[Jessica] Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.
Its value may have been as high
as 7 or 8 million dollars.
Which came first-- goose or egg? [chuckles].
The man has a reputation for being ruthless.
His application neglected to mention his criminal record.
I want to know why a Russian police officer is following my friends.
I want egg.
You misled me about this guy before.
It's about more than simply recovering
a national treasure.
He's scheduled to be executed in 48 hours.
If you don't help me, I'm a dead man.
[woman screams]
[people chattering in Russian]
[cat meows]
[speaking Russian]
Dollars only.
[cat screeching]
[grunts]
No, Leo, it wasn't ineffective advertising, the wrong location--
Damn it, I'm not gonna take the rap for this.
It was a whole series of bad choices on your part.
Starting with you. You blew it
like you've blown everything else.
I told Marcie it'd turn out this way.
Your free ride's over. I'm pulling this store.
I'm closing it. It's the first one we've ever had to close.
That ought to tell you something.
Charles, Leo. Jessica just checked in.
-Hello, Charles. -How are you? So good to see you.
Welcome to Miami. Flight okay?
Oh, nothing wrong with the flight,
but the cab from the airport-- we had a flat tire
outside the Orange Bowl Stadium.
-[bell dinging] -Excuse me.
Listen, Jessica, I'm sure Marcie
has already thanked you for coming down, but--
-Enough for both of you. -Wonderful.
We've put together a schedule for your book signings,
but I want you to know it's etched in jell-o,
so if any of it doesn't work for you--
Believe me, anything to escape
from the revisions that my editor handed to me as I left.
[Marcie] The schedule covers the entire book fair.
Well, this looks manageable.
Okay, splendid.
I'm off to put the rest of your booth together
so you have somewhere to sign these. Excuse me.
Oh, I know you're very busy.
Oh, wow.
Remembering your first book signing party?
I was convinced nobody was going to turn up.
Ah. And from the moment I read The Corpse Danced Alone,
I knew it would take off.
That was my first book, your first book store.
Well, we've come a long way since then.
Oh, I wish I could say the same for Charles and my brother.
Leo tries, Jessica. Really, he does.
Counterfeit? That's impossible.
Deutschmarks are hard enough to dispose of when they're real.
Here, you try and exchange them.
I can't believe my friends in Saint Petersburg
-would scam us like this. -Not "us", Leo.
No, no, wait a minute. Obviously, I'll return
the commission that you paid me, but--
48 hours, Leo.
[chuckles ] You're not serious.
Come on, where am I gonna come up
with a half a million bucks?
Show him how serious I am.
No, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
Stop!
Go. Now!
You have exactly two days.
Thanks. Hey, wait a minute.
Are you a cop or something?
I've seen you around the hotel or something.
I have come for Fabergé egg, Mr. Stone.
Heh. I don't know what the hell you're talking about.
I want egg,
and I want story of how you got it.
Otherwise, you will pray that your friends
finish with you quickly.
Now, careful, man. The Miami Police
would love to know about a foreigner
packing a concealed weapon
and making crazy threats.
This...evening.
-Oh, hey, Val. -Hi.
Oh, here, let me help you with that.
Thanks. So did you call the school again?
Yes, damn it.
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to--
No, no, no. I'm sorry. No, it's just--
I mean, it's the same tap dance as last week.
"Oh, it'll just be a few days, Mr. Peterson."
Look, Val, I know that this is sounding paranoid,
but I'm beginning to think that they're shining me on here.
Walt Feldman's acceptance came through a month ago.
Ben, Valerie.
Marcie said you could supply me with a name tag.
She sent you to the right place.
Still no word on your scholarship?
Uh, no, but thanks for asking, Jessica.
Ben! These books--
Do you suppose we could get them in sometime today?
[woman on P.A.] Attention, World Book Fair vendors,
all displays must be approved.
Oh, excuse me.
Sorry, Sir. You can't enter without a badge.
Uh...young woman.
Uh, miss. Pardon.
Uh, must have left badge in room.
Oh, no problem. What's your name?
Nemiroff, Sergei.
