Her eyes haven't left this table
since Grady arrived with miss sis-boom-bah.
There's gonna be fireworks tonight.
[thunderclap]
[Jessica] Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.
If there were foul play, I think
I'd like to speak to that nephew of yours.
What were you doin' in Sandy's room?
You didn't tell the cops, did ya?
He was with you when you found Sandra's body?
I thought you said she was harmless.
You do have a writer's imagination,
Mrs. Fletcher.
-Thank you. -I didn't quite mean that as a-
I know what you meant, inspector.
[cheerful orchestral music]
Would you wait here, please?
Hey, lady, you can't go up there.
What do you mean, I can't go up?
Trust me. You don't want to go up there.
-Aunt Jess, hold on. -Grady, what's going on here?
I'm really sorry, Aunt Jess,
but there's been a slight change in plans.
[pest control guy] Ain't my fault, lady.
You got cockroaches the size of Cleveland up there!
If you don't like it, call the City.
Yesterday, it was just one apartment on the first floor,
and when they sprayed,
all the cockroaches moved up to my apartment.
Oh, dear.
I was really looking forward to staying with you.
Oh, you are, but not here.
[Jessica] The Montaigne Plaza? Oh, my goodness.
That hotel has more stars than the sidewalks in Hollywood.
[Grady] Don't worry. We're comped.
My friend Gary Harper from school?
He married the hotel.
I mean, he married the lady who owns the hotel.
Oh, now, just a moment. I remember Gary very well.
I mean, he's your age, and if I'm not mistaken,
Cornelia Montaigne is, uh, well, she's older.
Well, all I know is, he fell into it.
He is hip-deep into money,
and he wants to share some of the good luck
with his old fraternity buddy.
Come on, Aunt Jess. It's gonna be great fun.
Spending time with you that's gonna be fun.
Gary Harper.
You know, I remember him traipsing along the beach.
When was that, eight years ago?
I'm sorry, but I can't picture him
with Cornelia Montaigne.
[Grady] Are you kidding?
Believe me, they're like a couple of lovebirds.
If you weren't my husband, Garrett,
I'd have your job for this.
Cornelia--
After I spend the entire morning
vacating the 32nd floor, you turn around
and book the Countess into the corner suite.
It was empty. I--
That's because the Sheikh Faisal Usmani
has it booked starting at midnight.
When, when are you going to learn to check with me first
before making these arbitrary decisions?
Perhaps I can be of some assistance, Cornelia.
I moved the Countess
to the Blue suite on 39 an hour ago.
And why didn't you tell me?
Oh, if I let you know all the wonderful things
I do around here, you'd have to give me a raise.
Excuse me. I have some guests to greet.
Do that, Garrett.
And see if you can book them into the right room
just for the challenge of it.
Grady.
-Grady, my man. -Gary.
-How are you? -[chuckling] I'm great!
Oh, you remember who this is?
-Jessica! -Gary.
You look exactly the way you did
the last time we went fishing in Cabot Cove.
[laughs]
And I dropped the tackle box in the harbor.
And tumbled in right after it, if I recall.
Well, listen, it's nice to have you here, both of you.
Well, this is just a quick business visit for me,
but actually, it's an excuse to spend some time with Grady.
Now, this suite. I can't allow you to--
Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
I've been waiting eight years to repay the hospitality.
Now, this is my town, my treat.
Starting tonight, dinner, 7:00 sharp.
[Gary] Mom will be joining us.
-Mom? -[Gary] I mean, my mom.
Oh, no, Cornelia can't make it.
No, she's the consummate workaholic.
Rumor has it that she once
took out time for dinner in 1965, but it's just a rumor.
But I could make a reservation for Sandra Clemens.
Sandra Clemens? Is she in town?
She just checked in a couple of days ago.
No kidding?
Sandra Clemens?
Oh, you remember Sandra, Aunt Jess.
Homecoming, third cheerleader from the left,
blonde, about this tall.
I must've been watching the game.
Well, when she heard you were coming...
Well, I think she's looking for a dinner invitation.
With me?
Well, that is, if Jessica doesn't mind.
Mind?
