I always thought I'd be nervous about
getting ma- ma--
Married?
[Jessica] Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.
The more you abuse the nouveau riche,
the better they tip.
My youngest wants to leave the house,
and go out on her own.
I told her I got other plans for my pension.
I thought you want me to make the recipe more exciting.
More exciting, not more Chinese!
I can't tell my father
I'm involved in a murder investigation.
This gig is about as permanent as origami tofu.
I don't take orders from some punk who rides in here
on his sister's apron strings.
What's wrong? Has somebody been hurt?
Donna broke off the engagement!
[lively theme music]
Look, just because it's you,
how about 1,000 for the lobster and 2,000 for the caviar?
Deal?
Okay, you want it delivered the usual time?
Hey, they haven't noticed so far.
Why should they now?
Oh, dear.
I was hoping I'd have time to stop off and freshen up,
but my nephew says
we can't change this reservation for anything.
If we hit crosstown traffic,
you'll be lucky if you get there in time for dessert.
That is, if they're still in business.
Lot of places have opened and closed on that block
in the last couple of years.
Yeah, well, this one seems to be quite popular.
My nephew advised me to invest in it.
It seems to be doing very well.
Hey, you take my advice, lady.
You get out while the going's good.
Last year, I took a lot of fares
to a Serbo-Croatian place at that address.
It was doing good too.
There it is.
Boy, this neighborhood's really gone down the flusher.
Ain't even dark yet,
and already the cowboys are out.
Thank you very much.
Grady?
Aunt Jess?
Hi.
[laughs]
-Oh, my goodness. -You look great.
Well, I've never seen you look so, uh, relaxed.
Yeah, isn't it amazing?
I always thought I'd be nervous about getting ma-- ma--
-Married? -Yeah.
And speaking of that, where's Donna?
Oh, she's working late, but she'll be here soon.
Actually, Alice's Farm is her first solo account.
Aunt Jess, she just loves accounting.
That's how I knew I was finally on the right track--
You know, girl-wise.
Yes, well, I can't wait to meet her.
Grady, I've never seen you dress
quite like this for dinner.
Yeah, isn't it great?
[laughs]
What? But we had a reservation.
I'm very, very sorry, but I can't seem to find it.
Hey, dude, great game last night.
You know, you made me a couple of bucks.
Hey, thanks, Chaz.
Love your bolo.
Oh, yeah, my trance channeler got it for me from Santa Fe.
Excuse me, but we've had this reservation
for a couple of weeks, Mr--
Call me Chaz. You are?
Jessica Fletcher.
Yeah, she's put quite a few bucks
into this place, dude.
Aw, great, then you'll have lots to talk about
with your fellow investors.
I'll get you a table just as soon as I possibly--
Hey, Congressman Phelps!
Hey! How goes it in Albany, dude?
How are you doin'?
Hey, I got your table right over here.
-Grady! -Hey, Doug!
How's my man?
And this pretty lady must be J.B. Fletcher,
our famous investor.
Well, not so famous.
Sure, you are.
You're the only one here from Maine.
Yeah, somehow I guessed that.
Oh, this is Doug Brooke, Aunt Jess.
He runs the business end of things.
How do you do?
Well, sis is the star.
Alice and I have us a deal:
I stay out of the kitchen, and she stays out of my books.
-Hey, where's Donna? -Oh, she's gonna meet us here.
Yeah, I'm afraid we're going to have to go
somewhere else to eat.
Yeah, your partner can't seem to find our reservation.
What? Well, dang it.
I took them down myself.
Chaz, you got a minute?
Fletcher.
I thought you city folks could read.
Oh, Fletcher, Fletcher.
Yeah, I--I misunderstood.
It gets so loud in here.
I'll have your table for you in a few minutes.
And in the meantime,
I'd like to buy y'all some drinks, on the house.
So, Grady, how's that pen-pushin' goin', huh?
-Oh, it's goin' great. -Yeah?
Oh, Nerissa.
Hey, loved your video art piece.
Thank you, Chaz.
I'm, uh- I'm afraid I forgot to make a reservation.
Oh, uh, Gabriel, would you get
Nerissa's usual table please?
Very good.
Hey, you're gonna hurt your finger, kiddo.
I have had it with you sellin' off our tables, pops.
Look, amigo, I don't take orders from some punk
who rides in here on his sister's apron strings.
What is this?