Hmm. Uh, I'm sorry, Sir,
I'm not seeing a Nemiroff on the computer.
Must be mistake. I represent Nevsky Publishing in Moscow.
-Pozhaluysta-- -I'm sorry.
Quickly, please. I have appointment.
Why don't we go over to my office?
I'm sure we can straighten this out.
Is better I go to room, get badge.
I know your face.
Yes, this is Jessica Fletcher.
Da, konechno! [Yes, of course] J.B. Fletcher!
[speaking Russian]
Sorry, I am big fan!
I have read Ubiystvo v polnoch' three times.
In English, that is Murder at Midnight.
Midnight, da. Is wonderful book.
My favorite.
Maybe because I surprised myself with that one.
I didn't know who the killer was until the last 12 pages.
[both laughing]
Is pleasure to shake hands of such fine writer.
-Thank you. -Good day.
Marcie, I've had it. We're not carrying Leo anymore,
and that is final.
Could you speed that up? We're in a hurry.
The important thing now is dealing with Harris.
It wasn't Leo's fault. We were paying too much rent.
Would you stop? We researched the hell out of it.
What it is, is he couldn't manage the book store
from the Club House at Hialeah!
Maybe your application got mislaid.
Yeah, so what do I do about that?
Keep on trying. I know once they get a look at your transcript,
you're in.
I don't know how you do it, Val, but you always manage
to make the day seem brighter.
I need two more booths.
-Uh, Mr. Harris, we were just-- -I'm in a hurry.
Dad, maybe you could help Ben--
Uh, it's all right, Val.
I'll see you later.
Mr. Harris.
Why do you have to treat him like that?
I don't understand what you're talking about.
You could at least be civil to him.
We're in love, dad. You can hate it,
but you can't change it.
Valerie, I need two more large booths
for my non-fiction section.
And you can't ignore it, either.
We're talking about marriage.
What do I have to do, go over your head to get them?
We're overbooked now.
Then bump someone.
I'll take care of it.
Dad, don't you understand?
When you hurt Ben, you hurt me, too.
Forget him, Val.
He's not for you.
I've got a meeting.
Yes. Yes, I'll hold for Mr. Hartley.
[speaking Russian]
Pozhaluysta, pozhaluysta!
[continues in Russian]
Da.
Misha? Mish--
-[dial tone] -[shouts in Russian]
[woman chattering in French over P.A.]
Attention, World Book Fair vendors,
all displays must be approved.
Please have a representative...
And would anyone care for anything else?
Not for me, thanks.
Then have an excellent meeting.
Thank you.
Good old Victor.
20 years in the diplomatic service,
and he's ever the diplomat.
He needs to be, and more, in the hotel business.
I assume you wish to discuss your loan.
Only partly. All we need is a short extension.
What we really want to talk about
is a proposition we have for you.
It's an expansion plan we know you'll want to invest in.
It's going to put us in the ballpark
with Brentano's and Walden Books--
The note is due on Thursday, paid in full.
Our refinancing is almost complete.
30 days, at the most.
I'm sorry, that's out of the question.
Come on, Mr. Harris, there is such a thing as good faith.
Besides, we're offering you--
I don't like your tone, Mr. Devon.
I suggest you read our agreement.
Every penny on time,
or I own your entire operation.
[sighs]
[woman chattering on P.A.]
Oh!
I beg your pardon, Sir. Are you all right?
-Yes, I'm okay. -Terribly sorry. Clumsy.
How on earth will we be able
to pull anything together by Thursday?
We're not giving up yet. Drop me at the bank.
I'll see if they'll put a rush on that refinance.
[woman on P.A.] The Omega Hotel invites all guests
to hit the sand--
a demonstration on two-man beach volleyball
will be given by world champions...
Wait, wait. Mr. Nemiroff, I have to talk to you.
I want to know why a Russian police officer
is following my friends.
Mrs. Fletcher, you are mistaken.
No, I don't think so.
Between your pistol and your left lapel--
Which is covered with small pinholes-- it's fairly obvious.
This does not mean I am policeman.