I can't wait to see what I missed.
We'll take very good care of her, Mrs. Townsend.
Depend on it.
Safe journey.
Darling, I'd like--
Grady! How nice to see you again.
Why, you've lost weight. Very attractive.
And this is Grady's aunt Jessica.
Oh, Garrett has told me all about you, Mrs. Fletcher.
I must confess, I don't have time to read your books,
or anyone else's, I'm afraid,
but I am delighted you're staying with us.
Well, thank you, Mrs. Harper. I'm so happy to meet you.
Mark Havlin, my good right arm.
Mark, do see that Grady and his aunt
have anything they want.
Nothing is too much for a friend of Garrett's.
Oh, if you will excuse me, I'm expecting a call
from Washington, the Secret Service,
to make arrangements for next week.
You'll understand if I can't explain
exactly what those are.
My goodness.
Cornelia is certainly overpowering.
Ah, that's just her way.
Gary says she's still competing with her father,
even though he's been dead for 20 years.
-Hmm. -Oh, my gosh.
Grady?
[chuckles]
Grady.
Sandy. Hi.
I can't believe you remember me.
Don't be an old poop. Of course I do.
Don't tell me. This must be your aunt.
Gary told me you were coming.
-Sandra Clemens. -Of course, I remember now.
Third cheerleader from the left, right?
Homecoming, right? You've got some memory.
Well, actually,
Grady has a photograph on his coffee table.
Aunt Jess.
Well, look, if you two will excuse me.
I've got some unpacking to do. Nice meeting you, Sandy.
Nice meeting you.
Super lady.
Oh, yeah. She's the greatest.
[clears throat]
Um, Gary told me you were having a little dinner party tonight?
Oh--oh, yeah, sure.
Uh, are you coming?
I--I mean--I mean,
would you like to come--
Pick me up at seven.
I live right there.
Forty-five fifty-three.
Seven? 4553. Right.
Seven.
[elevator bell dings]
Well, did you talk to Grady?
I ran into him in the hallway with his aunt.
You know, Gary, this is dumb.
This is really dumb.
Look, anything to keep Cornelia off my back.
If she catches on, the party's over
for both of us.
[knocking]
-Hi, Grady. -Hi.
For me? Thanks. They're beautiful.
Come on in. We'll put them in some water.
[phone rings] Oh.
Hello?
No. I told you that's no good.
No, that won't work either.
Look, I really can't get into it right now.
Can I call you back?
Okay, let me get a pencil.
-Here you go. -Great.
Okay, what's the number?
Okay.
Thank you. Bye.
-Grady? -What?
I hope those flowers like vermouth.
I just made us some martinis.
[chuckling]
Well, I am thrilled, absolutely thrilled.
I mean, here I am
with a real live absolute celebrity, Jessie.
Well, now, that's very nice.
Oh, well, I've never had dinner with a celebrity before.
Oh, well, I did sit across from Joe Namath once at Lindy's.
I don't think that counts.
Well, look who's here.
-Hi, everybody. -Hi, Grady.
-Oh, Grady, dear.
Lean in here and give an old lady a kiss.
[chuckles]
Well, I hope you enjoyed that, young fella,
because that's about as good as it's going to get
for you tonight.
Another fun-filled dinner, eh, Nettie?
Speak for yourself, Sandra.
Cool it, mother.
May I?
Oh, my goodness.
Oh, what an excellent wine list.
Gary, I insist, tonight the wine is going to be on me.
Forget the wine list, Jessie. You're missing the big picture.
Look at her. Look at her.
Her eyes haven't left this table
since Grady arrived with Miss Sis-boom-bah.
She knows we're talking about her too.
Mark my words, Jessie.
There's gonna be fireworks tonight.
And I love it.
Sandra Clemens is Grady's friend.
You mean, Grady's friend as well.
Cornelia, I hardly know her.
Is that why she's checked into this hotel
nine times since you and I were married?
How often Sandra Clemens comes to New York is her business.
And frankly, I think you should be grateful
that she gives us so much of it.
I find myself strangely lacking in gratitude
when it comes to my husband's mistresses.
