[Jessica] Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.
Book me right now, otherwise get the hell out of here.
I won’t be scared off.
If Jessica Fletcher is not back in the dining room in exactly one minute...
a man with Keramides’ connections would’ve used a hired killer.
Who would’ve been professional enough to kill the right man.
I think my luck’s about ready to change.
Can you give me a little more credit?
I ran into Candace Bennett.
She misses you.
We swore we’d always be together.
Don’t, okay? Stop it.
I will not allow my daughter
to marry filth like you.
-And who’s your murderer? -A possibility would be the casino owner.
If this new computer is so advanced,
why can’t I find the Fairborn case in here?
Look under "theft, auto."
-Did you program this? -Yeah.
I used to be able to find it under "Fairborn, Julius,"
when I had a real file cabinet with real files
on real paper that I could read.
[computer beeping]
I think your old file cabinet is still out back in the storeroom.
Well, thanks, Andy. I’ll just check it out.
Sheriff!
[tires screeching]
Thought sure you were dead.
I’m okay. Somebody’s a lousy shot.
Did you get a look at the shooter?
No, but I got a pretty good idea who it was.
-Sam. -Hi.
[phone rings]
Sam Bennett’s office.
-Oh, hello, Jessica. -No.
No. No, I’m afraid he...
hasn’t come in yet.
Yes, I certainly will.
Good-bye.
Sam, that’s the second time she’s called today.
She said it was important.
It’s all right, honey. I’ll handle it.
I’ll put dinner on the table.
No, no. Um...
I got another appointment.
Thanks.
I usually get very little mail from Cabot Cove
at my New York apartment.
Oh, now, Jess.
I know, you hate to write letters.
Worse than sitting through the ballet.
The point is, I suddenly received
an absolute avalanche of mail
that I wasn’t expecting.
Overdue notices from storekeepers,
utility companies, a bank statement
that bore no resemblance to my own records,
and a lien from a carpenter who worked on my house.
I thought the big reason for coming home
was that you would chair the annual rummage sale.
It was, until I consulted with my New York accountant.
He said that my Cabot Cove financial situation
was a shambles, and I should have an audit.
I thought I owed it to Sam Bennett
to hear his side of it first,
and now, I’m afraid, he seems to be avoiding me.
Well, Jess, you’ve known Sam as long as I have.
Near 25 years.
You know, Frank was one of his first accounting clients.
He always swore by him.
That’s what makes it so darn difficult.
With all your woes,
I’m surprised you have the wherewithal to buy my dinner.
This is the first time I’ve been back in the old inn
since the management changed.
The food has definitely improved.
But somehow, I get the feeling
you didn’t offer this treat
just to hear my gourmet critique.
Well, the truth is, I feel like I’m walking on eggs.
Look, I know you’re also a client of Sam’s.
I was wondering if possibly,
-you might’ve-- -Good evening, Mrs. Fletcher.
Dr. Hazlitt.
Lou Keramides. We met last month.
I believe it was a charity fundraiser.
I don’t recall which one that was.
Probably the animal lovers
raising money to buy fur hats for bald squirrels.
As a matter of fact,
I’m in charge of the next event,
a rummage sale that begins in a few days.
Well, I guess I walked right into that one, didn’t I?
Allow me to donate a pair of gold cufflinks
that I never wear.
Well, thank you. That’s very generous.
Always glad to help a worthy cause.
Would you please excuse me?
Business always seems to intrude
just when I’m enjoying myself.
Would you get these nice people
a bottle of champagne from my private collection? On the house.
That isn’t necessary.
No, I insist.
Thank you.
Smooth. Too smooth.
[keypad beeping, door buzzes]
Little love. Ow!
Oh, pair of deuces.
[groaning]
Seven.
Evening, Mr. Bennett. How are things going?
I think my luck’s about ready to change.
Can you give me a little more credit?
Jim, okay Mr. Bennett for 1,000.
Is that enough, Mr. Bennett?
More than enough. Thanks.
Judge Holme, this is Sheriff Metzger.
I hope I’m not disturbing you, Sir.
Well, look, your Honor, this is rather urgent.
I need another search warrant for the Timberlane Inn.