That is where I wore, uh, Order of Lenin.
Uh, no, if I'm not mistaken,
the Order of Lenin is worn on the right lapel.
[sighs]
You are as clever as Leonid Travinkov.
Lenny Terhune.
One of your finest detective creations.
Thank you very much, but, like Lenny Terhune,
I want the facts.
Very well.
You are correct, yes, Mrs. Fletcher.
I am detective sergeant with police.
Well, what exactly is your interest
in Charles and Marcie Devon?
I am here to investigate Leo Stone.
He is connected to black market currency operation.
Since he work for Mr. And Mrs. Devon--
Look, Sergeant, I happened to overhear
your telephone conversation
earlier in the events office.
You understand Russian, too?
Well, enough to gather that you're here on your own,
and that you're returning to Russia in a few days,
with or without what you came for.
Mrs. Fletcher, you must excuse me.
Uh, not yet. Unless, of course,
you prefer that I call the Miami Police or the F.B.I.
I'm sure they'd be very interested to know
that a Russian police officer was operating
in their territory without authorization.
Mrs. Fletcher, your powers of deduction are remarkable.
Well, it wasn't exactly deduction, Sergeant.
It was a hunch.
It was stolen from Hermitage Museum one year ago
with Tsarina's crown. You say...
tiara. Yeah. Tiara.
Is called "midnight".
Yes, this was the last piece that Fabergé made
for the Romanovs before the revolution.
I read about the robbery.
Egg and tiara
are national treasures, Mrs. Fletcher.
Two weeks ago, Tsarina's tiara
showed up here in Miami, minus gems.
Is desecration.
And you believe that Leo Stone was involved?
According to my sources,
Mr. Stone was in Saint Petersburg at time of theft.
Witnesses place him with thief.
He lives here-- Miami.
Tiara showed up here-- Miami.
What you're not telling me is why you're not working
with the local law enforcement people.
My guess is that it's about more
than simply recovering a national treasure.
My brother Gregor was convicted
and sentenced to death for murdering thief
who broke into Hermitage Museum and stole these goods.
Gregor, he did not do this, Mrs. Fletcher.
He is scheduled to be executed in 48 hours.
I must find egg.
I must prove he is innocent.
[beep]
And I'm looking forward to seeing you again, Arthur.
Ciao.
Leo, you've walked enough miles on my rug
to get you to Orlando.
So I can triple my money in ten days?
Look, have I ever misled you before?
But you can't give me any details.
No, this is legal, Victor. I guarantee it.
Leo...
why is this telling me
that you're in trouble again,
only this time it's serious?
Could I please give you a piece of advice?
'Cause I like you.
Stick with the job that Charles Devon gave you,
because you're fortunate to have him for a brother-in-law.
Okay, Victor, okay, forget the investment.
Uh, look, how about just, uh,
a couple thousand, cash, until the beginning of next week?
You could do that, couldn't you?
-Not this time, Leo. -But--
I'm not a bank.
No.
Ben, it's not the end of the world.
Oh, right, right. I'm sure if I take a couple of days,
I can think of something worse.
Ben, Valerie, what's happened?
Ben just got word--
His scholarship has been turned down.
Well, did they give you any reason?
Yeah. Somehow, they found out
about that little scrape I got into in high school.
I guess I should have mentioned it in my application.
But that's ridiculous.
I remember the trouble you were in,
and it was nothing more than a prank.
Well, this'll pretty much eliminate me
trying any other med schools.
Jessica, I appreciate everything
that you've done for me--
All the letters and phone calls.
Thank you. Excuse me.
Someone searched my apartment a little while ago.
It was you, wasn't it?
Listen, I don't have this, uh-- this egg,
and I don't know anything about it, and I got enough problems
without you crawling all over my back.
Such gratitude
for my saving you from brutal beating.
Mr. Stone, I believe you have egg or know where it is,
and I think you know who murdered thief who stole it.
Hey, man.
You've got problems.
Holding the book fair in Russia last year?
As I recall, it was Jim Harris's idea.
Sounds like Jim.