Mistresses?
Cornelia, I was just trying to arrange a simple reunion
for two old friends, and as usual,
your imagination has ruined a wonderful evening
for all of us.
You know, if I read one more paragraph tonight,
this manuscript is gonna start looking like one big typo.
I'm gonna go to bed.
What?
Don't you want to play any gin rummy or--
Not tonight.
Why don't you go out?
Go out? It's pouring!
Well, you have two good friends right here in the hotel.
You sure you don't mind?
Mind? I insist.
Okay.
Good night, Aunt Jess.
Good night, Grady.
-And have a good time. -Yeah.
[sighs, chuckles]
Sandy?
[thunder rumbling]
Sandy?
Hello?
Operator. Operator.
It was very helpful of you
to call the police, Mr. Fletcher,
but I'm head of hotel security.
You should've notified me first.
I thought I did the right thing.
Well, we don't like to upset our guests
over little accidents like this.
Accident?
You can't be serious, Mr. Rice.
Oh, I'm a very serious kind of guy, ma'am,
when it comes to bodies in hotel rooms.
Excuse me, Aunt Jess.
What's going on?
What do you mean, "What's going on?"
What were you doing in Sandy's room?
I saw you sneaking out of the living room.
You didn't tell the cops, did you?
No, not yet.
Oh, Cornelia would kill me if she found out.
Oh, come on, Gary. Sandy's dead!
Now, what were you doing in there?
Oh, get serious, Grady.
Come on. You know me better than that.
Look, I came down here
to see how it went between you guys tonight.
As soon as I started in, I saw you bending over the body.
I figured I'd better go get help.
That must've been when you saw me.
Look, believe me, if it wasn't for Cornelia,
I'd be talking to the cops right now.
Oh, great.
Pomp and circumstance has arrived.
Sorry they had to drag you down here for this,
Inspector Matheney.
Now, no need to apologize, Rice.
Seems fairly routine.
With any luck, I can get back to the ballet
in time for the Rose Adagio.
Excuse me, inspector.
I'm Jessica Fletcher, and my nephew found the body.
How do you do, missus? Fletcher.
I'm Donald Matheney.
I don't see Mrs. Harper.
Oh, well, we're trying to locate her.
I see.
Look, Rice, would you tell her I dropped by?
I don't see that I'm really needed here.
Excuse me, inspector.
Mr. Rice has described
the young lady's death as an accident.
I'm sure he has.
Mr. Rice has an instinct for public relations.
But perhaps not for homicide. May I show you something?
Yes, of course.
Rice.
She seems to have hit her head on the dresser here.
There's a bloodstain here, of course, and one there.
I don't get your point.
Well, what did she trip over?
I mean, there's nothing in the room.
Well, maybe she had a fainting spell.
-Possibly, but-- -Ma'am.
Ma'am, I think the inspector
would like to get back to the theater.
Oh, yes. Yes, of course.
But I would like to point out this pillow.
You see, it's crumpled and stained
with lipstick and makeup.
Maybe she had to lie down. Maybe a fainting spell.
Yes, but if she'd lay down on the bed,
then why is the rest of the bed un-rumpled
and freshly turned down?
Inspector, if you can't find Mrs. Harper,
I suggest that you might like to talk
with the hotel manager, Mark Havlin.
I think I'll wait for Cornelia.
-At least for a few more minutes. -But--
Thank you for your help, Mrs. Fletcher.
If there were foul play,
I think I'd like to speak to that nephew of yours.
Well, Grady has already spoken with the police.
Yes, I know.
But I'm more interested in a firsthand account.
My dear lady, he was alone with the corpse.
He was intimately involved with her.
How intimately, I don't know... yet.
I'm sorry for having gotten you out of bed,
Mr. Havlin, but your phone was off the hook.
This is dreadful.
And it won't get any better with Mr. Rice up there
representing the hotel.
It certainly won't.
I'd been up for 24 hours
before I managed to snatch three hours' sleep.
I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention this to Cornelia.
She thinks I'm indestructible.
Oh, I understand.
The Sheikh arrives at midnight with all 36 wives.