What are you doin’? Yeah.
-[laughing loudly] -I’m sorry, Sir. I didn’t hear that.
Ethan, do you mind holding it down? I can’t hear.
Oh, yes, Sir, I have a ton of probable causes,
the most important of which
is somebody took a shot at me tonight.
And besides getting another tip...
look, it’s kinda hard to talk here.
I’ll cruise on over a little later, okay?
I’m not sure coming over to my house is such a good idea.
Well, because my father’s usually in a foul mood
when he has to work late with a client at the office.
He’ll blow smoke out of his ears
if he finds you here.
So, Ethan, you have any idea why my father doesn’t like you?
Honest, honey, I haven’t got a clue.
That’s great. Thanks, your honor.
I’ll pick it up on the way. Bye now.
Ethan, get me a couple of riot guns from the rack.
That’s okay. I’ll get ’em.
Let’s move it. Ethan, get off the phone, please.
Look, honey, I gotta go. I’ll see you later, okay?
Guess who’s comin’ to dinner.
Candace.
She loves to cook dinner for me.
I just wish she’d learn how.
[alarm ringing]
Hurry, please.
Free drinks at the bar.
That’s good, that’s good.
This way out.
That’s good. Move on.
The rotten luck. I was just gettin’ hot.
Well, you’ll have another chance, Mr. Bennett.
This way, please, and remember,
we rely on your discretion.
Jessica, Seth, what a surprise.
Evening, Sam.
Sam, I’ve been trying to reach you.
I know, I’m sorry.
I’ve been out on an audit all day. I just finished.
You must be hungry. Why don’t you just join us?
No, I stopped by on the way home. I already had a bite.
I gotta get going.
Laura doesn’t like to be in that house alone.
Oh, I thought Candace had returned from Boston and was living at home.
Well, you know, she’s got her "own life."
When can you and I talk?
Have you got any free time tomorrow?
-I’ll make it. -I’ll tell you what.
I’ll look at my calendar in the morning,
and I’ll give you a call.
If you can work me in, Sam, I’d like to talk, too.
Sure, Seth.
Where do you think you’re going? Just one moment, please.
Get outta my way, pal, or you’ll wind up
with footprints all over your shiny brass buttons.
It’s all right. Another anonymous phone call, Sheriff?
Oh, yeah, Mr. Keramides,
and even more reason to believe
there’s illegal gambling on the premises,
like your connection with two casino owners in Atlantic City.
Here’s a search warrant.
I wanna see your upstairs banquet room now.
Very well. This way.
They seem awfully intent on going up there.
Yeah. I doubt they’re here for the lobster ravioli.
We use it for engagement parties,
banquets, bar mitzvahs.
An occasional canasta parties, right?
Occasionally, yes.
Sheriff, why do you insist on wasting everybody’s time?
If it’s such a waste of time,
why did you have someone take a shot at me earlier tonight?
Sheriff, if you are officially accusing me of attempted murder,
I suggest you book me right now.
Otherwise, get the hell outta here.
Just keep this in mind, pal.
I won’t be scared off.
Not only am I gonna close your gambling casino,
but I’m gonna put you away.
[classical music playing]
Honest to god, I don’t know how you can listen to that music.
It’s good for the soul, Chad.
It’s coming all the way from Berlin, Germany.
Oh, no kidding. And I thought it was coming from Motown.
You been drinking?
No. You ready to knock off?
Not yet. I’ve still got a lot to do.
Guess what.
I ran into Candace Bennett today at the post office.
-She said to say hello. -No.
She misses you.
Mother, she doesn’t care whether I’m alive or dead.
Well, I think that’s a terrible thing to say.
It’s called the truth. I’m trying to live with it.
I’ll see you when you get home.
[creaking sound]
I heard something.
Who’s there?
What the hell you doin’ here?
Daddy, it’s all right.
It’s me, Mr. Bennett. It’s Ethan Loomis.
I was just checkin’ the neighborhood.
Get in the house.
Dad, I’m not a teenager.
As long as you live under my roof,
you do as you’re told.
Now get in the house.
In the house, out of the car now!
Ethan, I’m sorry.
It’s all right. Talk to you tomorrow.