I read somewhere where his European sales
had gone through the roof.
Yeah, especially his art books.
Well, that's certainly consistent
with his reputation for shrewdness.
"Killer" describes him a little more accurately.
I've been at the bank all afternoon.
Not only are they not going to help us meet Harris's deadline,
they've totally backed out on our refinancing.
-Oh, God. -It took me an hour
to get Atkins to admit they've been pressured.
I don't have to tell you by whom.
Jim? There's gotta be some way to work this out.
We'll talk to him tonight at the reception.
You can try, if you like.
I'm having a last-ditch dinner
with the loan officer from Miami Trust and Savings.
Marcie, do you suppose it's possible
that Jim still hasn't forgiven you
and that this is his way of getting back at you?
For dumping him and marrying Charles?
Jessica, until today,
I wouldn't have believed it, but--
Can Ben and I give you a lift to the reception?
Uh, pardon me,
but since Mrs. Fletcher has invited me
to be her escort this evening,
least I can do is provide car for two of us.
Well, then, um, I'll see you there.
Mm-hmm.
And, uh, Jessica...
about 7:00?
7:00 would be perfect, Sergei.
-Can we talk? -Excuse me.
I don't think we have anything to talk about.
I wouldn't want to tell Charles
about the little business you and I did together.
It would only complicate things, wouldn't it?
What do you want?
Uh, not here.
You're more trouble than you're worth.
Come on.
I don't feel like I should be here.
That is what your father wants, isn't it?
No. No, he just needs
to get used to us, that's all.
Oh, Val, it isn't gonna happen.
He would do anything to get rid of me.
That is really paranoid, you know that?
I don't think so.
See, Val, you're still looking at your father
through a kid's eyes.
The man has a reputation for being ruthless.
Just ask Charles and Marcie.
Look, all I am saying
is that I wouldn't put anything past him.
Anything.
Jessica, sorry, I must sit.
I shouldn't wonder, after chasing after Leo Stone
for the past four hours.
-Let's go over here. -Yes.
Unfortunately, trail led nowhere.
From Hileagh to racetrack to poker parlor...
to bar.
Was painful and exhausting tour of Miami.
Obvious he's guilty.
I'm sure it's occurred to you
that what you're doing--
Even following Leo Stone here--
May be a wild goose Chase.
Hmm. Old Russian proverb--
"which came first, goose or egg?" [laughs]
Leo is goose, Jessica. With his need for money,
is only a matter of time before he tries to fence egg.
When he comes out in open-- [grunts]
you know, there are a great many people here this evening
who were in Saint Petersburg last year.
Yes, I know.
Jim, do you have a moment?
For you, Marcie, of course.
I understand that you, um, wielded your influence
with the bank that was arranging our loan.
It's business, nothing personal.
I think it is.
Well, that was always one of your failings, Marcie.
All the time that we were together, you never seemed able,
or willing, to live in the real world.
Yes, you used to say it over and over--
"it is what it is."
Well, believe it or not, I've pretty much learned to accept that.
Oh.
But there are things we can change.
I thought perhaps, for old times' sake,
for what we used to have, that you might reconsider
your demand for repayment
and give us those extra 30 days.
My compliments, Marcie.
That was reasonably straightforward.
But the answer is no.
[gasps]
[sighs]
What the hell do you think you're doing in here?
You get out or I'll have my security people throw you out.
Did you happen to find my glasses, Sergei?
No.
I have a feeling I might have left them here
when Valerie was showing me your Fragonard.
Uh-huh. Well, I'm sure they'll show up.
In the meantime, our dinner is ready,
and we don't want it to get cold, do we?
Oh, I see you're a benefactor
of Southern Central University.
It's my Alma Mater.
I recently donated a new wing to the library.
Interesting. You know, this afternoon,
I spoke with a friend of mine there-- Dean Black--
And he told me that Ben Peterson's scholarship was denied
because a prominent alumnus had rejected his application.
I ran a background check on Mr. Peterson.
It seems his application
neglected to mention his criminal record.