That means 37 bathrooms and all on the same floor.
And now this accident...
Death... whatever.
Night shift came on at eight.
At least all the beds have been turned down.
Shall we?
We should have the medical report
first thing tomorrow.
Keep yourself available, Mr. Fletcher.
Of course, sir.
He thinks I did it.
Hey, Grady, no matter what happens,
I'll be there for you, buddy.
Well, at least the rain stopped.
Even Gary thinks Matheney suspects me.
Grady, don't go sour on the inspector yet.
Well, he seems to be pretty sour on me.
He thinks Sandra and I were "intimately involved."
Boy, that's a laugh.
The most exciting thing that happened
was when I put the flowers in the martini pitcher.
Then she got this phone call.
-Phone call? From whom? -I don't know.
She said she'd call them back later.
I remember her rummaging around for something
to write the number on.
And then she finally wrote it on some envelope
she took out of her purse.
Grady, I think that you should tell the inspector
about this phone call.
I mean, the number might be important.
I did. He said no envelope was found.
Aunt Jess, do you think the killer took the envelope
'cause his phone number was on it?
I don't know what to think,
unlike Inspector Matheney,
who seems to know exactly what to think,
mistaken as that might be.
Grady, did you tell me that Sandra
used to be a computer operator?
Yeah, back in Fort Wayne.
Well, that can't pay much.
I wonder how she can afford to stay at the Montaigne.
Probably the same way I am. Gary picked up the tab.
Mr. Havlin, I wanted to apologize again
for waking you up last night.
You were a pleasure compared to the harem with jet lag.
-Would you like a seat? -Thank you.
Actually, I wanted to talk to you about Sandra Clemens.
-Such a nice girl. -Yes.
I just felt that I should do something,
and flowers just seem so inadequate.
And, well, I just thought that if there was
any difficulty in covering her hotel bill,
I would be glad to handle it.
You can put away your fishing pole,
Mrs. Fletcher.
Sandra Clemens' finances, yes.
That is a mystery I stopped trying to fathom
a long, long time ago, after her first stay,
early last year, I believe.
-Her first stay? -Uh, yes.
She's been with us nine times since then.
Amazing what they must be paying computer operators these days.
Yes. Amazing.
She always paid her bill by credit card,
and there's never been a problem.
The tantalizing question, of course, is,
who's been paying the credit card bill?
[Nettie] Wait a minute. Wait a minute.
What's so complicated, Gary?
However it happened, it's a stroke of luck.
Now you really can divorce Cornelia.
[laughing] Yes.
Call you back. Call you back.
Well, Jessie. Come on in. Come on in.
Forgive me, Mrs. Harper, but your door was wide open.
-Shall I? -Please do.
-Thank you. Sit down. -All right.
And let your hair down and call me Nettie.
Oh, of course.
Oh, don't you just love these hotel chocolates?
Of course, I have to steal them like everybody else.
Here, take a box.
Oh, really.
Actually, Nettie, this is a condolence call.
I'm quite sure that you were hit very hard by Sandra's death.
Not a bit. Not a bit.
Gary and I barely knew the girl.
Well, hardly ever saw her since the kids went to Purdue.
Oh, how odd.
I thought that she had stayed here at the Montaigne
on a fairly regular basis.
Really?
Oh, Gary must have forgotten to mention it.
But you know who I feel sorry for?
Grady. Tsk, tsk, tsk.
That poor boy.
A fool could see how he felt about Sandra,
and then to find himself mixed up in her death.
He found the body. That's all.
Oh, but of course.
Did I sound like I implied otherwise?
How terrible of me. Oh, no, no, no, no.
I'm sure he's going to get off.
I don't think they have a lick of real proof
that he was involved in any way.
Mmm, oh, try one of those dark ones on the end.
Brazil nuts and brandy.
[Gary] Grady, old buddy, I got to tell you,
I'm scared to death.
You? Scared? Come on.
I mean it. I don't know what it is.
Maybe I'm getting old, losing my nerve.
But you got to help me.
If I can, sure, but--
The truth is,
Sandy and I dated for a while.
-You and Sandy? -After graduation.