You know, I wish we could be friends, Mr. Bennett.
I am gonna marry your daughter.
I will not allow my daughter to marry filth like you!
-That’s really very unkind, Mr. Bennett. -Is it?
I saw you the other night,
going into Lou Keramides’ office.
The two of you are thick as thieves.
Don’t forget, I saw you, too,
and I had to wonder where you were getting all that money
you were losing at craps.
-Get outta here. -I will marry Candace.
I said get the hell out of here.
Evening, Mr. Bennett.
I’m sorry to call you over here this early,
but I find myself in a predicament
involving my accountant.
Okay, Mrs. F., but if you don’t mind,
there’s something I’d like to talk about with you first.
My fan mail.
Just pick any one of those at random and read out loud.
"Sheriff, you are not wanted here. Go back to New York
before we are forced to send you back in a pine box."
Good heavens, are they all like that?
That’s one of the milder ones.
Last night, to top it off, someone fired a shotgun at me.
Mort, that’s terrible.
Do you have any idea who it was?
Oh, sure. Lou Keramides,
the owner of the Timberlane Inn.
You believe Mr. Keramides tried to kill you?
If he didn’t actually pull the trigger himself,
he paid the one who did.
-But why? -To keep me from nailing him
and that illegal gambling casino he’s running in his back room.
You’re sure that’s what he’s doing?
Are Maine winters cold?
That was my third unsuccessful attempt and it busted.
I keep the timing of those raids to myself,
but he’s always two jumps ahead of me.
These letters are all apparently from the same person.
A right-hander who disguised his handwriting
by writing left-handed.
Have you checked them for fingerprints?
The envelopes had dozens of smeared prints on them,
but the letters are clean.
They were all mailed from the Cabot Cove post office.
So they could’ve been dropped in the box in front of the post office
any hour of the day or night.
I thought I left all the cop haters back in New York.
Used to twist my insides to see little kids
showing police officers the disrespect they learned in the streets.
I’m rattling on like an empty freight train here.
I didn’t give you a chance to tell me about your predicament.
Well, I...
oh, dear, I’ve lost track of time.
I’m going to be late for my appointment.
No problem, I’ll give you a lift.
That would be very nice of you. Thanks.
I’ll have you there in no time.
I don’t know what to do about Sam Bennett.
I certainly don’t want to have him arrested,
but he never called me back this morning
-when he said he would. -Oh, boy.
When I tried to reach him,
I got the same runaround he’s been giving me for the past ten days.
Last night, when I saw him at the Inn,
he practically ran away from me.
Just as I thought. We got trouble, Mrs. F.
Mort, are we talking about the same thing?
Yeah. I got a busted fan belt.
Gotta call over to the garage.
Hello, Hogan, this is Sheriff Metzger.
I got a little problem. I need a tow.
-I’m at mill road near Hockhauser. -[horn honks]
Mort, there’s Seth.
Thanks, Hogan.
Oh, thank goodness.
There a problem?
Yeah, my fan belt’s busted.
Neglected to get a check-up, I expect. Like yourself.
You know, it’s been six months since you were supposed to come in
and see me.
If you really wanna know, I think it was sabotage.
Things haven’t been going right for me lately.
You’re not the only one.
What do you mean?
When I didn’t hear word one from Sam Bennett,
I checked my mutual fund statements,
and I found out that he had not made
the last of my quarterly purchases,
even though my check had cleared with his endorsement.
It wasn’t a great deal of money,
but just the same, I’d rather have it end up
in my estate than in his. Pretty much like your story, Jess.
That sounds serious. Why didn’t you tell me about that, Mrs. F.?
Seth, I must get to the Gazette Office right away,
or else our ad for the rummage sale won’t appear in the paper.
Don’t just stand there. My meter’s running.
I’ll have you there in a jiffy.
Mom, before you say anything, just listen, okay?
I hear the circulation department needs some help,
and I was wondering if maybe you could use your influence
Chad, that is strictly manual labor for high schoolers.
You are so far above that, really.
-Nobody else seems to think so. -You’re wrong.
Everyone knows what a success you were in Philadelphia.
I am so proud of you.