In view of my deep concern
for the quality of our students, I felt obligated
to pass this information along to the school.
With your firm recommendation that he be rejected,
but without the minor detail that his criminal record
consisted of some foolish teenage behavior
at a high school football game.
The scholarship committee saw it my way.
And I'm sure you'll make certain that committees
at other medical schools see it your way, too.
Jessica, you don't understand.
Please, let me finish.
The Dean faxed me a copy of your letter,
and, to say the least,
it exaggerates the incident almost to the point of libel.
As these transcripts and letters attest,
he's distinguished himself as a student and as a person.
I mean, Jim, whatever your attitude
about his relationship with Valerie, does it really justify
ruining his chances for a productive career?
As I said, Jessica,
I was sure that your reading glasses would turn up.
Jessica, I think it's positively despicable of Jim.
Not, however, entirely surprising.
Let's hope that he reconsiders.
Good evening, Mr. Nemiroff. Jessica.
Good night, Victor. Marcie.
What is it, Jessica?
That Fragonard painting in his study,
his antique furnishings, his acquisitiveness...
of power and money, people and things.
Has occurred to me, too, Jessica.
Our Mr. Harris does fit the profile
of a man who might covet something
as rare as the Midnight Egg.
[Valerie screaming]
[people murmuring]
Deceased was apparently hit over the head
with a heavy object yet to be identified.
It appears the force of the blow sent the victim into the pool,
where the body was found in shallow water.
Coroner states preliminary evidence
suggests death by drowning while unconscious.
Thanks.
Easy, now. Behind you.
Coming through.
[Valerie sobbing]
I knew about the little private room,
but I rarely went inside. Daddy said if anybody asked,
it was for confidential business papers.
Occasionally, he'd show it to a few friends.
Good. I'll get a list from you later.
This alleged missing egg, Miss Harris--
Do you have any idea what it's worth?
I may be able to help you, Lieutenant.
Its value may have been as high
as 7 or 8 million dollars.
Well, I guess they don't sell those by the dozen, huh?
Mrs. Fletcher, someone told me
you came here with a Russian? A Sergei Nemiroff?
Mm-hmm.
Do you happen to know where he is now?
No, I don't.
Is he in the book business, too?
He's attending the book fair.
Mr. Peterson, you know anything about this?
Excuse me. Lieutenant? I found this
behind one of the pedestals in there.
It's got blood on it.
-Send it to forensics. -Right, Sir.
Now, Mr. Peterson, I was about to ask,
did you know about the decedent's secret art gallery
or this missing egg?
Uh, no, Sir. No, I didn't.
[Jessica] I won't lie to them, Sergei.
It's just that Lieutenant Perez
didn't happen to ask me the right question about you.
Accomplishes same as lie, no?
Well, I'm sure that the lieutenant would see it that way.
Now, about egg-- did you learn anything new
from Lieutenant Perez this morning?
Apparently, it hasn't turned up
in any of the known fences in Miami.
Which doesn't guarantee it's still in city.
Or even in the country.
They did ask me if I'd seen or heard
from Leo Stone since last night.
The lieutenant wants to ask him some more questions.
Not surprising. Leo sells egg to Harris,
then he need more money to pay men
who are threatening him, so he decide to steal it back.
Harris catches him in the act, uh,
Leo kills Harris and steals egg.
All right, yes, but Leo is not stupid.
I mean, he knows that with his record,
the police would certainly suspect him.
Exactly. Police have very close surveillance on his apartment.
I discovered when I tried to search it.
Leo has hidden egg. Problem is, where?
Where?
Is frustrating, Jessica.
My brother's time is running out,
Harris is dead, Leo Stone has disappeared.
The papers.
The papers weren't there!
Papers? What papers?
Jessica, what pa--
[Charles] Yeah? Well, we've still got till the end of business Thursday
to come up with that money, so I wouldn't count on it.
Same to you. Good-bye.
Harris's lawyer? Valerie inherits everything,
but it's all in trust, administered by guess who?
The attorney. You've got it.