Ten orders of caviar here. What happened to it?
Our menu says "burnt meat loaf."
This meat loaf looks like meat loaf.
Did you remember to turn the oven up
the last ten minutes?
Sorry, Alice. I forgot.
You forgot, and a yuppie goes hungry.
Coming through. Coming through.
Listen, sis,
I know that Chaz Crewe brings in lots of investors--
Oh, please, Douglas,
don't start with the Chaz thing again.
But that jerk is nothing but trouble.
He is taking bribes for tables, our own partner!
Look, he brings in the right kind of people, okay?
The kind of people who think there's something chic
in paying 22.50 for fried chicken.
We are established now, Al.
Why can't we just buy him out?
Somehow, I don't think Chaz would go for that.
Yeah, well, what if he doesn't really have a choice?
Oh, you're gonna like this, Mrs. Fletcher.
Same wine I poured for Tennessee.
He liked it a lot.
Oh, that is delicious. Is it French?
Oh, what else?
All these bozos ever wanna drink are white wine spritzers.
Aunt Jess, there's a table opening up.
[gasps] Thank heavens. I'm starved!
Hey! Hold on to your suede, pal.
You know, the more you abuse the nouveau riche,
the better they tip.
Now, Hemingway- there was a terrific tipper.
Hey, he signed a wine cork for me once.
Here.
Oh, my goodness, isn't that a lovely memento?
And you can still just see the signature.
The vintage on that cork is as old as your stories, Harry.
Well, we can't all be
as up-to-the-second as you are, Mimi.
Well, it's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it.
Mimi, I want you to meet a real writer.
This is Jessica Fletcher, mystery novelist.
Mimi Harcourt, gossip.
Not gossip, Harry, trends.
You're a columnist?
Oh, I've always thought that must be the hardest job.
Well, I'm afraid I haven't read you either, Jennifer.
But, of course, my readers aren't into fiction.
They're more into making their own scene.
[giggles]
Wow, we're in the same restaurant
as the writer of Who's into what .
Uh, Grady, the scene
that Miss Harcourt is into seems to be our table.
Grady?
Donna?
Hi.
Hi. Ooh.
Oh, here, sit.
I'll take that.
Mrs. Fletcher, I've been so excited
about meeting you,
especially now that Grady and I are getting m--m--m--
I'm sorry to be late,
but I had to finish up these books for Mr. Brooke.
I didn't have time to change.
I feel so out of place here in my work clothes.
Well, I think you look lovely.
Yeah, I'll say.
I have a terrible favor to ask.
Well, maybe it's not terrible, but it is unexpected.
I mean, I guess I should have expected it.
I'm sure it's no problem.
Well, I just talked to my parents.
Your parents?
They're leaving the country for a couple months.
Some business thing.
So they're throwing us a party.
A party?
At their house up in Fishkill tomorrow.
Tomorrow?
I'm really sorry to spring this,
but they just phoned,
and they really want to meet you both.
I'm sorry.
Don't feel that you have to apologize.
I'm sure that we'll all have a delightful time.
Yeah, you bet.
Now, I want you both to tell me
all the plans for the wedding.
Um, well, we haven't really talked about it yet.
I didn't want to, you know, impose anything.
Wh--Whatever you want would be fine, really.
But what do you want it to be?
Whatever you want.
Really. Really?
And maybe we can have the cake shaped as a ledger.
And for favors, we can have pens with our initials on 'em.
That's great!
Aunt Jess, isn't this incredible?
We haven't even talked about it,
we both want the same wedding.
Incredible!
Excuse me, would you people like to chow down?
Now, since this is such a special occasion,
I think that we should start off
with some caviar, don't you?
Caviar. I'm sorry, we're out of caviar.
But, however, we have some of Alice's special farm caviar.
Instead of fish eggs, it's made with oeufs de poulet .
Oeufs de poulet?
You mean hard-boiled eggs?
On toast points.
One last toast.
To many more happy dinners together.
Hello.
I just wanted to make sure I thanked you, Miss Fletcher,
for helpin' us open this place.
Y'all enjoy your food?
Jessica, this is Alice Brooke.
Doug's sister.
It was absolutely delicious.
And my fish was superb.
I had no idea
that you could get yellowtail on this coast.
Well, it took the overland route.
It was frozen.
You know, I never would have guessed that.
Congratulations on all your success here.