It didn't last long.
I gave her this bracelet.
Engraved. The whole bit.
Anyway, she brought it back to New York to show me,
for old times' sake.
It's still in her room, Grady.
-In her bathrobe pocket. -Oh, boy.
If the cops catch me going in there to get it,
it's all over.
But you could get it.
Oh, no.
Just tell them the truth.
What, and have Cornelia all over my back?
I'm in enough trouble with her already.
I mean, she gets jealous if I just talk to another woman.
And this bracelet, I mean--that--
That would really ice it.
Gary, the room has been sealed.
Tape across the door. No big deal.
Yeah, it's a big deal. It's a police investigation!
Thanks a lot, buddy.
You don't remember who dragged you out of that beer joint
when those three goons from Ohio state
were gonna turn you into a pretzel?
Yeah, sure I do.
I adopted you, pal. We were like this!
You for me, me for you
here's my master key.
It opens every room in the hotel.
You just slip in, slip out.
"To Sandra. Forever, G."
Oh, no.
Jessica? Jessica.
I just heard about Grady. I can't believe it.
Well, I can.
Surely you're not suggesting
that Grady broke into that room to conceal evidence.
Let's understand one thing, Mrs. Harper.
A passkey was found in Grady's possession,
a key that I very much suspect belonged to your husband.
I doubt that.
I also very much suspect that he was in that room
to retrieve a bracelet for your husband.
Grady sometimes has a misplaced sense of loyalty.
Now, Mrs. Fletcher, that--
I also very much suspect
that the bracelet in question was given as a gift
to Sandra by your husband and not by my nephew.
Furthermore, it shouldn't be too hard to prove that.
But I think you know that.
Yes.
I suppose I should be grateful to Grady
for bringing all this out into the open.
I've had Mark Havlin, my manager,
investigating Sandra for weeks.
He found nothing.
I despised myself for being jealous,
but the feeling wouldn't go away.
I was sure there was something between them.
The bracelet only confirmed it.
I'm sorry about that. I really am.
But at the moment, my first priority
is to find Inspector Matheney and get Grady out of jail.
If you'll excuse me.
If it's Matheney you want,
I wouldn't waste my time going to police headquarters.
Oh?
[chuckling]
No, no, you're absolutely right.
Oh, thank you.
But even if the exhibit is a trifle deficient--
Certainly not the best of Van Gogh--
At least it is Van Gogh.
Although there's always the possibility of forgery,
given the recent developments in--
Would you excuse me for just a moment?
Mrs. Fletcher, I had no idea
you'd been invited to the opening.
Well, believe me, lieutenant, with my nephew in jail,
I'm not here for pleasure.
Please, could we discuss this some other time?
Some other time? When? Tomorrow, over brunch?
First, I'd like to know exactly what he's been charged with.
My good woman, when a prime suspect
in a murder investigation is caught
breaking into the murder site to remove a piece of evidence,
it is a fair assumption, then, that he will be incarcerated.
You are assuming that Grady gave that bracelet to Sandra.
But that "G" could just as easily
have stood for Garrett,
for whom I suspect Grady was doing a favor.
Mrs. Fletcher, someone with Garrett Harper's money
would hardly spring for such an inexpensive trinket.
Inspector, if you would spend more time on this case
and less time at art exhibits,
you would know that Gary Harper didn't always have money.
You might also find time to examine a few important leads,
which so far, you appear to have overlooked.
Oh, really? And what might they be?
Well, for one, the envelope that Grady told you about,
the one that Sandra wrote the telephone number on
and then put into her purse.
Have you bothered to see if that has turned up?
You do have a writer's imagination, Mrs. Fletcher.
Thank you.
I didn't quite mean that as a--
I know what you meant, inspector.
And I didn't come here to pick a quarrel.
I'm only interested in getting
these ridiculous charges against my nephew dismissed.
I really appreciate
all the trouble you went to, Aunt Jess.
Good.
Then maybe in gratitude,
you can tell me why you did something so, so--
Dumb?
Good word.
A friend was in trouble. I helped him out.
And if he'd asked you to rob a bank,
I suppose you'd have helped him out with that too?