Valerie has no say. The minute our loan comes due,
he plans to carry out Harris's wishes,
taking over the Booklovers operation
and dumping us for mismanagement.
-That's outrageous. -Oh, it gets worse.
That distorted information that Harris circulated
about our cash flow problems and our lawsuits
went to every bank in town,
along with photocopies of internal memoranda!
Marcie Devon, please pick up the white courtesy phone.
Hello? Marcie Devon.
[Leo] Hi, sis. I need to see you.
-Look, Leo-- -Sis, it's urgent.
Fine, fine. I'll be there.
Oh, no. No.
Excuse me. I'll be back.
I hope Harris paid Leo a lot of money,
because he's never going to see another cent from me!
Leo, for God's sake, what are you talking about?
You didn't.
What, kill Jim Harris? No, of course not.
But I wish to hell I had, for your sake.
Look, the cops have surrounded my apartment,
they're busting my credit cards, my A.T.M.--
Just wait a minute. Why would they do that?
I don't know. It's "round up the usual suspects" time.
Look, if they run the names
of the people who were there last night,
my name lights up in four different colors
and flashes on and off.
If you do not help me, I am a dead man.
Leo, what did you do?
Look, don't ask me any more questions, okay?
I'm gonna need a couple thousand dollars fast so I can get out of town.
Are you gonna help me or not?
That Connors person-- that's what this is about, isn't it?
-Damn it, Leo, answer me! -All right! All right!
I'm between a hard place and a hard place.
Yeah, Connors was a part of it,
but even if I get away from him now,
if the cops connect me to the kind of stuff that I've been into,
Connors will have me killed even if I am in prison.
Oh, Leo.
Please. Please.
I'll need a half an hour. Where can I reach you?
I'll contact you.
Sis, thanks.
Stan, I'm only asking you to reconsider, okay?
Charles and Marcie have worked their tails off
to build this thing,
and I'd hate to see them lose it.
Jessica, I'll be with you in a second.
Of course. Check it out with your people and get back to me.
But, listen, if you need a guarantor, I will sign.
Bye.
Jessica, please sit down.
Actually, I was looking for Ben Peterson.
Charles told me that he would be here.
He's out running a couple of errands for me.
He'll be back in a few minutes.
What can I get you? Some cappuccino
or orange juice?
Oh, no, nothing, thank you.
It's very generous of you,
trying to help out Marcie and Charles.
Just calling in a few markers, Jessica.
I'm not sure it's gonna be sufficient
to overcome the damage
that Jim did to their credit rating.
Oh, my. What happened last night
has certainly put a pall on the book fair preparations.
I feel so badly for Valerie.
I know that she had mixed feelings about her father, but--
But he's still her father.
I certainly have been there, Jessica.
Mine wasn't my favorite person.
I don't imagine it was easy
being the son of a genius.
Mr. Roscoe--
-Oh, hi, Jessica. -Hello, Ben.
-I, uh, heard you were looking for me? -Yeah.
Uh, Mr. Roscoe, I think I've got
every roll of bunting left in Miami.
Splendid. Why don't you go off with Jessica for a while?
-And I'll see you later, Jess. -Yes.
[phone ringing]
Victor here.
[Valerie] Of course you can look through his study.
Thank you.
But what papers are you looking for?
The ones that I placed
on your father's desk last night,
right here, just before going into dinner.
Copies of Ben's transcripts and scholarship application,
and the letter that your father wrote to the committee.
The one that iced my chances.
It didn't hit me till a little while ago
that after-- after the tragedy with your father,
I noticed that the papers were no longer on his desk.
I--I didn't take them.
Valerie, don't say that to protect me.
I didn't kill your father.
Perhaps if I'd seen the letter,
I would have considered it, but--
Valerie, sooner or later, the police will discover
that the university provided me with those documents,
and they're going to ask who else saw them.
You got that right, Mrs. Fletcher.
Matter of fact, I got a whole trunkful of questions for you,
including one about a certain Russian cop.
Uh, Lieutenant-- save it. Save it.
We were checking Mr. Harris's phone calls
for the last couple of days,
and several calls were made
to the scholarship committee.