Well, I think I'm the one who should be congratulatin'.
The way I figure it,
I'm gettin' two accountants for the price of one.
[sighs]
Ow! Geez!
Oh! Are you all right?
Yeah, I'm such a klutz.
Oh.
You know, Frank walked down the aisle with a broken leg
[chuckles]
I'm not nervous, Aunt Jess.
I really can't wait to get ma- ma-
it's just that I have a hard time talkin' about it.
You don't have to, Grady.
I can't tell you how happy I am.
She's, uh- she's pretty okay, isn't she?
Mm-hmm.
Donna gives new meaning to "okay."
-Believe me. -Oh.
[knocking at door]
[singing O Solo Mio]
[phone ringing]
Hello.
[shakily] Jessica?
Donna, what's the matter?
The police, they've come to take me to the restaurant.
But why? What's happened?
Chaz. Somebody found him there this morning.
Found him?
Dead, murdered.
Oh.
[vocalizing ends]
[police radio chatter]
The day manager called us
when he found the front door open.
Now, nothing's been touched,
including this ledger.
You see these entries, Miss Mayberry?
They've been whited-out.
What were they?
L- I'm not sure.
You are the accountant for this restaurant, aren't you?
Lieutenant Rupp, Donna gave this ledger
to Doug Brooke, Alice's brother.
Maybe he knows what those entries were.
I just brought it up to date yesterday.
Good, good.
So it shouldn't be too hard for you to figure out
exactly what was erased.
The department appreciates your cooperation.
You-you mean now?
But what about- we have to get upstate.
I would like the weekend off too, ma'am.
You mean, we might have to stay here
the whole weekend?
Lieutenant, it-it's just that we're supposed
to attend an engagement party.
You kids are getting married?
Oh, that's great.
That's just great.
See, too many of the young people
today are just shacking up.
It's nice to find somebody who has the right values.
Excuse me.
Grady, what are we gonna do?
I can't tell my father
I'm involved in a murder investigation.
-He'd-- he'd disown me! -No.
Well, maybe Lieutenant Rupp,
if he really understands the situation-
[whispering] I'll have a word with him
time and method's gonna be tough.
Even after the body defrosts?
Yep, take your choice.
He got himself conked on the noggin.
He was knifed with a jagged-edged blade.
Except the wounds are too shallow.
More like he was slashed than stabbed, huh?
Cause of death could be any of above
or combination of any of above.
Excuse me, Lieutenant Rupp?
Uh, there seems to be something here on the floor.
[clears throat]
Lieutenant, I don't want to be a nuisance,
but my nephew's future in-laws are leaving the country.
And since this is our only chance to meet them,
would it be possible
for Donna to examine the books after the weekend?
Sorry, Mrs. Fletcher,
but I have to proceed while the trail is hot.
Well, then, Lieutenant,
could she take the books with her
and just report back to you?
Lieutenant, the Brookes are here.
Excuse me.
No, no, everything's fine, fine,
except we're just gonna be a teensy bit late.
[woman talking indistinctly]
Mother, mother, it's just some work stuff.
Now, you know how daddy always says work comes first.
Yeah, I'll say.
Grady, I thought you had never met Donna's father.
Well, I haven't.
It's just that I know he drives Donna pretty hard.
This look familiar, Sir?
Sure, it's a-- it's a register tape.
Did you get it off of Chaz?
How'd you know that?
Well, whoever closes up
takes that little thing out of the register
and enters the night's total into the ledger.
Last night, it was Chaz.
Well, I sure am glad you had me check, Lieutenant.
It seems that six cases of lobster
took a hike from my freezer.
Six boxes?
Well that-- that must cost us $1,500.
Sounds like the victim surprised a thief.
I'll be at the restaurant, helping Donna.
This could take a while.
Well, even if we miss the party,
we can still go to Fishkill tomorrow
to meet Donna's parents.
Aw, geez. I don't know, Aunt Jess.
This could take a long time.
Grady, you're not afraid
to meet Donna's parents, are you?
No. Why should I be?
Well, I have no idea.
But you seem quite happy to have an excuse
to stay in town.
Mr. Mayberry-- that's Donna's father--
Is president, founder, and C.E.O.
of Mayberry Waterman.
It's, like, the third largest accounting firm in the state.
Well, that doesn't sound like much of a problem.
Well, it's just that I kind of met him
about five years ago.