Mother, I was fired in Philadelphia!
Why do you insist on putting yourself down?
Chad darling, I’m worried about your health.
Physical illness can cause you to be edgy like this.
I’m okay.
What you need is a wife to take care of you.
What I need is something useful to do.
Are you going to help me get the job or not?
All right. If it’ll make you a little less grouchy.
You can probably start tomorrow.
Meanwhile, do you need some money?
[Seth] Now there was a case in point.
The Sheriff’s been too all-fired bothered
by the humdrum of daily life
to attend to the essentials.
Except that Mort’s daily life hasn’t been that humdrum lately.
I suppose not.
Well, suppose I meet you here in half an hour?
-Fine. -Good.
-Chad? -Oh, hi, Mrs. Fletcher.
-How’s New York? -Wonderful, thanks.
Are you back in Cabot Cove to stay?
For now anyway.
Gives me plenty of time to read your books.
It’s good stuff. Real good.
Well, thanks.
I wish I'd listened to you when you tried to drum
the rules of English grammar into my thick head.
Well, it’s never too late to go back to school.
Yeah.
-Well, I’ll see you later. -Yes.
[classical music playing on radio]
Morning, Irene.
[man speaking German on radio]
Mozart Serenade.
I haven’t heard that one for ages.
Oh, chamber music is a passion of mine.
-I find it irresistible. -Do you still play the violin?
Oh, not for years.
Don’t have the time.
I just listen.
So you have brought me the copy for your rummage sale ad.
Mm-hmm. I apologize for being late.
Very nice.
You have a good eye for composition.
You wouldn’t mind if I made just a couple of minor changes?
Oh, I’m sure you know your job far better than I do.
Just don’t change the date.
Oh, I’m very careful about that.
I passed Chad on the way in.
He’s doing so well these days.
He has a very important job
with an Office Supply Company back in Philadelphia.
Lucky for me that Cabot Cove is in his territory,
or I’d never get to see him.
I was trying to remember the last time I saw him.
I believe it was around the time he won that football scholarship
to the university.
He gave that up. No future in it.
Chad’s trouble was he preferred guzzling beer
instead of showing up for football practice.
The coach threw him off the team,
and his scholarship was revoked.
It’s too bad.
Trouble with Chad, he’s just not a team player.
You cannot have a wide receiver
who does anything he wants whenever he wants.
But I wonder what he wanted instead of college.
Seems to me he wanted to come back here to Cabot Cove
to be near his high school sweetheart.
-Candace Bennett. -Yeah.
Hi, honey.
-Sam, what is going on? -What? Kiss.
-Gotcha. -Sam.
Will you please sit down and listen to this message?
It was on the machine when I came back from shopping.
[machine beeps]
Jessica: Sam, you promised to get back to me
this morning to arrange a meeting.
It’s now 4:00 p.m. and I still haven’t heard from you,
so I have to conclude that you’re avoiding me.
My Cabot Cover financial affairs are a mess.
People you were supposed to pay on my behalf
haven’t received their money.
Sam, we have got to talk.
Please call me at once.
Time doesn’t mean anything to you, does it, Mr. Keramides?
Especially my time.
So I’m a little late.
Who the hell do you think you are, anyway?
Maybe I’ll just raid you myself tonight without any warning.
Oh, so that was a threat.
You got a lot to learn, cowboy.
It might be useful to find out
who’s after Metzger.
Yeah, then what?
Well, you’re a cop.
You arrest him, get the heat off of me.
Yeah, well, I’m already doing one job for you.
You telling me who to arrest now.
That’s gonna cost you more.
Don’t go too far.
I don’t like ambitious people around me.
[knocking on door]
Chad. What are you doing here?
I just wanna talk.
Well, I’m right in the middle of working.
I wouldn’t worry about that, Candace.
It’s only gonna take a minute.
No.
Come on, Candace. I wanna talk to you
about a certain deputy.
Chad, I don’t want you here.
Get out.
You think I don’t know about all those weekends you spent
with Ethan in Boston? I know, so don’t even try and lie about it.
I never lied to you. I told you I was seeing Ethan
when you went away to school in Philadelphia.
And then I come back and you don’t even wanna talk to me?