Now, when we got their statement,
who else do you suppose was bending their ears?
I was asking questions on Ben's behalf.
On Ben's behalf. Right.
Okay, Miss Harris, how does this fit?
You happened to see the papers
that Mrs. Fletcher got a hold of.
It made you angry enough at your father to kill him.
What? No, lieutenant.
I--I did it.
That was my other scenario.
Excuse me.
You happened to see the papers,
and decided Harris had to go.
No. Lieutenant, it wasn't Ben.
I killed my father.
I discovered the papers during dinner,
and they're up in my room.
[Perez] Long, go get them.
Right, Sir.
What have you got there, Mrs. Fletcher?
I think it's a chain in the water.
Oh. "B.P."
it's Ben Peterson.
Now, let's put this together, huh?
Harris surprises you and you fight. In the process,
you grab and yank the chain of the medallion, it goes flying.
You hit him with the ivory carving,
he collapses into the pool, and you drown him.
Lieutenant, no!
Ben...
is that your chain?
Yeah, it is.
Done and done. Nice job, Mrs. Fletcher.
Ben Peterson, I am placing you under arrest
for the murder of James Harris.
Oh, my God.
[Sergei] You're sure he is innocent?
I would bet my life on it, Sergei.
Ben and Valerie were both confessing
to protect each other.
The medallion-- how do you explain medallion?
Well, at the moment, I can't.
Despite the fact that Ben was sure that it belonged to him,
nobody had actually ever seen him wearing it.
Wonderful. In meantime, no Midnight Egg,
no killer, no one to prove my brother is innocent.
I have been looking for Leo Stone all over--
What do you know? Sergeant Nemiroff, I presume, huh?
Have I got a bunch of questions for you.
Uh, Lieutenant. Sergeant Nemiroff is here
on very urgent business.
Mrs. Fletcher, you misled me about this guy before,
and I don't forget that sort of thing real fast--
Lieutenant, you will treat this woman with respect
or I will take care of you.
Lieutenant, have you found any evidence
that might prove that Ben took the Midnight Egg?
No. Couldn't find anything in his car or in his apartment.
And he wouldn't say word one, except that he murdered Harris.
And anyway, it didn't have to be the killer that took the dingus.
Exactly, Lieutenant.
Anybody who was there last night might have taken it.
And left even before Ben Peterson did Harris, right?
-Take him downtown. -Wait, I must not be--
Yeah, yeah, we're gonna talk about it later.
Jessica, my brother-- let's go.
Watch your head.
[sighs]
I'm truly sorry, Charles.
I was hoping that some of my old connections
would come through for you.
Hey, Victor, you gave it your best shot.
One more possibility.
I suddenly thought there was a banker that I dealt with
when I was posted to Vienna,
and Jennifer will have his number.
So don't give up yet, either of you.
You give him the money?
And the message.
How did he take it? Not that I care.
"God, sis..."
"I know how you and Charles must feel."
"And I promise someday I'll make it up to you."
It wasn't easy telling my baby brother
to get out of my life forever.
I know. But it had to be done.
Hmm.
It was the best $5,000 we've ever spent.
[sighs] Yeah.
I just wish it hadn't been our last.
-Jessica. -Val, how are you holding up?
Pretty well, I guess. Any word about Ben?
Nothing good, I'm afraid.
You see, the police feel he had means,
motive, opportunity.
Jessica, what is it?
Valerie, I think I know how I can prove
-that Ben didn't do it. -How?
Do you have Leo Stone's telephone number?
Yeah, sure.
Here it is.
Okay, Jessica, I got a plane to catch.
I got maybe two minutes, and I suggest you start
with what you said to hook me to begin with--
This business about how I can make amends to my sister and Charles.
It will require you missing your plane.
Then forget it. This is my life we're talking about.
We're also talking about Ben Peterson's life,
and the life of a young man in a Russian prison--
Gregor Nemiroff.
Who?
[keys jingling]
Thank God.
Whatever you do, Mr. Roscoe, don't put your hands up.
Relieve him of that, carefully.