Actually, I kind of worked for him
for a couple of days.
Actually, he fired me.
Grady, I'm so sorry.
And you never told Donna, huh?
No. How could I?
But you're marrying Mr. Mayberry's daughter,
not Mr. Mayberry.
But he has big plans for her.
She's his only child.
Well, in that case, it might be wise
for you to meet him face-to-face
before the wedding.
I was kind of hoping he wouldn't be at the wedding.
[telephone ringing]
Hello.
Mimi Harcourt? Wow!
Yeah, yeah, what a-- yeah, she's right here.
A late breakfast?
Yeah, she'd love to join you--
Yeah, I'll tell her.
Okay. Yeah, good-b--
She's rushing an article on the restaurant
for the next issue of City Magazine,
and she wants to interview you.
She says it's absolutely vital.
Oh, sure. I'd love to join her.
Oh, come on, Aunt Jess.
Mimi Harcourt's gossip central.
Who knows what you'll be able to find out.
It might get us out to town a lot quicker,
I guess you're right, I should get this over with.
Tell me where to meet her.
I knew you would.
[people talking and laughing]
Can you believe it?
Valentino's actually playing tapes
of people having fun to try to get business back.
[chuckling]
And you know the amazing thing?
It just might work.
Anyway, as I was saying,
the food's just not the same here since Alice left.
And, of course, taking Harry and Chaz with her
just helped to put the final nails in the coffin.
And was Valentino furious.
[whistles]
But surely that sort of thing happens quite a lot.
Oh, of course.
The food biz is all theater.
Part of the excitement
is watching the changing cast of characters.
Speaking of actors,
I couldn't help but notice Alice's down-home accent
kind of comes and goes.
It's retro chic, darling.
You know, the opposite of chic is in.
But back to business.
This article had to be in yesterday.
Of course, yesterday, the murder hadn't happened.
You think I'd do a piece about murder?
I wouldn't stoop to that kind of sensationalism.
[beeping]
[groans] Waiter, get me a phone.
They just won't leave me alone.
Where were we?
Uh... oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
My story is about people who invest in restaurants.
It's the clientele that makes places happen.
Oh, but surely the food and-- and the service
has a great deal to do with it.
Oh, please.
That kind of stuff, you could get
at Alice's Farm in TV dinners.
Which, incidentally, are on their way back.
It's me.
What?
You are kidding.
But that is terrible.
Aw!
Well, you tell him-- you tell him
I'll be right there.
Okay? Okay.
Oh.
Another fast-breaking trend?
My fingernail designer has been arrested.
Oh, God.
And I've got this big party to go to tonight.
I've gotta bail him out.
Listen, Jennifer, you're a writer.
Do me a favor.
Messenger me a bio about the investor article, okay?
Here. I always pay my own way.
I wouldn't want anybody to think
they were buying a free plug.
Bye.
Hey, Valentino, knock off the ambience tape.
Besides, there's no one listening anymore.
[tape warbles to a stop]
Excuse me, are you the proprietor?
Valentino Reggiore
at the lovely signora's service.
You know, you have
such an elegant establishment here, signor.
Those new places are so loud.
You know, I'm an investor in Alice's Farm.
But when I heard that horrifying news this morning,
well, I was tempted to pull out.
Well, everything today is fads.
They have gypsy cuisine, Serbo-Cambodian cuisine.
Oh, I miss good old-fashioned food.
Don't you?
Oh, here's my bill.
Please, signora, it's on the house.
Oh, that's very nice.
Oh, anything for such a lovely lady.
Besides, it's much easier than starting a new tape.
You see, Chaz could have closed out early
by taking the tape out of the register
and then pocketing the rest of the night's money.
Yeah, you see, the totals on the nights Chaz closed out
are lower than the other nights.
What are you saying?
The victim is ripping off his own restaurant?
There are other white-outs going back a couple months.
In each case, somebody erased an entry
and filled in a smaller amount.
Yeah, after Donna paid the account.
So the restaurant was paying for supplies that were stolen.
Well, why would he steal from himself?
He wasn't. He was stealing from his investors.
Now, if you'll excuse us, we have got a party to go to.
Now, is this all you got?
All we've got?
I'm sorry, ma'am,
but if he's ripping off his investors,
maybe one of 'em found out.
Now, I gotta know
who had access to the books and the invoices,
and I need a list of the investors.