Look, it’s only because...
you wanted me so much that it scared me.
Okay? I didn’t know how to handle it.
I don’t know how to handle it now.
Candace, all I ever wanted was to see you.
To be near you.
Chad, don’t. Don’t.
Listen, if you don’t leave right now,
I’m gonna call Ethan.
[scoffs] Go ahead, call Ethan.
Go ahead. Call him.
All right, I’ll call him.
Chad, don’t. You’re drunk.
Yeah, hello, is Ethan there? Oh, he’s not.
Would you tell him that there’s an intruder at the Bennett house,
and he’s scaring Candace. Thank you.
Chad, please get out.
Listen, I’ll tell Ethan it’s a joke, I promise. Just please go.
Candace, you remember how it was in high school.
We swore we’d always be together.
You remember.
Chad, stop.
Don’t, okay?
Stop it. Stop it!
-Stop it! -Candace.
Come on, get out.
Stop it! Stop it!
-Let her go! -No, Sam!
You stay away from her, or I will shoot you where you sit, boy.
Dad, you’ve got it all wrong.
Chad’s just a little drunk.
I was trying to get him to leave.
I’ll go round the back.
What is goin’ on here?
Look, I don’t need you comin’ around here playin’ hero.
Okay? I can protect my family.
Hand over the gun, Mr. Bennett.
-You want the gun? -Easy, easy.
You want the gun? Take it.
I’m gonna ask it again. What is goin’ on?
-Nothing. -Nothing?!
I come home,
and this psychopath here is struggling with my daughter.
I want you to lock him up, and now.
Listen, Chad just had too much beer,
and he got a little out of line. I was handling it.
All right, get your hands on your head.
Get up. Do it now!
You see how he likes to push me around in front of you, right?
Let’s go.
-Mr. Bennett. -Thank you.
He released him?
He terrorized my daughter last night.
Candace never came in to make a formal complaint,
so I followed standard procedure.
I let him sleep it off in the drunk tank,
and the first thing this morning, I released him.
Sheriff, you listen to me.
You’ve got only yourself to blame
if this kid turns into some kind of horror story. You understand?
Sam, if I were you, I’d quit worrying about
putting other people behind bars.
Remember that bit in the bible about casting the first stone.
Really? What’s that supposed to mean, Mort?
[phone rings] -You know damn well what it means.
No, I don’t.
[ringing]
Sheriff’s office, Metzger.
Oh, hi, Hogan.
Thanks. I’ll get it out of your way.
Mort.
Sheriff’s office calling Cabot Cove cruiser one.
Do you read?
Sheriff, this is Ethan.
Listen, Andy and I were just talking about
when we picked up Chad McInoy last night.
I think I may have a line on something.
We’ll talk about it when you get in.
Listen, Ethan, Hogan’s garage just called, and my car is ready.
I’ve got a meeting with the D.A. to discuss a case.
Can you pick it up and drive it back here?
-Can do. -Thanks, Ethan.
Okay, now, Sam, what’s your beef?
Give us Grace, so to follow the example
of their steadfastness in thy faith,
and obedience to thy holy commandments.
But at the day of the general resurrection,
we with all those who are of the mystical body
of thy joyful voice.
Come ye, blessed of my father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world.
Grant this, o father, for the sake of the sane,
thy son jesus christ, our only mediator
and advocate.
-Amen. -[all] Amen.
Not now.
Somebody was out to get me.
Why did I make Ethan drive my car?
Mort, you can’t blame yourself.
Who can I blame?
Whoever fired the shotgun.
Mort, it’s time to go now.
You go ahead. I’ll be okay.
Well, the killer must’ve looked for concealment
behind a tree with a clear view of the road.
You don’t suppose we’re messing up his footprints
like this, do you?
Oh, there’s no way to sort them from the others.
This is a very popular place for young couples after dark.
They call it getting in touch with their environment.
[chuckles]
I guess the killer could’ve waited here,
and then, when he saw Mort’s car coming down the road,
step forward for a clear shot
when the car slowed for the curve.
It wouldn’t have taken a sharpshooter to do that.
All he had to do was raise the barrel of his gun
and hit the trigger.