Of course not.
But he said his wife would get jealous.
He wanted to spare her feelings.
Oh, Grady.
I thought I owed him that much.
I mean, considering everything he's done for me.
But what exactly has Gary done for you,
besides giving you a free room in his wife's hotel?
Oh, come on. That's not fair.
He was very supportive when we found Sandra's body.
He was with you when you found Sandra's body?
Well, not with me, exactly.
He was sort of in the other room.
"Sort of in the other room"?
After I found Sandra's body,
I heard this noise from the living room,
and when I looked up, I saw Gary run out the front door.
For pity's sake. And you didn't tell the police?
No.
He said he came in after I did,
and when he saw Sandra lying there,
he ran off to get help.
-And you believed that? -Yes!
I mean, I did at the time, but--
-Look-- -No!
You look, Grady. Take a good, hard look.
Now, it is one thing to be loyal to an old friend,
but it's quite another thing
to let that loyal friend use you.
-No, you got him all wrong. -Look, Grady.
There's a real possibility that Gary Harper is the killer.
Oh, come on. That's crazy.
Well, don't tell me that it hasn't entered your mind.
I mean, you're much too smart
to accept that man at face value,
especially the face that I've been seeing.
I'm gonna go take a walk or something.
I'll see you later.
Grady.
You have to go to the police.
I'll be back in a while.
[phone rings]
Yes?
Oh, yes, inspector.
What?
Oh, yes. Yes, I'll be right there.
I thought you might be interested
in these deposits in the Clemens girl's bankbook.
Twenty to twenty-five thousand dollars each. Over a dozen of them.
Now, where does a girl who works
as a computer processor get that kind of money?
Well, could be a lot of things,
but the one that jumps to mind, of course, is blackmail.
Yes, I know.
But who? And why?
Inspector, how long would it take to get a printout
of all the dates that Sandra stayed
at the Montaigne Plaza?
I ordered one up yesterday.
I think it was sent over this morning.
Yes, yes. Here, it is.
Hmm. Just as I thought.
The deposits and the check-in dates
match exactly.
All right.
The lady came to town periodically for her payoff.
That still doesn't tell us who was giving her the money.
Doesn't it seem strange to you that her visits started
shortly after Gary Harper married Cornelia Montaigne?
[chuckles]
Suppose you're right.
Suppose Harper was being bled by his ex-girlfriend.
The lady's dead, and I hardly think the victim
is going to tell us what was going on.
Maybe we don't have to get it from the victim.
Well, I'm sorry. I can't chat right now, Jessica.
I'm late for a hair appointment.
Well, I don't know where Gary is,
if that's who you're looking for.
Actually, I wanted to talk with you, Nettie.
I was curious about a conversation you had with Gary
on the telephone earlier.
You said, "now you really can divorce Cornelia."
Remember?
Oh, that conversation was meant for Gary's ears,
not yours.
Well, if I'm wrong, I apologize, Nettie,
but everything seems to point in the same direction.
If there was a time when Cornelia and Gary
couldn't get a divorce,
maybe it was because they weren't legally married.
Oh, don't be ridiculous. I was there.
I gave them six place settings.
But the marriage would hardly be valid
if he were already married to somebody else.
It would be easy to prove.
Do you know how much anguish and cash
that secret has cost over the past years?
So Sandra was your daughter-in-law.
Gary was foolish. So foolish.
And that little tramp
carried that marriage license in her purse
and waved it under Gary's nose
until the day she died.
[jazz music]
[chattering, laughter]
[Grady] They were married, Gary and Sandy?
I'm sorry, Grady.
As soon as Gary gets here,
I'm gonna get the truth out of him.
What makes you think
that he's gonna level with you now?
The only reason that Nettie blurted out the truth
was because she thought that with the first wife dead,
the second marriage would become valid.
That doesn't make any sense.
I know it doesn't.
But Nettie thought that it did.
That's why she was pushing for Gary
to go for a settlement now before Cornelia found out
that her own marriage was invalid.
You mean, Gary was paying Sandy blackmail money?
Oh, boy.
You think you really know somebody.