That could take the rest of the day at least.
Lieutenant Rupp, I really can't understand
why you expect Donna to do your work for you.
Hey, I work plenty hard.
Now, we found out that the victim's wounds
were caused by a sickle-shaped, jagged-edged knife.
That's about the only kind of blade
that a swiss army knife doesn't have.
So we've been combing the restaurant
for a murder weapon.
Yes, well, I'm sure that's all
very important police work,
but you can't keep us here against our will.
I could place any of you under arrest for suspicion.
But not make it hold.
Yeah, but it would take the weekend to process you.
Or you could stick around
until you got the information that I need.
Yes, mother, we'll really try to be there for dinner.
Yes, before the guests arrive.
No.
I mean, of course I'd love to talk to daddy,
but I really should get back to work.
I know this doesn't sound like my office.
I--We'll come right along as soon as we can.
And you said you have no idea
who could have been stealing from the restaurant.
Well, some places I worked got ripped off.
You know, day managers, night managers.
They're alone a lot of the time.
And they take deliveries.
And have access to the books.
You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?
Chaz had himself quite a business.
-That little son-of-a-- -Doug.
Why are you always making excuses for him, Al?
I wasn't.
Why don't you just keep still?
Alice, this fish is delicious.
Thanks. It's yellowtail.
It's the same fish you had last night.
If I remember correctly,
you said that the fish last night was frozen.
But surely this fish wasn't taken
from the freezer this morning.
Course not. Doug took it out last night to defrost.
Mm-mm, not me.
It was on the counter this morning when I came in.
Oh, my goodness.
I think I just found our sickle-shaped murder weapon.
And we just ate it.
I told you before, lieutenant.
Doug and I went straight home after work.
We were asleep in our apartment until you called.
You and your brother live together, ma'am?
This is new York.
We own a restaurant, Lieutenant,
not Rockefeller Center.
My youngest wants to leave the house
and go out on her own.
I told her I got other plans for my pension.
Lieutenant, have you determined
if there was blood on the fins?
There were traces, yes.
And it was the victim's.
I think I'm gonna lay off fish and chips for a while.
I never saw any blood, I swear.
You know what I can't figure out?
Why anybody would choose to use a fish to kill somebody
in a kitchen full of potential murder weapons.
Unless--Unless they planned on getting rid of the weapon
by cooking it.
But, Lieutenant,
I thought your medical examiner said
that Chaz didn't die from knife wounds.
So what? He was still slashed with that fish.
But doesn't that make it unlikely
that the murder was premeditated?
What are you saying?
You're saying that some poor slob
just grabbed a fish because it was handy?
Well, supposing-- supposing Chaz attacked somebody,
perhaps somebody who had discovered
that he was stealing from the restaurant.
Right.
And the killer used the fish to defend himself.
Well, it fits the position of the body,
if I remember correctly.
And he could have hit his head on a shelf or on a crate
and knocked himself unconscious.
Lady, I gotta read one of your books.
How's your list coming?
Hmm?
Oh, I was just assessing the value
of what was stolen last night.
Lobster tail and caviar. It was quite a take.
I thought you were working on the people
who had access to the books.
I thought the lieutenant might want to know
about this too.
Donna, let's just stick with
what the lieutenant asked us to do, okay?
My goodness, you two have been sitting here for hours.
Why don't you stand up and have a good stretch?
I just can't get these figures to add up straight.
Oh, you mean the list of investors.
They just don't add up
to the total capitalization on the restaurant.
Now, either my calculator's broken
or some investors' names aren't in there.
And then there's all these initials
that Chaz scribbled in there.
What if these initials were silent partners?
You know, investors
who didn't want their identities to be known.
There were several profit checks
that Chaz instructed me to send to business managers.
Let's see.
M.H. M.H.
Mimi Harcourt.
Mimi Har--Oh, come on, aunt Jess.
That doesn't make any sense.
She's a columnist. She wouldn't--
Wouldn't she?
She seems to be rather sensitive
to conflicts of interest.
Maybe she has reason to be.
I have something that I have to return to Miss Harcourt,
and I wouldn't want to wait any longer with it.
Grady, I need some books from the office.
I'll be back in a bit.
Can we share a cab?
Donna, I don't want to interfere,
but is everything all right?
It's just very scary
when you've done something wrong
and people snap at you,
people you love.