Just what do you think you're doing?
Well, for starters, we're catching a thief.
Me? I'm afraid you're mistaken.
Really? This ought to be good.
Lieutenant, a short time ago,
I received a phone call-- anonymous, of course.
I was told to search the office,
because, as the individual said,
a stolen object of great value
had been placed here without my knowledge.
That phone call wasn't anonymous, Victor.
It was from Leo Stone, and I put him up to it.
-No. -Oh, yeah.
I was right there when he made the call.
When he told you he'd heard on the street
that the Midnight Egg which you stole from James Harris
was about to be purchased by a wealthy Middle Easterner--
A story boiled up-- cooked, cooked.
Cooked up by Jessica Fletcher
in order to trick you into revealing your guilt.
All right. Yes.
All right, I stole the egg.
But that was after I found Jim Harris dead.
That's not true, Victor.
You murdered him. The fact is,
he probably caught you in the act of taking the egg,
and struggled with you--
Jessica, that's total conjecture.
Wrong, pal. You see this little item right here?
This is our clincher. It's got your initials-- "B.P."
"B.P."? But everyone knows
my name is Victor Roscoe.
But in the cyrillic alphabet
of your father's native country--Russia--
The letters "v" and "r" appear as "b" and "p".
I realized it when I took another look
at a book fair sign and remembered.
That poster about your father.
You both had the same initials.
You wore his medallion under your shirt, didn't you,
before Jim Harris grabbed it and broke the chain?
I never saw that before,
and there's no way that you can prove it's mine.
They found two fingerprints on it, Victor.
One belonged to Jim, and the other one was yours.
And there is something else. At the party,
as we were about to leave, I noticed that a button
on your shirt was missing,
where Jim ripped it off
when you and he struggled.
We're getting a search warrant ready,
and I'm pretty sure we'll find that shirt.
I never meant to kill him.
I only wanted that egg.
You were right, Jessica.
I thought he was in the living room.
Victor!
What the hell are you doing?!
Why are you doing this to me? Why?!
[both grunting]
Of course, I had to make sure
that he couldn't bear witness against me.
I didn't even realize that I'd lost the medallion
till I got home.
It was given to me by my father.
It was you who procured the Midnight Egg
for Jim Harris last year, wasn't it?
Just as you had done with so many of his other art objects
from countries all over the world.
For a long time.
Almost from the beginning of my career
in the diplomatic corps.
Which allowed you to bring them into the country
without going through customs.
Harris paid well. Never asked any questions,
as long as the objects were authentic.
The Midnight Egg was the crowning piece.
Okay, I guess that takes care of that.
Oh, and by the way,
Mrs. Fletcher sort of fibbed to you.
There weren't any fingerprints on your medallion, Victor.
If you'd stuck to your story,
we wouldn't have had a case for murder.
Sergeant Nemiroff, he's all yours.
Cuff him.
Mr. Roscoe,
we now must talk about murder
that occurred in Saint Petersburg one year ago
of thief who stole egg and tiara.
I know nothing about that.
Victor, an innocent young man
is going to be put to death tomorrow.
You've already confessed to one murder.
I had hired the thief-- Constantine Persky.
He threatened to expose me
unless I gave him half my profits.
I killed him, Sergeant.
[cries]
Thank you.
Stan, those terms sound acceptable.
I'll talk it over with Marcie and get back to you.
Things are finally going our way, Jessica.
Jim Harris' attorney has backed down on the estate's claim.
Keep everything crossed. I think we've got a loan
that'll solve our immediate problems.
I don't know what you said to Leo,
but he's admitted everything to the police.
I understand that he's turned state's evidence against Connors.
That must have been some guilt number you laid on him.
Well, I think that self-preservation
was an active ingredient.
He should be catching his plane in a few minutes.
He's going to be safe in the witness protection program.
And out of our hair. Doesn't have to get much better, Jess.
I can top it.
My scholarship came through, Jessica.
Oh, great.
Jessica! Uh, sign it for me, please, book?
"From Jessica, with love."
It's for my mother.
[laughing]