[horn honks]
Howdy, Wilbur.
Hello, Seth!
You recognized the driver.
Well, of course I did.
Who wouldn’t recognize Wilbur Dobbs?
Am I... am I missing the point?
But he was coming from the east,
and the morning sun was behind him.
If you could see him, there was no glare on his windshield.
Ethan was also coming from the east at about the same time of day.
There would’ve been no glare on Ethan’s windshield either.
The killer knew that it was Ethan driving the car
even before he pulled the trigger.
He meant to kill Ethan.
What about those letters I got?
This time you’re wrong, Mrs. F.
Keramides was after me, and he got the kid instead.
-I suppose he has an alibi? -Sure.
Three of his employees at the Inn.
But even if they are telling the truth, which I seriously doubt,
like I said before, a man with Keramides’ connections
would’ve used a hire killer.
Who would’ve been professional enough to kill the right man.
Come on, Mrs. F.
Even the best of us make mistakes.
That’s right, Sheriff.
You don’t even know for sure there’s a gambling casino.
That’s two more.
That makes 14,
and we haven’t even dipped our spoons into the chowder yet.
Either the restrooms are extremely commodious,
or else there’s a major attraction en route.
I’ve got an idea.
Finish your chowder.
Now, Jessica...
Jason David. My friends, Mr. And Mrs. Larson.
Yes, step right in.
You shut the door right in my face.
I’m with Mr. David’s party.
Sorry, ma’am. Come right in.
Good evening, Mrs. Fletcher.
Welcome to my game room.
All you had to do was ask.
I would’ve been happy to escort you.
Well, judging from Sheriff Metzger’s experience,
I wasn’t too sure about that.
I assure you,
I evaluate my guests on an individual basis.
You wish to play?
Or would you prefer a glass of champagne in my private office?
I think I’d prefer champagne.
This way.
So how do you like my little nest?
It’s, uh, nicely feathered.
Yes. I like to live well.
What should we drink to?
To my new novel.
To yet another best-seller.
Now, you must tell me what your new book is about.
And so, the honest, hard-working accountant
yields to the temptation of the private casino,
and loses not only his own money,
but that of his client, as well.
Surely that poor fool isn’t the hero of the story.
Of course, it’s the Sheriff, isn’t it?
I’m afraid, up till now, he hasn’t been able to catch
the casino owner red-handed.
Well, I’m not a writer,
but I wouldn’t let your heroine walk into
the lion’s den and try to save him.
That’d be very unwise.
She might find herself in serious trouble.
But that’s unlikely,
in the setting I’ve given the story.
It’s a small town, very much like Cabot Cove.
Uh-huh.
And then, the plot takes a rather dark turn.
A young deputy is shot to death.
Interesting twist.
And who’s your murderer?
I haven’t quite decided.
One possibility would be the casino owner,
which would certainly lead to his downfall.
On the other hand,
I think the character, as you described him,
would be far more pragmatic.
If the Sheriff continued to harass him,
he would simply fold up his tables and move elsewhere.
After all, he’s in the business
of playing the odds, not beating them.
Wouldn’t that be dreadfully expensive?
It’s all part of the cost of doing business.
He’d be used to that.
Along with concealing his winnings,
and, uh, paying for protection from the police.
-Mrs. Fletcher... [phone rings]
with all due respect,
you should’ve given your story more thought
before running it by me. [ringing continues]
Put him on.
Mr. Keramides,
this is Dr. Seth Hazlitt.
I have the Sheriff on the other line.
If Jessica Fletcher is not back in the dining room
in exactly one minute...
Uh, thank you.
Dr. Hazlitt’s waiting for you downstairs.
Mrs. Fletcher, it has been a pleasure.
And may I say, I think you were very prudent
to keep an open mind as to which one of your characters
killed the deputy.
Why is that?
Because even in a tiny community,
such as you posited for your story,
the heroine could be making a dangerous mistake
if she made things too difficult for the casino owner.
I’ve heard that, in real life,
people like that have far-reaching,
well-concealed connections.
Good night, Mrs. Fletcher.
Good evening.
[Andy] Wait’ll the Sheriff hears about this.