But you know, that doesn't mean that Gary killed her.
-Grady -No, no, no, no, no.
If Nettie thought that killing Sandy would guarantee
a profitable divorce from Cornelia-
that sure sounds like a motive to me.
Well, we'll never find out just sitting here.
Gary's already an hour late.
Uh, listen, Aunt Jess, about before,
uh, up in the room, I'm sorry.
I--I just shot off my mouth and--
Look, Grady,
the day that you and I can't have
a good old-fashioned argument,
I'm gonna start wondering where I went wrong.
Right.
I remembered.
You always come up here
when you want to think things over.
No, just when I want to be by myself.
Cornelia, I swear to you,
Sandra and I were finished years ago.
She didn't mean anything to me.
Cornelia?
Leave me alone, Garrett.
Or better still, just leave.
Spare me having to throw you out.
Look, try to see it from my side.
I wanted to tell you about Sandra,
but I was afraid--
Afraid of hurting you,
of losing you.
Why do you think I let her blackmail me all this time?
Careful, Garrett.
That sounds very much like a motive for murder.
What of it? I didn't kill her.
Darling, don't you see what this means?
Now we have a chance for a real life together.
No secrets, no doubts.
And I do love you, Cornelia, very much.
No, Garrett.
It's my money you love very much.
That's the only thing about which I have no doubts.
-Let go of me. -You're blind, Cornelia.
You're so consumed by jealousy you can't see the truth.
Maybe I should walk away, but I can't.
I love you too much.
You're hurting me.
You know what the trouble is?
You can't walk away.
From the money, the power.
Just give it up, Cornelia.
Let's go away to some little place upstate
away from all this, just the two of us,
and to hell with the rest of the world.
[elevator bell dings]
Rice, I need to talk to you.
Yeah? About what?
I need you to do something for me.
Come on, Harper.
You're on your way out the front door.
Your wife's got you pegged.
Oh, no, no, no.
We just had a long talk on the roof,
and everything's smoothed out.
Look, Havlin's the one that's going out the door,
and the only one that's gonna run this place is me.
Yeah, well, you're forgetting something.
There's a murder charge coming down
with your nametag on it.
Well, that's where you're gonna help me, Herman.
See, there's 5,000 in this envelope
if you could manage to remember something
that might put the spotlight on Grady Fletcher.
Fletcher?
What makes you think you can frame him?
Oh, come on. Think of the evidence.
Finding the body, going back to get that bracelet.
Easy money.
And a raise too?
Sure, Mr. Harper.
No problem.
I'll jog my memory.
See what I come up with.
[thumping on back]
Grady.
This belongs to you.
Grady, wait a minute.
You didn't think I was serious about all that stuff, did you?
Grady, it was a trap.
I was just seeing how far Rice would go.
You know something, Gary?
You're good.
Ten, maybe 11 years, and I never saw it.
I guess maybe I'm not too bright.
But the funny thing is,
there was a time when I probably would've taken the rap for you.
But like I said,
I guess maybe I'm not too bright.
[crowd cheering on TV]
Over to first. Twenty-foot jumper. And it's good!
Well, I don't know about you, but I am starved.
Let's go.
Ah, gee, I don't--
Oh, come on, come on.
We've got a reservation in 45 minutes for dinner,
and I think that we should walk.
The exercise will do us good.
But don't you dare bring that long face with you.
Aunt Jess, have I ever told you
you are my absolute most favorite person
in the whole world?
[laughing] Yes, but not often enough.
[knocking]
Oh, I'm sorry.
I can come back later to turn down the beds.
No, that's not necessary. We were just leaving.
Grady, we have a stop to make first.
I know how busy you are, Mr. Havlin,
and I'm sorry to interrupt,
but I've just come from Cornelia's office.
What now?
Apparently, she's got it into her head
that both you and Gary contrived
to bring Sandra Clemens into the hotel.
Gary and I?
Well, yes, according to Gary.
How typical of Gary to implicate someone else
in his dirty work.
He also said that you were chiefly responsible
for rekindling their college romance.
Did I?
Well, that is too much, even for Gary.