Donna, the kind of stress
that you and Grady are experiencing right now,
you know, it's really quite natural.
Maybe so, Jessica.
But I'm having, well, kind of serious doubts.
-About the marriage? -About everything.
Just now in there, Grady reminded me of my father.
Grady?
Daddy is so demanding.
He's such a perfectionist.
Once when I was about ten, I lost something important,
and I decided the best thing to do was to own up.
He screamed and carried on.
It was just awful.
Oh, my goodness. What had you lost?
My allowance ledger.
Donna, why do I get the feeling
that you don't want to be an accountant?
But how did--
I mean, don't tell anybody, please.
Oh, of course I won't.
But--But if it makes you miserable,
for goodness sakes, don't do it.
But it means so much to daddy,
and Grady's so enthusiastic about me being a career woman.
And all I really want is
to stay home and have a family.
It's just awful, Jessica, because I love him so much.
But I just don't know that we're right for each other.
Donna, I'm not saying this because I'm Grady's aunt,
but I honestly don't think that I have ever met two people
who are more suited to each other.
Oh, Miss Harcourt.
I was on my way up to see you.
I really can't spare but a second.
It's absolutely vital I get these changes in
on the car phone answering machine piece.
Oh, I understand.
But I did want to give you back the money
you left for breakfast.
Mr. Reggiore insists that the meal is on him.
[whispering] If my editor heard you...
Oh, my lips are sealed.
Besides, I really came here to tell you
that the authorities are going to let Alice reopen tonight.
Really?
And I really do think
that you should be there to show your support.
I mean, I do think that's vital.
I mean, all of us investors,
I mean, we have to keep that place jumping, now, don't we?
We investors?
I'm afraid you've made a mistake.
Oh, say no more.
Listen, Jennifer, girl to girl,
this would have real negative energy flow
if it were to get out.
Oh, you mean the conflict of interest bit?
Well, of course that is a pain.
Look, this gig is about as permanent as origami tofu.
They have gone through six journalists here
in the last two years.
I'm just providing for my future.
So you told Chaz
that you wanted to get in on the interest deal.
Well, that's understandable.
It was Chaz's idea. He made it sound so safe.
Only he would know about it.
Then I find out he's blabbing all over town.
Last night, Alice came over to my table
and started to thank me in front of my guests.
Oh, you must have been very angry with Chaz.
Hold the telex here.
If you're going to imply that
I had something to do with his death,
you should know I have an alibi for last night.
And I mean all of last night.
I was at my apartment with Doug Brooke.
Oh, but he was with his sister.
Hmm. I gotta go.
Okay, Jessica, I lied.
I swear I did not leave the apartment all night.
But, Alice, why fabricate a story
that was so easy to disprove?
I panicked.
I was worried about this idiot. Hey!
Look, you didn't come home till this morning
after the lieutenant had called,
with no explanation of where you had been.
I had to say something.
And you were worried that Doug wouldn't be
able to account for himself,
so you fabricated an alibi for him.
You thought I killed Chaz. Geez!
I didn't know what to think,
especially after what you said last night
about getting rid of him.
Oh, great. Now you don't trust me.
Well, and finding out
you were carrying on with Mimi Harcourt
didn't exactly build my confidence in you.
Damn, I don't believe this.
You've always been irresponsible.
You know, if you'd been keeping an eye on Chaz,
he wouldn't have been selling our stuff God knows where.
Alice, there wouldn't be many people
who would be interested in buying stolen lobster,
would there?
I guess not. Why?
So the signora is a writer of cookbooks.
Oh, no, no, mysteries.
But I'm thinking of setting one in a restaurant.
Ah, so you came for the atmosphere.
Well, I would be delighted to show the signora around.
What--What--What are you doing?
That's soy sauce!
I thought you want me to make the recipe more exciting.
More exciting, not more Chinese.
Are you sure you would not like
to collaborate in a cookbook?
We seem to be molto simpatico .
How do you feel about garlic?
[chuckles]
Well, it really isn't my field of expertise.
Oh, pity.
Well, look, ask.
Feel free.
Well, thank you very much.
Oh, I see that you're serving lobster tails for dinner.
Oh, uh, yes.
Would the signora like some?
Oh, thank you very much, but it's a little early for me.
I'm sure they'll be delicious.
That's the same supplier as Alice's Farm uses.
Is it? I really wouldn't know.