Now, look, I also had a long talk with Mr. Keramides,
in which I seemed to have struck a nerve
when I mentioned that he might have been paying
a police informant.
Which could explain why Keramides always seems to be
one step ahead of Mort.
Look, Andy, I’m not suggesting it was you,
but you probably knew Ethan better than anyone in town.
You certainly spent more time with him.
Oh, for...
down-easter or not, this is no time to be taciturn.
Andy, you wanna get Ethan’s killer, don’t you?
Of course I do.
I know what you want.
It’s just that...
well, I’m not sure about it.
But I did have suspicions.
When we were getting ready to raid the Inn,
I surprised Ethan on the phone,
telling somebody, "guess who’s coming to dinner."
Ethan tried to let on
that Candace was cookin’ a meal for him,
but I could tell by the way he said it
that he wasn’t talkin’ to Candace.
And... he didn’t say good-bye.
Thank you, Andy.
[Mort] Let’s go, Sam.
Mort, I didn’t ask you to arrest Mr. Bennett.
This has nothing to do with you, Mrs. F.
I’m booking him for the murder of deputy Sheriff Ethan Loomis.
Then I remembered Ethan telling me on the police radio
that he though he had a line on something,
so I asked Andy about it.
He said when they picked up Chad McInoy
over at the Bennett house,
Bennett was holding a shotgun on him
like the one that was fired at me.
So I went over to Bennett’s house to check,
and I found this in his closet.
Can you say for sure
that this is the same gun that shot at you?
Not really, but it’s the same configuration.
We know for sure that Ethan was killed with a shotgun,
and this one’s been fired recently.
I went hunting on Tuesday.
I haven’t had a chance to clean it.
Well, whoever you went hunting with can corroborate that.
-I went alone, Mort. -How many birds did you bag?
None. It wasn’t my day.
Everyone knew there was bad blood between Sam and Ethan.
He said you told him that he didn’t have enough money to marry Candace.
Well, then, he lied,
because it had nothing to do with money.
Jessica...
I should’ve told you about this a long time ago.
I have a problem.
It’s gambling.
And I’ve lost some of your money.
But I swear, I will get it back to you,
if I can get outta this.
First things first, Sam, then we’ll talk about it.
What’s your gambling got to do with Ethan?
I saw him at the casino with Keramides,
out of uniform, free drink in his hand,
and a big smile on his face.
Keramides had him in his back pocket,
and I wasn’t about to let my daughter marry a crooked cop.
Nobody’s gonna call one of my deputies,
especially a man who can’t defend himself, a bad cop.
Mort, let him go.
-Sheriff, what he said about Ethan's true. -What are you talking about?
Keramides was paying Ethan off to tip him about your raids.
You knew that?
He wasn’t sure until now, Mort.
Look, I’m so sorry about Ethan.
Yeah, well, it doesn’t change anything.
There’s the motive. You heard it right out of his own mouth.
The only way he could keep his daughter from marrying a bad cop
-was to kill him. -I never said that, Mort.
Forget it. I can nail it down.
You were right here in my office
when I told Ethan on the radio to pick up my car.
Nobody else knew about that except for me and Andy,
who is Ethan’s best friend.
Anyone with a police scanner could’ve picked up that call,
including Mr. Keramides.
I saw a scanner in his private office.
I suppose he’s got an over and under shotgun.
Over and under? Oh, how could I have missed that?
You say something, Jess?
I was talking to myself, a writer’s habit.
But I think I know who murdered Ethan.
Andy, have you any idea where Chad McInoy might be right now?
I saw him this morning.
He said he was gonna start working for the Gazette.
He’d likely be there now, helping to get tomorrow’s edition ready.
-Right. -Andy.
All right, all right.
I know why you’re here.
I’ll bet you wanna see your rummage sale ad
in tomorrow’s paper.
Well, here it is, on page three.
Nobody could possibly miss it.
It’s lovely. I’m sure it will bring in a good crowd.
You’re not listening to your chamber music tonight.
Chad says it makes him crazy.
I turn it on, and then he turns it off again.
Is Chad here? I need to talk to him.
Oh, he was.
He had to deliver some newspapers over at Northport.
In that case, we can have some music.