-Well, he also said-- -I can imagine, Mrs. Fletcher.
Did he also happen to tell her
that he and Sandra had been married
for the past few years?
Married? Oh, no.
Sandra was Gary's mistress, not his wife.
Wrong, Mrs. Fletcher. They were married.
On June 20th, I recall.
Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Oh, but that's ridiculous.
My good woman, Cornelia had me
checking out Sandra's past for weeks.
I know what I'm talking about.
But why didn't you inform Cornelia?
Well, she is a very highly-strung woman.
What point would there be in upsetting her?
No, I'm sorry.
I can't accept such a bizarre notion without proof.
Would a copy of Gary and Sandra's
marriage certificate satisfy you?
Oh, my goodness. [chuckles]
You are serious. This isn't a joke.
It came in the mail this morning
from the Fort Wayne hall of records.
Cornelia and I haven't been able to see each other at all today.
That's why I haven't told her about it.
I see.
The certificate is legitimate, Mrs. Fletcher.
-I assure you. -Oh, I'm quite sure that it is.
But it didn't come in the mail this morning, Mr. Havlin.
The fact is, you took it from Sandra Clemens' purse
the night that you killed her.
I see.
First, I am a home wrecker, and now I am a murderer.
Incredible.
Grady saw Sandra scribble a telephone number
on this envelope a few hours before she was killed.
Gary's mother told me that Sandra kept the license
in her purse at all times to hold over his head
if he failed to meet her blackmail demands.
Grady?
That's the envelope, Aunt Jess.
I'm sure of it.
The only reason you didn't destroy the certificate
was because you wanted to blackmail Gary yourself.
That is why you killed Sandra, isn't it?
This is preposterous.
The night she was killed,
you claimed you'd been asleep in your room for hours.
You even went to the trouble
of leaving your phone off the hook
so someone would have to come to your room
and see that you'd been sleeping.
You said you'd been asleep for three hours,
but your clock read 10:30.
If you had been asleep since 7:30,
the night maid who came in at 8:00
would never have come into the room
to turn down the bed
and leave a chocolate and a fresh flower.
It shouldn't be too difficult
to learn which maid prepared your bed that evening.
Every time
I asked Cornelia for a raise,
she turned me down.
Then when I found out about this marriage,
I was going to tell her all about it.
I let her know everything that happens here.
Then I thought, "Don't be a fool.
This is your ticket.
Your golden goose, Mark."
When Sandra started coming to this hotel,
I saw her change
from a hick computer processor
into a very expensively pulled-together lady.
It wasn't hard to guess
where the money was coming from.
I went to her room that night with a very fair offer,
that she split Gary's payments with me 50/50.
She laughed in my face.
We argued.
I hit her hard.
She accidently knocked her head
against the dresser and collapsed.
She was barely conscious, and I thought,
"Why not finish her off and have it all?"
If she hadn't picked up that phone call,
it would've been perfect.
Feeling okay?
Great, but I'll feel even better
once I get out of this place.
Hi. Fletcher.
-Forty-five forty, checking out. -Okay.
Oh, speaking of numbers, did you ever find out
what number Sandy wrote down on that envelope?
Yes, it was her periodontist's office.
They were calling to reschedule an appointment with her.
Jessica?
-Oh, good morning. -Good morning.
Good morning.
I do hope that you've had a pleasant stay.
Well, yes.
Garrett and I had a long, hard talk last night,
and, well, we've straightened things out.
I've come to realize I've been a foolish woman,
and, well, we're gonna give it another try.
Well, I can't imagine two people
more ideally suited to each other.
Hey, pal.
Now that Havlin's confessed,
how'd you like to be my best man?
Ah, gee, I'd really like to, but I'm gonna be busy that day.
Well, I haven't told you the day.
I know.
Mr. Fletcher, your bill.
I'll take care of that, Nancy.
No, no, thanks. I can handle this myself.
Twenty-five hundred dollars?
For two nights and a lousy meal at a restaurant?
I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Fletcher.
-There's been a mistake. -Thank you.
They forgot to add your restaurant charge.
Excuse me.
[cheerful orchestral music]