer,
who didn't leave a suicide note.
She was the real danger.
So Mrs. Debs had her own accomplice cut the power,
and then she knifed Mims in the dark.
Kat,
you wanted to take her out to the cops.
No.
Dixie, sh-she made me do it.
That's why you were so hot to shoot your way out.
'cause pinned to Debs,
you wouldn't stay alive in any prison in the country.
[shouts, gunshot]
[prisoners shouting]
I can't thank you enough, Jessica.
Well, don't thank me. I wasn't given much choice.
But I hope you won't hold it against Bertha and Louise.
They just wanted justice for their friend.
And in the end, they risked their lives for you.
I know they did.
I promise you there won't be any recriminations.
And no more politicking.
I meant what I said about reform.
And what about Mary? She had a parole hearing coming up.
She still does.
Well, perhaps I should warn you,
I intend to do everything in my power
to help at that hearing.
Don't worry, Jessica. So do I.