I keep asking myself,
who could use stolen restaurant supplies?
Only another restauranteur.
Those lobster tails came from legitimate sources.
Well, I imagine that Lieutenant Rupp
can call the distributor
and confirm that these cartons were sold to you?
I may have purchased some supplies
that didn't come through regular channels.
But how else can I get lobster and caviar
at reasonable prices?
But I didn't steal them.
You merely happened to buy them from the thief.
I'm a businessman.
And a very resourceful one, Mr. Reggiore.
[telephone rings]
Reggiore Restaurant.
It's for you.
Oh.
Thank you.
Hello? Oh, Grady.
What's happened? You sound terrible.
Aunt Jess, I don't know what to do.
What's wrong? Has somebody been hurt?
It's happened again.
Oh, no. Not another murder?
No, I've been dumped.
Donna broke off the engagement.
She called and said she wouldn't marry me,
just like that.
But, Grady, she must have said something else.
Yeah, that she was gonna tell her parents
and that she loved me.
Boy, you know, I really don't get this at all.
I finally find the girl that I love,
and she says she loves me, and then she dumps me.
I mean, what's the point?
Let me guess. Career woman, right?
Yeah, how'd you know?
You give 'em the key to the executive washroom,
and they want your trousers.
Let me buy you a drink.
Bartender, two gin martinis.
Uh, no. Make mine a club soda, Harry.
Grady, maybe Donna's scared,
just like you're scared, maybe more than you are.
Impossible.
Nobody could be more scared than me.
Maybe it's just as well.
Now, I don't believe that.
And neither do you.
No, really.
I mean, what it really comes down to is,
I think I want a wife who will be a wife
and will stay at home and raise the kids,
have dinner on the table.
I mean, what's wrong with wanting things
to be a little old-fashioned?
Boy, I hate it when I say stuff like that.
Uh, have you told Donna this?
No.
I'd never stand in her way.
I wouldn't wanna hold her back.
Grady, you and Donna have to talk about this.
Now, I know-- and I mean I know--
That when you do,
you're gonna be able to work all this out.
Aunt Jess, what did you say to Donna in the cab?
I haven't seen her since then.
I told her the same thing that I'm telling you now.
You two are perfect for each other.
Now will you go and call her?
I tried.
There's no answer at her apartment.
Maybe it was something I said.
Mrs. Fletcher?
I thought I'd find you here.
Can I talk to you for a minute?
-Oh, certainly. -Alone?
Yes.
I really owe you some thanks.
I checked on Valentino's alibi.
It won't hold Minestrone.
So I booked him for the murder.
But, Lieutenant, that doesn't make any sense.
I mean, what motive would he have?
Revenge.
The victim stole all of his customers.
Yes, but Chaz also provided Valentino with stolen goods.
And come to think of it,
how did those goods get to Valentino's?
I see what you're saying.
Chaz could not have delivered the lobster
to Valentino's last night himself.
Unless Chaz had an associate who picked up the supplies.
Now, wait a minute.
Valentino could've come to pick up the stuff
and kill Chaz.
Yes, but then why was the front door open
this morning?
Now, what are you saying?
Are you saying that Chaz's accomplice
had to be somebody with a key?
Yep, sat right there.
You served Hemingway?
Get outta here!
Well, I'll prove it to you, wise guy.
He signed a wine cork for me.
Hey. Well, where's my pocketknife?
Army knife with a screwdriver blade.
You're missing a knife with a screwdriver blade.
So I'm the only guy in the world
ever lost a pocketknife?
You are the only guy in the world
working in this restaurant
who has the key for the front door.
I'm telling you,
I had nothing to do with Chaz's death, period.
You sure you saw him with this knife last night?
No, I never said that.
But it shouldn't be too difficult
to get some prints from it
or to persuade Valentino Reggiore
to identify his supplier.
Okay, okay.
Look, Chaz and I had a scam, but I didn't kill him.
Now, here's the deal.
I'd come back here after we were closed.
I'd pick up some stuff and deliver it.
Only last night, it was, like, weird.
I mean, all the supplies were out,
but Chaz was nowhere.
I went to the freezer
to pick up another box of lobster tail
to complete the order, and there he was.
He was just-- just lying there on all those crates.
I guess the pocketknife must have dropped out of my pocket
as I was backing out.
I'm sorry, fella. I'm not buyin'.
Grady?