[classical music plays]
Mom, that music.
It’s too loud.
Hello, Chad.
Mrs. Fletcher, Sheriff Metzger.
Something wrong?
Wrong doesn’t begin to cover it.
Have a seat.
Chad, right now, one of my deputies
is over at your house with a search warrant,
looking for the murder weapon that killed Ethan Loomis.
Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no weapons at the house.
Is that true, Chad?
Well, there’s an old gun that belonged to my dad,
but I haven’t seen it since he died.
You recall anything special about the way it looked?
No, I didn’t pay attention. I never liked guns.
Then tell me about Candace Bennett.
Were you jealous when she started going with Ethan?
Chad, you don’t have to answer any more of these questions.
Mother, will you stop trying to control me?
Sure, I was jealous as hell,
so I drank too much.
But I didn’t kill anybody.
If that gun turns up, they’ll have a case against you, Chad.
It would be better for you to confess now.
Now stop this nonsense.
How could Chad kill Ethan?
He couldn’t possibly have known that Ethan
was driving the Sheriff’s car
on that road at that time.
Because he could’ve heard it on this radio.
A shotgun wasn’t the only over and under configuration in this case.
Irene, you were listening to Berlin on the radio.
I remembered its position on the dial.
[man speaking in German]
[static]
And I realized it was directly over this,
the police band.
I know it doesn’t sound like much right now,
but this is the frequency used by the Sheriffs’ department.
Andy, this is the Sheriff.
Give me a full report, but do it on
the usual radio frequency.
Sheriff, this is Andy.
I’m out in front of the McInoy house.
I found the shotgun and some shells
in the attic, stuck behind an old trunk.
The shotgun’s an over and under,
and it has been fired recently.
I’m bringin’ it in. Over and out.
Maybe you knew exactly where to find your dad’s old gun,
and the shells to go with it.
And maybe your mother was away from her desk,
and you were listening to the police band on the radio.
You heard the Sheriff talking to Ethan,
and you were hiding in the trees with a gun
when the Sheriff’s car slowed for the curve in the road.
Gives you means, motive and opportunity.
That oughta be enough for a jury.
Chad, I’m placing you under arrest for the murder--
No, no, it wasn’t like that.
Candace Bennett was the only girl
that Chad ever made friends with in high school.
They were so close; it was so wonderful.
Then he got the damn football scholarship
and went away to some college where he didn’t belong.
Mom!
It was such a waste of time.
While he was gone, Ethan seduced Candace.
She always was so stupid and silly about boys.
Well, Chad came back too late.
He screwed up again.
I tried to save it.
I did.
So you decided to eliminate Chad’s rival
for her affections.
But to divert suspicion, you concocted the Sheriff’s imaginary enemy
who wrote threatening letters,
and finally took a shot at him
in the Sheriff’s office,
so that we would believe the killer’s victim
was to be the Sheriff.
And I could give Candace back to Chad.
And they could get married in a Church.
And everybody could be there to see it.
They would give me the most precious little grandchildren
in the whole world.
[Jessica] Sorry we had to put you through that, Chad,
but we felt we had no choice.
Chad, don’t look at me like that.
All I ever wanted was for your happiness.
Well, thank you, Sam,
but believe me, I only made the suggestion.
If gamblers’ anonymous works for you,
it’ll be because you do it.
-Thank you. -Is this a private powwow?
No, I was just thankin’ Jessica
for being tolerant and forgiving.
Making it possible to hold our heads up.
Sam, you know, you should be thanking Laura.
I think it was her cries for help
that put the Sheriff on to Keramides.
Those anonymous phone calls all came from that pay phone
over in Four Corners.
Two hundred yards from your house.
You made those calls to Mort, didn’t you?
I was hoping he’d catch you,
maybe throw enough of a scare into you
that you’d quit, or get some help.
I’m happy to say, it’s gonna be a long time
before Keramides gets another chance.
District attorney figures maybe seven years.
Daddy, I bought you a present.
-You’re gonna love it. -Uh-huh.
It’s beautiful. Thank you, sweetheart.
Laura, weren’t you the one who donated that tie?
I donate it every year,
but somehow, we always wind up with it again.