Maybe it was what I said
about just doing what the lieutenant asked us to do.
Well, you're certainly not going to solve the problem
just sitting.
Why don't we go and find Donna?
Oh, no. Oh, no.
I can't see her until I figure this thing out.
I mean, I don't want to make the same mistake again.
It all seemed so innocent.
I mean, sure, I snapped a little
when she said she was figuring out
the value of the lobster and caviar
that was stolen last night.
Caviar?
Yeah, that's what she said.
You're sure?
Well, sure, I'm sure.
Oh, Lord.
What? What's wrong, Aunt Jess?
Grady, I want you to go
straight to your apartment, all right?
I'll call you.
Well-- Aunt Jess?
I'll call you.
Do you believe that guy said Hemingway signed his cork?
[knocking at door]
Jessica.
I guess Grady told you.
Yes. May I come in?
Of course.
I was just packing to go to my parents'.
Please, Jessica, don't make this any harder.
I love Grady, but I've thought it out,
and we're just not right for each other.
Donna, that isn't the real reason
you've broken off the engagement, is it?
Why else would I?
How did you know that caviar was stolen
from the restaurant last night?
Well, Alice said that it was missing this morning.
All Alice noticed was the lobster.
I only knew about the caviar
because Valentino Reggiore told me.
But how else can I get lobster and caviar
at reasonable prices?
But the only way that I can think
that you would have known about that caviar
was if you'd been in the kitchen last night
and seen Chaz take it.
[sobs]
Jessica, I've just been so scared.
Of course you have.
And here was I, thinking that you were all nervous
because you were getting married.
In the cab, you tried to tell me
that you were in trouble.
But I didn't hear you.
It was an accident.
I was defending myself.
But I--I couldn't go to the police.
Why would they believe me?
And I couldn't involve Grady.
That's the last thing I'd want.
Donna, people who love each other
want to help each other.
And as far as the police believing you,
well, I haven't known you much longer
than Lieutenant Rupp, and I believe you.
I guess I do have to talk to him, don't I?
Believe it or not, it may not be as bad an experience
as when you confessed to your father.
But why don't you tell me first?
I imagine you first suspected something was wrong
when the waiter told us that they were out of caviar.
I had just paid for a delivery yesterday morning.
I was afraid that I had made a mistake,
so I made the excuse of going to the ladies' room.
But you really went to ask Chaz about it.
No, no, no, you've got it all screwed up.
We'll talk about it tomorrow.
But I'm leaving town first thing in the morning.
And he told you to come back later?
He said he wouldn't cover for my mistakes.
That's why I didn't tell you or Grady
that I was going back to the restaurant.
I guess I was kind of ashamed.
I just assumed that I had screwed up.
[knocking at door]
When I came back,
he didn't even try to hide anything from me.
There it was-- lobster, caviar,
and the ledger.
He had already whited out those entries.
I couldn't understand why he'd just left all that stuff out
when he knew that I was coming back.
Then I realized--
He wanted you to see.
And I suppose he offered to cut you in.
He told me to grow up.
He said that I could make a lot of money.
Well, having an accountant on his side
would have made things much easier for him.
Of course I said no.
He was furious.
He hit me.
I--The only way I could get him to let go of me
was to hit him back.
I tried to run away,
but I was so confused and scared
that I took the wrong door.
And you found yourself in the freezer.
He grabbed me. He was going to hit me again.
And that's when you grabbed the frozen yellowtail?
I just swung at him.
I--I didn't even know what I was doing.
Then you do agree, Lieutenant Rupp,
that it really was self-defense.
Looks that way.
But you better talk to the D.A. first thing Monday morning.
There's your young man.
Uh, Donna,
just give me a minute, will you?
Excuse me, Lieutenant.
Go on.
Monday morning, young lady.
Oh, geez.
Grady?
There's something I've got to confess to you.
No, no, Aunt Jess told me all about it on the phone.
Oh, God, you poor kid.
No, no, no, that's not what I mean.
I mean, that's only part of it.
What?
Grady, honey,
I don't want to be an accountant.
I want to be a wife.
I want to be your wife.
I think that's going to work out just fine.
But there's something I got to confess to you too.
I already met your father, and he fired me.
Oh, that's okay.
I mean, he fires everybody.
He probably won't even remember it.
Really? You think?
Oh, he fired me once too.
You're kidding. That's great.
No, I mean, that's not great...